Toucan Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 4 hours ago, Ksarul said: The machine in the auction is NOT a Dimension of any kind. It is a TI-99/4 motherboard in a Dimension case. See the product tag on the bottom (Serial Number 739, which puts it in the same range as the engineering prototype that someone was trying to sell earlier this year). Good catch. The other 99/4 is here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Texas-Instruments-TI-99-4-Engineering-Prototype-717-No-Serial-Number/133474657047?hash=item1f13b5a317:g:iOoAAOSwBi5d3JS6 It's number 717. So technically the CB Wilson auction 99/4 is newer than the one already up, and one above is in better shape as well. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted October 30, 2020 Author Share Posted October 30, 2020 Collectors are a different breed from me. First they obviously have way more money to blow, second they must like looking at things and dusting stuff more than me. No matter how much I try, I cannot wrap my head around $2,500.00 for a system that will not even run all the cool software out there, even if I did have that kind of money. I know this hobby is many different things to many people, but I guess in life there are things some people will never be able to comprehend. I guess I'm one of those limited people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toucan Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 1 minute ago, Omega-TI said: Collectors are a different breed from me. First they obviously have way more money to blow, second they must like looking at things and dusting stuff more than me. No matter how much I try, I cannot wrap my head around $2,500.00 for a system that will not even run all the cool software out there, even if I did have that kind of money. I know this hobby is many different things to many people, but I guess in life there are things some people will never be able to comprehend. I guess I'm one of those limited people. Actually, since that 99/4 has been up there for months at that asking price, it makes sense that you can't wrap your head around it, as nobody else has been able to either judging by the length of time it's been on eBay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 2 hours ago, Toucan said: Actually, since that 99/4 has been up there for months at that asking price, it makes sense that you can't wrap your head around it, as nobody else has been able to either judging by the length of time it's been on eBay His initial listing failed to get a bidder at $1500. He immediately upped the price to $2499 on subsequent listings and it has languished there ever since. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dhe Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 HexBus Interface, I purchased one of the two from the CB Wilson Estate. I've ALWAYS wanted one of these. I thought I was close, I visited Michael's Becker's Magical Basement, and he had made about 20 cases for HexBus interfaces, but he never made them. I'm hoping the HexBus Interface works and I can get it to work the Arduino based HexBus drive that Vorticon has been using and debugging. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 6 hours ago, dhe said: HexBus Interface, I purchased one of the two from the CB Wilson Estate. I've ALWAYS wanted one of these. I thought I was close, I visited Michael's Becker's Magical Basement, and he had made about 20 cases for HexBus interfaces, but he never made them. I'm hoping the HexBus Interface works and I can get it to work the Arduino based HexBus drive that Vorticon has been using and debugging. I have one of the two Hex-Bus Interfaces Michael completed. The inside wiring is a work of art. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dhe Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 I think in the case of the cases, he probably had plans to make a PCB, I know he had purchased a stock of the hexbus controller chip.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+retroclouds Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 With Christmas coming up, this makes a nice (albeit expensive) gift: https://www.ebay.de/i/333645045100?ul_noapp=true All factory new. What gets me drooling the most though, is that full box of brand-new speech synthesizers. ? 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted November 1, 2020 Author Share Posted November 1, 2020 5 minutes ago, retroclouds said: With Christmas coming up, this makes a nice (albeit expensive) gift: https://www.ebay.de/i/333645045100?ul_noapp=true All factory new. What gets me drooling the most though, is that full box of brand-new speech synthesizers. ? Ohh, yeah baby! That's TI porn there! 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted November 1, 2020 Author Share Posted November 1, 2020 While I do think it's overpriced for what you get in the package, I do feel compelled to mention that the beige TI shown has rounded keytops and a green backing on the keyboard which means it's probably NOT one of those nasty Mitsumi keyboard units. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FarmerPotato Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 So about those new floppy disks... I searched for "Centech color 5.25 floppy". These were the first floppies to come in colors other than black. They took out a full spread ad in 99'er. It was beautiful. GADEGO ordered a box of 100. We added our own labels to them. The Cyan colored floppy matched the TI background color. I still have those. Unfortunately, I only found these, in a warehouse in Forth Worth. https://cfusion.com/inventory/54149.000 Cruel cruel world. One wonders how this happened, perhaps in the desperate final days of 5.25" media. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixelpedant Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 Tested working TI-99/4 Impact Printer PHP 2500. So that's interesting, I guess. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitkraft Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 1 hour ago, pixelpedant said: Tested working TI-99/4 Impact Printer PHP 2500. So that's interesting, I guess. I have one of those that isn’t even missing any buttons. I’d let it go for less than that...lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 I've got one also. The plastic roller is missing but I replaced it with a wooden dowel and I have replaced one of the springs but it works fine. I even have a supply of ribbons for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabrice montupet Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 It's just an Epson MX80 re badged with the optional serial interface daughter board installed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted November 15, 2020 Author Share Posted November 15, 2020 On 11/2/2020 at 6:51 PM, FarmerPotato said: So about those new floppy disks... I searched for "Centech color 5.25 floppy". These were the first floppies to come in colors other than black. They took out a full spread ad in 99'er. It was beautiful. GADEGO ordered a box of 100. We added our own labels to them. The Cyan colored floppy matched the TI background color. I still have those. Unfortunately, I only found these, in a warehouse in Forth Worth. https://cfusion.com/inventory/54149.000 Cruel cruel world. One wonders how this happened, perhaps in the desperate final days of 5.25" media. Adjusted for inflation that box of 50 is still CHEAPER than what we paid back in the early days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted November 15, 2020 Author Share Posted November 15, 2020 9 hours ago, Mitkraft said: I have one of those that isn’t even missing any buttons. I’d let it go for less than that...lol. The Epson MX-80 (Texas Instruments Impact Printer) was a great printer, it would print all day, albeit slowly. I ended up removing the RS-232 interface from mine as the printer never seemed to work properly using the PIO interface if the RS-232 card was installed. If I remember correctly I paid a King's ransom for the damn thing too. When I replaced it with the RX-80 a couple of years later I was disappointed, while the quality was better, but it would continually pause during extended printing sessions due to overheating. Too bad that one is so yellowed and missing a key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+acadiel Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 32 minutes ago, Omega-TI said: The Epson MX-80 (Texas Instruments Impact Printer) was a great printer, it would print all day, albeit slowly. I ended up removing the RS-232 interface from mine as the printer never seemed to work properly using the PIO interface if the RS-232 card was installed. If I remember correctly I paid a King's ransom for the damn thing too. When I replaced it with the RX-80 a couple of years later I was disappointed, while the quality was better, but it would continually pause during extended printing sessions due to overheating. Too bad that one is so yellowed and missing a key. Want to get rid of that RS232 interface card for the printer? I’ve been searching for one forever..... ? thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 Tested working TI-99/4 Impact Printer PHP 2500. So that's interesting, I guess. I have one if these in stock in nicer condition and has the manual Sent from my LM-V600 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 For some time in the 90s I was trying to get my hands on a Commodore MPS-1250 printer, which is essentially my MPS-1200, an OEMed Epson something or other, with the combination CBM serial and Centronics parallel port interface card. With slight modification, this would have allowed me to print from my Commodore 128, TI, and Amiga (the latter two on a switch box.) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fimbulvetr Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 micro-pinball, qmaze, topper, star trap, micro tennis, topper, rabbit trail and Mrs. Pacman, $200: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Texas-Instruments-TI-99-4a-Rare-Uncommon-Games-/224238634424?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 Already goneSent from my LM-V600 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOME AUTOMATION Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 But those are VIC-20 games! ...other games too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 1 hour ago, HOME AUTOMATION said: But those are VIC-20 games! ...other games too... I really do not like how eBay does that. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOME AUTOMATION Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 The great Oz... hoodwinked again! Ah... now unbefogged. That was a nice little collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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