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389 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
Microvision FAQ
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Version 0.04
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Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Joseph M. Huber
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All rights reserved. This document may be copied, in whole or in part,
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by any means provided the copyright and contributors sections remain
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intact and no fee is charged for the information. Contributors
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retain the copyright to their individual contributions.
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The data contained herein is provided for informational purposes
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only. No warranty is made with regards to the accuracy of the
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information.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Please mail additional information, opinions, and comments to:
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Joe Huber - huber@tribe.enet.dec.com
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Last update: February 9, 1995.
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Contributors:
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JH) Joe Huber
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01) David Belter
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02) Rik Morgan (rik@metronet.com)
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03) Will Chose
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04) Jerry Greiner
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05) Bruce Tomlin
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1.0) What is Microvision?
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2.0) Microvision Specs
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3.0) Cartridge List
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4.0) Trivia
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5.0) Instructions
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6.0) Programming the Microvision
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7.0) Repairing the Microvision
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7.1) LCD screen
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7.2) Keypad
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8.0) Microvision Dealers
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1.0) What is Microvision?
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Microvision was introduced by Milton Bradley in 1979. Designed by Jay
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Smith (who later designed Vectrex), Microvision combined the cartridge
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interchangability that was propelling Fairchild and Atari into the
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forefront with the portability that had helped Coleco and Mattel sell
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millions of hand held games. While the idea was fine (witness the success
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of Gameboy and Game Gear), the timing and support were not. After some
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initial success (grossing $8 million in its first year of production,
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and boosting Smith Engineering into a million-dollar operation), and an
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initial release of seven cartridges (including Block Buster, which came
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with the unit), Milton Bradley rolled out just two new cartridges in 1980,
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and a final two in 1981. With a small library, no tie in to a home unit,
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and a screen resolution that provided little ability to produce meaningful
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graphics, Microvision soon became little more than a memory.
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Still, the Microvision was a pioneer, overcoming the limitations of the
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light-emitting-diode displays that were standard for hand-held games at the
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time. For all the limitations of the unit, many of the games produced were
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quite good. - JH, 02, 05
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2.0) Microvision Specs
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Resolution: 16 x 16 LCD
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CPU: TMS1100 (on cartridge)
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Bits: 4
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Speed: ?
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RAM: ?
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Video Display Processor: ?
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Sound: ?
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Cartridge ROM: 2K masked
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The original game units used two 9-volt batteries, but it was discovered
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that not only could Microvision run on one 9-volt battery, but Microvision
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owners would sometimes put one of the batteries in backwards. Later
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units only provided terminals for one battery, with the second spot
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marked "spare battery storage". - JH, 02
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3.0) Cartridge List
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Key:
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Year - Year of Release
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Number - Part Number
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Rarity (relative) -
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C) Common
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U) Uncommon
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R) Rare
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VR) Very Rare
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ER) Extremely Rare
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Rating -
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1) Awful
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2) Poor
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3) OK
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4) Good
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5) Very Good
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Format: Rating/# of people rating.
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For example, 3.5/4 would mean 4 people had rated the
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cartridge, with an average rating of 3.5.
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Name Year Number Rarity Rating
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======================= ==== ====== ====== ======
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Alien Raiders 1981 4176 VR 4.7/3
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Baseball 1980 4063 U 3.0/2
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Block Buster 1979 4952 C 4.7/3
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Bowling 1979 4972 U 2.5/2
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Connect Four 1979 4971 R 4.0/2
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Cosmic Hunter 1981 4177 VR 4.7/3
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Mindbuster 1979 4976 R 3.0/2
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Pinball 1979 4974 U 2.5/2
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Sea Duel 1980 4064 VR 5.0/2
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Star Trek Phaser Strike 1979 4973 U 4.0/2
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Vegas Slots 1979 4975 R 2.0/2
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4.0) Trivia
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Robert Hoffberg programmed Connect Four and Cosmic Hunter, as well as
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assisting on Sea Duel and Baseball.
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Cartridge programming was done at Milton Bradley in East Longmeadow, MA,
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Texas Instruments in Dallas, TX, and in Santa Monica,CA.
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There are at least two different boxes which the Microvision unit was
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packaged in. One lists only the six original carts; the second adds
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Baseball and Sea Duel.
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Cosmic Hunter and Alien Raiders, the last two releases, have "control"
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numbers which don't match the part number on the box (MB8106 for Cosmic
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Hunter, MB8107 for Alien Raiders).
