HDTV1080P

I also would like an 8MB or 64MB ramdisk with battery backup, and it looks like a new addressor chip was added so one does not need to own a MIB3 card with a cable attached between the two cards. In the ideal world instead of having a ramdisk for the ADAM, I would love to see a a ramdisk card have a 64GB to 2TB SDXC card slot. Super fast SDXC cards are faster than the Adam CPU and instead of having a battery with ram, a 64GB SDXC card slot would be much better. Since one could swap SDXC cards that hold the ramdisk info. Solid State drives and Hard drives are less in demand for the ADAM computer since a 20TB hard drive would be over kill if one uses a 20TB hard drive with a SATA to IDE converter board. Even a 2TB solid state drive might be considered overkill with the ADAM. However since the Adamnet SD card products are in existence that allows people to use up to 32GB SDHC cards, that in many ways is a better Adamnet product to own. The Adamnet SD card hardware devices are limited to 1.44MB image slots but could be redesigned as one big 64GB or 2TB storage drive. Glad to see people still developing new hardware and software for the ADAM computer. Maybe one of these days I might consider spending more time with the ADAM computer.

We really need a SATA hard drive controller for the ADAM computer so that people can connect low cost and reliable SATA solid state drives and SATA hard drives. Has anyone tried using one of these $8 SATA to IDE adapters on the ADAM to see if a SATA solid state drive can be connected to a old ADAM IDE hard drive controller? https://www.amazon.com/NFHK-Motherboard-Converter-Adapter-Desktop/dp/B09GPGFLWB/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2OFK3BHJ54YV5&keywords=sata%2Bto%2Bide%2Badapter&qid=1698314023&sprefix=sata%2Bto%2Bide%2Badapter%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-5&th=1

Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s I did purchase many Micro Innovations products including the AdamNET 1.44MB 3.5 inch disk drive and a 1MB expander (they also briefly sold a 2MB memory expander). I never did purchase the ADAMnet harddrive controller. In my conversations with Mark Gordon I was told that the internal hard drive controller was faster since it bypassed Adamnet. While Adamnet is ideal for floppy disks, its my understanding that a hard drvie or solid state drive is greatly slowed down with Adamnet. But using Adamnet means less software patches and greater compatibility. But people that used TDOS perfered the speed of the internal card. This website I just looked at is awesome with great pictures and information on the Coleco ADAM. https://www.diroccovision.com/Coleco/adam/Expansion.htm I did not know that the Brewing Academy came out with new improved 1MB memory expander with battery backup (I would like a 8MB model). However all the ADAM hardware by the Brewing Academy is sold out for some reason. Hopefully they well get some more new ADAM items in stock soon. https://thebrewingacademy.com/collections/colecovision-coleco-adam-hardware-consoles

Real cool Sega cartridge that allows ColecoVision cartridges to be plugged in. Wish there was something like this for the 16 bit Sega Genesis. I hope this Sega Master system ColecoVision emulator is mass produced and sold one day.

New state of the art 240 watt USB4 Cable that is also backwards compatible with the ColecoVision USB plug In a prior post back around August of 2019 I posted Amazon weblinks to three different types of Gold plated 100 watt USB black color cables that cost around $10+ (6 feet, 6 feet left angle, and 10 feet). The bad news is those Cable Creation cables are no longer being made and any dealer that has stock will be out of stock on those cables soon. In my research I came across a high-end premium quality cable that is made in China, that happens to be the absolute best quality USB cable that I have seen so far. China knows how to make good quality cables at low prices. For only $27.99, Amazon is selling a state of the art 6.6 feet 240 watt USB4 Gold plated cable that I have verified works with the ColecoVision USB power regulator plug . This USB4 cable has transfer speeds of 40Gbps (40,000Mbps) and can handle 240 watts of power with 48 volts times 5 amps going across the cable. Some may feel this premium high-quality cable for $27.99 at Amazon is much better quality then what is needed. But if one is willing to pay $13 to $18+ more over the cost of a 100 watt USB cable, the quality of this USB 4 cable with type C connector is excellent. Also, maybe one day some engineer might consider making a COL USB power regulator plug that can accept 48 volts DC with 5 amp input with a 240 watt output instead of the existing model that is limited to 5 volts DC with up to 3.4 amps (17 watts output). ColecoVision owners already have custom built ATX power supplies that output up to 550 watts or sometimes 600 watts of power across the front expansion port. Having 240 watts to 600 watts of power capacity on the ColecoVision might one day power a future HDMI graphics card with built in SGM. The following is a link to the best USB4 240 watt 40Gbps (40,000Mbps) 6.6 feet gold plated cable I have seen so far. Cable is FCC certified and has the CE Europe safety certification. The Chinese people know how to make automated factories that can output top of the line premium gold plated cables at a low price. $27.99 with free shipping from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BNL1WGWJ/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

