This is the last batch of iNTY ZOE RGB v2.0. I just want to inform for those interested that i’m starting the assembling.
Available for sale the ZOE RGB rev 2.0 interface for Mattel Intellivision.
The Zoe interface lets you connect the PAL Mattel Intellivision console to a TV/monitor through the RGB signal of a SCART connector, dramatically increasing the quality of the video signal and bringing it to the highest possible quality: the original output is a modest RF/Antenna signal.
The interface is connected in place of the National LM1886 IC (TV Video Matrix DAC) to take the RGB and Sync signals and convert them for the SCART output.
Below some examples of video quality using a Sony PVM9041QM CRT Monitor and a Sony KD-49XD8305
The ZOE rev 2.0 interface is tested individually piece by piece before shipment.
The assembled kit is available and you can buy it now from ebay or privately (An installation service on the console will be available for less experienced users)
The kit includes:
Video test (Italian Only):
The video was made by a friend Vincenzo Sinceri.
If someone wants to remake the din-scart cable (example: more length), this is the pinout:
Download: Zoe RGB rev 2.0 Interface Installation Manual (English/Italian) (1126)
If you have problems to viewing in the correct way the manual in PDF format click here for the instruction how to configure the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
ZOE rev 2.0 Inty (Mattel Intellivision) RGB Interface.
Some information about this revision:
The 8-pole DIN female panel socket can be positioned, after drilling, at any place. I recommend using the RF output hole, removing the RF modulator which is no longer usable after the modification.
This mod like the previous one works ONLY with Mattel Intellivision consoles equipped with the LM1886 (D/A Video Matrix Converter) chips. Example: PAL/SECAM but not UK/NTSC (USA). Better to check, open the console and check.
For console disassembly, desoldering the LM1886 or other connections you can consult the documentation of the previous version.
Gallery:
Soon available for sale.
Mattel Intellivision with ZOE RGB (Limited Edition)
Why is Limited Edition?
Because i have made these works:
Gallery:
I thank my dear friend Ciro (www.ti99iuc.it) for giving me the “Peripheral Expansion System” and for making me discover a whole new world of the Home Computer Texas Instruments TI-99/4A.
Gallery:
The Peripheral Expansion Box (aka P-Box or PEB) is a stable, silver/gray plastic and die-cast metal box containing eight slots for peripheral expansion cards and a compartment for a floppy drive or two drives of half height (“slim-line”, slim as understood in the 70ies and 80ies; today it is the normal height of 5,25″ drives for PCs).
The PEB offers space for 8 expansion cards. All slots are wired in parallel, and the power supply is designed to supply all cards including up to two floppy drives. Floppy drives may be put into the right compartment of the box.
With the appearance of hard disk controller cards, users tried to mount hard drives into the box into the floppy compartment. However, the power supply is not designed to sustain the current required for the hard drives; thus, a separate power supply is recommended.
All peripheral cards are expected to provide their own voltage regulators. Therefore, it is not recommended to replace the power supply by today’s PC switched power supplies, as those already provide regulated power which may cause the regulators on the cards to lower the voltage below the acceptable range.
Zoe playing at Ms.Pac man on the TI-99/4A:
source: ninerpedia.org
The Tandy Radio Shack TRS-80 DT-1 is a video terminal. It is ideally suited for communications with the TRS-80 Model 16 Multi-User Office System or with other host computers. With a low-cost Tandy acoustic coupler it can also access time-sharing information networks.
Gallery:
State-of-the-Art Design:
Unlike many terminals, you can easily set up and change the configuration on your DT-1 from the keyboard. A revolutionary non-volatile memory that retains your terminal configuration even with power off and without battery backup!
Multiple Emulation Modes:
The DT-1 is completely code compatible with four standard terminal protocols.
The 30.5 cm diagonal CRT displays 24 lines of 80 upper and lower case characters per line. Special single-character symbols are used to display control characters.
