veg-o-matic

I'd love to see a picture of what they had in mind for that disk drive "module." It sounds completely different than what they actually released.

So my second Adam was about a 50/50 mixture of Fail and Win. When I first powered it up, I got to the electronic typewriter screen but I couldn't get into SMARTwriter, I rebooted and got the blue background and platen, but nothing saying Electronic Typewriter and no Smart Keys. On the third and subsequent tries, I got nothing onscreen at all. The data drive didn't work, which didn't surprise me, since the system couldn't find the keyboard, either. When I stuck in the Donkey Kong cartridge, though, it worked fine. Okay, so the ColecoVision board was working, but not the Adam one. Going by 8-bit Guy's advice, I took it apart and reseated all the socketed chips. This brought back the blue screen and platen, but the system still couldn't find anything on AdamNet--no keyboard, no tape drive. Decided to close it up and not fiddle with it. I did notice that the date on the Adam motherboard was Dec. 7, 1983. I imagine that quality control was at an all-time low at that point. I'm sure Coleco was only concerned with how many units they could push out the door. I harvested the data drive and installed it as drive 2 in my working Adam, where it seems to be happy and productive. The printer with the second Adam seemed to work fine, which is a good thing as my original printer suddenly started printing garbage. At first I thought the daisy wheel had slipped from its mounting, but it looked fine. It prints gibberish in both typewriter and SMARTWriter mode. Frankly, I don't think I have the patience to try and track down the problem. I've read that you can get the printer to perform a self-test by putting a jumper between the E8 connection and the RF shield on the circuit board and then powering it on. I'm not sure if this would prove anything or not. Also, does anyone know where the E8 connection might be? So the upshot is that now I own a complete working ADAM with two tape drives and a ColecoVision wearing Adam's clothes. And something tells me that if another one comes along, I won't say no....

So about a month ago, I bought an ADAM. On Monday, another one followed me home... https://youtu.be/Ngj3YN8y_4I

Bumpety bump.

I just got this Adam from a fellow member and thought I'd make an unboxing video--since that's what everyone else in the world seems to be doing! Please bear in mind that I have NO idea what I'm doing, video-wise, so please be kind https://youtu.be/oetgyFPaNuQ

While I'd love to have one of the original ridiculously huge Adam boxes, the reality is that I just don't have room for one. I do have room for a picture of one, though. If anyone has a perfect (or nearly so) standalone Adam box, I would gladly pay you for a high-res digital photo of it which I would then send off to have it blown up to poster size. Snapfish charges about 22 bucks for a 20 X 30 enlargement but I see they have a 60% off coupon at the moment. I'm guessing that's a pretty typical deal, though I don't know for sure. So what do you think? Frankly, I like the idea of an Adam poster.

Thanks for all the input, guys! I really like the idea of having hundreds of games available on a single cartridge, but I also like the idea of owning a bunch of separate ones. At any rate, I think ideally, I would stumble across a boxful of cartridges at an estate sale or something and then take it from there. Can't wait to "command the powers of Adam"!

Thanks, Bass! Off to go do some research!

I have it on good authority that my "new" Adam will be delivered shortly, so now it's time to start acquiring the accessories (always the most fun part, right?) I've never been much of a gamer--Microsoft Solitaire or Mah Jongg is more my speed--but I did enjoy playing Buck Rogers when I had my original Adam. I'm looking to get a few CV cartridges and since I know practically nothing about any of the games, I'm looking for opinions. Here are my criteria: 1. Doesn't require lightning reflexes 'cause I just don't have 'em any more. 2. I'm not a huge fan of shoot-em-ups, Buck Rogers notwithstanding. 3. Shouldn't be rare/expensive/hard to find. 4. Should be reasonably easy to figure out. My biggest beef with video games has always been that I had no idea what I should be doing. I'm thinking that something along the lines of Pac Man might be suitable but since I'm unfamiliar with almost all of the games around, my thoughts end there. Thank you for your input!

Thanks for the info! I always like to know the backstory if at all possible. And I'm quite enjoying the book since--chronological age notwithstanding--I'm basically still a 9-year-old boy at heart.

That was certainly a lucky break! I'm hoping for one myself--maybe a yard sale or estate sale. I don't like paying for shipping, though I will if I absolutely have to. BTW, I found a copy of the SmartBASIC manual online (http://www.sacnews.net/adamcomputer/manuals.html) and it's kind of hilarious. Clearly it was written with a middle-school boy as its audience. I knew a little bit of BASIC back in the day (had a VIC20, too), but I've forgotten everything due to advanced age. Little by little, it's coming back to me.

I should probably have my head examined. So last week, out of a clear blue sky I decided I wanted an Adam. Another Adam, actually, since I owned one when I was a callow youth. I never really used it much but when I started seeing the publicity for it, man I wanted one! I mean, come on—daisy wheel printer! Do I need an Adam? Nope. Do I have room for one? Nope. Can I afford one? Not sure. But let’s face it, once I set my mind on something like this, it’s pretty much guaranteed to happen. Maybe not today, but as soon as I can do it. (Thank goodness we have limited and assigned parking here, otherwise there’d be a Yugo in front of the house and don’t get me started on that.) So I just thought I’d introduce myself while I wait around for an Adam to show up. Preferably one in the original enormous box, please. If anyone has a system for sale or knows of one, please let me know. At this point, I’d be happy just to have a set of manuals to read through while I wait. Yes, I know I can get them from the Site That Shall Remain Nameless, but 30 bucks plus shipping plus some bullshit fee sounds a little high to me. Did I mention that I’m cheap? Anyway, hello, and thanks for having me. Looking forward to playing Buck Rogers again!