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Chak

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Space Invader

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  1. Works for me - I won't be ready until the middle or end of August. Will the new boards be "equivalent" to Bryan's inasmuch as 2600 TIA, 5200 (et. al.) Pokey, and 7800 TIA + cart audio?
  2. Hi MacRorie. I plan on ordering a few UAVs next month, but I will need an audio circuit. What is the status of the Audio Companion board? I know there are other circuits out there, but it would be much more desirable (for me) to just order the boards along with the UAVs. (Honestly, I'm not even sure what boards are available. While I'm not afraid of wiring up a circuit, a premade board is just easier and cleaner.) Thanks.
  3. This is great news - I have a stack of systems waiting for refurb/upgrade. Will the "Audio Companion" or similar be offered as well?
  4. I started this and got way side tracked at work. I want to thank everybody for the advice. It will hopefully be brought to fruition over the next couple of months. I noticed that console5.com sells a 4-port BIOS chip. I'll be placing an order for the power mod stuff, should I just bite the bullet and order the BIOS chip for the 2 port console? I still have to do a bunch of controller refurbs, as well. It will be the Summer of Atari for me, apparently....
  5. I need some advice from the community here. For reasons that are irrelevant I am in possession of a handful of 5200 consoles. I'm planning on keeping the best 3 or 4 for myself/family/friends and selling the rest. (Although the way work has been who knows how long cleaning/refurbishing will take....) My question is what would be the best version/versions to keep? I'm guessing a power-modded and video modded 4-port would be the best option, but you guys would be the experts. Are there any motherboard revisions worth mentioning? Personally, I don't really care too much about scratched cases and the like, I'm more concerned with the electronics. Thanks.
  6. Glad to hear that the Vectrex is currently in the lead. You seem to have knowledge about how the Genesis controller works, so that might be an easy project to take up in the future. I'm all for an NES option, but the NEC TurboGrafx/Duo is also in need of some love. I don't know about signal encoding, but the controllers are (to a layman) identical - except that the Turbo family of controllers have built-in rapid fire capabilities. I wonder if it might be feasible to make a signal converter box (like your Seagull 78 Controller Adapter) to allow dual use. It's a smaller market, but I imagine most of that community would be willing to purchase a quality arcade stick. Just a thought. The Jaguar stick is a wacky idea, but with a flashcart on the way, it's entirely conceivable that the homebrew market might pick up, and you'd be the only game in town, especially for spinner controllers. I don't know if anybody is even currently offering to do the spinner mod anymore.
  7. I don't have a 5200 (yet) but that's great news. What are your plans for your next project? I'd love a Vectrex stick (which this layman thinks should be relatively trivial as you'll have sourced an analog stick for the 5200) but that is a bit of a niche market. Or you can try to hit up the Jaguar market and make an arcade stick with a spinner for Tempest 2000 or any other homebrews that might support that. Both systems are in need of a good controller. Unfortunately both systems are really small markets.
  8. Ed, Your attention to this project and willingness to do the right thing is great. I'm happy that I have the 2 controllers and Seagull CV Adapter that I have, but I am disappointed that this has (seemingly) proven untenable as a product. Particularly the adapter. I, for one, would love to have fewer controllers around by way of adapters. (Honestly, 2 Super CV Controllers with Seagull CV Adapters is a more storage-effective solution than 2 Super CV + 2 Atari controllers. Plus the Seagull adds Genesis controllers to the mix.) That, unfortunately, seems like a dead end at the moment. I hope that the Atari 5200 project isn't derailed by this madness, and that upon completion of that you can show some Vectrex love. These things are built like tanks and I have no doubts about their longevity. While I don't have a 5200 at the moment, I'm sure I will get one in the next 5 years but based on reviews, that will be largely up to you - without a good controller I won't get involved with the 5200. And I would jump on getting a Vectrex controller now. Perhaps one day we'll know exactly what the issues are. At least you will be offering a great (nearly perfect) product going forward.
