blackbox

Back when, some UK TI employees designed a computer around the 9995 cpu and the 9929 vdp (pal), which was called the CORTEX. I recall seeing a demonstration of the Cortex in which text was displayed over external video (live cctv) although the principal ETI construction articles (1982/1983) didn't cover this. It may be worth looking through the Cortex newsletters. Cortex documentation including newsletters is at: http://www.powertrancortex.com/documentation.html The whole point of the transparent colour was for external video- 36 layers being black-external video-background-foreground-32 sprite planes. Plane 3 had to be transparent to see the external video. I have also used the modulator output from a 99/4a to title videotapes- pretty fair quality. stephen

Tape program documentation again. this time two by FFF Software. "Rick" Rothstein (one of the three Fs = Frederick) visited the forum back in December 2016 but has not posted since. As usual, zips contain clean hi res tif files for you to ocr, pdf or print. stephen asteroids_fff.zip shuttle_command.zip

November 1983 was when TI had had enough- November 1984 is when UK TI owners at last got together in a big way, as over 1000 somehow got to the first TI UK users meeting, held at Manchester's RITZ Ballroom on a very wet day. This photo shows at left a stand for Timeless Software from Glasgow, with a hazy Ian Martin, who died only a few months later. In centre is a joint stand by Stainless Software and Arcade Hardware with the very dark hair of Howard Greenberg, hero of the Thorne Games. To the right is Dennis Webb and his family on the Intrigue stall. Behind is a very large stall (not visible) for Parco Electrics of Honiton with Francis Parrish.

We are on our third Logitech webcam- HD720p - they just fail, within the "guarantee" period. First time Logitech sent a replacement. Then they refused point blank to honour their "guarantee" unless we installed Windows 10 and Logitech test software - which was not a condition of the original sale or in their "guarantee". If they work for a while, fine, if they fail, don't look to Logitech. A cheap generic is likely to do better. We will not be buying any more equipment with the Logitech name on it- zero customer service.

here it is wiztower.dsk stephen

Agreed- if the dsk image is 180k, it will not work with the TI SD controller. I have y MESS set up to use the Myarc HFDC which can handle 180k disk images and others. You have correctly loaded and run the XB LOAD program from disk one. Then it has not been able to find the next file on disk 1 (resident code), which suggests to me possibly 1. a DS disk with a SS TI controller, or 2. data corruption or 3. a disk one lacking resident code. TI Gamebase has Zork as a 180k image, which is a DS disk- so don't try that one with a TI disk controller, try instead another such as Myarc HFDC. It may be that you have only the loader on the disk, and not the Zork game- can you do a disk directory to see what purports to be on the disk? You should have a loader, some resident routines, and then on a separate disk (if a 90k sssd) a single 90k (360 sector) data file- or the 90k data file has been put onto a 180k disk image. Sadly Infocom issued some games data on flippy disks rather than two SSSD disks, and these have not lasted too well- there are several .dsk images from flippies which are corrupt. User groups which exclusively used flippy disks have lost a lot of their disk libraries. The disk image you have does not appear to be an original Infocom disk- "Lost Treasures of Infocom Conv". ZORK 1 was originally on either two disks or a flippy- the game data file was 90k which was a full SSSD disk.. Later transfer to a DS 180k disk was done unofficially. If the game is apparently on one dsk exceeding 90k it needs a DS capable disk controller. Regards Stephen

Something a little unusual- docs for a hybrid device/module: Personal Peripherals Inc Super Sketch Sketch Master. The zip has a variety of image goodies- the envelope containing the "documentation", the single page instructions, the four pictures supplied to trace, and a few photographs of the module/device. This is the ONLY module I have where the module label folds underneath the module instead of the normal label that folds over the top of the module. enjoy Stephen supersketch.zip

In the December 1990 Lima user group newsletter appears these words of wisdom: Fortunately a handheld microphone designed to plug into a cassette recorder will also work with the MBX if the headset microphone breaks. The MBX headset was quite flimsy and the wires broke easily. The MBX microphone had a 3.5mm stereo jack plug.

Well done, Sumer Glau as River Tam looking at a large twig.

Just for fun this one... only TI related 'cos I made it so. Brownie points if you can name the lady and say what she was looking at in the original picture....

