Wilbur McCalmont

The 6-button Genesis controller has a state-machine/bank-switching type output - it's not a simple truth-table. I used an oscilloscope to determine the waveforms several years ago and put them in a binder somewhere, when I find it, I'll take a picture and post it here for everyone. Making a device that reads or emulates that controller isn't a case of "connecting the wires to the correct pins" it requires generating the proper waveform at each pin at the proper time and length of time and then reading results on the output pins. Probably not worth the effort depending on your application. I felt it would be more usefull as it's own topic rather than a post to this topic. Sega GENESIS 6-BUTTON controller waveforms .

Here are some pictures showing the waveforms for the Sega Genesis 6-button controller created from measurements using my oscilloscope a few years ago. Some of the data appears to be missing, but there should be enough for you to build a device for testing. The measurements were originally intended to be used to create an adapter to allow a Genesis joypad/arcadestick to be connected to an Atari Jaguar. Anyway, I hope this may be usefull to somebody. If you have any questions be forewarned that it may take awhile for me to post a response since I rarely check this forum. Thanks for your understanding in advance. This topic was originally going to be a posting to the topic below but I felt it would be more usefull as it's own topic. Controller Data Information? .

If I recall correctly the Genesis had 2 incompatible 6-button controllers or multi-player adaptors. .

The 6-button Genesis controller has a state-machine/bank-switching type output - it's not a simple truth-table. I used an oscilloscope to determine the waveforms several years ago and put them in a binder somewhere, when I find it, I'll take a picture and post it here for everyone. Making a device that reads or emulates that controller isn't a case of "connecting the wires to the correct pins" it requires generating the proper waveform at each pin at the proper time and length of time and then reading results on the output pins. Probably not worth the effort depending on your application. .

I had a 3-wire grounded 30 Watt R-Shack iron that was heavily used (went through about 10+ tips) for about 15 years until I accidently burned it's cord. I replaced it with another one about a year ago. It's typically used when I don't need to use the big bulky temperature-controlled iron that's integrated with a Hot-Air Rework iron. For removing small SMT IC's, cap's, & resistors I use one of those funky tweezer-type irons. I'd recommend that everyone should invest in a good soldering iron holder and a sponge/tip cleaner - they'll extend your iron's lifetime indefinitely. If you work with electronic components (PCB's with IC's on them) as opposed to just electrical wiring you should only use a 3-wire grounded soldering iron - no exceptions. I also have an Unger/Weller #7500 Handle with interchangeable 23, 33, & 45-Watt heaters - the 1/4-20 threaded-end allows me to 'easily' make special tips for it ( 20-pin & 32-pin DIPs, LYNX 34-pin cartridge socket... ). My favorite iron was an Unger Princess series unit with interchangeable heaters. That one was small, light and well balanced for SMT work. Unfortunately it was lost/stolen by movers back 1988. .

Didn't expect it to sell in 23 hours. The BIN was the the same as the last 'Best Offer" that had been received - it killed me to decline it and I ultimately regreted not accepting it. Just for the record, my original lowest acceptable best offer was $250.00. Anyway, the last Catbox that I'm going to sell is scheduled to start at 9:00AM pacific time ( or 09:00:00 ebay time ) today. ICD CATBOX 4 atari JAGUAR game system & 4 battlesphere This time around I've included shipping to the Uk!! ***************************************************************************** EDIT ON JULY 22, 2007: Sold in 12 hours & 9 minutes - didn't expect that either! Here's another auction which may be interesting.... 6MB ALPINE development cartridge Will it end in a flurry of sniping or will it end with no bids and the sound of chirping crickets. Probably the later, but who knows? ***************************************************************************** EDIT ON AUGUST 6, 2007: For those of you who may happen upon this topic: Started August 5, 7:30AM Ends - Friday August 10 @ 7:30 AM (Pacific Time) 6MB ALPINE development cartridge #N156 and DEVELOPMENT CONSOLE This time the DEVELOPMENT CONSOLE IS INCLUDED with the Alpine cartridge. And here's a full size picture for those of you who may be interested. MCCALMONT*STUDIOS other auctions. .

