NIAD

Great news Junior! Always enjoyed your website and I'm sure the Facebook page will be outstanding. BTW, is the letter from Leonard Greenberg something that can be shared with everyone? Would love to hear what he has to say about everything that has transpired with the CV and ADAM since they were forced to abandon them in 1985 as well as anything else he has to offer from his years at Coleco. Your English seems pretty darn good to me and a lot better than what I can offer up in French. Post away! Ed: Guess I should have checked your updates first. Thanks for sharing.

Price Updated 2/14/11: Now $75 plus shipping! I have for sale a tested Coleco ADAM Computer System that includes the following: "Stand-Alone" Memory Console with built-in ColecoVision and 1 Digital Data Drive Keyboard with 3' Flat ADAMnet Cable Keyboard Hand Controller Attachment Tan Hand Controller Custom Power Supply Unit that was pulled from Printer. Unit has a Cover and Power On/Off Light. Huge space saver! RF Cable with Coaxial Adapter 3 Manuals - ADAM Set-Up Manual, Word Processing - Typing with ADAM and SmartWRITER Easy Reference Guide CIB TeleGames/Imagic Tournament Tennis (in great condition) I will also include my personal collection of ColecoVision and ADAM Roms/Software, PDF Manuals & Newsletters, Pictures, Conversion Programs to PC format and back to ADAM format, etc., etc. that totals nearly 2.5GB on a DVD. Note that while the RF output is sufficient, I would recommend eventually purchasing a C=64 1702 Monitor Cable (5-Pin DIN to Composite Audio/Video) for hookup to a Composite Monitor or a TV with Composite Inputs. The improvement in picture quality is incredible. I don't have any other extra software to include with the system, but can provide one with multiple sources for all your needs. Asking $75 and shipping (via UPS Ground preferred) will be calculated dependent on your location once an agreement is reached.

At least one of your wishes has come true thanks to the efforts of Daniel B./NewColeco! Here is a link to his website where you can download a Hacked/Modified version of Turbo that uses the Standard Hand Controllers: http://www.ccjvq.com/newcoleco/ Browse to the Software/Games/Modified Games section. There is also an thread on here from late Summer where all of NewColeco's modified games are detailed.

Electronic Game Pack II by Ape Software No Extra Hardware Requirements This week I am going really old-school with one of the earlier entertainment packages developed for the ADAM, Electronic Game Pack II by Ape Software. This game pack contains four games: Crater Tag, Snake Weeds, Sky King and Car Wars. While all the games are fun to play, Car Wars should garner the most interest as it is a very good rendition of Dodge 'Em... one of my personal favorites on the Atari 2600. EGP II also contains built-in instructions that will automatically print to the ADAM Printer, but can't be viewed on-screen so I included the converted text files to simplify matters. Also, this is a Digital Data Pack image as I lost track of my disk image over the years and it can't be easily converted to run from a disk. If anyone needs help with converting this data pack image back to an actual Data Pack to be used on an ADAM Computer feel free to contact me. EGP II can only be played on ADAMem/Virtual ADAM, it CAN NOT be played thru M.E.S.S. as there is no Digital Data Drive emulation. Electronic Game Pack II (1986) (Ape Software).zip

The RamCar controls were implemented differently. In Daniel's hack, you turn by moving the joystick left or right, and accelerate with one of the trigger buttons. It's closer to the steering wheel controls that way. In the Team Pixelboy version, you move the RamCar in one of eight directions by moving the joystick in that direction. No need to press a button to accelerate, and the RamCar slows to a stop when you let go of the joystick. The buttons are used to set the RamCar in reverse gear (right button), and to fire a crystal (left button). I believe my version won't cause hand cramps after prolonged game play. I have actually started to like this game better now that I have the Team Pixelboy release. I always hated usng the Driving Module for this game (it's great for Turbo and Pitstop) and while I very much appreciated Daniel's hard work hacking the controls to a hand controller and sharing his work freely, I prefer Luc's control layout the most. Plus the cart, manual and box are top-notch!

70,000 No time this week.

