Author Topic: Micro Coleco Donkey Kong Tabletop [FINISHED] (Read 42692 times)

yotsuya · « **Reply #40 on:** June 02, 2015, 10:48:55 am »

Quote from: vwalbridge on June 02, 2015, 10:46:35 am

I really tried to get N64 to run. However, it only ran games at about 50fps with some audio stutter. I'm using retroarch with mupen64plus. I might try project 64 later.

Just stick with the vertical arcade stuff. The project is great as is, no need to shoehorn other stuff in just because.

vwalbridge · « **Reply #41 on:** June 02, 2015, 12:04:57 pm »

Here are the final photos of my project. I hope you all enjoy. A big THANK YOU to everyone who followed my build and commented on my project. This is a great community and I had just as much fun sharing it with everyone as I did building it.

A YouTube video of it in action is inbound in the next day or so!

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #42 on:** June 02, 2015, 12:11:26 pm »

This thing looks great! Congrats! Can't wait to see the video.

DeLuSioNaL29

JimmyU · « **Reply #43 on:** June 02, 2015, 12:32:29 pm »

Very neat! Has anybody written a simulator for those Coleco VFD games? It would be awesome to see this play the game it was made to play.

yotsuya · « **Reply #44 on:** June 02, 2015, 12:50:37 pm »

Of all the Nintendo-related projects I've seen, this one is by far the best. It is both creative and innovative, and best yet, you didn't butcher a working device. As stated, you gave new life to something that easily could have been tossed out as non-working. Good for you!

8BitMonk · « **Reply #45 on:** June 02, 2015, 01:00:36 pm »

Nice work, this turned out great! Looking forward to the video to see it in action.

vwalbridge · « **Reply #46 on:** June 02, 2015, 01:12:57 pm »

Quote from: DeLuSioNal29 on June 02, 2015, 12:11:26 pm

This thing looks great! Congrats! Can't wait to see the video.

DeLuSioNaL29

Thanks! Can't wait to show everyone how it works.

Quote from: yotsuya on June 02, 2015, 12:50:37 pm

Of all the Nintendo-related projects I've seen, this one is by far the best. It is both creative and innovative, and best yet, you didn't butcher a working device. As stated, you gave new life to something that easily could have been tossed out as non-working. Good for you!

Thanks you so much! I really tried to pay respect to the original by restoring it to something new yet keeping it as original as possible at the same time.

Quote from: 8BitMonk on June 02, 2015, 01:00:36 pm

Nice work, this turned out great! Looking forward to the video to see it in action.

Thanks! Hopfully I'll have the video posted here tomorrow.

vwalbridge · « **Reply #47 on:** June 02, 2015, 01:22:03 pm »

Quote from: JimmyU on June 02, 2015, 12:32:29 pm

Very neat! Has anybody written a simulator for those Coleco VFD games? It would be awesome to see this play the game it was made to play.

Yes! You are one step ahead of me.

There are simulators for these old VFD games. There is a SUPER smart guy out there painstakingly writing the code for each one individually. These simulators are not like emulators where you can write one emulator for hundres of games. No, he has to write the simulator from the ground up for EACH one. And they are FREE no less. It's an amazing process and involves him literally scanning in each sprite. They can be found here:

http://www.madrigaldesign.it/sim/

I have included 2 of these simulators (one is the original coleco DK) in my cab but they don't run full screen. I have already contacted the deveoper asking if he could write a special version for me but he was too busy at the time and it's difficult to make changes. I'm hoping he reconsiders when he sees my build! The guy is really smart and I'm hoping he enjoys what I did. I have sure enjoyed what he has done.

emphatic · « **Reply #48 on:** June 02, 2015, 02:57:06 pm »

Looks fantastic! How is it for playing the games? I can't imagine it's very comfortable for longer sessions?

vwalbridge · « **Reply #49 on:** June 02, 2015, 03:12:56 pm »

Quote from: emphatic on June 02, 2015, 02:57:06 pm

Looks fantastic! How is it for playing the games? I don't imaging it's very comfortable for longer sessions?

Thanks! I haven't played for a long duration on it yet but you are correct. I can imagine it not being very comfortable the longer you play on it. The joystick sits a little tall so you kinda need to keep your left hand raised up to use it. There is nowhere to really rest your palms. It's also extremely difficult to find good buttons this small. So the ones I finally found are a little on the "mushy" side. The good news is that I don't have to press them down the full distance to register. Only about half.

So...because of all the above, I decided to pair that bluetooth NES30 controller to it. Obviously much more comfortable and also allows me to play games on it that require more buttons like SNES games. Overall, it's very playable. In fact, while I was testing it, I was so engaged in some Megaman 2 I forgot what I was checking to test for in the first place! I got lost in the gaming!

reptileink · « **Reply #50 on:** June 02, 2015, 04:38:21 pm »

This is such a cool build! I love re-purposing what normal people may have sold for $5 at a yard sale back in the day..lol.

