Hey Homebrewers; How about a Documentary?

[Bartsfam]

I know you guys are very busy...but have any of you ever considered doing a quick, maybe 10 minute, YouTube style documetary, about homebrewing?

 

I would love to know a little behind the scenes info. about the making of my favorite homebrew game. I ask out of pure interest as I am ignorant on the subject.

It would be interesting just to see the process, from beginning to the end. How long does it take to produce and make 100 copies of a game?

Are the catridges used or new? How do you get the ROM, onto the EEPROM? (I have no idea...one at a time, in a batch?)

How long does it take to glue a hundred or two hundred boxes together, plus putting stickers on the cartridges?

 

Inquiring minds (or at least mine) want to know!!

 

How about a short film?

[+bennybingo]

Here is my version of that documentary in pictures:

 

Frustrated Homebrew Programer

+

 

Grossly Underpaid / Broke Homebrew Programer

=

 

Homebrews for the retro gaming community

 

That about sums it up from everything I have heard!

[youki]

you have forgotten in the result of your equation

 

+

 

Happy Publisher ...

 

[retroillucid]

you have forgotten in the result of your equation

 

+

 

Happy Publisher ...

 

 

 

Go publish games by yourself and see how much money and works are involved

Now keep publishing games all years long and see how much money you will make...or you will loose...

 

If you think its all about money then you must be really stupid dumb a$$

You have to do it for the passion otherwise you will quickly get out of all this

I should rather have a second job then making homebrews if I wanted to make more cash

 

 

I love the idea of a documentary.... It could really show how commited the peoples in homebrew scene are involved and how much love is put into those releases

If someone ever make a documentary, I will be happy to participate

[Pixelboy]

Go publish games by yourself and see how much money and works are involved

Now keep publishing games all years long and see how much money you will make...or you will loose...

 

If you think its all about money then you must be really stupid dumb a$$

You have to do it for the passion otherwise you will quickly get out of all this

I should rather have a second job then making homebrews if I wanted to make more cash

 

I believe youki was being sarcastic, J-F.

[retroillucid]

 

 

I believe youki was being sarcastic, J-F.

 

I hope so!

He can't be serious in the end, that's how Youki is

 

I think I'm just overreacting to messages like this because I truly know all this process of making homebrew and oh boy, how much works are put into these!

 

That is why I think a Documentary would be really nice so people could see all the process of making an homwbrew game

[+bennybingo]

I hope so!

He can't be serious in the end, that's how Youki is

 

I think I'm just overreacting to messages like this because I truly know all this process of making homebrew and oh boy, how much works are put into these!

 

That is why I think a Documentary would be really nice so people could see all the process of making an homwbrew game

 

If a documentary was ever produced, it should be released in a limited quantity, so we can see all the copies of it pop up on ePay a week later for $5000...just to stay true to the spirit of the current homebrew scene!!! :rolling: :rolling: :rolling:

[Bartsfam]

Seriously...so I don't have to wait for the documentary, one of my original questions is....how do you get the ROM onto the EEPROM, or whatever is inside of the cartridge. Something like a ROM dumper in reverse?

[nukeshed]

Seriously...so I don't have to wait for the documentary, one of my original questions is....how do you get the ROM onto the EEPROM, or whatever is inside of the cartridge. Something like a ROM dumper in reverse?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmer_%28hardware%29

 

Mind you, I am glad you brought up this thread, it sounds like an awesome thing to do, a documentary on homebrewers. Even as indepth as legal issues and copyright et al, would be awesome to hear stories on.

[+5-11under]

Seriously...so I don't have to wait for the documentary, one of my original questions is....how do you get the ROM onto the EEPROM, or whatever is inside of the cartridge. Something like a ROM dumper in reverse?

 

I do this task for quite a few of the recent homebrews. I use the PCB that was initially designed for my Squares! game. A small logic chip is soldered on to handle the "chip select" of the memory, as required by the ColecoVision. The memory I usually use is a 27C256 PROM, which is like an EPROM, but without the window, so it can only be programmed once (can't be erased). I use an EPROM programmer to program the game onto the PROM. After programming, the PROM is assembled onto the PCB. A bypass capacitor is also added. A picture can be seen here (the logic chip and the capacitor is on the back):

 

I assemble all the logic chips first, usually more than I need. Then I count the required number of PCBs and PROMs. I'll program and assemble one completely, and test it out to make sure it works. After that, once I'm rolling, I typically alternate between programming about a dozen at the same time as testing a dozen, followed by assembling a dozen.

[+5-11under]

Where the magic happens...

