To make a story short, this "wanna-be" educational system is now rare to find and sought after even if i would classify it as "Worst Game System EVER!!" but this is still part of the video game history and is also a great part about computer history since it has a "Modular Windows" for an operating system. Actually, it has a Windows 3.1 modified inside two EPROMS.
The BIOS of this system has two EPROMS labeled P513BK0B and P513BK1B which are 16-BIT (512K each in size) 27C240, and now these two EPROMS are now dumped but still need to be verified to see if both are good dumps. And if they are good then we need to wait that someone makes a driver for the MAME (MESS) to be finally preserved (Hey, even if i think it's the worst game system ever, it's still need to be preserved for historical purpose).
Here's a few pictures (and guts):
And pictures of the controller:
I will post soon scans of the VIS manual and Compton manual, until then take care folks! =)
Your timing is perfect! I just picked up one of these today at a second-hand store, though mine didn't come with anything except for a copy of "The Secrets of Hosea Freeman" in the drive.
ReplyDeleteIf you ever get the the time in the future, it would be super helpful to also document the IR signals sent from the remote control and gamepads. I don't know if they use standard Memorex IR codes but the two-player nature of the pads makes me think that they are something proprietary to this console.
If the codes were know then, hopefully, someone could build a SNES-to-VIS adapter to replace lost gamepads.
Also, you may like to know, I opened mine and found there are some differences on the motherboard to yours. My serial number is 015287. Model number is the same.
ReplyDeleteMy motherboard has a barcode sticker next to the large brown slot with the numbers: "8859132 TP24992439"
I have a ROM IC (not an EPROM, no window) in socket U36, and there is nothing in socket U35 next to is. There are solder pads, by no IC socket and no IC, just a placeholder. The ROM is labeled:
(C)TANDY CORP 1992
9242 AJ002
8040202
10/92
In socket U1 (just below the large brown slot), I have an IC with a label on it that reads: "SFEB 10/16/92 8810405 2327"
Also, my motherboard is darker brown colour.
All other components look to be the same. The CD-ROM drive is the same model with the manufacturing date of November 1992.
All this tells me you have a much earlier model, 4 months older than mine if the date on U1 can be trusted.
For the record, the version of DOS in ROM here is DOS 3.22. (somehow managed to catch an int 21h ah=30h call in the MAME debugger)
ReplyDeletePlease update a link
ReplyDeleteHey thanks very much Matthew and Wack0, surely all these information will be useful for the MESS/MAME team.
ReplyDeletesOLaRdReAm: I haven't uploaded the VIS BIOS yet on Archive.org but you can get it from certain web sites that has BIOSes for MAME as the Memorex VIS is now emulated in MAME, not perfectly emulated but at least it works.
Today I tried to dump the rom from my VIS but hit a snag:
ReplyDeleteSince mine has production mask rom (not eprom) I have no idea what chip model to use when reading. It's also a 42-pin chip, so it can't fit in to the zif-socket on my Minipro TL866CS. I tried bending pins 1 and 42 out of the way (since the motherboard says if you use eproms in the socket you align them with pins 2 and 41) and then tried reading it as a 27C240 but got no data.
@sly did you have 42-pin chips in yours, do you know what they are compatible with for reading?
I *was* able to read the IC in position U1 (next to the expansion slot). It's a Lattice GAL16V8 (dip-20 PLD). Not sure if the dump would be useful to anyone but I can upload it somewhere once I get my bios dumped too.
Hi Matthew, oh boy...it's been quite a while. The Eprom programkmer i used to dump the VIS BIOS is a Willem Sivava PCB50B and the biggest zif socket it has on the board has only 32-pins. So i had to buy an adapter board to be able to dump both BIOSes (eprom's 27c240).
ReplyDeleteI wish i could be more helpful with the Memorex VIS because once i gave a copy of the dumped BIOS, a few weeks later they contacted me to tell me they made a driver and it is now working so i sold my Memorex VIS not long after (in September 2016 if memory serve).
The masked ROM you have, is there any description on it ? Or maybe send me a picture of it ?
The link to the BIOS seems to be outdated - could you please link to a new one? I'd like to get this and look at it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I talked to the original project manager of the VIS - he said the P513 on yours is an "early pre-ROM version, because it references Project 513, the internal code name" - so, you somehow got ahold of a development unit, looks like!
ReplyDeleteHi hexbus, sorry about the link as it used to be on my (now defunct) web site. I have uploaded the BIOS plus the hack Vanguard and other things here: https://archive.org/download/phoenix_20200517/vis2500/
ReplyDeleteA pre-ROM version ? So now the BIOS for the emulator MAME is a kind of dev kit ? Kewl! It will be easier to emulate the games. But if i would have known this, i might had kept the VIS 2500 as i sold it not long ago after dumping the BIOS. At least, this has been preserved.
So you talked to the original project manager ? It would be so great if he could talk about the project 513 and the modulated Windows. I'm sure he has a hell of a story to tell! ;)