ColecoVision adapter for the Master System - available now!

[RockLobster]

1 hour ago, Apocalypse said:

Would it be possible for you to open that Chameleon cart and take pictures?

I wouldn't mind at all if I could do it w/o damaging the nice sticker label on the front to get to what I feel are two screws underneath.   

 

I think @DNA128k also has a Chameleon. 

 

[rednakes1]

Just got mine today in Canada.  I have issues with mine.  
Using a model 3010-A North American Sega Master System.

 

Using the AtariMax Ultimate SD cartridge, the following was observed in limited testing:

 

- Donkey Kong - barrels are black (EDIT: Same problem with my original game cart)

 

- Cosmic Avenger - can’t see my bombs since they’re black  (EDIT: Same problem with my original game cart)

 

With the “Sydney Hunter and the Caverns of Death” cartridge the title screen was garbled and so was the music, but now it goes to a black screen after I re-insert the game.

 

Venture cart:  Everything is dark like above, can’t see my player.

 

Edited September 14 by rednakes1

[mitsurugi-w]

Yeah something is off with your adapter.  What is your serial number?  Actually can everyone share your serial?  It will help to track potential causes.  I've kept track of what supplier parts came from for each serial.

[DNA128k]

I'm serial #008  🫡

 

I've got black barrels in DK as well, colors match on my video and rednakes1's screenshot

Edited September 14 by DNA128k

[+Apocalypse]

1 hour ago, rednakes1 said:

Just got mine today in Canada.  I have issues with mine.  
Using a model 3010-A North American Sega Master System.

 

Using the AtariMax Ultimate SD cartridge, the following was observed in limited testing:

 

- Donkey Kong - barrels are black (EDIT: Same problem with my original game cart)

 

- Cosmic Avenger - can’t see my bombs since they’re black  (EDIT: Same problem with my original game cart)

 

With the “Sydney Hunter and the Caverns of Death” cartridge the title screen was garbled and so was the music, but now it goes to a black screen after I re-insert the game.

 

Venture cart:  Everything is dark like above, can’t see my player.

 

For Donkey Kong, Cosmic Avenger and Venture, those graphic elements are actually dark brown. To me it has more to do with your TV tuning. Try playing with brigtness and contrast.

“Sydney Hunter and the Caverns of Death” this is a new game from 2019, I don't know what parts were used, all 5V or not. It's fair to assume the original Colecovision uses TTL parts given its release date and production years. However, the ColeCoco Master uses CMOS parts, therefore a logical 1 is expected to be 3.5V minimum. Products using 3V or 3.3V devices without level shifters (to translate back to 5V) don't meet this criterion.

[RockLobster]

1 hour ago, rednakes1 said:

Cosmic Avenger - can’t see my bombs since they’re black  (EDIT: Same problem with my original game cart)

Here's a photo of my original game cartridge:

21 minutes ago, mitsurugi-w said:

Actually can everyone share your serial?

I'm serial 017 (little sticker inside the case?)

 

12 minutes ago, DNA128k said:

colors match on my video and rednakes1's screenshot

So are the colors from my posted videos/photos diff from yours?

 

 

[RockLobster]

Here's a comparison of the color palette differences with CV Donkey Kong Jr. in this order in the video:

 

* MiSTer CV Core - Component

* ColecoVision - S-Video

* Sega Master System + Colecoco - RGB

 

https://streamable.com/vfbvd6

(and attached to post)

Edited September 14 by RockLobster

[rednakes1]

48 minutes ago, mitsurugi-w said:

Yeah something is off with your adapter.  What is your serial number?  Actually can everyone share your serial?  It will help to track potential causes.  I've kept track of what supplier parts came from for each serial.

Mine is 005.

[mitsurugi-w]

1 hour ago, RockLobster said:

I'm serial 017 (little sticker inside the case?)

Yes its the little sticker and its hand-written on the back of your adapter.

[Digital Fluff]

6 hours ago, Apocalypse said:

@RockLobster thanks for your feedback.

Would it be possible for you to open that Chameleon cart and take pictures? In PM if you don't want them to be public. I'm curious to see if they used level shifters on the data bus.

