Just got a ColecoVision!

[PAC-MAN PRIME]

Well, I just won it off eBay. Now I can't wait to receive it!

 

I am pretty excited about it. I do have memories of seeing the ColecoVision when I was a kid, but being the lifelong Atari fan I am, I remember having zero interest in the CV back then. Plus, my cousin had the Intellivision, and I vividly remember disliking it, so I think my kid-self was comparing the CV to the INTV, with their similar controllers and all.

 

Fast forward to the modern era, and my curiousity is spiked again and I look at the CV again via YouTube vids and such. I have to admit, I am really impressed with the clips I've seen of the games. Really impressive quality especially for its time. It really is a wonder of what it could have been had the market not crashed in '83.

 

So, I have already received my first game last week: OpCode's Pac-Man Collection. Wow, it never ceases to amaze me what programmers today can do with these new homebrews. So professionally done. The videos I've seen of that pretty much sealed the deal for me. I finally had no choice but to get a ColecoVision. haha Now I can't wait to get the system to play it on!

[NIAD]

Well, I just won it off eBay. Now I can't wait to receive it!

 

I am pretty excited about it. I do have memories of seeing the ColecoVision when I was a kid, but being the lifelong Atari fan I am, I remember having zero interest in the CV back then. Plus, my cousin had the Intellivision, and I vividly remember disliking it, so I think my kid-self was comparing the CV to the INTV, with their similar controllers and all.

 

Fast forward to the modern era, and my curiousity is spiked again and I look at the CV again via YouTube vids and such. I have to admit, I am really impressed with the clips I've seen of the games. Really impressive quality especially for its time. It really is a wonder of what it could have been had the market not crashed in '83.

 

So, I have already received my first game last week: OpCode's Pac-Man Collection. Wow, it never ceases to amaze me what programmers today can do with these new homebrews. So professionally done. The videos I've seen of that pretty much sealed the deal for me. I finally had no choice but to get a ColecoVision. haha Now I can't wait to get the system to play it on!

So your the one that drove up the price on that nice boxed system! Congrats on winning the auction and becoming a ColecoVision owner. I hope the system is as advertised and you get many years of enjoyment from it.

 

BTW, you next purchase should be the AtariMax Ultimate SD Cart (www.AtariMax.com). This cart allows you to copy all the available CV roms files onto the SD Card, insert the SD Card into the Cart and then play away on the CV. This is a great way to try out all the CV carts that are available in rom image format and then you can go about hunting down the actual carts if you wish to collect them.

 

Enjoy and welcome aboard.

[PAC-MAN PRIME]

Well, I just won it off eBay. Now I can't wait to receive it!

 

I am pretty excited about it. I do have memories of seeing the ColecoVision when I was a kid, but being the lifelong Atari fan I am, I remember having zero interest in the CV back then. Plus, my cousin had the Intellivision, and I vividly remember disliking it, so I think my kid-self was comparing the CV to the INTV, with their similar controllers and all.

 

Fast forward to the modern era, and my curiousity is spiked again and I look at the CV again via YouTube vids and such. I have to admit, I am really impressed with the clips I've seen of the games. Really impressive quality especially for its time. It really is a wonder of what it could have been had the market not crashed in '83.

 

So, I have already received my first game last week: OpCode's Pac-Man Collection. Wow, it never ceases to amaze me what programmers today can do with these new homebrews. So professionally done. The videos I've seen of that pretty much sealed the deal for me. I finally had no choice but to get a ColecoVision. haha Now I can't wait to get the system to play it on!

So your the one that drove up the price on that nice boxed system! Congrats on winning the auction and becoming a ColecoVision owner. I hope the system is as advertised and you get many years of enjoyment from it.

 

BTW, you next purchase should be the AtariMax Ultimate SD Cart (www.AtariMax.com). This cart allows you to copy all the available CV roms files onto the SD Card, insert the SD Card into the Cart and then play away on the CV. This is a great way to try out all the CV carts that are available in rom image format and then you can go about hunting down the actual carts if you wish to collect them.

