acadiel

Thanks for the model! I'm giving a friend to this to print.

Nope, no software unfortunately.

This is so cool. So many what if’s here... what if our GPL for the /4A weren’t in GROM....

The box of docs is here. Yeah. Be prepared to be blown away. I had to order an 11x17 large format document scanner, a file cabinet, and folders to start parsing through this. Here’s some pictures/previews of tidbits you guys might like.... how about a 99/3B? @Ksaruland I now have about $2000 invested in this, so if you’d like to donate to the cause, please feel feee to PM us.

Heh. I just got one of those very computers. Thats why I went down the rabbit hole of looking at different speed cassette recorders. The technical manual and cassette format is well documented on several sites. IMG_9803.MOV

Looking at a quantity of bids - Yahoo Auctions in Japan puts this (this is a direct screen cap from an item I was looking at...) Maybe it's just the translation software, but, wow....

And regular cassette players somehow did 600/1200/2400bps on a lot of Japanese computers. Was this also varying speeds? Or just different quality heads?

Resin based molds fascinate me - I've seen probably a half dozen of the videos on Facebook and YouTube that friends have shared. Don't ask me why, but someone just did one of a hot dog for some reason. Molds are picky - and 3D printing is well. I haven't gone beyond investing in 3D printing past my 2014 era Micro 3D+ printer (which my daughter still messes with). Stuff has improved in the past six years, but I'm still considering doing something like this:

Yep - ahead of you here, I've been looking it up. A 5' section of cable would run around $15 or so: https://www.newark.com/3m/3600b-50-300/shielded-multiconductor-cable/dp/52F7603 The end connectors are like $8 or so: https://phoneman.com/25-pair-cables-and-blocks/25-pair-diy-amp-connectors/ So yeah, this would be terribly expensive, but would need a minimum commitment of 60 units (to deal with a spool of 300' of cable x 5ft/ea). Edit: I still haven't figured out how to search for cable that's more 'flexible' vs 'rigid' in the 25 pair realm. I know the flexible shielded kind exists, I've seen it.

This is what it takes to crimp a 50 pin connector - just in case you haven't seen it

That might actually work. A replacement PCB for the speech synth, including the speech chips, buffer chips, and the Centronics port.

I think that was the thought with the 99/8 and one of its prototype connectors. Right angle Centronics type connector, thick round cable to PEB card. That might be doable. Most of the part of the “foot” is for stability. The buffers don’t take much space. Maybe a daughter card and adapter to Centronics and the same on the other end - the Flex cable card could be replaced too as part of this. Daughter/EDGE adapter card with buffers to Centronics connector. Centronics 50 pin connector to Centronics 50 pin on new Flex Cable interface card, which has same buffers, etc, just a Centronics jack. Challenges to this include finding shielded cable and splicing the connectors on the 50 pin cable. Ask any 1A2 phone guy that still has the tool to put a right angle Centronics onto wire - it’s an art. There’s also the soldering way.

Great job, Klaus! Did you see my thread on how similar the cartridge pinouts is as well? Only time will tell if TI had a license agreement with Tomy. I don’t know if people like @tanam1972 can try to find Tomy employees from the 1980s in order to ask those questions.

The cartridge pinout is close: Pin TI-99/4A Tutor 1 RESET GND 2 GND GND 3 D7 D7 4 CRUCLK* N/C 5 D6 D6 6 CRUIN N/C 7 D5 D5 8 A15/OUT A15/CRUOUT 9 D4 D4 10 A13 A13 11 D3 D3 12 A12 A12 13 D2 D2 14 A11 A11 15 D1 D1 16 A10 A10 17 D0 D0 18 A9 A9 19 VCC/+5V VCC 20 A8 A8 21 GS* /CS CROM1 22 A7 A7 23 A14 A14 24 A3 A3 25 DBIN A2 26 A6 A6 27 GROMCLK GROMCLK 28 A5 A5 29 VDD/-5V /DBIN 30 A4 A4 31 GROM RDY /WE /CPUCLK 32 WE* N/C 33 Vss (GND) N/C 34 ROMG* N/C 35 GND /CS CROM0 36 Vss (GND) N/C

I’ve always wanted to show this comparison. The form factors are almost virtually identical, and yes, they fit right into the /4A. Logic and layout inside is completely different, though. I will compare the pinout between the two as soon as I get a chance.

There were different sizes. Stay tuned for the documentation @Ksarul and I are providing. It will state the different lengths and sizes they were going to support.