  9. Is the current board used in the USB version? How does that work on virtual consoles and classic-style games (like Castlevania Rebirth) on [for us] modern systems like the Wii on up? If it does work, is the hole pattern set in stone, or could somebody order one with the buttons in a SNES "+" style configuration? The only issues I could see would be the "Start," "Select" and shoulder buttons. There are enough buttons on the controller for that (12 on the keypad) but getting it all to work is the question. Also, could you make a USB Seagull? Your initial board is good but not perfect as a CV board, but if it's able to be a great USB board there could be an opportunity there. I could easily be enticed to get either of the products mentioned, but not right now. Just a thought.
  10. Ed, Let's try to simplify this, as I am a simple man. Am I correct: The existing controllers I have from the Kickstarter will work perfectly for Atari, and will support MOST classic Colecovision games, and SOME homebrews. (I tried it out on Loderunner and it worked great.) Am I correct: The Seagull CV Adapter will do the same thing to the "other" controllers I try to use on my Colecovision (i.e. MOST classic Colecovision games, and SOME homebrews.) The only way to get a "perfect" Colecovision controller would be to get the new one. As an aside (you may not be able to answer this, we may need a developer), what are the advantages for games that are "programmed to always read the keypad and strobe the controls?" And I wonder if the Defender situation will ever be solved.... This is slightly disappointing, but at the end of the day not that big of a deal for me. It would be $119 for an Atari controller, so an extra $30 for compatibility with MOST Colecovision games is still a great deal. (I'm the guy that spent WAY too much on this [$397 level -"This reward bundles TWO "Super Arcade Controllers" with a "Seagull CV" controller adapter for flexible two-player fun with the classic and Flashback Colecovision consoles.] with the plan of stationing the second controller with my Atari, with the flexibility of moving them around as need for 2 player use, with the Seagull CV to allow me to use any controller with any system, so I can play Colecovision Pitfall! with a CX40, or 2600 Starmaster with my Sega Genistick. So, no real regrets on my end.) I do wish the problem had been detected and fixed earlier. Are there any plans to redesign the board to address this, or is the problem too big? I'm guessing the latter, given the path you are taking with the new board. If I get heavily enough into the homebrew scene in time I may get one, but I would prefer to upgrade my "Seagull CV" (I assume IF you made changes to the board it would be compatible with the current cases so would be more cost effective to swap rather than get a whole new adapter). I sincerely hope this does not put you off developing new hardware - I know you've targeted the 5200 next (don't have one) but I would be VERY interested in a Vectrex stick, which you did mention as a possible followup to the 5200 project.
  11. Been reading this for a while, will likely go back to lurking after venting here. From the FAQ on their website: OK, so the Neo Geo line is misleading as we don't know of any working Neo Geo FPGA core. Fair enough. But the point is they completely reversed what they proposed in the above quoted FAQ section. The ARM chip was just there "for some more fun stuff" and it became the entire reason for the system. I'm sure nobody wants my advice for the relaunch, but here it is: 1> Put the best possible FPGA as your base, something that should be capable of, at a minimum, duplicating a Neo Geo. 2> Upgrade the ARM as a stretch goal - remember the good FPGA is there so a weak ARM coupled with a strong customizable FPGA should provide plenty of computing power for new game development. Hell, maybe you can us a HDL to have the FPGA act as an ARM giving you, in effect, an asymmetric Multi-CPU setup. Or use the ARM as a CPU and dedicate the FPGA as a GPU. I'm not a hardware engineer, but I'm sure it can work. Presumably you're going for classic-style games: NES Zelda as opposed to Wii Zelda, 16-bit Castlevania vs PS2 Castlevania, Contra vs Call of Duty. You can't compete with the modern 3D stuff, so don't try. 3> Keep the 9-pin controller ports. 4> Have a retro-style joystick. Some of us aren't huge fans of joypads (I can and do use them, but I still like my CX-40), and I doubt I would have much interest in any game that needs ALL the functionality on their controller. Which means it's too complicated and I would get aggravated playing Space Invaders on the system because there are too many buttons. I'm not saying to ditch their prototype controller, but add something simpler, even it it's using "arcade quality microswitches" and costs more, I (and I'm sure others) would prefer classic style controllers. 5> Cartridge adapters would be great, and since Kevtris would charge for his cores, add them as stretch goals. Otherwise they will become available "at a later time as market forces permit." Personally, there are many systems I don't own, and don't really have the room for. It's kind of hard to justify buying a 7800 or Intellivision just to play Impossible Mission or B-52 bomber. As for the 800 Lb gorilla in the room - Kevtris' proposed system - I like it. If he (or someone else) can provide "USB-to-you name it controller" adapters, I'd likely be in. Unlike RVGS, Kevtris seems to have kept his idea stable. With Cartridge adapters it's a good system for those who would want it.
