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How to install TI-99/4A (TI-99/SIM) on RetroPie v3.6 (Raspberry Pi2 or Pi3)


globeron

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Paradroyd posted a YouTube video about TI-99/4A emulator

(= TI-99/SIM of Marc Rousseau - http://www.mrousseau.org/programs/ti99sim/README.html)

 

on a RetroPie v3.6 (Raspberry Pi2 or Pi3).

YouTube Video:

 

People at the TI99 group on FaceBook are asking how to install it:

https://www.facebook...54007498184844/

 

 

I just managed to get it to work (my instructions are very basic installation steps for v1.0)

 

RetroPi

* https://github.com/retropie/retropie-setup/wiki/First-Installation

* Image: https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/releases/download/3.6/retropie-v3.6-rpi2_rpi3.img.gz

 

other resources:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Updated-Installing-RetroPie-30-on-Raspberry-Pi-1-2/

(detailed instructions installing TI99sim) http://www.mrousseau.org/a/ti99sim/README.html#TOC_2B

 

 

V1.0 - Instructions

(Maybe Paradroyd can help to improve or share the "theme" and "carbon" ".png" .xml files?)

 

 

--------------------------

 

TI-99/4A installation on a RETROPIE Raspberry Pi2
-------------------------------------------------
by Ronald van Kleunen (Globeron)
version 1.0 26/March/2016

 

 

RetroPie installed on Raspberry Pi2
retropie-v3.6-rpi2.img

 

 

0. https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/FAQ#why-cant-i-ssh-as-root-anymore
putty SSH into the raspberry pie
www.putty.org
ssh 192.168.100.150 (port 22)
pi
raspberry
>sudo passwd root

> sudo su

1. download armv7 image from
http://www.mrousseau.org/programs/ti99sim/archives/

http://www.mrousseau.org/programs/ti99sim/archives/ti99sim-0.13.0.armhf.tar.gz (use the "ARM" version, because Raspberry Pi is armv7)

 

2. upload the file to the /pi directory
use FTP

 

3. SSH into the raspberry pie
unzip the file: tar xf ti99sim-0.13.0.armhf.tar.gz
(or try tar -xvzf ti99sim-0.13.0.armhf.tar.gz)

cd ti99sim-0.13.0

make install

 

 

4. use your own ROMs of the TI-99/4A or
(I heard there is a "roms" directory in-side this .zip file)
http://dl.openhandhelds.org/cgi-bin/gp2x.cgi?......%20%3C/td%3E%3C/tr%3E%3Ctr%3E%3Ctd%3E%C2%A0%3C/td%3E%3C/tr%3E%3Ctr%3E%3Ctd%3E%3Cb%3EDate%20d,0,0,0,72,2798

(in windows, unzip the .zip file and copy the roms directory to e.g. d:\temp\roms
there will be 4x files
(spchrom.bin, spchrom.dat, ti-994a.ctg, ti-994a.dat)

(as it is not possible to FTP directly in the /opt/ti99sim/rom directory, we do it in 2 steps)

use FTP
create a new directory
/home/pi/temp
copy the rom files
(e.g. spchrom.bin, spchrom.dat, ti-994a.ctg, ti-994a.dat)
cd /opt/ti99sim/roms

back to SSH terminal (as root)
sudo su
root@retropie:/opt/ti99sim/roms# cp /home/pi/temp/*.* .

(files are case sensitive)
cp ti-994a.ctg TI-994A.ctg

(this is to clean up the temporary directory:)
cd /home/pi/temp
rm *.*

 

 

5. install cartridges
(use this link to download .ctg files)
http://zx81.zx81.free.fr/public/wiz/wizti99/cartridges.zip

root@retropie:/home/pi/temp# cd /opt/ti99sim/cartridges/

root@retropie:/opt/ti99sim/cartridges# cp /home/pi/temp/*.* .

(this is to clean up the temporary directory:)
cd /home/pi/temp
rm *.*

 

 

6. (example: PATH=$PATH:newPath1:newPAth2)
root@retropie:/opt/ti99sim/roms# PATH=$PATH:~/.ti99sim:/opt/ti99sim:/opt/ti99sim/bin:/opt/ti99sim/roms/:/opt/ti99sim/cartridges
export PATH

(cleaning up the temporary directory and the .gz file)
cd /home/pi/
rmdir temp
rm ti99sim-0.13.0.armhf.tar.gz

cd ti99sim-0.13.0/
rm *.*
cd ..
rmdir ti99sim-0.13.0

 

 

7. root@retropie:/opt/ti99sim/bin# cd /opt/ti99sim/bin
ti99sim-sdl

 

 

8. cd /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/
mkdir ti99sim
cd ti99sim
cp /opt/ti99sim/cartridges/*.* .

 

 

9. cd /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS
cp /opt/ti99sim/roms/*.* .

