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Post by steel76 on May 10, 2014 9:02:53 GMT -5
I just read something about some homebrews not working on a non-buzz Vectrex, which I own.
Was this only the early homebrews?
And I hope no-buzz isn´t a problem for Kristof´s games?
Edit: Hmmm...Seems it´s only some multicarts that have problems.
What is it that makes non-buzz machines different enough to cause this problem?
Never heard about this issue before.
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Post by binarystar on May 10, 2014 15:39:21 GMT -5
They are later models with a different OS ROM version. But I'm not sure if its the OS ROM that causes them not to work with certain multicarts.
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Post by centaura on May 10, 2014 15:52:04 GMT -5
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Post by Mayhem on May 10, 2014 15:53:33 GMT -5
I believe the latter ROM version has the fixed version of Minestorm for example.
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Post by 50tbrd on May 10, 2014 16:57:14 GMT -5
vectrexroli is pretty much the expert on the No-buzz Vectrex units but they're actually identified by their checksum which is obtained by running the Test Cart rom.
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Post by vectrexroli on May 10, 2014 17:38:54 GMT -5
vectrexroli is pretty much the expert on the No-buzz Vectrex units but they're actually identified by their checksum which is obtained by running the Test Cart rom. I have an old video on my channel showing the 3 different European Vectrex versions I got in my collection. One of it is a "no-buzz" model. As far as I know you can tell from the serial number if it is a no-buzz Vectrex or not, but there are also modded normal Vectrex consoles out there, that have a "normal" ROM version, but the audio part is modded to get rid of the buzzing sound. When I do revews for things like e.g. the Madtronix Multicarts, the VecMulti or the Mateos solution, I test also if that runs on my no-buzz machine. That´s the case with all of those 3 solutions, only the Pause button of the Mateos cart does not work properly on my no-buzz Vectrex, but that´s only a minor issue. One of my Facebook friends said he has some minor issues with the VecMulti and pressing reset after playing a game on his no-buzz machine, but as far as I understood it, it is not a real showstopper. The older 72 game Multicart from Andrew does not work on no-buzz machines and that´s a known issue. I think he never fixed that as he didn´t have such a machine for testing, but I am not really up to date with the latest status on that. |
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Post by 50tbrd on May 10, 2014 18:49:24 GMT -5
I ran the Test Cart on ParaJVE and got B796. I wonder what it would take to be able to emulate units with other checksums including the no-buzz unit.
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Post by christophertumber on May 10, 2014 20:00:11 GMT -5
vectrexroli is pretty much the expert on the No-buzz Vectrex units but they're actually identified by their checksum which is obtained by running the Test Cart rom. Can somebody please post this ROM? |
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Post by christophertumber on May 10, 2014 20:01:57 GMT -5
I ran the Test Cart on ParaJVE and got B796. I wonder what it would take to be able to emulate units with other checksums including the no-buzz unit. If it's a change to the BIOS then dumping the alternate BIOS and using it in the emulator should do it easily. But it may also be hardware related. |
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Post by VectorX on May 10, 2014 20:04:19 GMT -5
vectrexroli is pretty much the expert on the No-buzz Vectrex units but they're actually identified by their checksum which is obtained by running the Test Cart rom. Can somebody please post this ROM? I assume it's the "Test" ones here? www.romnation.net/srv/roms/gcdvectrex/t.html |
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Post by VECTREXER on May 11, 2014 11:13:11 GMT -5
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Post by vectrexmad on May 11, 2014 14:36:35 GMT -5
I just read something about some homebrews not working on a non-buzz Vectrex, which I own. Was this only the early homebrews? And I hope no-buzz isn´t a problem for Kristof´s games? Edit: Hmmm...Seems it´s only some multicarts that have problems. What is it that makes non-buzz machines different enough to cause this problem? Never heard about this issue before. Hi steel76, what's the serial number of your non buzz Vectrex? Also what's the writing on the sticker on the back - is it in Swedish? |
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Post by steel76 on May 11, 2014 15:14:18 GMT -5
Hi steel76, what's the serial number of your non buzz Vectrex? Also what's the writing on the sticker on the back - is it in Swedish? Here is a shot of the sticker:  |
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Post by vectrexmad on May 11, 2014 17:28:36 GMT -5
Congratulations, you have one of the youngest of the Vectrex console generation - I think late 1983 early 1984.
Yeap, that's definitely the later manufactured "non buzz" version, containing the last ROM update (fixed Mine Storm and with checksum 0x7ADB) and updated logic board (different positioning of components for audio circuit).
I'm not sure if there were other (subtle) hardware changes to cause homebrew incompatibility or its just due to firmware differences in the ROM. I don't think anyone has dumped the ROM with 0x7ADB checksum yet as I've only ever seen the ROM file with checksum of 0xB796 in circulation (which is the US GCE ROM).
I note from the sticker the letters S, N, D, FI - these are Sweden, Norway, Denmarkm and Finland.
From various email conversations with Vectrex fans from those countries, there seems to be a high incidence of those last "Non buzz" models in the scandic countries. Also, I haven't carried out a proper scientific study, but it seems the 4XXXXXX serial versions were produced in a much lower quantity then the previous serial versions. This probably ties in with the late release in the Vectrex's life of the 4XXXXXX serial version and the subsequent termination of the Vectrex in late 1983.
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Post by steel76 on May 11, 2014 21:13:06 GMT -5
Thanks for the info  I just hope that there won't be any problems with Kristof and Fury's games on this later version? As I have "Vectrexians", "Vector Pilot" and "War of the Worlds" on the way now, it really would be depressing if they don´t work properly  Anyone with a later non-buzz that can confirm that those still work as they should on the units? |
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