Here is the video of the unboxing and testing of 6 cartridges for Commodore Vic20. Finally, my Commodore Vic-20 will have more cartridges with games and a RAM expansion.
Beware of scams!
In the video, we also take a closer look at the possible scams we are exposed to when we buy vintage computers or accessories.
Buying on platforms like Subito or Marketplace, you are always at risk of fraud. In this case, to protect myself from scams, what have I done? Well, first of all I didn't know the seller. The price was quite interesting, indeed, I thank the seller who gave me a really good price! I paid for it with PayPal friends... 😂
We can say that I risked big! My technique, however, is to always look for a telephone or video call contact with the seller. In this article, I explain what to watch out for.
Luckily, everything I ordered arrived.
Here are the 6 cartridges for Commodore Vic20 that I bought. There are 5 games and a RAM expansion for the Commodore Vic20:
- Super Smash, VIC-1921
- Road Race, VIC-1909 (I already had one the same)
- Avenger, VIC-1901
- Mission Impossible, VIC-1916 (two identical cartridges)
- Super Expander with 3K RAM Cartridge, VIC-1211A
In the video, I test them one by one.
Clean cartridge contacts
If some cartridges do not work, it is possible that they have dirty or oxidized contacts.
I recommend spraying contact deoxidizer on a rag, as I show in the video, and then rubbing the rag on the cartridge contacts.
There are basically two types of contact deoxidizers: dry and oily. Without wanting to open a controversy (each technician has his own preference), I use the oil-based one that, after the deoxidation work, leaves a protective film.
The important thing is to use it only to deoxidize contacts: connectors, switches, potentiometers, etc... It should not be used to clean printed circuits or anything else, which is best not to dirty.
Centering the games of the Commodore Vic20 on the screen
It may happen that the games are not centered on the screen and that a part of the game of the Commodore Vic20 is cut. Even in the video, you can see this flaw. To solve it, you can center the game screen in the monitor using the cursor keys.
Super Expander with 3K RAM Cartridge, VIC-1211A
This is the first of the 6 cartridges for Commodore Vic20 that I tried: a 3 Kbyte RAM expansion. Before inserting the interface into the expansion port of the Commodore Vic20, the computer has 3583 free bytes.
After inserting the Super Expander with 3K RAM Cartridge, VIC-1211A, the free memory of the Commodore Vic-20 increases to 6519 bytes.
Road Race, Vic-1909
Road Race is a race with a car, for the Commodore Vic20. After launching the game with F1 and then I, you use the following keyboard commands:
- RETURN to accelerate
- F1, F3, F5, F7 To select gears
- A and D for steering
Super Smash, Vic-1921
It's a video game very similar to Arkanoid, where a ball has to bounce, destroying a number of colored bricks. It is played with the Paddle.
Mission Impossible, VIC-1916
This video game does not behave like other cartridges for Commodore Vic20: to start the game, you have to type, on the keyboard, the following command. Then press RETURN.
SYS 32592
Mission Impossible is a text adventure by Scott Adams. You have to answer a few questions about the keyboard.
Avenger, VIC-1901
It's a spectacular game, very similar to Space Invaders. A cannon on the ground must prevent spacecraft from landing.
