47 replies to this topic

[Lord Thag]

The Coleco/Nintendo DKJr tabletops are fantastic. Good luck finding one! They are not rare, just very highly sought after, especially the Nintendo one (same game).

Good luck with the case mod. Post some pics on your progress.

[spikey911]

Definately go with the Casio...

I had the Casio, and the screen is awesome for this type of thing. Way better screen than Ipaq, etc in this application.

And yes, it will run the Microsoft emulator (Pac-Man, etc) at full speed, Mame will also run, but will run slow on some games, and also you could get some GameBoy Color running on it also.

And YES it will have full sound as well..

DO NOT go with older Ipaq, because some of those had an issue where you could only press 1 button at a time.... Difficult to play shooters that way..

Edited by spikey911, Sun Sep 9, 2007 9:02 AM.

[Jess Ragan]

Wicked! I just got one of these for $4.99! Dang, you can't beat a price like that!

I noticed that about the Ipaq systems, by the way. It's one of the reasons my own Ipaq is languishing in a dresser drawer... its many design flaws make it utterly useless to me.

[Jess Ragan]

I feel embarrassed asking, but I've got to do it. How the heck do I use this crazy thing, anyway? I've skimmed the instruction manual and can't figure out how to close programs or access files on my compact flash card. Does the E-100 have anything like a file explorer? I haven't been able to find one, and it's driving me berzerk!

[yuppicide]

Don't know if it's been said because I'm not skimming through the whole topic.

Someone should take one of them old Coleco tabletop's and make a portable Atari 2600 out of it with screen and built in joystick.

[Jess Ragan]

Anybody know how to get emulators to run on this Cassiopeia E-100? Anyone? Bueller?

...please?

[spikey911]

Jess Ragan, on Sat Oct 6, 2007 7:06 PM, said:

Anybody know how to get emulators to run on this Cassiopeia E-100? Anyone? Bueller?

...please?

Its been a long time since I had the Cassiopeia, but Microsoft produced an arcade pack for PocketPc, and it included Pac-Man, etc... That one will install itself through Activesync...

You also need to find the Mame version for Pocket PC...

Remember you are running MIPS, not ARM processor on that unit..

[Jess Ragan]

Thanks! I see what I did wrong... I had to use an automatic installer, since the lack of a file explorer on the E-100 makes it impossible to use a manual installer. It was a lot easier just looking for the auto installer instead of trying to find a file explorer program for a palmtop as old as the E-100.

[Asaki]

Jess Ragan, on Sun Aug 26, 2007 10:46 PM, said:

After some research, I discovered that the so-called computer on a stick just seems to be a distribution of Linux... in other words, it's mostly software and very little hardware. It's doubtful that it could be turned into a full-fledged PC.

Yeah, it's just a memory stick with an OS installed on it. Not hard at all to do yourself, but also not what you're looking for.

I believe you're looking for something more like this: http://www.gumstix.com

No idea where you'd get an LCD for it, though. But if the pocket PC works for you, that's cool too.

[Jess Ragan]

The tragic thing is that the Cassiopeia DOESN'T work. It died on me when I started uploading MAME to it, and I'm still not sure why. Frustrating! The screen inside it might still be good, although I don't have the electronics experience to adapt it to other technology.

[Zonie]

Consider using an HP Jornada. The keys are mappable in it's OS and there are good emulators for it.

[Jess Ragan]

Sounds like the way to go. I'm kind of annoyed that the Casio died on me; but only kind of because I wasn't sure how I would wire this up and still keep the original joystick and buttons from the original Coleco tabletop.

In any case, I've blown so much money at this point that I've got to wait to resume this project. I'll look into an HP Jornada... but I won't be able to afford one until January 2008 at the very least.

[Zonie]

Jess Ragan, on Sun Nov 4, 2007 1:20 AM, said:

Sounds like the way to go. I'm kind of annoyed that the Casio died on me; but only kind of because I wasn't sure how I would wire this up and still keep the original joystick and buttons from the original Coleco tabletop.

In any case, I've blown so much money at this point that I've got to wait to resume this project. I'll look into an HP Jornada... but I won't be able to afford one until January 2008 at the very least.

Jess,

PM sent

[Crazy Climber]

I saw one that was being used/transformed into an ashtray at a party I went to years ago. I have to admit, it did look cool

[awace]

whell I had one of the pacman table top coleco versions that i got from G will for like $2
I also now have a nother one that is in good condition and still works.
this new one i got 3 years later .
Both times i got lucky to see them at good will before someone else noticed them!!..
I also got a dkong table top witch i sold off on ebay..
now onto the FUTABA tube screen display I had almost completely destroyed my pacman cause the buttons on the joysticks so i decided to steal p2's buttons and fixed p1 really good by this time the speaker was gone and the thing was all gone only the control panel and the joysticks but you could hear the ghosts in the tube w out the speaker I guess the 70v transformer for the tube picks up the audio witch is cool I wonder if you could hook two tubes to one console!! as long as the 70volts came from the 2nd broken machine mabie you could run two tubes on one game that would be cool..
ALSO I think some digital cameras can run mame also there is those new nes mp4 players too..
GOOD LUCK.

