Trying to identify a clone

[TOLiS]

Hello everybody, my name is Tolis and I'm from Greece.

 

A few days ago I found a broken board while cleaning some old boxes. It seemed like a board from an old game console so I tried searching for information.

 

From what I understand it's an Atari 2600 clone with 2 rom chips. The board is broken and some parts are missing, but I'm willing to salvage the chips and make a new board to test the thing. However I don't know what I'm missing from the board apart from switches and the controllers connections.

 

The ICs on the board are

 

- UM6599
- R7-T003 128-D01

- unmarked chip with a "32" on (rom size?)
- CD74HC04E
- CD4077BE
- HD74LS08P
- MC14020BCP

 

and the little text that's left on the underside of the pcb says

 

PAPE
0-6599

 

I know it may just be a piece of garbage, but I'd like to try and "fix" it.

 

So, if anyone has any idea / schematic I'll be glad!!

 

Thanks

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Wow, that one looks really broken. Are you sure it is worth restoring?

[TOLiS]

Well.. It's worth some time, but not much, that's why I'm trying to find any information I can

 

If I get it right, the 2 chips under the cartridge are ROM chips, and I guess the other smaller chips are used to control the memory banks. So maybe I could build something like this

 

http://dabliogames.blogspot.com.br/2011/09/atari-mm-o-menor-atari-do-mundo-e.html

 

to see if the main IC is working. Still I have to find what's missing from the board though ..

 

 

Edited January 30, 2014 by TOLiS

[simbalion]

That looks like it could be the remails of a Coleco Gemini board. I have a complete junker board stashed in a box of controllers. I'll have to take a look at it later today.

[TOLiS]

Unfortunately a google search for the Coleco Gemini board reveals really different boards . Nonetheless please have a look when you can

[ChaoticBiker]

Hey, 

Here we are, 7 years on and I seem to have the exact board you had there. 

It's a 'VIDEO GAME SYSTEM' Atari 2600 clone. 

Mine I had sine early 90's and is still working. It has plenty of built in games, a whole load of them and all the hits seem to be there, and surprisingly no copyrights or trademarks appear to have been removed. 

Here's some pictures for archiving purposes and future generations. 

Edited March 1, 2021 by ChaoticBiker

[TOLiS]

!!! It's been that long!!! I recently moved but that board is still on my workbench collecting dust and waiting something to be done with it!

Your photos are awesome though! I made a small (3.5" display) arcade cabinet lately with an rpi etc, and now I want (-> I NEED) to build

something with these ICs!! Thank you very much!!!

[+Al_Nafuur]

1 hour ago, TOLiS said:

!!! It's been that long!!! I recently moved but that board is still on my workbench collecting dust and waiting something to be done with it!

Your photos are awesome though! I made a small (3.5" display) arcade cabinet lately with an rpi etc, and now I want (-> I NEED) to build

something with these ICs!! Thank you very much!!!

you might have a look at this thread:

 

 

 

[ChaoticBiker]

hey @TOLiSI did not expect you to notice my response so quickly :)
Glad my post and pictures helped.

 Just wanted to clarify, this board is absolutely unlike a 2600 / VCS board. It does emulate one and does it surprisingly well. The joysticks were an extremely poor imitation of Atari originals. Maybe a bit similar to late production 2600 models but at the same time very different in many aspects. I do have an Atari VCS (the woody one) as well and there are some significant differences noticeable right off the bat. First of the joysticks - the VCS ones work to this day. The clone ones failed long long years ago. I am using python 1 joysticks with it now, which I had since the 90's and they do a good enough job.
Secondly, the quality of plastic - not noticeable on it's own, but take the two together and the difference is obvious.
Thirdly, weight. VCS is noticeably heavier - I've actually put them on a scale and the clone weights 955grams, while the genuine VCS in my case weights in at 1560grams.
lastly, games. For the VCS, I have a few genuine games. The clone... has a lot built in. All the hitters are there. It's a bit painful to switch through the games using the game search switch.
It just occured to me, I have never tried putting any of the cartridge games in its slot...just because there never was a need for it.

Feel free to contact me should you need any more details about this board or any components on it :)
 

[+x=usr(1536)]

On 1/30/2014 at 9:00 AM, TOLiS said:

- unmarked chip with a "32" on (rom size?)

 

17 minutes ago, ChaoticBiker said:

For the VCS, I have a few genuine games. The clone... has a lot built in.

 

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the EPROM down at the bottom with '32' written on it may be a copy of Atari's 32-in-1 cartridge.  If not an exact copy, it may be something similar but with different games.

 

@ChaoticBiker: I realise it's a pain to cycle through the games, but if you have a few minutes would you mind counting how many are built-in?

[TOLiS]

@ChaoticBiker to be honest it's been so long - I've actually changed countries twice since then - I'd forgoten I've already searched about that board etc.

 

I was thinking to make a small board to check if the ICs work or not etc, and make something "retro" as a piece of desktop ornament etc. Your photos will definetely help more than a lot! I'd like to make a proper schematic diagram so I might need a better look at the passive components on the board, but it's less than a month since I moved ~500km away, and with all this covid thing going on I dont see visiting my basement soon

 

I'd love to make something looking like an old TV - in similar scale to the desktop arcade I made, and have that atari clone in (=

 

@x=usr(1536) I really have no idea.. actually I've never had an Atari .. I was mostly an Amstrad kid .. if/when I manage to build something I'll probably isolate the roms - or maybe do some research and use a "cartridge" with an sd etc.

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by TOLiS
add another answer

[ChaoticBiker]

A wee update, sorry it's taking so long I seem to be struggling to get an exact count of how many games are built in on the clone... the listing certainly doesn't match the 32-in-1 cartridge and there's way more than 32 games - in fact it's way over 100. Had a google around and I suspect it might be the 224-in-1, which would make sense with the amount of games the system appears to be going through.
The games do not have names displayed which makes it even harder as unless you know your Atari catalogue and can name a game just by looking at - I can't so won't be able to list them all without spending much time researching quite a few of them.

[ChaoticBiker]

It's been a while, but hey ho, while the situation around the world relaxed, I've took the car and traveled a wee distance (1200 miles one way) to visit my parents.
The mission was not only to finally see them in person after years apart, but also to collect whatever remained of my collection back there.
And lo and behold, I found the actual box for this Atari clone
seems it says 208 games on it.

[TOLiS]

wow! never expected to find so much about this no-name thing!!! while I'm strill trying to "better" my own situation I started organizing my workshop-far-from-home lately.. I think I may work on the remnants of that system in the winter!