Description
Artic, was a company mainly known for bootlegging early 80s games and their Galaxian based Multi-System platform that allowed games to be swapped in and out, by changing a ROM card on the main PCB. In addition to bootlegs, Artic also developed a number of unique, arguably less memorable games.
While most of Artic’s games run on their Multi-System platform which uses Galaxian’s pinout and DC voltages, some of Artic’s games ran on their own, in-house designed hardware which is more functionally similar to Scramble.
One of these games is Mars, a horizontal shooter that borrows a lot of the game mechanics from Scramble, including the constantly scrolling mountain / cavern terrain and fuel consumption, but replaces bombs with the ability to fire in all 8 directions.
Mars uses two joysticks per player to play, and supports 2 player controls in cocktail mode. This adapter therefore uses buttons 1 to 4, as second joystick controls for each player.
Images
Pinout
This adapter follows the following pinout scheme:
Main Connector
| SOLDER SIDE | PARTS SIDE |
|---|---|
| -5V | +12V |
| NC (SPK-) | SPK+ |
| P2B1 | P2B3 |
| P2LEFT | P2RIGHT |
| P1START | P2START |
| NC | P2UP |
| P1B1 | P1B3 |
| P1RIGHT | P1LEFT |
| P1UP | P2DOWN |
| COIN1 | COIN2 |
| P1DOWN | NC |
| NC | NC |
| VGREEN | VBLUE |
| VRED | VSYNC |
| NC | NC |
| GND | GND |
| GND | GND |
| +5V | +5V |
| +5V | +5V |
| NC | NC |
| P2B4 | P1B2 |
| P1B4 | P2B2 |
(PCB connector facing away, list is ordered right to left)
Compatible Games
Game PCBs with a similar or compatible pinout are:
and possibly other non Galaxian based Artic games from that period.
Revision History
Rev 1.0: Initial Design.
Specifications
Board Size: 50mm x 112mm
Current Carrying Capacity: 5V – 3A, 12V – 2A