Strange Find: TI/99-4A Timeline

[+helocast]

Just documenting a strange find - an odd duckling; early with the late?

Someone else's junk they practically paid me to take, but a nice find imho.

 

Clearly original V1 motherboard, but produced in the week of December 10-16, 1984?

Original TIM9904 with a 48MHz crystal instead of the common TIM9904A and 12MHz crystal.

General Instruments keyboard (first I've seen) with a date code of December 1983, mounted to a subassembly found more commonly in the 99/4QI.

GROM and I/O port connectors look as if they never had much connected to them, if anything after production test.

 

I suppose it all makes sense if one assumes a consumer failure which got mailed back to TI who was still honoring warranty returns after production ceased or a 3rd-party warranty repair, but I see no signs that train of thought is plausible.

[+Ksarul]

I have a sneaking suspicion that the date cose should be 0584, as the last machines manufactured in the US were the ones made for Control Data in the beginning of May, 1984. The motherboard is definitely a lot older than the case. . .and the General Instruments keyboards are actually pretty common (and robust).

[+helocast]

I have a sneaking suspicion that the date cose should be 0584, as the last machines manufactured in the US were the ones made for Control Data in the beginning of May, 1984. The motherboard is definitely a lot older than the case. . .and the General Instruments keyboards are actually pretty common (and robust).

Good to know. I just seem to find the oddball combinations