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  • Joined: 26 Feb 2020
  • Posts: 13
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SF-7000 prototype unit
Post Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2023 12:23 am
In the first issue of SEGA Computer magazine published by Nomac, there appears to be a photo of a prototype SF-7000 unit, with the floppy drive much closer to the left side (https://archive.org/details/Sega_Computer_1984-07_Nomac_Publishing_NZ/page/n13/mode/2up). The article calls it a SF-6000 but Game Machine does call the unit SF-7000 in all its coverage of the add-on starting in may's Micon Show '84 (https://archive.org/details/game-machine-magazine-19840701p/page/n4/mode/1up).

The white front panel of the unit also caught my eye, but it appears that at least some were made with it for publicity stills (https://archive.org/details/popcom-198412/page/n17/mode/1up)
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  • Joined: 20 Dec 2004
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  • Location: Lyon, France
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Post Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2023 8:20 am
Nice find !
Reminded me a bit this version (colorwise)
https://www.smspower.org/forums/files/15011750192_0dc81520ed_k_153.jpg
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  • Joined: 26 Feb 2020
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Post Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2024 5:25 pm
looks like sega's own history page also has a flyer with a white model shown (https://web.archive.org/web/20140301193552im_/http://sega.jp/fb/segahard/sc3000/peri/sf7000_01a.jpg)
prior to sc-3000 release, articles already made mention of an "expansion unit" in development (monthly micom '83 #7, pg. 540), and sega themselves started giving details about it around the time of the sc-3000 launch (monthly micom '83 #8, pg. 56 bottom left), specifically that it has five attachment slots, 300 baud acoustic coupler, and uses minifloppies (which afaik refers to the 5" floppies of the time, though hitachi and maxell were already trying to push their brand new 3" rectangle floppies at this point, which sega would later adopt for the peripheral).
another curiosity, i've come across a modern jp article on the sc-3000 (https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/retrohard/1225316.html), and in it there's a claim that the sf-7000 was advertised to also work with the msx - i haven't made it far enough in these magazines to see sf-7000 ads yet, but i'll be on the lookout for it when the time comes - a few users on the smspower discord said this is highly unlikely to be possible, but the cartridge connecter does look quite odd to me (i'm not a pcb/electrical engineer tho)
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  • Joined: 26 Feb 2020
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2024 1:34 pm
monthly micom basic has been helpful, both ads and news articles for sega are common in this mag ^^ seems up until release sega was using the white model for all their promotional images. the second image is after release (dec '84) and has some interesting info in the bottom left blurb about the sf-7000...
the penultimate bullet point is "ワイドな互換性/MSXパソコンにも使える。", or "wide compatibility/can be used with msx computers"
i found where that rumoured msx compat came from, sega themselves!

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