What are your TI plans & wants for 2015?

[Omega-TI]

We all have plans for our TI hobby... what are yours for 2015?

Are you planning on obtaining or making hardware updates? If so, what do you plan to get? Why that item?

 

Any software that you would like to obtain?

 

Also, if there is one item you would like above all else, even if does not yet exist, let us know what it might be.

[conmee]

Having just put my TI system back together after a 15 year hiatus (boxed up in the garage, and before 1999, had been boxed since 1986 or so), I'm making 2015 a throwback "stock" year. I'm still getting used to the Extended Basic and Assembly ends of the pool. Pouring through books, magazines, and manuals, I realize just how much I've forgotten. So other than some NOS I've been buying up, and a search for the last few pieces of documentation I need, I've got my hands full with just the original specs, let alone all the cool controller/80 column/custom stuff available to the community. If I get back up to speed in 2015, I'll likely look to extend the original system's capabilities. But for now, I'm pretty excited with a stock system. Just for fun I'm firing up the Securities Analysis cart and I'm going to see how it handles some of my current trading... don't think it's gonna do to well with Iron Condors...

[Astharot]

If finally i found time.. my project for 2015 are:

hardware : create with ubergrom board rxb 2015 (just have xb2.7)

software.. : learn how use at best rxb and xb2.7 basic, cortex basic (created by stuart) and FB Forth.

My goal is no create big program.. i no good in programming.. for me is good just if i learn how convert for all type of language simple program.

It is no easy... because rxb and xb2.7 are similar.. cortex basic seem more near at msx basic an Forth is very hard!!! :-)

[+retroclouds]

My plan is to implement a cross compiler where you write pascal/ada like code that compiles to assembly language.

Now, the interesting thing is that the code can run from cartridge space without memory expansion.

As runtime library I am using spectra2.

 

I have language constructs for using VDP memory as CPU memory, so it is just as easy to handle variables in VDP as it is in CPU ram. An important feature because I only consider 256 bytes of scratchpad memory as my main target.

The goal is to write future games in B99 (that is how I call my language) only inserting assembly language code where absolutely necessary.

 

I will be opening a separate thread when the time comes. I have some working code, but language constructs are still not completed, that is why I don't want to post sample code at this time.

Edited February 21, 2015 by retroclouds

[sometimes99er]

What are your TI plans & wants for 2015?

 

We all have plans for our TI hobby... what are yours for 2015?

Are you planning on obtaining or making hardware updates? If so, what do you plan to get? Why that item?

 

Any software that you would like to obtain?

 

Also, if there is one item you would like above all else, even if does not yet exist, let us know what it might be.

I'm not planning much for now. I've got good indications of the world coming to an end, and basically just have to do a bit of mental preparation.

 

Just watched this one, and it inspired me. Spot the TI.

 

[atrax27407]

Get my second P-Box running again and add a second RS232, a couple of QUEST RAMdisks, and my RAVE Speech card.

[am1933]

My tastes are simple, a smooth scrolling trilogy cart, a Sabre Wulf cart, an XB 2.7 cart, some Databiotics carts, basically lots of cartridges and some more books for the old 4a collection.

[PeBo]

Hardware: Get an F18A installed in the spare console. In my PEB, want to install a SID Master 99 card (for a bit of Commie-style audio sweetness), HDX my RS232, and replace Drive 1 with a Lothrex HxC.

 

Software: Complete my boxed collections of Atarisoft (still looking for Jungle Hunt and Pac Man), and Parker Bros (need Q*bert) and try to find a few of the less common DataBioTics carts...

Also have to speak to the talented Mr Carmany about a few Eproms for titles that are just not available through any other sources (the 'no up-rope' Junkman disk version is frustrating as hell, and desperately need a Robotron fix!). Basically, if I can run something under Classic 99, I want a copy I can run on my REAL console.

 

Somehow, I want to do all of the above AND curb the flow of cash bleeding into this money-pit of a hobby (still the first few months of getting back into this, so stands to reason that there's been rampant spending, but it's got to stop - and soon!!! (Unless someone wants to buy a late middle-aged used wife - I'll throw in a massive shoe collection at no extra charge.)

