Kremlar Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 Finally got an Adam off Craigslist and was looking forward to getting some software for it! Unfortunately I powered it up and the screen looks corrupted. I took it a part hoping to find some socketed chips I could clean up and re-seat, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Has anyone seen anything like the attached screenshot? Any suggestions on troubleshooting what the issue might be? I have no software to try at the moment. Are there any general troubleshoot documents or common failures? Thanks in advance... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 (edited) Do you own the Stand-Alone Memory Console with the ColecoVision Game System built-in or the Exp. Mod. #3 Memory Console that connects to the black ColecoVision Game System? Knowing this information is a good first step for myself or others in trying to help you. If you have or can pickup a ColecoVision game cartridge, this will be a good first step in isolating the problem. Insert the cartridge in the cart slot, power on and press the CARTRIDGE RESET switch. If the game displays and plays properly, then the ColecoVision Delta board is functioning properly as well as the VDP... meaning the problem lays in the ADAM Logic Board, which I think is the problem. I would venture a guess that one or more of the RAM chips are at fault on the ADAM Logic Board and possibly one of the SmartWRITER prom chips could be bad. There were numerous revisions of the ADAM Logic Board, but more than likely your SmartWRITER proms are all installed in sockets and can be pulled and replaced if one of the remaining ADAM vendors has extras. BTW, the picture below shows the SmartWRITER chips in the upper right of the picture with the word "ALF" on the labels. Also, if you could pickup an ADAM software program for testing purposes. If whatever program you can get loads up and works properly, then I would definetly think that the problem lies in the SmartWRITER prom chips. Seeing as you probably won't be using the ADAM for any word processing needs, you could just live with the problem is you don't feel like spending money to fix. So, to make a long story short, you need to pickup a ColecoVision cart and an ADAM software program for further testing. Edited May 14, 2012 by NIAD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kremlar Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 Thanks for the reply! Sorry, it's the standalone Adam unit - not the ColecoVision add-on. I forgot they even made that. I was hoping to ask for advice on and purchase one of those aftermarket multi-carts, but since I'm not sure how well this unit is working I'll look at getting some standalone carts and cassettes to test with first as you suggest. On that picture you attached, where is that board located? I got as far as taking the metal shield off the board inside the Memory Console and still no sockets. Is that beneath that board, or is it located in the printer? Thanks again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kremlar Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 Nevermind, I dug deeper and found those chips in your pic. Many you really have to disassemble this thing! Like a jig-saw puzzle getting it back together. I popped, cleaned and re-seated each socketed chip and I get the same issue. A couple of the chips had these slim brown "pads" with 4 pins underneath each chip in the socket. Never seen that before. Now I need to find a cart or 2 to test with... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 (edited) Always glad to try and help out. As far as a multicart, when you are ready for one, go with the AtariMax Ultimate SD Multi-Cart as it's the best one available and you get two free games with it... Mr. Chin and Mario Bros. It always fun taking the Stand-Alone Memory Console apart, 32 screws worth of fun! Actually after you've done it once, it's a breeze everytime afterwards as there is nothing tricky in the layout of the boards. The top board with the cartridge slot is the ColecoVision Game board (also referred to as the Delta Board) and the bottom board that you found by digging a little deeper into the system is the ADAM Computer board (also referred to as the ADAM Logic Board). I see you have one of the newer revision motherboards that use 2 chips for SmartWRITER, the other chip is the O.S. and the open socket can be used for a no-slot Clock Chip or other Homebrewer uses. It's nice to see you have that big heatsink on the Data Drive controller chip in socket U24, as those are prone to overheating. Once you have a ColecoVision cart, you'll be able to start isolating the problem. Just get yourself a cheap one that is verified to be working or that you can test beforehand if you are lucky enough to live close to a retrogaming store... don't need to pickup a bad cartridge as well. Edited May 14, 2012 by NIAD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kremlar Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 Thanks again for the info! Yes, I was looking at that cart - looks nice. More than I was hoping to spend, but perhaps worth it. What about the Adam side of things? Any solution there? I saw the thread about the SD drive for the Adam and it seemed so promising, but the guy making it seemed to just disappear - kind of sad for the community. Any options to run Adam software off modern media like SD card? Unfortunatley no retro stores in my area that I know off. I'm eyeballing a couple auctions on eBay, guess I could also check out a local flea market... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 The AtariMax Ultimate SD Cart is indeed worth it and then some! As far as the ADAMnet SD Drive, the developer hasn't been on the board for quite some time and even word of his Horse Racing game modeled after the Coleco mock-up has fallen silent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+thegoldenband Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Kremlar, if you need a CV cart for testing, I have an extra Donkey Kong cart I'd be happy to send you (I'll send it for free if you're in the US, or for the cost of shipping if you're elsewhere). It was given to me for free, so it's only right for me to pay it forward. PM me your postal info if you're interested. