>Hi, I have a Televideo TS-803H

Is that the ADM3a look-alike (everything in one cabinet)?
Sigh - long long ago when modems were very VERY expensive
I bought a modem card that retrofit INSIDE the cabinet.
I bought I have it anymore, or could find it even if I still
had it. The instructions only said what wires to tap,
no schematics.
--

-- mejeep deMeep ferret!

On 2006-02-08, Jeff Jonas wrote:
>>Hi, I have a Televideo TS-803H
>
> Is that the ADM3a look-alike (everything in one cabinet)?
> Sigh - long long ago when modems were very VERY expensive
> I bought a modem card that retrofit INSIDE the cabinet.
> I bought I have it anymore, or could find it even if I still
> had it. The instructions only said what wires to tap,
> no schematics.

No, you're thinking of the 802. The 803 LOOKS like a bunch of
separate pieces, but it's all connected together. CPU is vertical
to the right side of the monitor.

Haven't used one in many years, and that one didn't have a hard disk.

--
roger ivie
rivie@ridgenet.net

Maybe I shoud start a new thread for this, but I'll try here first.

My Televideo came with CP/M 2.2. I would like to get CP/M 3.0 / CP/M+
for it. A quick websearch didn't produce anything. Anyone here have a
link, and / or a set of disks for copy or sale? Thatnk you in advance.

On 8 Feb 2006 11:06:58 -0800, redrumloa wrote:
> Maybe I shoud start a new thread for this, but I'll try here first.
> My Televideo came with CP/M 2.2. I would like to get CP/M 3.0 / CP/M+
> for it. A quick websearch didn't produce anything. Anyone here have a
> link, and / or a set of disks for copy or sale? Thatnk you in advance.

I used to LOVE TeleVideo systems. Had 4 or 5 802hs, several 803s and
an 803h, and a TPC-1. They all ran on a LAN using a TeleVideo TS-806, with a
TeleVideo Personal Terminal. I had the only dual-line CP/M based BBS in
Northern Calif -- running on a pair of TS-802H/20 systems.

Basically, in order to take full advantage of CP/M+, you must have
the extra 64k of ram (look on your 803 mb, on one edge will be a row of
places to insert the needed RAM chips); AND ideally you'll have an 803h,
since CP/M+ made zero sense without a hard disk. You COULD use CP/M+ if you
only had 64k of RAM and no hd, but even though it seemed to (subjectively)
run smoother than the 2.2 when I tried it on one of my 803s, again why
bother?

A firm in (I think) Maine used to sell CP/M+ specifically for the
TeleVideo 803. Unfortunately, it went out of business long ago. I bought one
of the last copies in the mid-80s and at that time they reported they had no
more of the manuals for CP/M 3/CP/M+. I no longer recall the name of that
company.

I've long ago gave away all my CP/M discs, manuals, books, and my
TeleVideo equipment, keeping only one TS-803 and the 5.25" boot floppies for
it. I've just now checked and none of them are CP/M+, sorry. But if you need
a new CRT for a TS-802, have I a deal for you! It's free -- only you gotta
pick it up.

--
jimbo@sonic.net

"There are only 10 kinds of people in the world;
those who understand binary, and those who don't."

On 7 Feb 2006 17:26:56 -0800, redrumloa wrote:
> Hi, I have a Televideo TS-803H that works well until it gets warm when
> it starts behaving badly. I suspect the caps may have dried out and
> intend to replace them in the near future. I've done a few web searches
> and unfortunately it seems Televideo users are nonexistant. The only
> thing I have found is one or 2 blury still photos on museum sites. Even
> eBay, as vast as it is, finding this era Televideo related stuff is
> rare.
>
> Any sites / people dedicated to this machine? I'm o-k since I have the
> original manuals which include schematics, but would be nice to know I
> don't have the only working system in usage.

The TeleVideo company was once THE premier mftr of monitors in the
country (at the peak, something approaching 96% of all the monitors sold by
other companies were made by TeleVideo), then with the advent of CP/M it
started in with the 800 series (of which the 803h is one). Hindsight is
20/20 and all, but heyyy. TeleVideo customer/technical help and advertising
was sadly lacking (I'm not kidding -- I used to log onto the TeleVideo Tech
Support BBS in Sunnyvale regularly and quite often helped others there who
had questions the tech staff couldn't answer). Also -- like so many other
firms in those early days -- their products were kinda proprietary. Which
didn't help much. Anyway, as CP/M started to make way for various versions
of DOS, TeleVideo started making a tower-type system -- I think the last
model used a '286 CPU. However, it was even more proprietary. And the
TeleVideo pr budget, as always, was nonexistant.

Anyway, the TS-803 was a super nice machine, with quarter-height
floppy drives and a 14" monitor. TeleVideo even offered an optical mouse
with the 803 (there was a port in back into which it could be plugged). And,
as far as I can see, the TeleVideo TS-803 keyboards have NEVER been equaled.
The company made a limited number of TS-803h systems with integal hard
drives. Plus they made avail kits that people could use to upgrade existing
803s. Mostly these involved heavy duty power supplies that could supply the
needed 'lectricity to keep everything running. And, of course, the BIOS was
modified so as to provide the needed address tables.

> On a related note my system is heavily yellowed from UV exposure. I've
> tried about every standard cleaning product and even a bit of fingernail
> polish remover, nothing works. I'm considering painting the case. May be
> blasphomey to some, but what's worse? Different color or multiple shades
> of piss yellow?

Arghh! You heretic, you. [grin] Seriously, before resorting to
paint, try using some extremely fine grit emery cloth and/or some rubbing
compound. I once considered getting an amber CRT tube for my 803s. My
TPC-1 had an amber tube and looked kewl. Anyway, I could go for a flat
dark grey 803 with an amber monitor.

--
jimbo@sonic.net

"There are only 10 kinds of people in the world;
those who understand binary, and those who don't."