 

 

10. http://emulationstation.org/gettingstarted.html#config

 

 

11. cd /etc/emulationstation
(either copy this file via FTP to this directory)
or

vi es_systems.cfg
<system>
<name>ti99</name>
<fullname>TI-99/4A</fullname>
<path>/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/ti99sim</path>
<extension>.ctg</extension>
<command>/opt/ti99sim/bin/ti99sim-sdl -f %ROM%</command>
<platform>ti99sim</platform>
<theme>ti99sim</theme>
<directlaunch/>
</system>

TODO graphics for the TI-99/4A in the Emulstation menu
------------------------------------------------------
12. /etc/emulationstation/themes
mkdir ti99sim

cp ./zxspectrum/*.* ./ti99sim/*.*
(not sure if this works, otherwise copy all directories 1 by 1)

I used above for test purposed to select a system in the emulatorstation view

--------------------------------------------------------

13. reboot the RetroPIE
after reboot you will see a kind of ZXSpectrum computer logo,
(as I copied it from the Zxspectrum and do not have this emulator installed yet)
select, and you will see all TI-99/4A cartridges

14. TODO
--------
>> I am using a wireless Oker Joystick (PS/3) type and with the analog control it works with Parsec
>> still the keyboard is needed to select 1, 2 and 3 (to lift)
>> I am using a wireless keyboard (Microsoft 2000 type)
>>
>> Fullscreen view on a LCD screen
>>
>> Other games also work (similar as on the Sony PSP).
>>
>> I will create a video and post it at youtube "TI99VIDEOS" channel once ready
>> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7jwHlQfNTAKQ9WdKORAnpA

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EDIT:

* some corrections, file transfers are not via FTP, but via SFTP on port 22 (I used FileZilla for this).

 

 

Joysticks:

I had some issues with Joysticks working in Emulatorstation, but not in the emulators (sometimes, sometimes not)

(for TI-99/4A, NES, SNES, etc.), Here are great instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhkEnDdygbQ

 

(see video for Raspberry PI USB-port numbering 0,1,2,3), before doing any configuration changes as explained in

the video, make sure you connect your Wireless Controllers to USB port "0" , "1" first, then your USB-keyboard

(either wireless or wired), because the emulators read the ports in sequence. That solved it for me.

 

Once the emulator starts, you will see in yellow in the bottom which device gets detected first, if this is your Wireless Controller/Joystick

you are good to go and almost can control everything via the wireless controller (I am using an Oker "PS/3" type, by pressing "Select" and "Start"

I can go back). Or on the keyboard press ESC.

 

The keyboard is still needed for the TI-99/4A (e.g. Parsec 1,2,3 or Carwars and Blasto to select the options)

I believe in TI-99/SIM the "Redo" and "Back" buttons are not assigned, I still need to look into the keyboard file to see if it can be mapped

(and other functions keys).

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There are no actual "Redo" or "Back" buttons in TI-99/Sim. However, you should be able to use the ALT key as the FCTN key and simply use ALT-8 or ALT-9 (or any other combination for DEL, INS, ERASE, ...). Some keystrokes will automatically simulate the FCTN key (e.g. typing a '~' on your keyboard will simulate a FCTN and W keypress), but for any that don't, simply use the ALT key for FCTN.

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Okay thanks. I have not tried that yet. It would be good to map as much possible to a controller to avoid switching (compare it to a PS/4) everything is done with a controller. On the Sony PSP it also works okay but if keys are needed it is a bit troublesome like parsec needs 1 2 3.

But I like it as it is portable.

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Thanks for this guide. Putting a little black raspberry pi next to all of the other little black boxes at the TV is a great way to sneak the TI into the main entertainment center...

 

I did one thing different in my setup.. after installing ti99sim with sudo make install, I linked the cartridges folder instead of copying them.

 

ln -s /opt/ti99sim/cartridges /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/ti99

 

I had tried to adjust the emulation station config to just look directly in /opt/RetroPie/cartridges, but either I made a mistake, or that just didn't work.

 

-M@

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Thanks! Looks like I have something to do today after all. :)

 

Couple of things, though...the instructions say to download to "/pi" but there is no "pi" folder at the root. Is the correct location "/home/pi" where RetroPie and RetroPie-Setup folders are? The emulator download linked in the article downloads fine, but .gz files are automatically unzipped upon download, and the resulting file is named "ti99sim-0.13.0.i686.tar" which seems odd, since the download file is clearly named with "arm" as the architecture.

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Thanks! Looks like I have something to do today after all. :)

 

Couple of things, though...the instructions say to download to "/pi" but there is no "pi" folder at the root. Is the correct location "/home/pi" where RetroPie and RetroPie-Setup folders are? The emulator download linked in the article downloads fine, but .gz files are automatically unzipped upon download, and the resulting file is named "ti99sim-0.13.0.i686.tar" which seems odd, since the download file is clearly named with "arm" as the architecture.

