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Have a multicard for the Magnavox Odyssey from @Boojakascha and @Mikebloke and got a handle for it from Laserbear. Took measurements and with the new handle, it's about 11cm x 9cm, and about 1.5 cm thick. I'm looking for a hard case or possibly a shock box to store it, ideally with a little bit of extra space, so I can line the case with antistatic plastic to protect the PCB Does anyone have any ideas on what the most similar cartridge would be in terms of size? (NES, SNES, Megadrive...?) Or if repurposing one of those wouldn't work, does anyone make custom cases that would fit it? Thanks!

Morning all, I’m very close to getting my original Magnavox Odyssey console back to life – I’ve Frankenstein’d together a working power solution from an Atari 2600 after-market power adapter, with a travel adapter and a 3.5mm-to-2.5mm tip adapter. I also got a multicard from @Boojakascha and @Mikebloke (thanks guys ), and got a handle for it from Laserbear The only remaining problem is the video cable. I mentioned previously in this post that original Odyssey RF cables are rarely listed for standalone eBay sales, and looking for other Odyssey pong consoles (100, 200 etc) with Magnavox’s weird proprietary RF connector hasn’t brought me any luck either. So I think the most practical solution would be to solder a new video cable to the back of the console’s main board, and that this cable will probably need to be at least 7 feet long. Question 1 (RF or composite?): In this video (around the 54min20sec mark) That Tim Guy from YouTube, soldered video and ground directly to the console's motherboard but it's not clear (to me anyway) exactly what cable he's using - in the most recent comment at the top of his comments section, he refers to the cable as carrying a composite video signal. And I guess in theory it's possible that the console could maybe generate composite video on the board, and the original external RF box turned it back to RF? But I'm a little bit confused by this as 1) I had always assumed a stock 1972 Odyssey only outputted RF, 2) I thought you could need something like @Boojakascha's mod board to output composite, and 3) later in the video, he appears to de-modulate the signal through a VCR to get to the CRT, which seems to suggest that the console itself is outputting RF. It's not going to make a huge difference to my setup - the Odyssey doesn't output sound, so either way, I'm going to be running a single cable with either an RCA or a coax connector. I have a well-shielded 7 foot RF video coaxial cable from Blue Jeans Cables (Belden 1505A) that I'm not using at the moment - does anyone know if this would be a good cable to use? If so, I could remove one of the connectors, and solder it to the two points on the board, as per the video. Question 2 (Safety) The video from That Tim Guy is quite long, but the relevant part where he displays the cable solution is only from 52m50s to 54m40s I don't know very much about soldering, and this would be the first mod I've tried myself, but I'm a little bit apprehensive because it seems like this should be more complicated than what's presented in the video (which shows that it's as simple as soldering two wires). It seems to me that there should usually be a little more to it than this. If he is pulling the video signal in this way and the youtube video isn't skipping over anything, does anyone have any opinion on whether wiring it directly in this way is creating a circuit that is safe, and not going to damage the console?

Have spent a long time waiting for an original Magnavox Odyssey video cable to come up for sale, or looking for other Magnavox consoles with the same weird proprietary AV connector with no luck. So I think the most practical solution is probably to solder an RF cable to the back of the board (seems like there's only two points to be soldered - ground plane and video signal) and connect it up to a composite demodulator/VCR. Wouldn't have been my first choice as I'd like to keep the console in stock condition, but I'm sure it'll be fine. Does anyone happen to know what the length of the original video cable was? Just want to make sure I leave enough slack when it goes into my setup, as the controller cables are quite short. Many thanks @Boojakascha @Mikebloke @Odysseus

Morning all, poster from Ireland here, TLDR version: I am utterly clueless when it comes to AV hook-ups for the original Odyssey (and also when it comes power networking more generally). Would really appreciate if someone could review my Youtube/Wikipedia research, so I don't destroy a vintage console. The Console: I have an original Magnavox Odyssey (1972) that I picked up from another guy living in Ireland. I don't know much about Magnavox's distribution history (was the idea of PAL consoles even a thing back in 1972? ) but I'm assuming it's a standard NTSC unit that was imported, as there's a sticker on the bottom saying 120V/60Hz. The guy I bought it from just had it out on display, so there's no game power cord or antenna game switch with it, and I'm just trying to figure out what my best options are to power it on (without wearing out the battery compartment), and connecting it to a CRT. Power (Problem): In Ireland, we run the UK-style "Type G" electrical sockets, that output a standard