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kl99

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Posts posted by kl99

  1. Posted

    Some update:
    Piero from Italy contacted me. He also owns this machine and his is running. He is still in search of an actual operating system on disk.

    He offered me to program new PROM chips, the ones which have some broken legs on my unit.

    He also has the Graphics Rom Kit that comes on 2 chips and allows sort of Graphic on the VDU. Also I will get those programmed by him.

     

    Just now the TMS4116 Ram replacement chips arrived.

    Also I am have bougth myself an oscilloscope.

    • Like 2

  2. Posted

    So have people figured something out as a workaround? If it were GRAM, you could put the word for "B" and the target in two consecutive words, and jump to the "B". But in GROM?

     

    Can you calculate the absolute address inside your program and write the result into a Register and use that to branch to?

    Isn't the current GROM program location stored in Scratch Pad RAM ?

    You could read out that value in your beginning of your program to figure out from which memory location your Gpl is currently executed and calculate the offset from there.

    • Like 1

  3. Posted

    Klaus, did you try the above test program as well? (#187)

     

    I have my 99/2 stored away again. I am little bit low of space currently due to the huge DS990 machine opened and spreaded across two tables. On Friday I fly away. Did you verify that the program works in the emulated 99/2?

     

    Regarding character definitions, didn't you see the little man I once posted:

     

    Character Definitions start at >1C00 and go up to >1FFF.

    It includes small caps letters as the 99/4a.

    The very last character "1C3E6B7F633E1436" is some leavebehind message of the engineers it seems.

     

    attachicon.gifcharacter-definitions.png

    You can see that the characters before Ascii 32 (space) are used for Block Art Drawings.

  5. Posted

    Our local TI-99 Usergroup in Austria started talking about making a TI-99 Laptop.

    While one guy prefers to cut an original 99/4A Mainboard using the F18A and a nanoPEB, I would prefer to design a dedicated PCB. Doing that would simply allow learning a lot more from such a project.

    From this (still not working) TI DS990-1 Commercial Computer I am learning so much about Hardware, Diagnosis and Electronics.

    And I am keen to do more in this direction.

     

    From any design it would be key to maintain compatibility with existing operating systems (Geneve, 99/4, 99/4A, 99/8, 99/2, TI-990).

    I am really suprised there was so few interest shown in this thread.

  6. Posted

    Testing twice the 32kb speed test program

     

    Testing once the 24kb speed test program

     

    Testing CALL CLEAR behavior. It shows that CALL CLEAR blanks the screen and CALL GCHAR returns that value 32 (blank) is at every screen location. Instead of the value 255, that mizapf expected.

  9. Posted

    Hi again!

    The cable situation was not easy. There is no audio out on the 99/2, at least not without a NTSC Tuner in your Television.

    This never was a problem since there is no sound output, and therefore a PAL Tuner can be used for the black/white video.

    Therefore I can not tell you, whether the 99/2 would output the tape recording sound on the television like it does on the 99/4(A) when recording/loading a program. So you don't hear what you record or read in.

     

    The 99/2 is not featuring a 9 pin port for the tape recorder, but two mono(?) jacks, one for input, one for output, and no motor control for the tape recorder.

     

    I was able to record a single line program to tape, did it twice.

    ti-99-2-basic-prg.zip

     

    The line is 10 CALL CLEAR (or line number 100, i am unsure now).

     

    I was not able to OLD that program back into memory. Maybe it was some cable problem, since I only have and used stereo jacks on both ends.

     

    After I recorded the tape content via line out onto my laptop, which is currently having some hardware issues with sound output (it is silent unless headphones attached(, so it stayed a bit uneasy. The only program I found was Sound recorder which only provided wma as save format. So please bare in mind and transform to the target format.

     

    I can do more speed tests tonight. Shouldn't the display be rather filled with characters beyond ascii code 127 to trigger the EOL and allow more cpu time. I am not sure whether ascii char 32 triggers this.

  12. Posted

    Hi, I also welcome that step and want to thank you for those efforts. Including the goal to not undermine the original event and that efforts.

    It definately gives a trip to Chicago more TI depth.

    Personally I am facing a situation where my wife and me will be living from my income for the next two years, so she is able to return to school and do her certificates.

