DECO Cassette System
The DECO Cassette System was the first standardized arcade system board for arcade machines. It was developed in 1980 by the American company Data East. DECO is the abbreviation for Data East Corporation.
Description
The arcade games were digital, encrypted and stored on small audio cassettes that were slightly larger than micro cassettes. The preparers of arcade machines had in addition to the cassette connect a security dongle. This was revolutionary at the time and an early form of digital rights management.
The game had to be downloaded and copied to RAM, which took about 2-3 minutes. A counter display was displayed on the monitor. However, there were many complaints because the cassette and the hardware were not very reliable. Also, most games were relatively unpopular.
The purpose and advantage of the system lay in the rapid exchange of the Games. Until the appearance of the DECO cassette system, a change of the arcade game was on a machine not possible or advisable, since the arcade machines were specially painted ( "dedicated" ) or special input elements had. Furthermore, the large PCB / PCBs had to be replaced. Later, there were the JAMMA standard which is at least made of the exchange of the plates easier.
Hardware
There are 3 PCBs were used. When two processors MOS Technology 6502 was used ( with clock frequencies of 750 and 500 kHz), and an Intel 8x41 ( @ 500 kHz). As sound chips there were two AY- 3-8910 ( @ 1.5 MHz).
The graphic resolution was 240 × 240 pixels, the color palette consisted of 32 colors.
Arcade housing forms were standard and mini. The screen border ( " Bezel " ) was identical in all games.
Were delivered the game cartridges, including dongle and instructions in orange Pappschubern. The labels on cassette, dongle and box had different colors.
Emulation
Like most arcade games can also use this with the emulator MAME be played.
Meanwhile, it is possible to read the data without destroying the original dongle.
Games
By 1985, about 47 games were produced. The first game was Highway Chase (12/ 1980).
- 01: Highway Chase (aka Mad Alien )
- 02: Sengoku Ninja Tai (aka Ninja )
- 03: Manhattan
- 04: terranean
- 05: Missile Sprinter
- 06: Nebula
- 07: Astro Fantasia
- 08: The Tower
- 09: Super Astro Fighter
- 10: Ocean to Ocean
- 11: Lock 'n ' Chase (1981 ), similar to Pac -Man
- 12: The DECO Kid (also known as Flash Boy)
- 13: Tournament Pro Golf (also known as 18 Challenge golf pro )
- 14: DS Telejan
- 15: Lucky Poker
- 16: Treasure Iceland (1982 )
- 17: Bobitto
- 18: Explorer
- 19: No Disco. 1 (also known as Sweetheart)
- 20: Tornado
- 21: Mission -X ( 1982)
- 22: Pro Tennis
- 23: 18 Hole Golf Pro
- 24: Tsumego Kaisyou
- 25: Angler Dangler (also known as Fishing)
- 26: Burger Time (also known as Hamburg ) ( 1982), for the first time on this system
- 27: Bump ' n ' Jump (also known as Burnin ' Rubber) (1982 ), racing game from a bird's perspective
- 28: Cluster Buster (aka Graplop )
- 29: Rootin 'Tootin' (also known as La - Pa - Pa) (1982 )
- 30: Skater
- 31: Pro Bowling
- 32: Night Star
- 33: Pro Soccer
- 34: Super Doubles Tennis
- 35: Bumpoline (aka Flying Ball)
- 36: Genesis (aka Boomer Rang'r )
- 37: zeroize
- 38: Scrum Try
- 39: Peter Pepper 's Ice Cream Factory
- 40: Fighting Ice Hockey
- 41: Oozumou - The Grand Sumo
- 42: Hellow gate ball
- 43: Kamikaze Cabbie (also known as Yellow Cab )
- 44: Boulder Dash ( 1985)
- UX -7: Tokyo MIE Shinryoujo (Tokyo MIE Clinic )
- UX -8: Tokyo MIE Shinryoujo 2 (Tokyo MIE Clinic 2)
- UX -9: Geinoujin Shikaku Shiken
- ?: Burmazon
( by game number listed)
Due to the vulnerability of the system as the only two-thirds of the games has been preserved.