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Ivory Tower Collections - Tech, Game and More Videos!


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1 hour ago, sramirez2008 said:

Great video! Their mini-cabs are amazing. Boy am I glad I didn't walk over to their section at PRGE. This would have been a budget buster.

As I stated in my video description, I've known about them for a while but hadn't pulled the trigger on any of their products. That changed once I went hands on with them at PRGE. I know they were selling the Tempest and I think the SFII cabs at the show. I don't think any of the others they were displaying were for sale as they have sold out as I recall? I know the Centipede one was a sold out unit. And the Missile Command cockpit version they were showing off was incredibly cool, but not very practical to play since you literally look through the back window of the cab and play it by having to place your hands through the side openings of the cabinet. Again, very cool concept and very detailed, but I couldn't imagine wanting to play Missile Command like that for very long. Thanks for watching btw!

 

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5 minutes ago, sramirez2008 said:

I see Asteroids is coming soon. This is my favorite game. I’ll be interested in this one, but it may be difficult to play (5 buttons) at this scale. Guess we’ll see. ?
 

yeah, I'm not too sure about that either. I'm sure you saw from the website and have a pretty big idea on which one I'm likely to get next LOL! They had the prototype for my next purchase at the show and it totally blew me away. It has some stutter and pausing/delay issues but they plan to get that ironed out before the final release. But they really are getting crazy detailed with them. The SFII one even has a second control panel controller hiding inside it so that you can play two players on the thing! I'm not really into fighting style games which, is why I haven't and don't plan to pick that one up. Still the fact they included that so you could play it two player is really cool!

 

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Yeah, they show the SFII with the extra controllers on their site. Looks cool, but I'm also not into those games.

55 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

I'm sure you saw from the website and have a pretty big idea on which one I'm likely to get next LOL!

I know exactly which prototype your referring to and can't wait to see it in action. That game blew our minds when it first reached the arcades.

 

I guess If I decide to get one or two of these, I would go with Centipede and Tempest. I was speaking with someone (at PRGE) that owns Centipede and he only had good things to say about it.  Glad to know that their building quality into these 'toys'.  

 

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  • 1 month later...

In ITC#64 I talk about a common issue that plagues many Sega Saturn gamers today. That issue is none other than the gave save juggling required between external game save carts and the Saturn when the internal coin cell battery goes dead. Sure you can change the battery, but aside from Dreamcast VMUs, the Saturn has to be one of the most hungry 2032 battery eaters that exists. In this video I show you that this can be remedied by removing the old battery backed sram memory chip that the games save are stored onto, with the use of a non-volatile ferroelectric or FRAM memory chip instead. This mod doesn't take long to do, but as the chip is semi small and an SMD device, this isn't something I'd advise for beginners. Still an inexpensive and very worthy/needed upgrade to the Sega Saturn. Enjoy and thank you in advance for watching!

 

 

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  • 2 months later...

I do things a bit different and more technical in ITC#65, out first video for the new year. In this one, instead of detailing the DIY steps for a particular mod or upgrade, I instead go through the steps used in fixing a damaged audio circuit on an Atari 5200 using the board layout diagram to identify where components are located in addition to the schematic of the audio section to help isolate broken traces that need repaired. The repair itself didn't require too much but I thought I would detail the process for others to see some of what is required in troubleshooting and repairing classic consoles like these. You also get a look at my entire work space which, until now has never been shown due to how messy it usually is! LOL! As always, thank you for watching!I do things a bit different and more technical in ITC#65, out first video for the new year. In this one, instead of detailing the DIY steps for a particular mod or upgrade, I instead go through the steps used in fixing a damaged audio circuit on an Atari 5200 using the board layout diagram to identify where components are located in addition to the schematic of the audio section to help isolate broken traces that need repaired. The repair itself didn't require too much but I thought I would detail the process for others to see some of what is required in troubleshooting and repairing classic consoles like these. You also get a look at my entire work space which, until now has never been shown due to how messy it usually is! LOL! As always, thank you for watching!

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

ITC#66 is up and is more of an updated video to one I did previously regarding the UAV installation into an Atari 5200. This video is more clear on the process I go through in using the kit version of the UAV and how I build up the UAV for use in the 5200 systems. Although I use the method of installing the 4050 ontop of the UAV again in this video, I've also found it is just as easy to solder the socket to the top of the 4050 (Assuming your 4050 is soldered to the main board as my last few have been) as soldering the 4050 ontop of the UAV. But either method works great. I also have a link in the video description for my PDF guide on this process to help those DIY types like myself on the process for a successful video upgrade using the UAV! Enjoy!

