kelrodjr

Verify this. If the second port works properly then what you have is a blown 74LS541 controller chip on port 1. Static electricity is a big problem for the controller ports and it is not uncommon to have a messed up controller chip. They can be replaced with a bit of soldering.

I was going to suggest the same thing. I've had glue residues that were darn near impossible to get rid of easily wipe away after a few rubdowns with a tiny amount of peanut butter.

I was born in 1981. My sisters (10 and 12 years older than myself) received a ColecoVision for Christmas in 1982. In the words of my mother, I "had those games mastered" by the time I was 4 years old. I can vividly remember sitting on the top bunk of my sisters' bunk beds, playing Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr, Zaxxon, Carnival, Space Fury, and Smurfs on a tiny black-and-white TV my dad had mounted on a shelf. It is one of my earliest and most favorite childhood memories. The CV went into storage after a few years, and I rediscovered it when I was about 14 years old. I've played it off and on since then. I really grew up in the Nintendo era but the ColecoVision holds a special place in my collection.

Approximate measurements are 15" x 9.5" x 3". If you want to add the Atari expansion module add another 5 inches to the front of the unit.

Well if you are getting bad voltages from the +5V line then I would say that that particular voltage regulator is bad. I know you are getting a new power supply but if you feel adventurous you could try to replace the +5V voltage regulator. No need to take a picture when it's in Google street view http://maps.google.c...,114.28,,0,-2.5 http://maps.google.c...6.08,,0,-3&z=17

From the symptoms you are describing, it sounds like the -5 volt line might be spotty. The video ram needs a stable -5 connection or else all bets are off. You might want to check that first.

Looks like they went out of business in 1989. http://canadiancompanies.landoffree.com/company/Dale_Integrated_Services_Company_Limited

I like how Mario's raccoon ears are taped to his hat. Nice touch.

For free, you did well. Except for Home Alone 2. And the console could definitely use some retrobright.

Stern's Frenzy has elements from Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. Compare the background music at 0:20 from this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhAeeFtfkmA ...with the music at 2:38 in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf0e_n49dcQ

Agreed. That kiosk is AWESOME. And the N64 fiber optic sign would look cool in my basement.

No Gizmondo? That was a pretty big failure.

$15 is a pretty good deal for a Microvision in mint condition with 4 games. Not sure what your definition of 'jackpot' is but I would expect to see something like that sell on eBay for $50-$70.

Quick and dirty Google image search: http://www.bomb-omb.com/images/NES_Controller/LockOut_Chip.jpg

The first game that immediately comes to mind is Driver 2 for the original Playstation, the "Chase the Gunman" mission where you have to run a car off the road by damaging it. The car is quite fast and you only have 2 minutes to do it. After the 50th time of restarting the mission I was screaming for the blood of the programmers. I'm surprised I didn't bust the controller from spiking it against the floor so many times.

As little as possible. $20 to $25 loose with good condition label $100 to $125 CIB Mint sealed with shrinkwrap? I would say $150 would be a good deal. I haven't seen many boxed Mr. Do's Castle. $20-25 for Mr. Do loose? Really? I thought it was quite common. I just picked up Mr. Do, Venture, and Lady Bug for $8, all loose. Apparently I skipped right over the CASTLE in the title. D'oh!

Don't know if this is exactly what you are looking for, but here is an english-only version: http://www.classicgaming.com.br/documents/colecovision/CBS_Colecovision_English_Instructions_1982.pdf

Common problem - the power switch is most likely dirty or the dielectric lube has dried out. If you feel up to it you could take it apart, clean it and re-lubricate it and it should play like new.

No offense, but it really irks me when I see people who aren't admins or moderators asking for a thread to be closed just because they find it offensive (this goes for any forum online, not just here). You have free speech and you made your opinion known, but it is up to the admins/mods to make the decision whether or not to close the thread, not you. As it has been said before, "you don't have the right to not be offended". There are plenty of topics/comments I find offensive across the forums I frequent, but I don't have any control over them, I just decline to become a part of them. Personally I find that the subject of this thread is in poor taste/timing considering Jackson's death; if he were still alive I'm sure nobody would mind. That is, however, my opinion. P.S. I could be wrong, but I think cartridge stealer was being sarcastic about the "Jesus Christ" comment to make a point.

