The Fairchild Video Entertainment System: The Best of the Video Games, Explained ========= FAIRCHILD ========= Contents 1. Getting Acquainted with the Components 2. Connecting the System to the Set Special 75 Ohm Cable Connections 3. FCC Cautions Tuning-In for Game Play 4. Playing Hockey 5. The Hand-Controllers in Hockey 6. Playing Tennis 7. The Hand-Controllers in Tennis "Holding" a Game in Progress Re-programming a Game in Progress Overtime 8. The Videocart(TM) Cartridges Troubleshooting the System 9. Care and Storage Warranty and Service Getting Acquainted with the Components You have purchased the finest video game system on the market today. In fact, it may be the only true "system" deserving of the name. But for all the sophisticated technology, the Fairchild Video Entertainment System is surprisingly simple to install, play and maintain. This booklet will show you just how simple. We suggest that you read it carefully before plugging "this" into "that" or challenging your next-door neighbor to a game of video Hockey. Start by familiarizing yourself with the various components that are included with the System. They are "called out" in the photos below. Game Console Hand-Controller Storage Well Hand Controllers Adaptor Box Connecting the System to the Set With the Fairchild Adaptor Box in one hand and a trusty screwdriver in the other, you are a few simple steps from having the System all hooked up. First, disconnect the external antenna from the VHF terminal posts on the back of the TV and attach it to the terminal marked "External Antenna" on the Adaptor Box. Connect 300 ohm twin-lead wire coming from the Adaptor Box to the now-empty VHF terminal posts. Note: The Adaptor Box enclosed with your Fairchild Entertainment System may look slightly different than the one pictured above. However, all of the wiring, connections and labels are exactly the same. Install as instructed above. Second, after peeling the protective paper from the back of the Adaptor Box to expose the adhesive material, press the Adaptor Box firmly to any clear area near the VHF terminal. Third, plug the Game Cord into the Adaptor Box where indicated. Fourth, connect the AC Adaptor to a convenient wall socket. Note that the Fairchild AC Adaptor has been "safety-designed" to incorporate a captive screw at the top of the unit. To install, just remove the center screw from the socket wall plate, plug in the AC Adaptor, then tighten the captive screw into the now-empty center screw hole. Some special instructions about 75 ohm cable connections. Some television sets are equipped to accept a 75 ohm antenna (a round cable with a screw-type connector at the end) rather than a 300 ohm flat twin-lead wire. Two installations are possible. (1) If your television has a slider or switch at the UHF/VHF terminals, move the slider so that it connects the two screws (or move switch to 300 ohm position), remove the 75 ohm antenna cable from the TV and attach it to a "75 ohm-to-300 ohm" balun. (If your set is not equipped with such a balun, they are readily available from any electronics specialty house.) Lastly, connect the 300 ohm flat twin-lead wire coming from the other end of the balun to the terminal marked "External Antenna" on the Adaptor Box. (2) If your television is equipped with a small length of cable protruding from the 75 ohm antenna cable from the set, connect it to a "75 ohm-to-300 ohm" balun and attach to the Adaptor Box as above in (1). Connect the short length of cable to the now-empty 75 ohm antenna connector on the back of the set. FCC Cautions Because the Fairchild Video Entertainment System is a television accessory that could potentially cause interference with neighboring TV sets, the Federal Communications Commision prohibits: Hooking up more than one TV set to the System. Using any more flat twin-0lead wire from the Adaptor Box than is supplied. Connecting flat twin-lead wire from the Adaptor Box to any TV antenna or Cable TV outlet. Attaching loose wires to your TV antenna while operating the System. Tuning-In for Game Play Everything should now be hooked up. Since the Adaptor Box has a built-in "TV/Game" switch, you can leave the Adaptor Box conveniently affixed to the back of the TV set without fear of interference. That means that, although the Game Console is a handsome unit designed to fit nicely into any room decor, it can be just as easily disconnected for storage or reconnected to another TV set somewhere else. Special Note: Additional Adaptor Boxes for other TV sets you may have in your home are available at nominal cost from your Fairchild Video Entertainment System dealer. If unavailable, call the toll-free number listed on the inside back cover of this booklet for ordering information. Now, let's get the System ready for Game Play by following these simple steps: 1. Check to be sure that the Game Console "On/Off" switch (on back of unit) is in the "On" position. 