NWArchivist Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Is the E at the start for Ebola or some other catching disease? Only say that as you seem to need surgical gloves to hold that cart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWArchivist Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share Posted October 18, 2012 Our Collections Management Policy requires the usage of nitrile powder-free gloves when handling artifacts. The water, oil, salt, and other contaminants on your hands all ruin things faster over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Defender II Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 (edited) They were both for sale in the same packaging with the same date of 1983 on the package. Does your site actually allow us to see items in the museum? I don't see a link on the home page. Edited October 19, 2012 by Defender II Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Fries Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Mine looks like this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschak909 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'd love to see the inside, to see what they used. -Thom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labrat Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8bitCarts Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rybags Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Do they have to be opened to erase, or is there a gap where a UV light could squeeze through? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8bitCarts Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) 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 October 23, 2012 by chrislynn5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rybags Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I don't think EEProm existed back in 83. The TI article shows the guts and it's an Eprom, it's got the little window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8bitCarts Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) 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 October 23, 2012 by chrislynn5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8bitCarts Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 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) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8bitCarts Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Programming terminal AA topic: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/194215-romox-programming-terminal/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8bitCarts Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 (edited) 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 November 2, 2012 by chrislynn5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8bitCarts Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Here's the patent for Romox cartridge programming, mentions EEPROM and EPROM. Romox_Patent_US4597058.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBuell Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Awesome sleuthing! Any chance Tim's site is on the Internet Wayback Machine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8bitCarts Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Great suggestion, we need that content if someone wants to go grab it. I'm not sure why he abandoned it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8bitCarts Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 (edited) Way back has some, but sad to say not all of that great content. i.e. images! http://web.archive.o...games_intro.htm And his email bounces back Edited November 2, 2012 by chrislynn5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+orpheuswaking Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 He is on Facebook, Twitter, Linekdin, Google+ etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8bitCarts Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Cool, can you send me the facebook id? I'll ask him for that content (or if it's somewhere else). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.atarimania.com Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Good luck... I e-mailed him several years ago and he sure didn't want to share anything. Actually, he wasn't very happy to find Romox downloads on our pages. -- Atari Frog http://www.atarimania.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8bitCarts Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 In case you're curious as to what one looks like inside (I stumbled on this auction), and would never open one of mine 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8bitCarts Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari8bitCarts Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 He is on Facebook, Twitter, Linekdin, Google+ etc I tried him via linked in, no return response. I had provided a few of the titles I had, some listed on his former website. One that he had listed was his title, copyrighted and designed, yet it had someone else's credits on it. (Castle and Keys) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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.