MBI - Multi Board Interface

[+retroclouds]

Here's a little device I bought on ebay. Got it out of curiosity really. Costed me 40 EUR including shipping in Germany.

It's a centronics interface that plugs into the sideport. Basically what interested me most is what DSR is included.

 

Appears to have costed 299 german mark back then. That is according to the "Kaufhof" label that is still on the original box.

Probably boils down to 300 EUR nowadays.

 

I scanned the device using my own DSR scan program, but nothing shows up. So either the device is broken or it needs power from an external

source (the centronics interface?)

 

Anyone else seen such a device before? At least it's new to me. Centronics would be matrix printer style right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2019 by retroclouds
Pictures added

[Flottmann1]

these hereMBI TI 99 4A auf CENTRONICS RS 232 C Silve Reed ex 42-GER.pdf

[+retroclouds]

9 minutes ago, Flottmann1 said:

these hereMBI TI 99 4A auf CENTRONICS RS 232 C Silve Reed ex 42-GER.pdf

 

Thank you for that. Nice, so the one listed here is the centronics version. 

I wonder if they wrote an own DSR or if the DSR is ripped out of another device.

 

 

 

 

 

[+Schmitzi]

here something from the TI-Revue 04-1983 (in german)

(I am not sure if it means the same thing because it talks about DIP-switches)

 

 

MBI-Revue4-83 .pdf

Edited December 14, 2019 by Schmitzi

[fabrice montupet]

I think that there were a schematic of a Centronics interface for the TI-99/4A  that was floating around the world in 1983 and several companies have used it to propose their own interface. I have a sidecar Centronics interface that uses strictely the same components of this MBI but their positions on the PCB are different.  It was sold in France by the "Règle à Calcul" shop.

Edited December 14, 2019 by fabrice montupet

[wolhess]

On 12/14/2019 at 4:43 PM, retroclouds said:

evice using my own DSR scan program, but nothing shows up. So either the device is broken or it needs power from an external

source (the centronics interface?)

The manual on the last page states that the interface is supplied with power via PIN 18 of the Centronics interface.

[+retroclouds]

15 hours ago, wolhess said:

The manual on the last page states that the interface is supplied with power via PIN 18 of the Centronics interface.

Thanks for pointing that out. So this means the MBI could be in a good state and I should be able to dump the DSR. 

[Flottmann1]

here the Eprom MBI-2732A.BIN2732A