It was the mattel aquarius which was a z80based computer released in 1983. Mattel contracted for these to become the aquarius and aquarius ii, respectively. Aquarius 320x200 bitmap graphics hack intellivision. The figure on the left has been taken from the technical specifications as described by mattel electronics and radofin. Select from a huge library of vector schematic diagram symbols that scale easily without quality degradation.
When plugged into the aquarius, they blend into the console, becoming totally unnoticeable. The shortlived mattel aquarius computer system was released by the prolific toy manufacturer in 1983. Here is the master list of all the computers, video game systems in my collection what i sometimes more ostentatiously call the vintage computing and gaming collection. Product manual for 1983 mattel aquarius computer and programming 1982 microsoft basic s2. Some vintage apple ii software and packaging that i saved.
Mattel aquarius software software for the mattel aquarius was available on cartridge and cassette tape. It is easily customized to meet most any applications requirements and can be integrated with your existing system. Manuals for the games released on the mattel aquarius. In particular, id like to know what the pin headers next to the power connector.
The short board use a 6116 ram which replaces the four 2114 i. It a llows you to play the games on a real intelliv is ion the way they were designed to be played. It features a zilog z80 microprocessor, a rubber chiclet keyboard, 4k of ram, and a subset of microsoft basic in. I believe i originally downloaded them from the aquarius discussion group on yahoo ive attached a copy of the clearest schematic. Mattel paid radofin to take back the marketing rights, and four other companiescezar industries, crimac inc. Once the games a re loaded into the cc3 there is no. It features a zilog z80microprocessor, a rubber chiclet keyboard, 4k of ram, and a subset of microsoft basic in rom. The familiar windows interface is easily learned, even by first time users.
It was designed by hong kongbased radofin, makers of the 1970s telesports pong game and the. It connects to a television set for audio and visual output, and uses a cassette tape recorder for. It instead began by looking around for a premade computer system it could market under its name. For more info and custom ebay links, check out the mattel aquarius page on my website, at. Seen here on the right is the circuit board from inside the fileform cart. Unfortunately, the existing scans of radofins original aquarius schematics are rather poor. They are essentially a custom microchip used to build a systemonachip on demand. Oase aquarius operating instructions manual pdf download. Schematic diagram maker free download or online app. Here is the offending rf modulator it appeared to be a simple matter of removing the rf.
Every single piece of hardware or software released in the united states for the mattel aquarius. Mattel aquarius emulators on windows and other platforms, free mattel aquarius emulator downloads, as well as savestates, hacks, cheats, utilities, and more. Searching around, i found some schematics for the aquarius so i thought this project would be a piece of cake. Of the 32 software titles mattel announced for the unit, only 21 were released, most of which were ports from mattel s intellivision game console. This one is my shallow exploration of the failed mattel aquarius computer from 1983. The aquarius has a tiny 4k of system ram, with only 1.
The aquarius data recorder plugs directly into the rear of the aquarius unit. Starting the program under emulator for windows pc 1. If you look at the cassette port on the back of the aquarius, you will see a 5pin female din socket. Jun 26, 2012 a system overview of the 8 bit mattel aquarius home computer. Dec 29, 2014 i finally achieved something i have wanted to do for 30 years give the aquarius programmable characters and true bitmap graphics. It easily runs on modern hardware at full speed and is a fairly faithful representation. Please be aware that i will not scan all of my documentation. It features a zilog z80microprocessor, a rubber chiclet keyboard, 4k of ram, and a. The aquarius was intended to be a home computer and gaming system. For more info and custom ebay links, check out the mattel aquarius page on. Mattel aquarius home computer with the shortest career.
Aquarius is a home computer designed by radofin and released by mattel in 1983. A limited number of peripherals, such as a 40column thermal printer, a 4color printerplotter, and a 300 baud modem, were released for the unit. Of the 32 software titles mattel announced for the unit, only 21 were released, most of. In early 1980s computers became popular not only as work tools or scientific machines, but as toys to play games. This is the mattel aquarius character set which was. Manuals for the games released on the mattel aquarius addeddate 20181201 14. The z80 used in the aquarius computer can address up to 64k of memory. Multiple games c an be loaded into the cc3, an d the games c an then be chosen from an on screen menu. Wav from the headphone socket in my laptop to the ear jack of the aquarius. Mattel around the same time came out with a computer keyboard attachment for their successful home entertainment system the intellivision. Searching around, i found some schematics for the aquarius so i thought this project would be a piece. The success of home computers in the early eighties made manufacturers eager.
Although the definition of parts list management can vary, the basic idea is to allow designers to create a part record for an item that can be specified, qualified, purchased and used in production. All circuit diagrams have been taken from the short board schematic 1540049 unless otherwise noted. Mastermind rk is a little crossplatform game for various classic z80based computers. Most of the released titles were ports from mattel s intellivision game console, but because the aquarius. Mattel, famous because of its barbie dolls, also wanted to profit from the boom in home computer business. Single sided, single density, soft sectored double density can be used, but not needed inputoutput commodore serial interface. The cuttle cart 3 is an intellivis ion cartridge that c an emulate other cartridges. Cc3 cuttle cart 3 development history welcome to the. Mattel made six short machine language games available on one tape, and the aquarius modem software was provided on tape. If it is known about the aquarius, the team here knows about it. A system overview of the 8 bit mattel aquarius home computer. This is output from mattel aquarius running my memory window program. Well in 1982 mattel decided to enter the already crowded home computer market with the aquarius. This is a fantastic emulator that even includes the roms for all of the aquarius.
