This product was designed by Troy Schrapel (visrealm).
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Modern replacement for the classic TMS9918A family of VDPs
In 5 carts
PICO9918 PRO
Sold by Troy Schrapel (visrealm)
$45.00
No tax for United States [change]
Stock available: 29
PICO9918 PRO
A drop-in replacement for a classic TMS9918A family of VDPs powered by the Raspberry Pi Pico RP2350.
The PICO9918 PRO can replace all classic VDP models (TMS9918, TMS9918A, TMS9928A, TMS9929A, TMS9118, TMS9128, TMS9129), providing a crisp VGA, HDMI or SCART RGB signal from your retrocomputer.
The PICO9918 has been tested on over 30 classic models of TI-99, Coleco, MSX, NABU, Memotech, Sega and many more. See the full list of supported devices below.
Output options
The PICO9918 (v1.2+) now supports three crisp output options provided by optional dongles.
Configurator
The configurator is a software tool used to modify PICO9918 configuration options, including:
- Clock rate
- Scanline CRT effect
- Scanline sprite limit
- Default palette
Additionally, firmware updates can be provided via the Configurator. The full configurator is available for the TI-99/4A, ColecoVision and MSX. With cut-down builds (without firmware updates) available for several other machines.
For full details, see the Configurator wiki page.
See the configurator in action:
F18A compatibility
The PICO9918 PRO also includes F18A compatibility. The video below was captured directly from the PICO9918 VGA output running various F18A demos on a TI-99/4A.
Open source
The hardware and firmware is completely open source, allowing you to make modifications and design your own VDP features... in C.
The full source code and firmware binaries is available on GitHub: https://github.com/visrealm/pico9918
What do you get?
- Fully assembled and tested PICO9918 PRO v2.0 PCB
- VGA or HDMI connector board
- 300mm FFC cable
Options and extras
- All PICO9918 PRO's are shipped with a 300mm cable and VGA or HDMI dongle. Additional cables of varying lengths are available. For some machines, a shorter cable might be better suited.
- IC Sockets can be supplied. Some machines do not require an IC socket because they were shipped from factory with the VDP in a socket. Examples being the TI-99/4A and NABU Personal Computer. Others were soldered to the main board (ColecoVision, Adam, Creativision) and require desoldering and a socket soldered in place of the VDP for easier future replacement. I offer both dual wipe and turned pin sockets - both work well.
- The various dongle options are now available as separate products.
Supported devices
This is a list of devices the PICO9918 has been tested and confirmed to work on.
- ColecoVision
- Memotech MTX500
- MSX
- NABU Personal Computer
- Powertran Cortex
- Sega SG-1000 / SC-3000
- Sega SG-1000 II
- Sord M5
- Texas Instruments TI-99
- Tomy Pyūta / Tomy Tutor
- Tomy Pyūta Jr
- VTech CreatiVision / Dick Smith Wizzard
Homebrews:
If you have tested the PICO9918 PRO on any other device, please let me know and I'll happily update this list. :)
Unsupported devices
So far, there aren't any.
Links to code and documentation
Product HS Code: 854290
Shipping policy
All orders are usually shipped with tracking within 2 business days.
US customers please note import tariffs and associated fees will be collected during checkout. You will not need to pay any extra upon arrival.
UK customers please note VAT will not be collected and orders with items totalling under £135 (approx. €150) should not attract any import duties.
EU customers please note VAT will be collected and paid for all orders. You should not need to pay any extra upon arrival, however extra charges do apply when the items total over €150.
If the store is showing shipping unavailable to your location, please reach out and I will add a shipping rate for you.
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The seller
Designer of modern hardware replacements for your retro machines.