Dateline: November 28th, 2000

Wow! As if I wasn't inspired enough, I got an email today from none other than David Crane complementing me on my 2600 VCSp! I'm smiling with pride even as I write this! David Crane is probably most famous for programming Pitfall!, but he also worked on things such as the Atari 8 bit computer's OS along with lots else that I can't recall off the top of my head. At any rate, it makes those soldering iron burns seem all worth it! Atari Lives!

Audio Tests

Ok! Back to work. I'm planning on using a video module type display for my new unit. So, not a portable television after all. More like a video only component. This will save lots of space since it reduces the amount of circuitry for the display. That will allow me to do more with the control pad stuff since I'll have more room to work with. I'm hoping to have a paddle controller this time! They are kinda tricky since they require a big fat potentiometer, but, I'm working on it.

I know (by now) it probably sounds like I change my mind a lot, but, keep in mind that I'm writing this story AS I MAKE the new unit. I made the original VCSp back in Spring of 2000. When I finally got around to making the web page 6 months later in September, I had to write the story from memory. Not this time! This time you've got an inside view of me changing things and improving them. So enjoy the madness!

ANYWAY! A video-only display unit does not have sound, as far as I know. I'm just assuming, but I'm probably assuming right. At least I hope I am. I think I am. (crosses fingers). So, I need some audio...

This is a picture of the Vagabond at the moment. Kind of a mess, but believe me, it's eons more organized than the VCSp is. (When I was finishing up the VCSp last spring, someone suggested that I should make it clear like an iMac, since the VCSp's case WAS clear until I had it painted black. And I said "Are you kidding? People would see how lousy my soldering is!") Anyway, there's a spot on the Atari board where you can get an audio signal. (see the How To section for more info). And while it works with an amplification device, such as a VCR or Dolby Digital AC-3 receiver, if you hook up a speaker directly to it, you get nothing. So I need my own little amplifier.

On the right-hand side you can see a little chip with a yellow circle around it. That's a LM386 audio amplifier chip. Combined with a circuit that I got from a Radio Shack Engineer's Mini Notebook (by Forrest M. Mims III) I am able to amp that wimpy signal up to a speaker, which you can sorta see there in the lower right corner. The circuit involves 2 electrolyte capacitors. I will probably put this circuit on the control pad circuit board, since I'll hopefully have some extra room there. There's a yellow arrow in the bottom middle of this picture, it's pointing to an unseen potentiometer that is used as the volume control. The circuit suggested a 10k volume control, but I tried one and didn't like the results. Plus the thing is too big anyways. So, I've got a good old "Assorted Potentiometer" special that I will machine to my needs. It too will probably be soldered directly to the control pad circuit board.

Speaking of that, I have a pretty good idea of what the Vagabond will look like. I have received many emails regarding the "Aluminum VS Black" question I posed on my old site months ago and I thank you all for your input! I think the most popular suggested idea was that I make the Vagabond look more modern than the VCSp, but still an Atari... (go wood grain!)

I thought about rendering a 3D image of the Vagabond concept, but I have decided to keep it a secret until it is completely finished. (Even though I have a full scale paper mock-up right next to me, he he he!) But I will tell you this. It's going to be mostly black with lots of brushed aluminum plating. There will probably be wood grain along the sides, but not as much overall. EVERYTHING is custom-built, I'm not using old Nintendo parts for the controls this time. And of course, stuff will change, but that's where I am right now.

I would consider the original VCSp as an old wood-grain Atari that had 'morphed' into a portable unit, since it copied most of the design characteristics. The new Vagabond is going to look more modern, yet old-fashioned at the same time. And it must also still resemble an Atari. It's a trickier balance, to be sure, but this time I'd rather be inspired by the Atari look than directly copy it. If you like perfect copies, head over to my Download section and get my (hopefully) awesome WinAmp skin!