I recently came across the TwinHead PC-100 computer. It was a 10MHz 8088 IBM PC compatible with DOS in ROM, no hard drive, 720KB 3.5" disk drive, CGA card with monitor & TV out... and a built-in Famicom! It had two turbo controllers with proprietary connectors, optional 72-to-60 pin adapter and a pirate cart with 6 games. It was sold in my country during the early 90s, distributed by a company called Magenta at big-box stores. Since it came with a pirate cart, it disappeared quickly off the market. Information about this machine is extremely scarce. This is the only thing I could find.
The only picture I could find belonged to an ended auction at a local eBay-like site. If it wouldn't have ended I'd buy it in a second. I want one :'(
(http://img.deremate.cl/user/images/1958/19588653.jpg)
http://oferta.deremate.cl/id=19588653_computadorconsola-twinhead-pc100
Better steal the pic quickly for the oddities section of the site ;).
Found 'better' pictures:
(http://www.sepean.cl/neutra/AK000006.JPG)
(http://www.sepean.cl/neutra/AK000007.JPG)
(http://www.sepean.cl/neutra/AK000008.JPG)
Very interesting! Never heard about this machine, this must be pretty hard to find!
It is. Very elusive, since it was sold for a very short time before it disappeared because of piracy issues. And very little information on the internet about it. I'll keep looking :D
I see the controllers...where's the Famicom cart slot?
Apparently it's on one of the sides. And controller 2 seems to have a microphone!
EDIT: Hey JC, If I ever get my hands on one, you'll get a full in-depth review of it for the site, that's for sure ;).
That looks neat. You are surely not the only one who'd buy it in a second. ;)
... Alli want. My other current gaming obsession is DOS games... don't know what it could do without a HDD but... oh wow. Yeah, I want, lol.
It comes with DOS in ROM, so you don't need a boot disk. You can fit DOS games on floppy disks and play them on your TV!
Does the PC part of this communicate with the Famicom at all, or do they operate 100% separately?
Quote from: JC on June 21, 2008, 02:50:50 pm
Does the PC part of this communicate with the Famicom at all, or do they operate 100% separately?
I'm sure it doesn't, but it would completely rule the world if you could play disk system games from 3.5 floppies...
If you had a drive that would read/write the 3" quick disk, would you be able to copy famicom games onto your pc and then make copies? I'm sure there are drives out there that fit these disks, considering how many pirate disk brands there are out there. How hard would it be to do this and/or find the disks? :P
aren't they 2.8"?
According to wikipedia, "The FDS disks were somewhat proprietary 2.8" × 3" 64K-per-side double-sided floppy".
Totally awesome find!
Hey FamicomFreak, I think your luck has spread to me, because I NOW OWN A TWINHEAD PC-100 WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TwinHead WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Cools.
Can I have some luck?
I want to find $750.
You gotta give us some pics and a rundown when you've got it up and running! I'm drooling over here! :D
-Alli
Yeah I want some pics!
I had to borrow a digital camera since I broke mine a while ago :'(
Here's a teaser of what's to come. I'll do a comprehensive in-depth review of this machine for Famicom World.
Click the pics to see them full size:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3017/2617665968_e81f4a8fc6.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3017/2617665968_e81f4a8fc6_b.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/2617665258_70faa013d3.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/2617665258_70faa013d3_b.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3161/2616842067_522ab20306.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3161/2616842067_522ab20306_b.jpg)
That looks awsome! I want one.
Wow! That's f'ing awesome! :o
Did the cart come with it? Guess that'll be in your review ;)
Nope, the carts are mine.
The system did come with a pirate Famicom cart containing 6 games, thanks to it the system was quickly removed from the market due to copyright infringement. Sadly my TwinHead didn't come with this cart, but I suppose it's no different than your average Famicom multicart.
Where'd you find it at?
I want one! WAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! :P
Can't wait to hear a bit about what this thing can do. It *looks* cool...
it loos like a msx a bit, cool console
Just curious... was it expensive?
It wasn't that expensive because it was loose (no box, no AC adapter, no RF adapter, no joysticks, no manuals, no system disks, no cartridge, just the console). A CIB one is surely expensive (if you can ever find a CIB one!).
Totally awesome 133mhz I would love to have one of those!! AWAAAAAAA!
JC, start looking for one for FF's next birthday! *lol* :P
Hi,
I´ll tell you EVERYTHING about this machine, sold in March 1992 in Chile
(in fact, that package is exactly like the one I had). I´m Chilean and was 10 when my mother took it home.
Cost at that time: $90.000 (in that age, 1 dollar = 300 chilean pesos)
A REAL computer costed in that time over $900.000
Today it sells on flea markets for $5.000
First, the set comprised of:
1) Main Unit
2) A RF Modulador (a device that could made possible connect via A/B cables through a coaxial (antenna connector)
Yo plugged RCA cables from back of Twinhead unit, then the cables to RF and this to antenna block (in such time, there weren´t may TV SETS with RCA inputs) I connected it to a Sharp Linitron Plus 1980.
