ADAM Prototype Module

[NIAD]

Let me know where to send.

[else]

Didn't Coleco originally simulate/emulate the tape drive on an HP64000 before the actual tape drive hardware was available? Seems equally likely (if not more likely) that it is for that -- rather than for wafer tapes....

[NIAD]

There's also, another ADAM proto wich I've seen many time on web

The system look almost identical, except for the front of the unit

 

This's the one I'm talking about

 

That's the first design that the public saw (Summer CES '83). This was the replacement to the Supergame Module and as you can see in the Memory Console, it had two wafer tape drives which Coleco finally gave up on and went the route of the digital data drive.

 

If you look closely to the proto pcb, you'll notice a Eprom labeled: Tape Sim.

could it be related to the wafer tape?

 

 

Wish I could tell you for sure. I have assembled all the Test roms I have, a number of them that won't work on an emulator and back in the '80's was told they don't work in cartridge form... maybe looking for additional hardware.

 

That's SO MUCH cool from you!

(+1 for you Jim )

 

 

So, now I'm pretty sure it come from the Adam "waffer tape" Module!

 

Not so sure it's for the wafer tape module. Think more likely a final test for systems like one of the other posters mentioned. I have 3 rom files named Final Test Cartridge or Utility if you would like them and have a USB cart to transfer the rom file to.

[retroillucid]

There's also, another ADAM proto wich I've seen many time on web

The system look almost identical, except for the front of the unit

 

This's the one I'm talking about

 

That's the first design that the public saw (Summer CES '83). This was the replacement to the Supergame Module and as you can see in the Memory Console, it had two wafer tape drives which Coleco finally gave up on and went the route of the digital data drive.

 

If you look closely to the proto pcb, you'll notice a Eprom labeled: Tape Sim.

could it be related to the wafer tape?

 

 

Wish I could tell you for sure. I have assembled all the Test roms I have, a number of them that won't work on an emulator and back in the '80's was told they don't work in cartridge form... maybe looking for additional hardware.

 

That's SO MUCH cool from you!

(+1 for you Jim )

 

 

So, now I'm pretty sure it come from the Adam "waffer tape" Module!

 

Not so sure it's for the wafer tape module. Think more likely a final test for systems like one of the other posters mentioned. I have 3 rom files named Final Test Cartridge or Utility if you would like them and have a USB cart to transfer the rom file to.

 

Would like to test those roms files

[retroillucid]

It make sense that these 2 Adam prototype were used to "test product before" selling it

 

But....

 

 

My question is, Does the Adam Computer were really manufactured in USA?

 

 

If not, then that does not make any senses..... ???

[opcode]

Why don't you remove the EPROM, dump it and send me the image. I can disassemble and check what it is doing.

Also, you need to show it to someone that can understand electronics. The circuit seems fairly simple, it should be easy to understand what it is doing. I could do it myself, but unfortunately I won't be attending Adamcon.

 

Eduardo

[retroillucid]

Why don't you remove the EPROM, dump it and send me the image. I can disassemble and check what it is doing.

Also, you need to show it to someone that can understand electronics. The circuit seems fairly simple, it should be easy to understand what it is doing. I could do it myself, but unfortunately I won't be attending Adamcon.

 

Eduardo

 

Yeah, I think dumping the eprom is the way to go

Thanks a million Eduardo for willing to help!

 

I'll try to dump it and send the file to you

[opcode]

 

Yeah, I think dumping the eprom is the way to go

Thanks a million Eduardo for willing to help!

 

I'll try to dump it and send the file to you

 

If you can take very high resolution pics of the board I can also try to guess what the circuit is doing. From your pics I can hardly see what the ICs are.

[opcode]

I believe I see a CD4052 there, as well as a LM something. That has something to do with analog stuff. I am not able to read what the IC above the CD4052 is, that would be the key...

And isn't there a ADAMnet type connector on the bottom left corner? This thing would be a serial/modem interface of some sort, though that DB connector looks like a parallel interface.

I remember someone from Coleco saying that their SGM prototype for the CES was actually a bank of ROM and the wafer were just sending a signal saying which bank to select. They even placed some time loops into the code so to make it seem like the CV was indeed reading something from the tape.