 

Enjoy and welcome aboard.

Haha, well I didn't drive it up. I just bid once at the end to win it. :-P I hope I didn't upset you or if anyone else here were bidding on it as well. If we're referring to the same one, that is.

 

I went for this one particularly because it was complete and the box actually looks pretty nice. Finding one with a decent box seems to be a bit of a task. Why is it that so many CV boxes often look so ravaged? Is the cardboard really flimsy or something? The system itself looks kinda dusty, and I get the impression that only one of the controllers works moderately, but not great. So we'll see. I hope a little elbow grease will clean up the system, and I will most likely be shopping for new controllers in the near future. Guess I'll find out when it arrives.

 

The AtariMax cart sounds awesome. I will definitely look into it. Thanks for the heads up! :-)

[Kiwi]

 

I went for this one particularly because it was complete and the box actually looks pretty nice. Finding one with a decent box seems to be a bit of a task. Why is it that so many CV boxes often look so ravaged? Is the cardboard really flimsy or something? The system itself looks kinda dusty, and I get the impression that only one of the controllers works moderately, but not great. So we'll see. I hope a little elbow grease will clean up the system, and I will most likely be shopping for new controllers in the near future. Guess I'll find out when it arrives.

 

 

One of the controller I received from the auction was sorta broken. Pressing down needed more force. So, I fixed mine with a folded up Pepsi thin cardboard, so the joystick have a easier time pressing those sensor. That second fire button is kinda broken.

 

I second that CVSD cartridge is worth it. Mario Bros and Mr. Chin come with it as a bonus. Mario Bros is well made and the controller works well with that game. Also, it is 2 player cooperative!

 

Also, I can develop game for that system and load it on the SD and try it out on real thing since emulator isn't accurate. It helps me discover what combination of colors don't work well like dark green on dark blue result blocky mess. I am able to change the color so it'll show up well on the TV screen.

[NIAD]

Well, I just won it off eBay. Now I can't wait to receive it!

 

I am pretty excited about it. I do have memories of seeing the ColecoVision when I was a kid, but being the lifelong Atari fan I am, I remember having zero interest in the CV back then. Plus, my cousin had the Intellivision, and I vividly remember disliking it, so I think my kid-self was comparing the CV to the INTV, with their similar controllers and all.

 

Fast forward to the modern era, and my curiousity is spiked again and I look at the CV again via YouTube vids and such. I have to admit, I am really impressed with the clips I've seen of the games. Really impressive quality especially for its time. It really is a wonder of what it could have been had the market not crashed in '83.

 

So, I have already received my first game last week: OpCode's Pac-Man Collection. Wow, it never ceases to amaze me what programmers today can do with these new homebrews. So professionally done. The videos I've seen of that pretty much sealed the deal for me. I finally had no choice but to get a ColecoVision. haha Now I can't wait to get the system to play it on!

So your the one that drove up the price on that nice boxed system! Congrats on winning the auction and becoming a ColecoVision owner. I hope the system is as advertised and you get many years of enjoyment from it.

 

BTW, you next purchase should be the AtariMax Ultimate SD Cart (www.AtariMax.com). This cart allows you to copy all the available CV roms files onto the SD Card, insert the SD Card into the Cart and then play away on the CV. This is a great way to try out all the CV carts that are available in rom image format and then you can go about hunting down the actual carts if you wish to collect them.

 

Enjoy and welcome aboard.

Haha, well I didn't drive it up. I just bid once at the end to win it. :-P I hope I didn't upset you or if anyone else here were bidding on it as well. If we're referring to the same one, that is.

 

I went for this one particularly because it was complete and the box actually looks pretty nice. Finding one with a decent box seems to be a bit of a task. Why is it that so many CV boxes often look so ravaged? Is the cardboard really flimsy or something? The system itself looks kinda dusty, and I get the impression that only one of the controllers works moderately, but not great. So we'll see. I hope a little elbow grease will clean up the system, and I will most likely be shopping for new controllers in the near future. Guess I'll find out when it arrives.

