Entex Adventure Vision multicart idea

[+5-11under]

I'd like to make a multicart for the Entex Adventure Vision.

 

This would include the 4 original games, at least one hack (if permission granted), the Code Red demo (if permission granted), and anything else available (perhaps in the least a few more hacks could be made). I'd make the cartridge "field-upgradeable" in case more games/demos become available in the future.

 

However, I don't have an Adventure Vision console. So...

 

If anyone from Canada or USA has a console with at least one cartridge available to borrow/rent for a couple of months (or one to buy for "reasonable" price), please send me a PM anytime, and hopefully we can work something out. Overall condition for the borrow/rent/buy console doesn't matter too much, as long as the unit powers on and I'm able to tell that the games are working.

I'd likely sell the multicart "loose", but would consider a box and/or instructions, too, so if someone has scans of the instructions for all the games and for one of the boxes, that might be useful. First priority is the console, though.

[Bill Loguidice]

Is there enough of a population of Adventure Vision users to make this viable? Realistically, how many own a working unit? Maybe a dozen people or so? More?

 

What would be really cool is for someone to recreate the platform somehow using this as the display: http://www.crayola.com/splash/product/digital-light-designer.aspxThat was a gift for one of one my daughters a year or so back and I'm pretty sure it uses very similar technology, just with multiple colors.

[carlsson]

The suggestion about a replica system was proposed by CatPix already in 2014. I suppose a multicart is the same as a homebrew with some mechanism to select game. Still, I have a feeling those who got one keep it in its original packaging if possible, and not really uses it to play on.

[+5-11under]

Is there enough of a population of Adventure Vision users to make this viable? Realistically, how many own a working unit? Maybe a dozen people or so? More?

 

I'm drawn to the obscure.

 

I haven't worked out all the numbers, but I figure if I could borrow a console, my overall shipping+insurance costs back and forth would be about $100 or so. Design would be only time. When the design is complete, I'd get a better idea on quantities, and purchase boards and electronic parts and perhaps some form of case (depends on final design). Besides the shipping cost already mentioned (and a few spare boards which aren't too expensive), there wouldn't be too many costs that would need to be spread across and shared by all the customers - most of the costs would be on a per-unit basis... so it doesn't take too much to make the product viable. I'm ready to take the risk on the $100 or so shipping both ways (plus some additional compensation if required), and there's not much risk/cost beyond that, until product is ready to be made.

[+5-11under]

I'm interested in recreating the console, but that's lower down the priority list for me (maybe when I retire someday), and I'd pretty much need to own a console at that point.

[Bill Loguidice]

I'm interested in recreating the console, but that's lower down the priority list for me (maybe when I retire someday), and I'd pretty much need to own a console at that point.

 

I hope I'm not coming across as argumentative in any way (and I personally love "just because" projects), but this is a particularly strange one for me. Without more than a (literal) handful of working systems in the wild, why is there a need for a multi-cart? You yourself don't even have a system (and I sure as heck don't, even though I have just about everything else), so I'm curious your motivation here. It seems your obvious talents could be put to better use elsewhere, no?

[GroovyBee]

I'd like to make a multicart for the Entex Adventure Vision.

Given the limited number of working units out in retro land, a better project might be to recreate the main PCB and use an ARM chip to capture the 40 bit level output and apply a Gaussian filter (to approximate the low pass filter effect caused by the mirror) before outputting the results onto a colour LCD. If you wanted to do away with the legacy 8048 CPU, just choose an ARM part that run the emulation core. If the new design was made to fit into one of the old Coleco tabletop chassis, then by using suitable decals you could recreate the Entex Adventure experience. Fans would not need to play on their fragile/flaky original hardware and you'd open up a a bigger market for the project.

[+5-11under]

I hope I'm not coming across as argumentative in any way (and I personally love "just because" projects), but this is a particularly strange one for me. Without more than a (literal) handful of working systems in the wild, why is there a need for a multi-cart? You yourself don't even have a system (and I sure as heck don't, even though I have just about everything else), so I'm curious your motivation here. It seems your obvious talents could be put to better use elsewhere, no?