[retroillucid]

I believe I see a CD4052 there,

 

Yes you're right

 

Here's some others:

 

CD4052BE

74LSOON K8305

MCM2114P45

MALAYSIA 327A

CTS7831

SP8504

74LS138N V8334

 

as well as a LM something. That has something to do with analog stuff. I am not able to read what the IC above the CD4052 is, that would be the key...

 

SCL4052BE

 

And isn't there a ADAMnet type connector on the bottom left corner? This thing would be a serial/modem interface of some sort, though that DB connector looks like a parallel interface.

 

Yes it is

 

 

I remember someone from Coleco saying that their SGM prototype for the CES was actually a bank of ROM and the wafer were just sending a signal saying which bank to select. They even placed some time loops into the code so to make it seem like the CV was indeed reading something from the tape.

 

Humm... interesting...

[opcode]

MCM2114P45 is RAM memory. Probably you have a couple of them, giving 1KB. So this thing has both ROM and RAM.

 

I think both SCL4052BE and CD4052BE are differential 4-channel multiplexers. I would need to know the chip(s) hidden behind the flat cable...

[NIAD]

I remember someone from Coleco saying that their SGM prototype for the CES was actually a bank of ROM and the wafer were just sending a signal saying which bank to select. They even placed some time loops into the code so to make it seem like the CV was indeed reading something from the tape.

 

Opcode is right here. At one demonstration of the ADAM, the Coleco employee demonstrating the ADAM actually goofed up and took the wafer or digital data pack out of the drive like he was going to change programs and the program/demo that was in memory keep playing even after pressing the computer reset. I have the text somewhere of the ex-Coleco employee and Geoff Oltmans discussing this and other interesting items and will post here.

[NIAD]

I remember someone from Coleco saying that their SGM prototype for the CES was actually a bank of ROM and the wafer were just sending a signal saying which bank to select. They even placed some time loops into the code so to make it seem like the CV was indeed reading something from the tape.

 

Opcode is right here. At one demonstration of the ADAM, the Coleco employee demonstrating the ADAM actually goofed up and took the wafer or digital data pack out of the drive like he was going to change programs and the program/demo that was in memory keep playing even after pressing the computer reset. I have the text somewhere of the ex-Coleco employee and Geoff Oltmans discussing this and other interesting items and will post here.

 

here it is... start from the bottom and procede up to follow the conversation properly.

 

 

> From: "Bill Rose"

> Date: March 15, 2010 4:44:23 PM CDT

> To: "'geoffrey oltmans'" <oltmansg@bellsouth.net>

> Subject: RE: Greetings!

>

Oh that one!! Another great story. The microwafer drive was the endless loop I mentioned. Didn't work. The Supergame Module

was supposed to be based on that but as CES neared we realized it couldn't cut it. The unit that went to CES had to use ROM'd

games "under the covers". The tapes only held the ROM bank select number repeated over and over. We would simply read the

ROM bank code off the tapes, delay starting the game for a period of time and then play it from ROM. Had some quirks too. If

someone removed the tape during play and put in another tape, the old game continued to play unless they hit reset. Some

uncomfortable moments in front of press as the demonstrator screwed up. The rest is history. As for the "Super" games, we

released some of them on Adam tapes for play on the Adam. I still have Super Zaxxon and others though I doubt they still play - the

tape drives were a bit "finiky' even then. I know one of our old techs who still has copies of almost everything we ever developed.

We did release a floppy drive for the Adam toward the end but too late to save it. Also too expensive.

 

We did work on an optical disk game system but the games were very poor. The problem was the disks were really video disks so

the games attempted to use branching based on the player's moves. Do something and branch to another video scene, do something

else, branch again. Seel times were slow so you had to wait a few seconds to see the next branch. The video processing at the time

was too limited to seemlessly add game play or over lay the video. Also they were not good as data disks (no real data format) so

loading data took some work. Killed that one too.

 

What no one knows is that we also developed an Apple II knock off in 3 chips. However, following on the heels of Adam, the banks

wouldn't loan the money to go into production even though we did complete the design, ASICs, built prototypes and had negotiated

with JVC to build it. It was a land mark machine. It used the Windows concept before the MAC was out (no one knew to call them

Windows and we never patented the idea) - drop down menus, etc. It also included a 2400 baud dial up modem and a phone. We

could play head to head games over the phone lines, download/upload files (even unattended over night), etc. Pick up the phone,

your contact list would pop up - in the middle of a game!! Make the call by pushing a button or dialing and then resume the game.

