cx2k Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Greetings, Sorry if this has been asked before. Does anyone know how to disable the screen timeout on the Colecovision? I know there's a hack that eliminates the start-up screen but I have a need to disable the screen timeout so that the inserted game is always on/shown. Wouldn't think it would be too hard to do and maybe someone has already. Appreciate any help. Thanks, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmack36 Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Easiest thing is to install a pause switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cx2k Posted April 19, 2018 Author Share Posted April 19, 2018 Easiest thing is to install a pause switch. Thanks for the feedback but that doesn't address the problem. It's not that I need to take a break from playing. If you put a cartridge in, power on and walk away, the screen will blank after a few minutes (presumably to prevent screen burn). I need to disable that so it doesn't time out the screen image. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmack36 Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 What are you trying to do with the screen while you are away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikrananka Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Doesn't a pause switch prevent the screen from blanking after a period of time? I can't remember and don't have my CV here to test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmack36 Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Doesn't a pause switch prevent the screen from blanking after a period of time? I can't remember and don't have my CV here to test. Yes, the screen will stay in the exact same state when paused as the CPU is essentially halted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cx2k Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 Yes, the screen will stay in the exact same state when paused as the CPU is essentially halted. Ahhh, I see. Sorry, I should have elaborated from the start. Need this for use in a museum setting so people can walk up and just start a game. As it runs currently, people walk up, see a black screen, turn the volume up on TV, change the channel and then turn off the TV. Need to cater to the general public, so if they can't figure out to press the reset switch, they're not going to be able to figure out that it's paused. Thanks, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Post a sign on the TV or CV to press the reset button as I don't recall if pressing a button on the controller will wake the system up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 The ColecoVision doesn't have a "screen timeout" feature. I believe the screen going blank after a while is a feature of the TV itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmack36 Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 The colecovision does turn the screen off after a while of no playing. I'm not sure if that is a routine programmed directly into the game or is a routine in the BIOS that is called from the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cx2k Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 Just to follow up, we're trying to avoid signs as eventually it just becomes "sign world" with all the quirks of the various systems. The Coleco definitely does time out - some carts seem to time out after about 30 seconds to a minute. I was hoping it was a feature in the Bios that someone could fix but it very well may be in the individual carts. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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