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The original units did not include an anti-static shield. These shields,
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which fit above the LCD screen, were included with cartridges and also sent
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out with repaired units.
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5.0) Instructions
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BLOCK BUSTER (and unit):
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(Two battery version)
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Operating Procedures
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Inserting the Batteries
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1. Turn the console over. Using a fingernail, lift up the locking tab on
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the battery compartment cover and lift it off. See Fig. 1.
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(Fig. 1 - The back of the Microvision unit, showing the contrast knob above
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the battery compartment.)
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(Fig. 2 - The back of the Microvision unit, with the battery compartment
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open and two batteries inserted.)
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2. You need two 9 Volt transistor batteries to operate Microvision.
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Alkaline batteries are recommended for batter performance and longer
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life. Make sure they are fresh and strong as even new batteries may
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be defective or weak and may cause unsatisfactory operation.
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3. Insert the two batteries as shown in Fig. 2 matching the charge
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marked on the battery symbols indicated on the inside of the
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compartment.
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4. Replace the battery cover and turn the console face up.
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Inserting the Cartridge
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1. First, check to sure the On/OFF switch is down in the OFF position.
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Then, holding the cartridge at an angle, slide the top of the
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cartridge into the slot at the top of the console. See Fig. 3.
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(Fig. 3 - Front of Microvision unit with cartridge being inserted.)
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2. Then, press down, snapping the cartridge into place.
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3. To remove the cartridge: Make sure the power is off. Grasp the sides
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of the cartridge at the grooves, squeeze slightly, and pull up. (DO
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NOT FORCE.) Then, gently slide the cartridge out.
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Contrast Knob
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1. When you turn the game on, you may notice that the screen contrast
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needs adjustment.
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Note: The contrast has been factory adjusted to room temperature
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(approximately 70 degrees)
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2. Locate the contrast knob on the back of the console (refer to Fig. 1).
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Insert a dime (a fingernail, etc.) into the groove in the knob and
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turn it until you achieve the desired contrast.
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Special Cautions
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1. It is recommended that you use and store you Microvision console and
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cartridges at temperatures ranging from 32F to 104F.
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2. The liquid crystal display is sensitive to direct sunlight, abrupt
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temperature changes, high humidity or dampness, and dust. It is
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best to avoid using your game in areas where the above conditions
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are present.
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3. Do not press down on the screen area or subject your game to impact
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or shocks.
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4. Do not handle the contacts at the top of the cartridge.
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5. If you will not be playing the game for a day or more, it is
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recommended that you remove the cartridge from the console.
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6. If you leave the power on for an extended period of time with the
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cartridge in the console, permanent damage to the display will occur.
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Battery Replacement
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1. When the batteries are losing power, the screen may blank out or the
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display could appear erratic.
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2. Turn the power off, remove the battery cover, and replace your old
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batteries with fresh 9 volt (alkaline type) batteries.
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IMPORTANT
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Turn the power off when not playing the game. Microvision will alert
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you periodically with a signal if you leave the power on when you are
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not playing the game.
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Game Play for Block Buster
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Object:
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Knock out all the blocks in the 3-layer wall using a ball & paddle.
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1. Slide the ON/OFF switch up to ON. The option screen will appear.
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2. Press the BALLS key to select the number of balls that you want to
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play (1, 3, 5, 7, or 9).
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3. Press the SPEED key to select the speed of the serve (Fast or Slow).
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4. Press the PADDLE key to select the width of the paddle (Triple or
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Double).
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Note: The Double width paddle, because it only allows for diagonal
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play, requires a greater degree of skill to master.
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5. Press GO and the score screen appears. Press GO again and the wall
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and paddle appear on the screen.
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Note: If you do not press another key on the keyboard within
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approximately 10 seconds, the game will signal you and will
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display the score on the screen. This is to remind you that
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the game is still on.
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6. Turn the Control Knob on the console to move the paddle from side to
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side.
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7. Press GO to serve the ball. Bounce the ball off the paddle into the
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wall. When the ball hits the wall, it eliminates a block. Try to
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volley the ball as many times as you can. If you eliminate all the
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blocks, a new wall appears and the same ball is still in play.
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8. When you miss a ball, your score and the number of balls you have
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left appears on the screen.
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9. Press GO to show the wall and paddle. Press GO again to serve the
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next ball.
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10. If you have the speed set on Slow, the pace quickens when you hit
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a block in the top row. If you have the speed set on Fast, the rate
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will remain fast at all times.