Flea markets may be worth a shot. I've only been to one this year looking for coins, but there were so many people selling classic consoles and games that I just had to pick up a few carts. There was Nintendo stuff everywhere, and there were enough vendors to shop around for deals.

Well, I guess I should have qualified myself... "specs" can be a general term that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with processing architecture or power. Size, weight, battery life, etc. in fact are "specs". Of course I know that the DS, DS Lite, and DSi have the same processors. But the DSi works differently than the DS/DS Lite, as I mentioned before with the added/removed features, and this is also obvious by the fact that there will be DSi-specific games that will not work on the DS/DS Lite. Also, the DSi does not have a lower resolution screen. A difference in screen size does not necessarily mean a difference in resolution.

The specs are not even close to being the same. Compared to the Original "bulky" DS, the DS Lite case is smaller (the screen is the same size) and weighs about 20% less, has a longer battery life with shorter recharge time, brighter screen backlight with adjustable brightness, and the stylus is larger. The DSi has a slightly larger screen, thinner but longer case, adds two cameras and an SD card slot, and eliminates the GBA slot. Plus there is a built-in internet browser and music player. As for the one I own, it's a DS Lite. I think the DSi camera is a bit of a gimmick, and I don't like that they did away with the GBA slot (which eliminates more than just GBA games as there are some unique peripherals made for DS games that utilize the slot).

This is a story from my local newspaper, back in April... this guy lives about 12 miles from me. From the article: Bill Combs has the kind of video game collection that would make a classic gamer drool. The 42-year-old Bowling Green resident has dozens of game consoles and home computers in his 'collection room' and in the basement of his house, including the original Atari 2600, along with its box, that he purchased in 1978, as well as more obscure systems such as the Bally Astrocade and Fairchild Channel F. Combs started collecting classic video and computer games in the 1990s, when the game owners would sell the systems and cartridges in junk piles at weekend garage sales. Not any more. 'It's virtually impossible now to find them at a thrift store or garage sale ... unless you get very lucky,' he said, 'You can still find it on eBay, if you want to pay for it.' Fortunately for Combs, his wife is supportive of his hobby. In fact, she's a big fan of the Atari 800 computer from the '80s, having owned one herself. 'That's probably one of the reasons I married her,' Combs joked. The pics: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/m...0273&Ref=AR http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/m...0273&Ref=H3 http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/m...0273&Ref=H4 The full article is actually about MAME but if you want to read it anyway: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...ART01/904050273

I agree with what Video said, I think part of the blame for poorly treated video games (or anything else for that matter) stems from the fact that we live in such a disposable society nowadays. That, and the fact that some parents re-buy things their kids break, so the kids never have an incentive to take care of their things. While I wouldn't say we were poor when I was growing up my family was definitely lower-middle class. My parents raised three kids in a mobile home. They didn't build their first house until 1996 when they were almost 50 years old. My older sisters had a ColecoVision which I can remember playing on our black-and-white TV when I was 4 years old. This turned me on to video games, and like most kids growing up in the '80s, I longed for an NES. I didn't get one, but my parents decided to splurge for Christmas in 1992 and I ended up receiving a SNES. The point being, my family instilled in me the value of taking care of the things I had. To this day my SNES and other video game systems I purchased through the years are all in pristine condition with their original boxes, manuals, etc. This right here is the best point of the thread.

I'd say the most common ColecoVision issues are: - Flaky video due to poor contact in power switch (dried out lubricant) - AC adapters that die and are not easy to find replacements for - Controller port issues due to static electricity killing the octal buffers on the mainboard - Crappy RF video output because, well, RF is crappy Issues like bad solder joints and bad video RAM are less common, but I've seen them happen before. The nice thing about the ColecoVision is that it's very modifiable, and some of these issues can be allayed with mods. If you have a good imagination and you're handy with a soldering iron you can mod a ColecoVision to have an internal power supply, better quality power switch, composite/s-video output, etc.