Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I had one filthy Intellivision game, Frog Bog, and a console I'd never used. So I restored the cartridge, tested the 40+ year old Mattel Intellivision, then built a Raspberry Pi Pico-powered PiRTO II multicart with microSD storage.
Big thanks to PCBWay for supporting this build:
PCBWay.com - They make the BEST PCBs!
The only Intellivision cartridge I could find was Frog Bog, recovered from my house fire and still covered in soot, smoke and water contamination.
First we'll open it, clean the cartridge contacts, replace its ruined label and find out whether both Frog Bog and this remarkably tidy boxed UK Intellivision still work.
One game doesn't make much of a software library though, so then it's time to warm up the soldering iron.
I'm building the PiRTO II, an open-source Intellivision multicart based around the Raspberry Pi Pico. This version is SukkoPera's variation of Andrea Ottaviani's original PiRTO II design and adds microSD storage.
Before building it I also test the three 74LVC245 bus transceivers at 3.3V, 2.5V and 1.8V. The project specifically requires LVC devices, so this gives us some confidence that the chips aren't HC parts wearing a small electronic false moustache.
For firmware I'm using Minty by Gennaro Tortone, which supports this PiRTO II SD hardware and lets us load Intellivision software from the microSD card.
Games tried include Frog Bog, Vectron, Astrosmash, BurgerTime, Demon Attack, Donkey Kong Junior, Carnival, Defender and Dig Dug.
And yes, I definitely need a better video solution than RF...
===== BUILD THE PiRTO II =====
PiRTO II Original Raspberry Pi Pico version on PCBWay:
pcbway.com/project/shareproject/PiRTOII_Flash_multicart_for_the_Mattel_Intellivision_Original_Pico_Version_95662f2b.html
===== PROJECTS & CREDITS =====
Original PiRTO II project
Andrea Ottaviani / aotta:
github.com/aotta/PiRTOII
PiRTO II original Raspberry Pi Pico + microSD variation
SukkoPera:
github.com/SukkoPera/PiRTOII
Minty firmware
Gennaro Tortone / gtortone:
github.com/gtortone/Minty
A8PicoCart
Robin Edwards:
github.com/robinhedwards/A8PicoCart
PiRTO II cartridge case / remix
xAD / Nightfall Crew:
nightfallcrew.com/26/01/2026/pirto-ii-duo-by-aotta-and-remixed-cartridge-case-by-xad
I used the Nightfall Crew case as the starting point for my enclosure and modified it further in Tinkercad to suit this particular PiRTO II board.
Huge thanks to Andrea Ottaviani, SukkoPera, Gennaro Tortone, Robin Edwards, xAD and everyone else who has contributed to these open-source projects and made builds like this possible.
Please refer to the latest project documentation before building your own.
Use game ROM images only where you are legally entitled to do so. No copyrighted game files are supplied with the projects linked above.
===== SUPPORT MARK FIXES STUFF =====
Patreon:
patreon.com/markfixesstuff
Ko-fi:
ko-fi.com/markfixesstuff
Patrons help keep Mark Fixes Stuff going and get ad-free videos, usually early access, plus the exclusive Damage Report vlog.
===== CHAPTERS =====
00:00 House Fire Intellivision Game: Frog Bog
00:56 UK Mattel Intellivision Unboxing & First Look
02:42 Restoring a Smoke-Damaged Frog Bog Cartridge
06:30 Recreating the Frog Bog Cartridge Label
09:07 Testing the Mattel Intellivision
09:33 Playing Frog Bog on Intellivision
10:08 Building a PiRTO II Intellivision Multicart
10:56 Testing 74LVC245 Logic Chips
11:42 Soldering the PiRTO II microSD Socket
13:17 PiRTO II PCB Assembly
15:36 Soldering the Raspberry Pi Pico
18:27 Completed PiRTO II Multicart Build
18:37 Installing Minty Firmware on Raspberry Pi Pico
19:08 Loading Intellivision ROMs onto microSD
19:35 First PiRTO II Multicart Boot
20:18 Intellivision Games: Vectron, Astrosmash & BurgerTime
21:16 Demon Attack, Donkey Kong Jr & Carnival
21:57 Defender & Dig Dug on Intellivision
22:24 3D Printing a PiRTO II Cartridge Case
23:30 PiRTO II Multicart Final Test
23:41 Intellivision & PiRTO II Final Thoughts
24:51 Abstract Band Names Quiz
Did you own an Intellivision? Tell me which game I absolutely need to play next.
And if you know a really good way of getting a clean video signal from a UK Intellivision without unnecessarily butchering the original hardware, I'm all ears.