@Ksarul and I have purchased an 18Kg lot of documents from CB Wilson’s estate. Most of this is likely related to the ALC (CC-40), Hexbus, and other early development notes. I won’t know the depth of what’s in it until it comes in next week, but it’s all of CB’s documentation from what I understand. It might even have /4A and /4 materials in it. I’ll start sorting it to start scanning it in as soon as I receive it. The content will be put into this thread (to keep it in one place), and also put on Whtech for everyone. Ksarul and I would like to thank Brian G for allowing us to purchase this entire lot to preserve. We spent quite a bit of money on it (almost $1600 between us), but believe this is worth it. It will tell the story of the earlier days at TI, why things happened the way they did with the CC-40, Wafertape, Hexbus, and more. (We won’t say no to donations from the community to help defray the cost.) Here is a sneak preview thanks to Brian. It’s just a sample. I’m humbled to be able to preserve this, just as I was with the Gram Kracker materials.

Some experimental videos - for science. Saving on a TI-99/2 and attempting to load on a 99/4A: Saving on a TI-99/2 and attempting to load on a CC-40: Saving to a Waftertape drive:

Someone's gonna come here after buying that Geneve because of this: > Stays at boot screen It *does* have a PFM in it, though, and if I recall - it tries to boot from the PFM memory first. Then, you can also hit SPACE to select the boot disk.

It's getting bidded on quite a bit too. private listing - bidders' identities protected $580.00 21 Oct 2020 at 9:18:15AM PDT private listing - bidders' identities protected $570.00 21 Oct 2020 at 9:18:15AM PDT private listing - bidders' identities protected $540.00 21 Oct 2020 at 9:16:14AM PDT private listing - bidders' identities protected $510.00 21 Oct 2020 at 9:15:56AM PDT private listing - bidders' identities protected $480.00 21 Oct 2020 at 9:15:52AM PDT private listing - bidders' identities protected $450.00 21 Oct 2020 at 9:02:40AM PDT private listing - bidders' identities protected $440.00 21 Oct 2020 at 9:02:36AM PDT private listing - bidders' identities protected $425.00 21 Oct 2020 at 9:02:33AM PDT private listing - bidders' identities protected $410.00 21 Oct 2020 at 8:58:32AM PDT

Here's an older page of @tanam1972 https://tms9918.hatenablog.com/entry/2018/05/15/110023 Technical information on his game adapter: https://tms9918.hatenablog.com/entry/2018/12/15/142407 A game adapter that allows you to run 32KB ROMs, etc. in the expansion slot of the first Pyuta. If you write the BIOS to 27C512 on the ROM writer, it will be upgraded to mk2. Pyuta It is not available in Jr/mk2. It is only for the first generation Pyuta. 1: The second half of 27C512 (8000-FFFF) 2: First half of 27C512 (0000-7FFF) 16: BIOS valid range (0000-3FFF) 32: BIOS valid range (0000-7FFF) KILL: Disables the main BIOS and enables the BIOS written to 27C512 Cartridging G-BASIC Games: https://tms9918.hatenablog.com/entry/2018/02/12/234003 TMS9918 program: https://tms9918.hatenablog.com/entry/2016/01/17/000815 Try connecting the RAM & ROM cartridge to Pyuta's expansion slot Part 6: https://tms9918.hatenablog.com/entry/2018/01/18/211846 There is a lot more on his blog. @tanam1972 - Can you please post some of your best article links? Thanks!

Hey Klaus - do you know where the Pyuuta ROM0 is? I'd like to do something similar with the Pyuuta ROM0 and the Tutor ROM0.

My adapter just came in as well as Door Door. Thanks, @tanam1972 - that was quick! I think we need to probably have a hardware wiki thread where we explain all these home brew boards and what they do.

Jim - if you know - I see that Door Door on the left has 32K RAM as well as the ROM - is that because this cartridge needs the additional RAM? (Much like our TI program do?) Also, please explain the game adapter on the right - I notice it has a BIOS chip. It obviously can work on both systems, but why the BIOS?

Feel free to offer corrections, and I'll edit this as needed... BASIC: Pyuuta: The Japanese Pyuuta didn't have regular BASIC built in. They released it on a cartridge with a parallel port. The system only had one ROM (the OS and G-BASIC). There is no provision for a second ROM on the motherboard. Japanese G-BASIC (a very stripped down version of BASIC) was built in, and here's an archive.org page with the commands: http://web.archive.org/web/20150319073438/http://www.toragiku.com/kopa/pyuta4.htm Tutor: The USA version had the full version of BASIC (16K) on a second ROM. The USA Tutor also had G-BASIC (stripped down BASIC) as well: http://web.archive.org/web/20150319073438/http://www.toragiku.com/kopa/pyuta4.htm Questions/FAQs: Will Tutor BASIC work in the same 16K address space on a Pyuuta? Can Pyuuta BASIC-1 or Tutor BASIC be added to a SuperCart? https://team-europe.blogspot.com/2020/09/tomy-tutorpyuuta-ultimate-multicart.html does not list BASIC-1 https://atariage.com/forums/topic/312535-my-tutor-homebrew-pcb-collection/ also shows cartridge hardware that could possibly be used