Fairchild Channel F

From: Phil Clayton <handyman_at_sprintmail.com>
Date: Sun Oct 11 08:07:04 1998

Larry Anderson wrote:

> > > I might, however, get out the old Fairchild Channel F video game system
> > > tonight and play a few hands of blackjack on an F8.
> >> Speaking of which... how common are the Channel Fs? I picked up several
> > cartridges for one some time ago, but I've never seen the actual unit.
> > I've only seen ads for them in old magazines.

> The Atari 2600 beat them out of business though, pitty, the Fairchild had
> some of the coolest joysticks (controls were left, right, up, down, twist
> left, twist right, fire (and I think push down))

I have 3 of old the Fairchild F8's in my collection.. Purchased the one new in I think
1976, and as I recall the biggest reason for their downfall was the Joysticks themselves,
they were very easy to break, they twisted and because you held them by making a fist
around the joystick housing and twisted with the other hand they easily snapped apart..
Also the other problem as I recall was they did not have a sound chip, just beeps and
crude musical notes. When that Atari 2600 came out it just blew them away with features..

Another really interesting game machine I have is the RCA Studio 2 (Circa 1975).. This was
a looser from the start. It had only B/W graphics and sound (Beeps) only from the console,
no hand controllers. I have several games for this machine however one is a really quite
impressing baseball game, for its time period it was very well done.. But One very cool
thing it had was the RCA 1802 processor, in 1977 I sent off for an instruction manual on
how build an interface to turn the game machine into an RCA Cosmac computer. I never
completed the project because I purchased a Radio Shack Model 1 and was Hooked on it
after that. It had a Whopping 4K RAM, and a very crude basic that as I remember supported
only 2 String Variables, (Can you say Key bounce) .. Boy did I have fun with that machine.
I recently acquired another TRS-80 Model One, to replace my long lost one, and just
looking at it made me feel 20 years younger... Gads am I rambling on here or what!!!..
<Grin>!!!

I would be interested in knowing if there were any real computers made using the Fairchild
F8 computer chip... or any real applications for it.. Anyone know anything about the F8 ?

Phil...
Received on Sun Oct 11 1998 - 08:07:04 BST