wierd_w

So, I grabbed possibly the last one of these from Amazon (in place of a genesis controller, because I think it fits better, and directly supports atari mode), and should be getting it today. I also have today off. Torn between actually sitting and playing on my TI today (for possibly the first time in a truly serious manner, since I will have a working joystick)... And continuing work on sanding, polishing, and molding that RepliPEB front bezel I am working on... Decisions decisions... Idle frivolity, or semi-productive frivolity...

see HomeAutomation's abuse of the FinalGrom99, and his 512kb pagable RAM version of the mini-memory image. It's a 4kb mini-memory ROM, with a 4kb pagesize, paged RAM area that is 512kb in size. It wont work for this CRPG, because cartridge space is not in the area used by the VDP for character data, and because the page size is too small. However, an enterprising person could definitely use the FG99 as a 512kb memory expansion in this fashion for software that supports that kind of paging, to store a very very large program, using a page handling routine that is in 32k memory area space.

(damn, I am dominating this thread, sorry in advance...) So, Digging into the whole "Modem over VOIP" thing, I landed on this old project. https://sourceforge.net/projects/t38modem/ It is a software SIP endpoint that presents itself as a modem on either windows or *nix OSes. (packages for both.) It is intended to enable fax machines and modems to operate on a SIP network. Now I am wondering if I can set up a BBS on that redundant NAS box I have using some free POTS accessible SIP numbers.... (It runs Linux.)

Can you modify the AT command sent at pickup? Some multifunction devices offer that instead of a baudrate control. (which in my opinion, is vastly more robust, as you can set much more than just baud rate with a custom AT string.)

Well of course it doesn't! You need ONE OF THESE to do that kind of thing!! Conveniently available on Amazon even! (ducks)

I don't have a fixation with CIB; I have a fixation with "Not tied to an ephemeral distributor." I should explain-- Games with a large zero-day patch (which is basically the ENTIRE game, because of rushed production to press a disc so it can be in stores for some target timeslot), while "Complete in Box", with a physical disc and everything-- are not actually the playable version of the game. 20 years from now, will that zero-day patch be available on a retro console? NO. I am fixated on that not happening. It being in a box or not, or coming with feelies, or any other such thing is not essential to me. Being able to get it, in a fully usable state, 20 years from now-- like we do with classic games, is what I care about.

So, since I have Magellan sitting here, and I happen to do pixel art type things-- Today I started working on some 1bpp monochrome "silly face parts" doodles. Only got 2 faces made so far, but meh. I will continue doodling. The intent here was "Dialog window portraits." I dont know how many I can make here, but I will just fill in the whole space and post the magellan file when I do. Maybe somebody can make use of it when I am done. Should I break it up into a male and female set?

Doesn't the 9918A support 3 color text already? Graphics II mode? That would give you 2 colors and the transparent color to work with. If all you are doing is text, you can do limited aliasing that way with a well selected color. Fonts are super easy for me to do; should I make a few?

even with packet switched POTS (VoIP and pals), very low speed connects should be possible if the compression does not smash the integrity of the waveforms. Your mileage may vary though. (One early CODEC intended for packet switched phone systems was GSM. It sucks, and will make even 300 baud not connect well. However, other packet-switched codecs will work fine, like adpcm, and u-law/a-law, with varying degrees of smashing, meaning you need to set your connect rate accordingly and do some math.) That probably means using a manually doctored AT handshake sequence though.

Wireless has advantages, I agree. If you want function keys, you simply cannot beat an IBM 3179 terminal keyboard. There are adapters for it to make it basically whatever you want. (Default is IBM coax for servers.) You will need a special driver, but where there's a will, there's a way-- and that is a LOT of extra keys you can assign things to. If there is a wireless modern offering, bob's your uncle.

I will join the model M bandwagon. Great tactile keyboard. Built like a tank. Fantastic equipment. It just makes people in crowded cube farms contemplate suicide because of their loud mechanisms. For home use though, fantastic.

Now I wonder if lynx will work over the telnet app... In terms of eliminating the PC, aside from looking inside disk images the Pi should do anything and everything you could want. A FUSE driver for TI disk images would solve that handily. I just dont think any such thing is already existing.

The Mario Bros test there is a bit .. chunky.. in places. Cool all the same though. OK, I am still considering how to actually make PEB fronts that are worth a darn. While my 3D printed parts look nice and sand nice, the materials are perniciously difficult to get to stick together acceptably. (the glue keeps trying to break. ) SO-- Rather than consider that 3D mill, (which would still be a neat long-term purchase) I think I will do resin casting instead. I have some legos floating around, and I ordered 3lbs of reusable mold making material suitable for resin casting. You can get clear styrene resin at walmart. (It's in the automotive/sporting goods area. Fiberglass resin is really just styrene resin.) Ordered some black toner powder as well. (Its carbon black embedded in polystyrene plastic powder.) I should be able to mass-produce the PEB fronts with a simple pour mold, followed by a drill jig. That way my printed, sanded, polished front need only hold together long enough to make the mold with.