OK, take a deep breath for the docs for: Beach Micro-Scenes by Family Computing Inc; one of LOGO MICRO-SCENES from American Software Design and Distribution Co. For LOGO on cassette or disk. Hi res clean documentation in TIF format for you to pdf, ocr or print - INCLUDES the cue cards. Have fun... Stephen beach micro scenes_logo.zip

Some documentation in hi res TIF format, for you to ocr, pdf or print as you wish. MARKET SIMULATION- TI Disk - a background copyright of 1972 is indicated, quite an ancient program. ZERO ZAP- module- Milton Bradley. Unusual format for module documentation, those graphics- especially the arrows- almost look hand-drawn. 3D STAR TREK- cassette- Norton Software- UK VERSION of documentation. regards Stephen Market_TI.zip zerozap.zip 3D_Startrek_Norton.zip

Bill Gaskill's TIMELINE is probably a good place to start, then work backwards to early material that has only recently been uncovered, and forwards through all the new software and hardware to today.(http://ftp.whtech.com/time_line/) Add as many photos as possible! Find a TI related url that seems to have gone, then check out the archive.org wayback machine. MICROpendium is a remarkable source and generally available online. (http://ftp.whtech.com/magazines/micropendium/) I have a brief summary of UK TI magazines and some of my early involvement at: http://shawweb.myzen.co.uk/stephen/treff/index.htm I have an almost complete record of the UK TI magazines. I have copied interviews with Hank Mishkoff(1995) and John Phillips(1993) from the Lima newsletter at: http://shawweb.myzen.co.uk/stephen/artic9.htm and there is much of historic interest in the articles section at WHT: http://ftp.whtech.com/articles/ -check the listings for Business Week, Associated Press, The Economist regards Stephen

Well here is my TI rig, in a home it has been happy in for over 30 years.... stephen

Manuals for a couple of early TI diskette programs this time: PROGRAMMING AIDS 2 PROGRAMMING AIDS 3 Both in a zip of hi def tifs for you to ocr, print or pdf as you wish. I do have PA1 but that is fatter and much lower down the pile. Coming up in the next week I have planned: Market (TI- very early copyright: 1972!); Zero Zap (MB), Norton 3D star trek, FFF Shuttle Command. Have fun..... Stephen Prog_Aids_3.zip Prog_Aids_2.zip

Message 7- most of the equipment pictured is still working, even the old Epson printer. Only the tv set has gone to recycling. Video Games 1 Pinball - I notice I have two different Video Games 1 modules- one is English only and one is multi linqual, but they seem to play about the same. Hint- if you find the ball is "going down the drain" and giving you no chance of batting it, try holding your joystick hard left or right towards closing the drain, when the paddle will flicker a little- it seems to catch the ball more often. Stephen

Seconded! There is material out there we haven't heard of! Something of a shortage of pictures here - I've been working on something creative to try to waken interest but FIRST here is an untouched photograph, guaranteed no manipulation. I received Video Games 1 with my console and then had to wait... and wait... for an Extended Basic module Vn 100 which was some months later. So what to do to pass the time. Possibly influenced by my using a PAL 99/4 console, this photograph shows you my high score for the so-called pinball. Can anyone beat it? Can you work out just how long it took! Hint- the module does not have a PAUSE option. Regards Stephen

A requested manual! Teach Yourself Extended Basic manual, as a zipped collection of hi def tif images for you to OCR, print or PDF as you wish. This time I have included a scan of the cassette for those of you who collect images of labels and media. Side two of the cassette had no label. Stephen Teach_Y_Ext_Bas.zip

The game PULSAR is in the TI GAMEBASE if you can locate a copy- it seems to have been offline for a while. It has the program PULSAR with a couple of creendumps. Anyone have server space to host the Gamebase which could take the hammering? The rar file was around 240MB and if a few people download it, that's quite a server load. (I expect some forum members have the rar file somewhere....). s

Interesting. The 52 page book is reviewed in the first issue of Micropendium Feb 1984. The book had either a cassette or a diskette. Who is C A Root? Micropendium gives his true name as Chris Reutercrona and gives the package a straight A review. The book does however seem to be a bit of a rarity.. Gamebase has "PULSAR" by C A Root, 1983. s

