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ColecoVision 1.2 - replacement PCB, added features


5-11under

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I'd say if you have the money and a product is available that fits your needs/wants, then go for it.

 

Fortunately (or unfortunately), I have way more projects than I have time. I'll still be building mine, as time permits, though. However, if someone else's product comes along in the meantime, rendering this project redundant, I'll readjust and just build it to the specs that I'm looking for personally (and if anyone else wants the same item, I'll be able to provide it).

 

The plan at the moment is to get another board made during the winter, that includes all the pieces. The major gating factor right now is the expansion slot. When I started this project 5 years ago, the SGM wasn't really in the picture, and personally I wasn't too concerned with the Atari expansion module.

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I'd say if you have the money and a product is available that fits your needs/wants, then go for it.

 

Fortunately (or unfortunately), I have way more projects than I have time. I'll still be building mine, as time permits, though. However, if someone else's product comes along in the meantime, rendering this project redundant, I'll readjust and just build it to the specs that I'm looking for personally (and if anyone else wants the same item, I'll be able to provide it).

 

The plan at the moment is to get another board made during the winter, that includes all the pieces. The major gating factor right now is the expansion slot. When I started this project 5 years ago, the SGM wasn't really in the picture, and personally I wasn't too concerned with the Atari expansion module.

 

I'd be happy with a new CV pcb, with front mounted controller plugs, AV/component out. I wouldn't care if there was no exp. port. I never used that anyway and have no plans to.

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  • 2 months later...
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  • 3 months later...

Oh man...is this ever a beacon of hope! Pretty sure I just toasted my revH2 MB with my ham-handed soldering skills and I would LOVE a new modern board! I hope the development keeps moving forward! I'm new here (first post, even) but I searched a bit and didn't see an answer to this but has a ballpark price point been thrown out there at all?

 

So stoked to see such a seriously in-depth community around the CV. I bought mine when I had to save all summer for it back in '83 and I've loved it deeeeeply ever since.

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  • 3 weeks later...

you can get your coleco fixed. If this ever does come to fruition I would think it will be many years before it is actually made and sold.

I have tried fixing it. I have a couple threads on it. I have a problem with the rf circut that I can not seem to figure out. The coleco people have offered lots of help with great advice and are tired of it and I have spent probably 25 hours with a DMM and reading wiring diagrams and probable another 20 soldering in chips etc. If I ever seen a console that needed a new MB this would be it.
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As I mentioned elsewhere, I do have an RGB monitor now. It was free... hopefully it works.

 

Quoting myself for my 3000th post about a vapourware update ;) ...

 

Well, the monitor I was given was supposed to be an RGB monitor, but it was mostly R with a little bit of G and virtually no B. However, to simplify my whole multi-console testing set-up, I more recently bought a monitor that can handle composite, S-Video, RGB, and YPbPr (too bad it doesn't do RF - then I could do away with the VCR).

 

I don't have a real update on the CV 1.2, but I was speaking with a few people when I visited ADAMCon 28 last week, and they encouraged me to keep moving forward with the project. I was hoping to have time in the spring, but that didn't happen. I do still need to create a number of prototypes for other things, and the plan is to get a new prototype of the CV 1.2 at the same time. Hopefully late summer or early fall. I've updated the circuitry for the video SRAM, but I still need to add the expansion port (this project was started before the SGM existed), and I know there's a few issues with that section of the commonly available online schematic.

 

The other item I still need to resolve is video output. VGA with F18A will be a definite option. For the first run, it might actually be the only option.The plan is to also revisit the analog component/YPbPr output, to see if I can get the black level working properly (without too much cost and trouble). Those will be the only options at least for now (after that, who knows?). Fortunately, for other outputs, it's simple enough to convert the video signal to other analog or digital protocols with relatively inexpensive converters.

 

I'll provide more updates as things happen... .

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I have tried fixing it. I have a couple threads on it. I have a problem with the rf circut that I can not seem to figure out. The coleco people have offered lots of help with great advice and are tired of it and I have spent probably 25 hours with a DMM and reading wiring diagrams and probable another 20 soldering in chips etc. If I ever seen a console that needed a new MB this would be it.

 

Just bypass the RF circuitry completely with an A/V mod.

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I don't have a real update on the CV 1.2, but I was speaking with a few people when I visited ADAMCon 28 last week, and they encouraged me to keep moving forward with the project. I was hoping to have time in the spring, but that didn't happen.

 

I'll provide more updates as things happen... .

 

Since you don't have the time to work on CV 1.2, can you outsource it to an engineer in India, Russia or Taiwan or someplace to finish it up? It's hardware is well documented and you know and can explain what specific features you want to add. It can be done relatively inexpensively through a site like Upwork. You set up a project budget ahead of time and create milestones that must be hit to receive the next payment.

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Just bypass the RF circuitry completely with an A/V mod.

The coleco needs the rf to make any type of color as the vdp just outputs black and white. Thats what i understand of it.

The yurkie mod did not do anything as it completely relies on the rf circut to give it the correct inputs.

If there was another way without buying a f18a board as it is supposed to bypass everything after it I would go that route.

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The vdp does output color directly either in composite (9918) or yuv (9928/9929), so the AV mods do not need the RF circuitry to generate color.

5-11 has already said he is still working on this and is working on a another revision for later in the year, so this isn't something he has said he doesn't have time for.

 

For those looking to just get a working system, it will be much more cost effective in my opinion to just to get a new system then it will be to get an updated motherboard due to the size and complexity of the board. The way the colecovision is laid out, the motherboard has to be very large for it to be a drop in replacement which is going to make it a very expensive option unless there are really high volumes.

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The coleco needs the rf to make any type of color as the vdp just outputs black and white. Thats what i understand of it.

The yurkie mod did not do anything as it completely relies on the rf circut to give it the correct inputs.

If there was another way without buying a f18a board as it is supposed to bypass everything after it I would go that route.

 

I don't know how yurkie does it. They way I used to mod mine 20 years ago was based on the ADAM's A/V output circuit AFAIK. It tapped into points near the video chip.

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The way I used to mod mine 20 years ago was based on the ADAM's A/V output circuit AFAIK. It tapped into points near the video chip.

Ouch!

 

Coleco improperly tapped the sound output for the ADAM Auxillary 7-pin DIN Port and you can test this out with either the Expansion Module #1 Atari Adapter or the Opcode SGM... you will get very low volume output and will have to turn up the TV volume VERY high.

 

The wire carrying sound to the Auxillary Port is usually always green and soldering onto the CV Delta Board just below the RF box. You will need to desolder it and then resolder it back onto one of the legs of the C88 CAP for proper sound volume output when using one of the Expansion devices.

 

If you don't use the EM#1 or the Opcode SGM, then no worries, leave it alone.

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I don't know how yurkie does it. They way I used to mod mine 20 years ago was based on the ADAM's A/V output circuit AFAIK. It tapped into points near the video chip.

The Yurkie mod taps into the rf board pins needing the rf to work. The audio is easy to get to. I wonder what you used to get color from the vdp? I can get a picture but get black and white. If I could get color I would just get an atarimax cart with roms and not bother with sgm and all that.
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