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PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds
Posted: 18 Oct 2024 12:26
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
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 :)
Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds
Posted: 18 Oct 2024 12:42
by HigashiJun
Keep us updated as soon as you can after your trip to France.
Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds
Posted: 18 Oct 2024 13:10
by rubber_jonnie
HigashiJun wrote: 18 Oct 2024 12:42
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.
Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds
Posted: 18 Oct 2024 13:26
by HigashiJun
@rubber_jonnie
Just be safe.
France is not anymore the country it used to be 20 years ago...
Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds
Posted: 18 Oct 2024 13:30
by rubber_jonnie
HigashiJun wrote: 18 Oct 2024 13:26
@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...
Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds
Posted: 18 Oct 2024 13:31
by HigashiJun
rubber_jonnie wrote: 18 Oct 2024 13:30
[Thanks, but I'd add that the UK isn't either...
For sure.
:(
Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds
Posted: 18 Oct 2024 14:12
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 :)
Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds
Posted: 18 Oct 2024 23:49
by HigashiJun
It's sometimes very difficult to make a choice.
:lol:
Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds
Posted: 19 Oct 2024 01:10
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
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
Re: PiRTOII and ColecoVision Megacart builds
Posted: 19 Oct 2024 13:55
by rubber_jonnie
Cheshire Noir wrote: 19 Oct 2024 01:10
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.