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IntelliXpander module


opcode

  

86 members have voted

  1. 1. What design would work best for the IntelliXpander?

    • Make it to match the original Intellivision design
      58
    • Make it to match the Intellivision II design
      28

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I vote Intv 1 styling (i.e. PlayCable-like).

 

As a 3rd option, you could model it after the Intellivoice instead of Intv 1 vs 2.

 

Regarding the slots, there are multiple cartridge molds out there. Some might not dictate what you can/can't release.

 

If you do decide to use the same mold for the ColecoVision SGM as the IntelliXpander cartridges, please choose a edge-card connector that is deliberately incompatible between the two platforms. The last thing users (and yourself) wants to deal with shorting out and damaging hardware because someone plugged the wrong cartridge into the wrong platform. Yes, you could print "for ColecoVisioon" or "for Intellivision" on the cartridge labels but we all know that labels get damaged or fall off or just get ignored. Think of this as a way to not have to deal with free replacements because someone's IntelliXpander "magically stopped working" (when they actually shorted it out).

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I think design wise it should look like the intv ii. And the reason i say this has to do with the ecs. The ecs is available in both brown and gray. You could make a matching xpander that you could use the same mold to produce two colors. Then you could have the best of both worlds.

 

Colors isn't a problem, we can make pink if we want once we have the tool. Maybe if the top grid opening is placed properly, that could match both designs depending on the plastic color and nameplate material we use.

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I vote Intv 1 styling (i.e. PlayCable-like).

 

As a 3rd option, you could model it after the Intellivoice instead of Intv 1 vs 2.

 

Regarding the slots, there are multiple cartridge molds out there. Some might not dictate what you can/can't release.

 

If you do decide to use the same mold for the ColecoVision SGM as the IntelliXpander cartridges, please choose a edge-card connector that is deliberately incompatible between the two platforms. The last thing users (and yourself) wants to deal with shorting out and damaging hardware because someone plugged the wrong cartridge into the wrong platform. Yes, you could print "for ColecoVisioon" or "for Intellivision" on the cartridge labels but we all know that labels get damaged or fall off or just get ignored. Think of this as a way to not have to deal with free replacements because someone's IntelliXpander "magically stopped working" (when they actually shorted it out).

 

Yeah, I will make sure we can't fit the wrong cartridge. There are many ways to prevent that, from using different pcb widths, to adding notches. In fact CV cartridges are the same size as Atari cartridges. And there are quite a few advantages going with a custom cartridge format, both technical and cost saving.

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The nice thing about the Intellivoice II design is that it looks like two pieces of plastic, and that is a good thing in terms of cost. It isn't just about nice, it needs to be reasonably priced too. And I must confess I have a thing for those boxy designs.

 

Taking a look at them all connected, you can see that the original Intellivoice looks the most out of place - all smooshed down compared to the actual console

 

The Playcable and Intellivoice II both look really nice connected.

 

The Playcable looks the most complex to replicate due to the wood grain and gold paneling.

 

post-43396-0-05357600-1498021092.jpg

 

post-43396-0-75921900-1498021105_thumb.jpg

 

post-43396-0-83880300-1498021134.jpg

 

Doing you own design that can complement both the original console and the INTV II console, and offering two colors may not be that bad either.

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What is an IntelliXpander?

Nothing about in a thread by Opcode (except this one).

Nothing in the May 2017 news thread.

Nothing on your website linked in Opcode's signature.

Thank you.

 

And will it allow carts that "do more" than normal carts, like the SD carts for sale and coming soon, as well as games released on stand alone games based on those new specifications?

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What is an IntelliXpander?

Nothing about in a thread by Opcode (except this one).

Nothing in the May 2017 news thread.

Nothing on your website linked in Opcode's signature.

Thank you.

 

And will it allow carts that "do more" than normal carts, like the SD carts for sale and coming soon, as well as games released on stand alone games based on those new specifications?

like the super game module for the coleco, you will be able to play better games on the intellivision that isnt possible in its original form
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Problem is, the Intellivoice II doesn't exist, and the Playcable is super rare (and I will need a sample to scan). The Inteliivoice I would be one of best option because of its size (which translates in a more affordable tooling and so final unit price) but I agree it doesn't look much like either the INTV I or INTV II.

Finally we have the System Charger, which already has a top cartridge slot, the exact size we have been discussing. It doesn't have the INTV slot though, but since it follows the INTV II line closely, I guess it would be easy to copy that from the Master Component II. Once 3D scanned it should be easy to remove the joystick ports, top buttons, and maybe even make it a little narrower.

 

I remember someone posted 3D renders of INTV stuff here some long ago. I wonder if the author would help me visualize how that would look like with all the above mentioned changes and in brown color next to a regular Intv I.

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I suggest black. Black goes with everything. And make it compact. You should be able to pick up the Intellivision with this thing attached to it. Shouldn't be much wider than a cartridge is long. How many chips are in this thing?

 

The Intellivoice design seemed a little odd. I think it was actually designed for the Keyboard Component. Someone take out their Keyboard Component and take a photo with the Intellivoice attached. I'm not sure if the Playcable was designed at Mattel or General Instrument. It would look odd connected to a Keyboard Component.

