Ameprod TVG-10


Manufacturer Ameprod / Elwro

Origin Poland
Year of unit 1983
Year of introduction 1979
Type TV game
a TV game with 10 games and light gun. Can be connected to TV by RF connector, using channel 35 or 40, depends on pressing first switch. Light gun is connected to front socket. Points count is always to 15, top buttons are for restarting move / setting zero.
Manual for game
Manual for light gun
 

In Poland some plants tried to manufacture video games in 1970s, but none of them succeeded.  Unimor tried with 2 prototypes, but only one was manufactured in 1970s in small (<1000) quantities. Some hobby magazines published designs of DIY Pong-like games, none of them has been widely available in market. In 1970s there were no integrated circuits generating video games, so everything was built with logic chips.
In 1976, General Instruments introduced AY-3-8500 chip, which with help of few discrete components could generate a full Pong-type game with few variations and shooting using light gun. This chip could be purchased by eastern block countries, usually from West Germany. In late 1970s, Elwro engineers designed TVG-10, a TV game with 10 game variations based on AY-3-8500. First fully-functional units have been manufactured in 1978 or 1979. In 1980 TVG-10 was accessible in market, but it was expensive and available in small quantities. Elwro manufactured only few thousands (some sources claim 10000) units, but purchasing large batches of western circuits was difficult and expensive, especially by Elwro - national electronic plant.
In 1981 Elwro moved production of TVG-10 to PPZ Ameprod. Ameprod was PPZ - "Przedsiębiorstwo Polonijno-Zagraniczne", translating to English "Polish-foreign company". These companies were foreign companies with partial Polish management. Because they were not connected with Polish government as strong as national companies, it was easier for them to buy western components. Ameprod manufactured TVG-10 until 1984 or 1985, while Elwro still made Videotraf light gun for it. Summing up, about 100000 units have been manufactured and sold.