What a year 2011 is turning out to be for the CV Scene :!: PM and Funds sent, can't wait for this and the others to arrive :!: +1 for CollectorVision/Retroillucid

Keep knocking them out, Yurkie! All your hard work and dedication to the CV scene is very much appreciated. +1

For a vast array of information on the ColecoVision as well as some tremendous Mods and Refurbishing, check out Yurkie's profile. There are links to everything you need to know as well as numerous threads on the CV/ADAM Forum where Yurkie has provided all the information needed. I would start with the power switch. Yurkie has stated numerous times that the solder points and the power switch are the main culprit for most systems not working properly and the most tried and true method is to desolder the switch completely, clean it up, apply some new de-electric grease (double check that one with him, it's hard to retain everything as I advance in years ) and then solder the switch back in place.

I got swept up in the C=64 craze as well especially since all my friends had one and there was a video store close by that rented C=64 software, or should I say games! While I enjoyed the system and playing all the hundreds of games I had for it, I would actually say playing all the games became second fiddle to figuring out how to break the protection and copy it to add to the collection. A couple years ago, I downloaded a large archive of C=64 software and I swear there are disk images of game compilations that I assembled back in the day. Eventually though, most of my friends moved on to the Amiga but I didn't follow and kept chugging along with my ADAMs... escpecially since I started working at a computer store where an ADAM Users Group was operated out of.

I have never actually owned any kind of 2600 console and have exclusively used the Coleco Expansion Module. Coleco produced this unit to open up the vast library of 2600 games to ColecoVision users. And yes, it was somewhat of a marketing tool. It made the ColecoVision much more attractive by giving users the ability to play hundreds upon hundreds of existing video games. If I remember correctly, Atari tried unsuccessfully to sue Coleco over this module. NIAD can probably comment on this further. It was a tremendous marketing ploy by Coleco. As has been mentioned numerous times on this forum, to actually pull the unit out and then plug it in and add to the footprint of the system all tends to be cumbersome when you really think about it... can you picture the Exp. Mod. #3 Memory Console plugged into a ColecoVision and then the EM #1 plugged into the Memory Console's Expansion Bus!!! Plus, once it is installed in the expansion bus all you can play are Atari 2600 games, you have to remove it completely in order to play ColecoVision games. Although, if you used an A2600 or A7800, that would mean even more space needed for the console, controllers, another power adapter and of course RF wire and switchbox (unless you just swapped the RF cable between systems). If Coleco had stuck with their original prototype design, at least the footprint would have been a little smaller (see pics below). Myself, I sold my A2600 and collection of games shortly after getting the CV for XMAS '82 and I never bothered buying an EM #1 until about 6 months ago (now I have 2), even though I was forced to use them for testing purposes during my users group days. As was mentioned, if you follow eBay closely, you will see a lot of these units either being auctioned off with a CV or individually and this lends me to believe there were a lot more made/sold than I ever realized. Seeing as there were over 6 million CV units sold, I would guesstimate that there were probably between 1.5 to 2 million EM #1 manufactured. And yes, Atari sued Coleco over the EM #1 (did anyone escape from being sued by Atari back then). While they did not win the case outright, they did end up receiving royalties from Coleco for each unit sold.

I think that Addictus competition was held at ADAMcon 02 in Toronto and/or ADAMcon 03 in South Bend and the winner was Mrs. Clee. Funny you bring up SmartLOGO as she was and still is one of the foremost experts (probably in the world) on that programming language and still to this date has continued giving LOGO seminars at the yearly ADAMcons. While I never delved to deeply in LOGO programming (just enough to assemble public domain volumes with menus and testing contributions we recieved at the users group), many people have stated that the ADAM version is on of the best versions developed for any computer. Two other ADAMites come to mind that wrote numerous articles on programming in SmartLOGO that were carried in numerous newsletters as well and they were Ron Mitchell (still active on the Wedn. chats) and Ricki Gerlach.

It's too bad you don't do emulators... but understandable. Yeah, there was actually quite a bit of software developed by "homebrewers" for the ADAM... some every bit as good as software released commercially for other 8-bit systems of the time. Three programs come to mind that were released in 1987 that really accelerated and vastly improved software development for the ADAM and they were: PowerPAINT, SpritePOWER and Clipper all developed by Digital Express. Not only did you get these great graphics design programs, but also all the necessary programs/routines and instructions for using the files created by these programs in SmartBASIC. I've only been highlighted the standard Operating System (E.O.S.) software, there was tons and tons of CP/M software available or converted to ADAM CP/M format as well and with the addition of an 80 column card and hard drive... you had yourself a very potent business computer as well. I still recall a users group meeting were one of our members brought in a suped-up ADAM that included such programs as WordStar, dBase, Write Hand Man, SuperCalc, etc. that he used to run his business.

