HDTV1080P

So far, I have not had any problems with my original ColecoVision power supply. I opened a new one out of the original Coleco box and it works perfectly fine. Amazing that these Coleco power supplies sometimes work after 35 years. However everything breaks over time and I am glad that people have designed 3rd party ColecoVision power supplies. There also needs to be 3rd party power supplies for the Coleco ADAM since those end up breaking over the many years.

There is no dishonest scheme or fraud occurring. Your posts are kind of funny. Maybe I should recommend to ATARIMAX that the Wafer Drive should be sold on the Walmart website and other websites.

So if the thread never mentioned the word “Wafer Drive” and if an authorized ATARIMAX product did not have a custom label on it with the words “Wafer Drive” on it, then everyone would be happy? If the answer to that question is yes, then don’t purchase the product. ATARIMAX can always discontinue the label and exiting cartridges can be relabeled without the words “Wafer Drive”. However regardless of what the product is called, it functions exactly the same.

The very first sentence in this thread says: “There is a product on the market for ColecoVision/ADAM owners that is called the “Ultimate SD Wafer Drive” by ATARIMAX (also known as Ultimate SD cartridge on its old style label name).” Several times I have mentioned in this thread and other threads that the Wafer Drive label is exactly the same product as the older Ultimate SD cartridge label. ATARIMAX thought it was a good ideal to use the words Wafer Drive on their ATARI 5200 and ColecoVision/ADAM SD cartridges, because the product reads and writes data like an actual drive. The Wafer Drive label was my idea and it was approved by ATARIMAX, and ATARIMAX designed the actual label.

There are authorized ATARIMAX dealers located on both Amazon and EBAY websites that sale official ATARIMAX products. This new Ultimate SD Wafer Drive label is an official custom ATARIMAX label that can be special ordered directly from ATARIMAX. The default label when ordering from ATARIMAX is the standard Ultimate SD cartridge label. This is not a big deal, if one does not like the Wafer Drive label then they can decide not to purchase the product, or purchase the product with the standard label. I see CollectorVision games is coming out with a ColecoVision compatible game system with both a cartridge slot and a SD drive built in. The CollectorVision games, with their business arrangement with ATARIMAX bundles a licensed digital version of Mario Bros and Mr. Chin on a SDHC card. There is a possibility that more ColecoVision games might be released on SD media from various companies, especially with the new CoelcoVision compatible videogame system that is coming out with a built in SD drive (No need to spend $130+ on a SD Wafer Drive cartridge if one purchases this new videogame system that will be released in the future http://atariage.com/forums/topic/265958-collectorvision-game-system/ ).

Coleco was going to come out with a wafer drive just like other computers in the 80's like the TRS80 had wafer drives. Of course the big difference between the 80's wafer drives and ATARIMAX's wafer drive is that the 80's wafer drives uses tape media and the ATARIMAX version uses SD cards.

The only reason the Expansion Module #1 Atari 2600 adapter is nice, is because one can play their original ATARI 2600 cartridges instead of downloading the rom images to a SD card. This SD drive in your game console is like having a Harmony Encore SD cartridge built in. That is another savings of $84.99+ on top of the savings of $130+ for an ATARIMAX Ultimate SD Wafer Drive. On the positive side I think you created something very special and unique. Most people can get over the expansion module interface not included for the SGM and ADAM computer (Its two bad the SGM cannot be emulated in software). What is very unique about your product besides having a HDMI output and real ColecoVision cartridge slot. Is the fact that one can play ATARI 2600, Sega Master System, and MSX games on the SD drive. I wonder if a future firmware update will offer support for other 8 bit videogame systems like the ATARI 5200, or IntelliVision? If there is a PS/2 jack or USB jack on your product one could add a low cost Windows keyboard for $5. Then maybe one day even the ADAM computer software could possibly be emulated. Many of the games being created for the ColecoVision/ADAM Supergame module will run on a ADAM computer without needing a Supergmae module. The Supergame module is only needed for games that have advanced sound capabilities. This coming soon future product of yours has the potential to be very popular, since it can be marketed to the Sega Master System collectors, Atari 2600, and other 8 bit videogame system collectors. Of course it is ideal for existing and future ColecoVision owners since you can plug in actual ColecoVision cartridges.