No need to open it up. 74ALVC164245 used on address and data bus.

[+Apocalypse]

8 minutes ago, Digital Fluff said:

No need to open it up. 74ALVC164245 used on address and data bus.

Thanks for confirming, good design. Explains why it works well.

[RockLobster]

7 hours ago, Digital Fluff said:

No need to open it up. 74ALVC164245 used on address and data bus.

Thanks for that and making such an awesome device.  A few things:

 

1) Do you expect to producing more for sale?

 

2) Any other ColecoVision projects coming up?

 

3) Seems running SG-1000 via the Colecoco on the SMS works.  Somehow I thought this "double loop" would trip something up.

 

 

For others in this thread now familiar with the Coleco Chameleon:

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I got mine this afternoon. It has been working great so far as I haven't had any lockups or anything. The palate output is a bit wonky though with some games. it isn't that it is too dark but just different all around I think. There are a few things I wanted to mention though.

 

The methods for accessing the keypad work okay in some instances, but I'm not able to get those lower pad buttons especially stuff like * and # to register with my controllers that I've tried to use. Just too tough for me to have a button pressed while also trying to use the thumbpad in a certain direction all the while also trying to keep that pause button held down.

 

For some reason I thought an on screen display would pop up when needing to choose the keypad buttons but I see now I was mistaken on that. 

 

It does NOT work with the pause mod being done on an SMS console. Or rather, it doesn't work when using the pause from the controller remote button. This is because that button and mod is registering two directions at once being pressed down already to trick the logic into triggering the pause on. As a result this interferes with the Colecoco Master from seeing the controller functions. But, using the actual pause button on the console does work.

 

I did discover something by accident for those of us using BBPro carts... we already know the menu is buggered up looking. But try this...

 

Load up Nova Blast or Oil's Well and once the game starts, then press and hold the back to menu button on the BBpro... Should get something like in this video I made just a bit ago:

 

 

So yeah, I have to assume that something with nova blast or Oil's Well is setting the video mode a certain way that when resetting the BBPro after those games load, will then allow for the menu to display properly. Does this help narrow down anything on this that could help the menus work all the time and possible help the AtariMax users as well?

 

I will state that wonky colors aside, it looks fantastic and works through my RGB bypass on my SMS that I have installed. There is some additional hissing in the audio that isn't as loud when playing SMS games so I do wonder if this is introducing some noise there somehow? 

 

I've got a few homebrews that I've tried with it and some work without issue, and some work but do exhibit some graphic glitches that actually affected game play:

 

- Risky Rick        This one is a no go. It just gives a black screen but I can occasionally see what might be the Insert Game screen blink on for a bit? is that replicated with this cart?

- Void                 Works without any issues that I can see

- Suite Macabre   This one is a no go as well and just gives a black screen when trying to load

- Astro Invader    This one loads up and will play but has lots of graphical glitches on the screen. Still works and plays otherwise.

- Fireworks Factory  This one will load up and start to play. But when letting the hoses go back to their spools, there will sometimes appear glitching with some of the hose sprite being replicated on the ladders. When this happens you character is unable to go up and down the ladders where that stuck sprite object is. So essentially playable but gets to a point where you can't play or get stuck.

 

I did test my AtariMax and it loads up fine but like others have stated, it only shows like the first 5 or 6 games in the list and it totally black on the lower half of the screen from there. But I can actually still move the controller and hear that it is selecting other games. I can also start them but just can't see their titles before hand similar to what the BBPro does.

 

[mitsurugi-w]

Thanks, @-^CrossBow^-.  The palette issue is normal of course and the multi cart behavior seems consistent with everyone else's experience. 

 

Could you give me your serial number?

[+-^CrossBow^-]

18 minutes ago, mitsurugi-w said:

Thanks, @-^CrossBow^-.  The palette issue is normal of course and the multi cart behavior seems consistent with everyone else's experience. 

 

Could you give me your serial number?

