I just got back into Coleco and read through a bunch of this forum

[Dennis Stith]

So basically stating the obvious here that I have found.

 

Currently nobody makes a Colecovision set (replica or system on a chip) and though the demand for it is questionable, it can be done. However I don't know if anyone holds rights and patents to the logos, decals, etc and other technologies found inside the set. Of course there is a company that owns the Coleco brand name however they have been using it very poorly in recent years and have not contributed at all to any of the original console's heritage.

 

Also I see that nobody is making or selling parts for the original system controllers so, on this forum I read that, you need to use existing controllers with good parts and transfer those to make one that is fully working.

 

There does not appear to be a whole lot of documentation regarding how to repair system boards, test, and replace parts. However this system is pretty simple so taking a look at it for a little bit solves most questions. I just find it interesting that nobody put publically available a PCB layout so that any hobbyist can get one fabricated and drop their own components in and solder one together. I'm pretty sure that this could be done somehow but there's always the possibility that some parts may need to be substituted and part of the original design might need to be reworked in order to accomodate such changes.

 

I also found it interesting that nobody has made replacement case parts and other plastics. This is definitely achievable but since the market is quite possibly too niche, that is why nobody has done it. I think that if someone has a lot of time on their hands and is really into this type of hobby that they might just wake up one day and have at it. From my thoughts, that probably would be someone that has a lot of money and a lot of free time on his hands. It doesn't seem like it could be ruled out as a possibility in the future.

 

I'm just glad I could find the part that I need. Although my Wii plays every Coleco game in existance perfectly now, I like to have some real world projects besides gaming to take up some time. This set of mine has needed repair since the 1980s.

 

The controllers I own, on the other hand, are in very sad shape and probably should be replaced since there are no parts available. Currently they just have push buttons I purchased from radio shack more than 10 years ago. It works but aesthetically it is very unappealing.

 

Everything works as I recall and I still have roughly 20 cartridges. I didn't realize that Pitfall was brought to this system until my brother gave me Pitfall I (not working, one pin wasn't soldered in the factory), and Pitfall II but this as well was back in the 1980s. I'm going to look into the Atari titles because I can't remember whether those are prototype ROMs or not. It would have been fun to have PacMan and Frogger on it in the 1980s but instead I had Ladybug and stuff like Alphabet Zoo and Smurfs.

 

I just wonder why there is no Galaga for this system. That would have been awesome. Anyway, I'm sure Galaga does exist for Z80 but that would be in a Nintendo handheld console.

 

Anyway just stating the obvious finds from browsing this forum for a few minutes. It is a good place to find some information.

[retroillucid]

First, welcome back to Coleco

 

 

Coleco on a chip is doable, but I personally hate those ''on a chip'' simply because it never emulate all games properly

I had severals bad experiences with Nes on a Chip wich does not get right colors, sounds and some games do not work

 

Controller? ... there might be an option for you now, we're about to release the Arcade Controller

Alot more reliable than any other previous Colecovision controllers

 

You should buy an AtarimaxSD cart, awesome product and contains 2 free homebrew games, Mr.Chin & Mario Bros

 

 

Have fun

[Dennis Stith]

Yeah I have totally avoided the system on a chip cartridge based solutions so far and don't plan on purchasing any in the future. I actually opted for a Sega Genesis model 2 over the system on a chip solutions and though I haven't plugged it in yet, I don't regret it at all. However in the near future I'm pretty sure I'm going to sell off my Genesis and Master Systems as they aren't going to get much use (I'm keeping the Coleco though, there is absolutely no reason to get rid of that system for me).

 

That controller should be interesting, is there a link for it? As long as it has a number pad and isn't a table top type of joystick made to mimic an arcade machine I may be interested. I like the original controllers fine enough but then they also fit inside of the console so you can put it away which was pretty unique for a console even today.

 

Yeah that atarimax SD solution is great but I only like the games that I own and it also costs over $100. I think I'm fine with what I currently own besides the condition of the controllers. For the price of that SD cart, I'm sure that I could refurbish my colecovision set plus the controllers and still have change to spare. It would interest me more if I could build my own cart though.

 

Also I didn't see it mentioned anywhere where to purchase the 30th anniversary system decal. It's interesting that nobody makes a replacement decal and I saw the threads and sites that discuss/sell used decals and the condition that they are in sounds the same as mine. But I wasn't planning on replacing mine anyway unless maybe I wanted to get a new case which nobody makes as well.

 

I had to throw out a bunch of old controllers because they were all junk and taking up space but I think I just kept the two original ones. I had those roller controllers that came with the baseball game all taken apart and couldn't do anything with them. They sat for 5-10 years or more so I just threw those out. I think that stuff can be reacquired though but those controllers weren't that great to begin with. The original style ones were always best.

 

Well anyway if some day I have a lot of money and a lot of free time on my hands, I'd definitely get interested in making new parts for this and selling online, mainly for the hobbyists out there. It is cool to see so many people posting about the system and games.

 

 

First, welcome back to Coleco

 

 

Coleco on a chip is doable, but I personally hate those ''on a chip'' simply because it never emulate all games properly

I had severals bad experiences with Nes on a Chip wich does not get right colors, sounds and some games do not work

 

Controller? ... there might be an option for you now, we're about to release the Arcade Controller

Alot more reliable than any other previous Colecovision controllers

 

You should buy an AtarimaxSD cart, awesome product and contains 2 free homebrew games, Mr.Chin & Mario Bros

 

 

Have fun

Edited February 17, 2012 by Dennis Stith