TI Related -- Ebay / Heads Up Notice

[hloberg]

What the seller doesn't realize is that the market for such things is limited to a small number of folks willing to pay almost any price for TI hardware, and that once that handful of folks have distorted the market a bit, the price drops back down to normal levels and stays there for a few years.

Who are these people who buy things like $700 for a 99/8 motherboard without the chips?

[ti99iuc]

For that matter, I paid less than $30 for a truly rare TI original cartridge last summer--a prototype of Crossfire using the actual final GROMs. . .I expected that one to hit $300 to $400, but no one else bid on it. . .and there were lots of other neat tidbits in the lot as well, like a BASIC Support Module. . .another truly rare item sold to cartridge developers.

 

oh friend... you are been lucky, because i had finished my money in that time ...

 

in true...well... now i am still without money but this is another history

[+acadiel]

For that matter, I paid less than $30 for a truly rare TI original cartridge last summer--a prototype of Crossfire using the actual final GROMs. . .I expected that one to hit $300 to $400, but no one else bid on it. . .and there were lots of other neat tidbits in the lot as well, like a BASIC Support Module. . .another truly rare item sold to cartridge developers.

 

 

Were the final GROMs actually different than that was in the Cyc? What's this BASIC Support module?

[+Ksarul]

They were in the CYC, but this was the first time that I had ever seen them in physical form--and as the final product instead of as a set of EPROMs burned and placed on an EGROM board.

 

The BASIC Support Module was a development cartridge with some additional routines in it that gave the developer a version of BASIC that was more functional than TI BASIC, but nowhere near as capable as Extended BASIC. I have the manual (and I think I may have a bad hardcopy of the GPL source code for it--I was actually converting that to a TI Writer file during the final part of my time in Germany in the early nineties, but I never finished it--and I need to). The cartridge came into my possession much later. There is also a utilities disk that goes with it, which I may also have (not sure there). It let them prepare BASIC programs for use in cartridge format, which is how a lot of the early TI modules were programmed. . .as it was easier than going straight to GPL.

[+OLD CS1]

It let them prepare BASIC programs for use in cartridge format, which is how a lot of the early TI modules were programmed. . .as it was easier than going straight to GPL.

 

Is this the fabled method for how Personal Record Keeping and Household Budget Management were developed, hence the additional sub-programs available when the cartridges are inserted?

[RobertLM78]

 

Is this the fabled method for how Personal Record Keeping and Household Budget Management were developed, hence the additional sub-programs available when the cartridges are inserted?

I never knew that - learn something new every day. I used PRK up until the late 90's . (Unfortunately it and some others from TI are not "Y2K compliant" )

[+OLD CS1]

I never knew that - learn something new every day. I used PRK up until the late 90's . (Unfortunately it and some others from TI are not "Y2K compliant" )

 

Not surprised. A ton of GEOS programs are the same way (geoDex, etc.)

 

The modules which have extra subroutines are actually Personal Record Keeping and Statistics: ftp://ftp.whtech.com/datasheets%20and%20manuals/Official%20TI%20addenda%20and%20data%20sheets/BASIC%20CALLs%20in%20PRK%20&%20Statistics%20modules.pdf

 

My favorite bit of the instructions here is in the PREP subroutine (P sub-program) section. The introduction paragraph states it can be called from within a BASIC program, but the detail description indicates it must be executed "imperatively" (in Immediate Mode) and followed by a NEW command, and if a BASIC program is in memory it will return an error. Which pretty much means it would be impossible to use PREP, LOAD, SAVE, HEADER, and GETPUT in a BASIC program without manual intervention. That just leaves ACCEPT and DISPLAY.

[RobertLM78]

The 99/8 mobo went for $280.55, in the end. It's probably a reasonable price, considering how much was missing.

[+Ksarul]

That's about what the last three or four of them went for (with the exception of the one that sold before this one).

[+OLD CS1]

So, how many of these HexBus prototypes are out there?

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 131192398377

Is this the same one that keeps getting shoveled around?

[+Ksarul]

This one has been up for the last couple of months. I bought the other one he had. There are probably about 15-20 of them out there total. I have four variants from different points in the test production cycle.

[+OLD CS1]

How functional are they? Can you use any peripherals with the 4A?

[+Ksarul]

The late versions let you use the HexBus peripherals without issues (I think you actually have to have the last version of the code for the Disk Controller to work fully, but that isn't too hard to get--and the hardware was complete before that point).

[+OLD CS1]

The late versions let you use the HexBus peripherals without issues (I think you actually have to have the last version of the code for the Disk Controller to work fully, but that isn't too hard to get--and the hardware was complete before that point).

 

[Omega-TI]

Auction for an external daisy chain TI RS-232. If the price does not get totally out of hand, it would make a good box for a homebrew

project. The link is: << HERE >>

 

[Ed in SoDak]

I saw that too. Wonder if the HDX would adapt?

[Omega-TI]

I saw that too. Wonder if the HDX would adapt?

 

Without seeing it, I could not say. However, while the HDX can indeed work WITHOUT a TI-FDC, you still have a catch 22 situation, because a disk drive is still needed to load the HDX's DSR in case of a glitch or battery failure.

 

Part of this was covered << HERE >> a while back. Now it might work with a CF7, I'm just not sure. Also the thing is being sold as-is, so it's a pot shot.

[Ed in SoDak]

Ah of course. It's always something... <Gilda>

[+acadiel]

 

Without seeing it, I could not say. However, while the HDX can indeed work WITHOUT a TI-FDC, you still have a catch 22 situation, because a disk drive is still needed to load the HDX's DSR in case of a glitch or battery failure.

 

Part of this was covered << HERE >> a while back. Now it might work with a CF7, I'm just not sure. Also the thing is being sold as-is, so it's a pot shot.

 

Someone could probably figure out how to use a cassette player and Mini memory to load the DSR.

[+retroclouds]

 

Someone could probably figure out how to use a cassette player and Mini memory to load the DSR.

 

I would probably load the DSR in a cartridge EEPROM together with a copy routine and use that

[Omega-TI]

 

I would probably load the DSR in a cartridge EEPROM together with a copy routine and use that

 

That is an awesome idea! I'd love to see something like that for the 64K cart. I have DM2K and DU2K on one right now, but honestly, I do not use DU2K very often, I'd replace it with this in a second.

[+OLD CS1]

Zach has a GROM Buster cart up today.

 

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 351076128550

[hloberg]

Zach has a GROM Buster cart up today.

 

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 351076128550

what does it do?

[am1933]

Zach has a GROM Buster cart up today.

 

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 351076128550

And to quote Ebay-"This seller does not ship to the U.K"

[+OLD CS1]

what does it do?

 

It allows v2.2 consoles to play ROM carts.

 

 

And to quote Ebay-"This seller does not ship to the U.K"

 

I am betting he would ship to you if you contact him.