madtronix

If you have an open source file I can try and 3d print it for free. alternatively I have an ok looking one for 10 EUR shipped (or 12.50 within EU) (too expensive in my eyes)

Absolutely :-) Just send me your address details via my website: http://madtronix.com/en/contact.html My reply times can be really really slow, the player2 project is keeping me beyond busy. If I don't reply within 2 weeks, just bump the mail or wait. My inbox is huuge and I usually answer the newest emails first. I will however only accept money if I know I can ship within 2 weeks:-) In your case you'll get the missing wheel for free of course. On the plus side the quality improved since then, so the experience is even better. edit: I think I found your email, I'll send you a reply there aswell.

I will have those available in ~2 months. I'm just having the prototypes checked by testers as I don't have an original imager myself. 3D printed and with more vivid colours. That would be me then ... Actually yes VectrexRoli (aka "The Schwarznegger of retro video gaming") discusses it quite well here:

Ok that's very strange. I trust the person who send it to me to not bring me into trouble and that could definitely bring me into trouble. I'll send you the binary, if you could confirm that it is indeed your code? And a recent update on the cart is that 2 games (Tsunami and Omega Chase) and 3 demos (pop, 8ball and phillys classics) are not included anymore, obviously they were not public daomain even though they're lisited as PD at the usual sources. so it's 107 games now.

No it's by some anonymous coder. I got it back then (2007) for release on the multicart. See the video (have problems uploading now should be there in an hour or two): madtronix.com/_public_downloads/city_bomber_by_anonymous.mp4 I want to make clear I'm just including it because I got it for free, not to make a statement or hype around it. Back then I didn't know you made a game with the same title. If you want to I can explicitly stress that it is not your version of City Bomber (that's why I already wrote "by anonymous") I asked everyone for their permissions to include the respective games, so it should just be games on it that are allowed to be on there.

Yes. I forgot to mention that labels for the cart cases are included aswell. It fits in all vectrex cases that can be opened with a screw. The reproduction cases currently on the market work perfectly with my slimcarts, we're not allowed to use them for multicarts though, that's why I made them in slimcarts. If you put them in cases anyways, I could also give you 2 of the naked budget carts (+ stickers of course) for 10 EUR cheaper. They work exactly the same but lack the serial numbe, box paint and the fancy gold font and blob:

79 EUR shipped for a multicart bundle with 107 games: -all original games (even Animaction) -all unreleased games (incl. Mail Plane) -all John Dondzila games and demos (classicgamecreations.com) -VecSports Boxing by Manu (gooddealgames.com) -Thrust by Ville Krumlinde (emix8.org) -Nebula Commander + Revector by Craig Aker -Minigame Bombenhagel (luchs-soft.de) -Minigame City Bomber (anonymous) -compatible with all vectrexes, even the problematic debuzzed EU Vectrexes detailed game list here: http://www.madtronix.com/tl_files/madtronix/Madtronix%20multicart%20bundle%20game%20list%200.9.pdf Thanks to all homebrewers for their permissions!

Great initiative!!! Vectrex has forever been waiting for freely usable cartdridge cases. The current repro cases from the SK mold are not allowed to be used with multicarts (unless you assemble them yourself of course) I second that color cases are interesting, I assume the recently made batch of SK cases is ~2000pcs grey but as said they're not supposed to be used for multicarts/flashcarts. If you made this idea public a few months earlier (before the SK case order) there would've been more money available in Vectrex scene for a mold. I'll look around to find some funds, I'm very interested in cases! Good price on the pcbs! Mine are at least 10% more expensive (EU + I have to solder them myself, though I now have a reflow oven) The only original cart that used mapping was Animaction. First 8k was ROM then 2k RAM (I think it was 2k at least) My standart carts have 64k ROM directly accessible (the other 448k are accessible by jumpers). By adding 3 ICs you would have 32k ROM + 32k RAM. By adding a piggyback-pcb with a CPLD or µC (supports both) you will have 512k ROM + 32k RAM directly accessible by the Vectrex (through bankswitching). (before washing them)

I'll put it on both, "classic" and "modern" for now. So as long as you don't have the MultiVec one of the carts is propably actually of use for you. Background for the carts: 2007 I also had the menu driven multicarts done but life came in between. The idea with the multicarts for me always was to enable newcomers/re-discoverers to the Vectrex to get as many games as affordable as possible. The menu driven carts allow clever bankswitching, so that I have one "classic cart" with all original games (including Animaction and now MailPlane) and the other "modern cart" a lot of home-brews as long as I got permission from the respective programmers. I'm not entirely happy with the menu aesthetics, so in a later revision I may change that, but the carts work now on all Vectrexes (even the debuzzed 7ADB!). For now there will only be the cheapest version consisting of the bare pcb, and a sticker for those who want to put it into an original case (I will nto sell cased versions). I already have designs for boxes, but first I need to finish the website and the Frensh translation of the website. First the homebrewers will finally get their copies and then I'll update the website asap. I'll update the website with more information the next days.

