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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:43 am
by carlsson
The Atari 800XL, Comx-35 and BBC Master 128 arrived this past weekend. Unfortunately the 1050 drive came with a 110V power supply, so either I need to locate a spare 220V one (9VAC 31VA - sounds pretty much like a 9V VIC-20) or buy a step-down converter. The Comx came with a 9VDC adapter with Hong Kong plug, but I can use pretty much any 9VDC adapter for that. The Master 128 had a busted power supply, which I already knew about and had pre-ordered a spare one. It took me a while to figure out how to operate the disk drive, until I opened the case and found that the cable had come loose from its connector.
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 6:29 pm
by carlsson
And another computer hits my collection:
This is a vTech Laser 2001, a home computer from late 1983, early 1984 which is fully (?) compatible with the vTech CreatiVision video game. Some of its specs and features:
* 2 MHz 6502 + TMS-9928/29 + SND76489
* 32K RAM
* Two Atari compatible joystick ports
* Composite video + mono audio directly on RCA connectors
* Built-in RF modulator for those who fancy antenna input
* Tape interface for connecting standard tape recorder (600 baud)
* Possibily to expand with floppy drive, printer etc
* Power supply with standard voltages +5V/-5V/+12V
The TMS-9928/29 graphics chip outputs 256x192 pixels in 16 colours, 32 sprites and belongs to the same series of chips used in the TI-99/4A, MSX computers, ColecoVision, Sega Master System and so on. The 76489 has 3+1 sound channels and is also found in the IBM PCjr, ColecoVision, BBC Micro and so on.
Furthermore, there exists a very rare ColecoVision adapter and possibly (vaporware) even an Atari 2600 adapter (which probably is a complete Atari 2600 in compact form).
I've ordered the CreatiVision multicart with some 20 games which should arrive next week. The makers of this cart also had considered to make a VIC-20 multicart next year, but instead of reinventing the wheel I have hooked them up with the Mega-Cart people.
Hopefully one day I will at least be able to write some Basic programs for this computer, perhaps even figure out machine code although I'm unsure if there exists an emulator to debug on. Probably I could use a CreatiVision emulator and then make some adjustment to memory locations to make it a loadable binary program.
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 7:20 pm
by 6502dude
Nice machine!
I had not heard of CreatiVision before, but I do have an an XT computer from vTech.
carlsson wrote:I've ordered the CreatiVision multicart with some 20 games which should arrive next week. The makers of this cart also had considered to make a VIC-20 multicart next year, but instead of reinventing the wheel I have hooked them up with the Mega-Cart people.
Thanks!
Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 4:28 am
by carlsson
Yep, vTech made and still makes a lot of electronic gadgets: handheld games, toy computers, home computers etc. Today you mostly see them in toy stores (then again, weren't all those colour home computers more or less toys back in the 1980's?).
Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 6:07 am
by Zeela
Really nice machine there... Too bad the box was so tatty.
It seems to be a fun machine, especially the Atari 2600 extension. I like that sort of stuff.
// Z
Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 8:55 am
by ral-clan
Great computer. Never seen one around these parts.
I just LOVE the way computers looked in the 1980s! All so different. Sometimes colourful, sometimes not. All so cool! There were still no hard and fast rules about case design.
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:08 am
by carlsson
I forgot to mention that the Laser 2001 was sold in Finland as Salora Manager. Salora is a manufacturer of TVs and other home electronics, who sold a few different home computers under their own brand: Salora Fellow (B&W Z80) and Manager (this one). The case design is the same, but the colour scheme is a different one. Kind of like Sears would've had licensed a butterscotch VIC-20.
Re: My non-VIC collection
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:57 am
by carlsson
Here's an updated list. All machines are loose unless otherwise indicated. Currently I only have one of each.
Commodore
VIC-20 (boxed)
VIC-20CR (w/ C64C keyboard)
C64C (boxed)
C128 (boxed w/o polys)
C128D
CBM 610 256K
Amiga 1200/030 (boxed)
Acorn
Electron (only polys)
BBC Model B + 5.25" floppy
BBC Master Compact + 3.5" floppy
Atari
800XL + 1050 floppy
130XE
vTech
creatiVision (video game)
Laser 2001 (computer version)
Other
COMX-35 (new in box)
Philips VG-8235 (MSX2)
Sord M5 (boxed)
ZX Spectrum 48K
Mattel Intellivision (video game)
As you can see, I sold one BBC Model B + Master 128K and got another Model B instead. Frankly I have barely powered on most of these computers and games.
I also sold away one spare VIC-20 so now I'm down to two VICs again. For a short while I owned four or so.
I think once I have picked up a cheap and working Oric 1 or Atmos (loose is fine), I'm all set.
