RXB - Rich Extended Basic

[RXB]

47 minutes ago, MikeV said:

Good video. That CALL IO has been a bit of a puzzle to me; the example (chimes) helped. Hope to see some more in the future.

How about the weather station using RXB and CALL IO?
Wireless weather station project for TI 99/4A computer Part 2: Remote temperature sensing - YouTube

 

 

Wireless weather station managed by the TI 99/4A - Final - Vorticon's Blog - AtariAge Forums

Edited December 18, 2020 by RXB
missing text

[MikeV]

15 hours ago, RXB said:

How about the weather station using RXB and CALL IO?
Wireless weather station project for TI 99/4A computer Part 2: Remote temperature sensing - YouTube

 

 

Wireless weather station managed by the TI 99/4A - Final - Vorticon's Blog - AtariAge Forums

That's impressive. Thanks.

[DavidC]

I think I found a bug. I press 3 for EA> D for directory> scroll down to the Extended Basic Program I want to load> Hit Spacebar>  and get a memory full error.  I have tried it in MAME, Classic99 and JS99er.   Unless I am doing something wrong...but it has always worked in RXB2015...

[RXB]

26 minutes ago, DavidC said:

I think I found a bug. I press 3 for EA> D for directory> scroll down to the Extended Basic Program I want to load> Hit Spacebar>  and get a memory full error.  I have tried it in MAME, Classic99 and JS99er.   Unless I am doing something wrong...but it has always worked in RXB2015...

No you found a bug, I made a couple last minute changes in RXB but not REA so the address are wrong.

 

From RXB the routines from XB to EA still work fine.

Like CALL EA("DSK#.FILE") does work just like CALL EA3("DSK#.FILE") works too.

 

Edited December 20, 2020 by RXB

[senior_falcon]

The programmer's curse. Just when you think all the bugs are worked out someone comes along and finds more. I've been there waaay too many times.

By the way, nice job on RXB2020!

[RXB]

Re-Release this time with bugs fixed, (I hope!):

RXB 2020 A 

 

RXB 2020A.zip

[+mizapf]

Updated RPK

rxb_2020a.rpk

[+Schmitzi]

Hi, do you have the syntax to bind it into the Classic99.ini ? thanks

 

[RXB]

20 minutes ago, Schmitzi said:

Hi, do you have the syntax to bind it into the Classic99.ini ? thanks

 

I just select Cartridge OPEN and on Desktop is RXBC,RXBD and RXBG.

I stopped using the .ini script as it was a pain and could not run multiple versions that I have of RXB.

[senior_falcon]

2 hours ago, Schmitzi said:

Hi, do you have the syntax to bind it into the Classic99.ini ? thanks

 

This should work for you. You will probably use a different usercart number and will have to set the pointers so it can find your files.

[usercart3]
Name=RXB 2020
rom0=G|6000|A000|CARTS\RXBG.BIN
rom1=C|6000|2000|CARTS\RXBC.BIN
rom2=X|6000|2000|CARTS\RXBD.BIN

[+Schmitzi]

2 hours ago, senior_falcon said:

This should work for you. You will probably use a different usercart number and will have to set the pointers so it can find your files.

[usercart3]
Name=RXB 2020
rom0=G|6000|A000|CARTS\RXBG.BIN
rom1=C|6000|2000|CARTS\RXBC.BIN
rom2=X|6000|2000|CARTS\RXBD.BIN

 

 

works like a charm thank you

 

 

 

 

[wolhess]

On 12/28/2020 at 12:52 AM, RXB said:

Re-Release this time with bugs fixed, (I hope!):

RXB 2020 A 

@RXB Hi Rich,

 

today I tried the new RXB 2020 a second time but I always have problems on my real hardware with the SAMS enablement.
In classic99 it works!

 

After a complete restart of the PEB and the TI, I see no SAMS in the SIZE command:

 

If I run XB 2015 and make a AMSINIT, I get the following screen:

 

Then I reset only the FG99 and run XB 2020

Today I tried to run the game In the Dark and after the title screen I get an ERROR in line 1280.

Could you please make a very simple example to enable the SAMS card and just use the SIZE command to see the default mapping.

 

I tried/used a lot of other SAMS programs and all were working fine, also three different AMS test programs tells me my AMS card is OK.

 

What am I doing wrong?

Mybe I didn't understand the AMS concept.

 

Wolfgang

[RXB]

IN THE DARK error 1280 is the new command CALL BLOAD, that replaced old command CALL PLOAD afraid you need the new IN THE DARK on the RXB 2020 zip file.

 

CALL AMSINIT was a stupid command I was told to install by Chris Bobbit but was totally useless as there was no real need for it, so removed from RXB 2020.

 

This may be a problem with the SAMS card  mappers as RXB 2020 uses the new Mapper that can use a full word, while the old AMS cards use only a byte.

See the second byte of the word is which bank of memory up to 255 banks, and the first byte is the page up to 255 pages.

In other words 255 pages like old AMS (up to 1024 Meg) or new SAMS has 65535 pages (up to 32 Meg).

I may have to not use words in the real AMS mapper registers as they are byte only, damn may have to re release RXB 2020B to fix it.

 

So the fix would be:

       ST   @FAC,@>4000(@TEMP)  * SET PAGE
       ST   @FAC1,@>4001(@TEMP) * SET BANK

* to replace 

       DST @FAC,@>4000(@TEMP) * SET PAGE:BANK

Will send you a copy to see if this fixes your issues?