    So I can not tell yet how affordable a trip is for me. At the moment I am rather pessimistic, but indeed tempted.

     

    Did you double check on the Faire Date?

  14. Posted

    I was looking through eBay to find a replacement 9938 for my Geneve, I just burned out and in the process found this:

     

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/CorComp-Double-Sided-Double-Density-Disk-Controller-Repair-IC-Kit/152785506426?hash=item2392b9d07a:g:NBAAAOSwkLhaDrRi

     

    I then proceeded to ask this seller a question pertaining to the Pal chips:

    Sir, are the two PAL12L6CN DIP X 2PCS, programmed? Do they have the correct Jedec files logic to operate as a Corcomp Double sided Double Density controller? I am interested if they are? Would also like to order a Yamaha 9938 video chip at the same time.

     

    This was their reply:

    the PAL12L6CN is empty,I don't have file available for program, I currently don't have 9938,only 9958 available

     

    Isn't the 9938 here?

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/1PCS-Video-Display-Processor-IC-YAMAHA-DIP-64-V9938-V9938C/273089917833?epid=735380537&hash=item3f956d7389:g:DDEAAOSwB-1Y50Se

    • Like 2

  15. Posted

    Is this one worth scanning for The Collection or just noise being third party and all?

    SAMS Computer Facts, Computer: Texas Instruments TI-99/4A Model PHC004A, April 1984

     

    I picked it up pristine/sealed off of eBay - several 11"x17" photos of component locations with list by value/tolerance, troubleshooting, etcetera.

     

    This book is not yet digitized in any form at all, or is it? I didn't find it in The Cyc and not on whtech nor in Ernie Pergrem Digital Books Archive.

    I am highly interested on the content.

    • Like 2

  16. Posted

    The problem machines are the ones with the entire power supply contained in the external box. It outputs DC, as the space for the internal supply is filled with the board managing audio (connected to the slide switch). It is a really bad idea to try and use an AC-only power supply with these (it will destroy them if you succeed in getting the power cord inserted and plugged in). The DC-output supply also does bad things to the boards expecting 22VAC to the internal power supply. . .and early European supplies of both types were externally identical with the exception of the output identification data and model number, so it was horribly easy to mix them up.

     

    Thanks for this explanation. And thanks again Ksarul for letting this 99/4 ship to you 2 years back :)

  17. Posted

    Great news Michael!

    Sorry that my devices are currently not that ready to test things for you. My two desks are stuffed with stuff from the Ds990, which we are still trying to get to work. I was on the TI topic the whole weekend. Simply with other things. Trying out my first oscilloscope, tracing wires on the DS990 processor card to document it, reassembling one 99/4A, dissassembly and analyze of the 99/4,...

  18. Posted

    I checked my only TI-99/4 this weekend. It is assembled in 1981, motherboard shows 1037231-2, on mainbyte.com you can see a 1037231-1:

    http://www.mainbyte.com/ti99/computers/motherboard_ti994.html

    It is a NTSC version. The mainboard asks for the usual 12V, 5V and -5V. I can use my typical EU power supplies to get those values. The 99/4 is nicely working. I was wondering on the different kind of power supplies and internal power supplies for 99/4. I heard horror stories of people blowing their power supply. What did they do wrong?

  20. Posted

     

    I might be able to go to the SMU library in Dallas. Thank you for pointing this out!

    What sections do you think are most relevant? I think RG-14 Consumer Products Division.

     

    That would be awesome. I could only afford a trip from Europe to the USA when I combine it somehow with the Chicago Faire.

    With your guess you are probably correct. Some earlier documents show: "Personal Product Division" but that might have been migrated into the Consumer Products Division. Anybody knows that?

     

    What do you guys think, would be find the actual Grom schematics (TMC0430) and Cpu schematics in the Semiconductor Group?

    The TI-990 stuff was done by the Digital Systems Group but that is not listed.

     

    Personally I would be most interested in Specifications we don't have yet or we don't even know about that they exist and printouts of the commented original source code for the operating system of the TI-99/4, TI-99/4A, TI-99/2, TI-99/4B, TI-99/5, TI-99/7, CC-40, CC-40+. That would give such a deep insight.

    But whoever goes there should check for what we wants.

