CD-i 470/85 player

Big M · Post by **Big M** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 6:21 pm

Hi,

I recently found a CD-i (470/85) player with a serial port on it. Also it has no power button or front joystick port on it.
I can us this system like a normal 470 player, it has also a buildin mpeg card. so playing a VCD is no problem.

But what can i do with the Serial port?

Post by **Bas** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:54 pm

I used to have a CD-i 450 player with a serial port. It was, however, not positioned on the player it self but as a part of the power supply (connections were split). The owner told me it could be connected to the PC with it. Mainly used for professional players, he connected a printer to the CD-i player. The serial port is not intended for the consumer, but for professional players.

I also remember CD-Matics using a serial port to connect the Tele CD-i Assistant to the CD-i. That was the first try of Philips to hook professional applications to the early internet. Later the official modem came with a converter to connect the modem to a controller port.

Big M · Post by **Big M** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:25 pm

People get paid to play CD-i..... must be a great job

Doesn't make sense to me, that Philips has remove the power button and replace the joystick port for professional users. Could it be possable that this is a demo player, less buttons in front and more in the back. So that customer can't turnoff the player for example.

Made a new picture, with front/back view

I open this system today, I thought it has no IR Receiver in it, because my remote controller didn’t function on the player. But it’s has one, my battery of the remote where dead...... I give the system his power button back, now it look almost like a normal 470 system.
I also made an inside picture of a normal 470/00 main board & this system. Only the the timekeeper and the CD-i chip is different, what i can see.

Post by **Bas** » Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:47 am

The kiosk players (the blue demo pods) in consumer stores had hidden CD-i players behind a shell, (I thought those were normal players inside)

They were also made for bussiness kiosk places in professional places, Ican imagine Philips removed the power button and the joystick port to prevent people fiddling with it

Very nice find nonetheless, it's unique on the internet now!

highlandcattle · Post by **highlandcattle** » Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:59 am

So this player has actually three serial ports? You could use one to back up your game saves to a pc if the battery doesn't function anymore

Big M · Post by **Big M** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 1:29 pm

highlandcattle wrote:So this player has actually three serial ports? You could use one to back up your game saves to a pc if the battery doesn't function anymore

It has no Timekeeper in it..... instead of that, it has a Chip on that place

cdifan · Post by **cdifan** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 6:45 pm

How is the extra serial port connected? More pictures please

Big M · Post by **Big M** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 5:50 pm

cdifan wrote:How is the extra serial port connected? More pictures please

It's not an extra port, this system has also 2 ports on it. But this version has both ports on the backside. It has the same connection point on the main board as the standard front port. Probably it has some changes on the board itself.

cdifan · Post by **cdifan** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 8:20 pm

That is a 32kb cmos ram chip. Hoe does this player keep the time?

Big M · Post by **Big M** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 9:53 pm

cdifan wrote:That is a 32kb cmos ram chip. Hoe does this player keep the time?

A very good question, I have no idea.....

But also a funny thing is that this player show CD on the Display instead of CD-i or is that normal?