 

 

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In ITC#67 I once again focus on the beautiful Atari 5200. This time I go over the process to installing the RF power bypass kit from console5 into the 4-port 5200. This is a mod that is pretty much required and really is more of an upgrade. This is also one of the easier modifications to be done on a classic console. Still there has been confusion on where some components might need to be installed etc and that is all shown and discussed in this video. I hope this is helpful to those looking to do this modification themselves on their 4-port units that need it and I thank you for your time in watching!

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

ITC# 68 is public as of this morning. I'm very late getting a video out since the last one and this one features yet again the "Big Sexy" 5200. But I think the 5200 is a great console with a lot of good games for it and it is an oft misunderstood system. In this video I go through the troubleshooting I used to find out why my top fire buttons weren't working on a controller that seems to actually be fine from using a simple controller self test for the fire buttons. This might be a boring video to most since I break out the old BK 1474 scope on this one to look at some quick readings to help isolate the issue. But I had a lot of fun making this video and hope it can show you that it isn't always the controller to blame if something isn't working right with it. It could very well be that your 5200 itself isn't behaving properly. Enjoy!

 

 

 

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  • 3 months later...

ITC# 69 is now finally edited and published for the masses. It has been WAY too long since I released a real video on my channel and the truth is that I've just been busy with other projects both in my real life and in our hobby. In addition, there just hadn't been that much I've had come in to be worked on that I didn't already cover in some aspect on my channel. That finally changed with a Colecovision sent in recently that will be undergoing some services and finally gave me an excuse to create another set of videos featuring the Colecovision on my channel. This first video is a simple one regarding Capacitor replacement. While replacing capacitors isn't anything new that I've shown, there are some tricks to be had on the CV in regards to how to disassemble and teardown the CV plus the caps hiding within the RF modulator that might get missed by those unfamiliar with the Colecovision. Enjoy!

 

 

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ITC# 70 is now available for viewing. What?! Two videos in the same month?! Well, this one was meant to originally be done as one of my shorts, but during editing I quickly realized that it would end up being a much longer video and decided to add it to my ITC main video series. So do please forgive the horrid camera work with this one as I was using my cell phone for all of this footage and audio. The issue in this video was interesting because initially I didn't know there was a problem with the system or else I wouldn't have bothered to have already installed a UAV etc into it until I had that corrected. This was because all other games I had tested with it, worked fine and didn't exhibit any graphic issues or lockups. It wasn't until another AA forum member posted about flickering issues on an early revision 7800 specifically with Ballblazer and Pole Position II that I decided to check out those two games. I'm glad I did as this issue could very well have escaped me since again, it wasn't manifesting on any other games I tried on this system. This video also shows you the importance of schematics (Up to date ones), that still play a needed role in helping to troubleshoot and diagnose issues today. Enjoy and thank you for watching!

 

 

 

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ITC# 71 was released this morning and once again focuses on the Colecovision. This time I show you the process I use to install one of the common composite upgrades into a Colecovision console. There are several kits available through online resources, ebay..etc. But from what I've seen, they all seem to use the same circuit design for amplifying the composite video within the RF modulator and use essentially the same installation instructions. As I like to keep wiring simple I do show you some alternate points that I use in this video for attaching to the composite video board but like all things in my videos, the DIY types can find other places to mount the board and locations from which to attach the wires for voltage, ground, etc. I also have a card in this video that pops up taking you to a specific ITC short on how to disassemble the Colecovision. I extracted it from a previous video I released on the Colecivision. There will be at least one more tech related video to be released within the next few weeks on the Colecovision so if you find these interesting, be sure to look out for that one in the coming future. Thank for watching and enjoy!

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

ITC# 72 has been made public as of this morning and features the Colecovision once again. This time I go through the complete process to install one of the new TMS-RGB boards on the Colecovision using a Megadrive/Genesis 2 AV out 9-pin connector. The connector allows me to also connect up composite video in addition to the RGB and make for only a single AV out being needed that a wide range of AV cables can be used with. There is some modification required on the TMS-RGB board when using it with a 9-pin mini din like this and all of that is detailed in the video. I also show the process I used for attaching the 9-pin connector and how I mark on the case where the output hole needs to be made in a very easy manner. As some SMD components are involved, this video is for those more comfortable with a soldering iron with some level of experience. However, while I don't state this in the video, you can in fact leave the TMS-RGB alone as it comes from Mobius and it will still work but the overall image on RGB will be a little darker than you see at the end of this video. Thank you for watching and enjoy!

