--- title: Texas Instruments Portable Professional Computer (PPC) categories: - Computers types: - Transportable origins: - U.S.A. years: - '1983' cpus: - Intel 8086 params: name: Portable Professional Computer (PPC) company: /companies/texas-instruments company_name: Texas Instruments specs: - label: NAME value: Portable Professional Computer (PPC) - label: MANUFACTURER value: Texas Instruments - label: TYPE value: Transportable - label: ORIGIN value: U.S.A. - label: YEAR value: November 1983 - label: KEYBOARD value: QWERTY full-stroke keyboard with arrow keys and separated numeric keypad - label: CPU value: Intel 8086 - label: SPEED value: 5 Mhz - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: optional 8087 arithmetic co-processor - label: RAM value: 64k (up to 768k) - label: TEXT MODES value: 80 x 25 - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 720 x 300 max. - label: COLORS value: 'yes' - label: SOUND value: Beeper - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: |- 47 x 42 x 19 cm\ 12 kg with the monochrom monitor\ 14 kg with the color monitor - label: I/O PORTS value: Parallel/Centronics port, 5 expansion slots (non IBM compatible), 4 x serial ports (optional) - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: 5''1/4 disk-drive (320k) (second disk-drive and hard-disk optional) - label: OS value: |- MS-DOS 2.1 (CP/M 86, UCSD P-system, Prologue and Concurrent CP/M 86 also available).\ Zenix was planned... - label: POWER SUPPLY value: Built-in PSU - label: PERIPHERALS value: Second 5''1/4 disk-drive, 10Mb or 20Mb hard-drive, RAM expansion cards, Voice recognition card, Ethernet, card (released ?) - label: PRICE value: |- 64k model : 2965$ (USA, november 1983)\ 64k model : 3765 (France, 1984) tabs: - photos photos: - title: PPC subtitle: '' text: Thanks to chrism3667 for the picture image: null - title: DETAIL subtitle: '' text: Thanks to chrism3667 for the picture image: null - title: CLOSED subtitle: '' text: Thanks to chrism3667 for the picture image: null - title: REAR subtitle: '' text: Thanks to chrism3667 for the picture image: null comments: - author: cmnmicro (Simi Valley, CA, USA) date: Saturday 28th March 2020 text: I have a fully functional TI PPC with compatible software. MS_DOS, CPM, Word Processing, VisiCalc etc. Like to sell 805-501-3435 - author: StefanoB date: Friday 23rd June 2017 text: |- Digging on the web archives I think I found the GSX-86 graphics driver (named TICOLOR1.SYS).\ It means that it should be possible to run MSDOS and CPM86 graphics applications (such as DR-DRAW and DR-GRAPH). - author: Gerald (spokane washington 99203) date: Thursday 8th September 2011 text: I have one of these computers , would like to sell 5092511850 All works - author: popeye55 date: Tuesday 25th January 2011 text: Is there any software out there for this computer? How about, can I call Texas . Or TI? - author: popeye55 date: Tuesday 25th January 2011 text: My boss has a PPC and would like to know if anyone knows what a 0005 error is. and what is this computer worth on todays market. Thanks - author: Teacherau (Texas) date: Wednesday 15th December 2010 text: |- I need a keyboard cable for the TI Portable Professional computer. Please contact me if you have one or know where I can get one. Thanks, teacherau@hotmail.com - author: John date: Monday 24th November 2008 text: |- I''m looking for a 1983 TI professional computer in WORKING condition.\ If you have one or know where I can find one please email me at: jonniejonner@gmail.com - author: Jeremie (Rocklin, California,) date: Sunday 14th November 2004 text: |- Does anyone know where I can purchase an original keyboard, system disks, or manuals for this computer?\ Thanks,\ Jeremie\ jeremie.lariviere@gmail.com - author: Chris (New Jersey) date: Friday 16th July 2004 text: Does anyone remember the magazine that was devoted to the TIPC/TIPPC? It probably only lasted a year or so. Originally I think it was on newsprint, but went to a glossy format. Anyone got any? Hey thanks :)>. - author: Stephen (Texas) date: Wednesday 12th February 2003 text: |- I have one of these and was wondering what it was worth? Thanks and God bless!! oc_id: 472 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608142726/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=472 date: '2023-06-08' --- Basicaly, the TI PPC was the transportable version of the TI PC, with which it was entirely compatible. It was one of the few transportable systems to be available with an optional built-in color monitor, back in 1983. The standard version had a classic 9'' monochrome monitor built-in. Unfortunately the advantages of the PC Portable compared to IBM's offer was not obvious. It was not really compatible (IBM disks could be read, and that was basically all) and IBM expansion cards could not be used.\ Despite this lack of real compatibility, some software were adapted to the TI Portable PC like for instance, Lotus 1-2-3 or VisiOn.\ A few programming languages were available: Basic, Pascal, C-Basic, Cobol and RM-Cobol. The graphical possibilities were quite different and significantly better than for the IBM PC, with for example, a maximum resolution is of 720 x 300 pixels. To make a IBM PC graphic program to run on a TI PC you would have to use BIOS or DOS calls. The TI PPC had only 64k RAM that could be expanded up to 768k using quite expensive memory cards. Like its desktop brother, the PC Portable could eventually be equiped with a voice recognition feature (for almost the price of the computer itself !) that allowed to control the basic functions of the computer and some softwares, as a diary and a phone book. With the optional hard-disk installed, it was possible to store up to 8 hours of speech. Another interesting feature was its Ethernet card indoduced in 1983, designed by a young company called 3COM.