Ursus Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 (edited) Hallo, in 1977 there were three ideas from different developers for the development of the later TI-99/4. Low-end video game console Personal computer High-end business computer The first two groups finally formed the developers of the Dimension & TI-99/4 and the last was connected to the division of minicomputers. The name TI-99/7 appears repeatedly in history. How many computers have there been that have this name? And do they have a connection with the three ideas above. Do we already know more? 1) SR-70 An interview by Kl99 with Herman Schuurman tells of a computer that was not ready for series production in 1978 and had a TMS9900. There were also documents from C.B.Wilson: The SR-62 merged with the TI-99/4? 2) "Ranger": Don Bynum and a team built 7 or 8 Rangers with a Z80. http://shawweb.myzen.co.uk/stephen/tihistory.htm 3) 765 terminal: June 1980 or July 1981: A computer that was supposed to be available in two versions, but was deleted for the TI-99/4A. https://99er.net/hist2.html http://www.ti99.com/ti/index.php?article6/ti-99-7 thanks Edited June 24, 2021 by Ursus 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FarmerPotato Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 6 minutes ago, Ursus said: 3) 765 terminal: June 1980 or July 1981: A computer that was supposed to be available in two versions, but was deleted for the TI-99/4A. https://99er.net/hist2.html http://www.ti99.com/ti/index.php?article6/ti-99-7 765 is a misnomer. The Silent 700 series were portable teletype machines, with acoustic model coupler. The article above describe a 99/7, which sounds pretty awesome. Thanks for mentioning it. The 99/8 had many of those features built in, like Pascal. http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ti/terminal/silent_700/2203665-9701B_Models_763_765_Memory_Terminals_Systems_Manual_Feb80.pdf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted June 24, 2021 Author Share Posted June 24, 2021 It is possible that only a 765 console was used for the TI-99/7. Initially, a TI-99/4 console was also used for the "intelligent terminal" and only in the 2nd version (Insight 10) in 1981 a console from the Silent series (http://shawweb.myzen.co.uk/stephen/tihistory.htm). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FarmerPotato Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 52 minutes ago, Ursus said: It is possible that only a 765 console was used for the TI-99/7. Initially, a TI-99/4 console was also used for the "intelligent terminal" and only in the 2nd version (Insight 10) in 1981 a console from the Silent series (http://shawweb.myzen.co.uk/stephen/tihistory.htm). That is an excellent article! I understand now how the 99/7 and 765 relate: The first article by @fabrice montupet describes a 99/7 small business computer, with a Series 765 shell "to reassure customers of TI. July 1981. Then the intelligent terminal in 1981 was first mocked up with a 99/4 case. Then a 765 case, as the Insight 10? The Stephen Shaw article says the 765 was designed in June 1981, borrowing from the 99/4. But the 765 manual says: Original Issue: December 1978. I think he confuses the Insight 10 with the 765 there. I have a plain Series 700 from 1976. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted June 24, 2021 Author Share Posted June 24, 2021 (edited) If I got it right, TI's business and home computers division were in competition. The "Cyclops" was a prototype with a TI-99/4 console, but with a different content and did not come from the home computer division (probably around 1980). The Insight 10 was actually available from 1981 and apparently mainly in France. I've never seen such a part in the original. All I noticed was that the 99/7 was mentioned over and over again, but apparently there were three different models in different years. So far, I have not found any photos of any of the three variants. There have been several versions of the Silent 700 over the years: 1970&71: 720, 721,722, 723, 730, 731 1972: 725 1973: 732, 733 1975: 742, 743, 745 1978: 763, 765 1977/78: 770, 771, 774 1980: 781, 783, 785, 787 1983: 703, 707 Edited June 24, 2021 by Ursus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted June 24, 2021 Author Share Posted June 24, 2021 I think I started this question in the wrong subforum. ?♂️ It actually belongs in: Tomy Tutor, CC40, 99/2, 99/8, Cortex, 990 mini How can I move this? ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 21 minutes ago, Ursus said: How can I move this? ? Sim sala bim! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted June 25, 2021 Author Share Posted June 25, 2021 thanks OLD CS1 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted June 25, 2021 Author Share Posted June 25, 2021 Does anyone know the SR-62 project from the interview with Herman Schuurman. I only found this link to the SR-60A: http://www.datamath.org/Desktop/sr-60a.htm SR stands for slide rules and TI used this combination of letters from 1972 to 1978? for Scientific & Financial calculators (SR-10, SR-11, SR-16, SR-20, SR-22, SR-40, SR-50, SR-51,SR-52, SR-56, SR60). Later "TI-" was also used for this type of calculator. Are there any new findings about the SR-7o? ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 On 6/24/2021 at 2:48 PM, Ursus said: If I got it right, TI's business and home computers division were in competition. Yup. Common problem of the era. 's why most of the companies that successfully launched a home computer were not traditionally computer companies(IBM and TI being notable exceptions). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+acadiel Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 On 6/24/2021 at 1:20 PM, Ursus said: Hallo, in 1977 there were three ideas from different developers for the development of the later TI-99/4. Low-end video game console Personal computer High-end business computer The first two groups finally formed the developers of the Dimension & TI-99/4 and the last was connected to the division of minicomputers. The name TI-99/7 appears repeatedly in history. How many computers have there been that have this name? And do they have a connection with the three ideas above. Do we already know more? 1) SR-70 An interview by Kl99 with Herman Schuurman tells of a computer that was not ready for series production in 1978 and had a TMS9900. There were also documents from C.B.Wilson: 2) "Ranger": Don Bynum and a team built 7 or 8 Rangers with a Z80. http://shawweb.myzen.co.uk/stephen/tihistory.htm Yep, the "Ranger" schematics are referred to in the article as scanned in 2020. They are in the CB Wilson thread as well. I personally scanned them 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted June 26, 2021 Author Share Posted June 26, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, acadiel said: Yep, the "Ranger" schematics are referred to in the article as scanned in 2020. They are in the CB Wilson thread as well. I personally scanned them Great done, I like it. ? #21: Ist TI-99/3B the "Ranger"? Edited June 26, 2021 by Ursus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted June 26, 2021 Author Share Posted June 26, 2021 (edited) I tried to create a TI-timeline (from 1972 to 1984). TI-Timeline72-84.pdf Edited June 26, 2021 by Ursus 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+acadiel Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 18 hours ago, Ursus said: Great done, I like it. ? #21: Ist TI-99/3B the "Ranger"? The Z80 schematics did have 99/3B on them, yes. I didn't see "Ranger" on them, but it's highly likely that the 3B was the Ranger. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted June 27, 2021 Author Share Posted June 27, 2021 On 6/24/2021 at 7:33 PM, FarmerPotato said: 765 is a misnomer. The Silent 700 series were portable teletype machines, with acoustic model coupler. Now I've found it. The text is from "TI 99/7 Computer Hardware Theory of Operation" page 5. http://www.whtech.com/ftp/datasheets and manuals/99-7 Computer/99-7 Hardware Theory of Operation.pdf 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+acadiel Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 1 hour ago, Ursus said: Now I've found it. The text is from "TI 99/7 Computer Hardware Theory of Operation" page 5. http://www.whtech.com/ftp/datasheets and manuals/99-7 Computer/99-7 Hardware Theory of Operation.pdf It's quite funny that it originally was a business system in the late 70s (having nothing to do with the /4), initially designated the SR70 in 1978, renamed the 99/7, and TI later adopted the designation for a potential "business" computer modeled after the 99/4 in 1981. Dan Eicher interviewed Don Bynum and this was said: Q.On the 99/7 do you know if any where ever produced? A.There were two 99/7 projects. The Ranger was also called 99/7 for a while. None of either were everbuild in the "production" sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted June 27, 2021 Author Share Posted June 27, 2021 (edited) Does anyone know if there was any connection between the SR-70 and the TI-99/7? The goal was very similar and there were only three years in between. I tried to compare the two, but neither the names of the engineers nor the hardware specification show a connection. ? Herman Schuurman by Klaus Lukaschek (Interview taken December 2015): Q) Can you describe your involvement in the TI-99/4 project? The Home Computer (99/4) project started about a year before I joined the team in Lubbock. I believe the original promotors of the project were Granville Ott and Len Donohoe. I was originally hired to work on the SR-70, a small scientific computer, but by the time I landed in Lubbock, that project had been moved to the Data Systems Group in Austin, and I was put to work on the SR-62, a small self-contained computer that shared most of its software with the Home Computer. In addition to the Home Computer stuff, the SR-62 had a small built-in monitor and a thermal printer. When the Home Computer eventually fell behind schedule, the entire SR-62 team was moved over to complete the 99/4. Would the following be possible, ????????? ...in 1977 there were three ideas from different developers for the development of the later TI-99/4. Low-end video game console Personal computer (SR-62???) High-end business computer (SR-70???) Edited June 27, 2021 by Ursus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbdigriz Posted July 1, 2021 Share Posted July 1, 2021 On 6/24/2021 at 1:48 PM, Ursus said: It is possible that only a 765 console was used for the TI-99/7. Initially, a TI-99/4 console was also used for the "intelligent terminal" and only in the 2nd version (Insight 10) in 1981 a console from the Silent series (http://shawweb.myzen.co.uk/stephen/tihistory.htm). What would really be cool is if the 99/7 would have used bubble memory storage like the 765. Don't recall that being mentioned anywhere, though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbdigriz Posted July 1, 2021 Share Posted July 1, 2021 (edited) On 6/24/2021 at 3:48 PM, Ursus said: If I got it right, TI's business and home computers division were in competition. The "Cyclops" was a prototype with a TI-99/4 console, but with a different content and did not come from the home computer division (probably around 1980). The Insight 10 was actually available from 1981 and apparently mainly in France. I've never seen such a part in the original. All I noticed