2. Check to be sure that the AC Adaptor is installed properly. 3. Move the "TV/Game" switch on the Adaptor Box to the "Game" position. 4. Turn the volume on the TV set all the way down. 5. Place the Channel Selector in the Channel 3 position. 6. Push the "Reset" button on the Game Console. 7. When a G? appears on the screen, adjust the TV set so that the G? is sharp and the background color is pleasing. Playing Hockey The Fairchild Video Entertainment System features two "Console" games, Hockey and Tennis. In addition, you have access to exclusive Videocart(TM)* cartridge programming that puts a wide variety of video games at your fingertips via optional game cartridges that easily insert into the System. Hockey is a game that is played by (1) programming the Fairchild Video Entertainment System for the time and motion options you desire (via the five Selector Control buttons on the Game Console), then (2) playing the game by moving the two players in a variety of ways (via the two Hand-Controller units). First, let's program the options. 1. Push the "Reset" button. A G? will appear on the TV screen, asking you which game you want to play. 2. Push 1 for Hockey. A Hockey field will set up on the screen, and the question S?, asking whether you want to start playing -- or select a time and/or a motion (speed) first. *A trademark of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation. 3. Push 4 if you want to start immediately. By doing so, the System is pre-programmed to select an average motion and no time limit. (Note: Pushing 4 always starts the game in answer to S?) 4. Push 1 to select a time limit. A T? will appear on the screen, asking you how long you want to play. 5. Push one of the Selector Control buttons, 1 through 4 (for example, button 3). The time selected (in this case, 10 minutes) will appear on the bottom of the screen. And again, S? 6. Push 2 to select a game motion. An M? will appear on the screen, asking how fast you want the motion of the puck and the players. 7. Push one of the Selector Control buttons again, 1 through 4 (for example, button 1), for the slowest through the fastest speed. Once more, an S? appears. 8. Push 4 to start play. The System is pre-programmed so that you can select Time (T?) and Motion (M?) in either order. Furthermore, you can choose one or the other and proceed directly to the start of the game. If you don't choose a time limit, but do a motion, there will be no time limit. If you choose a time, but no motion, the System will choose the average motion for you. Special Note: The Selector Control buttons have been engineered for instantaneous response to a button depression. Do not hold any of these buttons down for more than a second.a How the Hand-Controllers work in Hockey. The action of the Hand-Controllers differs with the game being played. In Hockey, all Hand-Controller operations are possible. These include: Forward and Backward, moving the player on the screen up and down, from the top to the bottom of the screen. Left and Right, moving the player left and right on the screen. Rotates Right and Left, rotating the player clockwise and counter-clockwise on the screen for angle shots. Pulls Up and Plunges Down, moving the goalie in the hockey game up and down, from the top to the bottom of the screen. Forward and Backward at 45 degree Angles, moving the players up and down, diagonally. These motions can be combined to produce a rotating action while the player is advancing, retreating, or moving up or down. You can also move goalie at the same time you are attacking the opponent's goal. The object of the game, as you might suspect, is exactly the same as its namesake sport. Employing all of the moves allowed by the Hand-Controllers, the idea is simply to put the puck past the opponent's goalie and into the "net." As you practice, working with the Hand-Controllers, be sure to orient them so that the recessed triangle on the knob is pointing toward the screen. You will quickly note that the action on the screen responds to very slight movements of the Hand-Controller knobs. Never violently twist or wrench the Hand-Controllers during play. Playing Tennis Learning to play Fairchild's video Tennis game is even easier than learning video Hockey. Let's take it from the top by programming the play options: 1. Push the "Reset" button. A G? will appear on the screen, asking which game you want to play. 2. Push 2 for Tennis. A Tennis field will appear on the screen, and S? 3. Push 4 if you want to start immediately. A "ball" will be served from the center of the net to one of the two players. The speed of the ball will be "average," automatically pre-programmed into the System. 