supply of 230 volts AC (frequency 50Hz). I do have a step-down transformer but would prefer not to use it if possible, as it heats up very quickly. So I guess what I'm looking for is a) a modern power supply that can accept an input range of 100-240V, 50/60 HZ), b) that's well suited to the MA1 console, and c) that has those Irish/UK style pins. Like I said, I don't have one of the original power supplies that Magnavox manufactured for the Odyssey (I have been waiting for a few months for one to pop up on eBay with no joy...), but in an earlier thread linked below, @Clong80 notes that the specs on the original power supply are: INPUT 117 VAC 50/60HZ OUTPUT 9 volts 400ma 3.5mm mono headphone jack Tip positive for polarity Power (Solution?) So after a bit of online browsing, I found this website that sells modern power supply adapters for the Atari 2600. The specs on this unit are: 9V DC 1A Tip: 3.5mm jack (Centre tip positive) https://www.retrosales.com.au/collections/atari-power/products/accessory-power-supply-atari-2600-power-supply-adaptor-pack-9v So that will supply more current than the console needs; I know these numbers don't need to match exactly, but is the difference (9V, 1A vs 9V, 400ma) reasonable enough? I'd also need a standard travel adapter to convert the Australian plug to UK pin-style. Found this unit on Amazon ("This Adapter does not convert Voltage. Please make sure your device supports 220-240 Voltage.") Per Jakob Schuler on YouTube, it looks like the Magnavox Odyssey needs a 2.5mm tip (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzXlJSa_VP4&t=6m22s), so I found this 3.5mm-to-2.5mm adapter on Amazon AV Hookup: I don't have one of the original antenna game switches with the hanging hooks, but my CRT doesn't accept NTSC RF anyway, so I don't think that would be the best option for me. However, it will accept NTSC through the composite ports. And I have an NTSC RF-to-composite conversion box, which works great either on its own or with composite switches. I've had no luck finding an original MA1 video cable like this one https://atariage.com/forums/uploads/monthly_06_2016/post-32949-0-81329000-1466475134.jpg On the TV end, the little RF adapters are obviously no problem to get from Amazon, but I understand that the other end which connects to the console is proprietary? (I'm not 100% sure about this). End of an entirely-too-long post Would be super grateful if anyone could advise me on 1) whether I've made any huge screw-ups in my choice of power accessories, and 2) how to find a video cable that will connect to the console Many thanks if you stuck through to the end of this post

ODYSSEY HUNTING ADVENTURE OFFICIAL PRE-ORDER THREAD What is Hunting Adventure? Hunting Adventure is a homebrew game for the original 1972 Magnavox Odyssey system, the world’s first video game console. This is the FIRST homebrew game for the 1972 Odyssey that uses the Rifle Accessory! I started this game a long time ago back in 2012 and finally got around to finishing it. This will be my second homebrew game in my series of six. My first one was Odyssey Evil that was very popular and sold out fast! GAME DESCRIPTION: Hunting Adventure takes you on a wild life hunting experience of a lifetime. Hunt 6 different animals in 3 different countries from the USA, Canada and Africa. Using the 1TL950 Odyssey rifle accessory (not included), you must time your shot just right to take down the big game and accumulate points. After each country’s large game hunt, there is a small game bonus round to add to the challenge. The final challenge you must face is the ultimate hunters experience "The Zombie Hunter Bonus Round". Do you have what it takes to become the new Master Hunter? What is included with this Odyssey game? This game includes: 1. A FULL SIZE professional hand built box numbered 1-25 of 25 (You may be able to reserve your number if available) See picture for size comparison to original game box. This is not an easy box to make due to the size and shape. 2. (2) large hunting site overlays. The large overlays are just a little smaller then the original overlays but look and work great. The original large overlays are a really odd size that is difficult to find so I got the biggest ones I could find. 3. (6) “Critter Bonus Round” cards 4. A Critter Rack to hold the Critter cards during bonus round 5. (3) “Sight Card” Overlays used during bonus round 6. Hourglass sand timer 7. (6) double sided score cards 8. A standard size and formatted instruction sheet 9. A signed certificate of authentication. 10. (1) Zombie Hunter Bonus Round large Overlay 11. Surprise bonus material What is NOT included in this game that is needed to play? · Original 1972 Magnavox Odyssey system · Electronic Rifle · Game Card #10 How much does it cost? UPDATE EDIT 4/23/2020: $70 plus shipping. I did an online shipping calculator to California to get a rough estimate on shipping cost and it was $10. The final package is 6" x 18" x 2" and weighs just under 1 pound. If there is a (P) beside your name that means I have received payment and an (S) means your package has been shipped. 