blackbox
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Posts posted by blackbox
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I've never had an HFDC so can't comment on any restrictions with that.
The HFDC apparently has a UTILITY menu (MDM5) (U from Main Menu) with a RAMdisk option which will show you the status of the RAMdisk- worth a try. It should show DSK5 as set up. If that looks correct then it may be a limitation of PixPro. The Utility also allows the ramdisk to be set up (Caution- will delete contents)...
Is the HFDC at the default CRU of >1100.
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To rule out a problem with file names and file formats- will the same files load from a standard TI disk drive?
The 512k ramdisk uses 32k as standard 32k expansion leaving 480k available HOWEVER the RAM disk element may not exceed 400k - the balance is for print spooling. Are you using 400k or less?
Can you access the ramdisk as dsk1 -5 with other programs? It has to be set up on every powerup eg CALL PART and CALL EMDK.
Which environment are you using with PixPro- Editor Assembler, Extended Basic, or TI Writer? Myarc XB II? Assuming you are using a real TI99/4a rather than an emulator? Which disk controller? TI's 32k ram not present?
Can you do the following from Basic:
CALL PART(400,80)
CALL EMDK(5)
type in a short Basic program:
100 GOTO 100
now SAVE DSK5.TEMP
now type NEW then
type OLD DSK5.TEMP
Has it loaded the short TI Basic program?
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More info please!
TI Basic Input/Output error codes are given as TWO digits and the Myarc memory card sticks to the two digit format. If the first digit is a 2 it is an INPUT error. If the second digit is a two it is an attribute error (eg the OPEN command is not appropriate- incorrectly specified.
A second digit of 7 means the file does not exist or is not the expected format )..
If you set up the ramdisk as DSK1. or DSK2 temporarily, will the images then load? - this will rule out a possibility that PixPro does not like loading files from DSK5 (the catalogue program will use different code). Note the original TI disk system was limited to 3 drives and PixPro may check the drive number when entering file names but not reading a directory.
(Change emulated disk drive temporarily with CALL EMDK(2) and set it back to your preferred value after testing)
If files don't load from RAMdisk as DSK2:
To rule out a problem with file names and file formats- will the same files load from a standard TI disk drive?- are you remembering the dot after the K- eg DSK5.FILE ?
Try using the device and filename as RD.FILENAME - no DSK. - PixPro may accept that???
The file format must be one supported by Pix Pro and file names must be acceptable to PixPro.
Have fun.... s
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That looks like just the thing that is needed- no tapes and full voltage from the cassette deck amp! (Caution- may not work with the TI if you use a modern retro deck made for modern headphones)
The spec for my digital recorder suggests 70mV to the headphone socket at maximum volume- this is in line with a European standard maximum of 75mV.. Modern headphones are low impedance to work better with a small battery operated devices and obtain high volume at just the low voltage.
This is why your old headphones (or the cheap ones!) seem so much quieter than the fashionable modern ones you have just sold your car for!
I think my old (1983) cassette recorder supplied over 2 volts and was intended to output to the higher impedance or lower sensitivity headphones of the day (anyone have a catalogue/catalog giving the impedance of a 1980s headphone?). I can't find any specs from TI on the audio signal level required or the impedance offered to the tape input.
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Notice a lack of anyone saying they have made one work! I just tried one- a high end digital recorder from Olympus.
I was aware that the TI had a particular need for fairly squarish waveforms and high volume (maximum voltage peak- 0db) but in theory you should be able to use digital recording if you turn off all the signal processing. Many users experienced difficulty using tape recorders from battery power and we had a list of "sophisticated" recorders the TI simply didn't talk to.
First I dug out my old cassette recorder to check the cassette cable was working- first time load, no problem. Easy.
Now switch to digital recorder. Recording volume and playback volume set to full manual with maximum levels. WAV format. Record- the signal from the TI seemed a little on the low side. Now playback- wow- where is it??? The playback volume- set at maximum- was far too low and the TI didn't see it.
I think a problem today is that earphones are more sensitive than in the 80s, and manufacturers are protecting themselves from action for hearing loss by curtailing the maximum volume their devices will send to an earphone socket.
