TI99 format disk program... help...

[ti99iuc]

Hi Guys,

 

may be some one can help me...

i would want help a friend in Italy that bought at a flea market and then restored a PEB with a TI99, but nothing for test it...

i found a Catalog Program in Basic, but my friend haven't any TI99 floppy.

someone of you can help me with a little basic program for format the DSK1 unit ? it could help to understand if the drive is working ?

 

thankyou

 

Ciro.

[kl99]

The Disk Manager 1/2 cartridge is almost essential for formatting. Of course there are assembler programs which do the same but they are on disk which your friend doesn't have.

 

Here is an extract from the Disk Controller Manual to test the unit:

 

Note: Do not put any diskettes in the drives yet. If you have more than one external drive attached, they

must all be switched on, even if you plan to use only one.

Go into TI Basic and enter the following program.

100 OPEN #1:"DSK1.X"

110 CLOSE #1

Run the program and observe drive one (DSK1). The light should come on briefly, indicating that the

drive is connected properly. If the drive light does not come on or if it comes on and stays on, check all

connections and see that all devices have power. Note: The Controller Card light flashes when the

controller accesses a disk drive.

Even though the disk drive is operating, the following message appears on the screen because there is no

diskette in the disk drive.

*I/O ERROR 06 IN 100

Repeat the test for drives two and three if you have them, altering the program to reference DSK2 and

DSK3, respectively.

When you have verified that the disk drives are operating, type BYE and press ENTER. You are ready to

start using your disk system as described in the following sections of this manual.

[ti99iuc]

Hi Klaus thankyou but is not what i need...

 

i know that disk manager is an important cartridge but i know that there are simply basic programs for operate with drives...

like the catalog basic program shoud exist a fromatting program...

 

i can't belive that isn't another method for formatting disks without Disk Manager Carts... you sure ?

 

Thank You

[kl99]

Well, the above method is for testing the drives and the controller. The manual gives basic code examples for cataloging a disk but not for formatting. As far as I know the necessary formatting routines were not in the TI-Basic ROM but in the Disk Manager cartridge.

 

The Cyc (www.cadd99.com) doesn't give me any info about disk formatting in basic, only plenty of catalog programs.

[+Lee Stewart]

Actually, the formatter is part of the DSR that resides in the PEB disk-controller card. The Disk Manager (DM) cartridge is a higher-level program that organizes access to the DSR subroutines, formatting being one of them. The formatter subroutine only formats the disk without doing much checking. The DM checks each sector after formatting, etc. I would think it possible (likely?) that there is a BASIC program somewhere that would format a disk. TI Forth has such a routine (no checking, however), but you would need a TI Forth disk and the Editor/Assembler cartridge---always a gotcha somewhere.

 

...lee

[RXB]

Besides Cartridge you can use XB Cart and almost a hundred different disk utilities that have Format built in.

Here is a very old tool I used to use called BACKUP it has everything in one disk. DSKU, MCOPY, PFC, and DSR SCAN.

BACKUP.zip

[ti99iuc]

Thank you Guys, i have a lot of programs about formatting... but my friend is very far from me and i can't try with my diskette software...

i just wanted for looking about a fast program in basic that him should type on the computer, like a catalog program... are 36 lines...

if we can't help him about, well ... i will ship to him the disk manager cartridge and come floppy disks

 

but really thank you to all for answer, now i understand better...

 

bye

 

Ciro.

[Cory]

Hey Ciro!

 

If he has a TI RS -232 card and a serial cable let him know that he can download vdm99 from Thierry Nouspikel's site. VDM99 allows you to use the physical drives attached to the PEB via a PC running vdm99.

 

I'll post the links when I get home.

[ti99iuc]

Hi Cory !
thankyou for the info !
i sent a Disk Manger Cartridge to the italian 99er i wrote in the first post !
but i am curious to try myself about your suggestion...

Thankyou !

Edited November 17, 2018 by ti99iuc

[hhos]

Besides Cartridge you can use XB Cart and almost a hundred different disk utilities that have Format built in.

Here is a very old tool I used to use called BACKUP it has everything in one disk. DSKU, MCOPY, PFC, and DSR SCAN.

