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TI-99/4a Computer #50674, Texas Instruments (As-Is)
Appearance: Used
Functionality: Not Working (see description)
Description:
============
As pictured, a TI994a computer. Includes just the pictured main unit – no other accessories are available. Screen has some video corruption. Sold As-Is.
Warranty and Returns:
=====================
This product is being sold AS-IS without any warranty. Returns are not accepted. To ensure that this is the right product for your needs, we’re happy to answer any questions.
Shipping:
=========
- Other shipping methods are available – contact us for details.
- Combined shipping is available for most items – contact us for details.
- Local pickup is also available at no cost.
About Us:
=========
The Computer Preservation Group is dedicated to the preservation of historical computers. To help fund ongoing operations, select items are made available. To learn more, please visit our website. Thank you for your support!
Stock#:J8283.NUNDR#7
Details from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TI-99/4A:
The 1981 US launch of the TI-99/4A followed Commodore's VIC-20 by several months. Commodore CEO Jack Tramiel began a price war by repeatedly lowering the price of the VIC-20 and forcing TI to do the same. In late 1982, TI was shipping 5,000 computers a day from their factory in Lubbock, Texas.[4] By 1983, the 99/4A was selling at a loss for under US$100. Even with the increased user base created by the heavy discounts, Texas Instruments lost US$330 million in the third quarter of 1983[5] and announced the discontinuation of the TI-99/4A in October 1983. Production ended in March 1984.[4]
The TI-99/4 was intended to fit in the middle of a planned range of TI-99 computers, none of which were released, but prototypes and documentation have been found after the TI-99/4A was discontinued.
Features
The TI-99/4A is a self-contained console with the motherboard, ROM cartridge slot, and full-travel keyboard in the same case. The power supply is external. An RF modulator allows the use of a television as a monitor. Lowercase letters are displayed as small caps, rather than separate glyphs. TI BASIC, an ANSI-compliant BASIC interpreter based on Dartmouth BASIC, is built-in and includes support for graphics, sound, and file system access. Later versions of the 99/4A, identified by (C)1983 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS V2.2 on the title page, prevent the use of unlicensed ROM cartridges from third-party manufacturers such as Atarisoft.
Both TI-99/4 models use the 16-bit TMS9900 CPU running at 3 MHz. The TMS9900 is a single-chip implementation of a TI-990 minicomputer. Although a full 16-bit processor, only the system ROM and 256 bytes of scratchpad RAM are available on the 16-bit bus.[6]
Peripherals include a 5¼" floppy disk drive and controller, an RS-232 card with two serial ports and one parallel port, a P-code card for Pascal support, a thermal printer, a 300-baud acoustic coupler, a tape drive using standard audio cassettes as media, and a 32 KB memory expansion card.
Video display processor
Graphics in the 99/4A are generated by a TMS9918A Video Display Processor (VDP), with a variant for PAL territories. The VDP was developed by Texas Instruments and also sold independently, allowing it to be used in other systems. It serves as the video processor for the ColecoVision and SG-1000 consoles, and an earlier model is part of the MSX computer standard.
The TMS9918A supports character-based and bitmap display modes as well as hardware sprites. There are 32 single-color sprites total, but only a maximum of 4 can be displayed per scan line. Each sprite is either 8×8 or 16×16 pixels and can be scaled 2× to 16×16 or 32×32.
16 KB of RAM is provided for the Video Display Processor. VDP RAM is the largest block of writeable memory in the unexpanded TI-99/4A architecture, and is used for storing disk I/O buffers and TI BASIC user programs. Access to this memory has to use the VDP as an intermediary.
Manufacturer Texas Instruments
Type Home computer
Release date June 1981
Introductory price US$525 (equivalent to $1,760 in 2023)
Discontinued March 1984
Units shipped 2.8 million[1]
Media ROM cartridgecassettefloppy disk
Operating system TI BASIC
CPU TMS9900 @ 3 MHz
Memory 16 KB RAM
256 bytes scratchpad RAM
Graphics TMS9918A
Sound TMS9919, later SN94624
Predecessor TI-99/4
Functionality: Not Working (see description)
Description:
============
As pictured, a TI994a computer. Includes just the pictured main unit – no other accessories are available. Screen has some video corruption. Sold As-Is.