I'd just be careful that suddenly there would be dozens of programmers out there, once it gets known you hand out free stuff;-) (Well if you limit the handouts to people as well known as George that's of course a different thing.) I'm not interested in selling too many 3D Imagers at the moment because at the current prices/manufacturing technique its not worth the effort in a monetary way. It's fun though and the prices will adjust and the technique improve, so yes I will be willing to borrow out 3D Imagers. In the future. Or trade for to be released games. I'm not up to date with the situation on the VecVoxes? But have some left from back then... Could even upgrade them with RS232 serial interface (the space on the pcb is already there).

Yes that would be awesome! I could supply very cost efficient custom designed pcbs which even support enhanced copyprotection. Even works on the Vectrexes with 7ADB checksum. For those who don't want to go through the hassle designing their own pcb+logic.

Thanks for testing. And for the link. I don't think it is an issue with the vecflash, but some copy protection Fury used. Of course it could be possible to circumvent this, but Fury explicitly doesn't want them to be included in multicarts, so we should respect that. (The demo works on my jumperless multicart, but I'm not distributing it) The demo runs fine here, I cannot take pictures because I destroyed my phone yesterday, but it basically is a static 2D picture of a colored space-castle and when you press a button there is a static 3D cube around it. I cannot measure the spinning speed reliably now, but it roughly spins the same speed as Narrow Escape. @ComputerSpaceFan: Did you try the demo on a Vecflash? Did the Vectrex start beeping like with the other 3D games?

If I had the binary I could test it. I tested with Furys other games and got good results. Either way, a minor change to the with of the white reflector sticker on the wheel should change it. The current wheels are calibrated to work with all games I had on hand, 3D Star Fury I didn't have on hand. I suspect the wheel in 3D Star Fury spins faster than at Narrow escape (the original game with the fastest spinning speed). That could result in the imagers (both original and mine) giving too short timing impulses. If anyone can borrow me a copy of 3D Star Fury, I'll test it and report back. @Mayhem: Does it still not work in your original imager if you switch the wheels? @ComputerSpaceFan: but the imager works with the other Fury games, right? :-) How can I avoid that in the future btw? It is rougly 2 in 10 who put in the wheel wrong the first time. Maybe i should put on a sticker on the site facing the Vectrex reading "if you can read this, the wheel is inserted wrong". Or just "wrong side"?

I think that was a misunderstanding, I saw the color transitions on your wheels had some bleeding (green and red kind of mixing) and suggested new wheels that don't have that issue. Like this here: This can happen If I didn't dry them sufficiently before assembly or when stored in very humid conditions. Nowadays I manufacture everything dried. This is how it is supposed to look: In gameplay it is not really a big difference though. However to combat the ghosting that the original imager has aswell I figured stronger saturated colours help. Thats why I use stronger saturated colours on the current wheels that the original imager has(+ it looks better). Play around a bit with dark/bright environment lighting, screen brightness and distance from screen to the imager. Exactly. I never saw a deeper purpose in this thing, since the screws hold it in place tight enough on their own, but this time I thought to include them just because. It can be helpful if you flip the visor up and then down again in the exactly same position. Looking at this video from armchairarcade.com with one of my first imagerd from from 7 years ago you will see the triangular thing would have prevented the motor part from falling down. Or just tightening the screws. I'll start with 89 EUR, because with the current price 79 EUR ends just don't meet. But everyone who inquired in the last 7 years will get the old price. It would feel unfair otherwise. I still have to fix the website, so as soon as I made that I will readjust the prices. I hope to have the website done in a week but all the emails I get at the moment could delay that a bit further. My nose is quite big and I have ~9mm clearance between nose and wheel. I suspect the difference is how we sit? My vectrex is always on one level with my eyes or higher. But I'm not a particulary tall person, so that could be a reason aswell. Another thing I just realized watching VectrexRoli's video above @ 8:38 is that if the headband is on my forehead, the wheel is closer to my nose, while if the headband is on my eyebrows, the nose-wheel-clearance is biggest. Does it make a difference for you? You could also drill two holes behind the two existing ones where the head mount is attached to the black visor, that should give you ~1cm more space: Maybe I should do that in general with every Imager? On the other hand the colours look best the closer the eyes are to the wheels I think. Thanks for the review btw. it really motivates me tostay and do more retro gaming projects. Btw If anyone wants to trade a broken (the more the better (=cheaper) original imager, I'm keen on finally getting one. I never even played one because everyone is so protective about their imagers:-)