VAT (Vectrex Audio Tap) Demo

[CrossBow]

I'm not sure I've seen much mentioned here about any of this...but get something to drink as there is some history to talk about first:

 

As I'm sure those of you know who might be awesome enough to own a working Vectrex or know someone who does, they buzz...like...a lot! Well, the Vectrex I have was actually given to me back around 2010 as I recall and has always been a particularly noisy buzzing monster. 

 

So about 3 or 4 years ago, I decided I would try and get rid of the buzz on my Vectrex. So I hit up Console5.com and ordered the stuff needed to recap my Vectrex and build and install the de-buzz kit. It took over a day to get everything worked out with it. In the end the buzzing was much less but never quite totally gone. But gone enough to not be as big a deal. 

 

Now that leads up to this year and a fellow Vectrex enthusiast and electronics guru by the name of Charles Tweedy developed his own Buzz Off kit for the Veccy. Very simple installation that doesn't require modifying anything inside the Vectrex at all. Just three wires to solder on and that is pretty much it. 

 

Soon after this Charles began work on a new device he was calling the VAT. It stood for Vectrex Audio Tap. Basically it is a breakout audio amp that attaches directly off the Vectrex sound chip and provides an external audio line out, Headphone out, and an audio input designed for the AtariVox+ or VecVoice device and can mix that audio internally so you can hear them from the internal Vectrex speaker or from the lineout. Awesome stuff to be sure and like the Buzz Off, the installation is very minimal and only requires removing the sound chip off the Vectrex (Easy since it is socketed on most Vectrex units), and you place the sound chip onto a new socket onto a new daughter board. That daughter board in turn plugs back into the socket on the Vectrex where the sound chip originally was. The daughter board has a thin cable that comes off it and eventually routes outside the Vectrex and into the separate breakout audio box using RJ45 connections with the breakout box using standard 1/8" TRS audio and headphone cables.

 

Well, I purchased both items and they arrive the other day. Last night I installed them and had quite a bit trouble with such a simple installation setup. Long story short, it required me to completely undo and reverse the old Console5 de-buzz modification, get the Vectrex back to factory audio and then everything was good to go.

 

With that..I present to you... an audio demo of the Vectrex from the VAT line out. The VAT has one other feature that is pretty cool. Especially on games and audio that make good use of it...

 

Enjoy!

 

Edited July 12, 2017 by CrossBow