website/content/museum/rowtron-television-computer-system.md

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ROWTRON Television Computer System	Consoles	name company company_name tabs photos adverts screenshots emulators links comments related oc_id source Television Computer System /companies/rowtron ROWTRON photos adverts software emulators links title subtitle text image TELEVISION COMPUTER SYSTEM null title subtitle text image SIDE VIEW We can see here the large cartidge slot... This is quite strange that it is placed here, as when looking at the case, it seems that a "top loading cartridge slot" was first planned. null title subtitle text image CONTROL PANEL Classic control panel when it's about Interton VC-4000 compatible systems: - FUNCTION (used to start the selected game)\ - RESET (to reset the game)\ - CYCLE (used to select the different options)\ - POWER ON/OFF null title subtitle text image CONTROLLER null title subtitle text image MOTHER BOARD null title subtitle text image BOX null title subtitle text image PROMOTIONAL PICTURE null title subtitle text image LEAFLET #1 null title subtitle text image LEAFLET #2 null title subtitle text image CARTRIDGE BOX Apparently all cartridges were sold with the same box... Only a side label differenciated the different games. null title subtitle text image CARTRIDGE null title url platform text WinArcadia http://amigan.1emu.net/releases/ Windows Arcadia 2001, Interton VC 4000, Elektor TVGC emulator! title url platform text AmiArcadia http://amigan.1emu.net/releases/ Amiga OS Arcadia 2001, Interton VC 4000, Elektor TVGC emulator! title url text 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System FAQ http://www.consoledatabase.com/faq/1292/1292faq.txt Very interesting info by Dale Hansen about this whole console family title url text Emerson Arcadia 2001 Central https://amigan.yatho.com/ World's largest Interton site title url text INTERNAL LINK https://www.old-computers.com/magazine/view.asp?r=2&a=7 We have made a page describing the VC 4000 and different compatible systems title url text Radofin 1292 FAQ http://www.digitpress.com/faq/1292faq.txt Excellent FAQ created by Dale Hansen title url text sig2650.wordpress.com https://sig2650.wordpress.com/ Website dedicated to Signetics 2650 based systems, by former Voltmace developper Derek Andrews title url text VC4000.de http://www.vc4000.de Website dedicated to the Interton VC4000 (in German) author date text Michelle (Lancs) Tuesday 21st November 2017 I''ve still got the rowtron tv console with 10 games author date text stinky ox (United Kingdom) Friday 10th March 2017 Just confirming that I wasn''t crazy remembering I got one of these in 1979: here''s an ad from the shop I bought it from in Basingstoke, dated Dec 1979. http://minotaurproject.co.uk/YakImages/videotime.jpg author date text Steve (UK) Monday 25th July 2016 Does anyone have a picture of the original PSU, I see conflicting information for the voltage and amperage. I have an original Rowtron TCS from my childhood but its lost the PSU, I want to be double sure I have the right spec before trying anything that will damage it! author date text Adam (London) Tuesday 4th February 2014 Hi all, I wrote up a pretty in depth review of the rowtron console last year. Check it out: http://dustyoldgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/rowtron-television-computer-system.html author date text Sven Friday 23rd March 2012 The mpt numbers quoted on the products were related to radio emissions compliance. author date text stinky ox (UK) Sunday 11th December 2011 I can confirm this system was available at least 2 years before 1981. I bought mine from a shop called Videotime in Basingstoke, in 1979. That shop was a regular hangout for the computer nerds from QMC - they stocked the Atari VCS and the Ohio Superboard as well as this. I desperately wanted a computer but couldn''t afford one in those pre-Clive days, and I couldn''t afford the more inviting Atari VCS either, so ended up getting the Teleng branded version of this instead (partly because of the promised future Programmer Module, but I never did see one of those, and before too long I had my ZX80 anyway). Still, I had a fair bit of fun with the Teleng, even if the software wasn''t a patch on the best VCS games. Took it with me to university where it shared an old black and white valve telly (that I''d bought off a granny in Reading for a fiver) with my zx80. Eventually replaced by a real VCS that I convinced myself I could afford to buy if I ate nothing but beans for a term. I wish I knew what happened to the old beast now. I''d definitely fire it up for a go of Gravity Tennis and that pinball with the flippers that looked like giant crinkle-cut chips. author date text Richard Sunday 20th November 2011 Discovered mine today, will try it out this week, have all 21 games the one with the din plug was a programmer module which you plugged into it, still looking for mine but i have the cartridge. Can''t wait to play tank battle once more! author date text Webmaster (France) Monday 4th July 2011 Hi Claire. It means that these games are supposed to exit, but no one confirmed them yet. Can you ? author date text claire Wednesday 8th June 2011 Why are there 3 games showing as unconfirmed, what does this mean please? author date text Ian Gledhill (Aberystwyth, Wales) Friday 19th November 2010 Looking at my Teleng TCS, everything is dated 1979, around week 13 (2650AI) to week 38 (UM1233). Weirdly, it has 2 modulators, a UM 1263 and a UM 1233. Now to find a +15V PSU....! I also have a load of boxed carts, including one with a DIN plug??? Goodness knows what it''s for... author date text ZiG (England) Friday 6th August 2010 Me mam still wont let me have mine out her attic, she thinks i''ll break it pmsl, seriously. Used to hammer a space invaders clone on that back when I was about 8 (32 now). Always remember it being hard to find games for, after seeing recently how many were released, I''m not surprised. author date text K3D (Wales) Wednesday 23rd July 2003 Still got one of these in the attic. Think its best left there :P /museum/acetronic-mpu-1000-2000 /museum/cabel-universal-game-computer /museum/interton-vc-4000 /museum/itmc-video-ordinateur-mpt-05 /museum/korting-tele-video-computer-tvc-4000 /museum/societe-occitane-d-electronique-oc-2000 /museum/t-r-q-talleres-radioelectricos-querol-h-21-video-computer /museum/voltmace-database-games-computer 727 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230331055354/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=727 2023-03-31