So- from my experiment, it may be better to dig out some old cassette recorders and try to find some short tapes (don't use C90 tapes!).-
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Updated list time-
An amalgamated list of manuals available from several websites, sorted into alphabetical order. This is a pdf.amalgamated_list_02may19.pdf
A simple text list with URLs of the documentation held here on Atariage.Next update will depend on how many new manuals get added but as long sunny (!) days are here- and some longer manuals beckon- perhaps in three months?
regards
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Not too much interest shown in the forum in educational modules so far - but before I move on here are a couple more for you. If interest remains low, I'll put the educational material to the back of the pile.
Documentation presented as hi resolution clean scans in TIF image format at 480dpi. You can ocr these, print them, read them, or make pdf's from them.... versatile..
These are again modules written by educational publishers Scott Foresman and are copyright by them. Let us Read this time.
READING RALLY. "Grades 4 through 6" PHM 3048 (also SF3120)
READING ON "Grades 2 through 4" PHM3046
Reading modules were a problem to sell in the UK, as they not only used US spelling, they were also somewhat culturally biased to the US.
READING RALLY is excellent and should perhaps be mandatory for all reporters and commentators- the age range given can certainly be upped. It covers the differences between fact and opinion, the purpose of the author, and bias and connotations. Not covered are changes in the meaning of words with time, locale, and generation. A difficult word for the UK is "billboard" = "advertising hoarding".
READING ON is about reading maps, graphs and "schedules" (UK-timetables) ( and was that SHEDules or SKEDules?)
The final activity is a puzzler and may require a warning or two - health warning, legal warning, animal welfare warning, environmental warning..... it is about "digging up clams". Obviously an activity well known to all American children? Note: This activity is legally restricted in the UK ("Harvesting razor clams is not illegal in the UK if it’s under 5kg per (collecting) person per day" and "10cm, the current EU Minimum Landing Size" also unlawful to sell on unless location and collector are licensed. Beware water pollution.).
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Module documentation in clean hi res tif format for you to pdf, ocr or print as you wish. One page per image, text for these is at 480dpi.
Two educational modules written by Scott Foresman (a leading US educational text book publisher).
NUMERATION 1 - PHM3050 ("kindergarten through third grade")
NUMERATION 2 - PHM3051 ("grades 5 through 7")
Notice the name of Scott Foresman does not appear on the cover of Numeration 2, but the program is still copyright by them.
Not a lot of documentation for the education modules online now - but I have lots, so I'll see how welcome these two are before digging into the pile.
In the UK sales were low as it was all tied into the US school system and curriculum. Still excellent educational material but at the time - what did "suitable for Grades 5 through 7" mean? Even when the UK started using CLASS 1 or FORM 1 there were still age and curriculum differences. And we changed the method of teaching every few years anyway. In purely age terms Grade 1 seems to be our Year 2. (We currently start with Reception Class as Year 0!). Aaagh. Still good material though.
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I have a search box for the whtech site on my TI search page at:
http://shawweb.myzen.co.uk/stephen/tisearch.htm
Searching on 9640 News gives me results starting with the following which in the search are of course links to the named content... one line per result....
Index of /Geneve/9640 News disks v1-3/pc99 disks - Description.
Index of /Geneve - Description
Index of /Geneve/9640 News disks v1-3/v9t9 disks - Description
9640faq.rtf
/compuserve/CATALOG.TXT
FIX LIST V1.21 NOTE: Before using MDOS 1.21 with any Horizon ...
Filename Type Size Diskname PC Filename . (list of files from TonyZ)
also links to newsletters mentioning 9640 News - in pdf format.There is a 1987 Profile of Beery on whtech to look for....
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Just in case you haven't heard of Test Trainer-
The Manual here is for "Compact English Trainer", produced by ILS (Institut Fur Lernsysteme) who offered boxed packages - you received lessons on cassette OR disk and needed a module called "TEST TRAINER 1" which had menu options for German, English and French. Compact English had 3 double sided C60 cassettes I think. The "Test Trainer 1" module was PHM3065.
There are WAV files for the cassettes and two dsk files on whtech.
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Three multi-language documents in clean hi res tif format for you to pdf, ocr or just print or read.