You will have 99% compatibility using the Expansion module #1 ATARI 2600. However to get 100% compatibility, you must own Coleco's cartridge extender. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/268800-coleco-cartridge-extender-offical-coleco-catalog-part-number-592114/

Information about the S-Video conversion for the ColecoVision (plus a possible future component video and RGB kit) The advantage of the 4-pin S-Video jack modification on the ColecoVision is that the Y Luminance (brightness) and C Chrominance (Color) information in the video signal is kept separate to offer a better picture quality over composite video. A display that offers an S-Video input will bypass the TV’s comb filter. With the lower quality composite video the Y/C information is combined on one 75-ohm RCA cable and requires the display to use its comb filer to separate the Y/C information. The EBAY dealer that is offering the S-Video upgrade is using a lm318 to provide true native Y/C separation from the ColecoVision video chip. In theory the Expansion Module #1 Atari 2600 adapter should work with S-Video, but that has not been verified yet. The EBAY dealer is planning on in the future coming out with a new component video modification for the ColecoVision and also a RGB modification. There overall goal is to have a kit in the future that puts out everything (possible Component video, RGB, and S-Video in one kit). Its unknown if these kits will work with the standalone ADAM since they were designed for the ColecoVision (Worse case scenario standalone ADAM owners might want to purchase a ColecoVision and the Expansion Module #3 ADAM computer if the standalone ADAM is not upgradable). Currently the EBAY company offers a combination RGB and S-video upgrade kit for the SNES system for only $15. Therefore soon ColecoVision owners will most likely have a wide selection of video upgrade options to choose from several different companies (Various companies and indivudals will be offering HDMI, VGA, RGB, Component video, S-Video, and composite video for the ColecoVision). The following are select word for word quotes from the EBAY dealer “The lines are physically separated from each other for s video. For composite it's left together. Both instances using a lm318 to get the signal in line.” “I'm currently working on how to convert the wonky component signal on the coleco to real component and then to rgb. I have a component to rgb schematic but the design won't work without doing tons of math to fix the other part.” “If you have a CRT with component jacks you can just pass the lines right out of the TMS chip. Or buffer with a THS7314 that was you can set 75ohm impedance.” “I have no idea about the Adam. I'm all over the place lately. Next to be tested is a 3DO rgb kit and two newer revions of the snes mini and n64 kits but with 7374 instead of the 7314/6. Which will let me set proper 75 ohm c sync and ttl sync.” “Those will be here in a few days. Then I'm going to really hammer the coleco and come up with an open source solution to proper component and rgb. There is an old schematic for the sc-3000 that outlines basically what is needed to do a kit like that.” “The overall goal here would be to have a kit that puts out everything”

That's right one only has a maximum of one hour to edit a post.

Reserved for information about the S-Video kit and the coming soon new component video and RGB kit for the ColecoVision. I will edit this post later with details.

Here is some interesting information regarding the HDMI F18a upgrade on the ColecoVision that some people might find useful. ColecoVision Upgrades and Sales website link Quotes from email communication from ColecoVision Upgrades and Sales “The HDMI mod is just a F18a with an off the shelf scalar built into the system. I haven't looked to see if it would fit in an ADAM, but you could probably just install the F18a into the ADAM and use an external scalar if not.” “The expansion module 3 does work with the F18a and outputs to either VGA or HDMI depending on which mod the colecovision has.” “The Expansion module 1 requires the external video port on the expansion module that gets muxed with the video output from the VDP. Since the VDP is removed with the F18a and the VGA is coming straight off the F18a, there is no way to get the video from the EM1 to the F18a VGA. Now if you use a VGA mod, you can still use the RF box for the EM1. When I install the HDMI mod, I have to remove the RF box, so the composite mod is necessary for the EM1.” “The F18a removes the ability to paly coleco games for RF,composite or S-Video, since the VDP is removed. So you would have to either do one or the other.” “I haven't thought about making the HDMI a kit as it requires a lot of modification to the case to make the components fit.” I also really like this factory new ColecoVision board with HDMI output that might be released soon. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/265958-collectorvision-game-system/

I mostly copy and paste from Word and well try and improve on the font size. If you have questions about any history or facts being wrong then please bring what appears to be in error to my attention. Some people surfing the web might like some brief history.

The only major issue I do not like about this product, is there is no expansion port for Expansion module #1 Atari 2600 adapter, Expansion Module #3 for the ADAM computer, and the expansion port is used for OPCODE’s Supergame module. The expansion port on the front of the ColecoVision is really important. However there are some really awesome positive features of this 21st Century ColecoVision compatible videogame system. Offering native HDMI, RGB, VGA, and legacy composite video is great. Offering both a ColecoVision cartridge slot and a SD card slot is another positive. Videogames can be distributed on secure SD cards and there is no need to own a ATARIMAX Ultimate SD Wafer Drive (also called Ultimate SD cartridge). Including the SD card reader built in is a $130+ cost savings for the consumer. Most likely consumers will be able to download firmware updates to a SD card on a PC and then insert the SD card in this new product and the firmware will be updated instantly. The ability to play Atari 2600, Sega Master System, and MSX games from the SD drive is another positive feature and smart decision. This circuit board is using surface mount components that have the potential to make the system very reliable. If it just had the expansion port in the front then I would not need my original 1982 ColecoVision anymore.

