wierd_w

That's one thing I kinda miss about that era-- Lovely painted cover art was the norm. Not so much these days. Strangely, some of the people I have mentioned this to are 'glad' this is not the case any more, because they want to judge the book by its cover. To me though, those are lovely little works of art, that you just don't get anymore. It's like people forget that you are supposed to imagine while playing these old games, and instead want the game to imagine for them. Now I wonder how good a job waifu2x will do with one of these painterly images for upscaling... (these boxes are done with lithograph style processes, and increasing the scan resolution will not give the results you want.) Size E prints might be fun.

hmm.. Printing. Could you not set up some named pipes on the pi, then shoot your "RS232" (ahem) data there? https://www.guru99.com/linux-redirection.html EG, you could use echo, with std-in replaced with the input from the Ti, and redirect it to /dev/tty0, and put it through a real serial port (via a USB dongle). It would be stuff you have to configure on the Pi, but should be doable. I think they are doing something similar with the functions to get text/data back from web hosts over that bridge. Virtualized proxy IO should be doable.

The turn off to me, is the number of people reporting negative reviews of the product. However, the user manual says it DOES do playback from the USB device. http://www.naxa.com/downloads/NPB300EnglishManual.pdf The controls are clunky and foolishly put the playback and record functions together in a way that is easy to mess up a recording. (If you hold in the play/pause button, it starts recording!) Since it has track selection buttons (but no display to show which track) it would be easy to put one program per track. Again though, Not sure if it supports .wav or not.

If you give me a suitable respirator, I will open B. Not opening a box with a 50% chance of containing dead cat + toxic gas without suitable PPE.

OK, I grabbed it from your showcase. My 32k sidecar arrived today. Just waiting on that FinalGrom99. (and clearly need to get an F18A when they become available again.)

Thank you muchly.

This was suggested to me via a PM, however the download link is dead. Are there any mirrors?

The tape indexer is slightly too large to fit inside its teensy weensie memory. Also, battery is dead. (Shocker! /s) card edges are filthy too...

Hey-- Does anyone have very high res, high quality scans of box faces for this system, and or software? A thought occurs to me that I can get suitable paper to print replicas.

Give it up Home Automation, you know you've been had with those kinds of targeted cold calls.

How about lining the inside with this stuff, and some vinyl sheet? https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-shielding-film-MCF5-Linear/dp/B00H4D8GZ2/ref=asc_df_B00H4D8GZ2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198071503086&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17373757639576966579&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9024386&hvtargid=pla-351535732057&psc=1 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mybecca-Gauge-6-Clear-Vinyl-54-Wide-Multipurpose-Fabric-for-Upholstery-and-Art-Projects-Sold-by-the-Yard/748510615?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=5220&adid=22222222227134553365&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=242041542219&wl4=pla-398231645255&wl5=9024386&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=113842187&wl11=online&wl12=748510615&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzozsBRCNARIsAEM9kBM1nj4QX-A1SgUROHaMhGLLESf7wz_XRK8LTMMjcttWXqFlVsBZvKEaAl5qEALw_wcB You can usually get the vinyl sheet by the yard right in the store if they have a fabric department.

Oooh, Ebay says my minimemory cart arrived. I will have to check my mailbox when I get off work in a few hours. This will make things much less painful for me until I can save up for either a nanoPEB or a TiPi.

Gets away with it by being pretty simplistic in its program code though (It seems to mostly be a video decoder, with some logic for keypress and or joystick movement.) I have a game concept in my mind that would be more like an NES zelda-like, with some interesting game mechanics. I really need more colors, without going into bitmapped mode. I really need at least 4 colors per char, and 4 colors per sprite. I could work with that with some grumbling. 1bpp is just.... bleh. Not even fun to try.

I actually got mine because I had never gotten to experience one of these old micros properly. Sure I could have gone with the C64, but everyone does that. This one uses a standard cassette player (which was a sell-- I am not going to hunt down potentially broken cassette systems for a commodore product.), and cassette media is making a retro resurgence with audiophiles, so they are available inexpensively again. (and thus, practical.) I havent played with my fancy little toy as much as I would like, because the video is currently limited to an RF Modulator... and it has more snow than a blizzard on Mt McKinley. When my composite cable comes, I will have more fun. The presence of hardware sprites greatly appeals to me. (I am a pixel artist.) I am put off by the limits on the palette (by the stock VDP) however. I am compelled to get an F18A when they become available again.

You know, if we are talking unusual software and hardware... There is a parallel port based adlib synthesizer out there, and there is a parallel port sidecar for the A4. https://www.serdashop.com/OPL2LPT One could have both a SID, AND OPL2... (Newer version is OPL3!) That would give you SID music, AND FM synthesis. (EG, you could send and play audio samples without playing silly tricks with the 3 channel tone generators. Just write appropriate data to the parallel port. You CAN get the yamaha chip it is based on to play PCM samples if you set the frequency exactly the same as the DAC, then modulate the volume. ;))

Word. I got my base (no upgrades) system for 40$. Already spent more than that on cables and Extended basic (though it did come with terminal emulator, though I lack an RS232, and speech editor-- through I lack speech sidecar.) The 32k sidecar expansion should show up eventually. My finalgrom 99 should show up sometime before the end of the month. TiPi or nanoPEB will have to wait until next month, when I have allowance again.

