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1979 TI-99/4 Home Computer

TI-99/4 & Coffee     

There are many places on the Internet where one can read about the original TI-99/4 computer that was released before the TI-99/4A. However, most people (if not all) own TI-99/4 setup's that were made throughout various years (1979-1981) and do not have an entire setup manufactured during the TI-99/4's very first year of production, 1979. Sure, one could find a TI-99/4 that was made in 1979, but my goal is to build an entire 1979-made setup where everything from the console/monitor straight down to the boxes are all dated 1979! To actually build a system with everything that was available and manufactured in 1979 would not only be interesting to have, but also a historical piece since it would be the setup that started it all back in 1979. If you are interested in finding out more on this project, head to the 1979 Setup Project section below.



Block Man WHAT IS A TI-99/4?


TI-99/4 Overview    TI-99/4 OVERVIEW


TI-99/4 Timeline
    TI-99/4 TIMELINE


TI-99/4 Original 1979 Demonstration    TI-99/4 DEMONSTRATION - 1979


Block Finger 1979 TI-99/4 SETUP PROJECT
Early in 2007 I decided to try and build an original "everything made in 1979" TI-99/4 setup. This meant that if you could afford everything that was on the market for the 99/4 in the first year of production, what all could you have bought? This might not sound too hard at first, but the catch is that everything also had to be MANUFACTURED in 1979! The main motivation behind doing this is because nobody that I know of has attempted to build a fully blown 1979-made setup, and having the original first year system/items all together would be a nice historical piece for the 99/4 and 99/4A computers. Who knows if building such a setup will be even doable in 5-10 years time, as it's already hard enough just to find 99/4 items made in any year.

Now you might be wondering how I can tell if items are actually made in 1979. Well, the nice thing about Texas Instruments is that when it came to labeling their cartridges, boxes, hardware, etc. they pretty much put date codes on everything (date codes in 1979 would start with LTA and can usually be found on the bottom of cartridges and hardware). Something that carries a date code of LTA 4779, for example, would mean it was actually manufactured in the 47th week of 1979. It's these date codes that make my quest possible.


All of the 99/4 items pictured in the sections below were available in 1979, some of which are from my own collection (since I don't have everything that was manufactured 1979, I had to ask permission to use other people's pictures to give a glimpse on what certain items looked like). I also included a table which shows the items that I personally own towards this project and what the date codes/copyrights are on them. Only the items that have a 1979 date code and copyright are counted towards this project,
and if you have anything that I am missing shoot me an e-mail at [email protected].

I figured it's probably about time someone put together a fully-blown 1979 manufactured TI-99/4 system, since it would be the one that started it all. To date I do not know of anyone who has put together a complete 1979 setup, so hopefully this will not only be a first but also a great way to showcase the original TI-99/4!




1979 TI-99/4 Console Items    1979 TI-99/4 Console


1979 TI-99/4 Peripherals/Accessories    1979 TI-99/4 Peripherals/Accessories



1979 TI-99/4 Cartridges1979 TI-99/4 Cartridges


1979 TI-99/4 Cassettes    1979 TI-99/4 Cassettes


1979 TI-99/4 Brochures/Books    1979 TI-99/4 Brochures/Books


My 1979 TI-99/4 Setup!    My 1979 TI-99/4 Setup!



Block 3 TI-99/4 LINKS
Mainbyte's TI-99/4 Page
Great page filled with detailed graphics and information

The Texas Instruments 99/4 (*NOT 4A*) Page
The original TI-99/4 page on the net by Andrew Gurudata. The site claims to be coming back in the summer of 2007, but as of now is still down. The link above takes you to an archived version of the page from 1999 which should suffice until everything is revamped and opened

Obsolete Technology's TI-99/4 Page
Contains scans and information on the 99/4 system

History of Home and Game Computers: TI-99/4
Nicely laid out page that contains many of the basic bits of information on the 99/4 system




The TI-99/4A Webring

This TI-99/4A Ring site is owned by Bryan Roppolo
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Want to join the ring? Get the information.


Comments, Suggestions, or Questions?
e-mail me: Bryan Roppolo