Geneve 9640 Computer & Users

[Omega-TI]

** EDIT ** Votes are no longer public.

Voting would also give us an idea of how many of you or these systems are out in the wild.

 

I don't know about you all, but I'm man enough to admit I know little to nothing about the Geneve 9640. I know so little in fact that I never really think much about it. It seems like a non-TI to me simply because I know so little about it. So, this poll is directed at those who actually own a real Geneve 9640. With your help, maybe you can cure the ignorance of people like me.

[+Lee Stewart]

I'm not sure what could possibly be “non-TI” about the Geneve, considering that its CPU is a TMS9995 (backward-compatible with the TMS9900 of the TI-99/4A). My Floating Point Library for fbForth 2.0 and TurboForth was ported from the Geneve’s L10 library, with most of the changes required involving only the mapper code employed by the Geneve’s MDOS.

 

...lee

[Omega-TI]

I'm not sure what could possibly be “non-TI” about the Geneve, considering that its CPU is a TMS9995 (backward-compatible with the TMS9900 of the TI-99/4A). My Floating Point Library for fbForth 2.0 and TurboForth was ported from the Geneve’s L10 library, with most of the changes required involving only the mapper code employed by the Geneve’s MDOS.

 

...lee

 

Well, like I said, I'm TOTALLY ignorant when it comes to the Geneve. Who knows, someday I might even consider getting one when I've gone as far as I can go on the path I'm currently taking. After all, I have a spare box just waiting to be populated with more than the basics.

 

Actually, I'm going to have to do some research into it, I don't even know if it uses the TI's FDC or has one of it's own. Like I said, I'm as ignorant as they come on that particular card. I think I read somewhere that it has it's own video card keyboard, and maybe a mouse too. I also understand that it cannot use cartridges because it obsoletes the TI console.

[mizapf]

The "Please explain" do not offer space to explain. Also, as for satisfaction, I'd suggest some more options like "Would love to see more" because the binary yes/no looks somewhat like this: yes = all OK for me, no need for more; no = why am I actually using it if I'm so unsatisfied.

[mizapf]

 

Who knows, someday I might even consider getting one when I've gone as far as I can go on the path I'm currently taking. After all, I have a spare box just waiting to be populated with more than the basics.

 

Try before buy. We have it in MESS.

 

Actually, I'm going to have to do some research into it, I don't even know if it uses the TI's FDC or has one of it's own. Like I said, I'm as ignorant as they come on that particular card. I think I read somewhere that it has it's own video card keyboard, and maybe a mouse too. I also understand that it cannot use cartridges because it obsoletes the TI console.

 

Some time ago I put some text on ninerpedia about the Geneve, but I need to find some more time to continue writing. As for cartridges, almost all of the can still be used as images on disk; a program to dump cartridges is included on the OS disk.

[Omega-TI]

The "Please explain" do not offer space to explain. Also, as for satisfaction, I'd suggest some more options like "Would love to see more" because the binary yes/no looks somewhat like this: yes = all OK for me, no need for more; no = why am I actually using it if I'm so unsatisfied.

 

Here ya go...

[Tempest]

I've always been interested in the Geneve, but they're hard to find and pricey. Not to mention that as a gamer it doesn't offer much of interest other than some Tomy Tutor ports. Shame someone can't make a cheap reproduction card.

[+Ksarul]

Actually, there were several good games written for the Geneve's Advanced BASIC as well. It is a small set of programs overall though--and more are definitely in order.

 

The Geneve 9640 Yahoo! group gets some traffic, so that is one place for people to go, as is Ninerpedia.

 

As to price, the last few to sell went for between $250 and $400 or so, so that's a good range. When we bought out the rights to the source code for MDOS (I was one of the contributors in that effort), Lou Phillips told us there were about 2,500 of the machines in the wild. They use normal TI disk controllers (any will work), RS-232 cards (again, any) Speech adapters (Rave), Horizon RAM Disks, 512K cards (Myarc and Horizon), and probably a few others I've missed. . .

[+arcadeshopper]

the yahoo group is it for support

 

I bought my first Geneve from the west coast rep that was demoing them to the users groups when they were pre-release.. i believe mine was one of the demos, or THE demo unit.. I sold it a while later when I needed money more than a geneve, and regretted it. Then i got emailed with a geneve for sale that had had a "bad experience" with its current owner and they basically gave it to me for a song.. and after Richard Bell revived it, it still works great to this day but doesn't get used much.. saving the magic smoke for later..

 

Greg

Edited October 28, 2014 by arcadeshopper

[+remowilliams]

As to price, the last few to sell went for between $250 and $400 or so, so that's a good range.

 

I've always wanted to get one, and would probably go for that range but never seem to find them.

[Gazoo]

The Geneve is my TI of choice. For me it is so much more useful that my standard TI, which is a maxed-out TI994/P. Go to the TI Yahoo Group and download the MDOS embedded GPL hard drive image for MESS and take it for a test drive. It's ALMOST as good as my real Geneve.

 

Gazoo

[mizapf]

The awesome thing about the Geneve was, for me, that I could just continue working on everything as before, with my TI console. This is quite similar as with the F18A development - you can continue as before, but you feel there is something much larger behind.

 

The GPL mode is very close to the real TI, with an adjustable speed. Last thing to do with the TI console was to dump the cartridges to disk, and then the new era could begin. And then there was the v9938 with its TMS9928 compatibility, and with it came all the 80 col applications, like MyWord, and MyArt as a drawing program.

 

I spent quite some money over the last three decades in computing machinery and software. I think the Geneve's price was somewhere between 900 and 1000 D-Mark those days (about 450-500 Euro). In hindsight, a purchase that I really never regretted.