0. ManCaveArcade 1. Ianoid (P) (S) 2. Ianoid (P) (S) 3. Stupus (P) (S) 4. CaptainJ (P) 5. Dastari Creel (P) (S) 6. Masschamber (P) (S) 7. CVGA (P) (S) 8. TPR (P) (S) 9. Zodiacprime (P) (S) 10. Retrogmr (P) (S) 11. High voltage (P) (S) 12. Blazing lazers (P) (S) 13. Captain Combat (P) (S) 14. Zhorton (P) (S) 15. Atari2008 (P) (S) 16. SOLD (P) (S) 17. SOLD (P) (S) 18. BuckeyeFan_4eva (P) (S) 19. PENDING 20. ETWelty (P) (S) 21. thejers (P) (S) 22. STILL AVAILABLE 23. STILL AVAILABLE 24. STILL AVAILABLE 25. SLYDC (P) (S) UPDATE 4/23/20: THESE ARE ALL FINALLY COMPLETE AND READY TO SHIP. I will be sending everyone a message soon with payment and to get shipping information. Thanks to all who have supported me and this project! I WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY MONEY UNTIL ALL OF THESE GAMES ARE BUILT AND READY TO SHIP! The first prototype game has been completed and the rest are still in the production process. I am doing this pre-order based on your integrity to pay in full at the time of project completion which is estimated sometime in MAY. So to reserve your copy, you must make a post here AND send me a PM and I will add you to the list. Please do not get on the list if you are not 100% certain that you want one and are willing to pay. I am only making 25 copies of this game because it is such a time consuming (and expensive) project so I don’t want to turn away any serious members who want one and then end up with extras due to non-payment. Be assured that this is a ManCaveArcade quality project and I WILL DELIVER IN A TIMELY MANNOR. If there is any delay at all for any reason, you will receive weekly updates. My last game got great reviews so feel free to check out my old pre-order thread for feedback.

We are readying our next release of newly developed Odyssey hardware and games: OdysseyNow Game Pack 2! The largest focus will be on hardware, as this will contain the most consequential hardware add-on in the Odyssey’s history. It will make new games possible, as well as have a major impact on many existing games. We call it the English Splitter. In the original Odyssey controller, three knobs and one button control every aspect of the player spots and the ball. The problem is that the human body only possesses two hands, and thus we can operate a maximum of two knobs simultaneously. This affects every Odyssey ball game, as the hand and brain must “switch gears” from controlling the Vertical knob to controlling the English knob (ball spin). This gap of time involved slows down the games. One of the greatest Odyssey ball games, Volleyball, is terribly hindered by this: there just isn’t enough time to lunge after the ball, hit it, then switch to the English knob fast enough to direct the ball over the net and then down into the opposite court. As a result, the game has to be played on a relatively low ball speed. The English Splitter is a device that plugs into your controller socket (there’s one for the Left and one for the Right; each is electronically equivalent but physically different). Each English Splitter is connected by a cable to a special English Controller, which contains one knob and one button. The Splitter also contains a duplicate controller port into which you plug your original controller. Thus when both Left and Right Splitters are plugged in, you will have four controllers in total. Each Splitter contains a switch that turns the English Controller on or off. When on, it takes over control of the English knob from the main controller (turning the main controller English knob will have no effect, but turning the knob on the English controller will give that player full control over ball spin). When the Splitter’s switch is turned off, full control is transferred back to the main controller. This way you will never have to plug and unplug your controllers and Splitters in order to instantly switch between classic and split modes. In addition, the yellow button on each English Controller allows the holder of that controller to serve the ball. This makes it possible for a single player to, for instance, return the ball to their own side without requiring possession of the other player’s main controller. This can be used in the original game Submarine or the OdysseyNow game Tannhauser Gate, for instance, to greatly ease gameplay. The English Splitter system can also be used to multiply the number of players from 2 to 4. Any ball game can now be played with 3 or 4 players, with English control transferred to a second player on each team. It can be used to great effect in nearly any ball game. Our new version of Volleyball, Team Volleyball, makes full use of this capability: Note: This image is a simulation. Our game comes with a half-height overlay. In addition to Team Volleyball, this game pack includes Danceoff, a new ball game that is meant to be played for the duration of one pop song. It involves attempting to “knock” the opposing side’s dancers off the dancefloor. This game can be played 2-player, but when played with 4 players using the English Controllers, it becomes a team dance in which one player defends the team’s dancers while the other goes after those on the opposing side. The dancers are plastic chips that are physically stuck to the overlay and removed as they are defeated. Before the game begins, players may either choose a pattern for their dancers to occupy or randomly generate their positions with two included, color-coded dice. The third game included in this game pack is a reproduction of the rarest of all original Odyssey games: Soccer. Soccer