3) · 2 Booklets:
3.1) MS DOS 3.22 Command Guide ... Too old (even for that time, when 486 were the best but were too expensive) , explains command like APPEND, PRINT etc.
Curious fact. Didn´t say "printer" ("impresora" in Spanish), but said "IMPRENTA", such as the term used by large print system , like printing (impressing) newspapers
3.2) User Guide. I remember it said "Dad can make business reports, kids do homework and in free times usar electronic games.Even Grand Pa could use the computer, a modern system but easy to use." It was much larger...
Press (xxxx) to adjust to 4.77 Mhz, or 10 Mhz.
4) Disks
I dont remember exactly, but one was XCOLLEGE, for make schools schedules, working on DOS 3.22 and the other wasn´t a boot disk.... was a telephone number software.
Also, the manual said "has a 2400 bps modem.... which can connect to stock information, but can´t send faxes -sofware required"
Chilean edition didn´t include this feature.
5) Transformer. I still have it... is 12V -very bulky and heavy, but cable is so thick that you can crush it with a tank and no problem.
6) Games Catridge.. no credits on the game (Erased?)
6.1)Road Fighter
6.2)
6.3)Galaxian
6.4)
6.5)Mario (the oldest.. pipeline - gotta hit POW button and turtles stunned.)
6.6)Pacman
6.7) Sky Destroyer
Don´t remember them all.. was a plastic yellow catridge shorter that classic NES... but used an adapter. You could plug in NES games and workrd perfectly. I played original games such as Toki, Mario 3 or Dr Mario, perfectly.
Games I played:
DOS:
Test Drive
Prince of Persia
Faces
Keyboard was in English, so didn´t have the Ñ key.
Any questions?Paz... i ´ll be glat to answer.
What can I say more than AWESOME!!!? ;D
Thanks a lot for all the information! How did you find about this thread? :D
Can I ask you some questions?
- My TwinHead came with no manual, so do you remember the key combination to put the machine in Turbo mode? (10MHz)
- Is the TwinHead power supply unregulated? There seems to be a switching PSU on the motherboard. I'm using it right now with a PC power supply but I'd like to get a regular transformer instead.
- Do you know if the 15-pin joystick port is Famicom compatible? I don't have the original controllers so I need the pinout to build an adapter.
Oh and BTW, my TwinHead did come with a Spanish keyboard, check the pictures ;).
Can I ask you some questions?
* My TwinHead came with no manual, so do you remember the key combination to put the machine in Turbo mode? (10MHz)
A: Ctrl + Alt + F4.... when booting ... (640 KB memory Good)
but don´t rememeber exactly after the sentence where it says the commands.
* Is the TwinHead power supply unregulated? There seems to be a switching PSU on the motherboard. I'm using it right now with a PC power supply but I'd like to get a regular transformer instead.
A: Well, I can´t find the transformer right now (it´s stored) and don´t understand exactly what does "unregulated" I remember the bulky and heavy transformer says: 1.5 A 12 V (but don´t remember negative ground)
* Do you know if the 15-pin joystick port is Famicom compatible? I don't have the original controllers so I need the pinout to build an adapter.
I´m afraid not. I remember original NES controller had fewer pins than Magenta, and also the pin design is to allow 2 joysticks , each one with turbo and PAUSE buttons. But I think´s is possible build one.
There is a forum where you can find a lot of info from people who loves these machines:
http://www.retrogames.cl/foro/viewtopic.php?t=280&sid=aa10fb9ab9c332e85703ba51aa9b7bde
Bye!
I forgot something. . . . . .
- There are several machines like this, labeled as Olivetti, even with
monitor....
-The graphics adapter is CGA - 4 color system.
-There´s a TV/Monitor switch in the back....60 or 80 cols.
Bye---
Thanks again! But I can't seem to get Turbo mode working :'(
...and BTW I'm on Retrogames too! ;D Same nickname and all ;)
I've just made a video review of the Twinhead PC-100. Check it out on Youtube: ;D
Twinhead PC-100 Review Part 1 - Overview and features (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaiYDio63EA)
Twinhead PC-100 Review Part 2 - PC XT subsystem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXs877qhGcA)
Twinhead PC-100 Review Part 3 - Famicom subsystem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvrN-ryGfXI)
Whoa, now that's really neat.
Greatings
Quote from: Magenta_Twinhead on June 30, 2008, 10:18:48 pm
4) Disks
I dont remember exactly, but one was XCOLLEGE, for make schools schedules, working on DOS 3.22 and the other wasn´t a boot disk.... was a telephone number software.
Sorry for necroposting, but about this I can Add that the other disk was a kind of game called "x-colgado" where you have to guess the word or the hangedman dies, and every wrong letter you enter the hanged man lost some bodypart. a really cute game xD
Brandimer OUT...