Getting the most out of your ADAM

[jeremysart]

I have had an ADAM for a long time now, and even now it is one of my most cherished console/ vintage PCs out of over 30.

 

But I just feel like I am not getting as much as I could out of it. Aside from Being able to play Colecovision games, and type up papers on the built in word processor, there is not much else to do.

 

So what else can I do to pump a little more juice out of this baby?

 

I hear people talking about adding IDE interfaces and hard drives.. is this really possible?

If so, how do you do this?

 

Are there any GUI's for the ADAM, and how do I get homebrew software and abandonware on to a DDP? I dont have a floppy drive for mine sadly.

[fiddlepaddle]

I hear you can balance your checkbook and type up recipes.

[jeremysart]

I hear you can balance your checkbook and type up recipes.

 

Lol, I was looking more on the lines of a hard drive and a graphical user interface, or a way to at least get CP/M..

[NIAD]

Unfortunately there is not a lot of good Coleco ADAM Computer websites out there as there are for other computers and consoles so information is fairly hard to come by and for the most part vague or just touches on the subject. Even the TOSEC collection doesn't do the ADAM justice especially since a lot of the files are not in disk image format and need to be converted back and forth to get to work on an emulator. Thankfully this is all changing as a number of people (including myself) are leading the charge to amass as much as we can (software, roms, instructions, manuals, user group newsletters, artwork, etc.) to make available for the masses to enjoy. Currently our combined collections total about 1.7GB in size, a far cry from what is available to download over the Internet.

 

If I were you, I would immediately check out Joe Blenkle's ADAM Computer Website at the address listed below. He has 100's of user group newletters available in PDF format as well as a new Frontend program for ADAMEm called Virtual ADAM (by Steve Pitman) which allows ADAMEm to work in Windows XP, Vista and 7. Also on his site are hundreds of pictures and details of almost all the disk images that we have been sorting through and cleaning up the last 3 months.

 

http://www.sacnews.net/adamcomputer/index.html

 

I hope this helps you get started. Unfortunately, if you don't have an ADAM Disk Drive you will not be able to transfer anything to an actual ADAM media (Digital Data Pack) unless someone devises a way to use a PC and Stereo System to write ADAM Disk/DDP images to ADAM DDPs. Thankfully there are a number of good emulators available like ADAMem, Virtual ADAM and M.E.S.S.

 

BTW, there were a lot of hardware items made for the ADAM between 1984 and 1992, but you will probably have a hard time finding anything now as most people are holding onto their stuff. Read through the N.I.A.D. and Nibbles & Bits Newsletters to see for yourself.

 

Jim N.

[Murph74]

HOLY FREAKIN *NIAD*!

 

Sorry Jim, no sacrilege meant. I grew up with you, and the newsletter. A *pleasure* to have you here.

 

I assure you, ADAM and Coleco fans, your knowledge base is about to pick up!!!

 

Edit: In the excitement of seeing your name here, totally forgot to say A) Glad you're still around and apparently doing well!!! And B) Thanks for your work back in the day. I was one who found you thru Family Computing and wound up helping Barry found the STL club.

Edited April 1, 2010 by Murph74

[Murph74]

Oh, and Jim, I'd look into Torrents, and maybe even PANDO.com. Not sure of their size limits though.

[Tempest]

If I were you, I would immediately check out Joe Blenkle's ADAM Computer Website at the address listed below. He has 100's of user group newletters available in PDF format as well as a new Frontend program for ADAMEm called Virtual ADAM (by Steve Pitman) which allows ADAMEm to work in Windows XP, Vista and 7. Also on his site are hundreds of pictures and details of almost all the disk images that we have been sorting through and cleaning up the last 3 months.

 

http://www.sacnews.net/adamcomputer/index.html

Are any of those disk images ever going to be available for download? I see tons of things on there that I'd like to take a look at but no way to download them.

 

Tempest

[NIAD]

Yes, once I have finished cleaning up all the disk images and making sure they are properly named, etc. so as not to cause any confusion, Joe and I will organize everything into categorized archives like the TOSEC sets are organized and make available for the masses. There is no point in sitting on all this stuff after doing all this work we have been doing to not make it all available.

 

Will keep everyone posted, especially since the cat is out of the bag! LOL

 

Jim

[Tempest]

Great! I'm looking forward to it.

 

Tempest

[NIAD]

HOLY FREAKIN *NIAD*!

 

Sorry Jim, no sacrilege meant. I grew up with you, and the newsletter. A *pleasure* to have you here.

 

I assure you, ADAM and Coleco fans, your knowledge base is about to pick up!!!

 

Edit: In the excitement of seeing your name here, totally forgot to say A) Glad you're still around and apparently doing well!!! And B) Thanks for your work back in the day. I was one who found you thru Family Computing and wound up helping Barry found the STL club.

 

No sacriledge taken as I'm a non-practicing Catholic, were as Lyle Marschand was/is a Born Again Christian. Lyle is actually a Professor of Physics at Northern Illinois University... still have to send him an email. Glad to see that you are still following developments on the Coleco and ADAM (amazingly ADAMcons are still be held!). Is Barry Wilson still around or have you lost touch with him?

 

I actually didn't consider what I did WORK until the last year when I was working a full-time construction job and tring to keep up with NIAD's operations. Unfortunately, by 1994, I had to give up operating NIAD for Lyle and turn everything back over to him. I always hated how it ended, but I had pretty good run of 6 years.

[Murph74]

Hey Jim. I remember Lyle, too. It was just nice to see some names that were important to me in my pre- and early teen years pop back up. I got a little excited, and just recalled the whole "Christian Run" theme as a staple of everything NIAD.

 

Haven't talked to Barry in years, to be honest. I'd heard his health was in bad shape thru the grapevine, but I can't recall the last time we personally connected. I was on to cars and girls and the like by around 1990, and lost touch with everyone for several years there. But yeah, gay as it may sound, Adam still has a special place in my heart. lol

 

Glad to see you here, though! You should ask Lyle to join us too if you email him! If I have time, I may try to get in touch with Barry this weekend, just to say hello. Since you got me thinking about it and all.

 

NOTE: sorry for the uncontrollable use of smiley faces. Just kind of a giddy feeling thinking back on those memories of younger years!

Edited April 1, 2010 by Murph74