was only released as a bundled game with some European releases of the Odyssey. Because the Odyssey did not do well in Europe, and not many sets have been preserved, the game is almost impossible to find. We have lovingly reproduced the overlay, instructions, and dual-wheel scoreboard in all of their detail, allowing this game to be played by a new generation. Note, however, that our scoreboard is 85% of the size of the original. We had to made it slightly smaller to be cost effective to produce, and to fit in our tube box. The overlay is reproduced with filled-out corners for a rectangular shape, to better fit more contemporary televisions. However, the original rounded contour is preserved as a thin line in the overlay, so players may cut out the original shape if they wish. The English Splitter sounds deceptively simple, but inside it is anything but: the unique analog nature of the Odyssey makes simple pass-through circuits impossible, and multiple versions of this device failed before a year of development finally lead to the breakthrough (specially implemented diode logic) that made it possible. It is also very time consuming and expensive (using obsolete, discontinued components) to manufacture, or we would be able to make more and charge less! In order to get the most out of Team Volleyball (or even regular Volleyball), this Pack comes with a Wall Height Adjustment kit. This is an optional upgrade. It requires two solder points on the Odyssey’s motherboard, and some hot glue for the final adjustment pot. It is an easy upgrade to perform and comes with fully illustrated instructions. When used with the Team Volleyball overlay, you can adjust your wall height to exact spec. Most Odysseys are well out of spec for wall height, which can greatly diminish this game. This game pack confers a couple of advantages to Tannhauser Gate, for owners of OdysseyNow Game Pack 1. First, you can adjust the height of the open gate with the Wall Height adjustment. Second, the Scan player can utilize an English controller to return their ball without needing to reach over and utilize the Explore player’s controller. We have several more amazing games in development that make special use of the English Splitters. Those will appear sometime in the future. Because our last game pack sold out within a few hours of being posted, we’re trying to manage this release a little more equitably, in two tiers. The notice for the first 10 copies will be posted in the OdysseyNow Facebook group (only), to give that community the best chance of picking these up. We're letting everyone know this in advance, to give you time to join that group and turn your notifications on so you are ready. Once those copies are gone, we'll post elsewhere (such as in this forum). At that time, anyone who wants one will have to let us know (very briefly) why/where/who. We'll give it a few days to ensure that more people will know about this in time, then select the homes we think will be happiest, and then process payments. This will also help us get to know more of you better! We will produce only 15 of these sets in total. Stay tuned to the Facebook group for orders to open soon! https://www.facebook.com/groups/odysseynow/

I’m excited to show you the OdysseyNow Game Pack, the result of a lot of research and development at the Vibrant Media Lab that I direct in Pittsburgh. We’ve developed a brand new game card for the Odyssey (the first one not designed by the Magnavox team), a brand new accessory controller (the first created besides the original light rifle), and a set of three new games. This was all produced as part of the OdysseyNow project, which you can read more about in another AtariAge thread. Here’s a glimpse of the games… Tannhauser Gate In a remote wing of a remote galaxy, on the frontiers of cosmic knowledge, lies Tannhauser's Gate, a colossal directed energy beam fed by a spacio-temporal anomaly of seemingly ceaseless energy. On the other side of the Gate is The Expanse, one of the most mysterious and deadly regions of outer space yet discovered, a zone that seems to vacillate in its allegiance to the laws of the quantum to the laws of the galactic. Spacetime here seems to have a will of its own. Charybdis, a black hole, lies not far from the Gate, and is clearly related to it in some way. Crimson Maw, a mostly uninhabitable planet, nonetheless provides researchers in the area with an ample supply of both common and rare minerals. Unfortunately, the planet and its single natural satellite, “Odysseus,” are isolated from the gate by the massive parade of interstellar stone known as the Scyllan Corridor. Closer at hand, yet surprisingly more barren, is the planet Coronation. Because few minerals or supplies of interest can be found there, it is used mostly as a garbage dump. Such is the fate of even the most regal of mineral-poor planets. Multiple interstellar civilizations have sent researchers to the area, mainly in an attempt to understand the intergalactic wormhole that serves to connect this remote spot to the energy-rich Flywheel Galaxy via Quantum Refluctuation. While ostensibly a demilitarized zone, Tannhauser Gate is plagued by intense rivalry over the scientific knowledge that it provides to its sponsoring corporations, governments, and collectives. These researchers must uneasily share a moon