Dual-Speed Repeat:
Any character can be repeated by merely holding down the desired key. After several characters are repeated, the DT-1 will automatically repeat the characters at a faster rate.
Two Printer Ports:
The TRS-80 DT-1 can be equipped for hardcopy output by connecting a printer to the built-in RS-232C serial interface or parallel interface.
Special Features:
A local monitor mode lets you enable printer ports and position the cursor using local control and escape modes. The carrige return key can be programmed with or without a line feed. Control key termination codes are also user programmable. An electronic bell is standard.
TRS-80 DT-1 Highlights:
Download:
Video:
Hi all, like one year ago Manosoft amazes us again, this time he did a great job of merging the ITS TAP Player module with the C64SD and from this merger comes the Princess, an interface with both previously released interfaces.
The Princess interface is elegant as only Manosoft can do, the box color has changed and is a white sand that matches perfectly with the whole 8-bit Commodore Home Computer series.
In addition to the color were also added new controls and visual led. Below the instructions of each command on the front/back side of the Princess interface.
Front side:
Back side:
Like the previous C64SD v2.0 interface, the Princess has a pass-through connector for the cassette recorder and one for the Floppy Disk Drive.
I don’t forget to speak about the nice addition, a small Piezo Speaker to hear the sound of the bytes that are loaded with the TAP Player and also a nice “beep” that warn if the interface on power up working correctly.
Damiano alias “Manosoft” is a good manufacturer of 8 Bit peripherals and also a great friend. I take the opportunity of this article to greet Damiano and congratulate for this new interface for the 8-bit Commodore Home Computer series.
Soon will be available on the Manosoft website two new software packages (C64 and AIO)
“AIO” is an innovative system that will allow the creation of the SD Card of 4GB or higher in a few minutes from an image file created ad hoc.
On the Commodore 64 side was also written a new program called “MENU” with some utilities like the initialization of the SD Card for the Princess C64SD v3.0 interface.
The development of the TAP Player firmware with the SD2IEC protocol has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of Hawui1 promoter and developer of the ITS Module and some other things.
The Princess C64SD v3.0 interface will be available for sale in the next months on the Manosoft site.
Princess C64SD v3.0 Video Preview:
We have updated the installation manual of the ZOE Interface for Intellivision. We have added the installation procedure of a old PCB version used in some Intellivision.
Download: Zoe Interface Installation Manual (English/Italian) revision 21-12-2013 (1140)
The ZOE Interface was developed by xAD^Nightfall and Damiano “Manosoft” Colombari.
The Zoe interface lets you connect the PAL Mattel Intellivision console to a TV/ monitor through the RGB signal of a SCART connector, dramatically increasing the quality of the video signal and bringing it to the highest possible quality: the original output is a modest RF/Antenna signal.
The interface is connected in place of the National LM1886 IC (TV Video Matrix DAC) to take the RGB and Sync signals and convert them for the SCART output.
This interface is not compatible with the NTSC (USA) Mattel Intellivision console because the NTSC version doesn’t use the LM1886 IC: the original video signal is never converted from RGB to Composite and then to RF (Antenna).
The assembled kit is available and you can buy it now from ebay (An installation service on the console will be available for less experienced users)
Download: Zoe Interface Installation Manual (English/Italian) (1744)
A new version of the manual is available here.
Autopsy:
from Secret Weapons of Commodore homepage:
Introduced CES 1978
Hardware 6504 CPU (28-pin 6502, 8K addressable memory, on-chip clock, IRQ line only) @ 1MHz, 6530 RIOT (64 bytes RAM, 1KB ROM, 2 I/O ports, 8-bit timer), 6332 ROM. Two ROM sockets; the 6332 is occupying only one of them. The 6504 is socketed; the remainder are soldered directly to the board.
Graphics and Sound If you can call it that. Four 7-element LED displays for the timers and four dome indicator LEDs. Piezoelectric beeper.
Eventual Fate Released summer 1978 in USA, UK and West Germany.
