The Intv Ecs club

[doctorclu]

Question about the ECS:

 

Not sure if my original Intellivision is eating ECS modules. As I recall when you power up the Intellivision and ECS you are supposed to see a menu, or is that only when you have the synthesizer plugged in?

 

As it stands the ECS comes up a black screen, but when I play Mind Strike the keyboard does work.

 

Getting back into this so any help appreciated.

[doctorclu]

 

 

I forgot to say that in the video, Joe is using a CC3 not an Intellicart. So, yes, it is certainly possible.

 

As for a BBS, go for it! I'll help if I can.

 

-dZ.

 

Awesome, now to look in the CC3 manual and see how the serial cable is made.

[jaybird3rd]

Question about the ECS:

 

Not sure if my original Intellivision is eating ECS modules. As I recall when you power up the Intellivision and ECS you are supposed to see a menu, or is that only when you have the synthesizer plugged in?

 

As it stands the ECS comes up a black screen, but when I play Mind Strike the keyboard does work.

You'll need to have a cartridge plugged in when you turn on the Intellivision, whether the ECS is connected or not, or else you'll see the black screen.

 

With most regular Intellivision games, you'll first see an ECS title screen, and after that, a three-option menu which takes you either to the game, to ECS BASIC, or to a simple little Music Synthesizer music player. ECS-aware games can override the menu and start directly in the game, and there are a handful of games (mostly third-party titles) which won't start with the ECS connected, although many of these will start from the CC3.

[LidLikesIntellivision]

Question about the ECS:

 

Not sure if my original Intellivision is eating ECS modules. As I recall when you power up the Intellivision and ECS you are supposed to see a menu, or is that only when you have the synthesizer plugged in?

 

As it stands the ECS comes up a black screen, but when I play Mind Strike the keyboard does work.

 

Getting back into this so any help appreciated.

You must have a regular cartridge to use the ECS. I like to use my Astrosmash!

[LidLikesIntellivision]

Jaybird is faster than me!

[doctorclu]

You must have a regular cartridge to use the ECS. I like to use my Astrosmash!

 

For me it would be TRON Deadly Discs. Tried this out with my ECS and one that I thought was fried. And yes I got this to work, oh Merry Christmas to me!

 

It just never occurred to me that you had to have a cartridge in the slot for the ECS menu to come up.

 

I mean I must have examined that ECS motherboard for days off and on, and eventually bought another ECS because I thought the first one was fried.

 

Again thanks!

Edited December 25, 2013 by doctorclu

[doctorclu]

Maybe not the place for this but reading up on the ECS I have questions:

 

1) Looks like an expansion for up to 32K was planned. What happened to that? Have prototypes been found? Do we have any idea how they were planning on expanding the memory?

 

2) How does the printer work? Is is a serial or parallel interface or something different?

 

3) The Cassette appears to be send and receive audio tracks that any tape player will work with, so straight forward, but curious if there is more to say on that too as the only save media for the ECS at the moment.

[jaybird3rd]

1) I'm not familiar with any RAM upgrades that might have been planned for the ECS. There is an expansion port present in early ECS Computer Adaptors, hidden underneath a removable panel on the top, but as far as I know, nothing was ever done with it.

2) The printer port is an RS232-compatible serial interface (1200 baud, I think). It's possible to build an adapter to connect it to a PC serial port, but it's limited to output, since only the TX and CTS signals are present. No ECS printers were ever released, but the Aquarius Thermal Printer is directly compatible. With the right cable, it should also work with printers that provide a native serial interface (old dot matrix and laser printers).

3) The cassette interface is pretty generic, so any cassette recorder (including the Aquarius Data Recorder) should work. You should also be able to connect to a PC sound card instead of a recorder.

[+Lathe26]

1) Their might have been some prototypes built for 16kb and 32kb upgrade. They had pictures of it in the 1983 catalogs. Note: some pictures were wood mockups so they might not have been real photos.

 

2) Definitely serial.

 

3) There is more to say on the format but I'm too filled with Xmas spirits to find the link. Almost any tape player with start/stop support via a cable will work.

