Unknown ColecoVision prototype/oddity

[wberdan]

I was just looking through my stash of weird ColecoVision stuff and came across this cartridge I bought last year. On the shell is a sticker that says "copy cart", but I believe this is a non original sticker (although they are probably still 5+ years old). The circuit board is a typical coleco Rev F board, with 3 EPROM sockets machine soldered onto the board. In the socket closest to the connectors, there is an EPROM (the other sockets are empty) with a green, unlabeled sticker over the window. Plugging this cartridge in brings up a typical ColecoVision opening screen that says

COLECOVISION

TAPEUTL REV 22 (c) Coleco 1984


The program goes no further than this screen, where it resets itself every 15 or 20 seconds.
I asked Sean Kelly about this last year, he said he thought it was dumped from an ADAM computer... I believe that may be the case, but what the hell is this program supposed to be>? Were the other two sockets supposed to be containing EPROMS with further program material?
Does anyone know if this is the opening screen of the copy cart?
I purchased this off a very reliable, well known collector, who vouches that these came from soemone working at Coleco in the 80s.
Any guesses what's going on with this?

willie

[Tempest]

This is just a guess, but it could be a Tape to Cartridge conversion program. I remember reading about such a program for the Adam (which I think is how they made those Donkey Kong protos).

I swear I saw a proto like that on Ebay some time last year (although this was just a loose board, no case).

Tempest

[wberdan]

true... i wonder how it was supposed to work... this one apparently is missing an EPROM or something.. unless it doesnt do anything on a regular colecovision, and just works on an adam computer.
God, i don't want to hook up that Adam....

willie

[Tempest]

It just might. It may be trying to access the tape drive or something.

Tempest

[wberdan]

BINGO- it seems to only work with the stand alone adam, and not the expansion module version. after the first screen it goes to this one....

--------------
Select device for:

source
1- tape1
2- tape 2
3- disk 1
4- disk 2

destination

5- tape 1
6- tape 2
7- disk 1
8- disk 2

0- continue

---------------


then it allows you to copy these.... what is the point> i thought that the adam computer could do this without a cartridge anyway???

willie

[Tempest]

You've got me. Looks like it's a copy utility for disks and tapes. I don't know much about the ADAM unfortunatly other than the box is bigger than anything I've ever seen!

At least you got it working.

Tempest

[wberdan]

yeah, isnt the box great!? =)
well.... i guess if i ever get the tape drive and disk drive hooked up then i can copy a lot of crappy software.
at least i know what it is now--- thanks matt- i prob wouldnt have bothered to even hook the adam up if you hadnt thought the same also.

willie

[Tempest]

No problem. I love trying to figure strange stuff like this out. Prototype games are usually pretty easy to figure out, but prototype utility software is a bitch. Even moreso when you don't know what it's supposed to do!

Tempest