The Vagabond as of 11-2-00...
I'm taking things with the Vagabond
kinda slow, I don't want to RUSH something just to get it done. (blatant
PS2 jab!)
Earlier I mentioned how the Vagabond has to have a new type of control pad in order to work and be thin. Well, my latest experiments have involved just that:
This is prototype XJ-1 alpha of the Vagabond control pad. The rear of it is a 1/8 inch thick piece of aluminum. The entire front of the Vagabond will be made of such material. It's actually rather light (for what it is) and will render the Vagabond impervious to small arms fire. The 1/8 inch stuff will be painted black, then a plate of nice brushed aluminum (as above) will be on that and surround the controls. This thin plate will hold the buttons down and keep them from falling out! Brass screws will hold it on and be visible for a neat turn-of-the-century look.
But the REAL reason I am using it is because the 1/8 inch thick space can be hollowed out to hold things such as control pads. Therefore, instead of buttons and switches being BEHIND the case (and taking up space) they are actually sandwiched IN the case. This will also apply to the Difficulty switches (which will be in this version, the VCSp didn't have them) the RESET and SELECT switches and the trigger.
The Vagabond as of 11-15-00...
I bought some new, more precise needle nose pliers and tweezers, that's important you know! I am working on making the Atari circuit board even SMALLER than the picture you saw on the last page. Basically this would involve removing the circuit board section that the cartridge plugs in to. I know what you're thinking, and you're right, it's a good point - I NEED the cartridge port. Fear not! I mapped the pin outs and discovered where each pin of the cartridge goes to on the circuit board. That way, I can rewire the cartridge slot wherever I want and wire the contacts directly to the microchips themselves.
Now, this may sound like a lot of work, and it is. But the thing is, by doing this I can make the unit about 1/8 inch THINNER than it would be if I did it like on the previous page. And eighth inch is like the fricking Grand Canyon when you're making a portable unit. If you go back a page you'll note how the BLUE line that represents the Atari circuit board fits over the top of some stuff on the back of the TV. Well, if I slice the board up more, it won't fit OVER it, it will fit BESIDE it and be flush, and save space.
I must make the new unit as small as possible!
Also some other new ideas I have... This idea is weird, because I thought of it and so did someone else I work with, and then we told each other at the same time...
I have bought and already tested a voice-recording IC (integrated circuit) from Radio Shack. And I already know where I can fit it inside the Atari Vagabond case. And now you are wondering "What the heck is that for?" Well, we all remember when Sonic the Hedgehog came out, right? Remember what happened when you turned it on? Guess what's going to happen when you turn the Vagabond on!!!!!!
"ATARI!!!"
Yup. I'm gonna get a couple guys and dolls together, have them sing it, record it, put a orchestral hit at the end, and have it play when the Vagabond turns on AND when it turns off. The recorder IC stores the voice data in a flash ROM so it will last even with the batteries out. (Actually, a flash ROM like that would be a cool way to store the games themselves, but, whatever)
Ironically, the voice chip in the Vagabond will have 1024 times more memory than the Atari itself.
