Adam Computer with Disk Drives ?

[vcoleiro1]

Saw this 1983 TV Commercial for the Colecovision , towards the end of the commercial at about the 20 second mark they show the Adam Computer was to be released soon. IT has disk drives and is a completely different shape.

 

If only they did launch the Adam with disk drives

 

Check it below:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=unpuywHanBc

Edited May 15, 2012 by vcoleiro1

[Pixelboy]

Saw this 1983 TV Commercial for the Colecovision , towards the end of the commercial at about the 20 second mark they show the Adam Computer was to be released soon. IT has disk drives and is a completely different shape.

 

If only they did launch the Adam with disk drives

 

Check it below:

 

Actually, they're not disk drives. What you see in the commercial is an Adam prototype with digital datapack drives that load tapes like VHS tapes. Personally, I'm glad Coleco switched to the final design of the datapack drives, because tapes getting stuck in the drive would have been a disaster with the old design.

 

EDIT: Wait, is it really a front-loading datapack drive, or a waffer drive...?

Edited May 15, 2012 by Pixelboy

[vcoleiro1]

My first impression was that they were 3 1/2 inch disk drives. They look the same size and if wikipedia is correct, 3 1/2 disk drives were launched in 1983, spot on timing considering it's a 1983 commercial.

Edited May 15, 2012 by vcoleiro1

[BillyHW]

It's too low res to really tell what it is.

[vcoleiro1]

Found these links which provide some light on the mystery, I'll let you judge for yourselves. As you can see the 3.25 and 5.25 drives where there in the mix, did this prototype have 3.25 drives?

 

http://colecoadam.wo...nd-accessories/

 

http://rich.dirocco....m/protoadam.htm

 

http://rich.dirocco....ansion/AD83.jpg

Edited May 15, 2012 by vcoleiro1

[+pboland]

EDIT: Wait, is it really a front-loading datapack drive, or a waffer drive...?

 

It's the wafer drive. The Adam was originally going to have the wafer drive if remember correctly. I'm pretty sure this has been pointed out before. I just can't seem to find the reference.

[NIAD]

Originally, Coleco's plan was to use the Wafer Tapes in the ADAM as well as the Super Game Module... both hardware products were in development at the same time. When the Entrepo Wafer Drive was scrapped due to reliability issues, Coleco came up with the Digital Data Drive (a huge improvement over cassette decks that other computers were using) with the help of JVC.

 

As far as all those pictures of prototype ADAM Memory Console's, it's almost impossible to tell if it's the ill-fated Wafer Drive or a Digital Data Drive were you insert the DDP like a VHS tape in a VCR... never seen a picture that was clear enough to be able to tell what drive was used, IF ANY, since these could have been plastic shells with nothing inside. As PixelBoy stated, that design would have been a terrible to proceed ahead with.

 

As far as disk drives, Coleco never designed a 3 1/2" disk drive. They did develop a 3 1/4" disk drive that you can see on the websites that are linked above that formatted 3 1/4" disks at 256K... a perfect match for the 256K digital data packs.

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

At first glance I immediately thought they were the digital Data Drive but inserted sideways like some car audio cassette decks use to?

[RGDiRocco]