Vectrex Limited Edition Protector up for grabs!

[Vectrex Limited Edition Protector up for grabs!]

96

[AtariVox high score saves]

As a side note, does anyone think it might be worth making Atari memory cards? Basically a speechless AtariVox?

 

Alex, I'm way ahead of you on this - I have them made already, just waiting for the prototype boards to come back for testing.

 

Also, I think I've got around the 2 player problem (because it plugs into the second port). I can't see why the memory card can't be inserted on power-up and then removed when the settings / scores have been downloaded, then inserted again to store new high scores.

 

A message on screen saying 'insert mem card now' or something, where as you'll just swap joystick for card.

 

I can't see how this could hurt the console - what do you think ?

[Vectrex Protector goes for silly money!]

The version that Mark sells has YASI on it as a bonus.

 

Yes, and on this version the invaders speak too

[Vectrex Limited Edition Protector up for grabs!]

Alex, you do know you could probably be giving away about $500

[Vectrex Limited Edition Protector up for grabs!]

36

[A li'l game...kinda fishie...]

I'm pretty sure you're right; it's the cable

 

I'm 100% sure now

 

Just took a sega extension to bits, and there's NO shielding in them what-so-ever

[Atari Speech Synth]

Here's another MP3 of me playing about with the AtariVox's 5 channel synth (singing bit in the middle is pre-sets) -

 

 

www.vectrex.biz/AtariVox_sounds2.mp3

 

 

If you put some offset values into the other channels, it produces a quite nice doppler like effect.

 

I think I mean tremolo (I'm new to all this music stuff)

[A li'l game...kinda fishie...]

even had some folks on the [stella] list look it over

 

Bob, I just read your stella post about being able to read the EEPROM from the interface after MGD had written to it etc, and just realised what the problem is.

 

It's your cable.

 

It's either too long or not sheilded enough (12C comms are picky). It works with the interface because the AtariVox is plugged directly into the unit (like the new cased AV).

 

 

Try a PC serial cable instead of the sega extension.

[A li'l game...kinda fishie...]

So I kinda wonder if my AtariVox is screwy or something

 

I'd test it, but I don't have my console at the moment (a friend took it on holiday ), but have you tried replacing the EEPROM (it's in a socket) ?

 

To test if it's bad, hook up the PC interface, write a 32K file to it and then verify it back.

 

If it is bad, 24LC256 serial EEPROM's are available in pretty much any electronic store (for about $2).

[Atari Speech Synth]

I've been working on a couple of sound progs myself, nothing fancy though

 

VoxPlay1 - uses the pre-set sounds

 

VoxPlay2 - uses the 5 channel synth (not finished yet)

 

If you put some offset values into the other channels, it produces a quite nice doppler like effect.

 

 

Both are for use with the AtariVox and PC interface, and use serial port com1

VoxPlay1_2.zip

[Atari Speech Synth]

I've just put together this compilation of AtariVox speech / sounds. It'll give you a better idea of it's flexibility -

 

 

www.vectrex.biz/AtariVox_sounds.mp3

[...]

Where's the "I would most likely never purchase such an expensive device with such incredibly limited application" choice?

 

Feel free to make something better / cheaper

[Go Fish! Label Design Contest - Winner Selected!]

Would that include games that had any use of it?

 

I suppose a game which makes any use of it, whether it be the EEPROM, sound, or both.

 

Talking of EEPROM, I'm thinking of making just a mem-save unit without the SpeakJet for folks who only want this feature.

 

 

Also, for high-score saving, how many games can the AtariVox save scores for at one time?

 

256

 

 

Is there a risk of some other AtariVox game erasing the scores for another?

 

No - that's why I setup this page - memory allocation table

[Go Fish! Label Design Contest - Winner Selected!]

I think there should be something like an "official" small icon/logo for the Atarivox module

 

That's a good idea - perhaps Albert could organise a competition of some sort to design one.

[Atari Vox on the 7800]

I am finding it very hard to get sounds to sound like what I want.

 

You need the PC interface, it's MUCH easier to work on sounds / speech with it

[Atari Speech Synth]

Is this version (stella adaptor case) available yet?

 

Not quite yet.

 

I was all set to send the final PCB design to Albert, when I noticed the volume control was anti-clockwise increase instead of clockwise increase

 

So I've re-done the layout and had 5 PCB's made to confirm (which'll be back early next week).

 

I'll be keeping one of them and sending the other 4 to Albert, so you should be able to get one in this version.

 

As a stroke of good luck I'd socketted all the chips on the first batch of boards, so it'll be an easy job for Albert to transfer them to the Stella case version PCB.

[S-video for the 7800?]

Any news on the PAL version ?

[WTD: 5200 (UK)]

Could someone in the UK please loan or sell me a 5200 ?

 

I've built an adaptor to allow my VecFlash cart to work with it, and need to test it.

 

 

 

 

Thanks...

[Foot pedals]

Same guy has some $3 Snes pads this month (see pics) -

[Atari Speech Synth]

Any update on this? I should be able to write something for OS X users to use this.

 

I've got a few PCB's of the new PC interface coming next week, I will send you one of them.

 

(PM me your address)

 

 

It's the least I can do if you're going to write an OS X driver

 

 

Like the new AtariVox design too

 

Thanks ! - those Stelladaptor cases are pretty smart

[Foot pedals]

Does he have more of the sega extensions available?

 

He had a few hundred when I bought mine late last year, and being such an obscure item, I'm sure he'll have plenty of them left.

[Foot pedals]

If anyone is interested, this guy has 250 brand new Atari 2600 foot pedals @ 2 Euro's each ($2.59) -

 

 

Friedrich-Karl Weide

Euro Electronic Trade GmbH

Rheinstr.5

D-42697 Solingen / Germany

t: +49/212/221140

f: +49/212/2211490

 

Email :- [email protected]

 

 

I did a deal for some Sega extension leads a while back, and he's a really good guy.

 

He also has new old stock of other console stuff, including quite a large selection of Dreamcast titles.

[Atari Speech Synth]

.......I've re-designed the AtariVox PCB to fit into a different case (see pics). I was looking for ages and ages for a suitable case, found one, and it turned out to be the EXACT same enclosure as the Stelladaptor

 

Anyway, the board fits snugly into it, and now plugs directly into the joystick port on a 2600. It won't fit the 7800 due to crap angle and case obstructions of the port, (a work-a-round is to use 2 9D gender changers).

 

I've made the volume control accessible through the jack socket hole, as these cases are REAL pigs to get apart once the 2 halves are snapped together

 

I'm currently re-doing the AtariVox PC interface PCB to fit a case from the same range, so they'll look pretty nice together.

 

 

BTW if anyone want's the old version (which fits a case with speaker) I know Albert has a few built units and PCB's left.

[Atari Speech Synth]

Don't know if anyone's seen this, but Bryan Edewaard has just got the AtariVox working on Atari 8 bit -

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.p...hlight=atarivox

[Atari Speech Synth]

The AtariVox 32K EEPROM memory is split into 2x16K blocks

 

The first section is the Static Allocation Area

 

It contains 256x64byte pages for specific games to use, this way a saved high-score from one game isn't over-written by another.

 

so when the atarivox games come out they will have a PAL version as well as the NTSC

 

The first page in the SAA is reserved for TV settings (PAL, PAL60, NTSC). So once you've selected your display settings, the game will alway start in that mode automatically (see MGD for a demonstration).

 

BTW new games have to be written, or old games hacked, to work with the AtariVox.