I am glad you found a flat screen with S-Video. I wish the consumer electronics industry would still support S-Video (Component video is also slowly fading away). Good luck finding a cheap or expensive 2017 product with S-Video on it. I just went to TCL website and all their 2017 displays have no S-Video including their cheapest $149.99 32 inch flat screen. The more expensive consumer electronics products have more input jacks when compared to the lower end models.

The big question is does anyone else sale a S-Video conversion kit that one can install themselves and will it work with the standalone ADAM also? The F18A board with a HDMI or VGA option offers the best picture quality and much better then even S-Video. However, you will just need to wait for another F18A run since the board is out of stock. I like the following website where one can get their ColecoVision modified for HDMI and with composite video for ATARI 2600 games. They might also do an ADAM computer. But they charge $270 to send ones ColecoVision in to get modified for both HDMI and composite video. That makes the person on EBAY offering the $55 S-Video conversion service look like a bargain. Of course one saves money when they purchase a video conversion kit themselves and spends the time soldering the kit to their ColecoVision or ADAM.

Osgeld, I was told the F18a VGA board was not out of production but instead out of stock since they need to get enough orders to make another run. However if the component video output conversion is still in production for the ColecoVision, where do I order it from? In addition, what is the brand and model number of the factory new LCD flat panel you purchased that has an S-Video jack? The consumer electronics industry has phased out the legacy S-Video jack. Even the S-video jack cannot be found on high-end A/V receivers anymore and also it cannot be found on all or most flat panel screens. Look at this spec sheet for a high-end LG OLED flat panel screen, there is no S-Video and even no component video inputs. http://www.lg.com/us/support/products/documents/OLED_W7_Series_Spec_Sheet_20170713.pdf

There is a company or individual on EBAY that sales a Super Nintendo Entertainment System video upgrade kit that provides both RGB and S-Video for $15 or less. This same EBAY dealer sales a upgrade board for the ColecoVision that offers S-Video output and they will modify ones existing ColecoVision for $55 or less with free return shipping (do a search on EBAY for S-Video and ColecoVision to find the dealer). S-Video is better quality then composite video, however the problem is one needs to own a legacy 1987-2008 CRT or flat panel screen that offers the S-Video feature (I happen to own a legacy 4:3 27 inch 1080i CRT TV with both 1080i component video jacks and 480i S-Video). I know family members that have a couple of old 480i CRT’s with both 480i component video jacks and a S-Video jack. S-Video jacks on all consumer electronic devices are no longer in production. 480i Component Video jacks on TV's started becoming popular after the launch of the DVD format in 1997. Some consumer electronic devices today still offer up to 1080i component video jacks, however all desktop computer monitors are now HDMI or displayport only, and many HDTV's in 2017 have dropped component video and have went 100% HDMI (HDMI offers up to 8K digital with HDR). Plus there is the fact that the component video modification for the ColecoVision is now out of production. Now I would need to verify that the S-Video feature works with both Expansion Module #1 and Expansion module #3.

Well then I guess I will stick with either S-Video or composite video with the Expansion Module #1 ATARI 2600 adapter if it’s impossible to emulate ATARI 2600 rom’s on a ADAM computer. Come to think about it Coleco most likely would have done this if it was possible, but realized that a hardware solution was the most reliable option.

I guess there is no native HDMI yet for the ATARI 5200. RGB is a little better then component video and I have one old desktop CRT computer monitor that accepts RGB. Many old CRT NTSC TV’s from 1987 to 2008 have 480i S-Video (The Super VHS format in the late 80’s made S-Video popular, however now S-Video jacks have went out of production on all consumer electronic products. Component video jacks are better quality when compared to S-Video jacks). In the late 90’s around the introduction of the DVD format in 1997, 480i component video jacks started appearing on consumer CRT TV’s, then later on around the turn of the century 480p component video jacks started appearing on both CRT TV’s and flat panels. However up to 1080i component video jacks was common on HD 1080i CRT’s and flat panels in the early 21st Century. Now in the last several years all CRT TV’s and CRT computer monitors are out of production since flat panels were the replacement. In addition, component video jacks are no longer offered on desktop computer monitors and many HDTV’s in 2017 dropped component video jacks for HDMI jacks that can offer up to 8K video quality. At this time I am going to hold off on purchasing a ATARI 5200 and getting a RGB upgrade. I still am using the ADAM computer with composite video. I would prefer to upgrade the ColecoVision/ADAM video quality first, before I even consider buying a ATARI 5200. I understand why people use free emulation programs on their Windows or MAC PC for classic videogame systems. It does not cost anything and its better picture quality with a modern HDMI display. Collecting videogame systems from the 80’s and trying to keep them running correctly can be an expensive hobby.