 

 

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  • 3 months later...

Finally, I've made a new video for the new year! ITC# 73 went live this morning and focuses on the newly released Dragonfly flash/expansion cartridge for the 7800. As I'm sure most of you are aware in these forums, the 7800 has been sorely in need of a flash cartridge device for some time and especially with the recent home brew developments, such a cartridge has been needed more than ever. Designed from Rafat Jankowski who also brought us the incredible AgaCart for the Lynx I show you the amazing abilities of the Dragonfly cartridge for the Atari 7800! Thanks for watching and happy new year!

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

The Atari 5200 controllers tend to get a lot of flak for being one of the worst designed controllers to exist. Some of this might be justified, but one thing that the controllers are sometimes blamed for, isn't an issue with the controllers but simply an issue with a needed adjustment within your 5200 itself. Specifically, with age and corrosion, the trimmer potentiometer that controls the pokey controller port readings will drift. This can cause issues with some games that are more sensitive to the controller port readings than other games. In ITC#74 I go over the process I use to properly adjust the pokey readings from a 5200 console. I basically use the factory service original method using a 4-port loopback test board to provide static readings to make the adjustment easier. But I also show how a good working controller itself can be used to get basically "close enough" for most games. This is a video I've been meaning to do for sometime and I hope it is useful for enthusiasts of the 5200. Thank you for you watching as I appreciate it!

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Ever wanted better video output from your Intellivision console? Maybe? There are few options for video upgrades on the Intellivision with pretty much only composite solutions openly available to the masses. However, all of the various composite kits have their plus and minus. Some over saturate some of the colors and they look wrong, others aren't totally compatible with all TVs etc. There was an RGB output solution a few years back but it too had some compatibility issues with different scalers and converters and isn't commonly available. Today's video, ITC#75 takes a look at more recent option for the Intellivision that provides us with YUV or component video output using a dual purpose RGB/YUV board designed by AtariAge member 'The_Crayon_King'. His RGB board solution is a nice small PCB that makes installation quite versatile. While the RGB output of Crayon's board still gave me compatibility issues, the YUV output from this earlier design board of his has worked quite well for me. I go over the details of the board and go over the complete installation process of installing one Crayon's boards into an Intellivision model 2 console using the YUV output. The_Crayon_King has already developed a newer version of this board that provides much improved RGB compatibility with devices like the Framemeister and OSSC. However, the new board still features YUV output and the design of the newer board is close to this older one with pretty much the exact same install process being needed. 

 

Thank you for watching and I hope this helps others looking to install one of these older kits or one of his newer ones when they are available.

 

 

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  • 2 months later...

This year has been a good one for Intellivision fans looking for better video output options. ITC#76 is now public and features the installation process for installing another RGB output solution designed by AtariAge member @YannAros! This board installs in a very similar manner to @the_crayon_king's board solution but is an RGB output only solution. This latest video is more detailed than my previous ones as I go through the entire disassembly process on the model 1 Intellivision systems, including how I remove the RF shielding. I use a 9-pin mini din output in this video for the RGB out, but any RGB output connection can be used and is at the discretion of the installer.

 

In addition to the video, I've also put together an installation guide that follows the same format as others I've done in the past. It mainly focuses on the installation of the RGB board itself and does not go into details on the output RGB jack or connections since again that can through any number of methods. The only caveat on this particular current version of the RGB board is that the input and output vias are not labeled on the boards, so attention to the diagrams I've created in the video and in the installation doc are very important. I've addressed this with @YannAros and made suggestions on labels to use.

 

Send me a PM if you would like more information regarding possible installation services for this board or possibly in getting one for yourself to install and thank you!

 

 

 

 

Yannick_RGB_Installation_INTV1.pdf

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  • 2 months later...

ITC#77 released this morning and focuses not on anything technical this time, but checking out and playing a new game released for the Atari 8-bit computers. This is the first video I've done that involved the 8-bit Atari computer line and I hope this is a good one to start.

