jedimatt42

How costly is it to have those no-op words like... : GALLON GALLONS ; ? Do they just take up memory for easier readability, because the compiler works some magic? or Do they actually introduce extra runtime overhead?

If you google these words, ti atari joystick adapter You'll find a schematic, and can test it with a continuity meter. It should allow connecting 2 2600 type joysticks to the TI's single dual joystick port. It will do nothing useful connected to a 2600.

The docs I just read, say there are switches to turn each of the sub components off so, you can turn all the conflicting stuff off when you want to use a cartridge. It describes LED installation so you can tell what state it is in as well. Quite interesting.. and it sounded like there was a 16 pin wire harness that goes to the motherboard.

Is the music played when descending stairs part of the data file? or is that in the module? I would swear when playing some of Chris's TOD games, the music is just a little different... or maybe it is coincidental to loading a TOD cartridge off disk. Hacked maybe?

Just looking at the photos here... did it really just connect with the cartridge port and 4 other wires? or are there more motherboard connections required?

Wow... just wow... I never new it had such a life even into those LCD hand held games... Asked, and answered! Thanks, [email protected]

1) Eric Seablade? I always thought that was just from TOD saves overtop the originals... 2) Too bad we didn't get some exclusive Fat Albert & Gang games... If the speech synthesizer was found to be saying 'Hey, hey hey!' all the time, that would have been impressive. 3) My munchman scores are like 1300. You all up there in the >50000 are... impressive. --- actually watched a video of someone here flipping the levels... getting through crazy levels like the invisibe everything level... just nuts... Munchman... I could see him crossing genres. There was actually a Munchman II ? http://www.jorgensenconveyors.com/news/default.aspx?id=1342 wait, not that... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=layZEOQMJKs And he actually got 2 games...

A lot of successful gaming systems end up with one, two, or several mascot like characters that repeat in a series of multiple games. You know they've made the big time as mascot for the system when they are showing up in games of varying genre. And of course, to be the mascot you are exclusive to the system. Did any such character ever evolve on the TI-99/4a? Did anyone anthropomorphise the Geneve swan? 'Fighter' in Tunnels of Doom doesn't quite count

OK, good to know, I've got more 'unwiring' to do.

I have a Wico Command Bat and a Ball, I recently picked up used off ebay... I have mixed feelings about them... they look premium.. but I cannot get through the refueling tunnel in parsec with them... Until tonight, the base button on the Ball didn't work at all... someone had swapped some wires around inside. I put them back and it now behaves just like the Bat. I'm not sure if either of them behave correctly though... The base/stick switch seems to function only to disable the base, but never disables the stick button. Is that normal? As I opened up the Ball to see why the base button didn't work, there was plenty of rubber dust. So maybe they just need the contacts cleaned... I'd be up for a trade. Here are some photos: https://goo.gl/photos/ouKARrkurMrEUwBh9

I've always admired the internal 3rd party expansions of the amiga 500 and a1000. Popping out CPUs that were intelligently placed in sockets, and attaching daughter boards. I was digging about in atari land wondering how those evolved... and I saw a horror... http://gtello.pagesperso-orange.fr/falcon_e.htm Now, what this computer was evolved to was impressive, but I feel it lost the essence. With the guts hanging out, I'm saddened. So, I like the idea of keeping it tidy... My Atari joystick adapter doesn't doesn't exactly dangle (tidy), but it could be smaller. https://goo.gl/photos/o4qu86hVD2EWkhJV7 Doing anything inside the console requires soldering it into something. There just aren't many internal points of connection on the TI. keyboard cartridge port So if the target is the soldering adverse, then external is probably critical. However, there have been impressive efforts in recent history with the UberGrom and other cartridge boards. (Being fanciful) Maybe an UberGrom atmega chip inside on a replacement for the right-angle grom adapter. Maybe it is wired up to hide itself if a cartridge is plugged in... maybe it has 512k ram banking at the cartridge rom that also hides in the face of real cartridges. And maybe it acts a lot like a gram-kracker or hsgpl. Of course that could all exist outside first. Or Maybe an UberGrom chip inside providing a place to program one or more GPL DSRs to drive an i2c bus to connect to more off the shelf stuff to cleanly attach 'on' the console, like interfacing to a Raspberry PI to access storage or ethernet ( eliminating the UDS10? )

Yep, that's exactly what the jumper on the board does... although my description there was a bit muddled... The jumper in 128k mode connects CE2 of a 128k sram to Vcc on the mapper, which is the same pin as CE1 on that sram chip. For a 512k chip, the jumper in that position connects the pin position ( which is now A17 on the 512k sram chip ) to another mapper output pin. Looking at the data sheet for HM628512CLP-5, that 512k chip looks like it should be a good fit to upgrade the AMS 128k/512k card. I've gone ahead and ordered a new mapper chip. If that fixes the function of the board, I'll PM you about the 512k chip.

Well, that consumed my Saturday I hadn't chased Gamebase down yet. Thanks. All of the TOD games I listed earlier from Asgard are there in the Gamebase. There are also a dozen or so more.

