Coleco Adam Documentation
Coleco documents for the Coleco Adam: the Technical Reference Manual, a set of ten Coleco schematic sheets, the System Check-Out and Trouble-Shooting Guide and the Set-Up Manual.
| Document | Coleco reference | Pages | File |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADAM Technical Reference Manual, Preliminary Release | – | 152 | |
| Adam schematic set | Drawings 41844, 41843, 41007, 41234, 41841, 41842, 300012 and two unnumbered sheets | 10 sheets | |
| ADAM System Check-Out and Trouble-Shooting Guide | 42464E, 1983 | 23 numbered pages | |
| ADAM Family Computer System Set-Up Manual, revised edition | – | 66 |
Technical Reference Manual
[edit | edit source]Coleco's ADAM Technical Reference Manual, marked "Preliminary Release", is a 152-page developers' and service reference. Its contents:[1]
- Chapter 1, general introduction: hardware and software overview, set-up diagrams for the complete system and Expansion Module #3.
- Chapter 2, hardware: the Memory and I/O board (Master 6801, MIOC, ROM, dynamic RAM, AdamNet interface, card-edge connectors, expansion port, interconnects); the CPU board (Z80, ROM, video display processor, sound generator, RF, game controllers, clock); the data pack drive; the keyboard; the printer; the game controllers; the power supply (rails, current protection, the printer to memory console cable, full-load currents).
- Chapter 3, software: memory map and power-up, Z80 I/O ports, AdamNet, EOS and OS 7, tape format, SmartWRITER, SmartBASIC, Super Games and cartridge programs.
- Chapters 4 and 5: optional peripherals, development tools and Super Game guidelines.
- Appendices: keyboard table, emulation considerations, ColecoVision programmer's manual sections, and schematics with component location drawings for the Memory and I/O board, CPU board, interconnect board and linear power supply, including the power supply parts list.
What it does not contain: printed values in the Memory and I/O board parts list are not legible in this scan, and there is no disassembly procedure or symptom chart. The EOS and OS 7 source listings are not included; the manual offered them on request with a form.[1]
Download: Coleco Adam Technical Reference Manual (Preliminary Release).pdf
Schematic set
[edit | edit source]Ten Coleco drawings scanned at 600 dpi:[2]
| Sheet | Title | Drawing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Schematic, Delta Game | 41844 |
| 2–3 | Schematic, Gamma, sheets 1 and 2 | 41843 |
| 4 | Schematic, interconnect PC board with buffers | – |
| 5 | Schematic, keyboard logic PCB | 41007 |
| 6 | Printer board | – |
| 7 | Schematic, linear power supply, revision E | 41234 |
| 8 | Schematic, read/write (data drive) | 41841 |
| 9 | Schematic, servo (data drive) | 41842 |
| 10 | Schematic, controller/power supply, 83-104 5¼-inch disk drive | 300012 |
Sheets 2, 3, 5, 8 and 9 are marked "used on 2404/2410". The scan cuts off part of the left edge of the printer board sheet. There is no parts list in this set apart from the values printed on the drawings.[2]
Download: Coleco Adam Schematics.pdf
System Check-Out and Trouble-Shooting Guide
[edit | edit source]Coleco's owner's guide to checking the system, code 42464E, copyright 1983. Contents, with its own page numbers: set-up diagrams (1A, 1B); checking the system (2), the keyboard (5), the game controller (6), the data pack drives and data packs (7), the printer (9), the print quality adjustment guide (13) and a ColecoVision cartridge (15); using a monitor (16); software tips for word processing (17) and SmartBASIC (21); additional tips (23). It also covers line voltage (108–132 V) and the removal and refitting of a data drive.[3]
What it does not contain: anything inside the memory console or the power supply.
Download: Coleco Adam System Check-Out and Trouble-Shooting Guide 42464E.pdf
Set-Up Manual
[edit | edit source]The revised ADAM Family Computer System Set-Up Manual, by Deborah J. Miller and Deborah Q. Voosen, copyright Coleco Industries and Robert J. Brady Co. (1983–1984). It covers unpacking and connecting the complete system and Expansion Module #3, the SmartWRITER printer and electronic typewriter, word processing, loading and writing programs, and routine procedures: changing the ribbon and daisy wheel, inserting and removing data packs, and care of the computer and data packs.[4]
Download: Coleco Adam Family Computer System Set-Up Manual.pdf
Pages that cite these documents
[edit | edit source]- Coleco Adam: hardware, power supply, models, video connections.
- Coleco Adam General Maintenance: data packs, drive removal, printer adjustments, care.
- Coleco Adam Troubleshooting Guide: Coleco's check-out procedure, supply rails and cable pinout, power supply sections.
- Coleco Adam Capacitor Replacement Guide: capacitor values from the power supply, printer and drive schematics and the power supply parts list.
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Coleco Industries, ADAM Technical Reference Manual, Preliminary Release, table of contents (PDF pp. 3–6), chapter 2 section 6 (pp. 48–49), appendix 4 (pp. 142–152). Internet Archive item coleco-adam-technical-reference-manual.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Coleco Industries, Adam schematic set, File:Coleco Adam Schematics.pdf, from colecovisionadam.com; drawing numbers and titles read from the title blocks.
- ↑ Coleco Industries, ADAM System Check-Out and Trouble-Shooting Guide, code 42464E, 1983, table of contents and pp. 1–23. Internet Archive item ADAM_System_Check-Out_and_Trouble-Shooting_Guide_1983_Coleco.
- ↑ ADAM Family Computer System Set-Up Manual, revised edition, table of contents and "Hints on Taking Care of Your Computer". Internet Archive item ADAM_Family_Computer_System_Set-Up_Manual_1984_Coleco.