 

Attack of the Petscii robots was designed and programmed by David Murray, better known at The8-bitguy from his YouTube channel. David has released other games over the past few years but mostly for the Commodore computer systems. 'Petscii Robots' I believe is his first release for the Atari 8-bit line and I hope it is a trend that continues. The game is quite fun and much more challenging than initial impression might have you believe. Many of the other maps or levels you can play on are very clever in their design and variety.

 

In this video, I go through the contents of what you receive in a physical purchase of the game and show some game play with commentary explaining how the game is played. I then include direct capture footage from my 130xe without commentary to better see and hear what the game sounds like. If the game looks interesting to you, I would encourage you to think about purchasing a version of it to play as it not only helps David of course, but might entice him to create more games for the Atari community. There are talks of other ports in the works including for the 5200! That really needs to happen and I think the game would be a great fit on the 5200.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

In preperation for the (I hope soon) release,  I've gone ahead and released ITC#78 this morning on the process to installing the new BIOS upgrade for the 7800. This one in the video specifically is for the new BIOS developed by Mike Saarna and Bob DeCrescenzo. However, it is the same process for any custom or modified BIOS that you might wish to use in your 7800. Do note that this video was made a few months ago and that the sticker shown on the chip in this video is not the final sticker label that will be used.

 

Here is quick list of some of the features of this new BIOS:

- Allows for both NTSC and PAL 7800 games to be played (Note that many PAL games still won't play properly on NTSC 7800 consoles)

- Improved homebrew compatibility on PAL 7800 consoles

- New logo graphic startup screen (Can be bypassed by holding PAUSE while powering on the system)

- Features 'Kiloparsec' a new built in game designed and programmed by Bob DeCrescenzo!

 

Hopefully these will be available for sale in the very near future as I believe all of the parts required are done and approved and just need to be printed and packaged up.

 

 

Kiloparsec_BIOS_Installation_7800.pdf

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned my ITC Shorts playlist videos here. My shorts are not that short, but are shorter than most of my other videos. They basically cover some simple tech tips and troubleshooting that I've encountered or discovered over the years.

 

In my latest ITC Shorts#16, I go over the process to installing one of my 7800 Chroma fix boards. Originally discovered and designed by @marauder666, and @juansolo, I designed a simple PCB to have made up and allow for easy installation into new or existing UAV installs. The Chroma fix is a simple and therefore elegant solution that helps correct for some of the color skewing and bleed that can occur with the stark contrasting colors in 7800 games. The results were immediate to my eyes on my personal 7800 and have provided good results in the 7800s I've installed it into. That said, the amount of 'fix' this does will vary from console to console so it might not make much of a difference to some on their consoles. But one thing for sure, is that it doesn't hurt it to add it in!

 

I have a few of the throughhole versions available now like you see in the video available for installation and have a batch of SMD versions that are even smaller on the way. Those SMD versions will likely be available to purchase online through some of the more well known retro gaming DIY mod parts and shops.

 

 

 

BTW for any that might be curious, here is a sneak peak of the v2 SMD version of the board.

 

ChromaFix_V2_top.thumb.jpg.da1976c0609cc76cc2f18b0ff0c7688c.jpg

 

To give you an idea on the scale of how small this SMD board is, the chip you see only measures about 5x4.5mm in size. It is designed for more flexible installation where it can literally be placed just about anywhere inside the console.

 

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On 11/11/2021 at 8:46 AM, adamchevy said:

Just a curious thought.  Is this 7800 bios available to purchase as a Bios file?  I was thinking about trying this on the NT Mini Noir.  I wonder if it would work in FPGA?

The new BIOS will only be offered as a kit. That is by the request of the developers @PacManPlus and @RevEng. I'm sure one the kits are available for everyone to buy in the AA store, that it will likely be dumped... but for now the BIOS file is not available separately.

 

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  • 1 month later...

Happy New Year everyone! ITC# 79 was released this morning and is hopefully interesting and useful for those looking to possibly install a UAV into a Sears Video Arcade II and/or Jpn 2800 consoles. Internally they are very similar to the 4 switch design, at least in the main logic area. I go over the process of how I found the points to attach to, go through the process of replacing the voltage regulator with a higher output variant, and show you what happens when you leave the 820Ω resistor in place that is likely found attached on pins 6 & 9 of the TIA on the bottom of the PCB and why it needs to be removed in some cases. As always, thank you for watching and let's all work together and look towards a wonderful 2022!
 

 

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