Asgard distributed several TOD games. I dug these out of the Asgard RIP 1 disks found here: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/238851-the-asgard-software-archive/?p=3247074 disks: TOD-Daring-Adventures-in-K-MART_ASGARD.dsk TOPGAMES_ASGARD.dsk game file name: ASSAULT title: Assault the City title screen: by: John Behnke game file name: COMPUTE title: Computer Nightmare title screen: by: John Behnke game file name: DEATH title: The Tomb of Death title screen: by: John Behnke game file name: DOCTOR title: Doctor Who title screen: characters: by: John Behnke game file name: K-MART title: Daring Adventures in KMART title screen: characters: by: Ken Gilliland game file name: ORBS title: The Dragon Orbs title screen: by: John Behnke game file name: TOWER title: The Dark Tower title screen: by: John Behnke

That chip looks extremely promising. The pin differences are that A18 on your 512k hitachi chip is labelled 'not connected' on the toshiba 128k chip, and A17 on your hitachi chip is chip-enable-2 on my smaller chip. CE2 is AND'ed with CE1 to feed the internal CE. That all smells like a feature designed to address multiple chips. I'll pull the card, and study what the jumper actually does. Looking at the differences, it would make sense that it binds CE2 to CE1 for 128k, or that same pin to A17 instead for 512k. And I still need to check the power aspects... And I think I need to replace the memory mapper chip

Ok, so mine's not so 'original' It is a REV B, from what looks like late 1992. there is a jumper next to the SRAM chip that is clearly labelled 128k for one position and 512k for the other...

I don't really have a 'den', just everything crammed onto one desk. 1 PC, 1 Mac-Mini, 1 TI/PEB, and 1 raspberry pi, 1 40" TV, and 1 20" Monitor. It is almost all plugged into one big long powerstrip ( about 12 outlets ) that is mounted to the backside of the desk. The spacing is great for all the wall warts. I did the same for the home-entertainment shelf.

The card is the Asgard card with a single 128k chip, no empty socket. Just one jumper. It currently has a TC551001PL-10 SRAM chip in it.

I've got an AMS 128K card that looks like it needs some reconditioning. It is hanging during the AMSTEST program. So I'm thinking I should probably refresh the 74LS612N memory mapper chip on it... In SAMS Memory Tester v4.0 it hangs at the step testing the mapper's retention. I think... In AMSTEST v1.3 it hangs saying it is testing retention, but the [*] marked sections seem like they indicate it isn't done with Memory address lines.. Screen from SAMS Memory Tester v4.0 https://goo.gl/photos/un7EQvnTkr1j4BU68 Screen from AMS Memory Tester v1.3 https://goo.gl/photos/2mXRrbdiMQFwL4VM7 Anyway, I figure I'll find a memory mapper chip online somewhere, and replace that, but while I'm in there I'd like to upgrade the SRAM chip to 512k as well. The documentation with the board says the upgrade is a set of instructions and 'the necessary chip' There is an obvious jumper to move from 128k to 512k setting. Does anyone have one of these in 512k configuration or knowledge of which SRAM chip is used in the upgrade? Also, I'd love to see the text of those upgrade instructions if anyone has them as well.

Does anyone have any tips on mounting a switch to re-enable the interrupt for RS232/1? I understand it only needs to be open when there is no DSR loaded. But it needs to be closed to utilize normal serial communication. Or is that just a requirement for the way certain programs are coded?

That is just too much fun! I have to say, it was the sense of realism in the mess emulation of the TI that triggered my re-purchase of real hardware. Being able to configure all those cards, hsgpl, gramkracker, the whole snug system... Some things I had never heard of, and others I always wished I had. I don't think I'd be enjoying soldering up joystick adapters, the HDX board, and cartridge boards, plus new games and old, if this mess emulation wasn't so tantalizing. Thanks! [email protected]

I've got one I picked up pre-loaded with the hxc2001 usb-stick firmware. hxc2001.com. It is my primary media on my 4a. I cannot format a disk on it. But I can create blank disks ( I use a TI floppy controller ) with TiImageTool, or disks loaded up with whatever files I want, and then export them to hfe. The .dsk file created with TiImageTool needs to match your controller's capabilities... So for me with the 80 track mod on the TI controller, I get Double Sided Single Density 80 track 360k disk images. The hfe images you put on the usb-stick will then be named DSKA0000.hfe, DSKA0001.hfe, etc... So I have to keep a journal of what each numbered disk actually is.

Some games 'rebooted' (parsec)... but I enjoyed a nice Ms. Pac Man, and round of Moon Patrol ( which was one of my favorites as a kid. I had totally forgotten about it.. Showcasing these games with the title screen and being able to run them immediately is awesome! This is excellent. Seeing the TI title screen and loading automation is super cool too! I think I like that part even more than the games...

Awesome! Thanks! I have a lot of new vocabulary to learn

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/150-10-632-00-001101/1212-1073-ND/3757323 <- something like that I suppose. It seems it is literally called an 'ic socket connector' male to male. I think? 'sil' would be single inline, in which case cutting in half would then be a little different. Which is more of what I'd expect to find. Still not sure exactly what part this should be... maybe cause it just needs to be sufficient.