Colecovision Roller Controller Help

[DanBoris]

I was wonder if someone could help me out with a Colecovision Roller Controller problem. I had been tracing the circuit for the roller controller PCB (before someone pointed out existing schematics online) and I noticed too late that a bunch of the wires going to the cables that connect to the system had broken off. Now I don't know which wires went where and the schematics don't show this.

 

What I need to know is which color wires go to each position on the J5 and J6 locations on the PCB.

 

Thanks

Dan

[BigO]

I'd gladly help out if I had a Roller Controller. Alas, all I can do for you is bump this topic.

[DanBoris]

I'd gladly help out if I had a Roller Controller. Alas, all I can do for you is bump this topic.

 

Thanks!

 

It would even be helpful if someone could open one up and just take a closeup picture of the area where the cables connect.

 

Dan

[BigO]

It would even be helpful if someone could open one up and just take a closeup picture of the area where the cables connect.

 

Dan

 

...crickets...

 

Anyone? Anyone?

 

I've been sorta wanting a roller controller to inspect so if anybody wants to sell me one cheap (I'm not that picky about the cosmetics), I'll be happy to open it up and give Dan the information he's looking for.

 

Just think, you'd be helping two people at once.

 

 

 

Dan, where did you find the link to the existing Roller Controller schematic?

[CV Gus]

What the heck, I've opened up my controller quite a few times. I'll do it tonight again, and see if I can map out what goes where.

 

Do you know how to find PIN numbers on a chip? Maybe that can help you follow a schematic to figure out what goes where.

 

Here's how:

 

1) With the part of the chip with the writing up, look for a half-circle "dent" on one end or the other; OR, a small dot in the corner.

 

2) With the dent side up, or the dot on the upper left, a 14-pin chip would go like this:

 

 

........DENT......

..DOT

1-----------------14

2-----------------13

3-----------------12

4-----------------11

5-----------------10

6-----------------09

7-----------------08

 

 

You start from the upper left, then go around counter-clockwise. If you know the pin layout on a controller plug, then you can trace it that way.

 

Good luck. I'll try to get the info as soon as possible.

[DanBoris]

Dan, where did you find the link to the existing Roller Controller schematic?

 

You can find the roller controller and driving controller schematics here:

 

http://xi6.com/hacks/

 

The roller controller schematics are pretty good but unfortunately for me they don't trace all the way out to the cables that connect to the system.

 

Dan

[CV Gus]

Well, here it is, as I promised:

 

J6:

 

9=BLACK

7=PURPLE

8=GREEN

6=BLUE

1=BROWN

2=RED

3=ORANGE

4=YELLOW

 

 

J5

 

9=WHITE

7=PURPLE

1=BROWN

3=ORANGE

2=RED

4=YELLOW

5=GREEN

6=BLUE

 

 

You'll notice that a number of points have the same color wires. No problem.

 

All you have to do is use a multi-tester to see what wire goes where. Keeping in mind that J5 is controller port one on a CV and J6 is 2, you touch the end of the wire in the Roller Controller and see which of the two plugs going to the CV itself it goes to.

 

For example, say both yellow wires are disconnected. You use a multi-tester on one of them and see that it leads to the plug that goes to player port 1 on the CV. That means you solder it to point J5-4. Obviously, the other must go to J6-4.

 

If your multi-tester prong is too big to fit in a controller plug hole, just strip a metal garbage tie and wrap it a few times around one of the prongs (use an alligator clip or a bit of tape to hold it there), and use the other end for the holes.

 

If you do not have a multi-tester then just take any 1.5V battery (like a flashlight battery), a bulb off of a set of Christmas tree lights, and wire it together. Cut one of the wires, attach a metal garbage tie to each cut end, and use those as prongs- if the bulb lights up, you found it. The current should not hurt the wires, as long as you do it quickly.

Edited March 14, 2009 by CV Gus

[DanBoris]

Thanks, this really helped. It actually never occurred to me that the pin numbers on J5 and J6 on the PCB corresponded to the pin numbers on the connector.

 

Dan

[CV Gus]

Anytime.