Edited by mr_me
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A second question would be about cartridge format. We have both the option to keep using the Intv regular cartridge case or come up with a new cartridge format for the IntelliXpander games. Each has pros and cons. A new format means having two cartridge slots, one for legacy regular games and another for IntelliXpander games. Using the regular Intv cartridge means having a single cartridge slot, for both regular and enhanced games. Since we don't have an easily accessible mold for Intv cartridges, we will have to create one (as I don't want someone dictating me what I can and what I can't release), which means another huge investment. But having a single cartridge shell I can use on both ColecoVision SGM and IntelliXpander games would be a huge money saving and speed up things considerably. In the end it doesn't matter, to run IntelliXpander games you need the IntelliXpander, which would have the new cartridge slot anyways. It is probably more of a purist thing, I am checking if the idea deeply bothers the purist in you.

 

Your input would be greatly appreciated. :)

imho, the best cart format for any Intellivision game is... the Intellivision cart format.

 

and then, if you have a new mold for Intellivision carts you will also be forced to use it and to release as many games you can :-D

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Once we have the tooling mold, producing different colors Would be easy. So we could have brown and white versions. However the design will have to be the same.

As for cartridge shell design, if we go with the original shell format, then there is no reason to have a dedicated intelliXpander cart slot, as that would be confusing as hell to have two slots of the exact same shape. The dedicated slot only makes sense if cartridge formats are distinctively different, and the purpose is to reduce costs of both the module and games.

You see, in a world where money isn't a concern, we would offer two designs for the IntelliXpander that matches both the Intv I and II, and don't worry about creating a new cartridge format.

But money matters. The IntelliXpander must be produced at a reasonable price (remember this is all very limited run batches we are talking about), and the games must also be reasonably priced (as I find the current prices for Intv games too much in the high end of the homebrew spectrum, altough I understand there is a technical reason for that).

So we need to find a balance between our fanboyish wet dreams and reality, and still get something we are happy with and proud of.

 

Finally, on a more personal note, all the drama in the Coleco scene for the past months kind of burned me out. Working on multiple fronts give me some flexibility in dodging drama while still working on stuff I love. I understand probably there isn't a drama free scene, but yet, interfacing with multiple scenes should make me less attached to any particular scene, and thus when drama unfolds I should take less of a hit. Just being honest

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I think design wise it should look like the intv ii. And the reason i say this has to do with the ecs. The ecs is available in both brown and gray. You could make a matching xpander that you could use the same mold to produce two colors. Then you could have the best of both worlds.

 

 

That's exactly my opinion.

And with this collectors community you can almost double the sales. ;)

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THE ECS shows, one design can fit the Intellivision I & II just by different colors.

 

 

Looks good indeed. So I am inclined to go with the System Changer (because it is closer to what we need in terms of size and parts) top panel and joystick ports removed. A side cartridge port added. And if possible made a little narrower. Then it can be produced in brown or gray with appropriate nameplates to match each style. It should look better than the intellivoice.

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Looks good indeed. So I am inclined to go with the System Changer (because it is closer to what we need in terms of size and parts) top panel and joystick ports removed. A side cartridge port added. And if possible made a little narrower. Then it can be produced in brown or gray with appropriate nameplates to match each style. It should look better than the intellivoice.

Sweet! :)

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What is an IntelliXpander?

Nothing about in a thread by Opcode (except this one).

Nothing in the May 2017 news thread.

Nothing on your website linked in Opcode's signature.

Thank you.

 

And will it allow carts that "do more" than normal carts, like the SD carts for sale and coming soon, as well as games released on stand alone games based on those new specifications?

I can give you an example what an Intellixpander can do. Last Year, Opcode mentioned Castlevania and Gradius are planed games for the Intellixpander.

 

Castlevania and Gradius are games that the Intellivision can't do well without an expansion module.

Edited by 8th lutz
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I can give you an example what an Intellixpander can do. Last Year, Opcode mentioned Castlevania and Gradius are planed games for the Intellixpander.

 

Castlevania and Gradius are games that the Intellivision can't do well without an expansion module.

The Intellivision does have hardware fine pixel scrolling. It can directly address about 50K cartridge memory, more with paging. It has eight flicker-free sprites. Whatever coprocessors are added it is still limited by the 20x12 two colour tiles, 512B gram, and monochrome double resolution sprites. Gradius does have alot of moving objects but how would Castlevania be a problem? Has any homebrews used coprocessors yet?
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The Intellivision does have hardware fine pixel scrolling. It can directly address about 50K cartridge memory, more with paging. It has eight flicker-free sprites. Whatever coprocessors are added it is still limited by the 20x12 two colour tiles, 512B gram, and monochrome double resolution sprites. Gradius does have alot of moving objects but how would Castlevania be a problem? Has any homebrews used coprocessors yet?

Well, the fact something can be done doesn't mean it can be done well. But you are right, the graphic capabilities are already there, and that is why we said that the IntelliXpander will help to unleash that. All with tech available in the 80s.

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