TI Related -- Ebay / Heads Up Notice

[Omega-TI]

The problem isn't necessarily in getting the FDC chip (I have at least 20 or so of them). It is in getting more of the boards made, since the layout isn't generally available (and getting a copy of the GAL coding for the BwG).

 

Okay, I just got the basic impression from << THIS ARTICLE >> that they were discontinued due to availability of the WD1773's. For a second I thought I found something exciting that people might be able to use. Move along, nothing to see here....

 

Nothing ever seems easy to obtain in "TI Land."

[+Ksarul]

I tried to get Michael to make more of the boards for several years to no avail, Ohm. I noted that I had about 20 of the necessary FDCs (and he noted that he had about a dozen of them too). He just wasn't all that interested in doing another run of them with the uncertainty surrounding how many people would actually buy them. Building a small group of PEB cards is a very expensive thing, most of which is an up front cost to the builder. I break even on the stuff I've done so far--but I've also got a board house that is significantly cheaper than anything that anyone in the community had access to 5-10 years ago when this discussion came up. If I had to pay the prices I had to pay then--I'd be doing maybe two board runs a year due to the up-front costs involved. Dropping $500 to $1,000 a pop to fabricate a small number of boards is a high-risk thing in a community this small. Many of the things that do make it through the process with me make it there because I want one for me. . .and make more so other people can have them too. Cartridge boards are a bit of a special case, as they are something a lot of people want--so it is a bit easier to break even on them (much lower risk than a PEB board).

[Gazoo]

I tried to get Michael to make more of the boards for several years to no avail, Ohm. I noted that I had about 20 of the necessary FDCs (and he noted that he had about a dozen of them too). He just wasn't all that interested in doing another run of them with the uncertainty surrounding how many people would actually buy them. Building a small group of PEB cards is a very expensive thing, most of which is an up front cost to the builder. I break even on the stuff I've done so far--but I've also got a board house that is significantly cheaper than anything that anyone in the community had access to 5-10 years ago when this discussion came up. If I had to pay the prices I had to pay then--I'd be doing maybe two board runs a year due to the up-front costs involved. Dropping $500 to $1,000 a pop to fabricate a small number of boards is a high-risk thing in a community this small. Many of the things that do make it through the process with me make it there because I want one for me. . .and make more so other people can have them too. Cartridge boards are a bit of a special case, as they are something a lot of people want--so it is a bit easier to break even on them (much lower risk than a PEB board).

 

... and I'm really glad you're here. The carts you've provided the hardware for are what I've dreamed of for quite a while. Thank you, Sir, for helping a dream come true. And the next board you have in mind already has my brain running in overdrive.

 

Gazoo

[+Ksarul]

I'm glad you like them, Gazoo--and I don't plan to stop making neat ideas into reality anytime soon, either. I'm having way too much fun doing this. . . Especially since it helps everyone else have fun too. . .

[+OLD CS1]

While poking around with Gazoo's Extended BASIC 2.7 Suite something floated around in my mind. Considering emulation and the ready availability of pretty much every cartridge ever made, and for that matter Gazoo's collections, what is the REAL value of physical cartridges these days? My concern is for people like me, physical catridges may become the fare of the collector, thus commanding ridiculously high prices thus keeping real cartridges out of our hands. It was just a flash of thought, and really half-baked presentation here, but I am curious to know what others think.

[+Ksarul]

Most of the physical cartridges will continue to stay within a reasonable price band--they are just too common for that to change much. The third-party stuff is a bit of a different story. Atarisoft and Parker Brothers stuff is in the same realm as the TI carts--really easy to get, as is the Miner 2049er cart. There's a second tier, with carts in the $20-$40 range, and that encompasses most of the other carts out there, as none of that group is especially rare--but they are uncommon enough to command a higher price. Some TI carts fall in this range too, mostly due to demand than due to any real cartridge rarity. Once you get beyond that, you enter the realm of the really rare stuff--and the prices for those can be all over the map, depending on how many come up in a given time period and who has them already. I paid over $400 for my Arcturus cart, a price most would put into the realm of crazy I've wanted that cart ever since I got the first cracked file of it back in 1985--so it was worth it to me. The ScottForesman School Management modules are all truly rare--I doubt that less than five or six examples of any given one of the group exists anymore--but they sit and languish on eBay when they show up for $250. Arcturus is definitely in the same rarity range--but the demand is different.