 

 

The area was newly "refurbished" when the photo was taken (a couple of months ago). It's a bit messier now.

Hmm... those red dots sure are strange... must be lens flare... .

[NIAD]

Where the magic happens...

 

 

The area was newly "refurbished" when the photo was taken (a couple of months ago). It's a bit messier now.

Hmm... those red dots sure are strange... must be lens flare... .

My hero! Without your tremendous skills, the Homebrew Scene would look a lot different or at the very least things would take a lot longer.

 

BTW, don't let 5-11under fool you guys, those red dots are concealing a top secret project!

[nanochess]

In order to make a nice video there would be a need for a good script and somebody with a good voice.

 

It could be interesting to do a documentary about development of Princess Quest or Zombie Near. I have backups per day of development so it could be showed how them were improving. I'll think about it.

[Bartsfam]

I do this task for quite a few of the recent homebrews. I use the PCB that was initially designed for my Squares! game. A small logic chip is soldered on to handle the "chip select" of the memory, as required by the ColecoVision. The memory I usually use is a 27C256 PROM, which is like an EPROM, but without the window, so it can only be programmed once (can't be erased). I use an EPROM programmer to program the game onto the PROM. After programming, the PROM is assembled onto the PCB. A bypass capacitor is also added. A picture can be seen here (the logic chip and the capacitor is on the back):

 

I assemble all the logic chips first, usually more than I need. Then I count the required number of PCBs and PROMs. I'll program and assemble one completely, and test it out to make sure it works. After that, once I'm rolling, I typically alternate between programming about a dozen at the same time as testing a dozen, followed by assembling a dozen.

 

Very cool indeed!! I didn't realize soldering was even involved. I thought you basically took a PROM, put it in a machine hooked to your PC, and copied a ROM from your PC to the PROM.

 

I'm surprised that PROMS are still being made. Are they used for something else in the world? Is that why they are still being manufactured?

An one more question...do most homebrews utilize used cartridges, or brand new ones?

[retroillucid]

Most homebrews use brand new cartridge shells, as well as new pcbs

[nanochess]

I'm surprised that PROMS are still being made. Are they used for something else in the world? Is that why they are still being manufactured?

You would be surprised, EPROM and PROM are still in great use all around the world for small appliances and industrial machines. These chips are more trustable than Flash chips for many applications.

[nanochess]

Most homebrews use brand new cartridge shells, as well as new pcbs

Except when old appearance is required, like your Side Trak game that reused old Coleco cases to look like a classical release

[retroillucid]

 

Except when old appearance is required, like your Side Trak game that reused old Coleco cases to look like a classical release

 

Yes indeed

 

The very first release of Mr. Chin used recycled cart shells too

The manual originaly included was such a mess! Yish!

That was almost 5 years ago now....

[+5-11under]

Very cool indeed!! I didn't realize soldering was even involved. I thought you basically took a PROM, put it in a machine hooked to your PC, and copied a ROM from your PC to the PROM.

 

I'm surprised that PROMS are still being made. Are they used for something else in the world? Is that why they are still being manufactured?

An one more question...do most homebrews utilize used cartridges, or brand new ones?

 

Yes, the "machine" you mention is the EPROM (or PROM or other parts) programmer, and it does connect to the PC and operate the way you mention. After that, however, the programmed PROM needs to be attached to a PCB, otherwise you just have an electronic component, and not something you can plug into the ColecoVision.

 

Yes, PROMs are still being made. I've sometimes used EPROMs, but they're usually more expensive, and I have a great dislike of refurbished EPROMs... too much trouble for too little savings.

[nanochess]

Yes, PROMs are still being made. I've sometimes used EPROMs, but they're usually more expensive, and I have a great dislike of refurbished EPROMs... too much trouble for too little savings.

Indeed a great trouble.

 

Many years ago I bought an offer of a hundred of used EPROMS and for some reason, half of them never could be erased properly, other quarter never could be programmed properly, so I ended with twenty or so functional EPROMS . It would have better to buy new EPROMS

[hardhat]

Youtube documentary made by NewColeco in 2007: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTfXmCoipaw

 

Also got Ghostblaster, he did a day by day documentary of the development of the game, if you look on his channel.

 

I've had quite good luck with used EPROMs. 27C256. I buy them on ebay from reputable dealers. I can't get the ST Microsystems ones to work with my burner, but AMD and Intel ones work great. I get maybe at most 1 in 10 defective ones that are either not properly erased or are difficult to program. It is a lot less expensive than new ones, from what I can tell.

 

Dale

Edited December 24, 2012 by hardhat