Retrocomputing guy

Introduce yourself and reminisce
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joaquin
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 8:05 pm

Retrocomputing guy

Post by joaquin »

Hi, all.
I'm just an old retrocomputer enthusiast in Dallas Tx. I've known about OSIs for a very long time but
never got introduced to them. I'm hoping to learn a lot by lurking around this site and maybe even
buying a C2-P4 someday for my retro collection (assuming I can find a reasonably priced one). Seems
to me I remember hearing somewhere that you could by an aftermarket graphics card for the
challenger p4 - is that true? Thanks in advance.
JC
Steve Gray
Posts: 321
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:54 pm
Location: Markham, Ontario, Canada
Contact:

Re: Retrocomputing guy

Post by Steve Gray »

Welcome!

Yes, I believe there was a colour graphics card based on the TMS9918 chip. I think the designer of that card has been on this forum, but AFAIK does not have any boards or documentation left.

I've been reading all about the TMS9918/28 and V9938/58 chips and it would be almost trivial to build a similar card. The only hard part would be the software.

Steve
C4P working, C1P working. 600D Replica working, C4P+D&N floppy not working. 505 board, 610 board, Mittendorf board, TOSIE hacker board need testing, PicoDOS disk untested.
dave
Site Admin
Posts: 710
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2008 5:24 am

Re: Retrocomputing guy

Post by dave »

Hi Joaquin,

Welcome to the OSIweb forum! I like to think OSI'ers are a special breed of computer owners. So glad you joined us!

I'll try to bring an OSI setup to one of the upcoming North Texas Retrocomputing meetups. That means I'll have to get something working first ;-)

Meanwhile, take a look around the site. I realize the site is a bit short on photos and software--which I mean to remedy. But it's got a lot of journals and manuals that will give you a feel for what it was like to own an OSI back in the day.

Dave
joaquin
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2013 8:05 pm

Re: Retrocomputing guy

Post by joaquin »

Thanks for the kind welcome, fellas.
I've been perusing some of the literature on Dave's site and the other links. The "Tips, Tricks, and Notes:" section on Dave's site
is particularly interesting and seems like the most fun from a hobbyist/hacking perspective. It would be really fun to see one
demoed at the retrocomutping meetup. That said, I hope to get my own C4P (reasonably priced) someday.
JC
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