Buckle up, bust out your soldering iron and gear, your
about to embark on the How-To section. Clear pictures and detailed text
will provide a simple step-by-step process teaching you how to build
anything from replacement Vectrex controllers, to lightpens, to modifying
your own Vectrex for improved sound or speed (or lack thereof). Projects
will be popping up here all of the time so check back often!
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"How-To
Projects" |
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--- MULTICARTS --- | |
The purpose of the Multi-Player Cart
(MPC) is to facilitate a need amongst the Vectrex population by providing
programmers and users with the ability to develop and play multi-player
games that are linkable from one Vec to another. This link can be a
direct cable, or a connection over the Internet provided by a PC. The
MPC also provides users with the ability to program any game they desire
onto the cart with ease, and no extra hardware other than a PC. |
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Sean
Kelly's MultiCart v2.0 by Sean Kelly |
Sean Kelly makes a very fine MultiCart
v2.0 that will knock your socks off. It includes almost every Vectrex
game created (old and new) and comes fully assembled. Selling price
is $70. |
Full
Blown MultiCart by Ronen Habot |
For another menu-driven multicart, including
a nice PDF detailing its design, visit Ronen Habot's site. |
Richard Hutchinson no longer offers
the multicart he created, but if you kick and scream for one you might
just get it ;) It incorporates a PIC µC to do the bank switching
via an LCD interface on the cart. He's over in the UK. UPDATE: Richard is now making VecRAM CARTs which are powered by the Vectrex (in sleep mode) and use a serial port for programming. They have 32KB of non-volatile EEPROM. See his website for more details. |
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--- LIGHTPENS --- | |
So you've been wanting to doodle in Art
Master, yearning to jam out to some hip tunes in Melody Master, and
become an animation expert in AnimAction...but just don't have a lightpen?
Can't afford to pay over $100 for one, and even if you did you still
wouldn't want to put the wear and tear on a collectable item?? Have
I got a project for you!! Get those games ready, because a lightpen
is yours for under $20 and 3 hours worth of work. |
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OK, so you don't want to spend 3 hours
or even $10 for a lightpen, and you don't care if it's the "official"
Vectrex lightpen circuit? This is the next best thing! Works just as
good (if not better) than the original, and it's sooo easy to build.
You'll be wanting to build one for all of your friends, and pretty soon
so many people will have lightpens...and be longing for a NEW lightpen
game! ;) |
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If you want to get the low down on the Vectrex lightpen and modified versions, check out the online HTML FAQ! |
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--- CONTROLLERS --- | |
With the Atari 2600 Paddle controller you can play games like Hyperchase, Vectrace, Vaboom!, and the analog version of Spike's Water Balloons with greater accuracy than the standard Vectrex controller. Improve your scores, diversify your gaming strategy, and add another peripheral to your Vectrex collection! The following description shows you how to make a "pong" type controller for the Vectrex from a standard Atari 2600 paddle. Also, you can read the Paddle FAQ for more paddle related information. |
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It is important to note that this controller
conversion is for those controllers which do NOT have a common ground
"point" for the UP, DOWN, LEFT, & RIGHT joypad. Instead,
it relies on the fact that your controller has momentary push buttons
or 2-lead resistive contacts for the joypad. Some controllers may just
pivot in the middle, but actually push a separate button or contact
in each direction. Some will actually pivot on a ground point. NOTE:
It may be possible to slice up the common ground point to make this
circuit work, but it might be wiser to just use the circuit below. Also
note, even though your controller has separate buttons, it should still
have a common ground (which will still need to be separated). Not to
be confused with a common ground point/pivot. |
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Also known as the "D/A Converter
For Digital Controllers by Jay Tilton". This circuit IS for controllers
that have a common ground point/pivot. It will encode each button into
its respective Vectrex equivalent analog value by means of a crude D/A
converter. It's basically just an multiplexer that connects the desired
steady-state voltage to the Vectrex's X or Y controller input. Think
of it as two "analog" SPDT switches that are controlled by
the four "digital" inputs, UP, DOWN, LEFT, & RIGHT. |
|
Ahh, so you're a leftie and you wanna
play Vectrex games...but you don't want to hack up some freaky "left-handed"
controller? Here are some instructions on how to make an adapter to
plug between the Vectrex and its original controller allowing you to
just turn the controller upside down and play left-handed! |
|
Standard Atari 2600 Joystick Conversion |
Ya know, this is really the same as the
"Sega Genesis
Controller Adapter #2" The only real difference is you only have 1 button and must add some... If such a text is written I'll be sure to add it here for your viewing pleasure. |
Just as it says....complete instructions
on how to build your very own Vectrex Trackball using an Atari 2600
CX80 Trackball as a starting platform. Excellent step-by-step instructions
by Mark Shaker. NOTE: This conversion utilizes Jay Tilton's D/A Converter
as seen above. |
|
If you been looking to increase scores
on your favorite rapid fire shooter, give your wrist a rest and look
no further. Rob Mitchell has cooked up an LM555 Astable Oscillator circuit
that's sure to rock the Vectrex's world! |
|
Battlezone Style,
Two Lever, Tank Tread Control Circuit |
COMING SOON...hmm, maybe we need a Battlezone
Port first? |
Rotary 360 Degree
Spinner Controller |
COMING SOON...This one might be good
to have for Ronen Habot's "Rounders" or John Dondzila's "Wormhole".
|
--- 3D IMAGER/GOGGLES --- | |
Sega Master System
3D Goggles |
Apparently, the problem holding up production
on this project is the fact that the original PCB layout was designed
to fit inside a certain Sega Genesis controller, and now they are very
hard to come by. The PCB layout would have to be redesigned, which would
require a controller first of all...and then some time. Maybe Sean will
release the schematics so all of us techies can build one ourselves.
Until then, if you see a pair of Sega 3D Goggles for a good deal, snack
'em up. |
--- DISPLAY MODIFICATIONS --- | |
5
Inch CRT |
Add a 5" CRT to your Vectrex!
"(1) Samtron 5" amber monitor ($16.00) (1) Wyse 50,150, or 60 yoke (needs to be rewound, but not to hard a task) $7.00 to $12.00 new (2) LM1875 Audio amps. Maybe $2.00 each. Misc caps, resistors and wire. +/-12 power supply for the monitor and new deflection. I etched a nice pcb for the new deflection circuit that really looks
and I tried this monitor on my Space dual arcade PCB (real arcade board)
and you |
--- GENERAL VECTREX MODIFICATIONS --- | |
No
Buzz Vectrex |
Modifications to reduce the buzz in your
Vectrex audio. The idea is to increase signal to noise ratio by adding
a preamp to the Logic Board increasing the audio signal level sent to
the Power Board. The gain of the existing audio amplifier is reduced
to match the higher level signal now coming from the Logic Board. |
Quiet
Vectrex |
Modifications to reduce the buzz in your
Vectrex audio. This one really attacks the root of the problem. The
audio ground path is contaminated with noise from the rest of the Vectrex
circuitry resulting in an audible "buzz". (Read doc for more
info.) |
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