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kremlar Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 PM sent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardhat Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 The next thing to check is the power supply, to make sure it is producing the correct voltages. The video RAM is the most sensitive to poor voltages. The correct voltages should be +5, +12 logic, +12 inductive and -5, (plus ground, AdamNET bidirectional data and AdamNET reset). Which are which I've documented in the past but I can never seem to find it when I want it. They are all on the 9 pin connector from the side of the Adam going to the printer/power supply. If the power supply is the issue, it is possible to replace it with a PC ATX power supply by grabbing the appropriate voltages from the various connectors on the ATX power supply and routing them to a DB-9 connector. The next time I build one of those, I'll be sure to take pictures of the steps involved as a reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kremlar Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 Thanks, I couldn't find an easy breakdown of the power connector and what voltages should be where, but I checked each wire location shown here wth my multimeter. With my black tip to ground and the system powered up I checked each pin and here's what I got: Green: basically nothing Green: basically nothing Red: 5.11v Orange: 11.95v Yellow: 11.93v Blue: -5.06v Brown: basically nothing Black: 5.10v Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I was thinking that the Power Supply could be at fault as well, especially seeing as how the ColecoVision Game System Power Transformer as well as On/Off Power Switch have caused so many problems over the years and corrupted graphic displays are one of the signs. I've been fortunate to never experience an issue with the ADAM Power Supply built into the Printer, but I know others have and we did receive our fare share of dead power supplies that were pulled from or never installed in the printer back in the day. Here is a direct link to the "ADAM Technical Manual" on Dr. D's website: http://drushel.cwru.edu/atm/atm.html Hope it helps with your questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kremlar Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 Thanks. I saw that, but didn't know how to match up the voltages listed in section 6.3 with the wires on the internal circuit board I listed above. I don't think my multimeter probes would fit inside the pin holes on the cable from the printer/power supply, and without a diagram I wasn't certain which pins were which anyway. So, I pulled that little circuit board and mapped out the traces so I knew which wire mapped to which pin. Based on a bit of logic, referencing the table in that technical manual, I came up with this diagram. Maybe it won't be of use to most, but perhaps it will help a newb like me who would like to check for proper voltage on those wires attached to that little circuit board. So, I believe my power supply is putting out voltage well within spec. My understanding is that there could still be other issues like quality of power that I wouldn't be able to see without an oscilloscope - but hopefully the power supply is all good. Can't wait to try with a cart! Will post back once I can test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kremlar Posted May 18, 2012 Author Share Posted May 18, 2012 (edited) I realized how stupid and convoluted my last pic was, so I simplified and posted just a pic of the internal circuit board and the voltages on each wire. Hope it helps someone! Edited May 18, 2012 by Kremlar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kremlar Posted May 18, 2012 Author Share Posted May 18, 2012 (edited) Welp, unfortunately the DK cartridge exhibits similar problems... So, if it's not the SmartWriter ROMs and the power supply seems OK according to my multimeter.... any other suggestions? Edited May 18, 2012 by Kremlar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 From those pics, I'd say the RAM chips attached to the VDP are defective. They need to be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed1475 Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 It looks like the video ram chip at location U13 needs to be replaced. Part 8 in the link below shows screenshots with solution. Colecovision Technical Manual http://www.colecovisionzone.com/page/coleco%20industries/tech.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew180 Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 If you install an F18A, you don't need to worry about the original DRAM chips that make up the Video RAM, since the F18A uses internal RAM for the 16K VRAM. I have actually removed the DRAMs from a few of my test systems for the F18A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Kremlar... let us know what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kremlar Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 Will do. Just a lot of projects going on right now so haven't had time to check it out in detail. Does look like U13 according to the screenshot. Is that a readily available chip for anywhere? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SILKIE Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 (edited) I bought a ADAM the other day off ebay for $22.00 plus shipping, It hasn't gotten here yet. But from the pix. It looks like it was in a barn for the last 20 years. The shell and everything looks to be in good condition. Just dingy and dirty! I'm hoping it at least powers up with some sort of screen. I figured it was worth a shot for that cheap of a price. Edited May 29, 2012 by SILKIE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Will do. Just a lot of projects going on right now so haven't had time to check it out in detail. Does look like U13 according to the screenshot. Is that a readily available chip for anywhere? Thanks I'm not sure how readily available these RAM chips are now-a-days, but a search of the NET should provide some answers and if all else fails... maybe someone here, like Yurkie, has some extra ones that they be willing to part with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 I figured it was worth a shot for that cheap of a price. That is one hell-u-va roll of the dice... good luck! All kidding aside, it wouldn't surprise me if the system fired up and worked fine on the first try as these systems are pretty resilient little buggers, even after all these years. One thing that I'd be a little nervous about is placing a Digital Data Pack into the drive as it looks like one of the earliest revision Digital Data Drives, so if you eventually go down this road, make sure you use a data pack that you don't mind having damaged if indeed the drive is malfunctioning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblenkle Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Ummm...just as a point of argument...does it come with an external power supply or the printer? If not, I can guarantee it won't power up (no power supply). I bought a ADAM the other day off ebay for $22.00 plus shipping, It hasn't gotten here yet. But from the pix. It looks like it was in a barn for the last 20 years. The shell and everything looks to be in good condition. Just dingy and dirty! I'm hoping it at least powers up with some sort of screen. I figured it was worth a shot for that cheap of a price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SILKIE Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 (edited) That is one hell-u-va roll of the dice... good luck! All kidding aside, it wouldn't surprise me if the system fired up and worked fine on the first try as these systems are pretty resilient little buggers, even after all these years. One thing that I'd be a little nervous about is placing a Digital Data Pack into the drive as it looks like one of the earliest revision Digital Data Drives, so if you eventually go down this road, make sure you use a data pack that you don't mind having damaged if indeed the drive is malfunctioning. I have bought 2 ColecoVision's off ebay that were supposed to be dead. (Power Supply) Let's hope my luck continues...I wanted it for more so collector purposes. I probably will never even try the Digital Data Drive. Unless i become really bored. Edited May 29, 2012 by SILKIE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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