WTB - complete DECO cassette system boardset & tape mechs

Tornadoboy

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WTB - complete DECO cassette system boardset & tape mechs

Ok I narrowly missed a DECO cassette system in the FS section a little while ago and thought I'd throw it out there to see what's available?

It doesn't really matter what game it is, although Burgertime, Bump 'n' jump or Mission X would be nice, but I'm just interested in having a boardset so I can experiment with replacing the cassette mechanism with something solid state. Must be complete with the cage, boards, cassette mech, tape and security dongle.

I'll take a non-working set depending on the price, how bad a shape it's in and if it's complete, but would prefer working.
 
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Ok I narrowly missed a DECO cassette system in the FS section a little while ago and thought I'd throw it out there to see what's available?

It doesn't really matter what game it is, although Burgertime, Bump 'n' jump or Mission X would be nice, but I'm just interested in having a boardset so I can experiment with replacing the cassette mechanism with something solid state. Must be complete with the cage, boards, cassette mech, tape and security dongle.

I'll take a non-working set depending on the price, how bad a shape it's in and if it's complete, but would prefer working.

You do know Widel has already replaced the cassette with a multi game dongle right?
 
You do know Widel has already replaced the cassette with a multi game dongle right?

Yeah but that was a short run of like 10 and he's not making them any more, is he? Besides I'm a total newb at board hacking/mods and DECOs seem like a good and relatively simply design to begin with, not to mention they're in serious need of preservation, they're dropping like flies.


Thanks but I'd rather get the whole complete setup at once, if I nit-pick at it a piece at a time it'll take forever and probably cost twice as much, the only parts I might be interested in getting separately are the tapes, dongles and cassette mechs.
 
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I do have a set of DECO boards In my parts Box I think I only robed a Crystal off one board but that's an easy fix (might have don't remember). Other than that they are a nice set of boards if your looking for backups. No cage or ribbon cables though just the boards.
 
Bump

Got one possible lead on a set when someone finishes their project, but otherwise I'm still looking.

I do have a set of DECO boards In my parts Box I think I only robed a Crystal off one board but that's an easy fix (might have don't remember). Other than that they are a nice set of boards if your looking for backups. No cage or ribbon cables though just the boards.

Thanks I'll keep you in mind, but for now I'm looking for just a full set with the cage and cassette deck, I want to at least start with enough to work on, only the tapes, dongles and cassette players I might be interested in separately.
 
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Yeah but that was a short run of like 10 and he's not making them any more, is he? Besides I'm a total newb at board hacking/mods and DECOs seem like a good and relatively simply design to begin with, not to mention they're in serious need of preservation, they're dropping like flies.

I don't want to discourage you, but I wouldn't consider the DECO cassette system simple... not exactly a newb kind of project.
Dave only made a few of his multis because there really wasn't much demand. If there was, Mike Doyle would probably be building them. If you can get some commitments or pre-payments lined up, perhaps they'll make some more.
Dave offered one of these DECO multigames to me back when he was working on adding more games, but I didn't have any DECO cassette hardware (or even know anyone local who had one) so I passed. I sorta wish I'd grabbed one, but I'd rather see them in the hands of people who really need them.
 
I don't want to discourage you, but I wouldn't consider the DECO cassette system simple... not exactly a newb kind of project.
Dave only made a few of his multis because there really wasn't much demand. If there was, Mike Doyle would probably be building them. If you can get some commitments or pre-payments lined up, perhaps they'll make some more.
Dave offered one of these DECO multigames to me back when he was working on adding more games, but I didn't have any DECO cassette hardware (or even know anyone local who had one) so I passed. I sorta wish I'd grabbed one, but I'd rather see them in the hands of people who really need them.

I'm trying to do it more out of being a learning experience than anything else because I've already got a pretty good idea on how to do it and what hardware to use, I'm not particularly looking to develope something I can sell. I'm also looking more to make just a solid state replacement for single game tapes rather than any kind of multi, but if I think I can do that too I might, but I'd have to figure how to get around or use the data from the dongle EPROMs. It should be just a matter of putting a recording of the tape of the right format/quality (yes I know it's two channels) on some kind of flash-based system and having it played back given certain commands, which are probably nothing more than play, stop, rewind, etc, all of which can be piped through an arduino to do whatever I like. I've also read that what it is doing is dumping the contents of the tape to RAM, so I'm wondering if there's a way I can perminantly have that data in some kind of non-volatile substitute and trick the rest into thinking it went through the tape, that would certainly speed things up and eliminate one of the more annoying flaws of DECO systems, which is the painfully slow boot time.

Also I have a fantasy of making a conversion for Angler Dangler if/when MAME gets and dumps those ROMs (rumor has it they have at least the tape), I used to love that game on my TI 99/4a and played the crap out of it at the time, and I know I've pretty much got ZERO chance of finding an original otherwise. Peter Pepper's Ice Cream Factory would be a nice rare oddball to add to my collection too, I'm a collector of the odd when it comes to arcade PCBs.

All that being said though, I'd probably still jump at getting one of Widel's multis if more are ever made!
 
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I've thought about doing something like that for CDROM-based games (where you emulate the ATAPI interface). I'm surprised it hasn't been done already.

Take a crack at it! Maybe it's one of those things everyone has thought about but assumed everyone else has tried it?

Speaking of things along those lines I know there's a project going on right now called "Dexter" which is a solid state replacement for the disc in laser games like Dragon's Lair, last I checked they were pretty close to releasing it, which will be awesome for those owners, I imagine after all these years those games are keeling over mechanically more and more.
 
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Done.

Complete set. PCBs in cage, wiring, cassette drive, Burgertime dongle and tape (very likely to be bad) $65 shipped.

PM for paypal address or with questions
 
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