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Arcadia-2001


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The Arcadia 2001 came out in 1982 and was discontinued in 1984. Online websites claim the game unit was only available for 18 months at retail stores (perhaps that is true for major retail stores). However in the late 80’s I found a brand new one in the retail box for a ridiculously low price. I don’t remember the exact price but it was like around $20 since no one wanted it. It kind of reminds me of a Intellivision clone. The Missile War cartridge is like the Atari 2600 Missile Command in some ways.

 

Attached is a front page scan of the brochure for the Arcadia 2001 that I picked up at a retail store.

Arcade-2001 front cover scan.pdf

Edited by HDTV1080P
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That would have been the secondary market ie surplus inventory.

 

The controllers do look like Intellivision, but with only an eight direction joystick and one action button on either side they function more like coleco vision controllers [or are they analog sticks?]. In 1982, this game system would have looked like old technology compared to coleco vision, atari 5200, vectrex.

Edited by mr_me
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The Arcadia 2001 is an upgraded Radofin 1292 APVS (same CPU, same sound chip, but improved video chip).

The Radofin 1292 APVS was released somewhere between 1976 and 1978 in Europe.

The joystick isn't 8 direction but fully analog, however most games are programmed to only detect 8 directions (or the system itself might only read 8 direction).

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[or are they analog sticks?]

Nope, digital.

 

And as digital joysticks, they feel really strange since there's no tactile response on the disc or anything to really let you feel where the directional points are. Just gotta eyeball it. Much like with Intellivision games that utilize 16 directions.

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Is the controller designed for eight or sixteen directions? The emulator only allows four directional inputs for eight directions. Does the disc spin freely like an Intellivision controller? It might be more accurate if you unscrew the joystick. Anyone who used an Intellivision controller with a joystick stuck to it says it makes it worse.

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Is the controller designed for eight or sixteen directions? The emulator only allows four directional inputs for eight directions. Does the disc spin freely like an Intellivision controller? It might be more accurate if you unscrew the joystick. Anyone who used an Intellivision controller with a joystick stuck to it says it makes it worse.

Eight.

 

The disc does spin freely like an Intellivision disc, yes.

 

And FWIW I, too, am not a fan of joystick attachments on Intellivision controllers. :-D I'd like a pair of the INTV clip-ons to put on my Super Pro System for "completeness" or "authenticity" or whatever, but that's it. :P

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  • 4 months later...

The graphics and sound quality of the games for the Arcadia 2001 appear to be a little better than the Atari 2600, and more closer to the Intellivision. However this Arcade 2001 was released in the exact same year the ColecoVision came out, and the ColecoVision is clearly a much more powerful videogame system with better picture and sound quality. The 1979 IntelliVision might be a little bit better than the Arcadia 2001, however I have never owned a IntelliVision and only played games on it in retail stores back in the early 80’s.

 

One positive feature of the Arcadia 2001 is that it uses a standard easy to find AC to 12 volt DC adapter. So if the original Emerson adapter is damaged or missing a low cost compatible adapter can be purchased in its place. However, there are some other features of the Arcadia 2001 that is a big negative. The RF channel 3 and 4 connection cable is hardwired to the circuit board (either soldered directly on the circuit board or maybe the cable can be detached from the circuit board once the unit is taken apart). The advantage of the ColecoVision and Adam is that there is an external RCA jack so one can unplug or replace the RCA cable without needing to take the console apart. Another disadvantage of the Arcadia 2001 is that the two built in controllers are hard-wired and cannot be unplugged. The ColecoVision and Adam controllers can be unplugged from the console. The Arcadia 2001 has two optional jacks on the back for special controllers (However those controller jacks appear to be useless since the optional controllers were never released as far as I am aware). Just like the Atari 2600 the Arcadia 2001 has no onscreen logo screen when one turns on the game console without a cartridge inserted. However the 1982 ColecoVision along with the 1983 ADAM has a fancy onscreen logo that pops up on the screen when a cartridge is not inserted. There were some nice features about the ColecoVision and ADAM, in some ways those systems were ahead of its time. When Coleco stopped making the ColecoVision/ADAM in January of 1985, it was king of videogame quality until finally Nintendo released a better quality videogame system in October of 1985 for the USA market.