4. Push 2 if you want to select your own speed. An M? will appear on the screen, asking how fast you want the ball served. 5. Push one of the Selector Control buttons, 1 through 4 (for example, button 4), for slowest through fastest speed. S? will appear again. 6. Push 4 to start play. Although Time (T?) can be programmed into a video Tennis match, the game is pre-programmed to end when one of the players reaches the score of 15. In other words, you could program the match for a specific time (2 minutes, 5 minutes, etc.) and if that time expired before someone scored 15 points, the game would end. However, if 15 is reached before the programmed time expires, the game ends. For purposes of programming the options (1 through 6 above) we have described play without the T? option. How the Hand-Controllers work in Tennis. The screen players in video Tennis move on a single plane, up and down, from the top to the bottom of the screen. As in tennis, they are trying to "return" the ball "past" the opponent. The Hand-Controllers, then, are active only in the Forward/Backward mode, moving the players up and down, top to bottom. Other Important features about the Console games. The "Hold"/Re-program features. Unique to the Fairchild Video Entertainment System is a "hold" button that allows the players to do two things: one, "freese" the action of either Console game in progress (in order to take a short break) by simply pushing Selector Control button 3; two, after "freezing" the action, change either the time, the speed or both during the course of the game, without altering the score. For example, if you were playing Hockey at the slowest speed for a time limit of two minutes, you could change to the fastest speed and 10 minutes by (a) pushing 3, (b) pushing 1 to select the new time after S? appears on the screen, (c) pushing 3 for the 10-minute time limit after the T? appears on the screen, (d) pushing 2 for motion after the S? appears and (e) pushing 4 for the fastest speed after the M? appears. The game starts again, with the new options, when you push 4.a Overtime. Any video Hockey game can be played into a limited overtime period, a great idea if the score is tied at the end of the regulation time. When the S? appears on the screen at the conclusion of the game, pushing the start button (4) automatically gives you one additional minute of play. Videocart(TM) Cartridge Games The Videocart cartridge feature is an exclusive Fairchild option that allows the owner of our Video Entertainment System to continuously add to a library of Video games. A number of the Fairchild cartridges, each containing from one two four games, are now available. Inserting and removing the cartridges. Videocart cartridges are inserted into and removed from the Game Console in much the same way as an 8-track audio cartridge is into a cartridge tape player. Take the cartridge and (as shown below), with the edge label facing towards you, gently insert it until it "locks" into the Game Console. To remove the cartridge, first depress the "Press to Eject" bar on the Game Console, then slide the Videocart cartridge out of the Game Console, again, very gently. Complete instructions on each catridge game -- how they are played as well as how the various control functions operate relative to each game -- are included with the Videocart packages themselves. Some cautions in handling and storing the Videocart cartridges. Never pull the cartridge out of the Game Console without first pressing the "Press to Eject" bar. Failure to do so could result in permanent damage to both the cartridge and the Game Console. Also, each cartridge contains a spring-loaded door at its rear that contains sensitive electronic circuitry. Do not open this compartment or touch the componentry inside. If you do, the cartridge games could be permanently damaged. When storing, care should be taken to keep all cartridges from excessive heat and moisture sources. Also, since the electronics inside are very fragile, avoid dropping the cartridges onto hard surfaces. Troubleshooting the System Under certain circumstances, you may experience difficulty in getting the proper screen image or sound from the Fairchild System. The following checklist will assist you in quickly correcting most problems likely to occur. If there is no playing field or the picture has a "station off the air" appearance, first push the "Reset" button. If the problem