PAL TI has different cassette port than NTSC TI?

[mäsäxi]

My TI was missing cassette cable (which connects cassette recorder to TI), I contacted the seller and he searched and found one for me afterwards, but said it was unfortunately for the US model and looks different than the port at the backside of my TI, so it won´t plug to my TI. I didn´t knew there could be any difference between cassette ports in the same machine, no matter where they were sold.

 

At the backside of my TI-99/4A there is a port which looks exactly like 9-pin joystick port. I guess this must be the cassette port as TV modulator cable and power supply cable are plugged in already. So there is different looking port in the US machine?

 

Is there any (cheap) adapter for connecting US cassette cable to my TI? Or could somebody nice european person sell me european TI-99/4A cassette cable for reasonable price?

 

 

Thank you in advance,

MäSäXi

[Stuart]

The cassette port is exactly the same across all the models. It's only the video port connector that is different.

[Willsy]

There is no difference at all. USA/European cassette cables are all the same. They are a 9-pin D-type at the console end (female). See this picture from mainbyte.com

 

[sometimes99er]

Ending up buying a TI that has been modified, is an increasing chance/risk.

[am1933]

There is no difference at all. USA/European cassette cables are all the same. They are a 9-pin D-type at the console end (female). See this picture from mainbyte.com

 

AAAAAAAGGHHHHHHAAAAAAA, the biege nightmares are coming back!!!!!!!

[RobertLM78]

AAAAAAAGGHHHHHHAAAAAAA, the biege nightmares are coming back!!!!!!!

I've grown to accept the beige units, even though they are in no way as pretty as the originals.

[Willsy]

Yep. They're butt ugly huh?

[+OLD CS1]

There is something oddly attractive about them. I am obtaining my second one. In fact, just traded one of my last silver and black consoles.

 

So.... are the beige consoles the new moped?

[mäsäxi]

Thank you for your replies, and thank you Astharot for offering to help to get a cable. I took some photos, I will show them first. For me, these things look unmodified, but please share your knowledge with me. I can understand if somebody makes Atari type joystick port or makes a new expansion port for homemade hardware, but I cannot think a reason why somebody would modify a cassette port though, if they are all the same. Also, are joystick ports of my both TIs the original ones? I can see metal clips under them.

Edited August 27, 2014 by mäsäxi

[+OLD CS1]

The metal tabs under the joystick port are normal. Your consoles look unmodified to me. Inside could be a different story, but I neither see nor suspect any reason to think that these consoles are modified internally to that regard.

[mäsäxi]

Thank you, it was a relief to hear that! On the sides there are no extra homemade ports either.

[mäsäxi]

Just wanted to mention that I got a cassette cable.

[Omega-TI]

Thank you, it was a relief to hear that! On the sides there are no extra homemade ports either.

 

I've always wondered what kind of projects could be made using the remote line on the cassette port, assuming it's switchable without calling the cassette routine. With the proper support circuitry a guy to use the TI to turn on or off a single device. What the heck that would be, I dunno.

[RXB]

RXB has CALL IO command

 IO                                                   PAGE I11
          -------------------------------------------------------------
 
          CASSETTE INPUT/OUTPUT/VERIFY INSTUCTION
 
          Format         CALL IO(type,length,vdp-address[,...])
 
           The three different cassette I/O instuctions use the same
          format. The write and read instructions physically perform
          Input/Output to the cassette. The verify instruction will
          read a tape and compare it, byte by byte, against what is in
          the specified vdp area. All will report an  I/O error if one
          is detected.
          No prompts are present with these three formats. These three
          types control the cassette directly so no prompt will tell
          the user to turn on or off the cassette record/play buttons.
          The programmer must inform the user with his own prompt.
 
          Programs
 
          Presently I have no cassette to write programs with.
 
          AUDIO GATE
          ----------
          CRU bit 24 is the audio gate which allows data being read to
          be heard. If the bit is set to 1, the data being read is
          heard, and if the bit is set to 0, the data is not heard.
          Setting the bit to a 0 or 1 is done with an IO instruction, or
          a Assembly instruction.
 
