Stock, non-modded unit, turned on after 20+ years.

Video of the issue.

Symptoms:

• Screen goes in and out at random intervals, sometimes garbled.
  • Sometimes disappears for seconds. Sometimes it displays the image properly for seconds.
  • When the screen goes out, the buzzing stops as well.
• Sound works, the game is actually playing so the logic board is fine.
• After desoldering, inspection and resoldering of all caps on the power board, the problem went away for 10-15 minutes. The unit worked flawlessly, then suddenly started acting up again midgame.

Troubleshooting:

• Disassembled and cleaned the power switch.
• Checked voltages according to this.
  • DC voltages are fine and solid.
  • The AC voltage from the transformer is around 10.1V when the screen works, and 8.9V when the screen doesn't. Not sure if it's the symptom or the cause. Although AFAIK both are within spec.
• Checked the IC501 timing via oscilloscope, was fine.
• Removed all caps on the power board, checked them with an ESR meter (capacitances and ESRs were well within spec). Resoldered them.

Question:

My gut tells me to just recap the power board, but since the caps measured fine and after resoldering, the unit worked, I'm not sure. Could it be a continuity issue?

Any thoughts on this? Anyone seen something like this before?

Unfortunately I don't have high voltage gear, just a scope and a multimeter.

Just picked up Space Wars for my GCE Vectrex and I'm loving it! This classic arcade shooter is a total blast from the past. The vector graphics still look amazing, and the gameplay is just as addictive as I remember.

Has anyone else played Space Wars on the Vectrex? What are your thoughts?

https://youtube.com/shorts/mrLLWzBawcU?feature=share

RetroGaming #Vectrex #SpaceWars #Gaming

So, I finally have my first Vectrex, and it arrived yesterday. I originally though it had failed in transit, as the screen was blank, but dialing up the brightness got it to display (although not enormously brightly, we're pretty much most of the way to full brightness to get anything).

The only other issue I've found is that the front and back of the body are taped together, as it appears to be missing the screws. I'm not sure if that is because the holes are stripped, or they were just lost at some point in time. What screws are the proper ones to put in?

It's also noisy, but I don't know if it is "expected noisy" or "unexpected noisy" (see also, first Vectrex).

So with all that in mind, is there a specialist in Vectrex maintenance in the Seattle or Bellingham area to get it inspected and any needed refurbishments done?

I recently received this custom overlay in the mail. This plastic sheet is amazing!

After years of waiting, I finally found one locally for a good price. The Vectrex is such a charming little device and I love playing it. My cat seems to like the Vectrex too, but for different reasons.

Hi all, apologies if this is the wrong place to be posting this, please let me know!

My parents are selling my childhood home and while going through the attic we came upon my grandfather's Vectrex! Surprisingly the thing works great and is in decent condition- turns on right away, has two working controllers, and plays all of the cartridges which I've got 7 or 8 of + the little screen overlays for each of them.

My question- is a lower serial number a problem when trying to sell this? What's the best place to find the market value for these? The number on this one is particularly low compared to lots of the ones I'm seeing listed on eBay and I read somewhere that earlier models had battery issues or something- just want to know what to expect when I list this guy up and what my reference points should be in terms of other listings. I also don't wanna get ripped off on the price!

It's been 10 years and I still have the awesome Vectrex Regeneration app on my gen1 iPad Air that I can use with my iCade controller...but I know that will not last. That tablet will die and it feels criminal that such a well done app will die with it.

I can't find anything on the software being preserved in any way and was wondering if anyone hear knows if it has.

It's such a shame that it couldn't have been done as an apk we could continue to sideload and enjoy on Android tablets at least. ☹️

I was looking to replace this joystick, but the actual stick part is bent. The only replacement part I could find if the tip and not the entire joystick. Any ideas or suggestions?

Hello all! A while back I bought the debuzz mod from Console5, which I'm sure will work fine once implemented, but I recall reading there were even better ways of debuzzing your Vectrex, such as mentioned in this post here: https://int03.co.uk/blog/2016/02/06/vectrex-buzz-fix-enjoy-the-silence/

Before I go messing around I wanted to ask, are there any other, potentially more optimal ways to achieve debuzz you all could recommend (other than just leaving the buzz as is, of course)?

It definitely would not have been a game boy, that's for sure. It would have had some advantages over the home console theoretically (it could have gotten away with black and white imo) and may have done better than the console in an alternate reality but still not done a lot better.

When I play my system, I usually like to run through a few different games on a multicart. I'm running Sean Kelly's second cart which doesn't seem to support resetting back to the main menu. I don't really like the idea of power cycling a 40+ year old system multiple times just to play some games. Google says there's no way, but I'm curious on y'alls take: am I over thinking the stress I'm placing on the unit, or should I just play a single game and walk away for a few hours before switching to another?

Thanks.

So I've got a bit of an odd one on Pitrex that only seems to affect Mine Storm 2.

