Why are Vic Carts so Big?

MicroPet · Post by **MicroPet** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 7:35 am

Just wondering really. Is there any reason for the size of the cartridges on the Vic? Is it because the port is also used for memory expansions and they need all those connectors?

Boray · Post by **Boray** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 7:46 am

So big compared to what? LP records? TV sets? VHS Cassettes? Ants?

Mayhem · Post by **Mayhem** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:28 am

Big compared to cartridges for most other machines.

Leeeeee · Post by **Leeeeee** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:56 am

It's about the right size for its time. Remember, when the VIC was designed 8K of RAM, which would have needed 16 2114s and a 74LS138, would just about fit in a single cart.

Lee.

MicroPet · Post by **MicroPet** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 11:47 am

Ah, so it is more to do with the fact that it's a RAM expansion slot. For game carts the VIC footprint is pretty big compared to game consoles of the time so I figured it would have to be something to do with RAM.

Thanks for clearing that up. It makes sense to me now.

I suppose my next question would be; Why didn't the RAM expansions have pass through ports so that they could be left plugged in permanently? Maybe the uptake and standardisation of RAM expansion usage might've gotten a better foothold?

Kweepa · Post by **Kweepa** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 1:36 pm

(a) Expensive.
(b) Mostly unnecessary, since ROM carts generally don't need RAM too.

Boray · Post by **Boray** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 1:41 pm

(c) Because they wanted to sell expansion port slot expanders such as the vic 1005, 1010 and 1020.

Post by **Jeff-20** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 10:19 pm

I've given the original question some thought back in the day. I imagined that the machine was admittedly under-powered even for the time considering what was obviously coming in the future machines. I thought the cart size would allow for large size expansions that may not have been imagined yet. All sorts of hardware could potentially fit in there!

orion70 · Post by **orion70** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:25 am

Maybe also
d) Bigger carts are more handy for little kids, who were the target buyer for the VIC.

English Invader · Post by **English Invader** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:10 am

I've never thought of VIC-20 cartridges as being big; certainly not in comparison to NES or, from what I've heard, Neo Geo cartridges.

As it happens, I've always thought of the Mega Cart as rather small in comparision to the features it contains (all cartridge games, all RAM configurations, an extensive list of utilities, some choice PRG files and a reset button).

nbla000 · Post by **nbla000** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 3:07 am

MicroPet wrote:Just wondering really. Is there any reason for the size of the cartridges on the Vic? Is it because the port is also used for memory expansions and they need all those connectors?

Because 25 year later someone will release the Mega-Cart

orion70 · Post by **orion70** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 6:39 am

Serendipity

pitcalco · Post by **pitcalco** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 8:30 am

Jeff-20 wrote:I've given the original question some thought back in the day. I imagined that the machine was admittedly under-powered even for the time considering what was obviously coming in the future machines. I thought the cart size would allow for large size expansions that may not have been imagined yet. All sorts of hardware could potentially fit in there!

I think you are actually on the money, Jeff. I do remember some electronic experiment boards that, to my surprise, plugged into the cartridge slot. Thing is, the boards I saw are only about half the width of the port so I thought it was odd to insert a board that only took up part of the slot.
I figured that much more elaborate boards, customised hardware or hobby/amateur hardware was what they had in mind.

CBR125R · Post by **CBR125R** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 7:17 pm

The carts are almost exactly the same physical size as a Super Nintendo cart!

eslapion · Post by **eslapion** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 4:41 pm

The 44 pin .156" connector was an industry standard so no need to design their own custom connector.

As I said in another post, it was and still is in use in elevator control systems.

If something is already in production, made in the millions every year and is readily available then... its cheap.

Denial

Why are Vic Carts so Big?

Why are Vic Carts so Big?

Re: Why are Vic Carts so Big?