+OLD CS1 Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Good device, just be aware that it will lose its memory contents when the PEB is shut down unless you provide external external power to the card. This is different from the Horizon RAMdisks which are battery backed up. Yeah, noticed that. No problem, really. Sounds similar to my CorComp card, I only really use it a a standard memory expansion but it does have RAM disk facility and the contents can be retained on the basis that you don't mind having a seperate power supply plugged in and powered up at all times. If it needs one, that is not an issue. It appears that it also replaces the standard TI 32k card, so you get the 32k memory expansion, print spooler, and RAM disk all-in-one. Brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 ACK! I just noticed it's a 256k model Should read better. Should be easy to upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 This auction confuses me. Am I completely off base here... I don't recall ever seeing a dual 32K/DISK Controller all in one unit for the P-Box. At a quick glance it could be a CorComp 32K card, with the price about right, -OR- it could be a DSDD Disk Controller someone might want to bid on. This dude has it listed as BOTH, and in the pictures you cannot see the card to verify what it is through the bubble wrap, one picture is blurry and useless, one photo just shows a disk, the other photo lists it as possibly one or the other. Sigh. Now this guy has been selling TI stuff for awhile, so I'm assuming he should at least know what he's got, but he lists it like it's "on the box", without showing the actual item, so it at least APPEARS like he's trying to get more money because it "COULD" be a disk controller that is worth more. Following eBay's rules, you'll be getting it as advertised, so you could not make a claim later as a 'not as advertised'. SO WHICH IS IT a 32K card or a DISK CONTROLLER. I don't recall them ever making a DUAL UNIT... did they? I also thought the "Micro Expansion System" was the stand alone unit, but what you can see of the bubble wrap is a card for the P-Box, I just cannot tell which. EDIT: It also comes with a disk, which means it could very well be a disk drive controller. Oh well, if someone gets a controller card at the current price of $50.00, more power to them. I'm happy with the 80 track mod myself, as it gives you the same amount of space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 This really IS a 32K/Disk Controller board. It is one of the two boards used in the CorComp 9900 Micro-Expansion unit. The 9900 units were sold as a RS-232/PIO variant or as a variant with all three PEB capabilities built in (Serial-PIO/32K/DSDD Controller). This board was sold as an upgrade board to allow the folks who bought the RS-232 variant to upgrade it to a full-capability 9900 Micro Expansion box. I need to get my hands on one of these to try and replicate the layout. . .as there are still quite a few RS-232/PIO-only boxes out there that can be upgraded. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 This really IS a 32K/Disk Controller board. It is one of the two boards used in the CorComp 9900 Micro-Expansion unit. The 9900 units were sold as a RS-232/PIO variant or as a variant with all three PEB capabilities built in (Serial-PIO/32K/DSDD Controller). This board was sold as an upgrade board to allow the folks who bought the RS-232 variant to upgrade it to a full-capability 9900 Micro Expansion box. I need to get my hands on one of these to try and replicate the layout. . .as there are still quite a few RS-232/PIO-only boxes out there that can be upgraded. Cool! I learned something new today, thanks for the heads up. I used to have a CorComp DSDD FDC (P-Box variety) in my original TI back in the day, but it was just a controller, nothing more. I was completely unaware of this upgrade kit. I hope you bid and win it. I expect some of the older original equipment to start failing considering it's age. Having access to new and easier to obtain replacement items would be a definite plus for the TI community. On the subject of age, one of my plans for the future is to get one of my spare consoles and the backup P-Box re-capped, so in event of a failure I'll be able to swap cards and be back up and running in minimal time. I need to get at least another 30 years out of this 31 year old system. There's no point in me worrying about any longer than that, because I will not be around to enjoy it. I do wonder though, how long people will continue to make and develop new items for this platform. I can envision all kinds of possible future toys though. DSDD 80 track controllers, "all-in-one" plug in SSHD's, plug in RS-232/WiFi cards, 32K/RAM disks with addressable memory, or even a Blue Tooth card for the P-Box that would enable use of wireless mice and keyboards. The TI was always a great platform for hardware hacks. Who knows what the future will bring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 SO WHICH IS IT a 32K card or a DISK CONTROLLER. I don't recall them ever making a DUAL UNIT... did they? Yeah, kind-of not helpful packaging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+hloberg Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ti-99-4A-Texas-Instruments-consoles-PEB-catridges-documentation-more-/181501940630?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276 biege, 2 silver & black TI 99/4a, a 99/4 (no a) PEB, carts start @ $200.