These documents are presented for archival purposes as each has serious weaknesses. As a group there is no indication of copyright, and no indication of where printed, although circumstantial evidence (eg inward facing guillemets »« suggests Germany). There is no warranty information.
BLASTO PHM3032 European- gb, i, d, ne, f, s
THE ATTACK PHM 3031 European - gb, i, d, nl, f, s
Not credited in these documents but the code for the games was copyright by Milton Bradley. They did not use the MBX system.
The games indicate that joysticks are "necessary" which is not true. I have added for convenience the keyboard keys to use in an extra added page.
TERMINAL EMULATOR II PHM3035 European - gb, f, d, nl, f
This TE2 manual is possibly the worst manual to carry a TI Logo. The original 44 page English manual has been reduced to just over a page. Perhaps odder still space has been given to the "Speech Editor" module, which does not work with TE2. The Speech Editor text refers to technology never marketed and abandoned before the TI99/4A was made-- the modules to fit into the speech synthesiser.
All very strange.
And while posting minimalist documentation, a little gift of the tape cassette inlay card for Mr. D, - produced by SP Software and sold through Stainless Software. I am indebted to Derek Buchanan for this little treat.
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Bitte kommen Sie zu... Kom dan naar..... S’il vous plaît venir à....
Si prega di venire a..... Ole hyvä ja tule... Dewch i.....
Vær venlig at komme til...
TI European Treffen -
2015: England.... 2016: Denmark... 2017: Italy.... 2018: Germany....
now 2019 - England
34th TI European Treffen -
4, 5 and 6 October 2019 (4,5,6 Hydref 2019)
Campanile Hotel in Leicester (England)
Main event Saturday, admission free. Hauptveranstaltung Samstag, Eintritt frei.
Groepsvergadering zaterdag, gratis toegang. Événement principal samedi, entrée gratuite
Riunione principale sabato. Ingresso gratuito
Pääkokous lauantaina. Vapaa pääsy. Prif gyfarfod dydd Sadwrn. Mynediad am ddim
Gruppemøde på lørdag, gratis indrejse
UK Group: http://www.ti99ug.co.uk/category/news/
Organiser: David Caine by email: [email protected] or by telephone: +44 7752 052117
All Atariage readers are very welcome.
(Leicester: https://www.visitleicester.info/see-and-do/attractions)
(Leicester: Die größte Sammlung deutscher Expressionisten in Großbritannien)
Erwähnen Sie die Veranstaltung auf Ihrer Website/Blog
Vermeld het evenement op uw website/blog
Mentionnez l’évènement sur votre site/blog
Citare l'evento sul tuo sito Web/Blog
Mainitse tapahtuma sivustosi/blogi
Soniwch am y digwyddiad ar eich gwefan/blog
Fortæl andre TI99 brugere om det
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Hi res clean tif files for you to ocr, print or pdf- for -
ENHANCED DISPLAY PACKAGE vn 2.1, written by Curtis Provance, published on disk by PARAGON COMPUTING.
(NOT to be confused with Display Enhancement Package from Oak Tree Systems)
This took a long time. I think I'll look for something smaller for my next effort! Always pleased to have any special requests just in case I have the documentation....
(This package added 40 column support to XB including 40 col equivalents to eg CALL HCHAR, PRINT etc. Also added are vdp peek and load and a vdp register writer etc)
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I don't think I have ever seen "Dr Tamashiro's TI Travels 1984-1988"
Is that a book, a pamphlet, or a series of articles in some newsletters?You can find the book towards the end of a very long page at
http://www.hexbus.com/tibooks/
in a downloadable pdf format.
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This forum has a lot of information hidden away in its depths. The repetition of the same questions indicates that locating that information is not as easy as it could be.
Ideally I would like to create a metasearch so you could use one search box- but you would be deluged with possible answers and I don't have the resources anyway. So... I have created a page of searches for you to use.
In some cases you need to prefix your search with "ti-99/4a" in quotes to focus the results on our favourite computer - I have noted this when especially relevant. How you use quotation marks is important in reducing unhelpful results - but overuse may cause you to miss something, so practice with varying search forms. Just putting lots of words without quotation marks is not usually useful and just one or two words may overwhelm you..