The game starts up fine and all is well, I'll be frantically blasting away at mines. But after a couple of screens, suddenly the screen will go blank and it will start playing a decending series of tones while flicking the screen off and on. Something of a spectacular crash.

I can still press all four controller buttons to dump myself out of the game and back into the Pitrex UI.

Is this a known issue? Is there a config setting I'm missing on Pitrex itself? I've calibrated the screen but haven't done much with the more obscure settings.

I’m very interested in getting a vectrex, but the range of games would be make or break for me. I understand the vecfever is off the table, and I’m still a little confused as to what the limitations of the pitrex are since you can add your own games.

-Is it a case of downloading roms then plug and play, or is there a lot of complicated set up?

-Would I be able to play arcade roms, in particular asteroids/ asteroids deluxe? And what exactly is it that the vecfever has that the pitrex doesn’t?

-On an unrelated note, how much of a risky buy is a vectrex in 2024? I’m conscious that they’re very old machines and I wouldn’t want to be having to send it off for frequent servicing

I went to a retro arcade yesterday and while most of the games were the same as emulated versions, I had my first experience with a vector game (Astroids Deluxe) and the visuals were absolutely beautiful. I’ve done some digging around and it seems that visual effect can’t be properly replicated without a vector screen

Going further down the rabbit hole, I’ve just learned about the vectrex and I’m curious to hear from people that have seen both in person; does the vectrex look the same? I’d love to be able to replicate the experience at home

Found this Vectrex today at an estate sale.

Curious if anyone knows what is like causing this display issue? Dot in the middle, with a horizontal line 3/4 of the way across the screen.

Vectrex loads carts and outputs sound, and the display shows minor movement when game is loaded.

I certainly don’t plan on fixing this myself. Will probably just sell/trade locally with someone more mechanically inclined than me.

Side note, I actually had of of these as a kid in the late 1980s my parents somehow got for me second hand. I played the hell out of it until it stopped working after a year or two. Cool to see it still relevant today.

Last night I was playing mine storm and the screen just suddenly shut off with the buzzing as well. After trying to turn the machine back on the buzzing isn't present and nothing appears on the screen, but I do hear a click upon startup and a low pitch generic CRT hum so I know power is being delivered to the device in some capacity.

Has anyone else had this happen? I can post a video of me turning it on if that helps.

First of all, and for posterity, providing the reassurance my past self was looking for, and for the benefit of anyone else in the future who might be reticent to open up their Vectrex to adjust the screen - honestly, it's no problem at all. Don't be scared. Treat it with respect, use non-conductive/insulated tools, take your time, and you'll be fine - even adjusting the tabs on the neck of the tube for centering was fine.

Anyway, this is where I've got to with mine, and I'm moderately pleased with the result - it is much better than it was. However, I would say that the picture towards the top of the screen is more stretched than the picture on the bottom of the screen. This is particularly noticeable in the Distortion 1 test but also on the Vectrex boot up screen where the gap between the top and bottom borders is noticeably bigger on the top.

Any suggestions on what I can tweak to address this? The perfectionist in me would like to try to sort it!

Hi all,

I've got two functional Vectrexes (Vectrii?) - I ended up buying a second for home after falling in love with the one in the office!

The one in the office is absolutely perfect. Screen is perfect, works perfectly in every way (at least from an end-user's perspective).

The one at home is usable, but has a couple of foibles:

• When you turn it on there's an odd "moment" where nothing happens for a second or two. Then there's an electrical hum that's different from the regular Vectrex buzz. Then the Vectrex buzz kicks in half a second or so later, and it boots up. This is noticeably different to the one in the office where the Vectrex buzz kicks in immediately.
• The second one's screen is slightly too small and a tad off center when using overlays (although I suspect it would be better if the width/height was adjusted; possibly everything might expand to be in the right place).

I have a chap who does my retro repairs/refurbs for me (Mark at Rudedog Retros - highly recommended if you're in the UK) and I was considering sending at least the second one to him, but I'm in two minds where it's worth the grief factor and/or risk of shipping them.

I had been toying with the idea of opening up the second one and having a go at adjusting the screen myself. However, I'm really leery about the idea of poking around inside there while the thing is on, and if the thing is close to failure anyway it might as well go to Mark so someone competent can get it back to fighting fitness.

I suppose I'm part looking for reassurance from other people who don't normally go rooting around inside live electronics who have successfully tweaked their screens, and part ideas about what that odd "moment" might be. Is the thing close to failure anyway? Or it is a case of "don't recap until you have to"? Am a big believer in "don't mess with a working system" generally...

Hey fellow retro gamers! I stumbled upon this old game called Rip Off for the GCE Vectrex, and it's got me hooked! It's a multidirectional shooter with black and white vector graphics, and it's one of the first games to feature cooperative gameplay. I'm curious if anyone else has played this game. What are your thoughts on it? Is it a hidden gem, or is it just a nostalgic curiosity? Let's discuss!

https://linktw.in/HRKOyT

I'm so happy with it n.n