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Last update May 2, 2005

By Glen VanDenBiggelaar

Hello, and welcome to my attempt at a thorough support page for the beloved Coco. We here at Quark X are dedicated to preserving the past, and from time to time we come across old Technical Reference Manuals, Service Manuals, and schematics. I will do my best to make them into PDF files, to share. If you have an interesting old manual, book or schematic that you would like to donate to the Co Co library, or if you have any interesting story and/or corrections/additions, please feel free to e-mail me.

Latest updates

May 2,

Today, I received a huge shipment in of assorted software, Names like flight Sim 1 and 2, Crystal City, Winnie the Pooh, Inter bank Incident and much much more. It is going to take a while to catalog it all, but I also got in cassette software, and it is not all games, but all the Cassettes are legal software. I will be posting it over the next few days.

May 1,

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, IF YOU ARE MAKING A PURCHASE IN THE ONLINE STORE, OR IF YOUR ARE ASKING QUESTIONS ETC. MAKE SURE THAT YOUR SPAM FILTER WILL ALLOW ME TO REPLY! ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE INQUIREING ABOUT RECENT ORDERS. MY E-MAIL DOES COME FROM TELUS.NET

April 27,
Not much to report, I am still trying to get the scanner set up for PDF's. I did drop some prices on the online store, hopefully to move some Cartridge stock. I am still waiting on a bunch of inventory that I bought off E-bay last month, Damm customs, hopefully they will be in soon.

April 26,

I got an E-mail this morning about the Video-Tex units. Not all had TRS-80 labels- Especially the Project Green Thumb units. I have more info and Pictures on the VideoTex Page.

April 23,
I finally got my new Carts up. There are a few expensive loose carts, that is because I paid through the nose for them! You will notice on the Cassette page, there is my extra manual listings. Also I got another VideoTex unit in. This one is the 16K version. I have EVERYTHING in stock listed now on the on-line store EXCEPT for CoCo 3 units. If I don't have it listed, I don't have it. CoCo 3 units can be purchased on Cloud 9.

April 17
Wow, 5 days with no updates, I must be slipping!. Actually, I just got my new scanner in, so I will be making PDF's soon. I updated the online store today, with new scans of the software that just recently came in. I also got some Tandy Dust covers for sale. They say CoCo 2, but will fit the CoCo 3 also, for they both have the exact same measurements. I also got another shipment of loose carts in. They will be up in the next few days. Just older titles like Handyman, Micro painter, Color Graphics- Just to name a few. As I have more than enough product on the store, I still am off of E-bay for a while. I still have another big shipment coming of more software and more floppy drives (500's), as the drives seem to sellout faster than I can stock them.

April 12
Got a big shipment of games, books ,and even some old Rainbow, magazines. I will be putting them up in the next couple of days. I have amassed a good collection of software manuals with no SOFTWARE. I will be selling these manuals for $1 a piece. If you are looking for something specific let me know.

April 10,
No matter how hard you try to please people on Ebay, you always seem to run across the bad sellers. The seller that was bid shilling, not only demanded payment from myself, he also re-listed the Items, gave me bad feedback, lied to e-bay, and slapped me with a non-paying bidder strike.On my responses to e-bay, I forward them a copy of his own e-mails, and he refuses to admit that they are even his or if he had even read them. He obviously did, as he replied to them. He then asked me to stop e-mailing him,but I hadn't e-mail him since the morning, and Ebay was doing the e-mailing. Man this guy is just hanging himself more and more. I had put in 6 complaints to Ebay and filed 2 cases with Square Trade. Also I am watching his auctions and E-mailing anyone who bids on them. The bad thing is that this reflects in my feedback, but I don't take to scamming lightly.This guy is from Canada, no wonder Canadian's have a bad reputation with most American Sellers. No Matter how hard you try to have good feedback, you always will run across some A**Hole that just wants to rip people off. If this guy was so honest, he would have no problem waiting for e-bay to clear up any disputes, I know I would work with Ebay to clear up any problem I would have with my customers. I won't mention his Seller ID here, but you can look up mine anytime and see it for yourself (Mine is GLENVDB).

April 7.
I received in another shipment of software, Just Loose Carts and some Boxed Disk Software.It has been posted . Names like Cave Walker, Tetris, Pitstop 2. Just to name a few. The new More Marshmallow is up, but I will be adding to it .

April 4
I have been e-mailed some information about the "Tandy Deluxe Color Computer". This information was supplied by L. Curtis Boyle (you can see his web site at : nitros9.stg.net. ) . Because the Deluxe was an updated version of the CoCo 2, I have include the information on the CoCo 2 Page. I did not include a picture (if one even was made), I just would think the outside would look like a CoCo 3 with the "label" Saying Deluxe Color Computer, instead of Color computer 3. If anyone else had any information, PLEASE e-mail me and I will get it up on the site. Again, a big thanks to Curtis for supplying the information.

