Interested in PCjr SPEEDUP (jrExcellerator) Board?

[bartman2589]

I have a used PCjr SPEEDUP board, specs:

Board Revision 2.2
Firmware(?) Rev. 3.1,
EPROM is labeled D200
Serial Number 10050

This unit is slightly different than the one in this thread:
http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/showthread.php?15764-If-you-see-something-weird-dig-deeper-...
in that it does not have the resistor located just above the V20 chip integrated into the board itself but rather is attached to a wire that appears as if it was intended to be attached to a specific point in the system itself (I'm assuming that PC Enterprises later incorporated this resistor directly into the board to simplify installation), I seem to remember there being some kind of instructions to attach that wire to something in the main system itself but honestly can't remember where and unfortunately over the 20+ years since I originally purchased this item (was originally purchased in 1989 while I was in Basic Training) I have lost all of the documentation and any related software for the unit. Also please note that this item would be sold completely as is, sicne it's entirely possible that in the time it was sitting in the basement some of the components (most notably the single electrolytic capacitor on the board) may have failed, I do know that when the unit was removed from the PCjr it had been installed in originally it was still functional though, so very likely it is still in functioning condition, I just don't have a PCjr anymore to install it into to test it.

So I'm considering trying to put it up on eBay (if I can get a sellers account setup that is) since I saw in another group that one went a couple years ago for $79US, otherwise I'd consider selling it to someone in this forum if someone is interested and the price is right, I'd like to get at least $50US plus shipping for it because I know it's a fairly rare item in the PCjr enthusiasts realm (besides I paid $99 for it when I bought it new in 1989).

I just wish I hadn't thrown the rest of the system out when I moved back to Michigan and found it still sitting in my fathers basement, I had installed the Thin Font Module, and a couple of other options from PC Enterprises that I'm sure some people might have been interested in like a memory expansion sidecar (don't remember if it was PC Enterprises or Racore or some other though) and the printer port sidecar, and the power expansion sidecar (to boost power when using multiple sidecars), but since the floppy drive was shot in the unit I just figured it wasn't worth messing with anymore since I can run all of my old PCjr non-cartridge games on my newer PC using DosBox and the D-Fend frontend for it.

So to summarize:
1 PCjr SPEEDUP board (jrExcellerator)
No Drivers, No Documentation
Looking to get at least $50US if possible plus shipping fees (continental US only, + Canada possibly)

Anyway I just thought I'd post to see if there was any interest in this item or not.

Thank you,
bartman2589

 

[Chromedome45]

mbrutman might be able to figure it out. And if you are referring to the Green thing that looks like a resistor it is actually an Inductor. Looks like a nice little addition that any PCjr enthusiast might like to have.

 

[Spankmd]

Bartman,
Do you have a picture? I may be interested. Let me know.

 

[bartman2589]

You can see the lead featuring the inductor that is attached to one of the pins of the V20 near the top, the end of it (not in the photo) is just a bare tinned wire. Additionally I should point out that there are a couple of cut traces on the underside of the board along with a couple of wires running on the underside of the board presumably done as a factory revision of the board. Whatever the reason the board worked fine for me back in '89 just as you see it (well, with the two wires attached and a switch attached to the memory select switch pins on the left side of the board). If you would like to see a picture of the underside as well let me know. Also the labels are not the original ones, the original ones came off in the process of cleaning up ~20 years of dust and debris off the unit, so I printed up new ones with the information from the old ones and affixed them to the same locations as the originals, though their appearance may differ a bit from the originals.

 

[Spankmd]

Can you send a picture of the switch and the bottom? Still thinking on it, (for $50 + shipping)?

 

[bartman2589]

I don't have the original switch that came with it anymore, unfortunately it was left installed in the PCjr case, but it's just a standard SPST toggle switch that attaches to 2 leads which plug into a 2 pin header on the board (a salvaged lead like that used with case mounted indicator LED's (front panel LED's) could easily be soldered to a standard SPST switch to replace it).

I will post the picture of the bottom of the unit as soon as I can. But yes, I do want to get at least $50+shipping for it. As I'm sure we're all aware this is a VERY rare piece of equipment for the PCjr, there hasn't been one on eBay for a VERY long time now and the last one that I'm aware of sold for $79 a couple of years ago.

 

[bartman2589]

Ok, here's the photo of the bottom of the unit with the 2 cut circuit traces circled in red:

 

[Spankmd]

I'm a little confused (and not just my normal confusion). If I add this to a Jr, what am I doing to make it work? (You talk about the switch and two wires, wanted to make sure I knew what I had to do to make it function. It wouldn't make a very functional coaster)