[doctorclu]

Thanks Lathe26.

 

A few more questions after I read through all the messages on here talking about the ECS, mostly about Basic

 

1) is there is a known basic routine that could tell a person how much ram is available?

2) Are there as program listings of programs written in ECS Basic that worked? Examples would be awesome.

3) If we saved our programs to cassette, what is the best way we could share them here? Convert the cassette to .wav or .mp3 files and play them through a computer speaker port to the ECS cassette port?

[Intymike]

Maybe not the place for this but reading up on the ECS I have questions:

 

3) The Cassette appears to be send and receive audio tracks that any tape player will work with, so straight forward, but curious if there is more to say on that too as the only save media for the ECS at the moment.

 

Yes, I use a Philips cassette player with the ECS.

[+DZ-Jay]

Thanks Lathe26.

 

A few more questions after I read through all the messages on here talking about the ECS, mostly about Basic

 

1) is there is a known basic routine that could tell a person how much ram is available?

2) Are there as program listings of programs written in ECS Basic that worked? Examples would be awesome.

3) If we saved our programs to cassette, what is the best way we could share them here? Convert the cassette to .wav or .mp3 files and play them through a computer speaker port to the ECS cassette port?

1) Doesn't the command FREE(0) give you that?

 

2) Take a look at Joe's site.

 

3) I would guess converting them to WAV would work. Though I think the most common way so far is to share them as source (really, it's the ECS; how long can they truly be?)

[+DZ-Jay]

3) The cassette interface is pretty generic, so any cassette recorder (including the Aquarius Data Recorder) should work. You should also be able to connect to a PC sound card instead of a recorder.

My first computer was an ECS, and I used a regular, off-the-shelf cassette deck (Panasonic, I believe), nothing fancy, to store and load my simple BASIC programs. It worked, though it was slow.

 

dZ.

[+Lathe26]

DZ-Jay and other have covered things pretty well. DZ-Jay said it best in that sharing the source code is the simplest way. However, be careful of typos, though the ECS provides highlighting to help with that.

 

The next best option is to use a laptop to record and playback WAV files. While not as "authentic" as recording onto actual tapes, WAV files can be stored longer and more easily shared.

 

It also looks like there is a WAV2BIN program available that converts WAV files to/from the actual binary format that the ECS saves/loads its BASIC in. Here are some links (these are very technical discussions):

• http://games.dir.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/intvprog/conversations/topics/3960
• http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/intvprog/conversations/topics/3958

Furthermore, it looks like there was some work on being able to convert a WAV file to/from the original source code on your laptop. I don't know if this work was completed (haven't investigated too far).

http://games.dir.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/intvprog/conversations/messages/4667

[+BBWW]

My son and I are there. We are 125 CIB Plus all things ECS with software and musical keyboard, all software, we have a complete Mattel Aquarius.

Total Boxed (125+2000) 143 Total Games (125+2000) 144 Yogi is missing box only.

 

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/13839114@N00/sets/72157639070695164/

 

Hoping to nail down some more home brews by years end. We have submitted for the Brotherhood.

[+Lathe26]

Total Boxed (125+2000) 143 Total Games (125+2000) 144 Yogi is missing box only.

 

What does the "+2000" refer to?

[+BBWW]

 

What does the "+2000" refer to?

Games from the new millennia.

 

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/13839114@N00/11579917214/sizes/m/in/set-72157639070695164/

[doctorclu]

DZ-Jay and other have covered things pretty well. DZ-Jay said it best in that sharing the source code is the simplest way. However, be careful of typos, though the ECS provides highlighting to help with that.

 

The next best option is to use a laptop to record and playback WAV files. While not as "authentic" as recording onto actual tapes, WAV files can be stored longer and more easily shared.

 

I like that! Ok, let me see if I understand how the process works because I have not been able to get this to work yet.

 

Patch cable from "to tape" to my record port on the laptop. I record the wav file. And when I play it back it is definately there.

 

Then to load you would want from the headphone port to the "from tape" on the ECS.