Mine is #15

[mitsurugi-w]

Thank you, sir

[RockLobster]

1 hour ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

Load up Nova Blast or Oil's Well and once the game starts, then press and hold the back to menu button on the BBpro... Should get something like in this video I made just a bit ago:

 

@-^CrossBow^-, you got me excited to try immediately but alas it had no effect.   What version of the BBPro firmware are you using?   I'm at 3.8.9

 

Neither Nova Blast nor Oil's Well load + reset combo made a difference.  Here's a recording of one of my attempts:

 

 

 

 

[RockLobster]

1 hour ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

I've got a few homebrews that I've tried with it and some work without issue, and some work but do exhibit some graphic glitches that actually affected game play:

 

- Risky Rick        This one is a no go. It just gives a black screen but I can occasionally see what might be the Insert Game screen blink on for a bit? is that replicated with this cart?

- Void                 Works without any issues that I can see

- Suite Macabre   This one is a no go as well and just gives a black screen when trying to load

- Astro Invader    This one loads up and will play but has lots of graphical glitches on the screen. Still works and plays otherwise.

- Fireworks Factory  This one will load up and start to play. But when letting the hoses go back to their spools, there will sometimes appear glitching with some of the hose sprite being replicated on the ladders. When this happens you character is unable to go up and down the ladders where that stuck sprite object is. So essentially playable but gets to a point where you can't play or get stuck.

 

I don't seem to have these home-brew titles.   If they're shareable/public domain, would you mind posting them here so I can give it a try with my setup?

[+-^CrossBow^-]

8 minutes ago, RockLobster said:

 

@-^CrossBow^-, you got me excited to try immediately but alas it had no effect.   What version of the BBPro firmware are you using?   I'm at 3.8.9

 

Neither Nova Blast nor Oil's Well load + reset combo made a difference.  Here's a recording of one of my attempts:

 

 

 

 

I just updated my BBPro to version 3.90 earlier today. But I think the only real change from 3.89 to 3.90 is the sophia fix for the 5200 that I told Evie about.

 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

8 minutes ago, RockLobster said:

 

I don't seem to have these home-brew titles.   If they're shareable/public domain, would you mind posting them here so I can give it a try with my setup?

Pretty sure none of them are publicly available. I tried the actual cartridges that I own when I reported those results. I only one of them as a rom file but I didn't test it as I figured it wouldn't make a difference since the actual cart didn't work either.

 

Also I should add that it seems only the games I choose from my M group towards the end of that page will load up and then reset with the BBpro then showing up correctly. So if it isn't the video mode those games are switching to, then I don't know why it suddenly appears correctly on the menu screens at that point. Now if I choose a different game from a different folder and load it up and then press the button, I'm back to a goofy menu screen again.

 

[Miketage]

On 9/13/2024 at 11:50 PM, mitsurugi-w said:

Yeah something is off with your adapter.  What is your serial number?  Actually can everyone share your serial?  It will help to track potential causes.  I've kept track of what supplier parts came from for each serial.

#002 here good sir

[+Apocalypse]

4 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

Pretty sure none of them are publicly available. I tried the actual cartridges that I own when I reported those results. I only one of them as a rom file but I didn't test it as I figured it wouldn't make a difference since the actual cart didn't work either.

 

Also I should add that it seems only the games I choose from my M group towards the end of that page will load up and then reset with the BBpro then showing up correctly. So if it isn't the video mode those games are switching to, then I don't know why it suddenly appears correctly on the menu screens at that point. Now if I choose a different game from a different folder and load it up and then press the button, I'm back to a goofy menu screen again.

 

If someone could share me those ROMs for testing I promise to delete them afterwards and not share them obviously.

Are they 32KB games? If so I'd like to test them on my full 5V multi cart.

[RockLobster]

6 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

I did test my AtariMax and it loads up fine but like others have stated, it only shows like the first 5 or 6 games in the list

Did the Atarimax also fail at loading those home-brew games like the Backbit Pro?

[+-^CrossBow^-]

14 minutes ago, RockLobster said:

Did the Atarimax also fail at loading those home-brew games like the Backbit Pro?

The homebrews I listed were all actual cartridges. I don't have standalone roms on any of them minus 1 of them. 

 

[mitsurugi-w]

Anyone have pics of the homebrew cart pcbs?