No wife, but not paying that price. I got my whole base system for less than half that.

Hmmmmm..... OK. Are there restrictions for printable area? Also, what style of mug is it? Normal or tall? Would SVG be ok? (Dunno what your producer knows how to use... To me, vector is perfect; infinitely scalable, infinite resolution.)

The wizardry ditherer expands in both directions; yes. However, the attribute cutoff is at 8 horizontal pixel demarcations. (At least with the original VDP anyway-- At least that's what I get from cursory reading.) You will have less statistical likelihood of needing the same exact palette over a space of 4 pixels horizontally. Even if every single pixel was different, the max colors you are using is 4. You don't need more. Instead, the ditherer interjects new colors at every other column, bringing the full image size up, and selecting additional colors, based on the colors AND PATTERN used by the pixels in the source row. Instead of defining 8x8 tiles, you are defining 4x4 tiles, which are less complex, and cannot realistically house the higher color density anyway per row. You generate the higher color density on the fly, by evaluating the colors and pattern of the source tile. Like I said-- designing images for use by the ditherer is "Challenging", but not impossible. Rather than selecting colors and patterns based on intuition, you have to select them based on the rules of the upscaling/dithering algo. However, results will be consistent, and if color selections are sane-- visually pleasing.

That's just a +5v DC and GND connection. ATX has those in ample abundance. Could even be isolated from the main TI power if you wanted. Simple breakout.

The connection on those pins is very low voltage, otherwise the people doing this stuff here--- would cause their jumper wire to catch fire. https://www.overclockersclub.com/guides/atx_psu_startup/ It's a signal to the PSU to turn on. Not direct interrupt to system power. (at least on ATX supply.) Intel says this about the PS_ON signal. https://www.intel.co.jp/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/design-guides/resellers-power-supply-design-guide-changes.pdf

To turn on an ATX supply, you just have to short the specified pins. (A slide switch would do fine, you would just have to have it mounted to a suitable PCB that attaches to the same 4 screw mounts as the original internal "cup warmer". Really, from what I see here, you just need is a small protoboard with an ATX motherboard header, with a 4 wire breakout, and a slide switch in the appropriate location. Then you just need a 12v DC barrel connector in the back in place of the 4 lead AC input.

I own a silver model unit... The PSU and switch are fine, but I do eventually plan on getting an F18A, and will have to disassemble then. Do you want me to reverse-engineer the switch slider? I have an FDM printer to test the printed parts... I understand that the switch assembly is "Fragile" though, so some hand-holding on safe disassembly would be appreciated-- but I have digital calipers and have experience reverse engineering parts. (Also, I don't mean to be obtuse, but wouldn't a pico-ATX supply (with v1 atx header), with the switch wired to ATX header pins 14 (PRW-ON) and 15 (GND) be sufficient? ATX power v1.0 (20 pin version, not v2.0, which has missing -5v!!) has all the necessary voltages... (+5v (pin 4), -5V (pin18), +12v (pin10), and GND (pins 3,5,7,13,15,&17)) Like this guy? https://www.amazon.com/RGEEK-Output-Switch-Supply-Computer/dp/B07H5FP5KY/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=20pin+picoatx&qid=1568835723&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spell OR-- If you need more juice... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005TWE3O8/ref=psdc_1161760_t4_B07H5FP5KY (both are 20 pin, v1.0 ATX supplies, which should provide -5v on pin 18) You could run your TI on a 12v DC wall wart then. Those are everywhere. Just make sure it is regulated, and has sufficient amperage.

Sure-- There are even shoebox cassette decks that have a fancy USB port on them to read digital files off the USB stick even. walmart.com carries them. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Naxa-NPB-300-Portable-Cassette-Recorder-Digital-Converter/529348725 Neat little switch and everything. However, the ONN one was right there in the store, and I could get it that day. Pick which kind of convenience you want. I resisted the purchase because the audio format is MP3, not WAV. I dont know how the compression routine will mangle the data being put down.

The deal is that it simply pulls motor control high, requests that you press FF, then puts it low for a fixed interval of time (fixed temporal indexing) in order to set the tape to the next program position. A CD in a player will not reliably FF like that. (But putting WAV data on a CD as a track is an interesting idea. 44100khz @ 16bit resolution is more than adequate.) This is for setting up actual audio cassettes with multiple programs on them, for people without a minute counter. (the cheap walmart ONN recorders I have lack a minute counter. However, the fixed temporal indexing of the FINDEX program works just fine to reliably seek to the start of each program, at least so far.) This would let me get many programs on cassettes easily. that way I don't have to fumble around with my home-made audio lead being connected to my laptop, played through VLC with the audio at 125%, etc... I can just use the tape indexer to move the tape to the right index, then do the needful. Since I would need a 2 cassette cable to do this, (and already have a legit original 1 cassette cable that I would then not need) I can be a good netizen and just ship it.