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Collecting for the VIC 20


simbalion

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That's the one I have..

Fun little cart.

Mine didn't come with a shell, but I had a dead Vic-20 cart, so it was easy to put it in that shell.

 

A bit of dremmel work, and the DIP switches are exposed.

(Of course, don't change them while it's on.. :-)

 

desiv

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Well, the MegaCart is MUCH MUCH better.

I don't have one, but it's incredible...

If you feel like you can spend $120 for the Vic-20, (and wait what... a year), it's incredible.

 

I didn't think I could justify that for me..

This little multicart works and I can afford it.

 

And I have to admit, although I like some of my fancier Multicarts (VecFlash and CC2), I like the really old school feel of the DIP switch selectable carts too... ;-)

 

desiv

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It's great fun and not too expensive..

As for others in the future, remember that if you buy a few more at that price, you run the risk of spending close to what you might spend for a Megacart.

 

If I ever get ambitious and get a ROM burner, it might be fun to try burning my own eprom with different games..

(and maybe replace the socket with a ZIF for easier swapping)

 

desiv

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I think the issue with the MegaCart isn't the price but the year+ waiting time. I was on the list a few years ago, but major medical bills forced me to sell off most of my collection including my VIC-20s. 15 months after I signed up for the MegaCart, I got the email saying I was next in the list -- but I had to turn it down.

 

Two years later I've replaced the VIC-20, and am again on the MegaCart waiting list (at least I hope so, because I got no confirmation email after signing back up) :D

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I think the issue with the MegaCart isn't the price but the year+ waiting time. I was on the list a few years ago, but major medical bills forced me to sell off most of my collection including my VIC-20s. 15 months after I signed up for the MegaCart, I got the email saying I was next in the list -- but I had to turn it down.

 

Two years later I've replaced the VIC-20, and am again on the MegaCart waiting list (at least I hope so, because I got no confirmation email after signing back up) :D

 

I didn't know there was a long wait. Makes the decision a little easier. And I'm glad you're doing better!

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And I'm glad you're doing better!

 

Thank you :)

 

I didn't know there was a long wait. Makes the decision a little easier.

 

If you think you're still going to be using a VIC in 2 years, I would recommend signing up for one. It doesn't just have all of the VIC games but is also a very robust solution with fastloaders, extended memory configurations, and all sorts of other goodies.

 

The Final Expansion 3 is another very nice product, but it's a kit that requires some delicate soldering. I'm not sure my soldering skills will ever get back to the level required to put the FE3 together...

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If you think you're still going to be using a VIC in 2 years, I would recommend signing up for one. It doesn't just have all of the cartridge VIC games but is also a very robust solution with fastloaders, extended memory configurations, and all sorts of other goodies.

Corrected that. As I put together Gamebase20, the archive for the Vic20, then there are hundreds of tape games out there, and more being discovered each week.

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Can vic-20 cassettes be played on a c64? Or is there no backwards compatibility?

 

Aside from some simple BASIC software that might run without modification, or that you could make work with some mods, there's no backward compatibility to speak of. Memory maps are totally different, and obviously the screen size, as well as some more advanced graphics options on the 64.

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To play some of the games in the VIC-20 Gamebase that are not on the Mega-Cart, would one of the SD-to-IEC solutions work, with the Mega-Cart used as a RAM expansion?

Most of the games in the Gamebase are in TAP format for tape emulation. These won't work on an uIEC type device since it emulates disk, not tape.

 

Since most of the TAP images cannot easily be dumped from tape to disk, you instead need to find the software in .D64 disk image format.

 

As far as I know, there is no good SD-to-tape emulation system that would allow TAP format files to be loaded on real hardware

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Hmmm? Most? Nah... of the 2,200 odd entries in the upcoming release, there are over 1,400 individual game images, and just over 700 TAPs (some of which overlap). So roughly 2/3 of the entries in the database can be transferred and played on an SD to IEC solution.

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Wow! How did they program it without sprites?

I think that's what I like the most about the Vic-20.

Yeah, the C64 had some great games, but it had some great (for the time) hardware...

But the Vic-20?? They got some incredible games on that system, and considering it's limitations... "Wow" is correct.

 

:-)

 

Enjoy!

 

desiv

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I was playing Moon Patrol on my VIC-20 last night after fiddling with the fussy RF box again. I like the VIC-20 version of he game and the music that plays on it. Music actually sounds a bit like some later NES games I have played!

If you like to tinker, it is pretty easy to make a composite cable out of the VIC RF box. If you pry the cover off the RF box (the one with the channel 3/4 switch, you'll see they even labeled the wires (on the little circuit board. Just cut them off the board, then solder them to a couple of RCA connectors. If I recall, there is one wire you don't need.

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If I recall, there is one wire you don't need.

That would be pin 1, which is the voltage for the RF modulator. Be careful with that one and don't leave it lying around. ;-)

If you have any heat shrink tubing, clip the wire clean and use the heat shrink on it to keep it from touching anything else.

 

You'll be MUCH happier with composite than RF.

 

If you really hate soldering, you can just clip the wires as mentioned above and cut an RCA cable and twist them together. Then tape em up.

It's ugly and soldering is much better, but I've done that before (back when I didn't have an iron) and it worked.

 

Still, be careful with that pin 1 wire tho.. You don't want to put voltage INTO your video or audio IN on your TV.

 

desiv

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Well, I bought the multi-cart. Fast shipping! And it is a lot of fun. I'm most surprised at Demon Attack. It is better than the 2600 original! Wow! How did they program it without sprites?

 

Some of the earlier games were pretty impressive like Gorf, and Radar Rat Race. I swear I remember reading that the later titles acctually had sprites that were programmed on the game side with extra hardware in the game carts rather it was rumor or truth who knows.

 

I played on the Mega Cart at a nother collectors house it is pretty impressive to say the least. worth the year wait imo. I might just go a head and get one as finding carts around the Seattle Area is damn near impossible anymore.

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Some of the earlier games were pretty impressive like Gorf, and Radar Rat Race. I swear I remember reading that the later titles acctually had sprites that were programmed on the game side with extra hardware in the game carts rather it was rumor or truth who knows.

Just rumor.

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