I just found a "lot" on Craigslist for Frogger, Pac Man, and Qbert for $50, but I don't have half the skills as you do to mod them all. Very cool!

vwalbridge · « **Reply #51 on:** June 02, 2015, 05:15:39 pm »

Quote from: reptileink on June 02, 2015, 04:38:21 pm

This is such a cool build! I love re-purposing what normal people may have sold for $5 at a yard sale back in the day..lol.

I just found a "lot" on Craigslist for Frogger, Pac Man, and Qbert for $50, but I don't have half the skills as you do to mod them all. Very cool!

Whoa!

I would be all over that. If they are in good condition, they normally go for over $50 EACH on eBay. Great Little pieces of gaming history.

You are lucky. I'm always on Craigslist and nobody ever seems to post anything cool like that in my area.

stigzler · « **Reply #52 on:** June 02, 2015, 05:25:41 pm »

Truly fab. Congrats on a great project - one of me faves.

reptileink · « **Reply #53 on:** June 02, 2015, 05:35:16 pm »

Quote from: vwalbridge on June 02, 2015, 05:15:39 pm

Quote from: reptileink on June 02, 2015, 04:38:21 pm
This is such a cool build! I love re-purposing what normal people may have sold for $5 at a yard sale back in the day..lol.

I just found a "lot" on Craigslist for Frogger, Pac Man, and Qbert for $50, but I don't have half the skills as you do to mod them all. Very cool!

Whoa! I would be all over that. If they are in good condition, they normally go for over $50 EACH on eBay. Great Little pieces of gaming history.

You are lucky. I'm always on Craigslist and nobody ever seems to post anything cool like that in my area.

Sadly, it's about an hour and a half drive away, so not really worth the time/trouble to go grab them. He might ship them, but that would probably cost $50 itself. He also doesn't state if they are working or not. I just checkd too, and now it's up to $100 firm, he must have looked around for prices.

vwalbridge · « **Reply #54 on:** June 02, 2015, 05:47:18 pm »

Quote from: reptileink on June 02, 2015, 05:35:16 pm

Quote from: vwalbridge on June 02, 2015, 05:15:39 pm
Quote from: reptileink on June 02, 2015, 04:38:21 pm
This is such a cool build! I love re-purposing what normal people may have sold for $5 at a yard sale back in the day..lol.

I just found a "lot" on Craigslist for Frogger, Pac Man, and Qbert for $50, but I don't have half the skills as you do to mod them all. Very cool!

Whoa! I would be all over that. If they are in good condition, they normally go for over $50 EACH on eBay. Great Little pieces of gaming history.

You are lucky. I'm always on Craigslist and nobody ever seems to post anything cool like that in my area.

Sadly, it's about an hour and a half drive away, so not really worth the time/trouble to go grab them. He might ship them, but that would probably cost $50 itself. He also doesn't state if they are working or not. I just checkd too, and now it's up to $100 firm, he must have looked around for prices.

The Q*bert is best of that bunch. Frogger would be great if it was in good condition and the pac-man one is in great condition but not as rare. I agree, not worth it for $100. Especially for the drive and not knowing if they even work. Funny, the owner raised his/her price after doing their homework.

I've always loved Q*bert. And I've always wanted to do something cool with the Q*bert tabletop but I can never find one broken and beat up enough. Even If i could find a broken one, I'd feel too bad about modifying it and would feel way too obligated to restore it as original.

Vigo · « **Reply #55 on:** June 02, 2015, 07:53:02 pm »

Great build!

I had tron and donkey kong as a kid, and later acquired a zaxxon. This brings back memories, I can still hear those plucky tapletop DK sounds in my head.

Very tasteful.

Wyo · « **Reply #56 on:** June 03, 2015, 12:52:05 am »

Very cool! Now THAT is a DK tabletop!

vwalbridge · « **Reply #57 on:** June 03, 2015, 10:24:25 am »

Quote from: Vigo on June 02, 2015, 07:53:02 pm

Great build! I had tron and donkey kong as a kid, and later acquired a zaxxon. This brings back memories, I can still hear those plucky tapletop DK sounds in my head. Very tasteful.

Thanks Vigo! These tabletops do bring back some fond memories. The Zaxxon one was crazy huge! And YES, that "plucky' DK sound is so distinct and unique.

vwalbridge · « **Reply #58 on:** June 03, 2015, 10:25:10 am »

Quote from: Wyo on June 03, 2015, 12:52:05 am

Very cool! Now THAT is a DK tabletop!