 

If anything, the availability of new cartridge collections will lower the demand for some of the original rare cartridges, as it gives folks a different physical option they can choose, one that doesn't cost as much. Gazoos four games cartridges (and the utilities and educational carts) pack a lot of punch into just six cartridges. Add the XB 2.7 Suite, RXB 2012, Super Extended BASIC, and Winkler's Extended BASIC 3 carts and you have just about everything most folks would want. . .

[Omega-TI]

While poking around with Gazoo's Extended BASIC 2.7 Suite something floated around in my mind. Considering emulation and the ready availability of pretty much every cartridge ever made, and for that matter Gazoo's collections, what is the REAL value of physical cartridges these days? My concern is for people like me, physical catridges may become the fare of the collector, thus commanding ridiculously high prices thus keeping real cartridges out of our hands. It was just a flash of thought, and really half-baked presentation here, but I am curious to know what others think.

 

Good topic! It's against my better judgement it jump into the middle of a fire, but here goes, but with a disclaimer first...

 

These are only my personal opinion(s) on this topic and how I personally feel about it, for me alone. I'm sure others will probably feel quite differently and that's cool too because this hobby can be so many different things to so many people. Now with that disclaimer out of the way...

 

1) It's nice to have a USABLE cartridge or two in ones collection, but honestly I could really care less about spending what I consider obscene amounts of money on a boxed 'super [email protected]' or a 'graded' cartridge that I would never be able to open up and play. I figure whats the point?

 

2) The idea of using cartridges as some sort of 'investment' seems rather foolish to me as well. It ties up money that I could use for RETRO HARDWARE that I can enjoy NOW or for actual investments.

 

3) I'd much rather download the game and PLAY IT it for free until I'm bored, then move on to the next.

 

One day I believe the market is going to CRASH and there will be some unhappy people who are going to be out a lot of money for something that only sat on their shelf gathering dust. For me, I don't see the enjoyment in looking at a box I cannot open.

 

I'm also reminded of an old saying, "If you don't live in style, your heirs will". Many times things really gain no real value until long after the owners death. The problem is, nobody really knows what those items will be.

 

So in short, I really don't need a real cartridge and to me the value is the enjoyment of actually playing it, not dusting it off twice a month and hoping it appreciates.

[Iwantgames:)]

Gazoos four games cartridges (and the utilities and educational carts) pack a lot of punch into just six cartridges. Add the XB 2.7 Suite, RXB 2012, Super Extended BASIC, and Winkler's Extended BASIC 3 carts and you have just about everything most folks would want. . .

Gazoo made other carts besides the XB 2.7 suite? I want them

[+Ksarul]

The games/utilities/educational carts can be made by using the Red 512K boards and an appropriately programmed EPROM. He put all of the images for all six of those up in the making a 512K cartridge thread.

[Iwantgames:)]

The games/utilities/educational carts can be made by using the Red 512K boards and an appropriately programmed EPROM. He put all of the images for all six of those up in the making a 512K cartridge thread.

Nice, where would I look to get these things

[+Ksarul]

I sell the Red 512K boards for $16 each, shipped. They are assembled but without an EPROM. Atrax does the EPROMs for a very reasonable price. Put these things into a cartridge case and you have a really nice multicart. Note that these cart images expect to find a 32K memry expansion of some type--as that was how Gazoo built them. It is possible to build other 512K images that don't need 32K, but I only know of one that Acadiel built a while back.