If I have omitted a resource rich web site (which does not require javascript!) do let me know.and I will update this offering.
So- open this htm file in your browser and save it to your local machine where you can then open it at will.
Have fun
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OK, since you bought it up & I'm still learning the TI99 after being away from it for many years; briefly what is @ V0370 and what are you doing to fix it. Are you moving XB pointers or the screen pointers or am I completely off course?
Briefly and simply - 0370 is a memory address in hex notation and the V stands for VDP RAM, which is the internal console ram. It differs from CPU RAM (mostly external) and GRAM (mostly in modules).
Recommend you read from top to bottom of the READ THIS FIRST thread
There are a lot of links to Manuals and other media goodies on the forum at:
My personal list of useful websites would be:
a href="http://ftp.whtech.com/"is full of books, magazines, manuals, and programs (you have found this one!)
a href="http://www.hexbus.com/tibooks/" TI Books as PDF files (LOTS)
Ron Reuter's a href="http://www.mainbyte.com/ti99/" Mainbytes
Thierry Nouspikel's a href="http://www.unige.ch/medecine/nouspikel/ti99/titech.htm"Tech Pages</a>- serious stuff.
a href="https://www.ninerpedia.org/wiki/Main_Page">Ninerpedia</a>is a principal resource for TI emulation with MAME, and also has lots of other info- registration is required to post, otherwise unrestricted.
a href="http://www.ti99iuc.it/web/index.php?pageid=155&pagina=database_ultimi&sezione=2#">ti99iuchas some clean documenation to download, some disks to download (for emulators) and lots of information- like how to get composite video from a PAL console- it is in Italian, but there are translation engines, and you will quickly learn the important words...
a href="http://tigameshelf.net/"TI Gameshelf is less taxing, a collection of games in bin format for Mess and other emulators, or the FG99 module, and some disk files for emulators. No registration required
a href="http://www.99er.net/" 99er.net is not an easy site to find things on but there is plenty there. I mean PLENTY. Make sure to use the section "TI99 Database".
oops- not forgetting my own little offering at
a href="http://shawweb.myzen.co.uk/stephen/TI.htm"which has well over a hundred pages of TI information.
enjoy
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How did this code not appear more widely? I like to know sources so...
check out:
COMPUTER BRIDGE (Volume 3, Number 12, December 1984) Page 2 (User group magazine from St Louis)
Also published in "Dr Tamashiro's TI Travels 1984-1988" which is quite a treasure house of code.
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In RXB 2012 you could switch to text mode with CALL POKER(7,244,1,240) - reversed with CALL POKER(0,0).
Two disk packages spring to mind for 40 column Extended Basic with CALL LINK versions of the graphics commands to use in text (40 column) mode---
Oak Tree Systems Display Enhancement Package or
Paragon Computings Enhanced Display Package
(Note how close those names are!)
Paragon's version also gives you access to read and write to vdp and change the vdp registers as well as adding 40 column mode and improvements and 40 column equivalents to the various graphic commands.I have the Paragon disk online for emulators, and will be adding documentation in the next week or so.
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What does "not polyoptics" mean?
Not Polyoptics was an early US based supplier of games for the TI99/4 and TI99/4a.
Founders of Not Polyoptics were Michael Capobianco who later had a science fiction book published, David Harter and Gene Hitz.
Initially successful with tape based TI Basic programs, efforts to move to Extended BASIC programs or disk based programs did not succeed due to the low user base for expanded systems at the time.
Driving along- "What shall we call our software Company...". Hours later---- "we are not going to call it Polyoptics" Thus was born NOT Polyoptics.
So, from the founders, Not Polyoptics means what it says. NOT polyoptics.
Next question, what does Polyoptics mean? Polyoptics and Poly-Optic are registered trade marks of manufacturers of resin glass replacements.... Move along please...
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I seem to recall the widget (old name) only switched ONLY the grom +5v power line, and was particular about what modules you plugged into what position, and wasn't happy with some combinations- which seemed to be the combinations I wanted, and it fell out of use here. Not sure that three rom-only modules worked too well... too long time ago.
Extended Basic HAD to be in the top slot (FG99 probably also). Anyone got a better memory... I can't find a mention in Micropendium.