The New York museum built a massive playable Donkey Kong arcade cabinet. Maybe one day someone can build a super size ColecoVision/ADAM computer that one has to climb up on to play with a 900 feet screen to look at with controllers so large one has to use both hands and arms to move. Enough large stuff like this being built means people might wake up and think they shrunk in size. Quotes “With The Super Mario Bros. feature film releasing to runaway success, The Strong National Museum of Play in New York has revealed their gargantuan, nearly 20 foot tall Donkey Kong arcade cabinet. The original Donkey Kong game famously featured the first appearance of the plumber that would spawn gaming’s biggest franchise.” “The arcade cabinet is fully functional, with guests being able to play the giant game with a regular-sized control panel located in the front. “ https://www.svconline.com/proavmag/massive-donkey-kong-cabinet

A long term solution for ADAM owners is for someone to develop a ADAMNET to USB interface then one could purchase a low cost USB keyboard for $3.99 with free shipping from Amazon. It would be real cool if ADAM owners could use any USB keyboard on the market. Spanish Keyboard for $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/iMicro-KB-US9851S-108-Key-Spanish-Keyboard/dp/B015RLJL60/ref=sr_1_21?crid=1645BF2U95ICR&keywords=usb+keyboard&qid=1678667878&s=electronics&sprefix=usb+keybaord%2Celectronics%2C112&sr=1-21 $8.95 English USB Keyboard Verbatim Slimline Full Size Wired Keyboard USB Plug-and-Play Compatible with PC, Laptop - Frustration Free Packaging Black (amazon.com)

I did a quick search on the Internet and it appears the HDMI licensing fee is only 15 cents for each end user licensed product if that information is correct and not outdated. However the HDMI adopter agreement costs $10,000 a year in fees or $5,000 a year fee plus a $1 a unit for low volume. If it was a flat rate of $5,000 one time fee it would not be so bad, but that annual fee of $5,000 is too high if one wants to only run off a QTY of 500 ColecoVision/ADAM HDMI products. Now if one contacts a graphics card company and has them make the ColecoVision/ADAM HDMI graphics card, most likely the fee would not be charged since the third-party company is already paying $10,000 every year to make licensed HDMI products. Or the fee might be reduced to $500 or less and spread out to other companies that they make prodcuts for. So maybe if a new version of the F18A was made and mass produced in QTY’s of 500 to 1,000 by a graphics card company, the HDMI fee might be waved or greatly reduced since that company is making over one million HDMI products a year and paying $10,000 a year for a HDMI fee is consider a small charge for a large company. The last case scenario would be to have a DVI output with analog RCA audio output that is converted to HDMI by a external device. But the better solution would be to have a graphics card company make a new HDMI graphics card for all or most the 1970’s-1990’s videogame and computer systems where the fee is not charged or spread out among many projects. https://www.symmetryelectronics.com/blog/what-are-the-licensing-costs-associated-with-hdmi/