 

The AtariMax cart sounds awesome. I will definitely look into it. Thanks for the heads up! :-)

Yeah, that was the one!

 

I was looking to get a second CV for backup purposes and when I saw that one with the nice box, I had to have it, but the price got a little steep considering it wouldn't be my primary system. Otherwise I would have went up to $100... luck you.

 

Do a little searching around on this forum for all the fantastic modifications that Yurkie provides. Just a few of them that come to mind are:

 

- Controller refurbishing

- Controller refurbishing with Ball-Knob replacement

- Straightening of the coiled controller cords

- Single jack Composite Audio/Video Mod for hooking system up to newer TVs (yellow, red and white RCA plugs)

- Power Switch refurbishing

- CV BIOS Chip replacement (no longer have to wait for the 12 second delay on Coleco made games)

 

and Yurkie has also made some fantastic custom controllers for Mario Bros. and the soon to be released Smurf game.

 

Than checkout some of the new CV games that have been made and are to be released soon at the AtariAge Store and the following websites:

 

http://www.ccjvq.com/newcoleco/

 

http://www.opcodegames.com/

 

http://www.teampixelboy.com/index.htm

 

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

 

http://www.dvik-joyrex.com/

 

http://www.atomicfe.com/colecovision/

 

https://www.atari2600.com/item--The-Void:-Centauri-Conflict--COLGAM0446.html

 

http://www.classicgamecreations.com/

 

 

And check out these two fantastic websites for a lot of CV goodness:

 

 

http://www.colecovision.dk/

 

http://www.colecovisionzone.com/

 

 

And finally, check out the two links in the footer of the message for two great sites that deal with the CV as well as Coleco's ADAM Computer. There's a lot of good stuff here as well.

 

Jim

[+Yurkie]

Do a little searching around on this forum for all the fantastic modifications that Yurkie provides. Just a few of them that come to mind are:

 

- Controller refurbishing

- Controller refurbishing with Ball-Knob replacement

- Straightening of the coiled controller cords

- Single jack Composite Audio/Video Mod for hooking system up to newer TVs (yellow, red and white RCA plugs)

- Power Switch refurbishing

- CV BIOS Chip replacement (no longer have to wait for the 12 second delay on Coleco made games)

 

and Yurkie has also made some fantastic custom controllers for Mario Bros. and the soon to be released Smurf game.

 

Than checkout some of the new CV games that have been made and are to be released soon at the AtariAge Store and the following websites:

 

http://www.ccjvq.com/newcoleco/

 

http://www.opcodegames.com/

 

http://www.teampixelboy.com/index.htm

 

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

 

http://www.dvik-joyrex.com/

 

http://www.atomicfe.com/colecovision/

 

https://www.atari2600.com/item--The-Void:-Centauri-Conflict--COLGAM0446.html

 

http://www.classicgamecreations.com/

 

 

And check out these two fantastic websites for a lot of CV goodness:

 

 

http://www.colecovision.dk/

 

http://www.colecovisionzone.com/

 

 

And finally, check out the two links in the footer of the message for two great sites that deal with the CV as well as Coleco's ADAM Computer. There's a lot of good stuff here as well.

 

Jim

 

Thanks NIAD for the plug.

 

If anyone is interested in refurbishing or mods feel free to send me an IM.

 

Hope you guys have fun with your ColecoVisions! I too highly recommend the SD Multi-Cart.

[PAC-MAN PRIME]

Thank you all for the valuable information and resources. I'm sure I'll be referring to these plenty in the future.

 

Well, my CV system arrived today. I spent the better part of the evening cleaning it up, and it looks beautiful! Practically brand new, with some exceptions of scuffs on the controllers' metallic discs. Amidst my excitement I forgot to take pics before I put it back into the box for now, but I will do so when I take it back out again soon.

 

I attempted to disassemble the console and clean the inside as well, so I removed the screws from the bottom, but I still couldn't get it apart. I couldn't find any other screws so it looked like it should have separated easily, but I was too afraid to force it to get it open. Are there more screws hidden underneath any of the labels or metallic panels that are holding it together? What is the best way to disassemble the unit?

