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Omega-TI

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Hey all! First time post here. There is an auction for a brand new sealed PEB and my question is if anyone knows what's included with it. I have so many old fliers and descriptions saying that it came with a drive, drive controller and the 32k module but I can't confirm this anywhere. Anyone know? Thanks!!

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Hey all! First time post here. There is an auction for a brand new sealed PEB and my question is if anyone knows what's included with it. I have so many old fliers and descriptions saying that it came with a drive, drive controller and the 32k module but I can't confirm this anywhere. Anyone know? Thanks!!

 

I'm pretty sure it came with only the "fire hose" (the flat, shielded connector cable) with its attached PEB card at one end and the side-port connector at the other end. Of course, it's not much use without those other items you mentioned that were often sold with it at additional cost.

 

...lee

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Hey all! First time post here. There is an auction for a brand new sealed PEB and my question is if anyone knows what's included with it. I have so many old fliers and descriptions saying that it came with a drive, drive controller and the 32k module but I can't confirm this anywhere. Anyone know? Thanks!!

Check this post by Marc Hull:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/218753-possible-new-device-for-the-ti-universe/?p=2869154

 

So you want to look for ebay user MDUDE, and he sells PEBs with the extras.

 

Edit: Oh yeah - welcome to the boards :)

Edited by RobertLM78
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Thank you for the info... I sent mdude a msg. I guess I've been feeling a bit nostalgic recently and the TI-99 was my first computer and the one that started my downward spiral into software development and computer graphics. I now own a creative agency and we do a lot of app dev. We just built a new office and are decorating it with working vintage systems that had an impact in our careers in some way. Thanks again!

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I keep thinking I would like another one, but I already have two and really can neither see a purpose for nor justify a third at this point. Other than my tore-up manual which has been in my hands since 1989 :)

 

I highly recommend the battery replacement, though. Especially at this age having been in storage for so long.

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It's on the Western Horizon Technologies TI 99/4a and Geneve Archive, best known as ftp.whtech.com.

 

Here's the TI-Artist directory:

ftp://ftp.whtech.com/graphics/Inscebot/

 

And here is a list of everything on whtech:

ftp://ftp.whtech.com/sitelist.txt

 

You can search through the sitelist using a Find function in your web browser or text editor :).

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It's on the Western Horizon Technologies TI 99/4a and Geneve Archive, best known as ftp.whtech.com.

 

Here's the TI-Artist directory:

ftp://ftp.whtech.com/graphics/Inscebot/

 

And here is a list of everything on whtech:

ftp://ftp.whtech.com/sitelist.txt

 

You can search through the sitelist using a Find function in your web browser or text editor :).

 

Well, that is awesome ;-) Thank you!

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Looks like you nailed it. Nifty.

 

Reading the article, it seems interesting that while the device requires the Mini Memory to operate it is written in a format which cannot be entered via the LBLA but instead you need the Editor/Assembler, which requires the floppy system, which would imply you have the PEB and probably already have an RS-232 card... though there is a hex listing with instructions on how to manually enter it via EASYBUG. Man, I am glad we had MLX for COMPUTE! listings on the C64!

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I'm not sure that this auction includes, but I built the original Joytalk interface from articles in 99'er magazine, as all I had was Minimemory and a serial printer, and I was able to enter everything directly. I don't remember if I used LBL assembler or entered hex bytes in EasyBug, though. :)

 

I remember seeing ads for a commercial version of the device as well, though.

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<< HERE >> Is an auction where some guy thinks the TI is worth way more than reality! :lolblue:

He also has the MAKE AN OFFER button up... if you want to have some fun, make a real low bid (something you might be willing to pay) for a backup TI with Speech Synthesizer, Hand Buster Sticks and Cassette Cable. (Put your masks on!)

 

EDIT: It might be worth more than I originally thought.... once you scroll down you see all the cartridges that come with it.

Edited by Kevan
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I received my MBX this week. It came from a smoking environment... I threw some cleverness into de-smoking it, if I may say so myself.

 

What you see here is the components enclosed in a large plastic container with two USB fans and some perfume-free drier sheets. The fans blow air across the sheets, which then circulates over the top and down the back side of the container, then across the components. (It is not a perfectly circular flow due to fluid dynamics and what-not, but it works well enough and probably better than if it were a circular flow.)

 

Originally I had the entire MBX box in the enclosure actually resting on the fans set on each end of the plastic container with crumpled drier sheets placed between the fans, secured by the rubber feet of the fans. This moved air under the box across and through the sheets, then back up and over the box. This whole process was a shot in the dark. I was surprised to find that within a few hours the sheets were noticeably browned and by the next morning the MBX box was considerably less smoky. (Note that I did occasionally open the container to let in fresh air.) I have been working this process in various configurations to attempt to de-smoke the entire kit.

 

This has been so successful that I will do this again should I come across smoke-infested items again. Mind you, these were rather lightly smoky compared to some things I have received in the past.

 

Just a note to anyone who smokes: please let buyers know ahead of time. You never know when you will have a buyer with allergic sensitivities or asthma, and a good warning would be greatly appreciated.

 

Other than that, it works fabulously, though the auction listing made it seem it was to come with "Championship Baseball," it came with the manual and overlay but no cartridge. Of course, the pictures were without the cart, so there ya go. Like many systems seem to be, this one was also missing its power supply. The original PSU is a 9V center-positive unit, but the internal power is a provided by a 7805, which is a 5V regulator offering, at most, between 500mA and 1A, depending upon the cooling provided. (Those are the specs I remember from the 7805s I purchased from Radio Shack in the same era, though newer LM7805s show up to 1.5A) The heat sink leads me to think that the entire unit would draw around 700mA at most. As I could not find a 9V supply in my collection, I instead gave it a 5V 1A unit and it works just fine.

 

In all I am actually a little disappointed. The controller, while exceptionally articulate, is difficult to master. In particular when playing "Superfly." This is ignoring the sticking that happens in the extreme north and south positions, and accepting that the difficulty could be related to its age. Speech from the MBX is billed to be better than from the TI Speech Synthesizer, but my initial impression is that the TI's speech is better. "Bigfoot" certainly does not sound better, and while the TI can speak without interfering with game play, "Superfly" game action stutters while the MBX speaks.

 

‡ I have re-discovered that the 7805 should be fed voltage over the output of ~1.5V, so while the higher amperage 5V input is working, it is not technically sufficient.

post-27864-0-41436400-1386216260_thumb.jpg

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