DannyVdH Posted June 8, 2022 Author Share Posted June 8, 2022 In order to clear up all misunderstandings, with this I would like to inform you about the following. This system is built on hardware that I programmed myself. Some parts of the software I took from the internet to use as study material, if I use pieces of open source software developed by someone else I will be sure to mention the creator. People from the open source community are putting their work online to help. Because others can learn from it, it would be a shame we weren't allowed to use it. This system is an extension of a software-based emulation. This emulation was not written by me but should be modified to function perfectly on the created hardware. I would implement these things if I get the necessary permissions, I will discuss these permissions further with the owners of the emulators. As long as I'm still in the development phase, this isn't on the table yet. I would love it for the entire retro community if we could find a good solution here and deliver the system to the many retro enthusiasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyVdH Posted June 11, 2022 Author Share Posted June 11, 2022 Hello Adam lovers, today it was the turn to integrate the Adam keyboard and coleco joysticks. I had found something made with a Teensy 3.2, but since these are very hard to get and also way too expensive, I took a Teensy 4.0, much cheaper and easy to get, but with a very different architecture, so a lot of research to get this working, after a few hours we managed it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyVdH Posted June 18, 2022 Author Share Posted June 18, 2022 ADAM+ Update 06-18-22 A few days of programming with the new file management program renamed to AFE-drive "ADAM FILE EXPLORER" the communication system between all your media files such as cartridges, data tapes and disks. All possible scenarios are built into it and it gets the jacket of the real ADAM. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyVdH Posted June 26, 2022 Author Share Posted June 26, 2022 The program is starting to take shape, 778 lines of code in 24 hours of programming. Works on all screen resolutions, automatically adjusts to 4:3 format. All sounds and images remind you of the writer software as in the real ADAM. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDTV1080P Posted June 26, 2022 Share Posted June 26, 2022 (edited) While all existing ColecoVision/ADAM software is around 480i standard definition with a 4:3 ratio. If there was a new operating system that offered native stereo or native surround sound using PCM and also a new graphics card that supported native 4K or native 1080P with 16:9 ratio, all that would be awesome for new programmers making new games and programs for the ADAM. Edited June 26, 2022 by HDTV1080P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Cozmos Posted June 26, 2022 Share Posted June 26, 2022 5 hours ago, HDTV1080P said: While all existing ColecoVision/ADAM software is around 480i standard definition with a 4:3 ratio. If there was a new operating system that offered native stereo or native surround sound using PCM and also a new graphics card that supported native 4K or native 1080P with 16:9 ratio, all that would be awesome for new programmers making new games and programs for the ADAM. Isn't that called a modern computer? 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almightytodd Posted June 26, 2022 Share Posted June 26, 2022 The ADAM was a brilliant idea that was not brilliantly executed. If it had been delivered on time, with robust, reliable hardware, and at the original target retail price, it would have changed the world. Centering the system around a letter-quality printer solved the core problem all other home computers had; yes, little Timmy could use the computer to learn things, but he'd have nothing to turn in to the teacher. An affordable and reliable Adam system could have taken millions of American kids from middle school to college. Kids could have focused on learning better writing structure and content, instead of the drudgery of writing papers using cursive. I'm sure K-12 teachers would have loved grading typed papers instead of cursive. I'm excited to see the project move forward. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Cozmos Posted June 26, 2022 Share Posted June 26, 2022 3 hours ago, almightytodd said: The ADAM was a brilliant idea that was not brilliantly executed. If it had been delivered on time, with robust, reliable hardware, and at the original target retail price, it would have changed the world. Centering the system around a letter-quality printer solved the core problem all other home computers had; yes, little Timmy could use the computer to learn things, but he'd have nothing to turn in to the teacher. An affordable and reliable Adam system could have taken millions of American kids from middle school to college. Kids could have focused on learning better writing structure and content, instead of the drudgery of writing papers using cursive. I'm sure K-12 teachers would have loved grading typed papers instead of cursive. I'm excited to see the project move forward. It was copied off of existing hardware but somehow the Japanese did a better job. By example. The MSX version 1 is as comparable to the Colecovision so how come the MSX2, which was upgraded and superior yet Coleco made the decision to use a 5 year old design then go with data drives instead of a disk drive. Promised a lot and delivered too early instead of keeping it under wraps until it was ironed out a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted June 27, 2022 Share Posted June 27, 2022 (edited) 4 hours ago, Captain Cozmos said: Promised a lot and delivered too early instead of keeping it under wraps until it was ironed out a bit more. They were a toy company that put so much emphasis on releasing products in time for the Christmas buying season. The sad thing is, only a year earlier, they had the perfect example with the ColecoVision being released in late July that with electronics and a great product, this did not apply. The Digital Data Drive was not a terrible inclusion especially considering how much a disk drive would add to the system price in place of a Data Drive... at least $150-175 more. The CV & ADAM were released before the MSX1 as well as the MSX2, so there is no answer to your question, but then that would bring up the question as to why the MSX standard settled on using basically the same tech as the CV a couple years later. Expanding the ColecoVision into a full-fledged computer system was in the plans before the CV was released (it's stated right on the CV box) and the CV's specs would have been settled on long before... probably sometime in 1981 with only the cost of RAM at that time holding up the OK from management to proceed with the system. Edited June 27, 2022 by NIAD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted June 27, 2022 Share Posted June 27, 2022 Apple II took me from early grade school through masters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted June 27, 2022 Share Posted June 27, 2022 14 hours ago, almightytodd said: Kids could have focused on learning better writing structure and content, instead of the drudgery of writing papers using cursive. I'm sure K-12 teachers would have loved grading typed papers instead of cursive. I'm excited to see the project move forward. True enough. The cursive drudgery was outdated even back then. My best work was done when freed from it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted June 27, 2022 Share Posted June 27, 2022 ColecoVision was one console (if the only one) that lived up to its pre-release hype. I clearly remember it being so back in the day. Other consoles either had no hype, which is good too. Or they had too much hype, which of course is bad and just plain annoying. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polyex Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 Will this come with a Daisy Wheel printer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 4 hours ago, polyex said: Will this come with a Daisy Wheel printer? It will be an option that can be purchased separately on eBay or Amazon. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyVdH Posted June 28, 2022 Author Share Posted June 28, 2022 To get you up-to-date, All jokes aside, I'm working really hard on a system that isn't all about emulation. This system should communicate with the hardware so well that you hardly notice it's a PC emulation. As for coding, yes, there is a lot of coding that I have put into this. Some say that like many others this is a PC with emulation, this is only half the truth, I try to get the ADAM feeling as close as possible with this system, otherwise I have a lot to look forward to because I know that I have a powerful PC. You won't see much of the whole Linux thing and emulation, I'll say it differently, you won't notice it at all. The keyboard and joysticks can be used just like the real ADAM. As a bonus, if you don't have this retro stuff anymore, the alternative is to be able to use any keyboard you like. I just want to make it clear that I pay a lot of attention to the quality of the system. I spend many hours on this to convince you of what I ultimately want to get out of it. I use over 30 years of experience in this and I don't like to fail. Precisely because it is completely open source, I am still struggling with using an emulator that I have not built myself. I am also thinking carefully about whether or not I should approach it differently, I had no intention of reinventing the wheel and relied on it to use a working product for that very reason. Now that I've got this far in the hardware, I'm going to look into it to find a good solution, I'll come back to that later. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyVdH Posted June 28, 2022 Author Share Posted June 28, 2022 What good is an emulator that once it's built gets little or no attention in refining it, making it even better. Sometimes it is no longer the intention that the owner wants to continue working on it. It's right that it's getting into open source and the opportunity comes up that someone else can learn from it and then build on it. This would not only be good for the community but also for the maker of the product. He deserves to be praised everywhere for what he has developed. At least that's my opinion 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyVdH Posted July 13, 2022 Author Share Posted July 13, 2022 Update ADAM+! I've been looking for a good solution for a while now to let the system not only work as ADAM colecovision but with multiple systems and also to make sure that the other systems also enjoy their old trusted joysticks. That's why I came up with the snap-in system, all in one snap-in adapter that is perfectly held in place by magnets. The software is also getting better and more finished. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted July 13, 2022 Share Posted July 13, 2022 Interesting. If you come up with an Atari 2600 snap-in module, and perhaps an Intellivision snap-in module, this will likely attract lots of people. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyVdH Posted July 13, 2022 Author Share Posted July 13, 2022 Because we work with a powerful system, the possibilities are enormous, so I want this system to approach a wide audience of retro enthusiasts. It will not just be an emulator but one that works closely with the hardware of the past such as joysticks and cartridges. The software environment will also be completely themed in the system configured by the snap-in. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDTV1080P Posted July 13, 2022 Share Posted July 13, 2022 This sounds like a awesome new ADAM/ColecoVision system that might be released sometime in the future. Thanks for all the hard work DannyVdH. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyVdH Posted July 22, 2022 Author Share Posted July 22, 2022 (edited) Small update ADAM+ SNAP design is 3D printed, I tried to print it without supports, therefore it is divided into 7 clickable parts. Just a few more days to wait for the new PCBs and then we can finish the first SNAP. Furthermore, I took a big step in using the emulator, because Colem was not a solution for my project, I started looking for the best solution. GearColeco is completely designed in C++ and is open source GPL, which gives me a lot of possibilities to modify it and use it in a commercial project. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I see this as a very good solution. All in all a better solution than starting from scratch. I'll keep you all posted! Edited July 22, 2022 by DannyVdH 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyVdH Posted July 28, 2022 Author Share Posted July 28, 2022 Update ADAM+ A small update on what the ADAM+ will look like for now with built-in SNAP capabilities. The USB ports have also been expanded. Give it a thumbs up in the You Tube channel if you like this project! https://youtu.be/1ppVhr6_ID0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 Thank you for the latest update. The ADAM+ has already surpassed any and all expectations and hopes that I had when you first shared information on this endeavor. Keep on keeping on… we are all rooting for you!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyVdH Posted August 15, 2022 Author Share Posted August 15, 2022 Website online! http://adam-plus.com It is still in the early stages, here you will find all the answers about the ADAM+ project and further developments. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDTV1080P Posted August 16, 2022 Share Posted August 16, 2022 (edited) Real smart and awesome the slide in cartridge with joystick modules. It’s a unique expansion module interface that allows one to use different cartridges and joysticks from different systems. I hope this becomes a reality. Thanks for all your hard work. Edited August 16, 2022 by HDTV1080P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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