 

As far as I am aware no third party company every released a HDMI, VGA, RGB, component video, S-Video, or composite video upgrade for the Arcadia 2001. Most likely not enough consoles were sold to justify the demand. Maybe an existing S-Video kit or composite video kit for the ColecoVision might be able to be modified to work with the Arcadia 2001. There must be a composite video signal on the Arcadia 2001 circuit board before it’s handed off to the RF modulator.

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  • 2 weeks later...

in the late 80’s I found a brand new [Arcadia 2001] in the retail box for a ridiculously low price. I don’t remember the exact price but it was like around $20 since no one wanted it.

That's a nice price. Do you still have your original unit-- or did you get rid of it and buy a "new" one recently?

 

The Missile War cartridge is like the Atari 2600 Missile Command in some ways.

 

Most every cartridge on the Arcadia is a rip-off of an arcade game. There are a few licensed titles on the system (including a few exclusives). There are some original titles too (like Cat Trax), but even the "original" games are really just clone-type games. Of the original 22 games released in the United States for the Arcadia 2001, there are some fun ones in there.

 

If you don't have a multicart for this system, then pick one up, as the "Arcadia" had a world-wide release under many different names and configurations. Also, various versions of the systems have different style cartridge slots, so games can't be directly plugged into them, but the game software is identical. The various multicarts allow you to play the full library of games that were released across many countries all over the world.

 

If you're interested in playing your Arcadia system, then come and join the Arcadia High Score Club. It's right here in this forum. The first round of this year is starting today or tomorrow and we'll be playing cartridge #7, Space Vultures (a Phoenix clone).

 

Adam

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Yes I own the original Arcadia 2001 that I bought in the 80's. I never sold it and never purchased a second one. However this system was purchased toward the late 80's and not in 1982. Now my first videogame system the ColecoVision was purchased around August 1982 and my first computer system the Expansion module #3 ADAM computer was purchased around October of 1983.

 

The Arcadia 2001 multi-cart is currently out of stock and I am on a waiting list for the next run. If I end up purchasing this multi-cart it will be the very first multi-cart that I own that does not have a onscreen menu and instead comes with all or most the games that are selected by dip switch means. I prefer the USB flash and SD card multi-carts that ship blank with no rom images. The multi-carts for the CoelcoVision, Atari 5200, and Atari 2600 use 32GB SDHC cards with plenty of space to download any future public domain games on a SD card. Hopefully one day someone will develop a SD multi-cart for the Arcadia 2001 (or even a 128 in 1 USB flash cartridge would be cool).

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As I was saying earlier, once you get a multicart for this system, come join the first round of the Arcadia 2001/MPT-03 High Score Club. I just posted the first round of this season a few minutes ago. You can play with us, here:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/274033-space-vultures-for-arcadia-2001-hsc-season-2-round-1/

 

Even if you don't have a multicart, you can always play the games under emulation.

 

Adam

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  • 2 weeks later...

One positive feature of the Arcadia 2001 is that it uses a standard easy to find AC to 12 volt DC adapter. So if the original Emerson adapter is damaged or missing a low cost compatible adapter can be purchased in its place. Is there any other videogame system or computer system that uses a standard 12 volt adapter like the Arcadia 2001? So far all the other videogame and computer systems that I have personally seen (I have not seen them all), use either different voltages, different size connections, and sometimes a special custom size connection like the ColecoVision and ADAM power supplies.

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I guess the big draw of the Emerson was that it could theoretically be used in a car or on a boat, due to the design of its power supply. I can't see wanting to play this system ANYWHERE, but sure, whatever brings in customers.

 

I had the machine briefly. It was decidedly unimpressive for its 1982 vintage... other companies were releasing true next generation consoles and this just gets dropped in the middle of them all like a dead fish. I'd even object to the notion that its games looked better than their 2600 counterparts. At least the 2600 had color layering and a rich palette going for it. The Arcadia had tiny little sprites in garish colors. Er, no thanks.

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  • 1 month later...