Dunno about best.. Amazon has a listing. https://www.amazon.com/TMS9918ANL-TMS9918A-TMS9918NL-TMS9918-DIP-40/dp/B07X7LHC7D/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=tms9918a&qid=1576653914&s=industrial&sr=1-6 Aliexpress has them even cheaper. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32993234455.html?src=google&src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=494-037-6276&isdl=y&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&aff_platform=google&aff_short_key=UneMJZVf&&albagn=888888&albcp=1582410664&albag=59754279756&trgt=539263010115&crea=en32993234455&netw=u&device=c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItMi68NW-5gIVhcDACh0KkwmnEAkYASABEgJCXvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Got my tipi in, but found that the only supply I have that provides enough oomph to start the pi properly is my powered usb hub, and it's not going in the room with the TI in it. I ordered a suitable supply from amazon, now waiting for the supply. Wait wait wait. I seem to be doing that a lot lately.

Basically, in an effort to curb stolen phones being resold, google and handset makers store flags after a factory reset operation so that the credentials of the last primary google account are needed to activate the phone. We all know how well our lived ones remember those usernames and passwords and how they like to hand things they break that way over to us to fix. Yeah. A cousin handed me her sisters stack of bungled phones that had reset protection triggered. The endgame is getting to the apps settings menu to disable the baked in setup wizard then manually create a new primary account. The handset makers do their best to prevent that so you have to trick the phone into letting you do that. It would be nice if a fingerprint could just authenticate the user so people like us dont have to do semishady stuff to fix things.

The racore unit does use a driver to relocate the shared video buffer so it doesnt sit at the end of 128k. They also added an option to add dma. With their ram upgrade the jr had a full 640k.

Yes and no. Here's what I do: Grab a copy of VLC, and play the tape's .wav file with the volume turned all the way up past 100% to 130%. Connect the tip leads on the record and play connectors, since there is an open ground loop on the TI, and there is a ground noise hum unless you connect them together. Load the tape into the TI's memory with OLD CS1, then connect the program recorder, and save it from the TI. This assures that proper output levels are sent to the recorder.

Yes and no. 1) It was waaay overpriced. 2) the ports on the back were purposefully proprietary 3) No ISA slots 4) No provision for a hard disk of any kind 5) nonstandard IRQ configuration 6) Sidecars were awful At most, it could handle dos 3.0, IIRC. Came with up to 512kb conventional RAM, but could be expanded with the Racore drive II expander. There are fancy sidecars that were created by retro-enthusiasts that provide a function IDE interface and a few MB of EMS memory. On the plus side, it has something approaching EGA graphics, and tandy 3voice sound synthesis. Unless the system holds real retro appeal for you for nostalgia reasons, you will be better served by a tandy 1000 though.

Beware though-- Not all brands are created equal!! Some are made from pressing the avocado skins, and taste terribly pine-tree like. Blech. Not good on popcorn. Others are mild and fantastic for popcorn. For reference, this is the one I get. Stay away from this one, unless you happen to like oil that tastes faintly of turpentine. (And if you want TeensyWeensie popped kernels, try airpopping milo (AKA, sorghum). :)) (Video is for hot oil method, which tends toward burning. I have better luck with an old 1980s air popper when doing milo.)

I just slogged through doing yet another FactoryResetProtection bipass operation for a family member who could not remember their google account information. I wish google would use that fingerprint sensor for something actually useful, like authenticating a user to bipass the lockout, so I dont have to play jiggery pokery to navigate the phone through a byzantine maze of software exceptions to get to the darn settings menu. >.<

You should try avocado oil; Takes higher heat, and with a bit of seasalt, tastes a lot like movie theater popcorn.

While getting that old dog to do new tricks is wortwhile in and of itself, if you are looking for something to do TI 99/4A emulation in a compact form factor, consider a GPD WIN.

The statement was in general. not in the specific. In the specific, I have seen several tablets try this trick. They cook pretty good. Other things that might cause issue are bad capacitors overheating inside the sheilded area, failing voltage regulators getting hotter than they should, etc... Overheating like that is a sign of serious bad juju, but that isn't the same thing as "not happening". Most of those older devices have large enough structures in their silicon/run slowly enough that they don't really get that hot. However, multiple unhappy devices in an enclosed area together could conceivably cause net overheating. I've seen it in other devices.

I am not convinced of the practice. More than once I have seen the sheilding used in this capacity, and seen devices overheat due to "pizza box" designs. While the TI has lots of empty space inside, and reasonable ventilation in the housing, if the RF shield becomes uniformly hot, it will radiate equally both inside the enclosure, and outside. If the rate of dissipation is outpaced by the rate of accumulation inside, it becomes an oven. Given the variability of period electronics, this gives me pause.