website/content/museum/rollet-videocolor.md

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Rollet Videocolor	Consoles	name image company company_name tabs forum_thread photos links docs related oc_id source Videocolor /media/museum/photos/rollet_videocolor_1s.jpg /companies/rollet Rollet photos links docs 803 title subtitle text image ROLLET VIDEOCOLOR /media/museum/photos/rollet_videocolor_1b.jpg title subtitle text image REAR We can notice the RF TV cable coming out, and the power in connector. /media/museum/photos/rollet_videocolor_rear.jpg title subtitle text image LEFT SIDE /media/museum/photos/rollet_videocolor_left-side.jpg title subtitle text image TOP /media/museum/photos/rollet_videocolor_top.jpg title subtitle text image BOTTOM /media/museum/photos/rollet_videocolor_bottom.jpg title subtitle text image EXTERNAL CONNECTOR This is the optional connector which could have been used for a second controller... But there were never two players games released. /media/museum/photos/rollet_videocolor_right-side_2.jpg title subtitle text image OPENED **1** - Dial for breakout games\ **2** - Control panel electronic board (RESET, SELECT, START buttons)\ **3** - Fire button electronic board\ **4** - External connector for a second controller (never used by any released games)\ **5** - Mysterious NEC D779C 300 chipset acting as the central processing unit\ **6** - ON/OFF switch\ **7** - Built-in controller (screwable joystick on a 4 directions disk)\ **8** - Cartridge slot\ **9** - RF modulator\ **10** - Built-in speaker /media/museum/photos/rollet_videocolor_opened.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE The main board is labeled SD-270S (11-00351-00 Rev.A) and the controller electronic board SD-270 (11-00297-30 Rev.0). The HMG-7900 (sold by Soundic and Hanimex, depending countries) electronic board is labeled SD-200C (11-00288-00 Rev C), and the name of the third compatible system is SD-290 (ITMC or Soundic, depending countries). Clear enough. Soundic produced these SD-2xx systems, and sold them to different brands around the world (Hanimex, Rollet, ITMC, etc.), used to sell these type of cheap asiatic products. /media/museum/photos/rollet_videocolor_inside.jpg title subtitle text image CLOSE-UP Here is the main chipset of the Rollet Videocolor system. It is from NEC Japan, and is labeled - D779C 300 - and is dated 8387 E6 (37th week of 1983) Next to it we find the cartridge slot, and at the top of the picture, the external connector for a second controller (never used by any game released). /media/museum/photos/rollet_videocolor_mobo_closeup.jpg title subtitle text image BOTTOM LABEL This is the label found at the bottom of the system. The name of the system is clearly Videocolor. What seems weird is that the reference "4/303", is a reference used for another Rollet videogame system using "GI-chips-based-cartridges" like the SD-050 series, which is completely different internally... The system was made in Hong-Kong. /media/museum/photos/rollet_videocolor_label.jpg title url text INTERNAL LINK http://www.old-computers.com/magazine/view.asp?r=2&a=6 Essay about the HMG-7900 and compatible systems title url text IZA-WARE http://www.izaware.blogspot.com/ Some information about the the HMG-7900 with game videos ! title url text Odyssey http://www.ne.jp/asahi/cvs/odyssey/videogames/cv/setframe.html This nice japanese site has some well done page about the Epoch Cassette Vision, wich is somehow related to the HMG-7900 title url text OGASHIN's HOME PAGE http://homepage1.nifty.com/OGASHIN/CV.htm This japanese page has some Cassette Vision screenshots, just to give you an idea... title url cover text HANIMEX HMG-7900 USER DOCUMENTATION (FRENCH) http://izaware.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-05-24T23%3A50%3A00%2B02%3A00&max-results=3 /media/museum/docs/couvs/hanimex_hmg-7900_french-doc_p0_small.jpg [**HANIMEX HMG-7900 USER DOCUMENTATION (FRENCH)**](http://izaware.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-05-24T23%3A50%3A00%2B02%3A00&max-results=3)written by Hanimex  compiled/archived by Iza-Ware\  type of document : Unknown\  source : [Iza-Ware](http://izaware.blogspot.com/) **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :** /museum/hanimex-hmg-7900 /museum/itmc-sd-290 /museum/joueclub-sd-290 /museum/ormatu-electric-bv-video-spelcomputer-1001 /museum/soundic-sd-290-programmable-colour-video-game /museum/soundicvision-sd-200 822 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230613002727/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=822 2023-06-13

The Rollet Videocolor is a low-range console with rather simplistic games. It was released around 1983. It is one of these cheap systems produced in Asia for people not able to buy more expensive systems of that time.

Though different in shape, Rollet Videocolor is internaly the same system as the Hanimex HMG-7900 and the ITMC-SD290. There were surely all produced by Soundic in Hong-Kong as all the systems have code-names like "SD-2xx" (where SD would mean Soundic) on their electronic boards. The Videocolor motherboard for example, is labeled SD-270. These SD-2xx systems were not very powerful as even the Videopac systems were better... 5 years earlier!!

What is strange about these consoles, is that there are not clones of famous systems... The only system which is quite close in many points, though more powerful, is the japanese Cassette Vision from Epoch. The games plastic boxes are the same and the blocky graphics are very similar...

The shape and look of the Videocolor is quite funky, all yellow coloured with big blue buttons. It was clearly intended to be sold as a toy and manipulated by children. There is one built-in screwable joystick mounted on a disk, one fire button and a dial to play breakout games. Though there is a second controller connector (on the right side of the system) for a second player, it was never used, as all games were for one player only. This connector is exactly the same as those found on the Hanimex HMG-7900 for example, so these controllers could be used with the Videocolor.

The control panel is made of three big buttons and an on/off switch. The buttons are RESET, GAME SELECT and GAME START. GAME SELECT is used to select the different levels and options of the game.

The cartridge slot, protected by a trap door, is made of 22 pins and is placed at the top part of the console. Inside, the main chipset is a NEC D779C 300. Nothin is known about this one... can you help please?

The games are very simple and cover the great classics such as Space Invaders, Breakout, Missile Attack or Pac-Man (delivered with the system). But graphics, even in 8 colors, are poor. Concerning the PAC-MAN cover for example, all you can see is squares running after a cross... wow, that is almost virtual reality!

There was a total of 11 cartridges produced, though 5 more cartridges, for two players this time, were planned but never released (someone can confirm this?). These cartridges were: Football, Ski, Ice-skating (!), Car-Race and Tennis.

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.