#Intellivision #RetroGaming #RaspberryPi
I had one filthy Intellivision game, Frog Bog, and a console I'd never used. So I restored the cartridge, tested the 40+ year old Mattel Intellivision, then built a Raspberry Pi Pico-powered PiRTO II multicart with microSD storage.
Big thanks to PCBWay for supporting this build:
PCBWay.com - They make the BEST PCBs!
The only Intellivision cartridge I could find was Frog Bog, recovered from my house fire and still covered in soot, smoke and water contamination.
First we'll open it, clean the cartridge contacts, replace its ruined label and find out whether both Frog Bog and this remarkably tidy boxed UK Intellivision still work.
One game doesn't make much of a software library though, so then it's time to warm up the soldering iron.
I'm building the PiRTO II, an open-source Intellivision multicart based around the Raspberry Pi Pico. This version is SukkoPera's variation of Andrea Ottaviani's original PiRTO II design and adds microSD storage.
Before building it I also test the three 74LVC245 bus transceivers at 3.3V, 2.5V and 1.8V. The project specifically requires LVC devices, so this gives us some confidence that the chips aren't HC parts wearing a small electronic false moustache.
For firmware I'm using Minty by Gennaro Tortone, which supports this PiRTO II SD hardware and lets us load Intellivision software from the microSD card.
Games tried include Frog Bog, Vectron, Astrosmash, BurgerTime, Demon Attack, Donkey Kong Junior, Carnival, Defender and Dig Dug.
And yes, I definitely need a better video solution than RF...
===== BUILD THE PiRTO II =====
PiRTO II Original Raspberry Pi Pico version on PCBWay:
pcbway.com/project/shareproject/PiRTOII_Flash_multicart_for_the_Mattel_Intellivision_Original_Pico_Version_95662f2b.html
===== PROJECTS & CREDITS =====
Original PiRTO II project
Andrea Ottaviani / aotta:
github.com/aotta/PiRTOII
PiRTO II original Raspberry Pi Pico + microSD variation
SukkoPera:
github.com/SukkoPera/PiRTOII
Minty firmware
Gennaro Tortone / gtortone:
github.com/gtortone/Minty
A8PicoCart
Robin Edwards:
github.com/robinhedwards/A8PicoCart
PiRTO II cartridge case / remix
xAD / Nightfall Crew:
nightfallcrew.com/26/01/2026/pirto-ii-duo-by-aotta-and-remixed-cartridge-case-by-xad
I used the Nightfall Crew case as the starting point for my enclosure and modified it further in Tinkercad to suit this particular PiRTO II board.
Huge thanks to Andrea Ottaviani, SukkoPera, Gennaro Tortone, Robin Edwards, xAD and everyone else who has contributed to these open-source projects and made builds like this possible.
Please refer to the latest project documentation before building your own.
Use game ROM images only where you are legally entitled to do so. No copyrighted game files are supplied with the projects linked above.
===== SUPPORT MARK FIXES STUFF =====
Patreon:
patreon.com/markfixesstuff
Ko-fi:
ko-fi.com/markfixesstuff
Patrons help keep Mark Fixes Stuff going and get ad-free videos, usually early access, plus the exclusive Damage Report vlog.
===== CHAPTERS =====
00:00 House Fire Intellivision Game: Frog Bog
00:56 UK Mattel Intellivision Unboxing & First Look
02:42 Restoring a Smoke-Damaged Frog Bog Cartridge
06:30 Recreating the Frog Bog Cartridge Label
09:07 Testing the Mattel Intellivision
09:33 Playing Frog Bog on Intellivision
10:08 Building a PiRTO II Intellivision Multicart
10:56 Testing 74LVC245 Logic Chips
11:42 Soldering the PiRTO II microSD Socket
13:17 PiRTO II PCB Assembly
15:36 Soldering the Raspberry Pi Pico
18:27 Completed PiRTO II Multicart Build
18:37 Installing Minty Firmware on Raspberry Pi Pico
19:08 Loading Intellivision ROMs onto microSD
19:35 First PiRTO II Multicart Boot
20:18 Intellivision Games: Vectron, Astrosmash & BurgerTime
21:16 Demon Attack, Donkey Kong Jr & Carnival
21:57 Defender & Dig Dug on Intellivision
22:24 3D Printing a PiRTO II Cartridge Case
23:30 PiRTO II Multicart Final Test
23:41 Intellivision & PiRTO II Final Thoughts
24:51 Abstract Band Names Quiz
Did you own an Intellivision? Tell me which game I absolutely need to play next.
And if you know a really good way of getting a clean video signal from a UK Intellivision without unnecessarily butchering the original hardware, I'm all ears.
#Intellivision #RetroGaming #RaspberryPi