April 3,
I have been swamped lately with my other job, but the new issue of more marshmallows should be up within the next few days. I have been getting a lot of e-mail about the online store, So I will try to answer some of the FAQ's here. I have been asked about shipping "how much to ship to here, etc". I don't mean to be rude, but all my shipping prices are CLEARLY MARKED. No exceptions. I am just one man doing this, I do not have a staff of people that can keep going to the Post Office to check for rates, that's why there is a flat fee, but apparently a lot of people think this is just for show, and this doesn't apply to them. I hate being rude, but it is starting to be an annoyance (For Example: on Saturday April 2, I received 12 different e-mails asking this question).
COMBINED SHIPPING:- Yes I will do combined shipping for orders over $20 (in merchandise). I do not have a "Check out or a shopping cart" system yet, so If you wish to Combine shipping, feel free to email then for a shipping quote. All merchandise is shipped Canada Post ground. If you wish for insurance, ask for an insurance quote. If you wish a tracking number, ask for it when you place your order, as in some cases this is an extra fee from Canada Post. I usually make 1 trip a week to the Post Office, So most of the shipping is done on Saturday, if I can make it.

March 28,
It has been a busy week for myself, and the online store has started to see a few sales. As for new stock, I am afraid its been a slow week. I have over 20 shipments in transport, but it looks like Canada Customs is up to its old game of hold up the shipments. I did find out a fun fact about the CoCo2. In some manuals, Tandy did refer to it as "The Deluxe Color Computer". I am not sure if that was over seas or just a title they decided to drop. I did have another "small" incident on E-bay, I caught a seller "Bid shilling" or bumping up his own auctions, and got E-bay to shut him down TWICE. After his first suspension he just started to sell under a new ID. The bad thing is that I won a CoCo MAX and an X-PAD , which i probably will never see, but I had not paid him yet, so I am not out of any money. The complete story can be read on the April edition of "More Marshmallows"

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March 17,
Ok, just to let you all know that I make mistakes also, I bought on Ebay a "in box" Tandy CM-5 monitor, and today it showed up. I could have sworn you could use this with the CoCo 3, with the use of an adapter. We all know that the CM-8 was the monitor Tandy sold for the CoCo 3, but I was under the impression that an RGB monitor is the same as the next RGB monitor. I have now been corrected and educated in the mater, and have ended up with a huge paper weight- maybe some Tandy 1000 collector will want it. I guess I will just be patient and wait for my CM-8 to arrive.
Got in a small shipment today, just another silver CoCo 1 (26-3004). the Cartridge door was sized up on it, so I will have to take it apart I will keep you updated of my findings, Also a Copy of the Color Computer Learning Lab came in, so that will be on the online store tonight. I also was listening to the speeches of last year's Classic Gaming Expo on Digital Press dot Com. The programmers and Steve Wozniak had some very interesting stories to tell. I was compelled to give my thoughts, and will be adding those to this months More Marshmallows page over the next day or so.

March 15
Its our four month anniversary at the lounge! I received in a huge shipment of software. I have been updating the online store.We now have over 60 Cartridges in stock. Keep checking back for the updates.
The "Wire Mesh" mystery has expanded. I received in a CoCo 2 and it also has the screen. It is in fact a "Canadian" model, so this would seem to suggest maybe Canada required extra RF shielding (?).

March 13
I took the day to re-design the software page on the online store. You will notice on the left that I have made links to all the pages of the online store, and broken down the software into 3 distinct pages- Cartridges, Disk programs, and Cassettes. I have done this because in the next few weeks, I will be getting in over 100 assorted software titles. Some programs still FACTORY SEALED!, and the old software page was becoming very long. Because some of the Programs will be brand new, I will be abandoning my old pricing scheme. The new software will be priced very affordable, and the Items that are up for sale will stay the same price. If you have been following my E-bay exploits, you already know what is being offered, but some of the titles coming are: Demon Attack, WildCatting, Mega-Bug, Roman Checkers, Shooting Gallery, Bustout, Canyon Climber, Audio Spectrum, Backgammon, Bridge Tutor, Thexdor, Zone Runner, Cave Walker,Pit Stop 2, Shanghai, Carman Santiago, and Tetris, just to name a few

March 9
I have been busy with the issue of More Marshmallows and updating it, But today, a new mystery has popped up for the CoCo 3. It seems that there are units out there with a "wire mesh Screen" underneath the vent holes. I have 3 units in stock right now and all three are US made units, none of which have the mesh screen. After a few e-mail, I have found out that none of the Korean made units possess this. It was suggest that these possibly could be Canadian units, but I was always under the impression that units sold here in Canada were just Korean units with French / English labels. I am looking into this.More on the CoCo 3 Page.