Yes the Col USB plug when connected to a good quality USB power source can offer a nice clean output for the ColecoVision (cleaner output then the existing Mean Well desktop power supplies). However, the absolute best power supplies for nice clean analog output is a legacy ATX power supply with -5 volts DC. When it comes to desktop power supplies the XP Power AEH45UM33 for $73.50 + $10 ColecoVision power cord offers a cleaner output then the Col USB, however the problem is it was not level VI complaint and therefore was taken off the market. https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/xp-power/AEH45UM33/7602823 I wish XP Power would develop a replacement for the AEH45UM33, with the replacement being level VI complaint. But the demand for +12 DC, +5 DC, and -5 DC power supplies are much less in the year 2023. One might have to custom order 1,000 to 5,000 power supplies to get a new model made. And the demand for a new ColecoVision/ADAM power supply would be a QTY of 500 or less. It is cheaper to make a power supply that offers direct +5, -5, and +12 volts DC from a AC 100-240 volts input source, when compared to making a Col USB plug that converts +5 volts USB to +5, -5, and +12 volts DC. However, that being said the COL USB plug does a nice job, and if one day Mean Well stops making -5, +5, and +12 volt power supplies then the COL USB might be the only option if Dragonbox in Germany decides to run off some more COL USB plugs. Or maybe the COL USB plug will also go out of production (they are out of stock on their website).

Many people enjoy playing ColecoVision/ADAM videogames on a Windows PC using a digital HDMI output on the computer graphics card (or DVI output for legacy monitors). For example a entry level $79.99 graphics card with free shipping for a Windows PC offers one HDMI output, one legacy DVI output, and one displayport output. Playing ColecoVision/ADAM games on a Windows PC offers the best quality detail and color accuracy that I have ever seen for the ColecoVision/ADAM. https://www.newegg.com/p/27N-008E-00015?Item=9SIB601JKH0644&quicklink=true However, Mytek I think it is really awesome that you created a new ColecoVision motherboard for those people that do not want to use a Windows emulation program to play ColecoVision videogames. It is just that converting analog S-Video to digital HDMI will not look as good as having a pure digital HDMI output (plus there is a few second delay in the conversion). In the ideal world someone should develop a new ColecoVision/ADAM graphics card on a single chip that takes the binary digital data and maps the output to digital HDMI with no analog conversion (just like what one sees on a Windows PC with HDMI output with no analog conversion). If a new custom HDMI graphics chip was developed then people could use it on any new custom ColecoVision/ADAM clone motherboard projects. In addition, it would be possible to use the same custom ColecoVision/ADAM chip (if developed) to place in a plug in Super Game Module interface for the classic 1982 ColecoVision console and 1983 ADAM computer if the Supergame modules have a micro HDMI port on the right side that access the single chip graphics card inside a new version of the SGM. It just most likely is not in the budget to spend several thousands of dollars developing a custom ColecoVision/ADAM HDMI graphics card chips that everyone can use for their projects. It would be like a replacement for the F18A with no analog but pure digital video. I know the graphics card companies with their hardware engineers could develop such a chip if they were contacted but it might cost over $10,000+ in research and development. But it would be a long-term solution for the ColecoVision/ADAM offering HDMI, legacy DVI, and Displayport output just like a $79.99 graphics card on a Windows PC.

While its true that S-Video offers a better picture quality when compared to composite video. The problem is around 10 years ago all consumer displays stopped offering the S-Video input as a cost cutting measure. Its even getting hard to find the better-quality analog component video input on displays. Over the last 10 years the entire computer monitor industry and consumer electronics projectors and flat panel screens has went to 100% native HDMI input. The ideal ColecoVision compatible system requires a native HDMI output in order to be a market success. This is because 100% of all modern consumer displays in production have a HDMI port with many times all analog inputs including composite video gone from the computer monitors.

This 17 watt ColecoVision power supply solution remains the best value at clearance prices since purchasing everything separately costs around $85 to $99.99. Dragonbox in Germany is still out of stock on the ColUSB plug. Once USA supplies are gone, this product might be going out of production unless Dragonbox in Germany starts making more. Amazon and EBAY dealers are selling these items starting at $59.99 until supplies last (that amazing price is below what the entire kit cost).

Most likely a $10 price increase coming on April 1st 2023 or shortly after for this 28.5 watt ColecoVision power supply On or shortly after April 1st 2023, Amazon and EBAY dealers that sell this 28.5 Watt ColecoVision compatible power supply with high quality bundled Gold Plated Colecovision cable will most likely be raising the price from $59.99 + $9.99 shipping/handling to $69.99 + $14.99 shipping/handling for domestic USA orders (plus a $10 increase on international orders also). While the made in China high quality custom Gold Plated ColecoVision output power cord has a good supply for now with under 5% inflation, the Taiwan made 28.5 watt Mean Well GP25B13A-R1B power supply has inflated in value around $10+ when purchased in large QTY with additional shipping charges. Plus the input power cords have gone up in price. For the last 6 months or so Amazon and EBAY dealers have kept this power supply at $59.99 plus $9.99 shipping without increasing the price even though prices were going up for the power supplies. However, that will most likely change on April 1st 2023 or shortly after with a new price of $69.99 plus $14.99 shipping.

