--- title: Texas Instruments DS990 categories: - Computers types: - Professional Computer origins: - U.S.A. years: - '1980' cpus: - TMS-9900 params: name: DS990 image: /media/museum/photos/texasinstr_ds990_system_s1.jpg company: /companies/texas-instruments company_name: Texas Instruments specs: - label: NAME value: DS990 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Texas Instruments - label: TYPE value: Professional Computer - label: ORIGIN value: U.S.A. - label: YEAR value: '1980' - label: END OF PRODUCTION value: Unknown - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: None - label: KEYBOARD value: 88 key with numeric and arrow keypads, 10 function keys and 8 state led - label: CPU value: TMS-9900 (16-bit) - label: SPEED value: Unknown - label: RAM value: 64 KB - label: ROM value: 12 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 80 columns x 24 lines - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: None - label: COLORS value: Monochrome - label: SOUND value: Beeper - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 58.5 (W) x 58.5 (D) x 46.5 (H) - label: I/O PORTS value: 3 x serial, 1 FDD port - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: None - label: OS value: DX10, DNOS - label: POWER SUPPLY value: Built-in modular switching PSU - label: PERIPHERALS value: TI extension cards - label: PRICE value: Unknown tabs: - photos - hardware forum_thread: 999 photos: - title: LARGER VIEW subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/texasinstr_ds990_system_s2.jpg - title: TOP VIEW subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/texasinstr_ds990_topview_s1.jpg - title: SIDE VIEW subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/texasinstr_ds990_rightside_s1.jpg - title: REAR SIDE subtitle: '' text: Notice the three serial ports and the (blue) floppy disk unit connector. image: /media/museum/photos/texasinstr_ds990_rearside_s1.jpg - title: KEYBOARD subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/texasinstr_ds990_keyboard_s1.jpg - title: KEYBOARD DETAILS subtitle: '' text: Left and right keypads. Notice the 8 status leds. image: /media/museum/photos/texasinstr_ds990_keyboard_s2.jpg - title: RUNNING subtitle: '' text: Main menu of the TI utilities disk. image: /media/museum/photos/texasinstr_ds990_bootscreen_s1.jpg - title: COMPLETE SYSTEM subtitle: '' text: With a dual 8" floppy disk unit and a serial printer/terminal. image: /media/museum/photos/texasinstr_ds990_completesystem_s1.jpg - title: 'INSIDE #1' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/texasinstr_ds990_inside_s2.jpg - title: 'INSIDE #2' subtitle: '' text: |- A large cooling fan separates the logic cards and the power supply unit.\ **(1)** Serial cards dedicated to video terminals or printers\ **(2)** CPU card\ **(3)** RAM card\ **(4)** Display card\ **(5)** Floppy disk controller cards\ **(6)** Modular switching PSU cards\ **(7)** The large fan is enclosed between the logic cards and the PSU image: /media/museum/photos/texasinstr_ds990_inside_s1.jpg - title: 'INSIDE #3' subtitle: '' text: A single backplane supports the PSU cards (green slots) and the logic cards ((black slots). image: /media/museum/photos/texasinstr_ds990_backplane_s1.jpg hardware: - title: INSIDE THE FD UNIT subtitle: '' text: 15 years of advances made in technology have elapsed between this massive dual 8" FD unit (about 30 kg) and a 100-gram 3.5" floppy drive which provides more than twice as much storage capacity. image: /media/museum/hardware/texasinstr_ds990_fdunit_s1.jpg - title: FLOPPY DISC DRIVES subtitle: '' text: |- Both sides of the 8" Qume floppy disk drive.\ Some technical features:\ • 300 rounds per minute\ • 128 bytes per sector\ • 26 sectors per track\ • 77 tracks per diskette\ • 3328 bytes per track\ • 256,256 bytes per diskette image: /media/museum/hardware/texasinstr_ds990_fddrives_s1.jpg - title: OMNI 800 TERMINAL/PRINTER subtitle: Model 820 RO (Read Only) text: |- Under the Omni 800 label, T.I. released numerous professional printers and terminals. Most of them acted as a remote input/output unit.\ This version has a covered operator control keypad, but other models featured a complete typewriter keyboard. image: /media/museum/hardware/texasinstr_ds990_printer_s1.jpg - title: OMNI 800 TERMINAL/PRINTER subtitle: Model KSR text: Thanks to its typewriter keyboard, this version was a true interactive terminal. image: /media/museum/hardware/texasinstr_ds990_printer_s2.jpg - title: 'CPU CARD #1' subtitle: '' text: Notice the beeper and the keyboard connector on the right-hand side. image: /media/museum/hardware/texasinstr_ds990_cpucard_s1.jpg - title: TMS-9900 PROCESSOR subtitle: '' text: A nice ceramic version of the 16-bit TMS-9900 CPU. image: /media/museum/hardware/texasinstr_ds990_processor_s1.jpg - title: 'RAM CARD #1' subtitle: '' text: 64 KB RAM card populated with 32 x 4116 RAM chips (16K x 1 bit). image: /media/museum/hardware/texasinstr_ds990_ramcard_s1.jpg - title: 'RAM CARD #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/texasinstr_ds990_ramchips_s1.jpg oc_id: 1025 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230330025208/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1025 date: '2023-03-30' --- This DS990/1 system was the basic model of the DS990 series which was also comprised of the **990/2**, **990/4**, **990/10** and **990/12** models. They were targeted as multi-user business systems, and ran the DX10 then the DNOS (Distributed Network Operating System) OS's. The 990/1 was the only version including its own video display, although up to three serial dumb video terminals could be connected as well. Other versions had a separate main unit managing several terminals, mass storage and printers. The core of the system was a true 16-bit microprocessor, the TMS-9900, also made by T.I., and mounted later in the first 16-bit home computer, the [TI-99/4](/museum/texas-instruments-ti-99-4a/). Apart from the dumb terminals, interface cards allowed to connect a serial printer and a single or dual 8" floppy disk unit.