I have a similar problem to the Italian 99er in this topic. I have no Disk Manager cartridge. No disk operation manual came with the PEB I bought. My copy of Editor/Assembler disk A is corrupted, I think. I can get a catalog of the disk, but get errors when I try to access any of the files on the disk.

 

I think I can reconstruct my EA disk if I can just get a disk formatted, but I am at a loss when I try to find a command in XB (I presume this is short for extended BASIC) that will format a disk for me. Everything I am reading says to insert the Disk Manager, which I do not have.

 

I do have a FlashROM99 cart that I could put a ROM image on if someone can direct me to a Cart image that would do the job for me.

 

Thank you,

 

HH

[hhos]

Actually, the formatter is part of the DSR that resides in the PEB disk-controller card. The Disk Manager (DM) cartridge is a higher-level program that organizes access to the DSR subroutines, formatting being one of them. The formatter subroutine only formats the disk without doing much checking. The DM checks each sector after formatting, etc. I would think it possible (likely?) that there is a BASIC program somewhere that would format a disk. TI Forth has such a routine (no checking, however), but you would need a TI Forth disk and the Editor/Assembler cartridge---always a gotcha somewhere.

 

...lee

I found this:

http://shawweb.myzen.co.uk/stephen/earfeb89.htm#dsr

 

It gives me the parameters to send to the DSR routine on the disk-controller card, so if I can figure out this crazy TI BASIC's version of "POKE" and "EXEC" I can hand assemble a short assembly routine to call the DSR routine, if I can acquire the entry point to that subroutine you mentioned. Is there a disassembly listing of that DSR ROM?

 

Thank you,

 

HH

[HOME AUTOMATION]

It's all here

 

FlashROM 99 and FinalGROM 99 Image Repository (updated regularly)

 

search=disk manager

Edited November 16, 2018 by HOME AUTOMATION

[hhos]

It's all here

 

FlashROM 99 and FinalGROM 99 Image Repository (updated regularly)

 

search=disk manager

That's what I needed! Thanks, Home Automation. I almost got a 90k disk onto a 1.2Meg floppy! Almost. lol

I'll have to try again, but I'm in business now. Thanks again.

 

HH

[Opry99er]

Please keep in mind that the TI disk controller can only do SSSD and DSDD disks. If you have a HD disk, you are out of luck.

 

1.2 meg sounds like you're using a 3.5" drive with HD disks?

[+mizapf]

The original TI disk controller can only do single density - I suppose that was what you wanted to say: SSSD and DSSD. OK, and HD is clearly out. :-)

[+Lee Stewart]

I found this:

http://shawweb.myzen.co.uk/stephen/earfeb89.htm#dsr

 

It gives me the parameters to send to the DSR routine on the disk-controller card, so if I can figure out this crazy TI BASIC's version of "POKE" and "EXEC" I can hand assemble a short assembly routine to call the DSR routine, if I can acquire the entry point to that subroutine you mentioned. Is there a disassembly listing of that DSR ROM?

 

Thank you,

 

HH

 

 

Here it is in a single file, which I assembled from the seven dc1.txt – dc7.txt files on Thierry Nouspikel’s site: TI_DSR_ROM.txt

 

...lee

[+Lee Stewart]

That's what I needed! Thanks, Home Automation. I almost got a 90k disk onto a 1.2Meg floppy! Almost. lol

I'll have to try again, but I'm in business now. Thanks again.

 

HH

 

You cannot reliably use a 1.2 MiB HD 5.25" floppy in a 5.25" single-density or double-density drive because those drives do not provide the required magnetic flux. If you are trying to use a 1.2 MiB HD 5.25" drive, I am pretty sure that has never succeeded.

 

...lee

[+9640News]

You can probably get the 1.2 MB drive to work with our systems if you add a flux capacitor to the system. O'Reilley Auto Parts have them at https://www.oreillyauto.com/flux-capacitor?q=flux%20capacitor .

 

Hope that helps.

 

Beery

[hhos]

You can probably get the 1.2 MB drive to work with our systems if you add a flux capacitor to the system. O'Reilley Auto Parts have them at https://www.oreillyauto.com/flux-capacitor?q=flux%20capacitor .