     

    I assume you need to know the code names for several products:

    Ground Squirrel = TI-99/2

    Armadillo = TI-99/8

    ALC = Advanced Language Calculator = CC-40, sometimes also they refer to the ALC Interface or Bus, then the Hex-Bus is meant

    Product 359 = TI Extended Basic

    Home Computer = TI-99/4 (there was only one in the beginning)

    Lonestar Console = ??? (also CC-40?)

     

    Here is my list of known Specification we are missing:

     

    Hex-Bus™ Interface Peripheral Specification (Spec, 1982-10-08)

    Hex-Bus™ Peripheral Bus Specification

    Hex-Bus™ Printer Software Functional Specification

    Hex-Bus™ Wafertape Software Functional Specification

    Hex-bus Cable sketches (Spec, 1983-04-11)

    Lonestar Console Intelligent Peripheral Bus Software Design Specification

    Hex-Bus™ Generic I/O Product Specification

    Advanced Language Calculator Product A Functional Specification

    Advanced Language Calculator Microtape Peripheral Functional Specification

     

    Disk Peripheral Hardware Specification (also known as 'Home Computer Disk Peripheral Hardware Specification')

    Approaches to a Double Density Disk Controller Design for the 99/4X (Spec, 1982-01-11)

    99/4 Interface Considerations, DS/SD Disk Controller Electrical Specifications (Spec, 1982-07-13)

    Data Sheet for FDC9216 Floppy Disk Data Separation from Standard Microsystems Corporation (1981)

    Disk Drive without Power Supply, TI Specification 1040367

    NEC uPD765 Single/Double Density Floppy Disk Controller Data Sheet (Spec, 1980-10)

    Functional Requirements for a Dual Density 5¼ Floppy Disk Controller Board(Spec, 1982-02-08)

    Home Computer Disk Peripheral Product Specification

     

    General Requirements for IC’s, Spec 1500005

    TI QRAs 10273 – Product Qualification

    TI QRAs 10332

    TI QRAs 10348

    TI QRAs 10349 – IC Qualification

    TI QRAs 16237

    FCC part 15, subpart J

    FCC Rules and Regulations, Part 15 Sub-parts, A, B, & H and Part 2, Subpart J

    FCC Docket 20780

    FCC Docket 20780, Part 15, Subparts H and I

    National Safe Transit Pre-shipment Test Procedure

    CSA STD C22.2-154

    MIL STD 105

    UL STD 114

    MIL STD 810B

    MIL STD 461

    MIL STD 462

    MIL STD 461A; 462 Methods CS01, CS02, CS06, RS01, RS02, RS03

    UL STD 461A; 462 Methods CS01, CS02, CS06, RS01, RS02, RS03

     

    Home Computer Basic Language Specification (Spec, 1979-04-12, Revision 4.1) also known as 'TI-99/4 Home Computer Basic Language Specification'

    Product 359 Basic Language Specification (Spec, 1980-01-28)

    Product 359 Basic Subprogram Specification (Spec, 1980-01-28)

    Product 359 Basic Sprite Specification(Spec, 1980-01-28)

    Product 359 Basic Interpreter Expansion RAM Peripheral Support Software Specification (Spec, 1980-01-28)

    Product 359 Basic Language Implementation and Verification Specification (Spec, 1980-01-28)

    Specification of a Texas Instruments Standard for the Basic Language (Spec, 1978-06-09)

    TI-99/4A Console Basic Software Specification (Software Spec)

     

    TMC0350 128-K Bit Rom Electrical Specification

    Speech Module Spec. 1034759

    TMS 5200 (old TMS 0285) Voice Synthesis Processor Data Manual

     

    TI-99/4 ALC Support Package (Spec)

     

    Home Computer Graphics Language Specification

    Home Computer Monitor Specification

    System Monitor Specification

    Graphics Language Monitor Specification

    Home Computer Floating Point Specification

    Home Computer Equation Calculator Specification

    Home Computer system memory, CRU, and interrupt mapping specification

    Software Development for the Texas Instruments Home Computer (Spec, 1979-05-24)

     

    Home Computer Functional Specification, also known as 'TI-99/4 Home Computer Functional Specification'

    Detailed System Specification

    RAM Expansion Specification

    Infrared Controller Specification

    Cassette Peripheral Specification

    I/O bus evaluation

    I/O Cable Specification

     

