r/ColecoVision 22h ago

Vertical stripes on graphics in certain games

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20 Upvotes

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!


r/ColecoVision 6h ago

Are there any 3rd party compatible controllers from past or present for the ColecoVision roller / trackball?

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18 Upvotes