QuadPortIEC Arriving!

QuadPortIEC FInished Unit
QuadPortIEC Finished Unit

Sometimes, a product gets lost on the way to final production.  Our QuadPortIEC 4 port IEC bus hub is one such product.  After announcing the design here and showing off completed boards here, we focused our attention on the recently introduced ZoomFloppy and then the EasyFlash 3.  Finally, we sent the boards off for assembly, but still felt a bare board with wires would simply not work as a product.  Finally, about a year or so ago, Commodore enthusiast Jim Peters in Iowa requested some bare PCBs and assembled units for personal use, which we supplied.  He took it upon himself to machine finished cases for the units, with fabulous results.  Thus, we hired him to supply finished cases for the remaining stock, and now can offer them in the store.

The design has not changed; QuadPortIEC is nothing more than a “dumb” IEC hub.  ATN switches on the front for each port allow “silencing” of each bus segment, but that’s the only functionality exposed.

Still, we are glad to finally put the units in the store, where they will sell for USD$30.00.  Since the units fill out a small flat rate box, we may need to adjust shipping charges for buyers.

 

2013 Midwest Gaming Classic

Bowling, Defender, Gyruss, and Starfire
Bowling, Defender, Gyruss, and Starfire
Klax and Pole Position
Klax and Pole Position

RETRO Innovations will be traveling to Brookfield, WI this weekend for the 2013 Midwest Gaming Classic.  We’re simply attending, not manning a store table, but feel free to email us if you’d like to place an order for pickup and skip the shipping costs.

Since we don’t have enough things to keep us busy, we’ve been on an arcade machine buying spree over the last few months, picking up:

Asteroids
Asteroids
Shoot the Bull Darts
Shoot the Bull Darts
  • a KLAX upright conversion, in great condition
  • a Pole Position, in good condition, working, but missing a few sound effects
  • a non working asteroids, in rough condition
  • a Shoot the Bull game in a Ms. Pac Man cabinet
  • Some Championship Bowling ROMSTAR game, in a Super Pac Man cabinet (purchased for the cab, monitor and wiring).
  • a Gyruss, complete and working
  • a Defender, with monitor issues
  • a StarFire unit, in a Defender case, with PCB issues (but, partially working)

Since our goal is to see if there are product opportunities in game restoration for RETRO Innovations, buying machines that need help seemed appropriate.  KLAX was a fluke, as it’s in great condition, but the others all need some TLC for optimum operation.  To start that process, a trip to MGC is required.  We know the Ms. Pac Man needs to be converted back, and that requires some parts (we have a known working PCB for the game already).  Asteroids might be beyond help, and so might be parted out, while the Pole Position just needs some TLC on the PCB and general cleaning.

It’s an interesting exercise, and they should be fun to play… err test!