Something about the way the switch works and the way the console looks for modules.
There was also an issue with the sliding switch contacts wearing out rather quickly.
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More documentation in cleaned hi res tif format to ocr, pdf or print:
PROGRAMMING AIDS 1- PHT6004 TI cassette for TI99/4. orange cover. "Requires a cassette recorder". The first program supplied is to catalog a diskette... you get display at, accept at, screen print, lower case, second ascii set for highlighting etc, and character definition. Lots of listings to look at.
Mailing List- TI- Disk- PHD5001, TI99/4 manual with blue cover, supplied in the zip with and without the statutory UK Warranty sticker. The manual suggests other uses too. Compatible with the Thermal Printer. All the files on the disk commenced with the name MLIST.
SPAD XIII- Not Polyoptics Diskette. The quality of the manual was pretty poor- I have an original print- so you have a choice- CLEAN which is archivally accurate but not much else and BEST which has many pages with retouched graphics but is therefore not archivally accurate. Yes - Figure 1 was printed after Figure 2. My eyes hurt - time for a rest.
Next up- could be a few days off- the Paragon Enhanced Display Package Vn 2.1 docs.
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I understand it’s ok modify speech synth feed power for 32k. It’s modified with jump wire.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There is a lot in the FG99 (and the multicart) and if the console power supply is having to meet all the demand there may not be enough power to go round, which could cause the fairly random effects you describe.
If you have problems with no 32k connected, and just speech plus parsec, that suggests a problem with the module socket. The module actually plugs into a socket which in turn plugs into a second socket at right angles and both sets of connections have to be good. The internal socket needs the console to be taken apart. There was also often a rubbery "cleaner" the module pushed through to get to its socket which was supposed to clean the module contacts but ended up spreading dirt on them- most of these clip on parts were removed.
So much opportunity for poor contacts...
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May be worth mentioning that with a speech synth between the console and 32k ram, the 32k needs its own power, as the speech synth does not pass it through. The FG99 and 32k without speech can manage without a separate power source.
I have had similar corrupted screens to that shown
and it seems to be due to mechanical module seating problems - the console module seating was never intended to have a module pressed on from the top, and no matter how carefully I press those switches my FG99 module seating becomes tenuous, especially leading to GROM errors, but also the screen corruption as shown above. I am considering taking the FG99 out of the module case so that I can seat it more deeply into the console!
(This thread seems to be duplicated? Clean up?)
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Appendices to TI Manuals
Clean hi res tif files for you to ocr, pdf or print.
Whether you are an original purchaser or second hand, there is a good chance you don't have all these official changes and notes on various TI Manuals, so here they are in one place- well, two places.
Check the small text file for more detailed info on the contents, but briefly zip1 contains appendices covering the changes between the 4 and the 4A. changes between XB versions 100-110, and general TIB and XB corrections. zip2 covers the floppy drives (may help some having problems) and the change to the PEB from push button switch to rocker switch and the new back panel fuse.
Now doing some really thick cassette program manuals, Programming Aids 1 and Mailing List will be next followed by a cleaned up SPAD XIII. This may take a while.
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PIXPRO PROBLEM
in TI-99/4A Computers
Posted
That could be it.
Try running ANYTHING from DSK5 - for example-
Can you do the following from Basic:
CALL PART(400,80)
CALL EMDK(5)
type in a short Basic program:
100 GOTO 100
now SAVE DSK5.TEMP
now type NEW then
type OLD DSK5.TEMP
From the Myarc Disk Memory System manual:
"The DDCC-1 Disk Controller will control any combination of 4 double-sided or 4 single-sided disk
drives. This disk controller also reads and writes interchangeably — and equally well — to the
standard TI-99/4A format, single-density diskette."
On the other hand, the docs for the HFDC say that if you have an FDC then the FDC controls drives 1-4 but the HFDC controls drives 5-8.
No HFDC therefore may mean no drive 5 due to DSR limitations.. Interesting you are getting a directory, but that will be using differing code.
The only other alternative is that PIX PRO is checking the drive number (some programs did) and not permitting an "out of range" number for what the programmer that should be used.
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