 

Hope that helps.

 

Beery

I'm not quite ready to tackle TI99/4A-powered time travel just yet.

[hhos]

 

You cannot reliably use a 1.2 MiB HD 5.25" floppy in a 5.25" single-density or double-density drive because those drives do not provide the required magnetic flux. If you are trying to use a 1.2 MiB HD 5.25" drive, I am pretty sure that has never succeeded.

 

...lee

Sounds like a challenge. I might get to that right after the TI99/4A-powered-time-travel-machine starts to coalesce.... wait.... I think I see it!.... Nope, just some bacon grease hit my glasses. Glad that wasn't my eye.

 

I'll see what I have around here in DSDD disks. They should work OK, right? This is the second machine I've ever had that had only single density drives. On that other one I used DSDD 3.5" disks and had no trouble. I'm not really having a lot of trouble with these HD disks for that matter.

 

HH

[RXB]

I have a similar problem to the Italian 99er in this topic. I have no Disk Manager cartridge. No disk operation manual came with the PEB I bought. My copy of Editor/Assembler disk A is corrupted, I think. I can get a catalog of the disk, but get errors when I try to access any of the files on the disk.

 

I think I can reconstruct my EA disk if I can just get a disk formatted, but I am at a loss when I try to find a command in XB (I presume this is short for extended BASIC) that will format a disk for me. Everything I am reading says to insert the Disk Manager, which I do not have.

 

I do have a FlashROM99 cart that I could put a ROM image on if someone can direct me to a Cart image that would do the job for me.

 

Thank you,

 

HH

Well sorry RXB 2015 has Sector read/wirte, Rename, Protect, Copy and works with Hard Drives, RAMDISK and Disk.

 

But NO INITIALIZE DISK or Hard drive.

[Opry99er]

The original TI disk controller can only do single density - I suppose that was what you wanted to say: SSSD and DSSD. OK, and HD is clearly out. :-)

 

Yes! Thanks. I meant SSSD and DSSD.

 

The Corcomp and Myarcs can do DSDD.

[Opry99er]

Sounds like a challenge. I might get to that right after the TI99/4A-powered-time-travel-machine starts to coalesce.... wait.... I think I see it!.... Nope, just some bacon grease hit my glasses. Glad that wasn't my eye.

 

I'll see what I have around here in DSDD disks. They should work OK, right? This is the second machine I've ever had that had only single density drives. On that other one I used DSDD 3.5" disks and had no trouble. I'm not really having a lot of trouble with these HD disks for that matter.

 

HH

Yes, you can use 720K DSDD disks, but can only format them to SD.

[hhos]

Yes, you can use 720K DSDD disks, but can only format them to SD.

Yes, that is what I thought, and I can't use more than 40 tracks. I don't think this drive in the PEB has a read/write head on both sides either. Are there mod kits/instructions for upgrading this drive controller module for DD? I've seen pictures of units with half-height 5.25" and 3.5" drives mounted where this one SSSD is. I won't be doing this mod in the near future, but I have no doubt I will get to it eventually.

 

Thank you,

 

HH

Edited November 17, 2018 by hhos

[hhos]

 

 

Here it is in a single file, which I assembled from the seven dc1.txt – dc7.txt files on Thierry Nouspikel’s site: TI_DSR_ROM.txt

 

...lee

Wow. That's great, Lee. That's a source code for the whole thing. I see that I already had those seven files downloaded onto my main computer. I just hadn't gotten into them yet. You've saved me a good of deal time. Thank you.

 

My initial read on all this is that I will have to locate the ROM first, using the 0x00 bit to turn on the ROM every 0x100?, or 0x200?, bits, search for DSK in the name list of the ROM to verify it is the correct one, then locate the 0x11 function in the subprogram list, get the entry point address (EntryAddr), and then call it with a BLWP using a vector containing 0x83E0, EntryAddr. But before I do that I will have to build a PAB in the PAD/VDP memory. Sounds very doable if I am understanding it fully.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice/additions/critiques to my approach here. I am new to the TI99, but not to assembly language. I am very confused by the TMS9900, starting with the curious way they chose to number their bits, and continuing on from there.

 

HH

Edited November 17, 2018 by hhos