Touch the calculator keypad and a calc would pop up on the screen, etc. The case was designed by Porsch. Very cool and way ahead

of its time. We had working models - don't know what happened to them.

 

Also developed a next gen video game system - 32 sprites per line (Colecovision had 4), much better graphics, colors, and sound.

But the real kicker were the 4 vector engines that used the graphics engine for background graphics. The vector graphics created the

space ships, etc. on the full graphics background. I believe we could handle 2K vectors at 30 frames per second. And with the integral

dial up modem, we could play real-time head to head games with multiple players over phone lines since each player would put up his

own background graphics and simply send the vector information (very compact) over the phone. Unfortunately Coleco exited the video

game market before we could launch it. But we did have working prototypes.

 

They were exciting times. I ran Advanced R&D and had a team that eventually broke up and went to Sun, Apollo, Apple, Intel, and others.

Very talented team. We did some Artificial Intelligence work as well for products like the Talking Cabbage Patch Dolls (each doll had a

digital RF network to let them coordinate their scripts - they talked to each other, sang songs together, etc. Another Coleco first was

Laser Tag which was eventually released by Worlds of Wonder.

 

Bill

 

 

> From: geoffrey oltmans [mailto:oltmansg@bellsouth.net]

> Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 4:01 PM

> To: Bill Rose

> Subject: Re: Greetings!

 

I think you're referring to the Expansion Module #1 (Atari 2600 compatible) that was actually released. It was as you indicate practically a

standalone system other than using the RF modulator and the power supply from the Coleco Vision. I was referring instead to this gadget

(great pictures here, overlook the inflammatory language about the ADAM <g>). It used presumably the same wafertape/floopy drive you're

talking about with the original ADAM drives...

 

http://www.colecovision.dk/sgm.htm

 

I see they also have a picture there of Super Zaxxon in CED videodisc form. I had found an article about Coleco making a videodisc capable

system, so there was some early confusion among the hobbyists about whether it would be videodisc or wafertape based. I guess they tried both?

 

Very interesting info about the IBM PC compatibility mode! I can see how that would have been in the works. Seems like everyone up to and

including the Amiga tried to make a hardware option for that if they couldn't do it in software.

 

I love a good story... I'll bet the home computer/PC industry was interesting to work in (and probably somewhat stressful at times) back when it was still hot.

 

Geoff

 

 

> From: Bill Rose

> To: geoffrey oltmans <oltmansg@bellsouth.net>

> Sent: Mon, March 15, 2010 2:41:41 PM

> Subject: RE: Greetings!

 

The serial network was my work. The original used the Z80 to 'bit bash' RS232 ports to each peripheral. I did a quick calc and found there were no

where near enough instruction cycles in the Z80 to also run the OS and word processor. I designed the DMA at home in my 'free time'. We switched

to the new design in early May but management insisted we had to ship in Aug. There was no hardware, drivers, or software when we switched. i.e.

4 months to do it all. Obviously not possible. At one point mgmt asked why we weren't shipping (around October). The answer was "they are all failing fina

test". Mgmt then informed manuf to cease final test and ship!!! Bad decision.

 

The game screens I referred to were in development when we announced we were exiting Colecovision as well as others we developed for distribution

using the Adam's tape drives. I ran game design as well as hardware and software development at that time so I got early releases. These are screens that

have never been seen by the public. Actually I haven't looked at them in years.

 

As for your questions, Adam was supposed to use miniature endless loop tapes - much smaller versions of the 8 track tapes of the 70's. Problem was

reliability. They jammed just like their larger cousins. We could never get them to operate for any length of time. We scrapped them for the cassette tape

drives. These were similar to standard cassettes except we added some holes that were used to align them and hold them in alignment during high speed

operation. We operated at 20 ips (inches per second) with FFD/RWD at 80 ips. Standard cassettes had too much movement to keep the tape in comtact

with the head. We also had to use higher quality tape - basically "first run" tape to minimize defects in the magnetic media. First run means the first batch of

tape coming off a line. The bath they use to coat tape degrades as it is used. Similar to high quality video tape.