Addictus by Reedy Software (1989) & Brainstorm by Steve Pitman Software (1990) No Extra Hardware Requirements This week, I give you not one, but two, Tetris clones that were developed for the ADAM Computer a little more than a year apart. Along with the great ColecoVision title Kevtris, I think everyone will now have enough versions of Tetris to keep themselves busy with! I am missing the manual for Addictus, but game play is identical to Tetris and the controls are as follows: LEFT & RIGHT ARROW KEYS = left and right movement DOWN ARROW KEY = drop piece into place SPACEBAR = pause ESCAPE/WP = restart CLEAR = clear high score list The instructions for Brainstorm are built-in to the game or can be viewed in SmartWRITER. Brainstrom adds a nice twist to the normal Tetris clone with the addition of letters in the falling blocks that may or may not be part of a phrase that needs to be solved as well... Hangman or Wheel of Fortune style. Addictus will work with all ADAM Emulators, but you can't save your high scores in MESS due to incomplete emulation. Brainstorm will only work with ADAMem/Virtual ADAM. Enjoy! Addictus (1989) (Reedy Software).zip Brainstorm (1990) (Steve Pitman Software).zip

Just checked another long time ADAM mail-order company that's located in Toronto and run by Rich Clee. His site lists the disk version of Dragon with manual as available, but I know he hasn't updated the site in many years. He could easily make a Data Pack version for you to include with the disk version he has for sale if the above options don't pan out: http://ann.hollowdreams.com/adamservices/adamsvcs.html or the longest running ADAM mail-order company that is located in Pearland, Texas, eColeco (formerly ADAM'House): http://www.ecoleco.com/ As far as the rarity of the game, I guess you could say all ADAM 3rd Party software is extremely rare especially since systems that come up on eBay or other places usually only include Coleco made software. Last tidbit of interesting news for you: the maker of Dragon is Reedy Software (Jack Reedy) and he was located in Kalamazoo, MI... once again, not too far from you!

There are a few ways to transfer the disk image back to ADAM format, but this conversion process requires a few hardware items on both the ADAM as well as a PC capable of running MS-DOS or Windows versions up to XP (newer versions of Windows like Vista and 7 can't be used). Here are some options: - A 5 1/4" ADAM Disk Drive (160K SS or 320K DS) as well as a 5 1/4" DS/DD 360K Disk Drive (not the 5 1/4" 1.2Mb Drive) on a PC DOS/Windows compatible machine. You will also need a DOS program called DCOPY, a Windows version exists that is called DCOPY32 that even works in XP, that will write the disk image supplied above back to a 5 1/4" ADAM Disk inserted in the PC 5 1/4" drive. DCOPY is the program everyone used to transfer their AAM software to disk/ddp image format for use with today's emulators. - Direct connecting the ADAMLink 300 Baud Modem to a PC Modem and setting all parameters the same used to work back in the day to transfer files between the ADAM and PCs, but I have heard that for some reason this process doesn't work with today's PC systems. I am awaiting the arrival of my ADAMLink Modem (yes, after 27 years I have bought another 300 baud modem!) to test this process out. This would be the way to go for anyone that does not have an ADAM Disk Drive... if it still works. - Direct connecting an ADAM Serial Interface to a PC Serial Interface, but this would require one to track down an ADAM Serial Interface Card. I never tried to do this myself and would think a null-modem cable would be required... anyone know for sure. I would do the transfer for you, but I have yet to buy a 5 1/4" 360K Disk Drive for my old PC (at least I know the MOBO supports that drive) and am awaiting the ADAMLink Modem to test that method so... Your best bet is to PM "adamcomputer" here on AtariAge as he has all the necessary hardware and software needed to make a Data Pack version of Dragon for you. He also has a pretty decent supply of ADAM hardware and software available for purchase and best of all, he's located not to far from you in Grand Rapids! Here are the links to his two websites: http://ann.hollowdreams.com/ http://ann.hollowdreams.com/adamsupplies.html Good Luck, Jim

Sure! Why not! You're too easy, J-F! But when it comes to our ColecoVisions, who isn't.

