Coleco Expansion Module #2 Driving Controller

Summary

The expansion 2 for the ColecoVision does not use the expansion shaft of the console, contrary to its name, but is an alternative controller for racing games in the form of a steering wheel with accelerator pedal.

The steering wheel is analog and works like the paddle controller of a Pong console. The springed accelerator pedal, however, is digital – either you give gas or not, gradations are not possible. Additional batteries are required for the power supply, a power supply does not exist.

The expansion includes a port of Sega’s arcade racing game Turbo. Five further cartridges support the wheel: four racing games and the bulldozer game Destructor.

For the game console ColecoVision the American company Coleco has brought a lot of accessories to the market. Among them are extensions with non-significant titles such as Expansion Module #1, Expansion Module #2 or Expansion Module #3. The extension number 2 stands for a steering wheel and accelerator and is aimed at friends of car races. A steering wheel is installed in a kind of console as well as a controller with keyboard — it is connected to the console. The Accelerator Pedal is connected to the extension with an extra cable. Built in the console is the game Turbo and there are other games like Bump’n’Jump, Destructor, The Dukes of Hazzard, Pitstop, Zippy Race that use the extension. Steering wheel and accelerator pedal are robust, but while steering is possible in gradations, the player can only give gas or not, there is no gradation here. The expansion was made in 1982, in the same year as the ColecoVision. The power supply requires 4 C batteries, an external power supply is not provided via a socket, but with some manual work it can be easily made. Prepared is the Perma Power Battery Eliminator/AC Adapter, a device shaped like 4 C batteries. The Accelerator Pedal can be reordered as an accessory, as well as Rubber Feet and Suction Cups.