I wish this ColecoVision replacement board had a mini HDMI output instead of a RGB output. All modern computer monitors and Smart TV’s use HDMI, and having HDMI would make this product much more popular if its mass produced. I am guessing that this board will be firmware upgradable by the USB port. I hope this product becomes a reality. Then I could plug my Expansion Module #3 ADAM computer into it and maybe even the Expansion Module #1 Atari 2600 adapter.

The Harmony Encore cartridge runs without a SD card installed, it just has a screen that says the SD card is not installed. The only thing the SD card is for is to access the cartridge run images which usually end in .bin files. One can have game file folders and as many .bin images as they want in each file folder. When ordering a Harmony Cartridge with the optional SD card, it usually shipped with some public domain homebrew games from the Harmony team. You can order a replacement 16GB SDHC card with the public domain games installed on it for $12 (Harmony Encore can accept a maximum of a 32GB SDHC card). https://erstwhile-technologies-7800.square.site/product/harmony-encore/11?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=2

Also full size SD cards have a larger surface area and can have higher capacity then microSD cards. But with the popularity of Smartphones and other devices, microSD cards one day might replace full size SD cards, and people might just need to use a adapter if they have a SD card slot. While I understand the need and desire for small microSD cards for miniature products like Smartphones, I prefer the Harmony Encore cartridges with the full size SD card slot. Sometimes microSD cards can be too small and get lost. MicroSD cards are more ideal for Smartphones where a consumer purchases a 1TB or larger size and just leaves it plugged into the Smartphone for 4K video camera storage with a USB cable for transferring data to a external computer. It is when one starts to remove and insert the microSD card at lot, is when its harder to do when compared to SD cards.

As far as I am aware no other flash cartridge company offers their customers the opportunity to upgrade the internal printed circuit to the latest model. That is real awesome that people can just spend $15 plus shipping to get their existing Harmony cartridge upgraded to a Harmony Encore. Most companies would just require the customer to buy a new cartridge and sell the old one on EBAY if they want to upgrade. I am guessing the upgrade process is just changing out a few components on the circuit board instead of exchanging it for a new Harmony Encore. I only purchased the top of the line Harmony Encore and nothing below that level.

I see there is a company now offering a +12 volts DC, -5 volts DC, and +5 volts DC power supply for the TI-99/4a, but the catch is one has to open up and internally bypass the AC to DC power supply, and if one uses the power supply without doing the modifications, the TI-99/4a internal power supply would be destroyed and possible the motherboard. https://www.keelog.com/ti-99-4a-psu-modern-gray-us-replacement-ti-99-4a-power-supply-us-plug/ If the side expansion offers bidirectional voltages on the TI-99/4a including +12 volts DC, +5 volts DC, and -5 volts DC, then no internal modification would be needed for the TI-99/4a computer. One would just need to develop a special side expansion cable (maybe a y-cable in order to plug in existing expansion devices). Then a DC power supply to side expansion could be made on the TI-99/4a also.

Luk3, thanks for trying out my theory. I am glad it worked. Someone could now develop a special cable adapter that plugs into a low cost Mean Well regulated DC power supply, and then AC power supplies are no longer needed for the Spectravideo computer system (But the ATX power supply has a cleaner DC output when compared to most Mean Well power supplies). With a y-adapter the side expansion on the Spectravideo could be used to plug in expansion items also and not just to power the console. In theory someone could also bypass the AC power supply on the TI-99/4A computer and use a +5 volts DC input on pin 1 and -5 volts DC input on pin 43 if the side expansion module specs are correct. Plus there is 12 volts DC on the internal TI-99/4a power supply, but maybe one of those pins also offers 12 volts DC input. https://allpinouts.org/pinouts/connectors/cartridges_expansions/ti-99-4a-side-port/ Just use a low cost regulated DC power supply or ATX power supply that has -5 volts DC and +5 volts DC (+12 volts DC also). Of course this is a theory only and I have not tried it. But there might be many other videogame systems and computer systems that can be powered by the expansion system or even the cartridge port on some systems.