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11. When you have played all the balls chosen at the beginning of the
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game, the game is over and you will see your score.
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12. Press GO to return to the option screen. Press GO to show the score
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screen. Press GO to show the wall and paddle. Press GO again to
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serve the ball.
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Scoring
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You get 1 point for each block you hit in the bottom row, 2 points for
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each block in the middle row, and 3 points for each block in the top
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row. Each complete wall totals 96 points. (After reaching 999 points,
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you must and 1,000's to the score that shows on the screen.)
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Remember - Turn the power off when not playing the game.
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= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
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(One battery version - instructions and figures remain exactly the
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same except as follows)
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Operating Procedures
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FOR BEST RESULTS USE ALKALINE BATTERIES ONLY!
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Alkaline batteries are recommended for better performance and longer life.
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Make sure they are fresh and strong as even new batteries may be defective
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or weak and may cause unsatisfactory operation.
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Inserting the Batteries
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1. Turn the console over. Using a fingernail, lift up the locking tab on
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the battery compartment cover and lift it off. See Fig. 1.
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(Fig. 1 - The back of the Microvision unit, showing the contrast knob above
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the battery compartment.)
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(Fig. 2 - The back of the Microvision unit, with the battery compartment
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open and two batteries inserted - the one on the left marked "functioning
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battery", the one on the right marked "spare battery storage".)
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2. Only ONE 9 volt transistor battery is needed to operate Microvision.
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We suggest you buy two alkaline batteries, use one to operate the
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unit and keep the other as a spare in the easily accessible Spare
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Battery Storage area [remember the spare is always there when you
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need it!]. See Figure 2. for the proper positioning of the
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functioning battery and the spare battery.
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3. Make sure the functioning battery is inserted properly. To make the
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proper connection, insert the terminal heads as shown in the detailed
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diagram on the bottom of the battery compartment in the console,
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itself.
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4. Now insert the spare battery in the Spare Battery Storage area right
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next to the functioning battery.
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5. Replace the battery cover and turn the console face up.
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= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
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6.0) Programming the Microvision
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Programming the Microvision is complicated by the fact that, unlike nearly
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every other cartridge based system, the CPU for each Microvision cartridge
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is included on the cartridge. Furthermore, the game code is included on
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the same chip. - 02
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The LCD driver chip is a 40 pin chip located in the Microvision base unit.
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The lines are Pwr, Gnd, 32 outputs to the LCD, 4 inputs from the
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microcomputer, strobe input and latch input. The LCD driver chip is very
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primitive. Screen contents must be latched 4 bits at a time, with a
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total of 8 packets making up one screen. After all 8 packets have been
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latched, they must be strobed in to complete one multiplex. Up to 12
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multiplex levels are possible. Finally, the voltage on the LCD must
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be inverted by turning the latch on, then toggling the strobe, and
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finally the shutting the latch off. The voltage must be inverted
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roughly 35 times per second, or the LCD glass will be etched with
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electrons.
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Be forewarned, when working with Microvision cartridges, that they (or, more
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specifically, the built in CPUs) are very susceptible to electrostatic
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discharges.
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7.0) Repairing the Microvision
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7.1) LCD screen
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(To be added.)
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7.2) Keypad
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(To be added.)
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8.0) Microvision Dealers
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Microvision units and cartridges are nearly impossible to find. When
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they are available, it's usually at a premium - I've seen asking prices
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as high as $30 for a cartridge, $75 for a unit. However, even as a
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dedicated fan or garage sales, thrift stores, and flea markets, I've
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only once come across any Microvision equipment, and at that it didn't
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come cheaply.
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Given the relative scarcity of Microvision products, few dealers can
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keep an inventory of such items. Therefore, while the following dealers
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have been known to sell Microvision products, there is no guarantee that
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they currently stock any items.
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Note: the following are listed alphabetically. Inclusion on this list
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carries with it no recommendation, either positive or negative, about
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the dealer. Additional dealers who sell a line of Microvision products
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via mail order will be gladly added to the list.
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JerryG Visionaries
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Snail Mail: 14700 NW Bonneville Loop
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Beaverton, OR 97006
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EMail (preferred): jerryg@hevanet.com
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Steven J. Tucker
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Snail Mail: 9897 York Road
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North Royalton, OH 44133
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EMail: dh395@cleveland.Freenet.Edu
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Video Magic (Frank Polosky)
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Snail Mail: P.O. Box 9542
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Pittsburgh, PA 15223
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Phone: (412) 781-2241
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