Jump to content
IGNORED

ROMOX ECPC Cartridge


NWArchivist

Recommended Posts

Hi everybody,

 

In a recent donation we received a ROMOX ECPC cartridge with Astro Chase burned on to it. Pretty neat!

 

Does anybody have an idea as to how many variants of these cartridges existed? I've seen stickers that have "REUSABLE CARTRIDGE" instead of "ECPC CARTRIDGE". Does anybody know which came first?

 

I've also seen different cartridge molds which came in black or white.

 

Any info would be great. Thanks.

post-32974-0-25148000-1350539338_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd love to see the inside, to see what they used.

 

-Thom

 

These carts just snap together, so can be coaxed open. Even with the wrap-over label they can be (carefully) opened such that the label acts like a hinge. I figured this out when I had to fix a loose board in one of mine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For some strange reason Tim McGinnus's website is gone. He had a lot of info on these.

But this should help give you the idea of what they were. I have never seen the programming station, and I have no idea if anyone else has.

 

http://www.mainbyte.com/ti99/software/carts/romox.html

 

An ad for them:

http://books.google.com/books?id=xy8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&dq=romox+ecpc+cartridges&source=bl&ots=0-uzrZaObT&sig=l3_BOpse9FVkhU0ydDZHiFqaU6g&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2fKFUJXODpOY9QTV_ICQDg&ved=0CFQQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=romox%20&f=false

 

I have one packaged. There have been a few on eBay with software on them. There are a few right now, with different programmable cases.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do they have to be opened to erase, or is there a gap where a UV light could squeeze through?

since these were consumer carts, I would assume that they were not meant to open and that maybe they were electronicly erased (EEPROM). Mine is packed and I'll try to get it out and check. The writing station was the focal point.

Edited by chrislynn5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

They were, and did. I just thought since they had programming stations that I highly doubt that they had to crack them open, UV them, and reprogram. But it would be nice if someone has actual experience with the process and the programming station to chime in. Tim's website had all that detail and appears to be gone :(

 

To me the cart I have doesn't appear to have been designed to ever be opened.

 

Subsequent developments have addressed these shortcomings. PROM, invented in 1956, allowed users to program its contents exactly once by physically altering its structure with the application of high-voltage pulses. This addressed problems 1 and 2 above, since a company can simply order a large batch of fresh PROM chips and program them with the desired contents at its designers' convenience. The 1971 invention of EPROM essentially solved problem 3, since EPROM (unlike PROM) can be repeatedly reset to its unprogrammed state by exposure to strong ultraviolet light. EEPROM, invented in 1983, went a long way to solving problem 4, since an EEPROM can be programmed in-place if the containing device provides a means to receive the program contents from an external source

Edited by chrislynn5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Another found piece on EEPROM. Andrew Krieg and Bill Gaskill for the Romox ECPC information.

===============================================================================

= Romox EEPROM Cartridges =

= =

= In 1983, Romox released some games on EEPROM cartridges. Customers could =

= purchase a blank ECPC (Edge Connector Programmable Cartridge), and then =

= have a game of their choice burned into its EEPROM at a Romox Programming =

= Terminal. This is a list of titles exclusive the the ECPC system. =

===============================================================================

Manufacturer Catalog # Yr Title

--------------- --------- -- ------------------------------------

Romox 01283 83 Baja Buggies (by Gamestar)

Romox 01223 83 Bartender, The (by Liberty Software)

Romox 13023 83 Castles and Keys (by Romox)

Romox 04033 83 Crash Dive (by 20th Century Fox)

Romox 02234 83 Dancing Feats (by Softsync Inc.) [*]

Romox 11023 83 Flapper (by Romox)

Romox 01213 83 Hot Lips (by London Software)

Romox 01033 82 M*A*S*H (by 20th Century Fox)

Romox 03220 83 Mogul Maniac (by Amiga)

Romox 03213 83 Parallax (by London Software)

Romox 02033 82 Porky's (by 20th Century Fox)

Romox 03033 82 Revenge of the Beefsteak Tomatoes (by 20th Century)

Romox 12023 83 Ripper (by Romox)

Romox 02213 83 Trion (by London Software)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, this article answers a few questions (search it for Romox):

http://books.google....q=romox&f=false

 

As I read, their are two Romox cartridges; the ECPC and the Reusable Cartridge. The ECPC is write once it appears, a EPROM, but could be cracked opened and erased.

I have a Reprogrammable cartridge (EEPROM) (Blue), and have seen the black ECPC cartridges on eBay. I have yet to see anyone with the ROMOX Programming terminal?

Edited by chrislynn5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
  • 7 months later...

After searching, Romox had approx. 500 titles available for their ECPC cartridges. Most were existing titles (i.e. Missile command, etc), but a handful were specific titles just for the ROMOX ECPC program.

i.e. Porky's by Fox, and then some by Romox to promote the program; Ripper, Castle and Keys, etc.

 

Apparently you could almost anything on one of these carts :) Of course, as long as it was developed for a cart.

 

I have yet to find the actual programming stations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...