    Texas Instruments (DSG) Specification Control Drawing 984039 “Keyboard, Unencoded, without Keytops”

    TI EPN3621 Thermal Character Printhead Specification

    TI DSG Dwg. LU2214191 “Description, PVOLTs IC” – functional description of 2543

    TI DSG Dwg. 2210840 “IC, Switching Voltage Regulator” – data sheet on 2543

    TI DSG Dwg. LU2214194 “Specifications, Motor Drive IC” – func. descrip. 2444A

    TI DSG Dwg. 2210843 “Integrated Circuit, Motor Drive” – data sheet on 2444A

    TI DSG Dwg. 999256 “Motor, Stepping Paper Drive”

    TI DSG Dwg. LU2214192 “Specification, Power Good IC MOG 2613” – func. descrip. 2613

    TI DSG Dwg. 2211371 “Integrated Circuit, Power Good” – data sheet on 2613

     

    TMC0430 Graphics Read Only Memory Specification (Specification 1015960)

    TMS4732 Read Only Memory Manual

    TMS-4732/4364 Read Only Memory Specification

    TMS-4016 Random Access Memory Specification

    TMS4027 Random Access Memory Manual

    TMS4116 Random Access Memory Manual

    TMS9901 Input/Output Controller Manual

    ASTEC RF Module Specification (TI Specification 1501513)

    TMS 9918A Video Display Processor Preliminary Description (Spec)

    TMS9918 Video Display Processor Specification (Spec),

    TMS9918 VDP Video Display Processor Data Manual (Data Manual, 1979-06-25, Revised)

    9918A Data Sheets

     

    TMS9919 Sound Generator Controller Specification (Spec, 1979-10-16, Released)

    Sound Generator, SN94624 (Spec)

    SN76489AN (TMS9919) Data Specification for the Sound Generator

     

    RS-232/Parallel Port Software Design Specification (Spec)

    TMS9902 Asynchronous Communications Controller Specification Sheet (Spec)

    T DNCS.EM3278 [information on the operation of a TI 911 terminal]

    T DNCS.EMDIAL [information on the operation of a TI 820 terminal]

    SYNC-ANYNC Manual (TI#2223206-0001)

     

    TI 99/8 Personal Computer (Spec)

     

    TEC 380 (Spec)

    CF-40051 CRT Controller Gate Array Specification (Hardware Spec)

    CF-40052 I/O Controller Gate Array Specification (Hardware Spec)

    Ground Squirrel Mechanical Drawing Package (Hardware Spec)

    Ground Squirrel System Hardware Specification (Hardware Spec)

    Ground Squirrel Keyboard Specification (Hardware Spec)

    Ground Squirrel Software Module Specification (Hardware Spec)

    Ground Squirrel RAM Expansion Cradle Specification (Hardware Spec)

    Ground Squirrel ALC I/O Peripheral Bus Specification (Hardware Spec)

    Ground Squirrel System Software Specification (Software Spec)

    Ground Squirrel “Learn to Program” Tutor Specification (Software Spec)

    VDE STD 380 [Performance Spec]

    JIS STD (tbd) [Performance Spec]

     

    Home Computer Video Monitor Specification (Hardware Spec)

    Solid State Software™ Module Specification (Hardware Spec)

    Specification for PCB Mount Double Row Right Angle Header TI Part Number 1044501

    • Like 3

  21. Posted

    Hi Fabrice!
    We are still troubleshooting my DS990-1 unit.

     

    I am wondering if your DIP switch on the blue Processor board has any of its pin set to active?

    In total there are 8pins on that DIP switch.

    Mine was set with none active.

    John from Australia has pin 7 active.

    From the photos on old-computers.com one could imagine that pin 6 is active on your Processor board, but it is no safe bet.

    Can you confirm that?

    Do you have any documentation for this machine which is not on bitsavers.org?

     

    Here is some collected information:
    http://www.ti99.eu/?page_id=4416&lang=en

     

    I did a lot of tracing of the signals on the mainboard.

    post-27826-0-35700500-1525361592_thumb.jpg

     

    Also interesting is that the -5V are not forwarded from the test pin to the actual card slots, only to one of the power supply slots.