March 8

I have finally got time for my next issue of More Marshmallows. I have also put a printer up on the online store. The online store has more items added every other day, so you might want to bookmark it. Why waste days on E-bay, only to be sniped at the last possible second, when you can get most of the "good" stuff here. You can always e-mail me with requests, for I have a lot more stuff not listed. Many people have asked (after watching me on E-bay) why I do not put up CoCo 3's, since I have a lot in my collection. The answer is simple. Cloud9 sells them, and with my dealings with them, I don't want to become competition, but rather an outlet that sells other stuff.

March 4,
Made a major change to my "Operating Systems" page, as the Disk Drives shipped with Disk Extended Color Basic, NOT RSDOS like originally thought. Many people get these confused, so after much debate, I asked. Mike Pepe was kind enough to help me out. I also put more books and parts up on the on-line store. I have a lot of stuff "coming soon", so if there is a specific Item you are looking for, E-mail me and I will put a hold on that item for you, if it indeed in transport. Things expected to arrive soon:, 80+ Carts, printers, 3 VideoTex units, More Floppy Drives, More CoCo 1,2's, and a couple of monitors (CM-5).
I will now be offering 2 Joysticks with every system purchase, as most of the time, that is how I get them. I am convinced that Radio Shack Gave away the Baseball Cart with every system sold, because it seems to show up in every shipment I get in.

March 1.

Made some updates to both the CoCo3 page and the teardown page.Now, it seems Like I have everything needed for a good system, and I should be up and running, but, I am still waiting for One last, very important piece of hardware. I only have one good working TV in the Apartment, and I am constantly switching it between TV, security cameras and my N64. I have not 1 but 2 desks set up for my CoCo's, so I am patiently waiting for a Monitor to show up. I have 2 on the way. A CM-5 and a CM-8. Its the waiting that kills me. I have so much stuff in transit, that its like Christmas everyday the Postman shows up.

Feb 25,

I received a batch of Cartridges in today, and put 10 up in the online store. I also got my 512K upgrade kit for my brand new CoCo 3 from Mark at Cloud 9. I plan to spend tomorrow doing the upgrade. I can not say enough good things about Mark and Boisy at Cloud 9, in my "kit" I got the upgrade card, full instruction booklet (not a PDF like most companies give out now) and testing software. I even got a full schematic of the Board -like a small blueprint. The only thing I didn't see was a small sticker to label the bottom, but, knowing Mark, there is probably one stuck in the booklet.
for those of you who are wondering about my software prices, its very simple. Because I haven't found a "price guide, or rarity guide, the carts are broken down into 3 categories - loose carts (No box, No manual) are $4.98. the carts with no box but have the manual are $6.98, and the complete carts with box an manual are $7.98. Simple, and because all the sales go right back into the web site, I am not worried about making a huge profit.

Feb 22

This week, I have been trying to tweek the pages of the online store. I have moved stuff around and taken off my CoCo 1 parts.
Mike Pepe and I have been doing some trades. He got my Videotex an a White 64K CoCo1. He cracked open the VideoTex and took some great pictures, I have updated the Videotex page with some of them. He also confirmed that his White 64K CoCo 1 has the same trace wire, so it looks like this was done at the Factory as a last minute revision.

Feb. 18

I apologize for the lack of updates, Its has been a crazy week here at the lounge, but i did manage to get a few things done. After a week of soaking, the white CoCo shell is still not white. but, thanks to a good friend who restores cars, he can get the plastic paint they use for dash boards and vinyl roofs, and it will be more white than the factory. This is the kind of paint that "melts" into the plastic, so there will be no chance of peeling, or the "painted" look. This is going a bit overboard, but hey, if it works. This will all be done by a pro painter with the next week, in a auto body paint booth.
I have received a few more items for the online store. An older floppy drive and a newer multi-pak. Why try to get these on E-bay, when you can get them now here at the lounge. I have a big shipment of games coming in soon, so bookmark the store.

Feb. 13
Over the weekend I just did some minor updates to the CoCo 1,2,3 pages and I am still in the process of cleaning the yellowed 64K CoCo 1. I fear it is just too far gone. I have cleaned all the surface tar and scum of of it and the keys, but it will look like it needs to be painted. The keys were soaking for over 48 hours in a solution of FantasticK, OXY-Clean, blue-thunder, and I even scrubbed them with toothpaste and they have not changed color. The good news is that they are clean of the scum and you can actually type with them again.

I have archived the past home page. you can access it by clicking here, And here for the first page.
I have put more stuff in the online store, and now I am taking trades. You can read all about trading on the online store page. I also have a small shipment of (5) 500 Floppy Drives coming within the next 2 weeks. You can put a deposit down of $20 if you wish. I will be selling them for $69.98 USD plus $25 for shipping and handling.

Page 1. and page 2 of past updates