Thanks Wyo! I'll have video of it in action posted today.

yotsuya · « **Reply #59 on:** June 03, 2015, 10:37:32 am »

Quote from: vwalbridge on June 02, 2015, 03:12:56 pm

Quote from: emphatic on June 02, 2015, 02:57:06 pm
Looks fantastic! How is it for playing the games? I don't imaging it's very comfortable for longer sessions?

Thanks! I haven't played for a long duration on it yet but you are correct. I can imagine it not being very comfortable the longer you play on it. The joystick sits a little tall so you kinda need to keep your left hand raised up to use it. There is nowhere to really rest your palms. It's also extremely difficult to find good buttons this small. So the ones I finally found are a little on the "mushy" side. The good news is that I don't have to press them down the full distance to register. Only about half.

So...because of all the above, I decided to pair that bluetooth NES30 controller to it. Obviously much more comfortable and also allows me to play games on it that require more buttons like SNES games. Overall, it's very playable. In fact, while I was testing it, I was so engaged in some Megaman 2 I forgot what I was checking to test for in the first place! I got lost in the gaming!

I was thinking, even if this only played the original arcade Donkey Kong and nothing else, it would still be an outstanding project.

Vidiot · « **Reply #60 on:** June 03, 2015, 12:00:06 pm »

This turned out so great! Outstanding job.

Looks so clean and well finished! Extra points for using something other than a Raspberry Pi. I was wondering how that lil computer handles Hyperspin.

vwalbridge · « **Reply #61 on:** June 03, 2015, 02:10:12 pm »

Quote from: Vidiot on June 03, 2015, 12:00:06 pm

This turned out so great! Outstanding job. Looks so clean and well finished! Extra points for using something other than a Raspberry Pi. I was wondering how that lil computer handles Hyperspin.

Thanks you so much Vidiot. Everyone following my build should know that all my inspiration came from your Coleco build! If you had not done yours...I would have never done mine. THANK YOU!

...and as promised, here is the video of it in action.

SpaceHedgehog · « **Reply #62 on:** June 03, 2015, 04:59:48 pm »

Great project, interesting video and a fantastic result. Looks like a lot of work putting the emulation/simulation/interface/controller together. Excellent.

Ond · « **Reply #63 on:** June 03, 2015, 07:47:24 pm »

I just found this and it brought a big smile to my dial

. Love your work

JimmyU · « **Reply #64 on:** June 03, 2015, 08:27:52 pm »

Hey look what I found! It looks like you can run those Coleco tabletop games in Mame:
Haze even had a brief description on how to get it running in MAME 0.162. Since it's MAME, I'm sure you can run it full screen vertical.

Vigo · « **Reply #65 on:** June 03, 2015, 10:07:25 pm »

Quote from: JimmyU on June 03, 2015, 08:27:52 pm

Hey look what I found! It looks like you can run those Coleco tabletop games in Mame:
Haze even had a brief description on how to get it running in MAME 0.162. Since it's MAME, I'm sure you can run it full screen vertical.

That is awesome!

vwalbridge · « **Reply #66 on:** June 03, 2015, 10:33:45 pm »

Quote from: Ond on June 03, 2015, 07:47:24 pm

I just found this and it brought a big smile to my dial . Love your work

Thanks! Really makes me happy that enjoyed my build.

vwalbridge · « **Reply #67 on:** June 03, 2015, 10:39:17 pm »

Quote from: Vigo on June 03, 2015, 10:07:25 pm

Quote from: JimmyU on June 03, 2015, 08:27:52 pm
Hey look what I found! It looks like you can run those Coleco tabletop games in Mame:
Haze even had a brief description on how to get it running in MAME 0.162. Since it's MAME, I'm sure you can run it full screen vertical.

That is awesome!

Holy moly! This is so rad. How in the world did I miss this during all 6 months of my build. Thank you so much for posting this. I'm literally going to check this out and test it right now. I'll be sure to post my results! Once again, thanks for digging this up and sharing it. Crazy I never discovered this before

Vigo · « **Reply #68 on:** June 04, 2015, 07:01:44 am »

I think you only "missed it" because it is pretty fresh news. Only available since the release of mame 0.161, which came out at end of April. This is a new addition I think a lot of us were unaware of.

Vigo · « **Reply #69 on:** June 04, 2015, 07:24:53 am »

For those interested, I started a thread with a list of the tabletops/handhelds added to mame, rather than derail this thread.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,145733.0.html

JimmyU · « **Reply #70 on:** June 04, 2015, 10:05:43 am »

You're welcome man. If I can make your already awesome build 1% more awesome, then I've done my job. It was weird how it happened. I was reading an article Haze wrote about how they're combining MAME with MESS and he just happened to use Donkey Kong as an example of all the ports that you can now run in MAME and one the of the ports was Coleco tabletop version. Apparently, they were able to dump the MCU so it's an actual emulation rather than a simulation.

dmckean · « **Reply #71 on:** June 04, 2015, 12:57:44 pm »

Quote from: JimmyU on June 03, 2015, 08:27:52 pm

Hey look what I found! It looks like you can run those Coleco tabletop games in Mame:
Haze even had a brief description on how to get it running in MAME 0.162. Since it's MAME, I'm sure you can run it full screen vertical.