The 1982 Expansion Module #1 Atari 2600 adapter has been a problem since the original 80’s. Even on the 1983 standalone ADAM computer one would get reduced audio volume or almost no audio at all when using the ADAM’s native composite video output (The work around for normal audio was to use the lower quality RF channel 3 and 4 output when playing ATARI 2600 videogames). Over the years people have come up with some hardware modifications to the standalone ADAM to produce proper audio when playing ATARI 2600 games (This is something that Coleco should have fixed before releasing the ADAM in 1983) . The ColecoVison/ADAM uses a Z80A 3.58Mhz processor with up to 80KB of memory (64KB of useable memory with the ADAM and 64KB of useable memory with the ColecoVision when the Super Game Module is installed). The ATARI 2600 only has a 6507 CPU at 1.19Mhz speed, and the memory is 128bytes. Therefore the ColecoVision/ADAM is much more powerfully then the 1977 Atari 2600, however it might not be powerful enough to emulate a ATARI 2600 system in software. My point was if the ATARI 2600 could be emulated in software then ATARI 2600 rom images could be played from a SD card and viewed in true HDMI or VGA quality instead of using composite or S-video quality.

If an 80 column text mode is supported on the F18a with special 80 column software, that would be awesome. One could modify the Coleco Smartwriter word processor to display in 80 columns with a lot of programming work. I am guessing that the Expansion Module #3 ADAM computer should work fine from the F18a modification since the standalone ADAM works fine. In this thread it is mentioned that Bmack36 offers a HDMI version of the F18a that places a video upscaler in the circuit. However, it is also mentioned that the F18a HDMI and VGA version does not work with Expansion Module #1 the ATARI 2600 adapter. Instead one needs to get also a composite video modification for the ColecoVision (S-Video modification should also be possible in theory). Therefore the ColecoVision would output HDMI or VGA for ColecoVision games (Expansion Module #3 ADAM computer should also work), and then the composite video output would only work for ATARI 2600 games. It becomes complicated for videogame collectors sometimes. The ADAM computer might be powerful enough to emulate ATARI 2600 rom images from a SD card in software if one uses ATARIMAX's Ultimate SD Wafer Drive. One would just need to spend a lot of time creating a ATARI 2600 emulation program for the ColecoVision/ADAM. However, the advantage is if a ATARI 2600 emulation program can be created, there would be no need for the Expansion module #1, and also ATARI 2600 games would then work over HDMI and VGA using the F18a.

Thanks for your answers. If I do purchase a ATARI 5200 in the future I will look for the official ATARI 4 port version that has an asterisk in the serial number so that it works with the ATARI 2600 adapter just in case I every decided to buy the adapter. If HDMI modification does not exist and the RGB modification is out of production then the best option would be S-Video since it sounds like no one made a component video modification. That was a smart decision by ATARI to make the ATARI 7800 100% backward compatible with ATARI 2600 games without the need of any adapters (That is the only videogame system that does not need an adapter to play ATARI 2600 games, except of course the actual ATARI 2600 itself). The other advantage of doing this is any video modification is 100% compatible with both ATARI 7800 and ATARI 2600 videogames. The more powerful ATARI 7800 also sold 3.5 million consoles. The ATARI 5200 only sold 1 million consoles.

Thanks, however I need to think about this for awhile. I am sure someone on this forum would be interested in your brand new F18a board, or selling it on EBAY might be popular since no one has them in stock. Thanks again for the offer.

Therefore, both the ColecoVision and standalone ADAM computer have the VDP soldered directly on the circuit board from what I understand. Some computers and videogame systems can use the F18a without any soldering required since the VDP can be removed from the socket with a chip puller. So if I purchase this F18A I would need to de-solder the VDP and solder a socket on the ColecoVision and standalone ADAM computer. Does the F18a work with the Expansion Module #1 Atari 2600 adapter? Does the F18a also work with the Expansion module #3 ADAM computer? Once the F18a is installed the ColecoVision and ADAM no longer outputs a native 256 x 192 signal, and instead outputs a 640 x 480 progressive pixel resolution. Is there any ColecoVision or ADAM software that is not compatible with the F18a? Also is one getting a real native 640 x 480 output or is the image upscaled from 256 x 192? Another issue is has anyone created special ColecoVision or ADAM software for the F18a to take full advantage of native 640 x 480 resolution?