Re: Arcade board

[mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon)]

Ralfe Cookson wrote:

>mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon) wrote in message 
>
>> Yes, this is the Third Millenium Engineering Arcade Card.
>> 
>> If you have more info about the card, or its software, I would be very
>> interested.  It has two RCA connectors.  I assumed one was audio
>> and one was video, but that appears to be incorrect.
>
>I can dig up some more info, but it may be a few days. But the two RCA
>connectors were composite video and mono audio. They should work when
>plugged into a TV with RCA video and sound inputs. Which connector is
>which I do not remember, but you can probably trace the one connected
>to the video output transistor (2N3904) from the VDP chip. The PSG I
>believe used 741 op amps for audio.

There are two LM747's and two 4052's.

And you are right, the upper RCA connector is video, and the lower
is audio--no stereo here.

>There was software that came with the card as well as a manual of
>sorts. There was also an extension to Applesoft BASIC, using &, that
>allowed to program the main features of the VDP and PSG in BASIC.

Both of those items would be of _great_ interest!

>> It also has a "flying lead" with a single-pin connector on the end, which
>> I took to be a video coax, but it isn't.  What is this and what does it
>> connect to?
>
>The single wire plugged into the Apple's RCA video connector so that
>the video from the card could be Apple video in pass-thru mode, or the
>VDP video, if it was enabled.

I wondered if it was intended to go into the Apple video connector.
It's only about 7" long, so this card would have to go in an "upper"
slot.

>> There is also a 4-pin Molex connector like the Apple II modulator
>> connector.  Is this the only video output?  Are the two RCA's audio
>> outputs?  ???
>
>The 4 pin connector was for RF modulator. 

That's what I expected...

>> I haven't started to dig into it yet, so if anyone has any information
>> on this card, I would be delighted to hear more.  ;-)
>> 
>> I was surprised that the '8910 was interfaced without benefit of latches,
>> so your remark about marginal interface to the Apple bus sounds
>> right.  Did it work OK, or were there intermittent glitches?

Any info on the solidity of the chip timing?

Thanks for the info!

-michael

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