Some of the auctions could be from people replacing defective black controllers with what they are able to find... the beige controllers. Actually, by 1985, the black hand controllers were in shorter supply than the beige hand controllers. I saw a lot of advertisements from the likes of American Design Components for the blacks that included the Coleco box, but what Coleco was selling off in huge lots to mail order vendors (you had to buy in large quantities) were the beige ones. When I shut down NIAD in 1994, we must have still had 3 large boxes full of the beige controllers (probably about 150) and I wish I had stored them away to auction off on eBay now. Getting back to American Design Components, I'm almost 100% positive that this system would have come from them, what with the notice about the beige controllers and the styrofoam packing included but no outer box.

You win : cv crazy train intro 2.mp3 Hope I didn't burst your bubble and ruin the surprise Damiel! It just seemed like the perfect song. BTW, a huge +1 for your efforts.

Are we talking about "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne!!!! Now that would be incredibly cool.

Hasn't come out yet Cebus, J-F will be taking orders soon though I believe. Cool beans! I passed up on what I thought was the chance because I didn't have a ColecoVision at the time, but I just purchased one and now am ready to hit the skids with the homebrews on the CV! As well as Team Pixelboy, check out the AtariAge Store for some Coleco goodies as well as: http://www.collectorvision.com http://www.opcodegames.com/games.php http://www.gooddealgames.com and don't forget about the AtariMax Coleco SD Cart by Steven Tucker: http://www.atarimax.com This should help stimulate the economy further and put a nice dent in your bank account!

I think they sold about the same number as the Stand-Alone ADAM initially and possibly even more, before all the discounting and then the big sell off, mainly because people could save themselves anywhere from $150-$200 buying the Exp. Mod. ADAM if they already owned a ColecoVision. By the time Coleco stopped production of the ADAM, there weren't quite as many of the Exp. Mod. ADAMs left and you would mainly see the Stand-Alone ADAM being discounted for under $200 at the usual places. Considering how much more space the Exp. Mod. ADAM takes up, it's no wonder people just went for the Stand-Alone ADAM when the prices were slashed and that's why you see so many more of them.

As soon as Smurf Challenge is released, you'll get two colors the the price of one :!: ED: I should say everyone that buys it will... including yours truly.

Actually, I'd like to see it replicate the Coleco cart shell and label style as closely as possible like the box already will. This is just my personal preference to make it look as Coleco-ish as possible since this was one of their abandonware games and all.

SOLD!! First off, let me start by saying that this CV/ADAM System has been setup for a couple of weeks and everything has been completely tested and is in very good working order. Here is what is included for the asking price of $160 which includes shipping! ColecoVision VideoGame System - 2 beige Hand Controllers - RF Cable - RF Switchbox (not original Coleco) - RF-to-Coaxial Adapter - Power Transformer - ColecoVision Owner's Manual Expansion Module #03 ADAM Computer System - R80 Memory Console - Digital Data Drive - Keyboard with ADAMnet Keyboard Cable - Keyboard-Hand Controller Attachment - Daisy Wheel Printer (print wheel is the original and very brittle, so a replacement is needed) - Alignment/Joiner Tray for CV and Memory Console - ADAM Set-up Manual - ADAM Operating Tips Brochure - ADAM SmartWRITER Easy Reference Card - ADAM Supplement Instructions for Data Packs - ADAM System Check-Out & Trouble Shooting Guide - ADAM Word Processing - SmartWRITER - SmartBASIC - Revised Edition ADAM Software - SmartBASIC v1.0 DDP - Super Buck Rogers - Planet of Zoom DDP - SmartFILER DDP (CIB) - this is the Coleco of Canada release - Family Feud DDP - File Manager v3.0 DDP (the best copy utility made for the ADAM) ADAM Supplies - 256K Digital Data Pack (sealed in original box) ColecoVision Carts - Carnival - Congo Bongo - Cosmic Avenger - Donkey Kong with Owner's Manual - Ken Uston Blackjack/Poker (CBS Software release) - Looping - Mouse Trap - Pepper II - Popeye - Q*bert - Slither (requires Roller Controller) - Space Panic - Subroc - Super Action Baseball (requires Super Action Controllers) - Super Action Football (requires Super Action Controllers) - Turbo (requires Exp.Mod. #2 Driving Controller) - Venture Plus, I will burn a DVD of my personal ColecoVision & ADAM Collection that totals about 2.5GB!! Shipping will be via US MAIL or UPS Ground and broken up into two large boxes. Asking price includes shipping already - $160