          MOTOR CONTROL
          -------------
          There are two CRU bits (22 and 23) used to control cassettes
          1 and 2, respectively. When there is no Cassette IO being
          done, both motors remain on. When Cassette IO is specified,
          the DSR (Device Service Routine) will control the data being
          read. If there are two motor units connected, the data will be
          read simultaneously, or you may have the option of reading
          data from one motor unit and playing the recorded voice from
          another motor unit through the TV (Monitor) speaker.
 
          
          *NOTE:
          Compatibility with or without 32K or other devices is not a
          concern as IO needs no RAM to work with. Therefore from just
          a console all IO commands will work fine. If you only have a
          Cassette and RXB you can quickly load/save/verify without
          menus, or just make up your own.

Using only a TI and RXB Cart you have direct control over the Cassette motor or read/write lines with no memory expansion or Assembly needed at all from XB programs.

Edited September 10, 2014 by RXB

[mäsäxi]

With the proper support circuitry a guy to use the TI to turn on or off a single device. What the heck that would be, I dunno.

 

2-in-1: To turn on and off the lights in your house. And then automatically ignite your house.

[Gary from OPA]

 

2-in-1: To turn on and off the lights in your house. And then automatically ignite your house.

 

Us old-timers here remember the X10 Powerhouse sold in Radio Shacks around the usa, and there was a version of software made for the TI99 by Corcomp, see here for more info:

 

ftp://ftp.whtech.com/datasheets%20and%20manuals/Command%20Module%20manuals/99%20Home%20Century%20%28CorComp%29%20and%20X10%20Powerhouse%20manuals.pdf

 

It is amazing back 30 years we had better shit, then there is out there today, just now they getting back into smarthouses with apps using your android phone, but that shit the TI99 did long time ago.

 

EDIT: It used the joystick port as interface, not the cassette port.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Gary from OPA

[+OLD CS1]

I tried to get my dad to buy us some the X10 stuff for the TI. MANY years later I have several X10 modules and a controller but no TI interface.

[Omega-TI]

I tried to get my dad to buy us some the X10 stuff for the TI. MANY years later I have several X10 modules and a controller but no TI interface.

 

I still use X10 stuff at my place. I actually wanted to interface my TI but was unable to get the Firecracker module to work from the RS-232 line on the Nano-PEB or TI-RS-232 so I abandoned the effort.

 

X10 appliance modules are also temper-mental with new technology which is why they are fading from common use. They simply do not like LED lighting, which I assume is because of the one way nature of diodes. They also have issues with power transformers, and almost everything now days has one. I'm down to just controlling 5 different lights with my hand held remotes.

[mäsäxi]

 

Us old-timers here remember the X10 Powerhouse sold in Radio Shacks around the usa, and there was a version of software made for the TI99 by Corcomp

It is amazing back 30 years we had better shit, then there is out there today, just now they getting back into smarthouses with apps using your android phone, but that shit the TI99 did long time ago.

 

 

 

I still use X10 stuff at my place. I actually wanted to interface my TI but was unable to get the Firecracker module to work from the RS-232 line on the Nano-PEB or TI-RS-232 so I abandoned the effort.

 

X10 appliance modules are also temper-mental with new technology which is why they are fading from common use. They simply do not like LED lighting, which I assume is because of the one way nature of diodes. They also have issues with power transformers, and almost everything now days has one. I'm down to just controlling 5 different lights with my hand held remotes.

That X10 was in my mind, when I wrote my joke. For that second feature, igniting your own house, I just thought that old stuff might not be able to handle modern electrics stuff well. I never knew about X10, until I read it from the web few years ago. I do remember reading enthusiastic news and columns what could be done with computers, like commanding all your home electronics with your own computer etc, but mostly columns just said later that those things never happened. The nearest things were to read about fellows who made their computer to control some devices, like some photographer made his Sinclair ZX-81 able to take good bird photos. Now I know such things what were mentioned in columns actually existed. But not here.

 

It was very nice to read now that somebody still uses X10 at home! Since from which year you have used it? Please tell me more! Maybe it would need it´s own topic.