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 11:50 am
by nippur72
I used vTech computers for a long time, as I was part of a "computer boy" team in a computer school (formerly a typewriting school). Great old times. There was a nationwide paper magazine called "Laser" and we were the main contributors so we were very productive. We had lot of machines at our disposal.
The Laser 110 had 8K, Z80, nice basic but gum keyboard (ala spectrum) and ugly graphic resolution. Then Laser 210 and 310 arrived with more memory and better keyboard but with the same low resolution. It was the main theme of our computer rivalries because my vic20 was colorful and had lots of games. Also my "QuickShot I" joystick had no rivals when compared to the puny laser joysticks.
After some year the Laser500 was distribuited in the school; a very nice machine with advanced basic, 80 columns, full 16 colors bitmap in 160x200 with also disk drive. They had made it to compete with commodore 64, indeed it had the same bootup colors. But there was no chance because the Amiga 500 was already selling in the market.
my collection
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 2:26 pm
by bokvamme
Code: Select all
2 x Commodore Vic 20
10 x Commodore 64 / 64c
1 x Commodore 64g
1 x Commodore SX-64
3 x Commodore 16
1 x Commodore Plus/4
1 x Commodore 128
1 x Commodore 128D
1 x Commodore 128DCR
2 x Commodore Amiga 1000
8 x Commodore Amiga 500
1 x Commodore Amiga 2000
1 x Commodore 64gs
1 x Commodore Amiga 500+
2 x Commodore Amiga 600HD
2 x Commodore Amiga 1200
1 x Acorn Electron
1 x Acorn BBC Model B
1 x Acorn Archimedes R140 [x1]
2 x Amstrad CPC464
1 x Amstrad CPC6128
1 x Amstrad GX 4000
2 x Atari 2600
1 x Atari 130XE
2 x Atari XEGS / 65XE
2 x Atari 520ST / 520ST+ / 520STm / 520STFM
1 x Atari 7800
1 x Atari 1040STe
1 x Atari Jaguar
21 x Nintendo Game & Watch
3 x Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
1 x Nintendo Game Boy
1 x Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
1 x Nintendo 64
1 x Nintendo Game Boy Pocket
1 x Nintendo Game Boy Color
1 x Nintendo Game Boy Advance
1 x Nintendo GameCube
1 x Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP
1 x Nintendo DS Lite
1 x Nintendo Wii
1 x Philips Videopac G7000
1 x Philips Videopac G7000 (C52)
1 x Philips Videopac+ G7400
1 x Philips MSX VG-8020/40
1 x Sega Master System
1 x Sega Master System II
1 x Sega Mega-CD II
2 x Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
1 x Sega Game Gear
1 x Sega Mega Drive II / Genesis II
1 x Sega Saturn
2 x Sharp MZ 721
1 x Sharp MZ 731
1 x Sharp MZ 821
2 x Sinclair ZX81
7 x Sinclair ZX Spectrum
1 x Sinclair QL
3 x Sinclair Spectrum+
2 x Sinclair Spectrum +2
2 x Sinclair Spectrum +3
1 x Dk'tronics (spectrum clone)
1 x Aquarius
1 x CBS Colecovision
2 x Commodore 64 Joystick (DTV)
1 x Concorde SD-050
1 x Console TV Challenge
2 x Dragon 32
1 x Dragon 64
1 x Eaca Colour Genie
1 x Fairchild Chanel F / Luxor Video Entertainment Computer
1 x Gameking
1 x Magnavox Odyssey 500
2 x Mattel Intellivision
1 x Microsoft X-BOX
1 x Microsoft X-BOX 360
1 x Namco 5-in-1 Arcade Classics
1 x New Brain Model AD
1 x Oric 1
1 x Radio Shack TRS-80
1 x Sanyo Wavy 23 MSX-2
1 x SNK NeoGeo Pocket
1 x Sony Playstation
1 x Sony Playstation 2
1 x Sony Playstation 3
1 x Sony PSP Slim & Lite
1 x Spectravideo SV-318
2 x Spectravideo SV-328
1 x Texas Instruments TI99/4A
1 x TurboGrafx 16
1 x Vectrex
1 x Video Technology Laser 200
1 x WonderSwan Color
+ some more......
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:25 pm
by Jeff-20
Just kidding. I am not
that hardcore. But almost.
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:55 pm
by gklinger
Jeff-20 wrote:
Just kidding. I am not
that hardcore. But almost.
Ah, you must have purchased one of the very rare 75-in-1 VIC-20 Packs. I wanted to buy one when they went on clearance but I couldn't get access to a tractor-trailer.
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 1:51 am
by carlsson
83 VIC-20's, and none of them fully working?
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:14 am
by Richard James
1 x C128D with Monitor
1 x C64 minus the power supply
0 x VIC20 (feel my pain)
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:44 am
by Zeela
I too have a couple of computers...
You can see the list here:
http://zeela.110mb.com
// Z