The ideal power supplies to use with the North America Emerson Arcadia-2001

One of the advantages of the Arcadia 2001 is that it uses a standard easy to find 12-volt DC power adapter. Systems like the ColecoVision and ADAM are much more powerful in terms of graphics and sound quality. However, the disadvantage of the ColecoVision and ADAM is that those systems use a custom power supply that is no longer being manufactured since January of 1985 (Plus there was never any official third party replacement power supplies for the ColecoVision/ADAM, only a few third party hacked power supply projects but nothing made from scratch).

 

The Arcadia 2001 uses a standard 12-volt DC power supply (minimum of 500 milliamps needed, plus a physical jack size of 5.5mm outside x 2.1mm inside diameter). There are many important other things to consider when choosing a replacement power supply. Most or all power supplies are now made in China, and there is some high-end Chinese manufactories that make excellent quality power supplies with all the required safety certifications for one’s country. However there are also some Chinese manufactories that make low quality counterfeit power supplies that can sometimes be bought on Amazon and EBAY’s website with phony safety certifications. Then there are 12-volt power supplies with up to 2amp output that cost around $1.76 with free shipping with CE European safety certifications, however they lack the required FCC and Energy Efficiency level VI rating by the Department of Energy (Plus no UL safety certifications). Since February 10th 2016, 100% of all power supplies manufactured in the USA and imported in the USA with the purpose of being used in the USA, are required by law to have an Energy Efficiency rating of VI by the Department of Energy (However dealers in the United States are allowed to sale their old inventory of power supplies as long as those power supplies were imported and manufactured before the Feb 10th 2016 date).

 

Then some 12 volt DC power supplies from China that are rated at 2amps, really output less than 500 milliamps, which results in the power supply not being able to power the Arcadia 2001. Then other power supplies are not FCC certified and have EMI/RFI noise problems that cause interference issues on the TV screen. In addition, while just about any 2-prong 12-volt DC wall style power adapter will work with the Arcadia 2001 (if the connector and amps are correct), that is not true when it comes to Desktop style power adapters. A 3 prong 12 volt Desktop power adapter does power the Arcadia 2001, however if one uses a 3 prong power cord with the ground, it well bypass the Arcadia 2001 power switch (When the power switch is bypassed on the Arcadia 2001 it cannot be turned off and it does not matter what position the power switch is in). Therefore, if one uses a 12-volt DC Desktop power supply that uses 3 prongs, then one will need to switch out the power cord with a 2 prong power cord so the Arcadia 2001 on/off switch will function. The Arcadia 2001 requires only hot and neutral power adapters for the on/off switch to work properly.

 

All or almost all fan-less power adapters make a small amount of humming noise when one places their ear to the power supplies case. However unless one has bionic ears no human being is going to hear the following power supplies make any humming noise unless they place their ear right up against the power supplies case to hear a low volume hum. From 6 inches away, no human being in theory will hear the hum of the transformer in the following power supplies.

 

The following are a couple of the best power supplies to use with the Arcadia 2001

I have literally spent several weeks and hours researching and testing power supplies to find the ideal highest quality models to use with the Arcadia 2001. For the United States use the best wall style power supply to use with the Arcadia 2001 is the ANVISION CS-1203000 that can be purchased for only $10.35 with free shipping from Amazon (Amazon prices can change daily). The ANVISION CS-1203000 is a very stable 12 volt DC power adapter with a maximum of a 3amp capacity and when used on the Arcadia 2001, it will output the proper 0.5 amps when connected to the Arcadia 2001 (Accepts AC voltage between 100-240 volts with both 50/60Hz supported). This adapter also has all the required safety certifications including UL, FCC, and energy efficiency level VI rating. In addition, the adapter has an EMI/RFI ferrite bead to eliminate or reduce interference.

 

 

For those that prefer a Desktop style power adapter for the Arcadia 2001, then the highest quality one is the Chanzon CAE060122-VI that can be purchased for $15.88 with free shipping from Amazon (Amazon prices can sometimes change daily). This native 2 prong Desktop power adapter comes with a 2-prong United States power cord so the on/off switch on the Arcadia 2001 works properly. In addition, the adapter can legally be sold and used worldwide since it has over 20+ Safety certifications including UL, FCC, level VI energy efficiency, etc. The adapter operates between 100-240 volts at 50/60Hz and outputs a very stable 12-volt DC at up to a maximum of 5amps. When used on the Arcadia 2001 the adapter will output the proper 500 milliamps. In addition this Chanzon Desktop style power supply’s plug fits perfectly just like the CS-1203000, and one does not need to use one of the adapter plugs that is included in the retail box. A United States 2 prong AC power cord is included, and an optional United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia power cord can be purchased for around $5. In addition, the adapter has an EMI/RFI ferrite bead to eliminate or reduce interference.