 

The expansion module was actually a nearly complete Atari game system. About all we used from Colecovision was the power supply and perhaps the

video modulator (I forget the details). It gave us full compatibility with Atari games because it was an Atari system. I don't think the Z80 or graphics processor

was used for anything when using the module. Adam was a completely separate effort. No relation at all. It was the time of the Timex/Sinclair, TRS80

(pronounced Trash 80), Commodore VIC-20, and Commodore 64. Home computers were getting big and Coleco wanted to be a player. The initial design was

simply a Colecovision with the RS232 ports added, the endless loop tape drive, a printer, and keyboard. The idea was that it was a computer with a real

operating system and word processor out of the box. No need to program in Basic. I was hired to work on that design. See above for where it went.

 

We did design (paper only) an ASIC that would allow the Z80 to emulate an IBM PC. The designer, a kid fresh out of college, was Steve Perlman who later

went on to found WebTV and MOXI. We killed the project before implementing it.

 

As I said, lots of unwritten history here.

 

Bill

 

 

> From: geoffrey oltmans [mailto:oltmansg@bellsouth.net]

> Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 2:46 PM

> To: Bill Rose

> Subject: Re: Greetings!

 

Bill:

 

I actually started disassembling the code from dumps I made from the actual MCUs, but ended up getting a set of the source code for several of the 6801

MCUs from another fellow ADAM tinkerer on the Coleco ADAM mailing list. These were all listings from the ADAM Technical Manual apparently. The combination

of the MIOC/6801 and ADAMNet implementation are probably the most interesting aspect of the system to me. That and the tape drive implementation, which

seemed like a novel solution to the relatively high price of disk based storage of the time. It probably didn't hurt that it played Coleco Vision games which I also

loved at the time. Anyway, I've never seen any other home computers from the time frame that had a serial communications channel for the expansion devices

that was DMA'able. I also like that it was generic enough to support a wide variety of different devices. I have kicked around the idea of making a USB->ADAMNet

adapter so that you could use real ADAM peripherals with the emulator on a PC, or alternatively use a PC to emulate peripherals on a real ADAM system since

they are relatively scarce. Probably would use something like a Coldfire microcontroller maybe (since I've got a neat little SBC prototyping board from Freescale

anyways), or dirt cheap like a PIC. I'm new to the world of USB, so I figured that might be a novel idea for a learning tool. Did you also write bits of the EOS code also?

 

It is a shame that the system couldn't overcome the initial bad reviews. Bad news travels faster than good news unfortunately, and I guess they were so concerned

about missing out on the Christmas buying season that slipping the ship date was politically impossible.

 

I think I may have seen a dump of a demo cartridge (store demo maybe?) for the ADAM that showed off a lot of different software they had planned. Might be the same

thing you're talking about. Couple quick questions for you... I have seen a picture of alternate ADAM console pictures from the CES prior to release. It looked like it

had slot-loading DDP drives similar to a car cassette player. Does this sound familiar? Also, is it true that the ADAM started out life as the Super Game Module

attachment for the Coleco Vision, and then morphed into the computer design, or were they completely separate designs?

 

Nice to be able to put a (virtual) face to a design like this.

 

Later!

Geoff

 

 

> From: Bill Rose

> To: Geoff Oltmans <oltmansg@bellsouth.net>

> Sent: Mon, March 15, 2010 1:14:51 PM

> Subject: RE: Greetings!

 

Hi Geoff

 

Wow that's a blast from the past. Didn't know anyone outside of a few at Coleco knew I wrote code for the Adam. I actually designed much of the

hardware. My code was primarily the drivers specific to my hardware design. It had to be written in assembler to operate efficiently. The hardware had

some very specific requirements that few of the software team were able to fully understand to write the code. Very timing specific to handle the DMA

without impacting the Z80's operation. In fact they tried to rewrite it but ended up going back to my original code. Long story there.

 

Nice to know someone remembers the Adam. It was pretty revolutionary at the time. Its undoing was trying to go from initial schematics to shipment in 4

months. Took us about 8 months to get it stable but by then it was too late. The early shipments were too buggy to survive the bad reviews. Very long

story there.

 

I still have mine though it is in storage at this point. I also have some game screens in EPROM for Zaxon and others that were never released.

 

Bill

 

 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: Geoff Oltmans [mailto:oltmansg@bellsouth.net]

> Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 5:11 PM

> To:

> Subject: Greetings!

 

Hello Mr. Rose:

 

Believe it or not, I stumbled across your name while perusing some source code that you helped write for the Coleco ADAM Master 6801! I just wanted to

give you some kudos for helping to create one of my favorite home computers. This machine more than any other shaped my interest in computing technology

as a child.