 

[wolhess]

28 minutes ago, RXB said:

IN THE DARK error 1280 is the new command CALL BLOAD, that replaced old command CALL PLOAD afraid you need the new IN THE DARK on the RXB 2020 zip file.

I‘m using the new In the dark game from the rxb 2020 package. And it works in classic99 from the same shared folder as it doesn‘t work on my real system.

 

And yes, it can has to do with the word and byte stuff for the mapper. I had a problem in an earlier Samscard tester from TheBF. He changed something from words to bytes and the new version works fine.

[GDMike]

My understanding is that it reads a byte if the card is a 1Mb and a word if it's a bigger card, like a 4mb.

[Tursi]

Also, just to be obvious, Classic99 pre-initializes the AMS registers to meaningful values - but your software should assume that real hardware does NOT and set ALL the registers before using it. (That's the only incompatibility I know about, anyway).

 

[RXB]

2 hours ago, Tursi said:

Also, just to be obvious, Classic99 pre-initializes the AMS registers to meaningful values - but your software should assume that real hardware does NOT and set ALL the registers before using it. (That's the only incompatibility I know about, anyway).

 

What do you mean PRE-INITIALIZE the AMS Registers?

Never needed to do that with the AMS card, as Chris Bobbit told me to make a CALL AMSINIT routine and it never was ever needed?

RXB 2001 to 2015 worked fine with no problems before?

 

I think the problem is my what I think the change was that is the issue in that the SAMS Registers are BYTE ONLY REGISTERS and I was sending a WORD 16 bits, not 8 bits.

Sending a 16 bit word vs two 8 bit bytes would make sense as neither SAMS register is a word register hence my solution:

       ST   @FAC,@>4000(@TEMP)  * SET PAGE
       ST   @FAC1,@>4001(@TEMP) * SET BANK

* to replace 

       DST @FAC,@>4000(@TEMP) * SET PAGE:BANK

I could be wrong but if you are right then why did RXB 2001 to RXB 2015 work fine on my 1 MEG SAMS card?

The only real change in the GPL routine is the added second byte being sent now for the BANK after the PAGE is sent.

So my fix should work, I might have to go get my TI set up to test it.

 

Looks like RXB 2021 is next step.

[wolhess]

46 minutes ago, RXB said:

I could be wrong but if you are right then why did RXB 2001 to RXB 2015 work fine on my 1 MEG SAMS card?

Hi Rich,

in my real system I need to make a CALL AMSINIT to see my SAMS memory in the size command.

Without the AMSINIT call I see only the normal 32K size info and nothing about AMS.

 

But the programs like the amstest program are working.

[RXB]

6 hours ago, wolhess said:

I‘m using the new In the dark game from the rxb 2020 package. And it works in classic99 from the same shared folder as it doesn‘t work on my real system.

 

And yes, it can has to do with the word and byte stuff for the mapper. I had a problem in an earlier Samscard tester from TheBF. He changed something from words to bytes and the new version works fine.

I went and got my TI99/4A out of Storage Works Locker and have set it up behind me to test my OLD SAMS 1Meg card on the hardware.

So yea I have to do that too.

[RXB]

2 hours ago, wolhess said:

Hi Rich,

in my real system I need to make a CALL AMSINIT to see my SAMS memory in the size command.

Without the AMSINIT call I see only the normal 32K size info and nothing about AMS.

 

But the programs like the amstest program are working.

OMG that is a problem that might be just a DSR issue as this never cropped up before now.

All AMSINIT ever did was turn of each page and see if it worked then put back what if found.

That would be insane for a 32Meg SAMS!!!!

[Tursi]

There are a lot of different AMS hardwares out there now. Some of them don't have boot ROMs. To make sure your software always works, best to initialize all the AMS registers yourself, don't assume someone else set them at startup.

 

That's all I mean.

 

[wolhess]

7 hours ago, RXB said:

OMG that is a problem that might be just a DSR issue as this never cropped up before now.

All AMSINIT ever did was turn of each page and see if it worked then put back what if found.

That would be insane for a 32Meg SAMS!!!!

I baught the SAMS card in March 2019 from @KSARUL. I think it is the last design for a 1M version and I see no DSR there.
Maybe it is able to upgrade to a 4MB card?

 

 

 

[+retroclouds]

I wasn’t aware there are any SAMS boards out there that have DSR memory. Did I miss something?

Buy yeah, I also wondered how SAMS is able to do an initial mapping of SAMS pages itself upon startup.

Edited January 3, 2021 by retroclouds

[+TheBF]

Rich,

 

I have been feeling my way along with the same SAMS card as Wolhess in my Forth project.

 

What I noticed was that on Classic99 which has a 32Mb SAMS card I can run my SAMSINI routine only with a single byte as the page number, for example: >1F00, incrementing the pages by adding >0100.

But on the real hardware I have to use a double byte. (>1F1F)  At least this is what seemed to work.  I didn't dig any deeper than that.

 

 

 

[Willsy]

55 minutes ago, TheBF said:

Rich,

 

I have been feeling my way along with the same SAMS card as Wolhess in my Forth project.

 

What I noticed was that on Classic99 which has a 32Mb SAMS card I can run my SAMSINI routine only with a single byte as the page number, for example: >1F00, incrementing the pages by adding >0100.

But on the real hardware I have to use a double byte. (>1F1F)  At least this is what seemed to work.  I didn't dig any deeper than that.

 

 

 

If you got the double byte thing from TurboForth, know that I got it from the original driver/utility routines supplied by the original SAMS guys (the names of whom escape me right now) - there was a bunch of machine code source files supplied on disk and I simply copied the technique. ☝️