14 replies to this topic

[matthew180]

See post #424 in the F18A thread.

http://www.atariage....ost__p__2462894

Edited by matthew180, Thu Feb 9, 2012 9:20 PM.

[OLD CS1]

Short on funds at the moment, but I am certain I can make the deadline. Thanks, man. That is a true labor of love, there.

[ti99userclub]

YEAHHHH !!!
i am interested in two pieces !

Thankyou,
i can't wait to have the mine !

[matthew180]

Reminder: This is the last day for anyone who wants to get an F18A from the first (and possibly only) run of boards.

[moulinaie]

matthew180, on Fri Feb 24, 2012 9:26 AM, said:

Reminder: This is the last day for anyone who wants to get an F18A from the first (and possibly only) run of boards.

Have you got enough orders?
Guillaume.

[matthew180]

Not enough to have them manufactured. However, I've decided I can handle the quantity and I can assemble them myself without affecting the delivery time much over what the manufactured lead-time was going to be. This is not ideal, but at least those who ordered will get their units. I won't know the final count until the day is over, but I don't anticipate getting an additional 50 orders today.

Edited by matthew180, Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:19 AM.

[5-11under]

matthew180, on Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:18 AM, said:

Not enough to have them manufactured. However, I've decided I can handle the quantity and I can assemble them myself without affecting the delivery time much over what the manufactured lead-time was going to be. This is not ideal, but at least those who ordered will get their units. I won't know the final count until the day is over, but I don't anticipate getting an additional 50 orders today.

I appreciate your efforts on this!

A couple of years ago I made a YPbPr/component video output mod kit for the ColecoVision. Initial sales were okay, but not great. After the initial sales, I still sold about one per month for a year or two. I'm guessing your kit could work the same way. For some years to come, there will be at least some level of continuous demand for this. If you make extras, I'm sure they'll sell over time. I think that's the nature of a kit that requires electronic installation.

[matthew180]

Yup, I think you're right. I still have to order 100 circuit boards, so I'll have those available, and I'm going to round up the order so I'll have parts for a few extras that will go on sale after the pre-orders. That's the plan anyway.

[moulinaie]

matthew180, on Fri Feb 24, 2012 12:16 PM, said:

Yup, I think you're right. I still have to order 100 circuit boards, so I'll have those available, and I'm going to round up the order so I'll have parts for a few extras that will go on sale after the pre-orders. That's the plan anyway.

Your work is much appreciated!
Don't give up!

Guillaume.

[retroclouds]

My advice would be to not expect a big rush of orders at the very start. However I still believe the F18A can become as sucessfull as the nanopeb/CF7+.

Why do I think so?
- The F18A is a great device, and there is a need to connect old home computers and video game console to modern monitors
- The price tag is right. Ofcourse perhaps over time it could be a bit lower so that people can buy multiple ones.
I for one could imagine having 2 of my ti-99/4a's and my colecovision running the F18A.
- The 80 column mode is for sure a benefit, even if not many software is using it now.
- A scroll mode would be a plus, but it depends on the software.

So what could be done to improve sales?
- Sell via ebay. I have seen every cf7+/nanopeb go pretty quick. Even if you don't like ebay that much, it is still the
platform offering the best publicity. Folks that are getting back into the home computer retro scene, probably look into ebay
before possibly knowing atariage and other retro sites.
- Make the installation as easy as possible, perhaps doing a youtube installation video.
Trust me there are a lot of hardware noobs out there, I am one of them. They would like to have a F18A but are not sure how to install. Make the installation procedure a complete one. That also includes sound. What does one have to do to get sound to the speakers when using the F18A.
- Offer installation as a service. One for the USA and one for Europe.

Either way it is a great product you have there and I can barely wait until I can have one. So keep up the good work!

[OLD CS1]

Yup. I want two of these for my Precioussessssss: my main 4A and a ColecoVision. Not gonna happen real soon, but soon enough.

[matthew180]

retroclouds, on Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:35 AM, said:

My advice would be to not expect a big rush of orders at the very start. However I still believe the F18A can become as sucessfull as the nanopeb/CF7+.

Perhaps, but I don't know the success of the CF7. As far as I know, the guy who makes them does not participate in any TI-related forum or discuss the details (technically or financially). That is fine, it is his product and decisions, it just means we can only speculate. I guess the fact that he still makes them could lead you to believe it pays for itself and makes him enough money to be worth while. I don't know.

retroclouds, on Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:35 AM, said:

- The price tag is right. Ofcourse perhaps over time it could be a bit lower so that people can buy multiple ones.
I for one could imagine having 2 of my ti-99/4a's and my colecovision running the F18A.

I'm glad the price is perceived as reasonable. I'm trying to get it cheaper though. However, small batch sizes do not equal lower costs, as I'm sure everyone is aware.

retroclouds, on Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:35 AM, said:

- The 80 column mode is for sure a benefit, even if not many software is using it now.
- A scroll mode would be a plus, but it depends on the software.