 

I now work in embedded system design at a company called ADTRAN. We design telecommunications equipment. In my spare time I like to dissect your work

on the ADAM, and have been porting Marcel de Kogel's excellent ADAM emulator to work in Mac OS X.

 

I just felt it necessary to write to you and tell you how much I have personally enjoyed using the ADAM these many years.

 

Geoff

[Inky]

Wow.  I had no idea how much in the ADAM scene you were, Jim!

[retroillucid]

I would need to know the chip(s) hidden behind the flat cable...

 

There's 2 of these: CTS7831

 

and 1 tiny chip near the parallel conector : M8416

[opcode]

I would need to know the chip(s) hidden behind the flat cable...

 

There's 2 of these: CTS7831

 

and 1 tiny chip near the parallel conector : M8416

 

I don't think any of those are the actual IC names. Isn't there anything else written on them?

[retroillucid]

I would need to know the chip(s) hidden behind the flat cable...

 

There's 2 of these: CTS7831

 

and 1 tiny chip near the parallel conector : M8416

 

I don't think any of those are the actual IC names. Isn't there anything else written on them?

 

Yes, here's what is written on the chip:

(This chip is kind of light green)

 

8 CTS7831 1

1 761-3-R270 16

Edited April 24, 2010 by retroillucid

[NIAD]

Wow.  I had no idea how much in the ADAM scene you were, Jim!

 

It all started with the ColecoVision in '82, then the following year with the ADAM! I did a lot of Basic programming and released a number of programs before going to work for Lyle Marschand at his computer store/NIAD HQ. Spent 6 years living and breathing Coleco/ADAM until the real world came knocking and I had to get a job, then home ownership, then marriage, then kids... sure you know the cycle well. Been an avid follower of the emulation scene since '96, just didn;t have the time necessary to put together a nice collection of Coleco/ADAM stuff like other systems have had done for them over the years.

 

Anyone interested, visit my friends webpage at the following link for a lot of good stuff. Especially look at the Expandable Computer News issues and the early NIAD issues for details about Coleco.

 

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

 

Jim N.

[FND]

Well I am no Adam expert or even a hardware expert but I tend to think out of

the box at times so I thought I would offer an idea I just had. Is it possable you

could connect the Adam Keyboard to your proto using the connector at bottom left,

with your proto connected to the expansion port could you then interface with the

ADAM ?

 

Again not an expert here just an interested party

 

 

 

could the other connector connect to a printer as an output interface ?

Edited April 24, 2010 by FND

[retroillucid]

Well I am no Adam expert or even a hardware expert but I tend to think out of

the box at times so I thought I would offer an idea I just had. Is it possable you

could connect the Adam Keyboard to your proto using the connector at bottom left,

with your proto connected to the expansion port could you then interface with the

ADAM ?

 

Again not an expert here just an interested party

 

 

 

could the other connector connect to a printer as an output interface ?

 

I do not own a ADAM .... yet

I'll buy one soon actually

 

I guess that could work, I'm sure those connectors are for that

The Test Cart is another thing I'm sure that must be present when using it... would make sense at least...

 

Maybe this unit was made to simulate the memory console?

[opcode]

 

Yes, here's what is written on the chip:

(This chip is kind of light green)

 

8 CTS7831 1

1 761-3-R270 16

 

Funny, it is a resistor array in DIP format. Just a bunch of 270ohm resistors...

[retroillucid]

 

Yes, here's what is written on the chip:

(This chip is kind of light green)

 

8 CTS7831 1

1 761-3-R270 16

 

Funny, it is a resistor array in DIP format. Just a bunch of 270ohm resistors...

 

There's also a tiny chip written on it:

 

MB416

LM

567CN

[opcode]

The small chip I am pretty sure is a LM something, so an op-amp.

But considering we see an ADAMnet connector there, there should be a SIO (serial I/O) chip somewhere...

[retroillucid]

The small chip I am pretty sure is a LM something, so an op-amp.

But considering we see an ADAMnet connector there, there should be a SIO (serial I/O) chip somewhere...

 

Could it be this one?

 

SN74LS273N

[opcode]

 

 

There's also a tiny chip written on it:

 

MB416

LM

567CN

 

That is a tone decoder. Could be used for many things, hard to say without seeing the circuit...