Edited by awace, Tue Oct 13, 2009 9:48 PM.

[awace]

Jess Ragan, on Sat Sep 22, 2007 4:13 PM, said:

I feel embarrassed asking, but I've got to do it. How the heck do I use this crazy thing, anyway? I've skimmed the instruction manual and can't figure out how to close programs or access files on my compact flash card. Does the E-100 have anything like a file explorer? I haven't been able to find one, and it's driving me berzerk!

if i remember correctly the ipaqs had a touch screen and a stylest!!!!!!

[rmaerz]

OK - maybe I missed this...

But, how the heck can you interface the controls of a Coleco tabletop with a GBA or PDA?

Understand, I am the polar opposite of a Ben Heck and can't solder worth a damn without melting everything else besides the solder itself.

[Jess Ragan]

Wires, mostly. You open up a game controller or most electronic devices with buttons on them and you'll notice a copper pad directly under each of the buttons. The left side of the pad is typically an active wire, while the right side is ground. Join them together and the CPU recognizes that as the press of a button. Normally, a rubberized magnet sandwiched between the button and the pad would make that connection, but you can also solder wires to the pads and off to another input device.

This technique is crucial for modding game consoles and making your own custom game controllers. There's nothing that special about it, though... you're just diverting the electrical current, almost like connecting an extension on a garden hose so the water flows right where you want it to go.

Crap man, I completely forgot all this case mod business. I thought about it, but then I got sidetracked, and now I'm not all that interested. (It turns out that Pocket PCs are pretty crappy for emulating games. You might as well try to run MAME on a slice of buttered toast.) I'm much more keen on fixing my Playstation 3, and when I have the money for it, upgrading the hard drive in my Xbox 360.

[awace]

rmaerz, on Wed Oct 14, 2009 8:05 AM, said:

OK - maybe I missed this...

But, how the heck can you interface the controls of a Coleco tabletop with a GBA or PDA?

Understand, I am the polar opposite of a Ben Heck and can't solder worth a damn without melting everything else besides the solder itself.

you need to spend $50 to $90 on a temprature controled soldering IRON not a soldering GUN the GUN is for melting power pack's back together and gnded hole threw on rf cans....
now the best deal on a solder sucker is the one MICROCENTER has for $1.99 its metal and the best one i had ever used works better than the BLUE w yellow buttons... It needs emptied a lot but works great...
now youre right how you would fit a nother game into a coleco is impossible no room
you cant keep the glass cause you would break the TUBE FUTABA flourecent display.(custom)
but youcould just mount game into hole then you would leave board and mount game infront of old screen!!! then run wires and scrape foil off pcb on original game or just snap off the part of the pcb w screen for old coleco game then scrape joystick inputs where they needed to be scrapped..
I know just send BEN H two coleco's and let him 1st mabie fix it or turn it into a miniature video game. the TUBE's small transformer puts out ac like a small closet battery powered 4 inch flourecent light puts out high voltage the nixi like futaba coleco tube needs 70v ac to run heaters then i dont know the voltage of tube Ill measure it tonight cause im interested in the tube SO KEEP PARTS I MIGHT BUY the tube..I always wanted to attemp running simultaius tubes at same time.

[Fischer500]

I'd say give it a nice funeral.

[awace]

1st off dont throw the insides away 1st get 6v dc and inside try to see if it comes on mabie the on off switch is bad.. you can solder to the GNd then pick on the on switch to see if it comes on otherwise please take pictures of pcb before you mode it incase i couold use some of the parts...
or mabie help you get one of them running..
I almost forgot there are some really cheap color lcd tv's now that tv went all digital you should beable to get small color lcd tv's off ebay cheap. then just put composite in..
and mabie use a noac nintendo on a chip or a nother plug play like a pacman one or mabie a asteroids keychain would be perfect since its so small I once soldered a keychain asteroids joystick to a REal atari joystick just to get the real responce of a joystick..
that mod should be easy all you would have to do is solder 4 connections to joystick then reset button on bottom and fire button but would have to have a game w fire button but a small radio shack button should work too also a new plug play system would give more games and a lcd tv would take up room in open area and be probably flush to make screen the tv screen.. good luck.

Edited by awace, Wed Nov 4, 2009 3:56 AM.

[stones]

This might help you on turning your tabletop into a mini mame cab
http://home.comcast....~lightnet/site/

[Jess Ragan]

Wow! Someone did what I was too lazy to do! Sweet!

(wonder how well the games actually run, though...)