**SOLD** MODDED Telegames Personal Arcade / Bit-Corp Dina 2-in-1

[doubledown]

What's up all, long time no type with.  The other day I was looking for my Sega Master System to test out some games I was having issues with and I went through no less than 50 larges boxes of video game items looking for it (found it luckily).  So I've really decided I need to thin out the collection.  I've got way too much stuff just sitting in boxes that I haven't touched or even looked at in 8 or 10 years and it takes up a lot of space.  Most of you know I was big into the ColecoVision and have lots of consoles, peripherals, games (including rare homebrews), and even a portable handheld ColecoVision custom made just for me.  That being said I would really like to offer items up here to my collector friends versus going to ebay, but we'll see how things work out I guess.  I'm going to start with the ColecoVision items as that's what takes up the most space (3 Adams equal a lot of room) so it's going to take me a little time to round up all of the boxes I have ColecoVision items in, and get some sort of catalog list and photos up here, so please be patient.  

 

With all that said the first box staring me in the face tonight was my Telegames Personal Arcade (Bit-Corp Dina 2-in-1).  For those who don't know these consoles were clones made by Bit Corp in Taiwan, then licensed and sold by Telegames as the Personal Arcade here in the U.S.  Uniquely this console can play ColecoVision and Sega SG-1000 games.  ColecoVision games work, with limitations regarding the controllers.  Actual Coleco controllers won't work as the ICs which decoded the inputs from the controllers don't exist in this clone.  The 2 included controllers are 2-button, D-pad, Famicom style controllers and a single keypad is built into the console.  So simple pre-game menu selections are fine, but keypad intensive games are tough unless close to console, and only as player 1.  Additionally expansion modules like the Roller Controller, and Driving Expansion won't work either.  The box advertises working with more than 100 ColecoVision games, so just understand the controller limitations.  Additionally the 2nd cartridge slot will accept/play Japanese Sega SG-1000 cartridges, and with the Card Catcher (not included) Sega SG-1000 My Card games.  The console has a built-in pause button mimicking that of the SG-1000 console.  When 2 cartridges are installed, the SG-1000 cartridge wins out due to a microswitch in that slot.  The game, Meteoric Shower is built into the BIOS and plays as the built-in game when no cartridge is inserted into either slot.  

 

I bought this console new 12 or 14 years ago and modded it, as I like to do.  I played with it for a while mostly for the SG-1000 games as I never had an SG-1000 previously, and it's been stored probably for the last 10 years.  The only native audio/video output from this console is RF on VHF channel 13, which can be problematic here in the U.S.  I've modded this console with Composite Video with Dual Mono Audio outputs, which greatly improves the picture and sound quality as you can imagine.  Additionally from things I've read these consoles are "cheaply" made and prone to problems dying.  The consensus is, that this is caused due to overheating, as the VDP (TMS9918) is supposed to be heat-sinked and Bit Corp did not do this.  So I heat-sinked the VDP and Video RAM chips to help prevent this problem.  I've never had an issue with the console, and it fired right up when I tested it tonight.  

 

As you can see the console is complete with box and insert tray, console, controllers I & II, original power supply, RF switch box and RF cable.  The box isn't perfect, as you can see from the pictures, but pretty darn good considering it's age.  If you need one, I can throw in a set of A/V cables for the Composite Video / Dual Mono Audio outputs.  I will say that the original controllers work, but are not amazing, partly because their cables (which are pretty stiff) come out of the sides of the controllers (like the original Famicom), are a little small, and the D-Pads are a bit stiff, remember cheap clone system here.  If interested I'd be willing to work something out to mod a pair of NES controllers (or similar) as a more comfortable, cosmetically matching option.  I'm sure I've got more than a few around here somewhere in one of these boxes.  One note, the console casing was made to "store" the controllers on each side of the console (like the Famicom and SG-1000 II).  With the new A/V outputs on the left side of the console, Controller I cannot be stored in this fashion.  There really wasn't any other clean location to put these A/V jacks so I accepted the sacrifice.  

 

So I have no idea of the current market value of this console.  A "new" (un-modded and practically unusable as such) console sold last week on ebay for $449.99.  I'll accept offers if anybody is interested, if not I'll probably end up listing it elsewhere to move it on down the road.  Let me know if you're interested, or have any questions.

 

*Note* In response to a couple messages I've received, I'm not saying I need $450 for this console, that was just one I saw that sold on ebay recently.  My initial instinct was something in the $250 range, but as I've been out of the active vintage collecting world for a while I didn't know if the values of these had really surged.  Like I said, if you're interested PM me an offer.

Edited July 16, 2019 by doubledown
Offer info note added