Warranty and Returns:
=====================
This product is being sold AS-IS without any warranty. Returns are not accepted. To ensure that this is the right product for your needs, we’re happy to answer any questions.
Shipping:
=========
- Other shipping methods are available – contact us for details.
- Combined shipping is available for most items – contact us for details.
- Local pickup is also available at no cost.
About Us:
=========
The Computer Preservation Group is dedicated to the preservation of historical computers. To help fund ongoing operations, select items are made available. To learn more, please visit our website. Thank you for your support!
Stock#:J8283.NUNDR#7
Details from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TI-99/4A:
The 1981 US launch of the TI-99/4A followed Commodore's VIC-20 by several months. Commodore CEO Jack Tramiel began a price war by repeatedly lowering the price of the VIC-20 and forcing TI to do the same. In late 1982, TI was shipping 5,000 computers a day from their factory in Lubbock, Texas.[4] By 1983, the 99/4A was selling at a loss for under US$100. Even with the increased user base created by the heavy discounts, Texas Instruments lost US$330 million in the third quarter of 1983[5] and announced the discontinuation of the TI-99/4A in October 1983. Production ended in March 1984.[4]
The TI-99/4 was intended to fit in the middle of a planned range of TI-99 computers, none of which were released, but prototypes and documentation have been found after the TI-99/4A was discontinued.
Features
The TI-99/4A is a self-contained console with the motherboard, ROM cartridge slot, and full-travel keyboard in the same case. The power supply is external. An RF modulator allows the use of a television as a monitor. Lowercase letters are displayed as small caps, rather than separate glyphs. TI BASIC, an ANSI-compliant BASIC interpreter based on Dartmouth BASIC, is built-in and includes support for graphics, sound, and file system access. Later versions of the 99/4A, identified by (C)1983 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS V2.2 on the title page, prevent the use of unlicensed ROM cartridges from third-party manufacturers such as Atarisoft.
Both TI-99/4 models use the 16-bit TMS9900 CPU running at 3 MHz. The TMS9900 is a single-chip implementation of a TI-990 minicomputer. Although a full 16-bit processor, only the system ROM and 256 bytes of scratchpad RAM are available on the 16-bit bus.[6]
Peripherals include a 5¼" floppy disk drive and controller, an RS-232 card with two serial ports and one parallel port, a P-code card for Pascal support, a thermal printer, a 300-baud acoustic coupler, a tape drive using standard audio cassettes as media, and a 32 KB memory expansion card.
Video display processor
Graphics in the 99/4A are generated by a TMS9918A Video Display Processor (VDP), with a variant for PAL territories. The VDP was developed by Texas Instruments and also sold independently, allowing it to be used in other systems. It serves as the video processor for the ColecoVision and SG-1000 consoles, and an earlier model is part of the MSX computer standard.
The TMS9918A supports character-based and bitmap display modes as well as hardware sprites. There are 32 single-color sprites total, but only a maximum of 4 can be displayed per scan line. Each sprite is either 8×8 or 16×16 pixels and can be scaled 2× to 16×16 or 32×32.
16 KB of RAM is provided for the Video Display Processor. VDP RAM is the largest block of writeable memory in the unexpanded TI-99/4A architecture, and is used for storing disk I/O buffers and TI BASIC user programs. Access to this memory has to use the VDP as an intermediary.
Manufacturer Texas Instruments
Type Home computer
Release date June 1981
Introductory price US$525 (equivalent to $1,760 in 2023)
Discontinued March 1984
Units shipped 2.8 million[1]
Media ROM cartridgecassettefloppy disk
Operating system TI BASIC
CPU TMS9900 @ 3 MHz
Memory 16 KB RAM
256 bytes scratchpad RAM
Graphics TMS9918A
Sound TMS9919, later SN94624
Predecessor TI-99/4
