AY-3-8500
Encyclopedia
The AY-3-8500 "Ball & Paddle" integrated circuit was the first in a series of ICs from General Instrument
designed for the consumer video game market. These chips were designed to output video to an RF modulator which would then display the game on a domestic TV set. The AY-3-8500 contained six selectable games: tennis (AKA Pong
), soccer, squash, practice, and two rifle shooting games. The AY-3-8500 was the 625 line (i.e. PAL
) version and the AY-3-8500-1 was the 525 line (i.e. NTSC
) version. It was introduced in 1976. A minimum number of external components are needed to build a complete system.
The AY-3-8500 was the first version. It played seven Pong variations. The video was in black and white, although it's possible to colorize the game using an additional chip such as the AY-3-8515.
In addition, a seventh undocumented game could be played when none of the previous six was selected: Handicap, a soccer variant where the player on the right has a third paddle. This game was implemented on very few systems.
clock by 7, producing 2.045MHz. It featured independent video outputs for left player, right player, ball, and playground+counter, that were summed using resistors, allowing designers to use a different luminance for each one. It was housed in a standard 28-pin DIP
.
s employing the AY-3-8500 (there are at least two hundred different consoles using this chip):
General Instrument
General Instrument was an electronics manufacturer based in Horsham, PA specializing in semiconductors and cable television equipment. The company was active until 1997, when it split into which was later acquired by Vishay Intertechnology in 2001, CommScope and NextLevel Systems General...
designed for the consumer video game market. These chips were designed to output video to an RF modulator which would then display the game on a domestic TV set. The AY-3-8500 contained six selectable games: tennis (AKA Pong
Pong
Pong is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. While other arcade video games such as Computer Space came before it, Pong was one of the first video games to reach mainstream popularity...
), soccer, squash, practice, and two rifle shooting games. The AY-3-8500 was the 625 line (i.e. PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
) version and the AY-3-8500-1 was the 525 line (i.e. NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
) version. It was introduced in 1976. A minimum number of external components are needed to build a complete system.
AY-3-8500
Games
Six selectable games for one or two players were included:| Game | Number of players |
|---|---|
| Tennis | 2 |
| Soccer | 2 |
| Squash | 2 |
| Practice | 1 |
| Rifle game 1 | 1 |
| Rifle game 2 | 2 |
In addition, a seventh undocumented game could be played when none of the previous six was selected: Handicap, a soccer variant where the player on the right has a third paddle. This game was implemented on very few systems.
Usage
The AY-3-8500 was designed to be powered by six 1.5V cells, thus its specified operation is at 6V instead of the 5V standard for logic. The nominal clock was 2.0MHz, yielding a 500ns pixel width. One way to generate such a clock is to divide a 14.31818MHz 4X colorburstColorburst
Colorburst is a analog video, composite video signal generated by a video-signal generator used to keep the chrominance subcarrier synchronized in a color television signal...
clock by 7, producing 2.045MHz. It featured independent video outputs for left player, right player, ball, and playground+counter, that were summed using resistors, allowing designers to use a different luminance for each one. It was housed in a standard 28-pin DIP
Dual in-line package
In microelectronics, a dual in-line package is an electronic device package with a rectangular housing and two parallel rows of electrical connecting pins. The package may be through-hole mounted to a printed circuit board or inserted in a socket.A DIP is usually referred to as a DIPn, where n is...
.
Applications
Some of the dedicated consoleDedicated console
A dedicated console is a video game console that is dedicated to a built in game or games, and is not equipped for additional games, via cartridges or other media.- History :...
s employing the AY-3-8500 (there are at least two hundred different consoles using this chip):
- Sears Hockey Pong
- Coleco TelstarColeco TelstarThe Telstar is a series of video game consoles produced by Coleco from 1976 to 1978. Starting with Telstar Pong clone based on General Instrument's AY-3-8500 chip in 1976, there were 14 consoles released in the Telstar branded series.-Models:...