Edited by HDTV1080P
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  • 1 year later...

These controllers are removable just like intellivision 1, if you remove the casing. it has 11 pins instead of 9. if I acquire one i'll try to connect it. If it works on intellivision 1, then this nice controller will also work. it is the same system.

 

 

https://en.todocoleccion.net/video-games-and-consoles/consola-tele-fever-incompleta-juego-jump-bug-telespiel~x61605660

 

 

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  • 1 year later...
On 3/5/2018 at 9:25 PM, HDTV1080P said:

The ideal power supplies to use with the North America Emerson Arcadia-2001

 

One of the advantages of the Arcadia 2001 is that it uses a standard easy to find 12-volt DC power adapter. Systems like the ColecoVision and ADAM are much more powerful in terms of graphics and sound quality. However, the disadvantage of the ColecoVision and ADAM is that those systems use a custom power supply that is no longer being manufactured since January of 1985 (Plus there was never any official third party replacement power supplies for the ColecoVision/ADAM, only a few third party hacked power supply projects but nothing made from scratch).

 

The Arcadia 2001 uses a standard 12-volt DC power supply (minimum of 500 milliamps needed, plus a physical jack size of 5.5mm outside x 2.1mm inside diameter). There are many important other things to consider when choosing a replacement power supply. Most or all power supplies are now made in China, and there is some high-end Chinese manufactories that make excellent quality power supplies with all the required safety certifications for one’s country. However there are also some Chinese manufactories that make low quality counterfeit power supplies that can sometimes be bought on Amazon and EBAY’s website with phony safety certifications. Then there are 12-volt power supplies with up to 2amp output that cost around $1.76 with free shipping with CE European safety certifications, however they lack the required FCC and Energy Efficiency level VI rating by the Department of Energy (Plus no UL safety certifications). Since February 10th 2016, 100% of all power supplies manufactured in the USA and imported in the USA with the purpose of being used in the USA, are required by law to have an Energy Efficiency rating of VI by the Department of Energy (However dealers in the United States are allowed to sale their old inventory of power supplies as long as those power supplies were imported and manufactured before the Feb 10th 2016 date).

 

Then some 12 volt DC power supplies from China that are rated at 2amps, really output less than 500 milliamps, which results in the power supply not being able to power the Arcadia 2001. Then other power supplies are not FCC certified and have EMI/RFI noise problems that cause interference issues on the TV screen. In addition, while just about any 2-prong 12-volt DC wall style power adapter will work with the Arcadia 2001 (if the connector and amps are correct), that is not true when it comes to Desktop style power adapters. A 3 prong 12 volt Desktop power adapter does power the Arcadia 2001, however if one uses a 3 prong power cord with the ground, it well bypass the Arcadia 2001 power switch (When the power switch is bypassed on the Arcadia 2001 it cannot be turned off and it does not matter what position the power switch is in). Therefore, if one uses a 12-volt DC Desktop power supply that uses 3 prongs, then one will need to switch out the power cord with a 2 prong power cord so the Arcadia 2001 on/off switch will function. The Arcadia 2001 requires only hot and neutral power adapters for the on/off switch to work properly.

 

All or almost all fan-less power adapters make a small amount of humming noise when one places their ear to the power supplies case. However unless one has bionic ears no human being is going to hear the following power supplies make any humming noise unless they place their ear right up against the power supplies case to hear a low volume hum. From 6 inches away, no human being in theory will hear the hum of the transformer in the following power supplies.