The mist board is built around a socalled fpga chip with cores written in hdl. Click here to find the different options for certain products available on our website. Mattel aquarius data cassette recorder geek vintage. Smartdraws schematic diagram software is easy to use. The copies that i have in my archives are probably the same ones youre referring to. So far, i have 17 unique cartidges and 36 cassette tapes in my collection. In particular, id like to know what the pin headers next to the power connector are. Jul 31, 2011 the mattel aquarius computer came out in 1983 and competed against a lot of other computer companies in the market including apple, atari, coleco, commodore, and texas instruments to name a few. The mattel aquarius home computer system is a home computer designed by radofin and released by mattel in 1983.
Uses standard cassette tape to store program permanently. Software gallery links guestbook specifications memory allocation memory layout io port mapping. The manual claims that ctlc will always enable you to recover a program after pressing reset. Oric was the name used by tangerine computer systems for a series of home computers, including the original oric1, its successor the oric atmos and the later oric telestrat models model names stylized in upper case. Aquarius basic programming on the aquarius intellivision.
Numerous fixes in tape code did it work in original version. The classic board game mastermind for various z80 computers. Following is an assortment of 3d cad model views of the zodiac xl click here for the new zodiac ch 650 features note that some of these view may not be to scale. Internally, mattel programmers dubbed it the system for the seventies. It connects to a television set for audio and visual output, and uses a cassette tape recorder for secondary data storage. The mattel aquarius computer came out in 1983 and competed against a lot of other computer companies in the market including apple, atari, coleco, commodore, and texas instruments. Jul 10, 2010 when i was barely five years old, i had a one of the best christmas presents ive ever received to this day waiting for me under the tree. It features a zilog z80 microprocessor, a rubber chiclet keyboard, 4k of ram, and a subset of microsoft basic in rom. Watch for the mother ship once the score goes over 20,000 points.
Aquarius dms is powerful software yet extremely easy to use. This is the basic interpreter that is built in to the aquarius os rom, and contrary. The 34pin one probably is a floppy port, but i would prefer not to guess. Craigandersonthemes produced a fantastic mattel aquarius wheel complete with media, roms and themes. This is just a place for people to easily find the software and manuals for chad schells awesome intellivision intellicart and cuttle cart 3 cc3. It instead began by looking around for a premade computer. The aquarius manual did not contain details of any of the ports available. It includes thousands of templates and examples to help you get started quickly.
Heres some punchcards for the mainframe that ran data on a. Le mattel aquarius home computer system est considere par le plus grand nombre. Production ceased four months later because of poor sales. Great savings free delivery collection on many items. View and download oase aquarius operating instructions manual online. The mattel aquarius was the first and only genuine home computer offered by mattel electronics. To address some of the limitations, mattel added a larger character set to the original radofin design, so that games could use character graphics. Of the 32 software titles mattel announced for the unit, 21 were released. The keyboard is small and difficult to use, but it has nice rubber keys like most inexpensive computers, your television is the only display because the aquarius was quite unpopular, mattel pulled the aquarius from the market just 4 months after releasing it. Mattel aquarius welcome to the intellivision revolution. This is a fantastic emulator that even includes the roms for all of the aquarius games. Mattel aquarius software collection playable for free in the browser at the internet archive listen to this article infodl this audio file was created from a revision of the article mattel aquarius dated. Welcome to the nostalgic history of home and game computers.
The system seen below has the 4k ram expansion cart installed. Books published for the mattel aquarius are few and far between but i managed to locate a used copy of peter goodes aquarius program book. Atariage intellivision programmers forum this is where to find the last vestige of mattel aquarius enthusiasts. This site contains personal reflections on the mattel aquarius microcomputer. Most aquarius software needs more ram than the unexpanded model but. Mattel released most of their software on cartridges, small modules that plug into the backright of the aquarius console. Data is transferred onto standard cassette tapes for quick and easy storage. The mattel aquarius 30 years on a machine so cheesy, they should have supplied rubber gloves to wear while using it.
This is the emulator quick typing the program into the simulated aquariuss. Aquarius is a home computer designed by radofin and released by mattel electronics in 1983. There is a thread on the hyperspin forums about getting the roms to work on this system. Mattel aquarius home computer system until recently, the name mattel was associated mainly with childrens toys, most notably, the barbie doll and hot wheels. Mattel aquarius composite video modification notanon. Original running man program for the mattel aquarius. Parts list management using plm software parts list management requirements. The aquarius data recorder gave practical functionality to the aquarius computer and gaming system by allowing the capability to save and read data to and from standard audio cassettes rather than losing data stored on in ram that would be lost when the machine is turned off. If you arent a total purist and want to check out what the mattel aquarius was like, you can download virtual aquarius for windows. Finally i have my video editing software working again, so i can start to do more videos for youtube. Mattel aquarius program book by peter goode geek vintage.
Throughout this site use of mattel refers to mattel, inc. Intellicart and cuttle cart 3 cc3 manuals and software. Mattel released most of their software on cartridges, small modules. So the question what the mist board is leads to the question what an fpga is. Astrosmash for the mattel aquarius computer youtube. Video part has been fully rewritten to provide original video and colors. Shown here, is astrosmash for the mattel electronics aquarius computer. Because of the hardware limitations of the aquarius. Of the 32 software titles mattel announced for the unit, only 21 were released, most of which were ports from mattels intellivision game console.
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