ColecoVision is more powerful then the Atari 5200. Both are good systems, but the ColecoVision had the front expansion that allowed the ADAM computer to be used with Supegames with 256KB size on DDP in 1983 versus the 1982 ColecoVision cartridge games were limited to 32KB. Buck Rodgers the supergame in 1983 used around 144KB of space, others used up to 256KB of space like an Electronic workbook.

This Atari 5200 cartridge from ATARIMAX has a cartridge shell that inserts and removes exactly the same as any other Atari 5200 cartridge from the 1980’s. One does not have to hold the label, they can grip the sides where there is two small areas on the side to pull the cartridge out. Also for the first time a new Atari 5200 injection mold was created (which is estimated by some to have cost around $6,000). So instead of using used recycled Atari 5200 cartridge shells, brand new custom Atarimax cartridge shell is used with a shielded 4 layer printed circuit board.

The ATARIMAX cartridge for the Atart 5200 and ColecoVision/ADAM have two official names with the only difference being the label. The one label is called “Ultimate SD Multi-Cart”. The second label is called “Ultimate SD Wafer Drive”. They are the same thing with the only difference being the label. Some people like the old 80’s Wafer Drive concept that Coleco and others mentioned, so if one likes that concept they request from ATARIMAX the Wafer Drive label. A SD or SDHC card up to 32GB is used for the product. Some people call it a SDHC wafer card. With inflation going on I was surprised that the new improved design was not $149.95, however for now ATARIMAX told me that it well be the same price as the old cartridge which is $129.95. I believe that the new and improved components are more common to find, and that is the reason no price increase. So sometimes one can have improvements in new electronic products while maintaining the exact same price.

Less then a week ago I was informed by Atarimax that the very first Ultimate SD Wafer drive (also called Ultimate SD Multi-cart) for the Atari 5200 videogame system is now out of production with no plans to make anymore of that version. ATARIMAX still supports that version with their lifetime warranty. ATARIMAX is all out of stock on the old version, but at the time of this post there are a couple left from Atarimax dealers on the web until supplies last. The good news is that ATARIMAX has released the new and improved Atari 5200 Ultimate SD Wafer Drive (also called Ultimate SD Multi-Cart). The price for the new version remains the same at $129.95 plus $6 shipping and handling. One can request a custom Atari 5200 Ultimate SD Wafer Drive label from ATARIMAX when ordering. Also comes with a lifetime warranty from ATARIMAX. · The Atari 5200 cartridge label has been changed and the new model has a reset button for the first time. The ColecoVision/ADAM Ultimate SD cartridge remains unchanged but in the future that design may get an upgrade also, and in the future may have the better specs that the new Atari 5200 Ultimate SD Wafer Drive currently has. · New internal SRAM is 1024kB (up from 512kB) · New internal flash is 512kb (up from 128kB). · New design has more modern electronic components, reset switch, a better shielded 4-layer printed circuit board, and new cartridge case and board (cartridge case developed from a new custom ATARIMAX injection mold). · More licensed and public domain games included on the SD card. Beef Drop is the licensed game and Atari Blast is included with permission from the author. Also some public domain games on the SD card. · New Atari 5200 cartridge shells for the Ultimate SD cartridge (the old version only had new printed circuit boards inside a recycled cartridge case). Also, these new Atari 5200 cartridge case shells are being offered not only for this Ultimate SD cartridge, but are being offered for sell to Atari 5200 videogame developers. For the first time in decades Atari 5200 videogame developers will have access to professional brand new cartridge case shells for the Atari 5200 videogame system (contact Atarimax for more details about the plastic cartridge cases that hold up to a 1MB cartridge rom board). This will encourage videogame development since they will be affordable to anyone making/selling a game intended for retail and will provide a consistent, clean, new looking product, which is difficult when recycling old 5200 cases. https://www.atarimax.com/5200sd/documentation/index.html