was that the 99/7 was mentioned over and over again, but apparently there were three different models in different years. So far, I have not found any photos of any of the three variants. There have been several versions of the Silent 700 over the years: 1970&71: 720, 721,722, 723, 730, 731 1972: 725 1973: 732, 733 1975: 742, 743, 745 1978: 763, 765 1977/78: 770, 771, 774 1980: 781, 783, 785, 787 1983: 703, 707 Interesting no one has mentioned the 990/1. Basically identical to the 774, or the 771 with boot roms, capable of running a standalone disk OS. Surprised TI never made one with a 9918-based video board. Or maybe they did, but it's been lost to time. Not the 99/7 being talked about here, though. Edited July 1, 2021 by jbdigriz 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted July 1, 2021 Author Share Posted July 1, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, jbdigriz said: Interesting no one has mentioned the 990/1. Basically identical to the 774, or the 771 with boot roms, capable of running a standalone disk OS. Surprised TI never made one with a 9918-based video board. Or maybe they did, but it's been lost to time. Not the 99/7 being talked about here, though. I don't know anything about a TI 990/1. In 1973 the 990/9 was released as the first of the 990 series, at that time with TTL logic. It followed in 1975 as the successor to the 990/10 and in the same year the 990/4 for the first time with a TMS900 chip. Its successor was the 990/5 and 990 / 10A. The 990/12 (Schottky TTL) followed in 1979. Source: http://www.cozx.com/dpitts/ti990.html The numbering at TI is interesting because it seems to have been retained in the TI-99. Sorry, did you mean the DS990/1 with the 990/1? https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=1025 Edited July 1, 2021 by Ursus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbdigriz Posted July 1, 2021 Share Posted July 1, 2021 58 minutes ago, Ursus said: Sorry, did you mean the DS990/1 with the 990/1? https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=1025 Yep, that's the one. I think we figured out here, or maybe it was elsewhere, that the "DS" designation is basically a marketing variation. Neat machines, hope to get one running soon. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted July 1, 2021 Author Share Posted July 1, 2021 4 minutes ago, jbdigriz said: Yep, that's the one. I think we figured out here, or maybe it was elsewhere, that the "DS" designation is basically a marketing variation. Neat machines, hope to get one running soon. Could there be a possible connection to the SR-70? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbdigriz Posted July 1, 2021 Share Posted July 1, 2021 2 minutes ago, Ursus said: Could there be a possible connection to the SR-70? Not that I'm aware of. I just touched on it because, something like the IBM 5100, it had all the elements to be a PC, years before the PC. Pricing and marketing all wrongfor that category, though. File it under alternate history, I guess. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FarmerPotato Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 On 6/24/2021 at 2:48 PM, Ursus said: If I got it right, TI's business and home computers division were in competition. The "Cyclops" was a prototype with a TI-99/4 console, but with a different content and did not come from the home computer division (probably around 1980). The Insight 10 was actually available from 1981 and apparently mainly in France. I've never seen such a part in the original. All I noticed was that the 99/7 was mentioned over and over again, but apparently there were three different models in different years. So far, I have not found any photos of any of the three variants. There have been several versions of the Silent 700 over the years: 1970&71: 720, 721,722, 723, 730, 731 1972: 725 1973: 732, 733 1975: 742, 743, 745 1978: 763, 765 1977/78: 770, 771, 774 1980: 781, 783, 785, 787 1983: 703, 707 I looked in the Smithsonian website for the photos of what they have: Here are photos of the "intelligent terminal", Cyclops, a prototype using a 99/4 case with a screen: http://smithsonianchips.si.edu/texas/t_433.htm Quote Texas Instruments (Don Bynum, Widge Henrion, Bill Kastner, Mike Revesz.) 1987.0487.433 Texas Instruments Collection Object Computer Terminal Prototype TI number: L00142 This prototype was designed by Corporate Engineering Center to demonstrate the feasibility of producing a low cost desk top terminal to access public/private data bases. The model resulted in a production design by T & P Division of Data Systems. Related material in collection: L00143. Texas Instruments (Don Bynum, Widge Henrion, Bill Kastner, Mike Revesz.) And the product, Insight 10, using 765 plastics: http://smithsonianchips.si.edu/texas/t_434.htm Quote Computer terminal TI number: L00143 This terminal was introduced in 1981 as a low cost desk top terminal to access public/private databases. After introduction, this terminal generated more inquires than any previous T & P Division product. Unfortunately, the 40 column screen limited its acceptability i the market place, and the product was subsequently discontinued. Related material in collection: L00142. Texas Instruments (Don Bynum, Widge Henrion, Bill Kastner, Mike Revesz.) Same photo is used in http://shawweb.myzen.co.uk/stephen/tihistory.htm (I love that article by the way) any mistakes above are my own; my understanding of this thread, so far. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted July 10, 2021 Share Posted July 10, 2021 Looks like TI got some mileage out of that 99/4 clamshell. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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