Pre history. In June 1980- quite some time before the 99/4 was on sale in the UK - the BBC demonstrated FIVE A SIDE FOOTBALL (or SOCCER) on the program TOMORROW'S WORLD. This image is a zoom in of the console- but what is plugged in? The presenter rebooted to the master screen then pressed a key and up came the menu you would expect for that module- TI BASIC, EQUATION CALCULATOR, and the numerous language variations. The box connected to the console by ribbon cable is presenting as a normal module- but there is another ribbon cable going off to the right somewhere. The presenter says that "when it is available" the computer will cost a thousand pounds (that is $4000 at the exchange rate in 1980)- it was an NTSC output console which "required" TI to supply a large NTSC tv set, all in that wonderful price. The BBC of course never gave TI a mention by name due to their then strict rules on advertising (not permitted)!!! Rumour has it the module was designed in the UK and the GPL then written in France as the UK had no development kit. We also had and have display problems with PAL consoles, as especially for France the console was designed to work with both PAL and the France-only SECAM tv systems. The French designed PAL modulators for the French market- and the UK used a differing standard of PAL with a wider audio bandwidth, which meant the picture OR the sound could be good on a UK tv set. Yes it's a rotten picture, zoomed on a 625 line tv set- but it is history. I'll look for something sharper for next time. s

While I am working on Programming Aids manuals for http://atariage.com/forums/topic/248687-ti-99-docs-manuals-ebooks-lost-found/... Here are a few labels. Most of my disk labels seem to have fallen off, or the glue has etched through the paper (sigh) but here is what I have in reasonably good condition- as I am not permitted to upload tif files I have zipped them all together into a zip, which is permitted! Zip contents- softwarelabels.zip disk labels for: Events Calendar (Gaskill), SXB (J&KH), TI Base Vn 2.01 (Inscebot) NOTUNG: Disk of Horrors archived disk; Son of the disk of dinosaurs (two labels), disk of the old west(4 disks) Jim Peterson: Nuts and Bolts 3, Tips from the Tigercub 2,3, and 4 (3 labelsl) Cassette labels for: TI Logo Sampler Speak and Math regards Stephen

There is this gentleman formerly in Ohio...currently Maryland, listed as "software developer" "Lawrence E Wilhelm age: ~69 Known as: Harry Wilhelm, Larry Wilhelm" Could it be? Seriously, The Missing Link- I have that! One of my most used purchases, I wrote a lot of programs for it, as it was the easiest access to bit map graphics at the time. And I was seriously into graphic creation (especially various math recreation such as mandelbrot, affines, and lots of fun similar things). I have more recently ported my graphics programs to SDLBasic, which is also fairly easy to program for bit map graphics and have three pages of SDLBasic listings on my website. s

Perfectly normal behaviour for this particular program, many people have this. The game was unreleased, probably unfinished- and can be expected to cause problems. You could try unplugging your expansion memory (32k) to see if that helps (one person reported an improvement). Also try loading it from a newly turned on / newly booted system in case it is objecting to something in memory. Also try pressing both the buttons on the FG99 to clear things up as much as possible. Not everything saved for the FG99 is perfect or finished. Just in case- check the seating on your FG99 in the module slot, as that can cause weird graphics when a particular GROM is accessed (more likely to have problems with huge programs like this one) - and also try the FG99 GROM test routines. regards s

Back at the CES in June 1979 a new computer was announced- the Texas Instruments TI-99/4 Home Computer. It was a little while before it was placed on sale in Europe, and a bit longer waiting for the PAL output model.... But 2019 marks 40 years - any celebrations? As a starter, my first letter from TI in the UK was October 1980, and they invoiced me for the 99/4 as soon as the UK version was available in June 1981. I had to wait longer for Vn 100 of Extended Basic. Before I had a console I became a member of the UK TI User Group, first newsletter February 1981, my name first appeared in the issue of March 1981. 2019 sees the UK as the home of the 34th European Users Gathering (TI Treffen) which will be 4th-6th October in Leicester- see: http://www.ti99ug.co.uk/ti-treff-2019/ I hope to be there for the Saturday afternoon. The nearest airport is East Midlands Airport, and Leicester has a rail station with services between London St Pancras and Sheffield, London St Pancras and Nottingham (calling at Luton Airport Parkway), Stansted Airport-Birmingham, and Lincoln-Leicester (calling at East Midlands Parkway). There is also a coach from East Midlands Parkway to Leicester.