Tauon PC 1 a new H3 retro computer

herbiekun

Ordered a Tauon Pc 1 of eBay with the intention of putting the original basic engine board inside.
it did not fit and was not able to modify the basic engine board myself so I put the Tauon aside.
Recently upon returning to the forum I was delighted to find there was an H3 version of Engine Basic.
The Tauon PC 1 has an H3 orangePi compatible baoard inside. So I loaded the H3 version of Engine Basic
on it and been using it ever since.

Dmian

I would like to see how the OPi fits in there. I've seen videos of the system, and it looks a bit cheap, but if it's sturdy and works fine, it's a nice way to integrate a system. It's a long way from something like a C64, but there are not many alternatives to choose from. The RPi 400 surely can't fit a card inside, since the main board is a completely different form factor.

herbiekun

No the opi will not fit in unless modified, The joystick connector is too high and would need to be moved for it to fit.
I find the Tauon to be sturdy enough and the makers encorage putting other boards inside. A ps2 keyboard adapter might be able to fit inside.

My next project is to convert an old color computer 2 into a basic engine![.

uli

Woah, I did not know that such a thing existed! Super neat!

MC10Guru

Ahoy all,
I'm new here. I've had a Tauon PC-1 since 12/20. I bought it after exploring several hobby computer boards. The stock OS (a modified Android) is nice and updated often. But I really wanted a BASIC computer to relive my 1980s experience. With the H3 version of EngineBASIC I found the answer. I'm using it with composite output (screen 3 to see it right) and loading a TI99/4a font. If I could get the screen colors working right (lt green or lt blue with black font) It would be like 1982 all over again.

I have an OPi PC but I don't have it on my test bench. I will try it next. So far the BASIC works fine on the Tauon PC-1. The sound works on my Craig 19" in composite but not HDMI. On my LG 24" sound works on HDMI.

One note on the Tauon PC-1: it runs HOT! Without a fan it hits 70-85 dC in a few mins. I have a clamp-on laptop fan that works fine at a lower speed to keep it under 50 dC.

Thanks for all the hard work. I'll share any programs I make if I can. I'm already missing "PRINT USING"...

DaveyB

painintheworld

That is great to here, MC10Guru , because I just ordered one myself 🙂 The makers of the Tauon PC are putting them up at times on eBay with a starting price of $29...and that is what I paid 🙂

In regards to the HDMI audio, I've bought three Orange Pis. One was just an HDMI audio out lemon (not working with Engine BASIC, Android, or Linux), so I soldered a 3.5mm audio pigtail to it. The other two are finicky about whether they work or not with the displays I've tried. I've had better luck using devices that are sold as monitors instead of televisions.