base shielded by the Gate. To venture beyond its boundaries is to be bombarded with a relentless stream of dark particles. No shields can last for long. While an interstellar team of engineers has managed to harness the local energy flux to construct the Gate, its operation remains partially at the whim of the energy patterns that feed it, making the expanse beyond the Gate even more risky to explore. For this reason, the largest scientific collective to currently study the area has created a specialized, long-range scanning platform. Located safely behind Tannhauser Gate, it launches and receives C-beams capable of probing any form of matter. Their rivals, however, use replicant-manned spacecraft to explore outside of the Gate, directly. Take on the roles of the Scanner, Explorer, and Gate Keeper as you compete to complete your missions and disrupt your rivals. Will you be the one to discover the secret of Tannhauser Gate? Tannhauser Gate is a 3 player game that makes use of a newly designed game card (#13). This card includes an external Aux jack and a “Switch Controller” that attaches to it. The card generates the Tannhauser Gate. The switch controller opens and closes the gate. The Gate Keeper player draws a special Gate card at the beginning of each round, which contains a special gate pattern that must be followed. The Scanner player remains stationary throughout the round, but may send C-beams (represented by the Odyssey’s ball) through the gate to scan various objects in the expanse beyond. The Scanner draws Scan cards that provide specific assignments to carry out. Meanwhile, the Explorer must charge up their ship, activate their life support system, wait for the right moment, and zip out into the expanse, attempting to complete their missions (given on special Explore cards) and return to safety inside the gate before their ship is destroyed by the energy fields of the expanse. This is extremely risky, however, as misjudging the ever-changing rhythm of the gate could cause the ship to implode before it can reach safety! In addition to Game Card #13 and the Switch Controller, Tannhauser Gate makes use of the Damocles controller, the first Accessory controller for the Odyssey besides the light rifle. The Damocles controller plugs into the ACC port on the Odyssey. When Player 2 presses the large red button on its face, a countdown timer lights up and begins counting down. When it hits zero, it extinguishes your on-screen player spot. Its button also lights up red to remind you that you’re dead! A white “regen” button allows you to regenerate your ship when the time is right. In Tannhauser Gate, all three players are doing completely different tasks using completely different tools, yet all three interact in unexpected ways (the gate can bounce the Scanner’s C-Beams away as well as “lock out” the Explorer at a crucial moment, Scan missions can require the Scanner to scan the Explorer, and Explore missions sometimes require the Explorer to intercept C-Beams. The results ensure that no two games of Tannhauser Gate are the same! Fukushima Fukushima is the first-ever cooperative game for the Magnavox Odyssey. Two players are placed inside the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and must work together to prevent the inevitable: a meltdown. Each player takes on a different role in the plant. Player 2 uses the Damocles controller to continually complete a Cooling Cycle, while also assisting Player 1 complete a progressively more difficult Maintenance Cycle, which involves directing the ball to specific points while also activating particular buttons at specific times. This would be enough of a challenge as it is, but a third player with a timer consults a Meltdown reference card and at the appointed times calls out various new disasters that the players must contend with. (Note: If you only have two players, you could also make a recording of the Meltdown Cycle and play that back during gameplay.) The game starts out easy, but gets progressively more difficult as you try to beat the clock to safely shut down the reactor before it fully melts down. Because the game has a delineated set of “levels,” you can easily track your progress. Your team can even compete against other teams for a high score (level achieved + time survived at the point of failure). No one here has been able to beat the game yet. Maybe you can? Fukushima is not only the first coop Odyssey game, but is also the first to utilize the “Wall adjust” control on the console itself. In this game, the wall represents the reactor’s containment barrier, which must sometimes be moved by the players to gain access. But be very careful: when the containment barrier is open, you must prevent the ball from entering the core or it will instantly melt down! Fukushima requires game card #13 and the Damocles controller. Super Cat and Mouse: Cheesy Castle At OdysseyNow, we are big fans of the underappreciated Cat and Mouse game on the Odyssey. We think that a fun concept and mechanic was undermined by substandard production design, and have decided to re-invent the game by giving it a proper setting: a medieval castle. Now, the mouse must collect cheese strewn about the castle by lazy humans, while avoiding the King’s fierce cat! As the King’s cat, of course, you must rid the castle of that peasant vermin.