TI Related -- Ebay / Heads Up Notice

[digdugnate]

On 3/27/2022 at 7:07 AM, dhe said:

I bought a corcomp disk controller earlier this year, but this is a pretty good deal.

 

Are there any differences or improvements for the Corcomp over the stock TI controller?   (I didn't know, but was curious)

[+Ksarul]

One small note on this one--it is the early version that will either have a 2793 or a daughter board plugged into the 2793 socket with a 1773 on it. The blue letter in the listing identified identifies it as one of the boards affected by the issue (and it was a chip manufactured out of spec that caused the problem--one that affected a LOT of customers building 2793 boards at that time, as the bad chips weren't discovered until they were already in widespread distribution).

[+acadiel]

I still can’t get over $329 being “normal pricing” for these.  
 

Maybe I’m turning into the “get off my lawn” old guy.  ? 

[+mizapf]

56 minutes ago, digdugnate said:

Are there any differences or improvements for the Corcomp over the stock TI controller?   (I didn't know, but was curious)

Certainly, as mentioned every now and then: DSDD. Four times the capacity, and twice the speed.

 

The TI controller offers you the absolute minimum of features.

[+OLD CS1]

3 hours ago, acadiel said:

Maybe I’m turning into the “get off my lawn” old guy.  ? 

Remember to shake your fist.

[jbdigriz]

On 3/27/2022 at 2:52 PM, FarmerPotato said:

The SB1500 is notable for introducing NuBus, a system architecture which TI acquired by purchasing NuMachine in 1983.  CPUs (multiple) and peripheral cards plugged into a common NuBus backplane.   TI used the 68020, 68030, or 68040 CPUs.

 

Hardware of the SB1500 is compatible with the TI Explorer, a LISP machine, which was the goal of NuMachine. (by rumor, SB1500s get dismantled by Explorer owners, for parts.) 

 

One note: This is an S1505, one of the cost-reduced single-processor only SBC models. The option slots are on a local bus, not NuBus, so you couldn't add processor or Explorer boards to this one.

 

I think his price is unrealistic. Maybe it has some noteworthy provenance or something. I dunno. I certainly wouldn't pay that much without hooking a terminal up to the console port and confirming boot and and an intact file system, at least. If it doesn't, this is only good for parts; it's a brick. Because SPA (Software Protection Adapter, iirc.)

 

If somebody here does get it, and it boots, 1st thing to do is to retrieve /etc/softpwd. This is the SPA password you will need if you ever have to reinstall the system. Installation tape dumps on bitsavers, also. The SPA is the little board the seller is calling a co-processor.

Edited March 29, 2022 by jbdigriz

[jbdigriz]

1 minute ago, jbdigriz said:

 

 

5 hours ago, Ksarul said:

One small note on this one--it is the early version that will either have a 2793 or a daughter board plugged into the 2793 socket with a 1773 on it. The blue letter in the listing identified identifies it as one of the boards affected by the issue (and it was a chip manufactured out of spec that caused the problem--one that affected a LOT of customers building 2793 boards at that time, as the bad chips weren't discovered until they were already in widespread distribution).

I had to replace the 2793 on mine once, and still had to constantly fiddle with a trim cap and hold my tongue just right to get mine to work. Lasted until humidity, temp, phase of moon or whatever threw it out of kilter again. ?

 

[+FarmerPotato]

1 hour ago, jbdigriz said:

One note: This is an S1505, one of the cost-reduced single-processor only SBC models. The option slots are on a local bus, not NuBus, so you couldn't add processor or Explorer boards to this one.

 

I think his price is unrealistic. Maybe it has some noteworthy provenance or something. I dunno. I certainly wouldn't pay that much without hooking a terminal up to the console port and confirming boot and and an intact file system, at least. If it doesn't, this is only good for parts; it's a brick. Because SPA (Software Protection Adapter, iirc.)

 

If somebody here does get it, and it boots, 1st thing to do is to retrieve /etc/softpwd. This is the SPA password you will need if you ever have to reinstall the system. Installation tape dumps on bitsavers, also. The SPA is the little board the seller is calling a co-processor.