 

Another thing I noticed is, when I tested my games (DK and Pac-Man Collection, the only two I have so far), they both looked crooked inserted into the CV, leaning slightly to the left. It looked like they weren't plugged all the way in, but they definitely were. They played fine, and again, I didn't want to force them in further and risk breaking something. Is this common with CV systems, or is something wrong with mine?

[frank_c]

there are screws under the metallic strip on the front, then that piece comes off and the shell can be opened.

[PAC-MAN PRIME]

Ah, that explains that then. I don't think I want to remove the strip, so I'll leave it be. Glad I didn't try to force it.

 

Thanks for the info.

[dougy76]

I'm sure you see now how flimsy the box is. The styrafoam shell is really what keeps the CV in place. A box without the shell would be completely useless. All Coleco boxes are annoying, even for the games. I don't know why.

 

Opening it up is a pain as you have to carefully peel that sticker off the front. I wouldn't recommend doing it unless you have business inside.

[+5-11under]

Ah, that explains that then. I don't think I want to remove the strip, so I'll leave it be. Glad I didn't try to force it.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Don't take the front panel off. Just remove the bottom screws, then bend forward the front piece to take the unit apart. See the first page or two of this document: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/153635-component-video-mod-for-colecovision/page__view__findpost__p__2017724

 

5-11under

[+Yurkie]

 

Don't take the front panel off. Just remove the bottom screws, then bend forward the front piece to take the unit apart. See the first page or two of this document: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/153635-component-video-mod-for-colecovision/page__view__findpost__p__2017724

 

5-11under

 

Like 5-11under said! +1

 

Never take the front sticker off! I have repaired and modded dozens of ColecoVisions and it is completely unnecessary to remove the sticker.

[tz101]

CV console comes apart rather easily with a little flexing of the front panel, if I remember correctly. No removal of the front screws is necessary.

[jeremysart]

I have taken apart and cleaned my CV without removing the label. As 5-11under stated, check the link.

 

Congrats on getting a CV. If there are three systems I charish most of all of my consoles, its my CV, VCS, and INTV.

The CV was ahead of its time, I will never forget the day I got mine when I was 7. We got Cosmic Avenger, Mr. Do!, Lady Bug, and Donkey Kong. And boy did I play me some Mr. Do! and Donkey Kong on that thing!!

Edited September 26, 2010 by jeremysart

[PAC-MAN PRIME]

I'm sure you see now how flimsy the box is. The styrafoam shell is really what keeps the CV in place. A box without the shell would be completely useless. All Coleco boxes are annoying, even for the games. I don't know why.

 

Opening it up is a pain as you have to carefully peel that sticker off the front. I wouldn't recommend doing it unless you have business inside.

Yeah it is really flimsy! I'm actually a bit nervous when handling it, as this one is in really nice shape and I'd like to keep it that way.

 

Thanks for the recommendation. I'm going to leave the console be for now. I cleaned the outside pretty well and the games worked fine, so I guess it's not too dirty inside it.

 

Ah, that explains that then. I don't think I want to remove the strip, so I'll leave it be. Glad I didn't try to force it.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Don't take the front panel off. Just remove the bottom screws, then bend forward the front piece to take the unit apart. See the first page or two of this document: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/153635-component-video-mod-for-colecovision/page__view__findpost__p__2017724

 

5-11under

Thanks for the link! I may get brave and try that some day if the machine starts performing poorly. It's good to know that it at least can be opened without sacrificing the strip.

 

 

I have taken apart and cleaned my CV without removing the label. As 5-11under stated, check the link.

 

Congrats on getting a CV. If there are three systems I charish most of all of my consoles, its my CV, VCS, and INTV.

The CV was ahead of its time, I will never forget the day I got mine when I was 7. We got Cosmic Avenger, Mr. Do!, Lady Bug, and Donkey Kong. And boy did I play me some Mr. Do! and Donkey Kong on that thing!!

Thanks for the congrats! I am really glad to finally have it and look forward to many years of game play to come. It's a really cool system.