I never lumped China and Taiwan together. I realize currently China and Taiwan are two separate countries. Both have pluses and minuses when it comes to manufacturing. Also, for over a decade I have understood that Japan makes some of the world’s best capacitors. However, some other countries around the world are starting to make good quality capacitors that are like the ones made in Japan. Over the last 10 to 20 years some awesome top of the line electronics were made in China like top of the line computer motherboards, solid state drives from Intel, HP laser printers, top of the line computer power supplies, and a massive amount of other electronics (some companies are switching now from China to another country). However, even though the high-end computer motherboards are made in China, some of the capacitors are sometimes imported from Japan and placed on the Chinese made motherboard. Over the last two years some countries have been switching production from China to Taiwan or Japan for various reasons which has caused some inflation in some consumer goods. The TRIAD power supplies can be made in China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, or South Korea. And for a power supply each one of those countries can make the exact same power supply at the exact same quality per the engineering spec sheet (But each country will have higher or lower variations in production cost). I love the quality of products that are made in Japan and many people remember the high-quality electronics that Japan made in the 1980’s and 1990’s. I also like the Japanese people that have one of the worlds best work ethics. However, some people do not purchase products made in Japan for various reasons. For example, a company I use to work for in America, in the 1980’s, a American lady customer complained to me in a loud angry voice that the company that I was working for was selling mostly all electronics that were made in Japan and she personally refused to buy anything that was made in Japan because she lost her son when the Japanese Navy Air force attacked Peral Harbor on December 7th 1941. She was so upset that the company that I worked for was selling products made in Japan that people were afraid she was going to take the conversation to the next level, however after several minutes she peacefully left the property of the company that I worked for, refusing to do business with the company or anyone else that sold something made in Japan. Some Americans do not purchase products made in Vietnam since it reminds them of the Vietnam war. Some electronic companies many years ago had made in Korea on their products, and over the years it was changed to made in South Korea to make it clear that people were not buying from North Korea. Some people in America and other areas of the world do not like buying made in China products because China is a communist country or because they read about various conspiracy theories about China online. My point is some people do not purchase from various countries for various reasons related to politics, religion, or other reasons. The politicians in America need to sit down with companies and consumers and decide which countries in the world are the approved countries to have products manufactured in. And that list might change over the many years and decades. Laws can be passed to ban or approve which countries Americans can purchase products made in an automated robotic factory. The truth is for many consumer products an automated robotic factory can be the exact same quality no matter where the automated factory is located. Many times, the country that is chosen to manufacturer products comes down to which country offers the cheapest price while maintain the same quality level. Also many American companies have over a decade of professional business relationship with people in Taiwan, Japan, and China, and do not want to end that relationship since switching to another manufacuring company in another country might result in various unseen problems.

China makes both high-end top of the line electronics, medium quality electronics, and lower end electronics depending on what the engineer from the United States tells the Chinese company to produce in their automated factory. China, Taiwan, and Japan have the potential to all make the same quality printed circuit motherboards, or something more simpler like a power supply. However, the advantage of using the automated robotic Chinese factories is the price many times is lower cost when compared to some other countries. So overall one can get high-end products made in China at a very low price when compared to some other countries. However, if one is making high-end computer chips then Taiwan is currently the leader from what I understand. China possible in years to come might increase their production of high-end computer chips as they built more robotic factories and obtain a better understanding of top-of-the-line computer chips in order to compete with countries like Taiwan. The TRIAD power supplies were engineered in the United States and then made in China. The TRIAD AC to AC power supplies are the best quality AC power supplies in existence so far. TRIAD offers a 10 year warranty on their power supplies, much longer then any other company including Nintendo. Nintendo power supplies are out of production and are not able to meet the level VI energy efficiency requirement from the Department of Energy. Most Americans realize that China makes high-end electronics at a fair price, however some Americans prefer to buy their electronics from another country since politically they do not like buying from a communist country since they prefer a Republic or democracy form of government in which they grew up in. In certain consumer categories China provides up to 90% of the products for the world. In the United States of America, legal trade with China has been occurring since 1784. In the late 1980’s business trade relations with China was expanded, however trade with China was greatly expanded back around October 10th 2000 when former President Bill Clinton signed the China trade bill. https://www.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/10/10/clinton.pntr/index.html