Thank you for the correction and background.  I'm disappointed that it wasn't what I was looking for, which is a TI NuBus machine with working Unix.  I would never pay $2500 though.

 

[jbdigriz]

2 hours ago, FarmerPotato said:

Thank you for the correction and background.  I'm disappointed that it wasn't what I was looking for, which is a TI NuBus machine with working Unix.  I would never pay $2500 though.

 

Oh, it's still an interesting system, especially if you have any 990s, given TI's extensions to SysV. And this one does look well-cared for. Can't tell if it's booting without attaching a terminal, but at least it's not leaking smoke in the photos. (I'd recommend the seller not try that again if they're shutting it down with the power switch.) There's hope that the drive is ok, and that the rollers in the QIC tape drive haven't turned to goo. Caveat emptor, though. 

 

The NuBus S1500s and Explorers appear to be scarcer than hen's teeth. I've read that every Explorer of any variety that was available, and probably a lot of NuBus S1500s, were scarfed up a couple of decades ago by SwissAir for their reservation system, and thence to EDS AG in Europe as service contractor. What became of then since I have not been able to ascertain as of yet. Oddly enough, though, they seem to be more common than the Intel-based Business Systems that also ran SysV, and those didn't have the SPA if I'm not mistaken. But yeah, one of those would be nice. Say, an Explorer LX. Unix and LISP concurrently on the same machine.

Edited March 29, 2022 by jbdigriz
addl info wrt Explorer

[Dopy25]

On 3/24/2022 at 2:16 PM, digdugnate said:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/383248437451? - $100 US, woof.

 

“UNTESTED.Missing some keys.Without PSU/Cables.”

 

Yikes. I bought one locally for $10 that had all the keys, just no PSU.

[+FarmerPotato]

On 3/29/2022 at 2:18 PM, jbdigriz said:

Oh, it's still an interesting system, especially if you have any 990s, given TI's extensions to SysV. And this one does look well-cared for. Can't tell if it's booting without attaching a terminal, but at least it's not leaking smoke in the photos. (I'd recommend the seller not try that again if they're shutting it down with the power switch.) There's hope that the drive is ok, and that the rollers in the QIC tape drive haven't turned to goo. Caveat emptor, though. 

 

The NuBus S1500s and Explorers appear to be scarcer than hen's teeth. I've read that every Explorer of any variety that was available, and probably a lot of NuBus S1500s, were scarfed up a couple of decades ago by SwissAir for their reservation system, and thence to EDS AG in Europe as service contractor. What became of then since I have not been able to ascertain as of yet. Oddly enough, though, they seem to be more common than the Intel-based Business Systems that also ran SysV, and those didn't have the SPA if I'm not mistaken. But yeah, one of those would be nice. Say, an Explorer LX. Unix and LISP concurrently on the same machine.

Here are two empty chassis! Netherlands shipper, with $550 shipping. 

$184 S1500 Chassis CC101

$166 S1500 Chassis CC101

I think the open door is showing where the Communications Modules would plug in. Not showing the backplane. What's the CC101?

 

[+FarmerPotato]

$40 shipped, original paper for the Thermal Printer PHA1900 (Link to mainbyte).

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185351384524?hash=item2b27cdadcc:g:TdIAAOSwjFliOKwa

 

 I got some books from this seller. 

 

 

 

 

Here's the recent thread about sourcing the 3.5" paper rolls!

 

 

 

[+dhe]

One thing, I bet you all don't do very often, is sort from highest to lowest?

 

[InfiniteTape]

2 hours ago, dhe said:

One thing, I bet you all don't do very often, is sort from highest to lowest?

 

The 725 one is just a few miles away from me. I've been tempted to make a lowball offer just to see what happens. I think it's been posted for more than a year.

[+acadiel]

4 hours ago, FarmerPotato said:

$40 shipped, original paper for the Thermal Printer PHA1900 (Link to mainbyte).

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185351384524?hash=item2b27cdadcc:g:TdIAAOSwjFliOKwa

 

 I got some books from this seller. 

 

Here's the recent thread about sourcing the 3.5" paper rolls!