    So each board has to create the -5V if it needs it.

     

    Currently we try to get the minimum config of cards (Processor, Memory, VDU) to run to let it display a LOAD ERROR.

    That would be awesome. It does that on the DS990-1 unit from the Australian guy when he only runs the machine with three cards (and it is still his problem even when all cards are installed).

     

    Since the original power supply didn't output any voltages, we replaced the original power supply solution by a PC power supply and are driving the board like this.

    Then we figured that the CPU on the Processor board is broken, so we temporarly used the 9900 from the Floppy card and suddenly the CPU showed correct signals on the oscilloscope afterwards, so I ordered replacement CPUs.

    I also ordered replacement for the ram chips, TMS 4116. And the two PROM chips in U63 and U64 had some broken legs.

    Until know I never had a video signal on the VDU output pins, only two sync signals..

     

    For the next tests it would be really awesome to know how the DIP SWITCH is set on your machine.

     

    Thanks, Klaus

    • Like 1

  23. Posted

    You really do a great job! Congratulation!

    I'm happy that people who don't have these TI prototypes will be able to play with them too :-)

     

    I would like to know how many guys have a 99/4B or the 99/5. Do you have information about that? I can't imagine that it only remains one 99/5. During so many years I search another owner of this rare bird but I haven't found... Please owner(s), let us know!

     

     

     

    Amazing Progress mizapf! Sorry I had no time to test the 99/2 with your questions. I was busy with a broken TV, and cleaning up the boards of the DS990-1, another candidate for emulation :)

     

    Short time ago I talked with Steve Eggers, also the 99/4B was a topic, he published a photo of a waxwing board (99/4B) on his website

    https://aug.99er.net/images/Unreleased/994btop.jpg

    https://aug.99er.net/unreleased.htm

    The story is that once a member came to the group meeting who had got the board from a TI employee. So Steve made a photo. The rest is history.

    The photographed board looks really naked. What I find interesting about the 99/4B is the two unique buses.

     

    Also I have heard from TI employees, back then the primary engineering stuff was busy with 99/4A, 99/8 and peripherals. So the 99/4B and 99/5 were done in a seperate team (or teams).

     

    Steve had the following documents:

    - TI-99/4B Block Diagram

    - TI-99/5 Block Diagram

    - 99/5 Memory Map

    - TI-994B "Waxwing 4B" Schematics

     

    All documents that Steve had are with Ksarul now.

     

    We could find more information if somebody goes to the TI Archive library, located here

    https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/smu/00063/smu-00063.html

    Sometime in the past TI donated the whole archive to a library, occupying over 1500 cubic feet of material.

    I got this information when I asked TI support about buying/getting some TI-99 internal documents this year.

     

    Regarding prototypes or board survivors: afaik Michael Becker is the former owner of your 99/5. I only know that Lee (Labtech1) had a waxwing board once but it got sold with his 99/8.

    Besides that nothing.

  25. Posted

    It's Fabrice Montupet and the TI(ny) 99/4A project you refer to. He did it solely for himself. People asked if they can have one of these once he did go public about it, but that was not his intention.

    He achieved to analyze the 99/4A down to the last resistor and recreated the schematics based on his findings which revealed a few errors in the schematics we know.

     

    To be honest I am not interested in money. Nor do I feel capable of realizing such a project on my own.

    Even if the result of this thread is we are having some consens on some specfications and people can learn more about the inner workings of TMS computers, it is totally worth it.

    And with FPGA as hardware option there are no big expenses I see coming.

     

    First step would be having some specs, that can be picked up by anyone interested.

     

    I am not so keen about extra features but rather getting a clean design where we no longer have waitstates or unnecessary compromises.

    A computer where one can switch between original TI gaming speed and maximum speed like intended with the 99/8 and 99/5.

    A computer where one can load the system like a 99/4A, or use the whole 64K RAM for his own program.

    We have two successors that got produced and some which were prototyped. They all have one thing in common. They are no longer produced/available.

    Basically if there is one to be produced, which features should it have.

     

    Instead of big new features on hardware side I rather feel like on the software side we will have new ways of doing things.

    Using the internet to search and load software/data into the memory and stuff like this.

     

    If we would have a 16 bit PEB connection it would be a solid basis for every new hardware project.

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