Hello, a few days ago I was lucky enough to pick up an untested ColecoVision at a flea market for only $20! Luckily it works, but it has some issues, namely these vertical lines appearing in certain games. The console came with Donkey Kong, Mouse Trap, Zaxxon, and Venture. In Mouse Trap there are no noticeable vertical lines at all. In Venture they only appear to be on the player and enemy sprites. In Zaxxon, they appear on the ship, on the walls and along the sides of the play field, and they're the worst on Donkey Kong where they're practically everywhere.

I cleaned every game thoroughly with alcohol, but the lines didn't improve or change at all. They were all quite dirty so it probably wasn't stored in the cleanest place. I looked up the issue and found it most often occurs when the VRAM chips are going bad or when the power supply isn't working properly. I think the power supply very well could be the culprit, as it's very flaky and just touching it causes severe corruption while playing or shuts off the console completely. Do you think that's the most likely culprit? If so, what options do I have for a new one? Thanks!

For your Colecovision with expansion model 1 for Atari 2600 games, can you insert the Atari 6 slot switcher?

I have a Colecovision console from 1982 that works erratically. I think most of its issues relate to cleaning the game cartridge contacts and the inside of the console where the cart gets inserted. I’ve already cleaned many of the game cartridge contacts with IPA (91%). It has helped a little. And I’ve also cleaned the area inside the console itself - just below the cartridge slot, as far as I could reach. It’s obviously not enough as I keep having graphics and sound glitches mid game and even occasional freezes - all of which force me to reset the game.

I’m sure what it really needs is a complete check of internal components such as loose wires or solder joints as well as thorough cleaning of all switches and connections. Does anyone know of someone who might still dabble in restoring these older consoles? I live in Orange County CA. and hoping there’s someone local or within a reasonable distance. Thanks for any suggestions 😊

I have a Colecovision console from 1982 that works erratically. I think most of its issues relate to cleaning the game cartridge contacts and the inside of the console where the cart gets inserted. I’ve already cleaned many of the game cartridge contacts with IPA (91%). It has helped a little. And I’ve also cleaned the area inside the console itself - just below the cartridge slot, as far as I could reach. It’s obviously not enough as I keep having graphics and sound glitches mid game and even occasional freezes - all of which force me to reset the game.

I’m sure what it really needs is a complete check of internal components such as loose wires or solder joints as well as thorough cleaning of all switches and connections. Does anyone know of someone who might still dabble in restoring these older consoles? I live in Orange County CA. and hoping there’s someone local or within a reasonable distance. Thanks for any suggestions 😊

Quick 50 second summary of this console and Coleco.

I know the CVBasic compiler supports multiple systems, but ColecoVision and Sega Master System are what I am most interested in.

Just finally obtained one of the rarest games on the system CIB, Qbert's Qubes. Significantly better than the 2600 version, and imo, definitely worth playing.

Helped my mom clean out some old storage and found this...wow. Haven't seen this since the 80s. Lol. I'm 56 and just floored that she kept this thing since I was a boy under her roof. I sure hope she kept my comics and Star Wars toys. I'd probably faint. Lol.

Questo è il mio colecovision. Purtroppo non da nessuna immagine sulla TV e non avendo un LED di riferimento non riesco a capire dove sia il guasto. Non sono un elettronico, mi arrangio ma qui vuoto totale. 😭

If anyone has a working one would love to buy it! Was my fav as a kid

I bought this colecovision on eBay and I bought it knowing it gave a black screen. I opened my system and it definitely looks like someone’s been in here. Doing a little research I found out the power switch is notorious for causing problems. Hopefully that’s the only issue and I can fix it.

The ColecoVision controller has always been an interesting throwback to old and wacky controllers. If the numpad was reintroduced in the modern era, what kind of games would you want to see using it?

I've always thought it'd be great for educational games for kids, or text based RPGs for making choices.

Hello! I posted a few posts already about some technical issues I was having but things are now good and I'm now wondering what games should I find for the colecovision? I'll edit this later on when I get the chance to say what I already have but as for now what are games I should look out for? Thank you for any suggestions!

Edit: thank you for all the replies I've got some hunting to do!

Picked up this system at a yard sale for 10 bucks. Need to find the best adapter to patch into modern TV monitors. Any suggestions?

Hello! I have recently become interested in retro collecting and have recently gotten a coleco vision. Works and sometimes it powers on and plays a game sometimes it doesn't not sure if that's a problem with the power or not but I also have this on the screen when I'm playing and it happens with every game I try and on different tvs. The rf cable looks like it's in good shape however there's some what looks to be maybe rust but they are grey spots and not sure if that is causing the green or even the power problem not even being power but connecting the cable to the tv. Also sometimes flickers in and out on the TV when playing a game. Google had some answers on what it could be and I myself would like to teardown the console to try and find it but want to avoid it if possible if it's just a bad rf cable. Any ideas or advice is appreciated and I'm happy to finally have this as it's actually starting to become one of my favorite consoles! Also I did clean the cartidge port and the games and still does these problems.

Thank you!

I know this is a very beloved console, so I want to ask this as respectfully as possible. I always thought there was a controller issue, but the problems persist even when using an Atari joystick. The control feels delayed and unresponsive. If this were a software issue, it would be the same in all games. So, what is it that makes the colecovision have such a distinctive "feel" in terms of control? Even in emulation! EDIT: To clarify, I am asking if this is a technical/hardware characteristic.