Vector Graphic VSX (GSX?) system on eBay

[nullvalue]

Spotted this Vector Graphic system on eBay, I couldn't find anything on the VSX, but did find some information about the GSX - which ran CPM-86 and GEM. Being an 8086 system it's probably not actually an S-100 system but figured this was the closest match forum.

Vintage Vector Graphic VSX Microcomputer Computer | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage Vector Graphic VSX Microcomputer Computer at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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Really interested in this - looks in good condition, but looks like the keyboard is missing. What's the likelihood of finding a compatible keyboard? Looks like it has a RJ-11 style connector like the Vector 4.

 

[hjohnson]

Vector's VSX eight -bit and 16 -bit dual -processor micro offers a Z -80B and 8086 with 128K RAM. Prices start at £3,800. More information on [reference number for mail-in get-more-info postcard]

this was in a July 1984 edition of Practical Computing magazine, essentially a product announcement. With luck one can use a microcontroller to operate the keyboard port and accept a PS/2 or earlier keyboard. A ROM dump and disassembly may reveal the keyboard protocol. It's not likely S-100 as you suggested, but it's plausible to expect more interest from S-100 owners. I speculate it's one of the last VG products, for what that's worth. Good luck and I hope it survives shipping. - regards

 

[ejona]

I expect it is highly similar to the Vector 4. The case and back ports are identical. It uses 96 TPI floppies instead of the 100 TPI that the Vector 4 uses. That would make it similar to the Vector 4-S, which I've not seen much information about, as it was a very late in Vector Graphic's lifetime. But the Vector 4-S has also seemed to be the same as the Vector 4 but with a different floppy controller. I have seen some mentions that the 4-S used soft-sectored floppies and that it was partly IBM compatible, so it must be using a different floppy controller than the vanilla Vector 4. The Vector 4 had the same Z-80B and 8086 and 128K RAM.

The Omni computer catalog has a write-up for the 4-S. This Data Decisions Vector Graphic catalog mentions GSX and the 4-S. Ignore the Vector 5; it is completely different.

The keyboard probably won't cause much trouble. See the Vector Graphic Vector 4 restoration thread. A TTL UART at 300 baud should get you in business. The overall architecture of the Vector 3 keyboard looked similar to the 4, so I doubt they made significant, if any, changes at that point in their lifetime. The adapter I made handles normal keys fine, but function keys, arrows, and the like weren't mapped. But that's not too difficult if the keycodes are the same as the Vector 4.

The Vector 4 had three S-100 slots, with one being consumed by the FDD/HDD controller leaving two available for expansion. But the bus is only for I/O, no memory-mapped and RAM accesses. It also had a regulated 5V rail, so the Vector 4 expansion boards didn't include the normal linear regulator for 5V. The only other board I've seen in the Vector 4 is the Sabernet controller, which isn't present in that VSX on ebay, based on the back ports.

 

[nullvalue]

Thanks for all the information! In that Omni article it mentions the Vector 4 has a sound chip? Looks like the AY-3-8910? Wow never would have thought they'd include that - have you ever experimented with it or found that demo they mention?

 

[ejona]

The sound chip is a SN76489 (top-left of schematic). The chip is on ports 18h/19h. A note configuration table is at the end of the programmer's guide. Deramp has a Vector 4 Demo (bootable) disk that includes a nice music demo. My vector-demo (non-bootable) disk does use the speaker in the Medical Demo, but it is just a simple EKG beep.

MAME has support for the Vector 4, including the sound chip, if you want to hear it before the machine arrives or if the machine's speaker is deteriorated. Tell me if you are interested and I'll add some notes on using it.

 

[nullvalue]

Well as I was giving it a day or two to mull over, someone else snatched it. Hope whoever it was shares their restoration - looked like a cool system.