(Telstar, Classic, Deluxe, Ranger, Alpha, Colormatic, Regent, Sportsman) - Magnavox OdysseyMagnavox OdysseyThe Magnavox Odyssey is the world's first home video game console. It was first demonstrated on May 24, 1972 and released in August of that year, predating the Atari Pong home consoles by three years....
(300, 2000 and 3000) - Radio Shack TV ScoreBoardTv ScoreboardThe TV Scoreboard is a Pong-like game console manufactured from 1976 through the early '80s and made by Tandy. Distribution was handled exclusively by Radio Shack. The machines were constructed in Hong Kong. The TV Scoreboard consisted of a left and right player, with dials or paddles on the...
- Unisonic Sportsman/Tournament
- Philips Tele-Spiel ES2203 and ES2204
- Zanussi/Seleco Play-O-Tronic
- Videomaster (Strika, Strika 2,ColourScore 2, SuperScore)
- APF TV FunAPF TV FunThe APF TV Fun is a series of early Pong clone consoles manufactured by APF Electronics Inc. and built in Japan starting in 1976. The systems were among the first built on the General Instruments 'Pong on a chip', the AY-3-8500, that allowed many manufacturers to compete against the Atari home...
(Model 401)
AY-3-8550
The AY-3-8550 was the next chip released by General Instruments. It featured horizontal player motion, and a composite video output. It was pin compatible with the AY-3-8500. It needed an additional AY-3-8515 chip to output video in color.Games
Six selectable games for one or two players were included:| Game | Number of players |
|---|---|
| Tennis | 2 |
| Soccer | 2 |
| Squash | 2 |
| Practice | 1 |
| Rifle game 1 | 1 |
| Rifle game 2 | 2 |
Usage
The AY-3-8550 used the No Connect pins from the AY-3-8500, so it was possible to put a AY-3-8550 on a AY-3-8500 (without horizontal movement), and vice versa.AY-3-8610
The AY-3-8610 was a major update from General Instruments. It played more games, like basketball or hockey, with more graphics quality. It was nicknamed "Superstar" by GI. It was in black and white, although it's possible to add colour by using an additional AY-3-8615 chip.Games
| Game | Number of players |
|---|---|
| Tennis | 2 |
| Hockey | 2 |
| Soccer | 2 |
| Squash | 2 |
| Practice | 1 |
| Gridball | 1 |
| Basketball | 2 |
| Basketball practice | 1 |
| Two player target | 2 |
| Single player target | 1 |
Usage
The AY-3-8610 featured a completely different pinout. It too required an external crystal oscillator. It still has separated video output pins, and the separated sync pin is now gone.Derivatives
- An equivalent to the AY-3-8500 is the TMS1965NLA manufactured by Texas InstrumentsTexas InstrumentsTexas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
. - A successor to the AY-3-8500 is the AY-3-8510, manufactured by General InstrumentGeneral InstrumentGeneral Instrument was an electronics manufacturer based in Horsham, PA specializing in semiconductors and cable television equipment. The company was active until 1997, when it split into which was later acquired by Vishay Intertechnology in 2001, CommScope and NextLevel Systems General...
, housed in a 16-pin DIPDual in-line packageIn microelectronics, a dual in-line package is an electronic device package with a rectangular housing and two parallel rows of electrical connecting pins. The package may be through-hole mounted to a printed circuit board or inserted in a socket.A DIP is usually referred to as a DIPn, where n is...
and released in 1978. It only has four games but they are in color. One of the few consoles that use the AY-3-8510 is the Coleco Telstar ColortronColeco TelstarThe Telstar is a series of video game consoles produced by Coleco from 1976 to 1978. Starting with Telstar Pong clone based on General Instrument's AY-3-8500 chip in 1976, there were 14 consoles released in the Telstar branded series.-Models:...
. - A competitor was the National SemiconductorNational SemiconductorNational Semiconductor was an American semiconductor manufacturer, that specialized in analog devices and subsystems,formerly headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA. The products of National Semiconductor included power management circuits, display drivers, audio and operational amplifiers,...
MM57105.