The Rowtron Television Computer System is another Interton VC-4000 "software compatible" system (saying "clone" would be misleading). That is to say that the internal specs are exactly the same and that games would run on both systems. The cartridge slots are however different in shape, so there is no way simply test that (with an emulator that would be easier).

There are two controllers composed of a 12 keys keypad and an analog joystick. Interton VC-4000 compatible systems usualy have this 12 keys PLUS one or two fire buttons. Here there are only 12 keys and one of these, the "8", is used as the fire button (it is thus colored red). However the quality of the keys is excellent (calculator type) compared to other systems... The top of the joysticks can be unscrewed and stored somewhere safe.

The control panel has always the same buttons found on all systems of this system family: Function (Start), Reset, Cycle (Options) and on/off switch. Underneath one can find a useful sound volume switch. It's not ON and OFF but rather HIGH and LOW, which is helpful enough.

Something very strange about this console, is that on top of the case there is a plastic modeled rectangle at the exact place where it would have been logical to find the cartridge slot. But the real cartridge slot is found on the right side of the system, like an Intellivision... It sounds like the case had been designed for a top-loaded cartridge system, and they had to modify it at the last moment to implement the mother board they finaly got...

On the case is written "Television Computer System" as well as "Home Entertainment Centre". Wow, very promising... Underneath the system, there is label reading SD-090R. The letters SD are often found on obscure systems, and are supposed to mean SOUNDIC, an asian company which produced a lot of obscure systems, especially pong-based systems. But SD-090 systems are usualy quite different from the Rowtron. This remains a mistery to me. However, on the motherboard is written MPT-04, which makes much more sense! MPT-0x is often found on obscure system motherboards. We don't know yet who produced them (Soundic?) and sold them to so many brands but: MPT-02 are RCA Studio II compatible systems, MPT-03 are Emerson Arcadia 2001 compatible systems and MPT-04 / 05 systems are Interton VC-4000 compatible systems!

The Rowtron Television Computer System can also be found under the Teleng brand.

We need more info about this console ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.