MonsterSky Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 Hello everybody, I need help with my Intellivision Keyboard Component.In the cassette deck there is a cassette stucked because a test made by the previous owner and I want to pull it out. Is it possible to manually pull out the cassette, even unmounting the machine?Since I do not have any NTSC woody Inty console, can I use an NTSC Inty II or I risk to make damage?Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 (edited) The Intellivision II introduced a different video input on a different cartridge pin compared to the 2609. I don't know if the original video input that the Keyboard Component uses on the 2609 was removed on the Intellivision II. If not it could have both since they are on two different cartridge port pins. The audio input should be the same. My guess is no damage would occur either way but that is only a guess. Hopefully someone else knows the correct answer. If you haven't already done so, I suggest buying an original Intellivision 2609, the price is small compared to the Keyboard Component. It won't look right with an Intellivision II. I don't know about removing the stuck cassette, that thing is supposed to be completely computer controlled. You can try taking the Keyboard Component apart and getting at it from the inside. According to the service manual, "if the eject mode fails" "replace tape deck assembly". http://papaintellivision.com/docKeyboard.php From what I have read KC cassettes are slightly different than audio cassettes and probably shouldn't be used. That includes audio cassettes not being formatted as well as some physical differences with KC cassettes missing the tape leader found on audio cassettes. edit: Maybe try contacting Frank Palazzolo http://atariage.com/forums/topic/259937-intellivision-keyboard-component-emulation/?p=3663752. He has experience with this hardware. Edited April 29, 2017 by mr_me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonsterSky Posted April 29, 2017 Author Share Posted April 29, 2017 Thank you for the answer and the information. I'll get a 2609 also in order to complete the machine composition.In the meanwhile I will also contact Frank Palazzolo and continue to look for other informations about the cassette deck.After disassembling the top shield of the deck i saw that it seems not so easy (for me) to access the tape from there. I keep studying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 The service manual also says there is a "cassette eject solenoid" (switch) you can press to manually open the tape cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnPCAE Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 I did a test on an Inty II and the original video overlay pin still runs from pin 8 to composite video. On the Inty 1 there is a voltage-drop resistor in between since the interface point is also shared with other components, whereas on the Inty II the resistor was removed. Either way, from looking at the schematic, the input from the Keyboard Component looks like it should work for either unit. No guarantees, of course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonsterSky Posted April 29, 2017 Author Share Posted April 29, 2017 Done! Thank you all for the checks you made and all the information you provided. I found the solenoid to open the tray and pulled out the cassette. This is the cassette deck: and this is the KC after the cleaning and reassembly Sorry for the poor quality pictures... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthompson Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 Since you had the tape mechanism removed from the case, were you able to spot the drive belts? These are probably what need to be replaced to make the unit functional again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonsterSky Posted April 29, 2017 Author Share Posted April 29, 2017 (edited) I spotted only one belt in good shape, is there another one missing? I will reopen it and double check inside the drive. Edited April 29, 2017 by MonsterSky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonsterSky Posted April 30, 2017 Author Share Posted April 30, 2017 I checked the drive and the belt seems ok: Is there any other belt I have to look for? Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 (edited) When I click on your photos I get an access denied message. Feel free to post other pictures of the circuit boards and insides of this thing. I don't know if anyone has a working tape drive. You might be on your own with this one. Hopefully someone has some info. Have you tried setting it up and turning it on. Edit: Is there any indication of an oem manufacturer or part number other than Mattels on the tape drive assembly. Edited April 30, 2017 by mr_me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonsterSky Posted April 30, 2017 Author Share Posted April 30, 2017 I changed the privacy setting of the gallery, now you should be able to see the photos. I checked the drive assembly and I didn't see any part number on it. Actually I don't have any 2609 Master Component console in order to test it, I'm looking for to purchase one (hopefully made in USA). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthompson Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 It looks like you've got easy access to the drive belt, if it needs to be replaced with a fresh one. A belt that's been under tension for all these years might be stretched out and unable to turn the pulleys even if the motor operates. With all the moving parts within reach, it should be possible to clean and lubricate anything that needs attention. I'm no expert in this area, so you should first get advice from someone who has experience with these mechanisms. But it's not rocket science. With some luck, maybe you'll be the first to get one of these pricey collectables functioning again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonsterSky Posted June 3, 2017 Author Share Posted June 3, 2017 (edited) I recentely got a 2609 Master Component (as adviced by some of you) so I did some simple test with the Keyboard Component cassette deck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWp-wPnshQE&feature=youtu.be Edited June 3, 2017 by MonsterSky 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 It's hard to tell what commands you are typing in. I'm guessing 'eject' and then 'tape' as opposed to 'clean'. The KC picture doesn't look very good in the video. How does it look for you; how does the picture compare to a regular intellivision cartridge? Now all you need is a KC cassette. I wonder if it's normal for a non KC cassette to get stuck in a working unit. I found the following in the 'KC owner's book'. Looks like you don't haven to take it apart to get a stuck tape out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonsterSky Posted June 3, 2017 Author Share Posted June 3, 2017 Sorry for blurry TV image, I tuned it better than I could, using a small TV tuner connected to my test monitor The commands I used were: "E" for eject the deck and "CL" to run the cleaning program which pull out the heads and starts the roller.I'm looking for KC cassette, the normal cassette doesn't works, the drive try to rewind the tape and doesn't recognize it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 The KC tape drive uses block addressing and tapes have to be formatted to be useable. Even if you have the Basic cartridge I don't think the KC can format tapes. Would it be possible to take a KC tape and copy it to an audio tape or even a blank KC tape using an audio tape recorder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lathe26 Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 The KC tape drive uses block addressing and tapes have to be formatted to be useable. Even if you have the Basic cartridge I don't think the KC can format tapes. Would it be possible to take a KC tape and copy it to an audio tape or even a blank KC tape using an audio tape recorder? I'm guessing that a KC tape could be copied to an audio tape but that an ordinary cassette deck might work or it might not work. KC tapes and regular tapes both have 4 tracks. However, the KC tape uses all 4 in 1 direction while an audio uses 2 in one direction (left and right audio) and 2 in the other direction (the left and right audio on the other side). In theory, you could copy a 2 tracks at a time from KC tape to an audio tape (copy, flip both tapes over, copy again). However, there is a question of whether the data on all 4 tracks would be aligned on the new tape because of the tape flipping (and whether this would even matter, some tracks are audio-only and likely don't have any meaningful data on them when blank). Anyways, I am just guessing. I am sure some here knows more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 It's probably the same as a 4-track tape recorder. The only difference I'm aware of is KC cassette tapes don't have the plastic leader that audio cassette tapes have. I would think that Mattel would try to make something that couldn't be easily copied. But you never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonsterSky Posted June 3, 2017 Author Share Posted June 3, 2017 The KC tape drive uses block addressing and tapes have to be formatted to be useable. Even if you have the Basic cartridge I don't think the KC can format tapes. Interesting question. I'm also thinking about how the save data is performed, it will be recorded into the same program tape? It could be possible to use a different cassette and the cassatte should be specific for KC or a "normal" one? I don't know anything about it, I will look for the BASIC cartridge manual hoping to find some answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 (edited) Basic programming data tapes had to be purchased preformatted. Mattel sold them. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/254364-variants-with-keyboard-component-blank-tapes/?p=3543039 Application programs like Jack Lalanne's Exercise program stored user data as well. Those tapes had two read-only tracks and two read/write; two for data and two for analog audio. That was all automated. Here's the KC Owner's Book. http://papaintellivision.com/pdfs/KeyboardComponentOwnersBook.pdf Here's the KC BASIC guide. http://mphokie.com/manuals/Mattel/BASIC%20Programming%20Language_0455.pdf Edited June 3, 2017 by mr_me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonsterSky Posted June 4, 2017 Author Share Posted June 4, 2017 Good to know. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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