CLOD PROG (enter)

SET (Hit button on controller)

GO (Hit button again on controller while hitting play on the laptop wav file)

LOAD

wav file plays through without result.

 

I figure there is some tinkering of the sound level on the laptop neccessary for this to work?

[+Lathe26]

I haven't actually tried CSAV-->WAV-->CLOD myself. However, I did see someone say that they had to play the WAV loudly for the ECS to recognize the file.

[doctorclu]

I haven't actually tried CSAV-->WAV-->CLOD myself. However, I did see someone say that they had to play the WAV loudly for the ECS to recognize the file.

 

Ah ok. Have to see what I can do on that.

[+JasonlikesINTV]

My son and I are there. We are 125 CIB Plus all things ECS with software and musical keyboard, all software, we have a complete Mattel Aquarius. Total Boxed (125+2000) 143 Total Games (125+2000) 144 Yogi is missing box only.

 

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/13839114@N00/sets/72157639070695164/

 

Hoping to nail down some more home brews by years end. We have submitted for the Brotherhood.

Congrats, the quality of your collection is decent. Lots of nice sealed minty games. I too will be relying on repro boxes for a while (Stadium Mud Buggies, LF2, Spiker). Can't spend the money right now, although who knows....I have lots of good trade bait and I'm patient. Can't wait to see you guys on Rev's site !

[+BBWW]

Congrats, the quality of your collection is decent. Lots of nice sealed minty games. I too will be relying on repro boxes for a while (Stadium Mud Buggies, LF2, Spiker). Can't spend the money right now, although who knows....I have lots of good trade bait and I'm patient. Can't wait to see you guys on Rev's site !

Thanks, Jayson.

 

I'm working on the Sears Games now. I can afford most of those…I've got some trade bait too…and getting more. Really want to find a box for Yogi. All things in time. What do you have to trade for my Non Repro Stadium Mud Buggies, and use a repro box? I am not FULLY neurotic about this yet. I have two or three Tutankham's to trade, two Super Cobra's, a Worm Whomper, Defender, Learning Fun 1 without box…stuff like that…and an ECS System with the Synth Keyboard. So I'll keep on looking...

[+JasonlikesINTV]

Thanks, Jayson.

 

I'm working on the Sears Games now. I can afford most of thoseI've got some trade bait tooand getting more. Really want to find a box for Yogi. All things in time. What do you have to trade for my Non Repro Stadium Mud Buggies, and use a repro box? I am not FULLY neurotic about this yet. I have two or three Tutankham's to trade, two Super Cobra's, a Worm Whomper, Defender, Learning Fun 1 without boxstuff like thatand an ECS System with the Synth Keyboard. So I'll keep on looking...

Hmmm...I'll have to look through my bait pile after the new year. Anything you're looking for?

[doctorclu]

Well a little something I'll share with the class. I was hoping to connect a nicer keyboard to the ECS. I managed to get another keyboard to talk to the Intellivision while everything was connected to the original keyboard circuit board. However when I hooked the same key to the ECS directly no dice.

 

Guess I am not grasping yet how the 16th wire (ground of some type) interacts with the other wires.

 

But on the flip side I mapped out what wires intersect with what. (attached).

 

The only thing not listed in the picture is the arrow up, which is wires 6 and 7.

 

[+DZ-Jay]

Well a little something I'll share with the class. I was hoping to connect a nicer keyboard to the ECS. I managed to get another keyboard to talk to the Intellivision while everything was connected to the original keyboard circuit board. However when I hooked the same key to the ECS directly no dice.

 

Guess I am not grasping yet how the 16th wire (ground of some type) interacts with the other wires.

 

But on the flip side I mapped out what wires intersect with what. (attached).

 

The only thing not listed in the picture is the arrow up, which is wires 6 and 7.

 

 

I think Joe Z. mapped the wires already. I believe they are in the IntelliWiki. If not, at the very least they are in the Intellivision Programming forum, within the thread on decoding the ECS keyboard.

 

Perhaps that will help.

-dZ.