The 'non-ubiquitous' P-Box -- (census)

[RXB]

I have a 1 Meg SAMS card in my P-Box along with SCSI card and 2 SCSI drives (but used to have 7 SCSI drives), PGRAM+, CorComp Floppy Card with two 3.5 Floppy Drives.

 

My Horizon 4000 set itself on fire using the Lithium Batteries for firewood.

 

Unless they make a SAMS 1 Meg Side Port version I will never buy one no matter how wonderful they are, nothing beats the SAMs for Memory.

I might even buy a F18 now that I will soon be able to afford it.

[+Schmitzi]

10 or 12 boxes, don´t know at all

 

There is no Box like P-Box !!

 

[Omega-TI]

10 or 12 boxes, don´t know at all

 

There is no Box like P-Box !!

 

 

Not to be confused with this this P-Box...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAiPIJLjvRs

[+InsaneMultitasker]

I use the standard PEB setup for testing/repairing equipment and for my TI system. I use my ATX mid-tower cases (with salvaged PEB internal backplanes and cages) for my Geneve and SNUG systems. Most recently I have taken a liking to the simplicity of a CF7+ and Ubergrom configuration

[PeBo]

I was lucky enough to find a PEB within 200 miles AND on this side of the border, making shipping costs a non consideration. It allowed me to make it my second purchase upon coming back into the fold (it actually arrived about 3 days after my console). It came with the RS232 and 32K card (which died shortly after, but was quickly replaced - then again a year later by a SAMS card). Also had two half height SDDS drives and of course the firehose interface. The only other card I've added is one of Mark Hull's fabulous SID cards.

 

Once I got the nanoPEB though, I found myself using it less and less, mainly because of the drive access speed difference.

 

Here's a question...a couple of my cards have overly bright LED's - I mean ridiculously bright where I have to put something in front of the Pbox when I use it. I have a drawer full of unused LED's, but I have no idea how lumen levels work on LEDs (how are mA's translated into brightness levels). It would be a waste of time to replace the LED's only to swap them out for something as bright or brighter as what I'm replacing, so a little guidance would be helpful

 

I'm looking for something about the same brightness as the original TI card lights.

[Meddler]

Clearly I will not be getting a PEB 'cause you lot have them all!

[Meddler]

...a couple of my cards have overly bright LED's - I mean ridiculously bright where I have to put something in front of the Pbox when I use it. I have a drawer full of unused LED's, but I have no idea how lumen levels work on LEDs (how are mA's translated into brightness levels). It would be a waste of time to replace the LED's only to swap them out for something as bright or brighter as what I'm replacing, so a little guidance would be helpful

 

I'm looking for something about the same brightness as the original TI card lights.

 

There is no direct relationship between lumens and milli-amps except for the same type of LED. Back then you needed 20mA for a Red LED just to get it lit but now we have many variations of "Super Bright" LEDs at 10mA or less.

 

To solve your problem you can simply increase the existing LED resistor say, 3 times greater, in the PeB when you change the LED.

A simple way to experiment is to discover the existing resistor value and try it with series multiples of the same value. LEDs are easy to test/measure if you have a Meter and resistors available.

[+Schmitzi]

...

 

Here's a question...a couple of my cards have overly bright LED's - I mean ridiculously bright where I have to put something in front of the Pbox when I use it. I have a drawer full of unused LED's, but I have no idea how lumen levels work on LEDs (how are mA's translated into brightness levels). It would be a waste of time to replace the LED's only to swap them out for something as bright or brighter as what I'm replacing, so a little guidance would be helpful

 

I'm looking for something about the same brightness as the original TI card lights.

 

I had that on one card too, I just "painted" it little bit with an ´Edding´

Just one very small spot (dip?/push) on the centre/front of the LED, with the same color.

[oracle_jedi]

I had a P-Box. Bulky, takes up most of the desk, sounds like a small jet engine, that damn fire hose cable....

 

I scored a CC9900 Micro-Expansion System which did everything I wanted the PEB to do, and never looked back. I sold the PEB before a move so that I did not have to lug it with me.

 

Don't miss it.

 

I now have a couple of CF7A+ expansions but still love my CC9900. Maybe Jedimatt can build on his 32K expansion design and add a disk controller to it too for a CC9900+

[Opry99er]

^^yesssss...^^

[iKarith]

Don't have one, don't need one, and don't really want one. The thing is way too big, way too heavy, and way too expensive. Unless I were using a Geneve (in which case all the stuff I use a TI-99/4A for wouldn't work anyway), there's just not much I can't do with other, smaller, cheaper devices. The nanoPEB works well, though it's a bit quirky and more fragile than I'd like honestly. But as I said, it works well enough until we have TiPi to replace it.

