My name is Derek Andrews. Way back in 1982 I landed a job at Voltmace as a programmer of their video games console known as the Voltmace Database where I programmed Munch & Crunch and Leapfrog, and worked on other projects including DazRAM and Starship Protector which were never released.
Thirty five years later following a chance conversation that turned to retrogaming and emulators I am back at it. Modern computers make coding, assembling, disassembling and debugging a breeze compared to the resources available to me back then.
On this website I plan to share some of my experience and try to help anyone else working with the Signetics 2650 microprocessor and 2636 programmable video interface (PVI) which were at the heart of the Voltmace Database and many other consoles such as the Radofin ‘1292 Advanced Programmable Video System’, Acetronic MPU 1000, Interton VC-4000 and the Rowtron Television Computer System.
My objectives for this project include:
- Tutorials to help anyone wanting to have a go at programming the emulator of this system for themselves.
- Try to push the system to limits and see just how much it can do. The PVI is very limited in its capabilities. Essentially capable only of displaying a screen colour, a grid pattern and four re-programmable sprites. One channel sound, though some systems I believe had an on/off noise generator.
- Share my findings and many of the reusable subroutines and blocks of code that I write. A library of such code might encourage others to try their hand at coding this system themselves.
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Signetics 2650 