[Iwantgames:)]

I sell the Red 512K boards for $16 each, shipped. They are assembled but without an EPROM. Atrax does the EPROMs for a very reasonable price. Put these things into a cartridge case and you have a really nice multicart. Note that these cart images expect to find a 32K memry expansion of some type--as that was how Gazoo built them. It is possible to build other 512K images that don't need 32K, but I only know of one that Acadiel built a while back.

Awesome I'll have to get in touch with you Wednesday when I get paid I have a 32k so no issue there thx for the info

[hloberg]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-TEXAS-INSTRUMENTS-TI-MODEL-101-GOLDEN-RED-LED-DIGITAL-COMPUTER-WATCH-/381020552387?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item58b6983cc3

 

TI actually sold a watch at one point?

[Iwantgames:)]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-TEXAS-INSTRUMENTS-TI-MODEL-101-GOLDEN-RED-LED-DIGITAL-COMPUTER-WATCH-/381020552387?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item58b6983cc3

 

TI actually sold a watch at one point?

 

How about this Star Wars watch by Texas Instruments

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301351371327?nav=SEARCH

[hloberg]

How about this Star Wars watch by Texas Instruments

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301351371327?nav=SEARCH

I'll be durn.

[+OLD CS1]

I just want to point out that AtariAge gets click-through revenue when we use the BBcode eBay links. To create an eBay link, click on the square with the green line to the left of the font drop-down, in the BBcode drop-down select the appropriate eBay code -- auction, seller, or store. Then enter the information requested.

 

For instance, to link to an eBay auction, just enter in the auction number. The BBcode tag set for an eBay auction is, using the watch as an example:

[ebay]381020552387[/ebay]

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 381020552387

 

I know it is easier just to copy and paste the link in a message, but this helps provide for our gracious host.

[+Ksarul]

Thanks for that tip! I will definitely use it in the future, as I post lots of eBay links to stuff people here ask about. . .does this same method work im PMs? More of my links are there, which is why I ask.

[+Lee Stewart]

Thanks for that tip! I will definitely use it in the future, as I post lots of eBay links to stuff people here ask about. . .does this same method work im PMs? More of my links are there, which is why I ask.

 

It surely does because the same BBcode choice is there in the editor.

 

...lee

[Omega-TI]

EBAY AUCTION

 

CorComp Micro Expansion Unit

 

[+OLD CS1]

Another eBay link example:

 

eBay Store: BUDDYBEARS-BARGIN-BARN

 

:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

[Omega-TI]

CLICKING ON THE LINK IN THE PREVIOUS MESSAGE

IS A BAD THING TO DO

[Iwantgames:)]

 

CLICKING ON THE LINK IN THE PREVIOUS MESSAGE

IS A BAD THING TO DO

Why? What's wrong with that seller? I bought a editor/assembler cart from him was about the same price as everywhere else I looked :-/ is he really bad? Maybe I should avoid in the future?

Edited October 14, 2014 by Iwantgames:)

[Omega-TI]

Why? What's wrong with that seller? I bought a editor/assembler cart from him was about the same price as everywhere else I looked :-/ is he really bad? Maybe I should avoid in the future?

 

Best not gone into in the forum.

[+OLD CS1]

I did that to tweak Kevan a little. In short, any personal or direct issues notwithstanding, some of his items are a bit dubious. He sells a lot of cartridge-on-disk which are first and foremost obviously copies of legitimate software, but also much of it is available free around the Internet. On the other hand, he does put those items on disk which saves users time, effort, and material.

 

Truth told, I have bought from and sold to the guy. I purchased two prototype games on disk pretty cheaply and a couple of cartridges. He bought a batch of spare carts from me. All clean and easy transactions. In any case, I cannot bust Kevan's balls too much over his disdain for the guy -- I have a few boycotts of my own in life in which I find many of my friends do not participate (let alone understand.)

 

Here is a better guy to buy from eBay Store: Zach-Beschorners-Great-Stuff

[Iwantgames:)]

Oh ok lol