Ivory Tower Collections

10/17/2026

The Intellivision is now working through Lumacode on the RetroTink 6x and assumed the 4k as well. It requires additional hardware to be purchased and added to the Intellivision to work alonside the STICdigitizer. Basically, a Pi Pico is used and programmed with a new set of sync pulses that are injected into the digitizer. This allows the signal output to be much more stable and allow it to work properly with the RetroTink 6x CE and RetroTink 4k scalers.

I also tested this Intellivision with the sync fix in place on my original RGB2HD converter and it still works there as well. So going forward, I'm going to have to increase the cost and labor for Intellivision Lumacode installs since I won't know really if a client will ever intend to use it with a RetroTink or OSSC. And this fix will make sure that the Lumacode output will work with all known current devices that can decode Lumacode to provide HDMI output.

10/06/2026

Another Atari 2600 'Vader' 4-switch console is headed home to be enjoyed for many more years. This one required a replacement 6532 (RIOT), and 01444 (TIA) IC chips. After bringing it back to life at that point, it was then refurbished and received both a UAV upgrade for composite and s-video, and a Lumacode upgrade with the use of a TIAdigitizer. The owner of this 2600 requested most AV jacks to be RCA so the Lumacode on this one is using a black insert RCA to separate it from the rest along the back of the console shell. Also included will be an RGB2HD converter kit to make use of the Lumacode output and provide full digital HDMI with audio for use on modern TVs!

10/02/2026

Got this controller from Atarirepairparts.com yesterday and played for about 3 hours with it. Very impressed with how well the directions respond. As compared to some others I've used in the past. It works slightly better than my other controller from retrogameboyz but to be fair, that retrogameboyz controller is well over 6 or 7 years old now and has a lot of hours on it.

One thing that does need to be mentioned is that the buttons are reversed in their mapping compared to the rest of my controllers. Meaning button 1 is on the right and button 2 is on the left. I might open up my controller and look at reversing them since I'm used to them being mapped the other way. But will have to see since if I do that, then the labeling on the controller won't match anymore.

The turbo buttons work very well and easily. Press the turbo button for whichever button you want it active just once and now turbo is enabled for that button. Press it again to turn it off. There aren't any indicators in the controller to show you that turbo is active. Not sure how big of a deal that might be for folks.

The controller cable is made using ARPs new controller wire harnesses. And these cables are excellent! I've used them on other controllers where I wanted a nice controller wire attached or to repair an original that had worn out and has broken wires within it. So I know the cable on this controller should stand the test of time.

The last thing that I will critize on is the label. It is made very well and I'm sure it will hold up over time. But the purple coloring against the gray background makes the text hard to read for me. I would suggest that atarirepairparts.com think about adding a thin black outline around the text. At least on the text labels for the buttons and turbo buttons to help it stand out better and be easier to read.

Here are pictures of the controller with my much older retrogameboyz controller along with a detail picture of the ARP controller.

09/23/2026

A2600-2026-E:- Another 6 switch Atari 2600 was sent to the ITC to get refurbished, minor repairs, and to have a TIAdigitizer installed to provide Lumacode video output. Lumacode output when decoded with an RGB2HD converter or other compatible scaler, will provide full digital 1080P HDMI video & audio to allow playing this 2600 on a modern display!

09/23/2026

CV-2026-D:- This Colecovision will be headed home very soon. This CV was sent to the ITC to get looked over and to receive a Lumacode AV upgrade. This console had already been serviced recently by another tech with a composite video upgrade along with new capacitors already. I left the capacitors alone as that looked fine, but I did redo the composite video upgrade a little bit while also installing the Lumacode upgrade. It should be mentioned that Lumacode upgrades for the CV are a little more involved and more care is needed than other upgrades.

09/20/2026

I'm installing Lumacode into a Colecovision for a client here this weekend and thought I would share a brief video sample of Lumacode output from a Colecovision through a RetroTink 6x CE. This profile didn't require much if any tweaks and worked pretty well from the beginning. Either way, it is very impressive to see CV games like this via full 1080P with audio in this manner.

09/19/2026

Mike Chi has released a new beta FW for the Retrotink 4k and Retrotink 6CE scalers. With this new update, I've now got the Atari 7800 dialed in and working! It still requires some more testing. And unlike the RGB2HDMI, it cannot auto switch when you put in a 2600 game. So you still have to change the profile manually on the RetroTinks to do that. The Intellivision is close but looks to still have some sync issues to address and I will provide some samples to Mike to let him know.

But this is an excellent update for those that have or might be thinking of getting Lumacode upgrades done in the future. As of right now, I've got profiles that work for me on Lumacode for the NES, Colecovision, Sega Master System, 2600, and now 7800 consoles.

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09/17/2026

This Intellivision model 1, will be back in the hands of its owner very soon. This Intellivision received refurbishment with new electrolytic capacitors throughout both the power supply and main boards. Also a new reset switch, new transistors for the CPU, two new 3539 SRAMs as the originals were starting to show signs of internal shorts developing. The main star of this Intellivision is the new STICdigitizer that has been installed to provide Lumacode output that when sent to the included RGB2HDMI converter kit, will allow this Intellivision to display its games in full 1080P digital HDMI output with audio.

09/17/2026

Lynx1-2026-C:- Is headed home after getting new capacitors, new power stage components, and a much needed new BennVenn IPS upgrade. This was a very clean model 1 Lynx and I'm glad it will have a much needed new lease on life. The Lynx really was a very impressive handheld back in the day.

09/12/2026

A2600-2026-D:- Is headed home after requiring some minor repairs, receiving new electrolytic capacitors, and other TLC as needed. Also received an excellent TIAdigitizer upgrade for allow Lumacode output! This 2600 is an early 4 switch revision 9 and required the main crystal and one of the 3906 transistors to be replaced This was because Lumacode wasn't working properly with the original parts. Seems this could be something I will have to watch out for in the future as these consoles can vary slightly from one to the other.