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 I know somebody wants this! << GO HERE >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 ACK! I just noticed it's a 256k model Should read better. Should be easy to upgrade. Meh. That is what I get for working when an auction ends. Somebody wanted it more than me, I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I talked to the other guy selling stock from this hoard about these a few months back when I bought a Myarc XB 2.11 from him (the box was missing the upgrade EPROM for some reason). He mentioned then that he had several loose Myarc XB boxes and a bunch more paired with the 256K cards. That explained the missing EPROM, as the one I got had probably been paired with a card while in storage but got separated from it over the decades of storage. I bought one of the paired sets from him then. Zach may also have more than one of them--if you're lucky and he considers your underbid to be a fair price, he might give you a second chance offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 There will be another chance, I am certain. I just looked and my second bid of $150, apparently I did not confirm it. The winning bid was over that, anyway, so another time, just have to be sharp as these things do not come up frequently. Plus, it was a shit model... the 512k model is much more win Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 It is just a matter of populating the additional memory sockets and setting a jumper, IIRC. . .there is otherwise no difference between the cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 It is just a matter of populating the additional memory sockets and setting a jumper, IIRC. . .there is otherwise no difference between the cards. You trying to harsh my buzz? It was a shit card and a better one will come along later. End of story. That said, I was wondering how difficult it was to come across those RAM chips. I think it lists them in the manual as 4164s? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 The 4164s show up for sale pretty regularly at prices between $1 and $8 each. I bought about 100 of them a while back for some 128K cards I was building (a project I only recently got to actually start working on). It took me a while to get enough of them for the six cards I wanted to populate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 AYFKM! The Gram Kracker went for $610.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 A crazy price, but looking at the bidder list shows a couple of interesting things: First, only three people were willing to go above $300 on it--and one of those stopped at $350. Second, the two high bidders had feedback in the 50-110 range, which says they don't do a lot of ebaying, at least not using those accounts (many sellers have a separate account they use for buying). That said, they may not be plugged into the community. Hopefully the GRAM Kracker seller points them our way. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flottmann1 Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 here a MBX http://www.ebay.com/itm/Championship-Baseball-Texas-Instruments-TI-99-Expansion-System-MBX-/161409560918?pt=US_Vintage_Computing_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2594c27156 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unhuman Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 What is this?!! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-NOS-Texas-Instruments-TI-99-TI99-4A-Game-Questprobe-Spiderman-Disk/221538386063 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMole Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Apparently it's a graphic adventure:http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Questprobe Looks pretty cool! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
am1933 Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Apparently it's a graphic adventure:http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Questprobe Looks pretty cool! It's only a "graphical" adventure on some machines, text only on others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 It is an adventure game for the Adventure cartridge--and it is text only on the TI. Adventure International released four TI adventures for it on their own: Sorceror of Claymorgue Castle, Spiderman, Hulk, and the Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dphirschler Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 I have a copy of it if anybody wants to try it. Darryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 (edited) The MBX went for $31 (I got it). I was a bit surprised, as I was trying to get it for parts since some of it was a bit rough. I'll have to test it to see if it works now. . . Edited September 5, 2014 by Ksarul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 The MBX went for $31 (I got it). I was a bit surprised, as I was trying to get it for parts since some of it was a bit rough. I'll have to test it to see if it works now. . . 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 I just got a truly bizarre item in the mail that I found on eBay last week. Look at the top left board (also the first board in later pictures) in the picture carefully. http://www.ebay.com/itm/121423340946? It has the same general shape as a 99/4A board, but that's about it. I talked to the seller, as it looked like it originally had some kind of daughter board--he hunted around and found that along with a couple of internal power supplies. When I received everything today, the daughter board is the rest of a TI-99/4 computer, and one of the power supplies goes to it to. I strongly suspect this is an actual TI-99/4 prototype! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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