  12. I decided to purchase one of these consoles and thought I'd share my initial thoughts here. Con - the price. It almost scared me away, but I was afraid I'd regret it if I didn't take a chance. (I am still annoyed at myself for not buying the Cybertech Atari S-Video mod years ago.) But, honestly, that's the biggest con. Con (minor) - The RGB output port. An onboard converter with a whole raft of output options built in to the console would have been great. That's not a big knock, though, given the size of the thing - it's really small. There's really not much room for a bunch of output ports. Pro - Video quality - Keep in mind, I'm using a Weiya RGB to composite/S-Video converter. I plan on eventually getting an RGB to YPbPr converter. Hopefully there will be a cheaper alternative to the J-Rok board. With that said, once I adjusted the pots on the board, it looks outstanding. The last time I played NES was composite output onto my Commodore 1702 (something like a 13" screen) - and it looked good. This was S-Video on a 32" TV set and it was sharp with detail I had never even known was in some of these games. I won't say it's a night-and-day difference, but it's pretty close. Pro - No lockout chip issues. I really haven't played much NES the last few years because of how bad the lockout issue was. Not with this bad boy. Dirty games still won't play, but at least I don't have to try a dozen times to get the lockout chip to finally work. Con - I really seem to suck at these games. Contra came back pretty quickly (still needed 30 lives), but I couldn't get past level 4 in Kung Fu or Level 2 in Donkey Kong. Forget Gradius - even with the upgrade cheat code I couldn't get past the first level. Not the fault of the system, but of me. Bottom line - is it worth it? If you don't want to hack up your old system, then yeah, probably. Swapping out connectors is fine, but cutting legs off of lockout chips (NES-1) and the relatively major undertaking of doing a PPU swap, I don't know if I'd want to do that. If you want to wait for future developments, what will the universal PPU cost? Then you still have to install it and mod your console for output. Then there is the NESRGB kit. I could get that for (depending on currency conversion rates) a bit over $100. It's a lot of work to install, but it is cheaper. Adjusted for inflation, it's actually not much more expensive that the original front-loader at launch. And seems to be a better system.
  13. This is just a (completely unnecessary) testimonial for Yurkie's already legendary work. He modded and refurbished my console and 2 controllers. Everything looks great and works great. If you're like me and think that the CV controller is just about the worst controller ever, GET THE BALL KNOBS because it really does help. I highly recommend his services and the turnaround time exceeded expectations.
  14. Hello, all. Long time lurker, first time poster. I purchased a modded 2600 (S-Video + Stereo) years ago and I, and my family, have greatly enjoyed it. This, along with my old 27" CRT, was set up in my parent's living room so we could have something to do during holidays. Then my 27" CRT blew. A short in the tube rendered it unfixable. I replaced it with my other (different model) 27" CRT and it seemed that all was well at first. Of course, I only checked with the Satellite Receiver. When I eventually tried the 2600, there is no color. The same issue applies to my modded ColecoVision. The Satellite reciever and PS1 in the room both work fine. This CRT was previously hooked up to and worked fine with Atari Jaguar, SNES, PS2, Gamecube, modded Genesis, and DVD/VCR combo. My theory is that the 2600 mod and CV mod have a slightly off-spec signal. I plan on connecting them to my new-to-me 32" CRT (replacement for the 27") when I get that straightened out next week (I can't move a 150+lb CRT without help) and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The 32" is going into my "dungeon" as it has been decided that it would clash with the decor. The big issue is the 27" CRT which is in my parents' living room and apparently incompatible with the 2600. I need some 2600 capability there. My initial thought was to get a modded 7800 and keep my fingers crossed. Does anybody have any thoughts/comments/suggestions? With the holidays coming up I think we'll need the Atari. Thanks.
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