Richard H. Posted November 21, 2004 Author Share Posted November 21, 2004 perhaps you could sell a multicart with a few of voice enhanced games on it with the synth Alex suggested bundling his game with the AtariVox + perhaps handing over distribution to Atariage (like he's doing with MGD) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted November 21, 2004 Share Posted November 21, 2004 Now I gotta build one of those nice little speaker boxes out of the CX-40's base like I saw online somewhere. I just got my AtariVox in the mail .. I still have to try it out with MGD. I looked into putting it into the CX-40 joystick base .. but it won't fit without doing alot of cutting out the screw stands. Thus the final assembly will have to be glued. Also to use the red button as a volume knob will require cutting some material out of the button hole to allow it to be somewhat raised. As is it cannot be gripped easily. Any other thoughts? Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 I just tried out the AtariVox test program with the AtariVox! What a cool piece of hardware! The sounds that it can make with the Atari 2600 are amazing!! Wow! I hope all the programmers and hackers can find space to include some cool sound and speech with this thing!! "Chicken! Fight like a robot!" "Danger! Danger!" Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 Ok .. I just got the latest demo of Man Goes Down working on the Cuttle Cart2. I had to change bankswitching methods to accommodate the increase in game size. Alex Herbert has been putting more and more features into the game and it is up to 16k now! Anyway .. I am just amazed! MGD has the look and feel of a full arcade machine game! Yes folks .. here is an Atari 2600 game that could have been a full arcade game maybe in the early 1980s! Between the cool intro screens .. and the gameplay and the AtariVox! Plus the AtariVox saves the high scores and the players' three initials! I put my initials beside three high scores .. and then OFF/ON'd the console and all is preserved!! My God .. this is freakin' amazing! This is an Atari 2600!? With a little more effort from Alex to finish and publish MGD .. this is the homebrew to have .. and the AtariVOX is the hardware to get! I think I will just mount a speaker in the CX-80 and the AtariVOX in an Atari cart. Plus I will mount my VecVOX in a Vectrex cart. That way I can use the CX-80 speaker with either. (Today I just snagged a speaker from the family computer to test.) What a good showing .. Thanks Alex and Richard! Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard H. Posted November 25, 2004 Author Share Posted November 25, 2004 Just to let you know, future AtariVox sales will be handled by AtariAge not me. This arrangement means it can be bundled with compatible games (like MGD) which makes a lot more sense (as Ianoid suggested). I'm just getting my stockpile of built boards together to send to Albert, after which they'll be available through the AtariAge store. Thankyou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Slocum Posted November 25, 2004 Share Posted November 25, 2004 And I'm currently hammering out a new Atari 2600 music sequencer program that will use the AtariVox EEPROM to save sequences... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard H. Posted November 25, 2004 Author Share Posted November 25, 2004 And I'm currently hammering out a new Atari 2600 music sequencer program that will use the AtariVox EEPROM to save sequences... Nice BTW have you tinkered with the synth part of the SpeakJet yet ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 I finished mounting my AtariVOX inside a spare (broken) Star Ship cart. The cart door and spring were removed and saved. I had to remove some plastic to make it fit. I also drilled a hole in the front of the cart for the blue LED light to shine forth! Looks pretty good. I also mounted my VecVOX inside a Vectrex Berzerk cart. I looked at the reproduction carts but they do not snap together. The original carts do. I also had to remove some plastic from it also. In addition to the hole for the blue LED I also drilled a small hole for setting the circuit to emulate VecVoice mode. Both of these look great and work with my spare computer speaker. Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard H. Posted December 2, 2004 Author Share Posted December 2, 2004 Rob, have you got any pics of the AtariVox inside a cart - I'd love to see that BTW Albert will probably be offering the AtariVox optionally cased, hopefully using the enclosure I showed you. (I'm just in the process of finding out if they are available in the US) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Rob, have you got any pics of the AtariVox inside a cart - I'd love to see that Yes, so would I. Even though we have used Atari cartridges to house another project (the Redemption 5200 adapters), I'll very likely go with the enclosure you've already researched and designed the AtariVox board around. Still, I would love to see Rob's handiwork. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Rob, have you got any pics of the AtariVox inside a cart - I'd love to see that Sorry .. my digital camera puts out *.tif images which AA does not like! Anyway nothing special about the AtariVox inside. I did use three nuts/ screws through holes drilled in the bottom of the cart to hold the circuit in place. So there are three screw heads showing on the bottom of the cart. There is a hole in the Star Ship label for the light. And the DB9 and 1/8" mono sound out are visible in the cart mouth. That's all. No label yet .. and I will probably not make one. One assembly point: It is better to drill the hole for the LED light after locating the circuit in place with the three screws. Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Rob, have you got any pics of the AtariVox inside a cart - I'd love to see that Sorry .. my digital camera puts out *.tif images which AA does not like! If you want to email one or more images to albert@atariage.com, I will convert them to jpegs that can be displayed in the forum. TIFF images are not generally viewable inside web browsers, and the resulting images are generally quite large (in file size, that is). ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uosipa llamxew Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 I finished mounting my AtariVOX inside a spare (broken) Star Ship cart. The cart door and spring were removed and saved. I had to remove some plastic to make it fit. I also drilled a hole in the front of the cart for the blue LED light to shine forth! Looks pretty good. I did exactly this today. I knew that you had already mounted yours inside a cartridge shell, but I didn't realize it was an Activision cart. I thought it was quite lucky, considering how well the Atarivox fit into the shell! The case snaps back together quite nicely, but I had to remove the screw shafts to make space for the Atarivox so I'm still working on how to permanently hold it together. Ideas anyone? I haven't drilled a hole yet for the light. I will probably update the pic when I do. I made up a small diagram of sorts (I know... it's kind of cheesy). The red areas show the pieces of the cartridge shell I had to remove (in addiction to the door springs). Funny enough, the uncut bar on the label side of the case works perfectly to hold the board into place! I used a non-working Pitfall cart (for anyone who might be worried that I was cannibalizing a good game). When I opened up a Dragster cart, I noticed that there is a pretty big difference in the innards of some Activision cartridges from others; my instructions will not work in some cases. @Rob: I'm also trying to think of a good label. I'll post it here if/when I do. Maybe you could do the same - I might want to steal your idea... AGAIN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uosipa llamxew Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Not to flood the thread, but I made up a quick temp-label to put on the cart till I think of a good label idea. Oddly enough, the pattern I chose for the label kind of looks like actiplaque in the snapshot. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmpddytim Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Maybe I missed it somewhere, if so just point me in the right direction. But how much are/do these go for? Looks like a super cool gadget and I can't wait to get my hands on one. -Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uosipa llamxew Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Maybe I missed it somewhere, if so just point me in the right direction. But how much are/do these go for? You'll be looking at $50 shipped, the SpeakJet chips are currently quite expensive at $25 each... For anyone wanting an AtariVox, I will have them ready to ship by the end of this week. I'll also put the ordering details on my page at - www.vectrex.biz/new_page_5.htm But as it was mentioned later, Atariage will be handling the sales soon enough. Perhaps Al has some plans for an optional casing for the unit(?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 The case snaps back together quite nicely, but I had to remove the screw shafts to make space for the Atarivox so I'm still working on how to permanently hold it together. Ideas anyone? @Rob: I'm also trying to think of a good label. I'll post it here if/when I do. Maybe you could do the same - I might want to steal your idea... AGAIN! Nice pics! and a good result! I lined up the circuit about five times before drilling the hole for the LED light. Do the two halves actually snap? If so you don't have to worry about it further. I guess you could use some hot glue .. to hold the two halves together. Sorry I don't do labels. I've never made a label in my life. But I look forward to seeing yours! Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uosipa llamxew Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Do the two halves actually snap? If so you don't have to worry about it further. I guess you could use some hot glue .. to hold the two halves together. The halves snap together and it holds, but it doesn't seem that sturdy. I think the hot water might have warped the shell slightly when I was washing the glue off. The mock-up label also helps to hold it together; if I need to get inside, it opens like a hinge. :-) If I decide to close it up permanently, I have some vinyl glue that should do the trick. The glue actually melts the plastic pieces together, but it can be bad because the melting will show a glossy change in texture of your plastic if you do a shoddy job. I may report back if/when I do; I kind of expect the glue would be good for various similar projects. I used this glue while building a sculpture from vinyl records; It's great for craftwork, clears out your sinuses, and makes the world spin while killing braincells by the billions. It's great stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 But as it was mentioned later, Atariage will be handling the sales soon enough. Perhaps Al has some plans for an optional casing for the unit(?) If all goes as planned, I will be adding the AtariVox to the AtariAge store today, for $49.95. This is the version Richard has been selling and is without a case. I am investigating also selling a version with a case and built-in speaker, and a version in a smaller case with no built-in speaker (so you'd still have to plug in external speakers of some sort). ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 (so you'd still have to plug in external speakers of some sort). That external speaker for me is the standard computer speaker that is ubiquitous at thrift stores. I built about 25 VecVoice units (VecVox predecessor) with built in speakers .. took a long time (read pain) to build each one. This time I'm going with the circuits in cart cases and the cheap computer speaker. Come to think of it I will probably build another VecVoice inside a Vectrex cart case. Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATARIeric Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 But as it was mentioned later, Atariage will be handling the sales soon enough. Perhaps Al has some plans for an optional casing for the unit(?) If all goes as planned, I will be adding the AtariVox to the AtariAge store today, for $49.95. This is the version Richard has been selling and is without a case. I am investigating also selling a version with a case and built-in speaker, and a version in a smaller case with no built-in speaker (so you'd still have to plug in external speakers of some sort). ..Al still waiting to see it in the store and on the homepage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 still waiting to see it in the store and on the homepage It's in the store now, working on posting a news update and on the front page of the store as well. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATARIeric Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 ordering right now and paying with paypal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gulag picture radio Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 Yes, so would I. Even though we have used Atari cartridges to house another project (the Redemption 5200 adapters), I'll very likely go with the enclosure you've already researched and designed the AtariVox board around. Still, I would love to see Rob's handiwork. Where is there a pic of this case you're speaking of? I'm trying to devise a case to put mine in, but if the AtariVox is designed to fit easily into something, I'm there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATARIeric Posted December 12, 2004 Share Posted December 12, 2004 looks like a few here have made there own custom cases, i plan on doing the same, AA will be coming out with a case for them too. its still early i believe for them to of actually have a case ready, im sure its gonna be soon or soon enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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