33 replies to this topic

[revolutionika]

Never seen this before.

Edited by revolutionika, Sat Jan 8, 2011 11:17 AM.

[evg2000]

cool, where did you find that ad?

[revolutionika]

evg2000, on Sat Jan 8, 2011 11:13 AM, said:

cool, where did you find that ad?

i found it on the intellivision facebook page. some guy there found it on some website with magazine ads or something. i wonder if it exists somewhere. its amazing that there is a possibility that a new piece of intellivision hardware could still be discovered someday.

[DZ-Jay]

revolutionika, on Sat Jan 8, 2011 11:16 AM, said:

evg2000, on Sat Jan 8, 2011 11:13 AM, said:

cool, where did you find that ad?

i found it on the intellivision facebook page. some guy there found it on some website with magazine ads or something. i wonder if it exists somewhere. its amazing that there is a possibility that a new piece of intellivision hardware could still be discovered someday.

That's part of the Intellivision Keyboard Component which was not released widely. This component has a long and tortuous history. It basically turned the Intellivision into a full-fledge computer, but was too expensive to produce and release to the mass market at the originally announced price.

Read more about Here.

-dZ.

[cmart604]

revolutionika, on Sat Jan 8, 2011 11:16 AM, said:

evg2000, on Sat Jan 8, 2011 11:13 AM, said:

cool, where did you find that ad?

i found it on the intellivision facebook page. some guy there found it on some website with magazine ads or something. i wonder if it exists somewhere. its amazing that there is a possibility that a new piece of intellivision hardware could still be discovered someday.

Check your mailbox. I've been sitting on a case of these things, didn't realize there was any interest in them.
Seriously though, I've never seen that, cool find. Makes sense that it would be part of the barely released keyboard component.

[jaybird3rd]

It's possible that this was never a real product. The unit in the picture might have been a non-functioning mockup like the unreleased Intellivoice II, which was nothing but a painted block of wood that was used for photographs.

[DZ-Jay]

jaybird3rd, on Sat Jan 8, 2011 1:07 PM, said:

It's possible that this was never a real product. The unit in the picture might have been a non-functioning mockup like the unreleased Intellivoice II, which was nothing but a painted block of wood that was used for photographs.

Actually, it was released to the owners of the Keyboard Component, as a way to avoid lawsuits. Here's some more history from the IntellivisionLives site:

Quote

Complaints from people who bought the Intellivision specifically because it could be upgraded to a computer caught the attention of the Federal Trade Commission, who started investigating Mattel for fraud. Mattel insisted that the Keyboard was a real product that was still being test marketed; a trickle of Keyboard Components was made available to selected stores and offered by mail to consumers who complained (at a loss to the company). The thermal printer was only available mail order; this was apparently the same printer (except for the nameplate) that later received somewhat wider release as part of the Aquarius system.

-dZ.

[jaybird3rd]

DZ-Jay, on Sat Jan 8, 2011 1:35 PM, said:

Quote

The thermal printer was only available mail order; this was apparently the same printer (except for the nameplate) that later received somewhat wider release as part of the Aquarius system.

Hmmm ... I don't think they're entirely correct about that. The Aquarius thermal printer doesn't resemble the printer in the ad, and the specs that I've seen for it do not match those given in the ad (I'll try to find a manual for my thermal printer to confirm this). I know that Mattel did rebadge the Aquarius thermal printer with Intellivision labels for use in Entertainment Computer System ads, and that might be what the quote is referring to, but the ECS was a different product than the original Keyboard Component.

As an aside, I suspect that Mattel did not actually design either of the printers that they marketed for the Aquarius. The 4-Color Printer/Plotter was built around the same (very problematic) Alps print engine that the Atari 1020 used, and the thermal printer might also have been a rebranded printer from another manufacturer, although I don't know this for certain.

[revolutionika]

DZ-Jay, on Sat Jan 8, 2011 1:35 PM, said:

jaybird3rd, on Sat Jan 8, 2011 1:07 PM, said:

It's possible that this was never a real product. The unit in the picture might have been a non-functioning mockup like the unreleased Intellivoice II, which was nothing but a painted block of wood that was used for photographs.

Actually, it was released to the owners of the Keyboard Component, as a way to avoid lawsuits. Here's some more history from the IntellivisionLives site:

Quote

Complaints from people who bought the Intellivision specifically because it could be upgraded to a computer caught the attention of the Federal Trade Commission, who started investigating Mattel for fraud. Mattel insisted that the Keyboard was a real product that was still being test marketed; a trickle of Keyboard Components was made available to selected stores and offered by mail to consumers who complained (at a loss to the company). The thermal printer was only available mail order; this was apparently the same printer (except for the nameplate) that later received somewhat wider release as part of the Aquarius system.

-dZ.

there has to at least be some kind of prototype somewhere. maybe it ended up at goodwill.

[NS7D]

My wife recently inherited one of the printers from the estate of her father, Dave "Papa Intellivision" Chandler. It appears to possibly be an evaluation unit since the nameplate doesn't match the one in the ad - it is simply "Mattel Electronics", nothing else. The label on the bottom of the printer doesn't list any company, but labels the printer as "SPRINTER 40". Opening up the printer reveals that the circuit board was manufactured by Alphacom. Further research revealed that Alphacom produced a "Sprinter 40" printer about 1980. Pictures of the Alphacom printer suggest that the Mattel printer could very well be the same printer in a different case.