 

No worries. A couple of motivations...

 

If I had an Adventure Vision (and I wish I did), I'd want to play or at least try all of the games (without spending extra cash). I'm sure there are people who have the console, but not all the cartridges. Every console needs a multicart.

 

This is just a small project that I'd like to do sometime. It would likely just be about 4 evenings of light work to figure out what the cartridge would look like (it's a bit odd and very different than most consoles), probably breadboard a prototype to make sure it works well (physically and electronically), design a board for it that works well with the system, and a couple of weeks later assemble the boards and test the results.

[+5-11under]

Given the limited number of working units out in retro land, a better project might be to recreate the main PCB and use an ARM chip to capture the 40 bit level output and apply a Gaussian filter (to approximate the low pass filter effect caused by the mirror) before outputting the results onto a colour LCD. If you wanted to do away with the legacy 8048 CPU, just choose an ARM part that run the emulation core. If the new design was made to fit into one of the old Coleco tabletop chassis, then by using suitable decals you could recreate the Entex Adventure experience. Fans would not need to play on their fragile/flaky original hardware and you'd open up a a bigger market for the project.

 

Better maybe, but for me that would be a much much larger project. Also, Mess can emulate the Adventure Vision (I haven't tried it, though). If I were to build one, I'd make it mechanical, most likely (in retirement, many years from now).

[Zap!]

As one of the few and proud Adventurevision owners, I would buy this in a second if and when it comes out. I'd be very interested in homebrews as well.

[glazball]

5-11 I cherish your Arcadia multicart, but I admit I'm scratching my head at this one also. I thought the Arcadia multicart was a hard sell, but this would be impossible.

 

However, kudos to you for making it if you do!

[carlsson]

For what it is worth, this list got 20 names of people who once owned an Adventurevision since 1999. Not neccessarily everyone still own it, and not all may be fully working. Furthermore, there may be owners not on the list.

http://www.adventurevision.com/ownerspride.html

 

Oddly I don't see any links or mention of the demo produced the other year, being the first and possibly only homebrew so far.

Edited October 4, 2016 by carlsson

[Zap!]

For what it is worth, this list got 20 names of people who once owned an Adventurevision since 1999. Not neccessarily everyone still own it, and not all may be fully working. Furthermore, there may be owners not on the list.

http://www.adventurevision.com/ownerspride.html

 

Oddly I don't see any links or mention of the demo produced the other year, being the first and possibly only homebrew so far.

I've been meaning to take one for the past couple of years. I talk to the owner of that site occasionally, so I have to send one into him.

[gliptitude]

There were simultaneously 3 Adventure Visions on ebay a few days ago, more than I have ever seen. I noticed this because I searched for them after a new member on the other forums I go to showed up with questions about tinkering with the Adventure Vision collecting dust on his shelf. .. So that's four new-to-me Adventure Visions in less than seven days!

 

The guy from the other forums could probably use this multicart since he has no games to test his unit with. .. But he also seemed fit to devise his own individual game carts and I think he is in the process of doing that.

 

I'm interested in recreating the console.

That seems more reasonable than trying to acquire one. If you were willing to build it with a full rectangular flat array of LED's, rather than the mechanical mirror display, and to use a modern micro processor, more modern removeable media, it would be a more reliable machine and Adventure Vision functionality could just be a small part of it. Besides less flicker and potentially new and faster game programs, I am imagining a system for using overlays to matte the bulbs, like on the VFD games. .. There are Adventure Vision emulators so I assume the system is sufficiently documented. .. Perhaps there are purists who insist that there must be a spinning mirror. It's very intriguing but I've heard that it is kind of hard to look at, and of course prone to breaking. Just a plain non-mechanical LED display based console would be really neat in my opinion.