+mizapf Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 I remember I fetched some jam glasses and sorted the "pure blue" pieces, as I called them: non-standard parts which do not have opposing noses/holes pairs standard parts (opposite nose/hole); when such a part is placed on the ground with the noses on the left/right sides those with straight noses those with both noses pointing in the same direction (both up or down) those with the left nose pointing down, the right one pointing up those with the left nose pointing up, right one pointing down (cannot be mixed with the previous class) those with one straight nose, one pointing up/down I remember there were roughly 300 pieces with no patterns on top (pure blue), and it took weeks until I put them in place. Then I took the top of the cardboard box and noted the names of the stars, and used a ruler to determine the coordinate on the box. Then I calculated the row/column in the puzzle where a puzzle piece with this star name should be placed. To quickly look up the coordinates I wrote a program in TurboPasc'99 which performed a Quicksort on the names. However, I learned that in many occasions, the star name was broken in the middle so that I had pieces in my hand with the tail of the name. Accordingly, I created a second list, sorted from behind, i.e. at first came the names ending with "a" and so on. I did not follow the Pascal path any longer from here because TurboPasc'99 was too limited in many aspects. Although c99 wasn't much better, I stayed with C from there on. I just noticed that I am now roughly three times as old as I was in those times ... a somewhat uneasy thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Wow... 500 replies in this thread! If you've not added your system yet, please do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantadoc Posted May 26, 2016 Share Posted May 26, 2016 Goldmember 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnuphis Posted May 29, 2016 Share Posted May 29, 2016 Goldmember Toite! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkdrummer Posted May 29, 2016 Share Posted May 29, 2016 TI-99/4 and a CONTROL DATA console and module that have been part of my collection for a long time. Note the 25 pin dsub on the back of the /4. I think it has the modification that was mentioned in an early 99ers magazine about adding a full sized keyboard. Dunno, never cracked it open. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 I've got one of those Control Data consoles. They also produced Control Data PEBs. Somebody turned up with about 20 of the consoles and five or ten of the PEBs back in 2003-2004 or so. I ended up with one of the consoles, but not one of the PEBs, unfortunately. . . 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Schmitzi Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 . oh, never saw this CDC-PEBs before were they with Push-Button or with Rocker-Switch, or both variants ? xXx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jedimatt42 Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 TI-99/4 and a CONTROL DATA console and module that have been part of my collection for a long time. Note the 25 pin dsub on the back of the /4. I think it has the modification that was mentioned in an early 99ers magazine about adding a full sized keyboard. Dunno, never cracked it open. I cannot even comprehend not opening it up. I remember at age 11, opening my 4A up and gawking at the insides... Praying I'd get it back together correctly before my father came home. Go for it! And share some photos!!! (of course, only if you are comfortable with it.) -M@ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Schmitzi Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Gotcha ** Double Strike :) Can you see it ? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globeron Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 I cannot even comprehend not opening it up. I remember at age 11, opening my 4A up and gawking at the insides... Praying I'd get it back together correctly before my father came home.Go for it! And share some photos!!! (of course, only if you are comfortable with it.)-M@ Hahhaha, and always wondering how come I have extra screws left after putting it back together. Re /4 I have pictures of the internals and keyboard, the pins are different, I think I sent it to Ksasrul as he helped me a lot regarding the power supply issues as they are different even For different /4 models. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globeron Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 (edited) Hahhaha, and always wondering how come I have extra screws left after putting it back together. Re /4 I have pictures of the internals and keyboard, the pins are different, I think I sent it to Ksasrul as he helped me a lot regarding the power supply issues as they are different even For different /4 models. Sparkdrummer: found it: > /4 Keyboard and pins; Edited June 12, 2016 by globeron 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkdrummer Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 WOW. The connection sure is different than a 4A! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jedimatt42 Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 That makes me so happy that the 4A came to be. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Schmitzi Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 ... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Schmitzi Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 .. not sure, but I think it is 16 sectors ? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ti99iuc Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 Oh wow ! Nice stuff Ralf very rare to found... I never seen so good before. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 .. not sure, but I think it is 16 sectors ? It is not the DS/DD TI Controller card (which is said to support 16 sectors/track) but a third-party card - looks like a Wiesbaden group card - built by Gerd Weißmann. This card uses a NEC 765 controller. Somewhere in this forum I already proposed to create a new DSDD controller based on a NEC chip, but they may be similarly rare these days as the WD chips. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 It is not the DS/DD TI Controller card (which is said to support 16 sectors/track) but a third-party card - looks like a Wiesbaden group card - built by Gerd Weißmann. This card uses a NEC 765 controller. Somewhere in this forum I already proposed to create a new DSDD controller based on a NEC chip, but they may be similarly rare these days as the WD chips. I have seen 1772s popping up on eBay in groups of a half-dozen or more at a time. Worthwhile? Edit: eBay Auction -- Item Number: 152119882560 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Schmitzi Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 this is the shell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 That is the TI DSDD controller card. Gerd didn't build it, he bought it at one of the Chicago Faires. I have a pair of these (one of which I built from an original TI kit as provided to the Dallas Engineering Group's TI User's Group members). Double Density was 16 sectors per track, 1,280 sectors per disk--just like the Hex-Bus floppy interfaces and the initial versions of the Myarc floppy controller. These cards need a huge heat sink on the voltage regulator to work reliably. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 (edited) On the 1772s, the picture doesn't look right--it looks like the top of that chip has been shaved to print a different label on it. Look carefully at the surface--it is too smooth (and the depressions have a mirror-like black finish, which would be the same as the top if the top was supposed to be that smooth--the depressions are right, the top is wrong), it should have been slightly pebbled. He has also only sold two of these--one of which resulted in one of his three negative feedbacks. . .a second bad sign. Looking at the chips available online right now, the only ones that look like they have a chance of being originals are the ones from Funkward Tech. All of the chips from other vendors are subtly wrong. . .when I do need 1772s, I'll buy them from a more reputable portion of the parts channel. Edited June 17, 2016 by Ksarul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 I thought the name tag indicated the designer of the card ... but fully socketed? Or is it a prototype? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 All TI DSDD cards were prototypes. There were probably 50-100 bare boards produced, all for internal distribution to company-centered user's groups (like the Dallas Engineering UG I mentioned). My bare board was one of the Dallas UG kits that the original buyer never assembled (they were sold to the engineers for the cost of the parts). As these were being hand-assembled by engineers, they all were built as socketed boards (and the kits included sockets, although the guy who built Gerd's board used much higher-quality sockets than the single-wipe sockets in the original kits--I also used machine-pin sockets when I built mine). The DM3 cartridge that came with it actually came up with a Dallas Engineering UG title screen, IIRC. It was definitely different from the regular cartridge--but once you got past the title screen, everything else was the same. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 I got a very nice new toy in the mail today. . .now I have examples of both of the Exceltek sideport cartridges. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ti99iuc Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 (edited) oh wow !! was it the Jon's cartridge ? had you already Arcturus also ? them are on my "dream list" to have Edited June 24, 2016 by ti99iuc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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