- Atari 800XL
- TI99/4A
- Archimedes A5000
Once cleaned up, I ran the obligatory Atari self test to ensure the keyboard was all good, and it was. That was followed up by a run through using SysCheck:
As you can see, all tests passed ok, so I gave it a quick run up with a game from my SDRIVE_MAX and all was fine and dandy. Happy days, my 4th A8 now, so the 600XL, 2x800XL and the 65XE :)
Next up was the Texas TI99/4a. Of all the machines in this group, this was the one I really wanted. I have a vivid memory of going to a store in Liverpool called George Henry Lee, and sat next to each other were the TI99/4a, all chrome and black and smart, next to the Atari 800XL. We were there to take back my 600XL, as it was just not very reliable, And the sexy looking TI drew me in, but it was just too expensive, plus I already had some A8 accessories. I came home with the 800XL and was really happy with it. I'm not sure that would have been the case with the TI.
Fast forward to now, and one of the reasons I wanted a TI was because of that day in the shop, and finally I have a TI on my workbench.
This also didn't need much obvious attention and is overall in very good order, the black plastic of the case coming up lovely with the plastic wipes usually used for the car:
What gave me a laugh was the PSU, which is pretty much just a transformer, with all the heavy lifting done using the TI's internal PSU board. It's weird because there is quite a complex PCB, but it's completely unpopulated:
Finally I plugged it all in and the picture is not great:
It may just be my modern TV does not like it much, so I will probably pull out my old beaten up CRT TV, see if I can get a better picture. There are also mods to make the modulator work better with modern TVs. The main thing is though, it works, as do the MunchMan and TI Extended Basic cartridges, which is great. The TI also outputs component video, so I think it should be a breeze to wire up a new cable for a decent picture, and my TV in the retro room does have a component input which isn't currently in use, plus I could also feed it via my OSSC and use that to convert the component to HDMI.
Also, the modulator is HUGE!!!
The Atari 2600 cart is there for scale ( didn't have a banana for scale). Like the VIC-20 modulator, it's huge and horrible, and I don't really want to use it, so will figure out some sort of alternate cable.
But what about the Achie you ask.
Well, that's going to be a tale in a separate thread, because currently it isn't powering up and has some battery leakage damage that needs repairing, and I'm still assessing that. It looks mostly like the RTC Ic and surrounding area bore the brunt of the leak, as a bunch of pads just lifted off when I desoldered it, and there are some very fine tracks that are no longer conductive!!
I'm also going to need a mouse ball!! I hadn't looked closely at the mouse, it was all in a box, but I found what looked like toffee coming out of the ball hole!!
Yep that is a mouse ball I'm holding, well most of it!!
This is not something I've ever seem before so I need to see if I have any mice with suitable sized balls!!
So you've guessed it, the Archie is going to get a repair thread all of its own :)