This chess machine is an 22 x 16 x 5cm (rear, approximately 8 x 6 x 2 inch; front is 3.5cm/1.2 inches high) machine, off-white (similar to early VIC-20s), with a dark brown base. The 7-element LEDs are in groups of two, one labeled “FROM (Time white)” and the other “TO (Time black)”; the four dome LEDs are labeled “Check”, “CHESSmate LOSES”, “CHESSmate IS PLAYING WHITE” and “CHESSmate IS PLAYING BLACK”.
The “keyboard” is a membrane setup (similar to the Sinclair ZX-80) with 19 keys (A-H, 1-8, NEW GAME, CLEAR, ENTER), but only 11 matrix lines (A-H and 1-8 share lines). A-H are also, respectively, labeled WHITE, BOARD VERIFY, CHESS CLOCK, DISPLAY TIME, STOP CLOCK, SKILL LEVEL, GAME MOVES, and BLACK. The rear plate reads: “Commodore International Limited / Power supply: AC adaptor model C160 / Power rating: AC 10V 600 mA / CHESSmate, 201490 01, made in Hong Kong / CAUTION: DO NOT OPEN MACHINE. UNAUTHORIZED SERVICE VOIDS WARRANTY.” This is printed in English, French and German. On the internal view, the ICs are, from left to right, the 6530 RIOT, the 6332 ROM (next to the empty socket for the option ROM), and the 6504.
The Chessmate was developed by Peter Jennings, the original author of KIM-1 Microchess, under contract to Commodore in 1977. The Chessmate’s hardware is in fact based on the KIM-1, but the ROMs are of course filled with Microchess 1.5, not the KIM’s monitor. This was the same version released for the PET; the empty ROM socket on Martijn’s board was intended primarily for upgrades to the chess program. The keyboard mapping is dissimilar to the KIM as well; some of the ports were actually used for sound, and Commodore made some rearrangements to the unit for ease of manufacture after Peter released the unit to them. While simultaneously released in the USA, UK and West Germany, it was significantly more popular in the latter country than in the others (presumably due to greater interest in chess there). Peter received a royalty for each unit produced, and still owns a first-production Chessmate (sadly non-functional) and the original KIM-1 used to create Microchess and develop the Chessmate’s custom version.
As mentioned, the Chessmate has very different ROMs from the KIM-1, and part of this difference extends to the RIOTs. The 6530 and 6532 RIOT “ROM, I/O and Timer” chips, a series of custom multifunction chips developed by MOS Technology, were designed as integrated-design cost cutters, reducing the chip count on the board as it gave the functionality of several chips and didn’t cost much more to manufacture than a regular ROM. Unfortunately, this has one important consequence: RIOTs are rarely transferable between units, because of differing CS logic between models, differing ROM contents, and some versions use fewer CS lines to get additional I/O lines.
This means that the RIOT you find in your Atari 2600 (yes, VCSes have Commodore-designed chips!) is not swappable with the RIOT you would find in a Chessmate, or in a KIM-1; even the KIM-1 by itself is bad on this point, since it had several revisions alone (my unit is Revision D). Martijn’s Chessmate has a RIOT labeled “6530 024 3279″, meaning produced on the 32nd week of 1979; this is one of the last 6530 RIOT production runs known, unfortunate because the later MOS 6532 RIOT is not pin-compatible with the 6530. The “24″ is also worrisome: this means there are no less than 24 6530 RIOT versions floating around in various units, and to the great despair of anyone wishing to repair a moribund representative of these intriguing units, virtually none of them are compatible with any other.
Download:
Video:
source: floodgap.com/retrobits/ckb/secret/
Details:
Jump here for the commercial RGB mod for the Mattel Intellivision
I have found this RGB mod for the Mattel Intellivision console fom a site, i have searched on the net if anyone has tried this mod, but nothing, so, i have tried to do it myself.
This mod is not easy to do, especially if one has no experience in electronics, however the result at the end is spectacular.
Schematics (click to zoom):
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