Tsushin Booster up for auction on yahoo

[herr-g]

http://page13.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/r35052835
Unfortunately nothing for my wallet currently...

Greetings,
 herr-g

[Tatsujin]

our chris is the highbidder of 366'000yen 10 minutes 2 go!

[herr-g]

Congrats Chris 
The auction has ended for 374.000.
Phew 

[termis]

So what does this do exactly?  "PC tsuushin" as in modem communication?

Quite the rare item according to the description.  Though NOT verified to be working!

[nat]

Yes, somebody please explain exactly what this device does. And what's the "NEC SAMPLE" HuCard converter-looking-thing.

[grahf]

I would love to get a look at the PCB. I wish somebody would pull one apart and scan it. (hint, hint)
How many prototypes are out there i wonder?

[herr-g]

Yes, somebody please explain exactly what this device does. And what's the "NEC SAMPLE" HuCard converter-looking-thing.

It was NECs very early project for network playing. Unfortunately it never made it to practise.
As far as i'm aware the project started in 1987 (according to a prototype draft) while the hardware we know has been built around early 1989.
At the back of it you can find a phone jack connector.

Regarding the HuCard i guess it holds the OS for establishing the network service connection. But it's only a guess.

[CrackTiger]

Didn't at least one company use it in their offices?

[ccovell]

Here's some more info about the Tsushin Boosters, taken from Gekkan PC-Engine magazine in 1990.

https://www.chrismcovell.com/secrets5.html

Sorry for the blurry pics.

[peperocket]

Thank you chris for this pictures !
It seem to have a background editor and a BASIC compiler, someone know others features ??

[Carbon Tiger]

That does look interesting and probally would have a good bit of fun. One thing I've always found interesting is that the PC-E always seemed to be a little ahead in terms of the new video tech given the time period they were doing a lot of this hardware development in. But that seems true of a lot of the Japanese video game hardware vs. their American counterparts. At least IMO.

[Thibaut]

The HuCARD Sample contain the soft Tsushin Tool (made in june 1989). Between 50 to 100 Tsushin Booster had been produced.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Here's some more info about the Tsushin Boosters, taken from Gekkan PC-Engine magazine in 1990.

https://www.chrismcovell.com/secrets5.html

Sorry for the blurry pics.

Thanks for the info on this beast.  Does this mean that you're going to add modem support to Tongueman's Logic?   

[ccovell]

Yessir.  900 Baud multiplayer battle!   (1200 Baud if your opponent is in the same city...)

[termis]

Yessir.  900 Baud multiplayer battle!   (1200 Baud if your opponent is in the same city...)

Yowsers!  No wonder they gave up the idea.

[shubibiman]

Isn't there a way to produce a faster pc engine modem by getting inspiration from the architecture of the tsushin booster and using nowadays technologies?

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Maybe, but to what end?  I can't think of any good reason to build such a beast.

On a semi-related note - what kind of throughput did the TE Links have?  I'm curious if this modem could have even come close to providing a similar capability.

[esteban]

Yessir.  900 Baud multiplayer battle!   (1200 Baud if your opponent is in the same city...)

!!!

[shubibiman]

Maybe, but to what end?  I can't think of any good reason to build such a beast.

Some crazy guies might want to develop an online version of Bomberman or stuff like that.

[ccovell]

OK!  So I finally took pictures and documentation of the Tsushin Booster -- inside and out!

Here is the information page that I have set up for the Booster.  https://www.chrismcovell.com/TsushinBooster/index.html

Please let me know what you think!

[termis]

Nice job Chris.  Good to get some info on this rare beast.  So I guess everything booted up and ran fine, eh?

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Muchas Gracias Mr. Covell.  It's great to have some information on such a rare piece of equipment.  By chance, did you happen to see if it supports a mouse?  Was the mouse even out yet in 1989?

[CrackTiger]

OK!  So I finally took pictures and documentation of the Tsushin Booster -- inside and out!

Here is the information page that I have set up for the Booster.  https://www.chrismcovell.com/TsushinBooster/index.html

Please let me know what you think!

Thanks a lot for going all the way documenting both the hardware and software. 

I like how similar the software card is to some of the pirate HuCards out there. 

[grahf]

The picture of the board made my day.

[shubibiman]

Was the mouse even out yet in 1989?

No, the mouse was only released somewhere around 1993.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Thanks for the answer shubibiman.  It's too bad - it looks like it would have been a little easier to control with a mouse, but I doubt anybody will put too many hours into one of these things anyway.

[esteban]

OK!  So I finally took pictures and documentation of the Tsushin Booster -- inside and out!

Here is the information page that I have set up for the Booster.  https://www.chrismcovell.com/TsushinBooster/index.html

Please let me know what you think!

Holy crap! I'm incommunicado a few days and I miss this gem! Chris, you own this item now, right (if not, then where did I get such a notion)? Awesome.

I can't believe that nobody has commented on the FAT HuCard in there. EPROM? Or something like that?

Anyway, thanks for demystifying the Tsushin Booster... even though it is still feels like a mystery to me!

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Yup, it's a pair of EPROMs (If you follow the links on Mr. Covell's page, there is a picture of the card with the cover over the EPROMs removed).

[Oli_lar]

thanks for sharing that with us, its very cool!

[herr-g]

Very nice Chris. Thanks for sharing it with us PC Engine lovers.
I'm sure this baby has a good daddy now.

Krgds,
 herr-g