I agree with jaybird3rd that this printer is not the same as that developed for Aquarius. From what I found in searches, the Aquarius printer used aluminum oxide paper while this printer used "standard thermographic printing paper".

I've just started trying to determine whether my wife's printer is functional. Putting it in "test mode" resulted in nothing and I've also been investigating how to print from her keyboard component (also inherited).

Edited by NS7D, Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:09 AM.

[revolutionika]

NS7D: Hi, is it possible that you could take some pics of what you have?

Any other interesting Intellivision/gaming items discovered?

Sorry about 'Papa Intellivision'........

Edited by revolutionika, Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:21 AM.

[jaybird3rd]

NS7D, on Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:07 AM, said:

My wife recently inherited one of the printers from the estate of her father, Dave "Papa Intellivision" Chandler. It appears to possibly be an evaluation unit since the nameplate doesn't match the one in the ad - it is simply "Mattel Electronics", nothing else. The label on the bottom of the printer doesn't list any company, but labels the printer as "SPRINTER 40". Opening up the printer reveals that the circuit board was manufactured by Alphacom. Further research revealed that Alphacom produced a "Sprinter 40" printer about 1980. Pictures of the Alphacom printer suggest that the Mattel printer could very well be the same printer in a different case.

I agree with jaybird3rd that this printer is not the same as that developed for Aquarius. From what I found in searches, the Aquarius printer used aluminum oxide paper while this printer used "standard thermographic printing paper".

I've just started trying to determine whether my wife's printer is functional. Putting it in "test mode" resulted in nothing and I've also been investigating how to print from her keyboard component (also inherited).

Thanks for that information, and my condolences on the recent loss of your father-in-law (I wrote a tribute to him and his work some months ago).

I wouldn't be surprised if all of Mattel's printers were rebadged/repackaged printers from other manufacturers. I know the Aquarius color plotter was manufactured by Alps, but I'll have to open my Aquarius thermal printer to see if it too is an Alphacom.

[Chuck D. Head]

Welcome to the forums NS7D. Glad to have you here! Morgan

[revolutionika]

Check this out: the Alphacom VP42 Printer. Virtually identical!!!!!!!!!

My link



And here is a Alphacom Printer 20 on Ebay.

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 110710757911

Edited by revolutionika, Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:47 AM.

[revolutionika]

" I've also been investigating how to print from her keyboard component (also inherited)."


That thing is worth Thousands as im sure you are aware.


Does it have the box and any games?

[NS7D]

I finally found time to investigate my wife's printer and it works!

I also took pictures with my iPhone:

Front view:


Bottom view:


Interface connector:


Closeup of printing sample:

Since it printed in blue, I'm assuming that the paper is probably aluminum oxide.

[NS7D]

I finally found time to investigate my wife's printer and it works!

I also took pictures with my iPhone:

Front view:


Bottom view:


Interface connector:


Closeup of printing sample:

Since it printed in blue, I'm assuming that the paper is probably aluminum oxide.

[the-topdog]

NS7D, on Wed Aug 3, 2011 1:27 PM, said:

I finally found time to investigate my wife's printer and it works!

I also took pictures with my iPhone:

Front view:


Bottom view:


Interface connector:


Closeup of printing sample:

Since it printed in blue, I'm assuming that the paper is probably aluminum oxide.

Far too cool! Thanks for posting the pics!

[revolutionika]

revolutionika, on Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:39 AM, said:

Check this out: the Alphacom VP42 Printer. Virtually identical!!!!!!!!!

My link



And here is a Alphacom Printer 20 on Ebay.

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 110710757911

Your printer is the same as the ones here. so, Mattel really just slapped their own labels on someone elses printer.

Still, your printer has more than the usual value (monetary and sentimental) than one of these other printers.

Nice find!

Any other cool Mattel/Intellivision stuff surface?

Perhaps any prototype games/carts. Look for anything with handwritten labels.

[doctorclu]

The test print pictures were just way to cool!!

I mean really is. I think the Intellivision as a computer is cool either with the first module or the ECS.

(Aquarius doesn't count, but I think the peripherals that were made for it come in handy with the ECS tinkering too..)

[tz101]

Man, that is a find. I just do not see how you could charge $199 for a printer that was so limited. What could a person really do with it? It wasn't like you could do a Word document or school report with the thing.

[IntellivisionGuy97]

I am the guy that uploaded those pictures to the Facebook page. I can't believe there is actually one out there. I would kill for one of those! That is just so cool! I wonder if there are any others... You have a very rare find. I wish I had one...

[ghsqb]

Forum mixup

Edited by ghsqb, Wed Aug 17, 2011 7:17 PM.

[revolutionika]

IntellivisionGuy97, on Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:56 PM, said:

I am the guy that uploaded those pictures to the Facebook page. I can't believe there is actually one out there. I would kill for one of those! That is just so cool! I wonder if there are any others... You have a very rare find. I wish I had one...

Are you Brandon dodds on facebook always posting on the intellivision page?

What took you so long to come here.

[cmart604]

revolutionika, on Wed Aug 17, 2011 8:25 PM, said:

IntellivisionGuy97, on Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:56 PM, said:

I am the guy that uploaded those pictures to the Facebook page. I can't believe there is actually one out there. I would kill for one of those! That is just so cool! I wonder if there are any others... You have a very rare find. I wish I had one...

Are you Brandon dodds on facebook always posting on the intellivision page?

What took you so long to come here.

I was thinking the same thing. Welcome! You'll find people you can actually talk to about the INTV here as opposed to folks just passing by at the Facebook page.