Just so you know, Maxxdoo (Ebay ID, no longer registered) was Tom Harker, the founder of ICD, so the storage was his/ICD's. Tom was probably just selling off old ICD inventory that he still had left from when ICD went out of business. I've heard that quite often in many other threads, and I understand how people would assume that. But consider how many people have purchased items from him and that no one has said that it's Tom Harker. I've spoken to Maxxdoo on the phone and I'll be the first to say it: Maxxdoo is not Tom Harker. But, if you've read Maxxdoo the text of his auctions, his feedback, and the comments left here on Atariage and elsewhere you would have to conclude that Maxdoo isn't Tom. Because if he was, ICD would have went out of business long before the Jaguar was even a gleam in John Mathieson's eye. Consider the following: 1) Whoever wrote the manuals for ICD's products could spell. Whoever wrote Maxxdoo's auctions could not. 2) Maxxdoo's auctions didn't include a warranty. Tom most certainly could have repaired any of the items Maxxdoo sold. 3) Maxxdoo didn't seem to have a clue what he was selling or more importantly - what they were worth. The typical final auction value for the Catboxes was $15.00 with one that went for $71.00ish (FYI - I was the second highest bidder on that unit). I offered him substantially more than what he was getting for them mainly because I knew that I could repair them. I doubt $15 would've been acceptable to Tom. And this is why I don't believe that Maxxdoo was selling old stock for Tom either. It's unlikely that these are the "missing units" for the following reasons: 1) When I got my Catboxes none of them had the knob, screws or washers that should have been included. Maxxdoo told me that he had to assemble them himself. 2) There were only 15 units sold by Maxxdoo. I believe that there were more than 35 units that had been preordered. 3) If those missing units (or the PCB's and cases) were actually made it wouldn't have been that big of a deal for Tom to ship them to those who had pre-ordered them. The most likely scenario is that these were actually kept as spare parts for the original run of Catboxes. If you look in the Catbox manual there's a price list for replacement parts in it. I originally assumed that these were maybe kept for testing new games like Battlesphere up until I received the first one missing most of it's hardware. Personally, I don't harbor the ill will that many people have toward Tom. If it weren't for him the Jaglink would probably be the Jag's only networking option. I'm sure that he had every intention of building those Catboxes and offered to do so as a service to the Jag Community. But when it came time for people (including myself) to support the Jag by preordering enough Catboxes they came up short. He probably needed at least 100 units before he could have the PCB's & Stainless Steel cases manufactured. When MAXXDOO told me his version of how he acquired ICD's inventory was that ICD had left it abandoned in a suite they had once occupied. In the auction where I won my kiosk it had a picture of the kiosk outside of one of those storage places. If you want to read a different story he told in another AA member check out post #23 in the topic below: Flash Cart w/ Battlesphere on Ebay .

The LYNX 1 Mark 1 is the one I prefer to use because it's bigger size, bigger joypad, and greater distance from the edge of the case to the joypad make it more comfortable for us with bigger paws. It'd be perfect if it was deeper and had a rubberized armor coating like a pair of binoculars. Oh and BTW jimid2 I'd love to screenprint your avatar on a Jag Catbox. .

The last Catbox is scheduled to start at 1:00PM pacific time ( or 13:00:00 ebay time ) today with a lower BIN. Priced to sell quick! And here's the link which will be valid after it starts: ICD CATBOX 4 atari JAGUAR game system & 4 battlesphere .

Definitely. Since you're the proud new owner of one of them, which one did you want - number 6 or number 7? . SURPRISE ME! That I will. Here's some history on your new Catbox. It was purchased from a guy who had rented a storage locker or the old suite that ICD had owned/worked from. When he got it he found that ICD had abandoned all their old inventory there. And he did like most anyone would do with their newly found booty - sell it on ebay!! His ebay tag was maxdo something, however given how great his customer service was he should've been maxdon't ship your item for over a month till you email him a few times. The guy's had several topics about him here. I purchased all of my unpainted catboxes from him including one I'm still waiting for. I also got ICD's Jaguar Kiosk from him along with other items. There's at most 15 of these that he sold and when he sold them he put them up for one or three day auctions - which meant that I typically learned of them a day or two after they ended. I finally got smart and asked if he had any more left, which he did, and promptly made an offer of more than what he was getting from his auction winners. .

Sellers know this all to well - that's why we UN-affectionately refer to it as FEEbay . .

The Lynx had the best library of different game genres up until the Advance came out and had multi-player capability which made it the most fun of any portable for that reason alone. That multi-player capability makes it harder to make just one list of my favorites, because Warbirds would top the list because it's so addictive with 2 to 4 people "LYNXED-UP" (how many times have you said "OK we'll stop playing after the next shoot-down" ) but it would drop to maybe 20th in single-player mode. Perhaps two lists are in order - one for single-player mode and one for multi-player mode. Just a thought. .

Thanks, I've been wanting to get a Bill the Cat image and do a photoshop version of a Catbox with him on it. Perhaps even make a screenprint and do it for real. If I didn't like it there's always a rag and acetone .

Forgot to mention in the auction that these had the latest revision's on their circuit boards: "B" for the I/O PCB & "F" for the AVC PCB. And that the connectors are all bright and shiny - unlike the first Catbox (painted) I bought, which were all rusted. Although the pictures here and in the auction are all big and pretty, they don't do 'em justice as when you're holding them in your hand. Probably because the camera's old and a piece of trash with dead pixels and an exposure time of a half-second. With that I'll end by saying that there's one left and the last offer on it is verrry close to the minimum that I'll sell it for - which is what the first one sold for. .

Definitely. Since you're the proud new owner of one of them, which one did you want - number 6 or number 7? .