persists, check: * The "On/Off" switch on the back of the Game Console. Is it in the "On" position? * The Adaptor Box. Is it in the "Game" position? Is the Game Cord securely inserted? Is the flat twin-lead wire properly hooked up to the back of the TV set? * The AC Adaptor. Is it properly plugged into the wall socket? * The Channel Selector. Are you on Channel 3? * The Videocart Cartridge. If you are playing one of the optional Videocart cartridge games, is it properly seated in the Game Console? If the playfield is unstable, blurred or black-and-white when it should be in color, first push the "Reset" button. If the problem persists, check: * The fine-tuning control on your TV set. * The antenna terminal connections on both the Adaptor Box and the VHF terminal posts on back of the TV set. If you seem to be getting random, unexplainable images on the TV screen, push the "Reset" button. If you are on Cable TV or Community Antenna and outside interference (e.g. picking up another channel) appears on the playfield, formal broadcasting is taking place on Channel 3 via the Cable or the Community Antenna source. In this circumstance, you will have to disconnect the external antenna from the Adaptor Box to play the Fairchild games and reinstall it to receive regular television programming. If the playfield is "tearing" vertically or "rolling" horizontally, first push the "Reset" button. If the problem persists, adjust the Vertical and Horizontal controls on your TV set. If you cannot get normal television programming, check: * The Adaptor Box. Is it in the "TV" position? Is the flat twin-lead wire properpy hooked-up to the VHF terminal posts on the back of the set? Is the antenna wired securely to the "Connect Antenna" posts? If the TV set is emitting a buzzing noise, check the volume control. When in the "Game" mode, TV volume should be all the way down. Special Note: Should problems persist, call the toll-free number listed on the opposite page. Maintaining the System The Fairchild Video Entertainment System is a precisely engineered durably constructed product that utilizes the most advanced structural materials and state-of-the-art electronic componentry. Properly cared for, it will provide years of enjoyment. Listed below are some important items to remember when setting up, playing and storing the System that will help keep it in top-notch condition. * Avoid setting food or drink on the Game Console. * Keep foreign objects, particularly liquids, from falling into the orifices underneath the Hand-Controller knobs. * Turn the Game Console "Off" when not in use. * Keep the Game Console away from excessive heat sources. * Do not pick up the Game Console by any of the wires that are permanently attached to it. * Do not step on the Hand-Controller cords. * Clean all of the external surfaces, including the dust cover, with a dampened, soft cloth only. Do not clean the dust cover with paper towels. Storing the Hand-Controllers When not in use, the Hand-Controllers are designed to "nest" in the well below the dust cover. To insure that no damage is done to the cord connections, wrap the cords onto the Hand-Controller bodies in "spool" fashion. Hold the Hand-Controller by the ends with both hands and roll the cord onto the body. If you are storing your Game Console on top of your TV set, you may chose to "nest" the Hand-Controllers in their compartment and let the cords drop behind the set. The dust cover has been notched in the back so that the cords can hang down and the dust cover can fit securely on the Game Console. Warranty Your Fairchild Video Entertainment System is warranted against defects in material and workmanship as stated in the accompanying warranty card. Inoperative in-warranty Systems should be sent prepaid and securely packaged in a durable corrugated box (preferably the original shipping carton) to: Fairchild Consumer Products, A Division of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation, 4001 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94304. If you have any questions about installation, servicing, warranty, authorized dealers or Video Entertainment System accessories (Videocart(TM) cartridges, additional Adaptor Boxes), write: Fairchild Consumer Products A Division of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation 4001 Miranda Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 Or call our toll-free numbers: Outside California 800-227-9990 Inside California 800-982-5880 ========= FAIRCHILD ========= Fairchild Consumer Products A Division of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation 4001 Miranda Avenue Palo Alto, California 943904 Copyright (C) 1976 Printed in U.S.A.