 

Projects: More than anything, I want to become more familiar with TurboForth (fascinates the hell out of me), and would like to revive a couple programs I wrote in XBasic 30 years ago (wish I wouldn't have sold my disks with the system back in the day) and maybe this time (if stupidity and senility doesn't get in the way) take advantage of the hardware by coding them in Assembly (very simple stuff to start, since I never tackled learning assembly back first time around!) or Forth.

 

I sincerely hope this old dog can still learn a few new tricks! I bought my original TI to teach myself programming, this time around I am doing far too little of that, so 2015 is my year to turn that around.

Edited February 21, 2015 by PeBo

[+save2600]

I'd like to be able to play my Championship Baseball cart, which means I need an MBX unit. Anyone have one for sale or trade?

[Wildstar]

I'm not planning much for now. I've got good indications of the world coming to an end, and basically just have to do a bit of mental preparation.

 

Just watched this one, and it inspired me. Spot the TI.

 

 

Not sure but so far haven't saw the TI. Either the video quality is so poor that it is near impossible to see it or something. The only seen that I might have saw it but couldn't tell is near the beginning in that brief school scene.

[+Schmitzi]

spending my money on some more ebay-stuff, clean it from dust, catalogize it,

learning a bit to solder, maybe make some very small repairs,

understanding all this stuff was coming up from the 90ies,

enjoying complete Micropendium and other old-skool-mags I´ve bought

getting my Horizons, Geneve, HFDC, IDE, HDDs and some more to run,

playing Parsec and Bomber, downloading all I can get, sorting 1 trillion files

nerving all the people with my low-quality questions

running up that hill

[+Ksarul]

And quoting Kate Bush songs too, I see, Ralf.

[Gazoo]

I'd love to see an F38A in 2015, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

I'm in for 2 of them, even if they're $500 each. I'd do a third mortgage on the house for something as sorely needed in the TI community as that.

 

Gazoo

[+Vorticon]

I am working on another utterly useless interfacing hardware hack. If only I could get the bloody thing to cooperate with my TI

[Asmusr]

I'd love to see an F38A in 2015, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

I'm in for 2 of them, even if they're $500 each. I'd do a third mortgage on the house for something as sorely needed in the TI community as that.

 

Gazoo

 

I don't know if your strategy is right? Holding your breath for a long time might actually be the best way to obtain dream hardware.

[Gazoo]

 

I don't know if your strategy is right? Holding your breath for a long time might actually be the best way to obtain dream hardware.

 

 

Unfortunately the described hardware is not a dream, it is possible. The code for 9938 emulation exists, even though it may not be perfected yet.

There are people (and some of them are here) that know how to take that code and build the hardware for it, unfortunately I am not one of those people.

IMHO, a device such as I described would most certainly be the most beneficial upgrade for the TI & Geneve ever, hands down - period. You can argue the point, but your argument would be in vain.

 

Gazoo

[Omega-TI]

Once I get this keyboard upgrade all squared away, and get my TI WiFi'ed, I'm going to patiently wait for the Myarc 720K clone to become available.

[+adamantyr]

Finishing the CRPG!

 

Right now I've broken from my usual pattern and I'm just writing implementation for all the stuff that hadn't been done. It's probably going to fail spectacularly when I get around to compiling and running it, but at least then I have SOMETHING to debug.

 

Plus I really want to write out everything the engine needs to actually function so I can start to look at what I can extend, expand, or make better, and how much memory I have to work with for all of that.

 

I'm still mulling the idea of introducing elevation into the maps; this would complicate LOS and require me to find around a kilobyte of buffer space to store map data for it, but I like the idea of having a line of sight advantage from a top area...

[globeron]

1. I would like to have the nano-PEB built-in the Speech Synthesizer, there is room for it and without the extra 5V adapter if possilble.