 

 

 

 

Heh, I've been using my modified DSR with 30 characters (thanks to @Tursi) and with standard sized thermal paper (3.125").  I just lose two characters but it works great.

 

Someone would find good use for the paper, though.  It's rare, and if I sold mine I wouldn't charge $40 for it... maybe $10 or $15.  $40 seems excessive.

 

 

[+acadiel]

Want to talk about crazy…. Someone just paid $200 for a Panasonic tape recorder for the Tutor that normally goes on eBay for $20. [emoji23]

[+dhe]

On 3/31/2022 at 7:16 PM, acadiel said:

I've been using my modified DSR with 30 characters (thanks to @Tursi)

 

I kind of wonder what the target market for the thermal printer was?

  I can see: Electronic Labs printing values and that sort of thing.

  Basic listings - you might get what you see on the screen is what you get on the printer.

 

  Can't really see printing a homework assignment and handing it in?

[+Ksarul]

44 minutes ago, acadiel said:

Want to talk about crazy…. Someone just paid $200 for a Panasonic tape recorder for the Tutor that normally goes on eBay for $20.
 

The price was not so crazy if the person was trying to get one with the Pyuuta box, documentation, and the original included cassette program. Those don't show up too often (about once every two or three years in pristine shape like this one). The actual cassette player was a throw-in bonus (and yes, I'm the crazy person that bought it --it was the last thing I needed to have a complete set of Pyuuta-related hardware, now all I need are the half a dozen tapes I'm still missing).

[InfiniteTape]

On 3/9/2022 at 3:55 PM, Switch1995 said:

This poor TI looks like it has been operating a coal mine shaft elevator for 40 years...and then got shipped to a Russian tank.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133947049546?hash=item1f2fddc64a:g:ukQAAOSwOeFhWi2e

 

I grabbed this, figuring if nothing else it might have some parts to salvage. While the keyboard needs some work, it turns out that this guy has an internal 32K mod. There's also a small toggle switch on the back. It doesn't disable the 32K, so I'm not sure what it does yet.

[GDMike]

What ever you do, never press that switch! Never!!!!

Pressing that switch causes every Toyota ever made to Stop running, ok .go ahead, let's see if it's true.

 

Edited April 5, 2022 by GDMike

[+dhe]

Good Job @InfiniteTape I figured there might be more to the unit, given the number of application strips E/A, TE2, TI-Writer - someone obviously used this with some sort of expansion unit.

[Switch1995]

Nice!  A diamond in the rough.  I rolled the eBay wheel myself today.  NOS beige console without a power supply/ untested.  Fingers crossed it is not v2.2.  Even if it is, I have a spot for it.

[+9640News]

17 minutes ago, Switch1995 said:

Nice!  A diamond in the rough.  I rolled the eBay wheel myself today.  NOS beige console without a power supply/ untested.  Fingers crossed it is not v2.2.  Even if it is, I have a spot for it.

I bought a console with some modules with it being listed as tested on Ebay.  When I got it, no TI Title Bar screen.  Sent a note, got all my money back, and got to keep the unit.  Individual said they had been trying to sell it for a couple of years and was good back then.  No harm, no foul since I got my money back within an hour of the complaint filing.

 

The case for the unit was in excellent shape so I will likely end up swapping it out with something not quite as good later.  

 

Beery

 

[+InsaneMultitasker]

2 hours ago, InfiniteTape said:

I grabbed this, figuring if nothing else it might have some parts to salvage. While the keyboard needs some work, it turns out that this guy has an internal 32K mod. There's also a small toggle switch on the back. It doesn't disable the 32K, so I'm not sure what it does yet.

Is it this console speedup modification, by chance?  Might go along with the internal (possibly 16-bit) 32K update?

 

http://www.mainbyte.com/ti99/speedup/speedup.html

 

 

[+Ksarul]

I suspect the switch is to slow the memory down to standard speed to allow certain software to operate properly. You will probably find that the switch selects between two different crystals--one that runs the console at 3MHz (12MHz crystal) and one that runs it at 4 MHz (16 MHz crystal).