Now we're going to need new HLSL settings to mimic vacuum fluorescent displays.

vwalbridge · « **Reply #72 on:** June 04, 2015, 01:51:30 pm »

Quote from: JimmyU on June 04, 2015, 10:05:43 am

You're welcome man. If I can make your already awesome build 1% more awesome, then I've done my job. It was weird how it happened. I was reading an article Haze wrote about how they're combining MAME with MESS and he just happened to use Donkey Kong as an example of all the ports that you can now run in MAME and one the of the ports was Coleco tabletop version. Apparently, they were able to dump the MCU so it's an actual emulation rather than a simulation.

I checked this out last night and it's amazing how far along this is. They already have over 70 handhelds emulated. Some better than others but it is an amazingly good start. Another fascinating person figuring out how to reverse engineer hardwired chips. The Coleco DK one emulates pretty good but some of the movements are a little slow to react and some movements don't even register. But heck...I'll take it! And I"m sure it will only get better.

Quote from: dmckean on June 04, 2015, 12:57:44 pm

Quote from: JimmyU on June 03, 2015, 08:27:52 pm
Hey look what I found! It looks like you can run those Coleco tabletop games in Mame:
Haze even had a brief description on how to get it running in MAME 0.162. Since it's MAME, I'm sure you can run it full screen vertical.

Now we're going to need new HLSL settings to mimic vacuum fluorescent displays.

I love a guy that thinks ahead like me.

I have some old yet really nice HLSL "glow" effects that I have tried to use on these games to get that same VFD effect. But it wasn't working. Then it occured to me that HLSL settings will probably never work with these games because they use static artwork files to move the sprites around the screen. So HLSL settings can't be applied to static art files. But hey...this is already 100% more than I thought was ever possible!

vwalbridge · « **Reply #73 on:** June 04, 2015, 02:16:50 pm »

Well, I couldn't help myself and decided to poke around and realized I might be able to apply some sudo VFD effects. So I opened one of the artwork files and changed the top level of the ladders to a more yellow color. (I don't know why they made them gray-ish. The original is more yellow. So...If I spend enough time in photosphop, I might be able to make my own "glow" effects. $:-\$

Also, sorry. Someone please tell me if this should be on Vigo's new MAME emulating tabletop/handheld gaming thread : http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,145733.0.html

mgb · « **Reply #74 on:** June 04, 2015, 06:23:22 pm »

This is a cool little project here.
Very nicely executed.

vwalbridge · « **Reply #75 on:** June 09, 2015, 12:51:34 am »

Here is an updated video of my tabletop. Now with original Coleco VFD games!

(Skip ahead to about 4:30 to see them in action)

DeLuSioNal29 · « **Reply #76 on:** June 09, 2015, 01:26:40 am »

Fantastic! The video was very well done. (As was this project). Congrats!

D

markrvp · « **Reply #77 on:** June 14, 2015, 09:44:00 pm »

I absolutely love this!!! I wanted one of those so bad when I was a kid. Way to improve it ;-)

reptileink · « **Reply #78 on:** June 16, 2015, 04:21:39 pm »

Quote from: reptileink on June 02, 2015, 05:35:16 pm

Quote from: vwalbridge on June 02, 2015, 05:15:39 pm
Quote from: reptileink on June 02, 2015, 04:38:21 pm
This is such a cool build! I love re-purposing what normal people may have sold for $5 at a yard sale back in the day..lol.

I just found a "lot" on Craigslist for Frogger, Pac Man, and Qbert for $50, but I don't have half the skills as you do to mod them all. Very cool!

Whoa! I would be all over that. If they are in good condition, they normally go for over $50 EACH on eBay. Great Little pieces of gaming history.

You are lucky. I'm always on Craigslist and nobody ever seems to post anything cool like that in my area.

Sadly, it's about an hour and a half drive away, so not really worth the time/trouble to go grab them. He might ship them, but that would probably cost $50 itself. He also doesn't state if they are working or not. I just checkd too, and now it's up to $100 firm, he must have looked around for prices.

Still available, and now dropped to $85....so tempting

Knievel · « **Reply #79 on:** July 09, 2015, 03:34:12 pm »

Love this, really nice work..and looks a lot of it!
Would love to have one myself but I don't think I'm up to the challenge.

When I was a young lad Santa brought these to nearly every kid on the block one Christmas.
I've collected a handful of them mostly for display purposes and I cherish them.


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