Open up the flap of Speech for RS232 and SD cards (or CF cards but not preferred) + 32K

 

2. Or an easy way to have 32K added to the TI (not soldering inside, which we did 20-30 years ago), but an easy plug in

(so that I can use the Extended Basic 7 (Ubergrom version) and more important the 2048K Games 1 module in 1 console.

 

3 It would be nice to have 32K built-in the 2048K module, but there are no ports available, maybe a ribbon from the module

to the sideport of the Speech? (but then my 3-4 year old probably will pull out the cable, it need to be kid-proof)

[am1933]

So far I am having a fairly good TI year, recently got 2 boxed Altai joysticks(no interface needed)-2 y splitter interfaces were also unexpectedly included in the purchase, also got a TI cassette recorder(boxed and working)240V version-difficult to come by in the UK. I have the 3-1 trilogy and SabreWulf module on the way and I have just secured a load of modules which included the diagnostics and demonstration modules.

 

Now seriously looking at the Lotharek system, maybe later this year.

[+Schmitzi]

...on my wishlist is also a complete 110 Volts power supply system for the whole EU

[jdgabbard]

Been lurking for a bit, but this is my first post. And thought this would be the most appropriate thread to post in. I hadn't messed around with BASIC since I was a small boy, we originally had a C64. I had planned on buying one of those, but got a heck of a steal on a TI-99/4a. And naturally, I found this forum.

For 2015, wow a lot...

 

First, learn the languages. BASIC, EB, Assembly, etc. I have an ok grasp of the first two, but learning to efficiently use them is where I'm at now. One thing at a time, I have been writing small programs (mostly playing around) in order to see how the commands work. I have some experience writing in a C++ derivative (Arduino IDE), and some Python. So hopefully this will be beneficial. Although, I am well aware of the differences.

Secondly, as one could deduce from the above statement, I play around with electronics at the hobby level. Circuit design and board building are not new to me. One of the things I noticed when I started looking at the available cartridge PCBs is that the Guidry board is probably the most popular. However, ExpressPCB, or the Gerber files, are not friendly to the DIY-Guy who intends to etch the board in his backyard. I can't justify the cost of ordering these, when I could make them in my home with all the FR4 I have laying around. Or order them from another source for a fraction of the price. So drawing the schematic and board in Eagle and making those files available to the community here is something that I'm planning on doing, once I find the time.

 

Third, I obviously plan on using the boards above to make some useful carts. Currently I only have the EB, TI Invaders, Munchman, and Adventure carts. So putting together a few other carts is high on my priority list. I have one of the 64/128k boards from ArcadeShopper on the way. So I'll be looking forward to getting that, and the 27c512 eproms, in the mail.

[Shift838]

I'll be waiting for the Myarc 720k clones to come out.

[Dexter]

Since I’m not even a week aware of this hobby, I pretty much got a rocket start!

 

My TI-99/4A has not yet arrived. In the mean time I’m reading for days here on the forum. I also got contacted by a very nice guy who will/has send a lot stuff like cartridges and more to me! I don’t know if I may reveal his identity, but in any case: THANK you very much! ...

 

So while at this moment I have no TI related hardware at all, it is on its way!

 

What are my plans:

 

To complete the system, I’ll:

 

· Repair the most likely broken DRAM.

· Make a TI to Atari joystick adapter.

· Make a composite mod for the modulator.

· Obtain a UBERgrom board from Ksarul and the needed chips from Gazoo to create an

· Extended Basic v2.7 Suite Cartridge

· Obtain a nanoPEB V1

 

In the near future I also would like to purchase an F18A. I think the board is also fantastic to use as a display “adapter” for homebrew computers! I have also played with a homemade V9958 prototype board. It’s an awesome VDP!!!

 

I guess, then I’ll be ready and set to program the TI with TI Extended BASIC and be able to compile it. And relive the feeling of the old days. I’d also like to learn more about the internal hardware structure of the machine.

 

 

 

[+arcadeshopper]

 

Not sure but so far haven't saw the TI. Either the video quality is so poor that it is near impossible to see it or something. The only seen that I might have saw it but couldn't tell is near the beginning in that brief school scene.

 

now i want to watch the rest of this show..dammit