 

The following are a couple of the best power supplies to use with the Arcadia 2001

 

I have literally spent several weeks and hours researching and testing power supplies to find the ideal highest quality models to use with the Arcadia 2001. For the United States use the best wall style power supply to use with the Arcadia 2001 is the ANVISION CS-1203000 that can be purchased for only $10.35 with free shipping from Amazon (Amazon prices can change daily). The ANVISION CS-1203000 is a very stable 12 volt DC power adapter with a maximum of a 3amp capacity and when used on the Arcadia 2001, it will output the proper 0.5 amps when connected to the Arcadia 2001 (Accepts AC voltage between 100-240 volts with both 50/60Hz supported). This adapter also has all the required safety certifications including UL, FCC, and energy efficiency level VI rating. In addition, the adapter has an EMI/RFI ferrite bead to eliminate or reduce interference.

 

 

 

For those that prefer a Desktop style power adapter for the Arcadia 2001, then the highest quality one is the Chanzon CAE060122-VI that can be purchased for $15.88 with free shipping from Amazon (Amazon prices can sometimes change daily). This native 2 prong Desktop power adapter comes with a 2-prong United States power cord so the on/off switch on the Arcadia 2001 works properly. In addition, the adapter can legally be sold and used worldwide since it has over 20+ Safety certifications including UL, FCC, level VI energy efficiency, etc. The adapter operates between 100-240 volts at 50/60Hz and outputs a very stable 12-volt DC at up to a maximum of 5amps. When used on the Arcadia 2001 the adapter will output the proper 500 milliamps. In addition this Chanzon Desktop style power supply’s plug fits perfectly just like the CS-1203000, and one does not need to use one of the adapter plugs that is included in the retail box. A United States 2 prong AC power cord is included, and an optional United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia power cord can be purchased for around $5. In addition, the adapter has an EMI/RFI ferrite bead to eliminate or reduce interference.

A slight design change was made to the Chanzon CAE060122-VI DC port. The retail box and power supply is exactly the same. What has changed is that a new Self-Adapting DC Port that automatically adjusts perfectly to both 2.1mm and 2.5mm Power Inlets. Also the power supply currently is around a $1 cheaper at $14.99 with free shipping. Amazon currently is shipping this slightly improved new design that will work with a wider selection of classic videogame systems on the market. The old design used only a 5.5 outside diameter with a 2.1mm inside diameter (which the Arcadia 2001 requires 2.1mm), and included with the old style design was a adapter plug that converted 2.1mm to 2.5mm for use with electronics that require 2.5mm.

 

I tested the new design on the Arcadia 2001 and the automatically adjusting adapter makes a perfect fit. However if one aggressively wiggles the power cord the DC power plug is slightly looser fit when compared to the old design that is not auto adjusting and locked at 2.1mm (However most people will not noticed the design change since even with the new auto adjusting 2.1mm plug being a little more loose when wiggled, the Arcadia 2001 does not lose power with the aggressive wiggle test).

 

For those that are interested in the old design without the auto adjusting DC port, around a QTY of 4 at the time of this post are available from select EBAY and Amazon dealers. Those that purchase directly from Amazon will receive the new design.    

Edited by HDTV1080P
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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 years later...

I know this may be an old thread but I wasn't sure where else to find this info. Do Arcadia 2001 cartridges have an audio line in the cartridge pinout, so that other soundchips can be put in the cart? I found a cartridge pinout online, but I'm honestly not sure how to tell if one of the pins is audio. Would it just be labelled AUDIO?

 

This is the pinout:

https://arcarc.xmission.com/Web Archives/Deathskull (May-2006)/games/tech/arcacart.html

 

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17 minutes ago, R_Leo_1 said:

I know this may be an old thread but I wasn't sure where else to find this info. Do Arcadia 2001 cartridges have an audio line in the cartridge pinout, so that other soundchips can be put in the cart? I found a cartridge pinout online, but I'm honestly not sure how to tell if one of the pins is audio. Would it just be labelled AUDIO?

 

This is the pinout:

https://arcarc.xmission.com/Web Archives/Deathskull (May-2006)/games/tech/arcacart.html

 

The answer is no. The signals are all Address lines (starting with "A") and Data lines (starting with "D"), and cartridge ROM chip select ("/Enable"), all for the cartridge ROM, plus lines for power (+5VDC and GND). The sound is coming pretty much directly from the Signetics 2637 Video (and Audio) Interface Chip. You can google that for a pdf of the data sheet.

 

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