PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds

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rubber_jonnie
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PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds

Post by rubber_jonnie »

So, I have two builds which should be quick coming up, the PiRTOII and the Coleco Megacart.

This is more of a placeholder, as I can't order the PCBs just yet due to holidays, however my purple RPi for the PiRTOII just arrived:

IMG20241018122237.jpg
IMG20241018122237.jpg (209.6 KiB) Viewed 153 times

It's what is suggested on the Github page and took the UF2 file no bother, so I'm hopeful it'll be fine.

I'll see if I can get the parts on order for the Coleco Megacart as they should fit through the letterbox whilst I'm away, and I should have most anyway.

Fingers crossed in about a week, maybe two, I can start to get these built and tested, it'll be nice to have full libraries for both systems on a single cart :)
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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HigashiJun
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Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds

Post by HigashiJun »

Keep us updated as soon as you can after your trip to France.
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds

Post by rubber_jonnie »

HigashiJun wrote: Fri Oct 18, 2024 12:42 pm Keep us updated as soon as you can after your trip to France.
I will. If I can I will order PCBs on the 24th (We travel home on the 25th), but it is kind of dependent on wether I can do it from France with my account that's registered in the UK. I guess I'll find out!

If not I'll order on the 26th as we're travelling all day 25th, arriving home early on the morning of the 26th.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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HigashiJun
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Location: Tokyo

Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds

Post by HigashiJun »

@rubber_jonnie

Just be safe.

France is not anymore the country it used to be 20 years ago...
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds

Post by rubber_jonnie »

HigashiJun wrote: Fri Oct 18, 2024 1:26 pm @rubber_jonnie

Just be safe.

France is not anymore the country it used to be 20 years ago...
Thanks, but I'd add that the UK isn't either...
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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HigashiJun
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Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds

Post by HigashiJun »

rubber_jonnie wrote: Fri Oct 18, 2024 1:30 pm [Thanks, but I'd add that the UK isn't either...
For sure.

:(
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds

Post by rubber_jonnie »

HMM

So it turns out the PiRTO II chap also does this: PiCOLECO.

It looks like a way better option than the Coleco Megacart so I think I'll switch to this one.

Who knows, I may do both :)
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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HigashiJun
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Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2020 7:21 am
Location: Tokyo

Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds

Post by HigashiJun »

It's sometimes very difficult to make a choice.

:lol:
Cheshire Noir
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Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds

Post by Cheshire Noir »

Heh. I wish I'd known you were working on your own Colecovision Megacart.
I've built one of Leaded Solder's Colecovision clones, and been working through peripherals for it. The JLCPCB order winging its way to me includes my own attempt at a megacart...
Screenshot 2024-10-19 074822.png
Screenshot 2024-10-19 074822.png (61.08 KiB) Viewed 120 times
27C160 based, only because I have dozens of them from working on Amiga Kickstart ROMs.
Switches to select between 32k banks, and an additional switch to allow you so subdivide a 32k bank into 16k banks, as most games are 16k or smaller.
I'm sure there are bugs in this revision. Once the bugs are out, I plan to release as CC-BY-SA. There's also a shell for it. I just need to get some filament to print it.
Also been working on a controller for the Colecovision. That one is moving from the initial, working prototype to a more "V1.1" release, so once I confirm it works, also expect to see it released into the wild :-)

Chesh
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Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds

Post by rubber_jonnie »

Cheshire Noir wrote: Sat Oct 19, 2024 1:10 am Heh. I wish I'd known you were working on your own Colecovision Megacart.
I've built one of Leaded Solder's Colecovision clones, and been working through peripherals for it. The JLCPCB order winging its way to me includes my own attempt at a megacart...
Screenshot 2024-10-19 074822.png
27C160 based, only because I have dozens of them from working on Amiga Kickstart ROMs.
Switches to select between 32k banks, and an additional switch to allow you so subdivide a 32k bank into 16k banks, as most games are 16k or smaller.
I'm sure there are bugs in this revision. Once the bugs are out, I plan to release as CC-BY-SA. There's also a shell for it. I just need to get some filament to print it.
Also been working on a controller for the Colecovision. That one is moving from the initial, working prototype to a more "V1.1" release, so once I confirm it works, also expect to see it released into the wild :-)

Chesh
Hey Chesh.

Actually, I'm not working on one, just going to be building somebody else's designs :)

I'm not 100% sure how the Coleco Megacart works, I think it just allows a single ROM at a time, which isn't what I want, I want a file selector and the Pico clone boards seem to be more geared up that way. I may order some Megacart PCB's whilst I'm there simply because I don't think the Pico based cart supports banked ROMs at present, so anything over 32K is a non starter, at least from what I've read on Github.

I need to dust off my 3d printer so I can do the shells, it's been in hibernation a while.

Nice work with yours though, it's definitely a good thing having lots of options now that the age of hacking and making is upon us.
Collector of many retro things!
800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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