[Gary from OPA]

I just wish the geneve had VGA output for its 9938.

 

There needs to be a true 9938/58 FPGA made like the F18A, it would really help.

 

Should be possible as there is 9938 MSX FPGA replacements.

 

Then with a V58 - F18A and the licensed 9958 FPGA core, we could easy see a replacement for the Geneve.

 

It is shame that there is only 2,500 geneves out there, and a shame most of them have been lost in time, or stockpiled up by collectors (I got 3 geneve's myself)

 

I still miss hanging out with the original clan of Geneve programmers/designers, Paul, Peter, Lou, Kim those were great times, drinking, laughing, coding in the wee hours of night, and spending 3 to 4 days at various hotels and fairs. -- I miss Kim the most, she should had never been taken away from us by that crazy asshole, as least he is rotting away in jail for 300+ years.

 

Ok, I am crying now, going to have to fire up my Geneve's and use them for a while, sadly they are not turned up as much as I wish they should be.

[Gazoo]

I just wish the geneve had VGA output for its 9938.

 

There needs to be a true 9938/58 FPGA made like the F18A, it would really help.

 

Should be possible as there is 9938 MSX FPGA replacements.

 

Then with a V58 - F18A and the licensed 9958 FPGA core, we could easy see a replacement for the Geneve.

 

<snip>

 

All we need is someone to make the device, since the code is already out there. I suggested it a while back here and all I got was a bunch of crap arguments against the idea. I agree that a 9938 replacement with VGA output is very necessary.

 

Gazoo

[Gary from OPA]

 

All we need is someone to make the device, since the code is already out there. I suggested it a while back here and all I got was a bunch of crap arguments against the idea. I agree that a 9938 replacement with VGA output is very necessary.

 

Gazoo

 

Yep, I know. Alot of the crap arguments is the fact we have emulators like MESS on PC that does it, so why the hell build new hardware. -- Well sorry I am one of those that no matter how well you polish MESS up, I will not use it as an hardware 'replacement' for many reasons.

[mizapf]

I know what you mean, while I don't second. But one thing in common: I hope that I can finish up all works on the MESS emulation for the Geneve before any kind of hardware gives up, and the monitor could well be one of them.

[Gary from OPA]

I know what you mean, while I don't second. But one thing in common: I hope that I can finish up all works on the MESS emulation for the Geneve before any kind of hardware gives up, and the monitor could well be one of them.

 

Yeah I know the feeling, I am using my crappy normal video monitor on my geneve right now, instead of my nice amiga 1084 rgb monitor that is sitting back in cold storage in canada.

Edited October 29, 2014 by Gary from OPA

[Astharot]

An info Geneve user.. one have try at use the Rasmus Game on real iron Geneve or with Mess emulator? I for tested my acknoledge on Geneve try scramble game with Mess emulator but no work.. maybe the Rasmus game are created only for ti99 or i wrong the setting?

Also i try old dump original cartdrige that i found on whtech and work well...

[TheMole]

I was just wondering, are all components to build new Geneve's easily available today? I've quickly looked at the schematics, and there's one custom ASIC on there but it seems to be relatively simple in terms of what it does. I'm guessing mizapf understands it well enough for someone to be able to create a replacement. I've always dreamed of having one, but never could afford one on my measly allowance back in the day. It would be cool if we could build new Geneve's for those that are still looking to fulfill that same dream.

 

I'm not a hardware guy myself, but I have a friend that loves this kind of thing who would be able to help me out (to a certain extent)... it'd be interesting to see how hard it would be.

[mizapf]

I'm not a hardware guy either. We almost teased out everything from the Gate Array that is supposedly hidden in it. I don't know how difficult it would be to recreate the programming from the discovered logic.

 

But apart from that, you'll need some more circuits, like the 9995, v9938, 9901, and a 76496 (sound). And there is an obscure PAL16R4 on it.

[TheMole]

I'm not a hardware guy either. We almost teased out everything from the Gate Array that is supposedly hidden in it. I don't know how difficult it would be to recreate the programming from the discovered logic.

Is there a written explanation of how it works somewhere?

Edited November 25, 2014 by TheMole

[+arcadeshopper]

I was just wondering, are all components to build new Geneve's easily available today? I've quickly looked at the schematics, and there's one custom ASIC on there but it seems to be relatively simple in terms of what it does. I'm guessing mizapf understands it well enough for someone to be able to create a replacement. I've always dreamed of having one, but never could afford one on my measly allowance back in the day. It would be cool if we could build new Geneve's for those that are still looking to fulfill that same dream.

 

I'm not a hardware guy myself, but I have a friend that loves this kind of thing who would be able to help me out (to a certain extent)... it'd be interesting to see how hard it would be.

 

Richard Bell owns this IP and probably has the ASIC data.. He is on this group..

 

Greg

[+Ksarul]

If you get your hands on one of the prototypes, they use discrete logic instead of the ASIC, IIRC. I'll have to look at the one I got from Barry Boone or ask Leonard what his looks like.

[TheMole]

 

Richard Bell owns this IP and probably has the ASIC data.. He is on this group..

 

Greg

 

Ah, but if there's still active IP on the design, making repros might be a bit of a problem? I guess Richard would have to chime in on that.

[+Ksarul]

Also, do not forget that the Geneve II is still undergoing slow but steady development in England. . .and I believe Richard did give permission for that action to proceed. Getting that project to come to fruition might be our best course of action--and just having enough of us express interest to the builder (Gary Smith) might be enough of a spur to keep him going on it.