Most Popular Storage Devices on the TI-99/4A

[Gazoo]

I spent about 45 minutes on the phone with Bud Mills tonight. We discussed a lot of things, but a few of them are of definite importance here: he still has all of the software/design files for the Horizon RAMDisks. What he does not have is the layout for the p-GRAM. There is a reason for that. He did two runs of the board with the approval of John Guion. After John died, his dad and Bud were not able to come to terms on the future distribution of the card, so all data on it was sent that way and Bud stopped marketing it. He does still have a small number of the original manuals for it in storage, however. With that--he cannot give us permission to make new ones, as the rights lie with John Guion's father. He offered to send me the files for the Horizon HRD4000, though, so we definitely have access to much more than we had. Lastly, he wanted to know when the next Chicago Faire would be--as he plans to come to it! I'll be talking to him some more over the holidays. . .

 

Good news. It would be nice to see Bud again, great guy. I'll bet the community would do well with a new run of Horizon 4000s. With the new DSR that supports up to 8meg, and that being the amount of 512k chips that fit on a single layer, it would seem to be a nice storage addition for those who missed out the first time.

 

Gazoo

[+Ksarul]

One of the things he noted while we were discussing the original run of HRD4000 cards was that there was a single trace that wasn't right (so the memory on the card wasn't contiguous in one area (once your HRD size was large enough to notice the non-contiguous area) unless you ran a wire to fix the problem). He also noted that the 4000 was designed from scratch, as opposed to being a modification of the layout for earlier HRDs--and that the 3000 has the same basic capabilities as the 4000 if wired correctly. Lastly, he said that only a single run of 100 HRD 4000 boards was produced, so they are the least common of the HRD models.

 

Please check your PMs too, Gazoo

Edited December 20, 2014 by Ksarul

[marc.hull]

One of the things he noted while we were discussing the original run of HRD4000 cards was that there was a single trace that wasn't right (so the memory on the card wasn't contiguous in one area (once your HRD size was large enough to notice the non-contiguous area) unless you ran a wire to fix the problem). He also noted that the 4000 was designed from scratch, as opposed to being a modification of the layout for earlier HRDs--and that the 3000 has the same basic capabilities as the 4000 if wired correctly. Lastly, he said that only a single run of 100 HRD 4000 boards was produced, so they are the least common of the HRD models.

 

Please check your PMs too, Gazoo

As a practical matter the 3000 (not 3000B) would be the better target card. It is proven and solid as well as expandable to 8 meg. Got Gerbers for that one?

[+Ksarul]

I haen't got the Gerbers, but I have the next best thing--a completely bare board as my example. I can usually build a good set of Gerbers from a board in a week or so of part-time fun, Marc. . .

[Omega-TI]

With that--he cannot give us permission to make new ones, as the rights lie with John Guion's father.

 

I curious does anyone know how to contact this obviously elderly gentleman? If so, it could be explained to him in a well worded letter that the hobby community is small, and probably no more than 50 units would ever be made, but it would be the best way to ensure John's legacy. In fact tell him that each and every PCB could be etched with a small tribute to his son.

[Gazoo]

As a practical matter the 3000 (not 3000B) would be the better target card. It is proven and solid as well as expandable to 8 meg. Got Gerbers for that one?

 

I've had two 4000s for quite a few years and they've always been solid. And no stacking is required for the full 8 meg as is the case with the 3000s.

The card can also be easily split into 2 separate ramdisks, which I do with my Geneve to have two 3.2m ramdisks on 1 card.

 

Also, the 32k memory expansion is stock on the card. Plug in 2 chips and it's there.

 

Gazoo

[+Ksarul]

I just checked my bare board--it is a 4000, so that's probably the one I'll work on a new layout for, if needed.

[marc.hull]

I just checked my bare board--it is a 4000, so that's probably the one I'll work on a new layout for, if needed.

 

I would definitely support this endeavor regardless of which board. I'm partial to 3000's but 4000's have a good upside to them as well.

 

So next week then?

[Gazoo]

I would definitely support this endeavor regardless of which board. I'm partial to 3000's but 4000's have a good upside to them as well.

 

So next week then?

 

No! I call shotgun! He has to do the 32k board for the Speech Synthesizer next!

 

Gazoo

[+Ksarul]

Ack! I have too many fun projects right now. I've been working on Tomy Tutor/Tomy Pyuuta cartridge boards this week. . .after I finished the design for the side port splitter board.

[marc.hull]

 

No! I call shotgun! He has to do the 32k board for the Speech Synthesizer next!

 

Gazoo

 

 

All right. I guess our custody agreement stipulates as much. ...

 

 

Jim.....

In your Trove of Bud Mills dox have you come across any 3000b notes about circuit changes made to that revision?

[+Ksarul]

I will look--but if not, I'm pretty sure we can get a pristine set of the docs from Bud. . .

[+InsaneMultitasker]

 

Good news. It would be nice to see Bud again, great guy. I'll bet the community would do well with a new run of Horizon 4000s. With the new DSR that supports up to 8meg, and that being the amount of 512k chips that fit on a single layer, it would seem to be a nice storage addition for those who missed out the first time.

 

Gazoo

 

I came across some forgotten test code at the Faire - I had modified segments of the ROS to go beyond the 8MB limit (800k/disk capacity) I introduced with 8.32. Using routines similar to what Jim S. added to the Geneve DSR, I was able to manipulate high and ultra-high density configurations. Instead of ten x 3200 sectors, it is possible to have 6,400 and 12,800 sector disks. The code was incomplete as the cluster manipulation turned into a cluster-you-know-what. The next step was to integrate the fixes I made to the Geneve OS into the Horizon ROS. I have some related ideas to work through with Ksarul once things around here return to 'normal'....

 

There is also the Geneve-specific driver code code I demonstrated at the Faire this year, which allows for up to a 16MB RAMdisk to be formatted and used like a hard drive. Assembling the entire Geneve OS from RAMdisk, all 12,000+ sectors, is a hoot.

[atrax27407]

Sounds like Murphy's Law to me. I frequently encounter Mr Murphy when I start a project.

[+Ksarul]

I'm pretty sure Mr. Murphy uses my place as a crash pad--things that go south are a regular occurrence here. . . :skull:

[wyerd]

I think you guys are talking about "Sods Law" http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sod's_law#Comparison_with_Murphy.27s_law

[+Lee Stewart]

I think you guys are talking about "Sods Law" I think AA's editor mangled your URL: Sod's Law or Sod's Law on hand-held device.

 

...lee

[wyerd]

A total screw up there! Sods Law!!

[+Lee Stewart]

I think you guys are talking about "Sods Law" http://en.m.wikipedi..._Murphy.27s_law

 

Wow! AA's editor mangled my last post, as well. I think I figured out how to get out of the “quote” when it ends in a pasted URL like this one: After quoting the post, toggle the “BBCode Mode” button in the editor and start typing outside the the quote-ending tag. At that point, you can toggle the “BBCode Mode” button again to continue editing. Doing it that way destroyed the quoted link. I had to copy and paste it fro the original post. Anyway, this is how I intended my last post to look and here are the links again:

 

Sod's Law or Sod's Law on hand-held device

 

...lee

[Barry Nelson]

On my system I have a DSSD 40 track drive and I occasionally connect a SVD (Semi Virtual Drive) floppy emulator to transfer disk images. I have a digital audio recorder that I use very occasionally as a "cassette". I want to add the HDX modification to my serial card but I have not done it yet.