Manoau2002 Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 (edited) I picked this up at a local flea market today for 12.00. I dont really know much about it. But i figured for 12 bucks its a cheap edition to my collection. Were there different models of this pong console? Was this only available in certain countries? Edited April 6, 2013 by Manoau2002 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlepaddle Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 I haven't seen that particular console, but there were about 1.5 zillion different TV tennis consoles, that were mostly the same. There were a few different chip sets that allowed many, many (many, many) manufacturers to create different looking consoles with unique and/or copy cat physical attributes. For example, one might have a wired controller you could keep in your lap where another (like yours) had the controls built into the console. They are all basic variations on pong. Great fun for two people, for awhile anyway. Put it away 'til next year, and have great fun again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 You mean "cheap ADDITION" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manoau2002 Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 You mean "cheap ADDITION" Yeah i noticed that but i couldnt figure out how to edit a post using my cell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YAGRS Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 I have a couple of those consoles, and they are different. One has external controls that can be plugged into the back as well as the controls on the console. Apparently, there was also a light gun. More info: http://pongmuseum.com/collection/apf-TVfun-401.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manoau2002 Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 I have a couple of those consoles, and they are different. One has external controls that can be plugged into the back as well as the controls on the console. Apparently, there was also a light gun. More info: http://pongmuseum.com/collection/apf-TVfun-401.php Thanks for the link it looks like a lot of great information. Interesting that one company made so many different models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatta Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Hey, what are the specs on the AC adaptor for that thing? I have one, with no wall wart, so I haven't tried it out. I'm sure I can find something compatible if I just know what I need. Is it printed on the adaptor somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manoau2002 Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 Mine didnt come with an ac adaptor. You have to buy it separately. Ill take a look at the manual when i get home tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 What the heck is APF, anyway? I owned one of their game consoles for a brief period of time, but I know precious little about the company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manoau2002 Posted April 8, 2013 Author Share Posted April 8, 2013 Hey, what are the specs on the AC adaptor for that thing? I have one, with no wall wart, so I haven't tried it out. I'm sure I can find something compatible if I just know what I need. Is it printed on the adaptor somewhere? I checked the manual and it doesnt say anything specific. They wanted you to order one from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manoau2002 Posted April 8, 2013 Author Share Posted April 8, 2013 What the heck is APF, anyway? I owned one of their game consoles for a brief period of time, but I know precious little about the company. According to the pong museum website apf was a calculator company that wanted to expand to the video game market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manoau2002 Posted April 8, 2013 Author Share Posted April 8, 2013 I checked the manual and it doesnt say anything specific. They wanted you to order one from them. According to the pong museum site you can use a dc 9 volt adaptor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YAGRS Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 Thanks for the link it looks like a lot of great information. Interesting that one company made so many different models. You're welcome. Hey, what are the specs on the AC adaptor for that thing? I have one, with no wall wart, so I haven't tried it out. I'm sure I can find something compatible if I just know what I need. Is it printed on the adaptor somewhere? If I hadn't just packed up my consoles for a move, I would have checked. Looks like Manoau found the info, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhd Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 I'm surprised to see that Pong consoles are still to be found "in the wild"; I have seen only one in the past decade. On the other hand, $12... I have a Venture Electronics model and a Radio Shack TV Scoreboard. Both include the power adaptors and the latter has its original box. I paid $1 each (at different rumage sales) in the mid-1990s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manoau2002 Posted April 8, 2013 Author Share Posted April 8, 2013 I'm surprised to see that Pong consoles are still to be found "in the wild"; I have seen only one in the past decade. On the other hand, $12... I have a Venture Electronics model and a Radio Shack TV Scoreboard. Both include the power adaptors and the latter has its original box. I paid $1 each (at different rumage sales) in the mid-1990s. Yeah i remember buying one in the 1990's for a dollar at a garage sale. I also remember buying a colecovision with 20 games for 10.00. That was before there was much of a collectors market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 I have one exactly like yours. Only reason I bought it was because my grandparents had the same thing in the '70s. It was my first introduction to video/tv games of any sort. They had the one with the external controllers though. Plus, I wanted to have at least one "pong" game. They're nice historical curiosities, and pretty much anyone over the age of about 40 remembers them. Nice that yours has a box, I just have a loose console. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockman_x_2002 Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 I also have an APF TV Fun, exactly like this one. My parents owned it, and now I have it. Just your typical Pong clone. Interesting conversation piece, though. Here's a bit of information about APF Electronics, for those interested. In addition to Pong clones and calculators, they also produced a cartridge-based console/computer called the APF Imagination Machine and Imagination Machine II. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassGuitari Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 I've got a loose APF TV Fun. I got it around 10 years ago for $10. It was one of my first Pong consoles (after my/my wife's Coleco Telstar Alpha), and I think it's a rather nice one...it's very "deluxe" compared to many other Pongs, which often exude an aura of cheapness, apart from the Atari and Odyssey games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lendorien Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 (edited) I started a thread about this a few years ago: http://atariage.com/...un#entry2088269 APF made a number of dedicated consoles in the seventies, culminating with with APF MP1000, which was a cartridge based console. The earliest seems to have been the 401, which you and I both have. This was one of the earliest "Pong on a chip" clones to come out in competition to Atari's Pong. Later versions came with external controllers and one even had a light gun. Yours looks pretty much the same as mine, though perhaps in a tad bit better condition. I've always felt that the APF TV Fun is a far better looking pong clone than a lot of the units (or even Atari's Pong itself). I agree with Bass Guitari on that account. Hey, what are the specs on the AC adaptor for that thing? I have one, with no wall wart, so I haven't tried it out. I'm sure I can find something compatible if I just know what I need. Is it printed on the adaptor somewhere? Apparently they DID sell an adapter for the thing they called a "battery eliminator". My boxed unit came with a card that you could send in for one. See below for the scan I did of the manual and card. http://atariage.com/...ttach_id=165679 A little research shows that the 401 needs a +9vdc center positive adapter (coaxial plug). I'm not sure a regular AC adapter would work. You have to be sure your polarity is right. I've always have just used batteries. Edited April 12, 2013 by Lendorien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manoau2002 Posted April 12, 2013 Author Share Posted April 12, 2013 I was in a retro game store in a nearby city the other day and I saw one of these units for 35.00 dollars without a box or manual. Makes me feel pretty good about paying 12.00 for mine. I need to buy some batteries and fire this baby up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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