Yup, and the F18A has both features.

retroclouds, on Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:35 AM, said:

- Sell via ebay. I have seen every cf7+/nanopeb go pretty quick. Even if you don't like ebay that much, it is still the
platform offering the best publicity. Folks that are getting back into the home computer retro scene, probably look into ebay
before possibly knowing atariage and other retro sites.

True, ebay is very much *the place* to sell online. However, if you follow their auction rules, your product is in total isolation in that you cannot link to a more detailed product page, videos, manuals, etc. No links, web URLs, etc. on the auction page is allowed. I understand why ebay does this, but it makes it very hard to support the customer.

retroclouds, on Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:35 AM, said:

- Make the installation as easy as possible, perhaps doing a youtube installation video.
Trust me there are a lot of hardware noobs out there, I am one of them. They would like to have a F18A but are not sure how to install. Make the installation procedure a complete one. That also includes sound. What does one have to do to get sound to the speakers when using the F18A.

I'm planning on making videos and photo walk-through instructions, but there is little I can do about making the install any easier. You have to replace the VDP which means taking the computer completely apart. At least on the 99/4A the VDP is socketed! The CV people have it much harder since they have to desolder the VDP and add a socket.

retroclouds, on Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:35 AM, said:

- Offer installation as a service. One for the USA and one for Europe.

I thought about that too. Possibly once I get a few spare boards and things settle down with the initial release.

[Ksarul]

I ordered three--one for one of my Tomy Tutors, one for a 99/4A, and one that I plan to try out with one of my Powertran Cortices. . .though it will be replacing a 9929 there.

On the CF7 thing, I actually went back and sorted through Jaime's feedback to see how many he'd sold over time. He's up to about 150 of them in all variants now, so he has sold quite a few of them into the community. He was on one of the Yahoo! lists for a while before he moved a couple of years ago, but he took a lot of unjustified heat there from a few opinionated types and he never restored the connection afterward.

[matthew180]

Ksarul, on Sat Feb 25, 2012 1:47 PM, said:

I ordered three--one for one of my Tomy Tutors, one for a 99/4A, and one that I plan to try out with one of my Powertran Cortices. . .though it will be replacing a 9929 there.

Wow, that looks like a very cool computer!! What the 99/4A was supposed to be maybe? I'm having a hard time finding any solid info on the computer though. Do you have a few links? As for replacing a 9929, it should be fine. I replaced a 9929 in the MSX1 Toshiba HX-10 I bought. I actually could not test the computer until I put the F18A in since I don't have any PAL monitors. I will be very interested in the results!

Ksarul, on Sat Feb 25, 2012 1:47 PM, said:

On the CF7 thing, I actually went back and sorted through Jaime's feedback to see how many he'd sold over time. He's up to about 150 of them in all variants now, so he has sold quite a few of them into the community.

That is a pretty respectable number. It is probably higher than that since he probably sells them in other ways too. For example, I picked mine up at the TI Faire last year.

Ksarul, on Sat Feb 25, 2012 1:47 PM, said:

He was on one of the Yahoo! lists for a while before he moved a couple of years ago, but he took a lot of unjustified heat there from a few opinionated types and he never restored the connection afterward.

Yeah, that seems to be the "99/4A Way". Not sure what it is, but everyone who has ever done hardware seems to have the same story of being bashed, ripped off, offended, etc. You have to have tough skin I guess, and I'm a bit worried about it myself. I have definitely had my moments where I have walked away for a while.

[Ksarul]

That's one of the reasons I don't let too many people know what I'm working on until it is more-or-less working. The main reason I do hardware is for my own enjoyment though--if other people like it, that's great, but if not--I still had fun developing the layout. . .and please do keep up your hardware efforts. There are a number of us who do appreciate them, and the random folks who like to pick everyone else's achievements apart because they are too lazy to do the initial development themselves can ride off into the sunset where the sun never shines. . .and for those who pick things apart to find the real flaws and resolve them, I say: great, more power to you and keep that up too!

On Cortices, there are very few of them out there. They were developed at TI, but by a bunch of engineers in the semiconductor division. They couldn't get permission to build them through TI, but they did get permission to give the design to a British computer magazine (Electronics Today International). Powertran did the boards for them as a kit project for the magazine readers. In five years of hunting, I've tracked down about 25 surviving systems (and five sets of unbuilt cards). Oddly enough, their closest relative is probably the Marinchip TMS9995 board for S-100 systems (the system on which AutoCAD was originally developed). Most of the Marinchip software was ported to the Cortex. The BASIC dialect in the original Cortex system ROMs is a modified version of Power BASIC for the 990 computer family. The best repositories of Cortex information are on WHT and at the following web address:

http://www.powertrancortex.com/