[Omega-TI]

... until we have TiPi to replace it.

 

Looking forward to that day... however, I'm such an addict that I'll have two separate configurations, TIPI & P-Box. I know one guy in the Portland area who has at least three separate configurations currently set up. I wonder what he'll do when the TIPI comes out, go for a fourth maybe?

[+mizapf]

Am I the only one with a Geneve-only setup (i.e. no TI-99/4A console)?

 

It seems to me that many people mentioning the Geneve seem to have a TI console also, which means they need two PEBs (since you cannot share the box), or they have a Geneve with box and a non-box TI setup.

[RickyDean]

Am I the only one with a Geneve-only setup (i.e. no TI-99/4A console)?

 

It seems to me that many people mentioning the Geneve seem to have a TI console also, which means they need two PEBs (since you cannot share the box), or they have a Geneve with box and a non-box TI setup.

Well, there is a way to share the two in one box, but that is using a Rave 99 motherboard. I am currently building mine into a Dell Dimension tower, but I still have the bottoms half of the original Rave 99 PC case. The cover has disappeared.

[BassGuitari]

I have one P-Box. And the only reason I got it is I found it in a TI lot on craigslist for $10. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have one, and would have continued being content without one, as I had been.

Is it my "daily driver?" No, since, in the last few years, no TI99/4a has been my "daily driver." On the occasions I get out one of my TIs, I may or may not feel like schlepping the P-Box out with it since almost none of my software requires a disk system anyway (except Tunnels of Doom, TOD editor, and some other game that requires the TOD cart).

But, I did add a TI monitor to my collection since the last time I had my 99/4a system hooked up, so now I kind of have to set up the whole shmear, don't I?

[+Ksarul]

I have a couple set up for TI-99/4As, one for a 99/4P (SNUG system), and one for a Geneve. I occasionally connect one of the 99/4A PEBs to one of my 99/8s. . .

[aftyde]

I have two PEB's in relatively pristine condition. (wish I could say that about the consoles)... One has 32K, pGram+ (which is out for repair), WHT SCSI, SID Master, RS-232 w HDX, and Myarc DDCC-1 w 80 track mod. The other has P-Code, 32K, RS-232 w HDX and TI disk controller with 80 track mod. I also have a bunch of NanoPEB's and CF-7's. I keep hoping I'll see some storage solution... right now my TI-Base DB is >1800 - so I really can't run it on a NanoPEB or machine without a hard disk / DSDD 80 track drive.

[wyerd]

I absolutely LOVE my PEB. I had a Nano PEB before my PEB, but sold it soon after I got the proper thing. It has the 32k expansion, TI FDC with 80 track mod connected to a HXC and 3.5" FDD, & TI RS232 connected to a UDS-10. OK, it's huge and noisy. The noise can be fixed by simply replacing the fan with a newer, quieter one in about 10 minutes. Yes, the fire hose is a pain, but the whole thing looks soooooo RETRO!! I just love it ! ❤️ ?

[Omega-TI]

I absolutely LOVE my PEB.

 

A lot of people agree! Out of the current 59 voters, roughly 85% us have a P-Box with about 60% of us using it as our primary unit.

I was getting a little concerned at Fest West I because I saw ZERO P-Boxes in active use. Sometimes looks can be deceiving, I guess the majority of us all have secondary portable systems as well. - Nah, we're not devoted addicts!

[Sinphaltimus]

If I were local I would have brought mine if only to showcase the mods.

[Omega-TI]

If I were local I would have brought mine if only to showcase the mods.

 

Welllllllllll now.... do you have a camera? Snap away Sinny! I'd love to see your mods!

[Sinphaltimus]

 

Welllllllllll now.... do you have a camera? Snap away Sinny! I'd love to see your mods!

I'll never find them in this mobile version, I'll have to collect threads when I get home. Everything's been shared here, probably just scattered around. Pics are in my gallery. Edited May 10, 2017 by Sinphaltimus

[Arnuphis]

Yes I LOVE my PEB as well and I have the nano option as well. I put blue LEDs in mine, Replaced the noisy fan with a quiet one, replaced the full height drive with am HxC and 3.5 floppy. It's got the 80 track upgrade, RS232 and SAMs card in it and I stuck on rubber feet to towerize it. It's majestic and wonderful and makes me think of HAL-9000 (minus the murder).

[Omega-TI]

... and I stuck on rubber feet to towerize it.

 

Oh yeah! Nothing looks better (to me) than a TI-PEB setup as a tower unit!

[Sinphaltimus]

Here's one pic.