 

I experienced some things like that but didn't notice exactly... Maybe a raspbian version difference. The 'download to' locations don't matter, the point is to get them into a folder you can access with sftp.

I also tripped over the file name. I don't know what automatically un-gzipped it. Somewhere I struggled with one of those files being named ____.tar.gz, but it wouldn't expend with tar -xvzf ___.tar.gz so I ran 'file ___.tar.gz' and it said it was a plain tar archive. So I renamed it for sanity sake to drop the .gz, and then expanded it without the 'z' option.

 

Once you have extracted it, and go into the folder, then run 'sudo make install' it creates an installation in /opt/ti99sim. After that, the extracted folder you had and the original archive are out of the picture and can be deleted, moved, forgotten about.

 

--

 

As an aside, it would be awesome to be able to map 1, 2, 3, and ENTER to controller buttons. A lot of cartridges would work then without the keyboard. I've tried to find something like a remapping tool, or wrapper for SDL, but no luck yet.

 

-M@

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I experienced some things like that but didn't notice exactly... Maybe a raspbian version difference. The 'download to' locations don't matter, the point is to get them into a folder you can access with sftp.

I also tripped over the file name. I don't know what automatically un-gzipped it. Somewhere I struggled with one of those files being named ____.tar.gz, but it wouldn't expend with tar -xvzf ___.tar.gz so I ran 'file ___.tar.gz' and it said it was a plain tar archive. So I renamed it for sanity sake to drop the .gz, and then expanded it without the 'z' option.

 

Once you have extracted it, and go into the folder, then run 'sudo make install' it creates an installation in /opt/ti99sim. After that, the extracted folder you had and the original archive are out of the picture and can be deleted, moved, forgotten about.

 

 

Will do. For kicks, I went out to the archive site housing the .gz files, and grabbed all three *arm versions. 12 and 12.1 both ungzip to .armhf.tar files, but 13 unzgips to i686.tar, so I suppose I'll start with 12.1 first. Unless you're saying ver 13 is just misnamed in the archive and is truly for arm?

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12 and 12.1 both ungzip to .armhf.tar files, but 13 unzgips to i686.tar, so I suppose I'll start with 12.1 first. Unless you're saying ver 13 is just misnamed in the archive and is truly for arm?

 

I had the same issue when I let OS X unpack the file automatically. I would end up with something that was named "i686.tar". It was quite confusing. I emailed the author and showed him some screenshots, he seemed to have a theory about what was going on and assured me it was the ARM version. I downloaded it directly to the Raspberry PI and it behaved as you would expect. In addition I took the file that OS X trashes and moved that to the PI and also got the same result... a correctly named ARM file. I would suspect that whatever you are using to expand the download is doing the same thing.

 

I know 13 works as I have it launched under Raspbian as of yesterday... now to try to get that danged cartridge conversion tool to spit out anything that works.... arrrrg! I think Im going to punt on that and acquire new pre-made ctg files from one of the sources mentioned.

Edited by MurdockScott
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I know 13 works as I have it launched under Raspbian as of yesterday... now to try to get that danged cartridge conversion tool to spit out anything that works.... arrrrg! I think Im going to punt on that and acquire new pre-made ctg files from one of the sources mentioned.

 

OK, thanks for the info. Keep us posted. I've (obviously) not made any progress with it today and this is a busy week with work and play rehearsals, but I'll poke at it as I get time as well. Not sure how well this will run on my Pi 1 ("Early Adopter Blues") but if it doesn't run smoothly, that'll probably be impetus enough for an upgrade. :)

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OK, thanks for the info. Keep us posted. I've (obviously) not made any progress with it today and this is a busy week with work and play rehearsals, but I'll poke at it as I get time as well. Not sure how well this will run on my Pi 1 ("Early Adopter Blues") but if it doesn't run smoothly, that'll probably be impetus enough for an upgrade. :)

 

 

That was me last week preparing for a photoshoot and taking care of a sick little boy... but today I am happy to report that he launched ti99sim on the Pi 3 and did a few lines of code in TI Basic.

 

I have abandoned trying to convert my own cart collection and am cherry picking the stuff we own from the downloads already in .ctg format. A few don't work but most do. as far as performance on the Pi 3 goes, it seems really good! I was getting some garbled sound from Alpiner and other carts that use the speech synth but I was greedy and running ti99sim in full screen at 1080p. I decided to edit my Raspbian config file and drop my resolution to 720p and that seemed to help I can run in full screen and speech is working.

 

Only thing I have noticed being slow/odd is Parsec unfortunately. It is running quickly... ships move fast and everything seems OK, but the lasers don't fire a lot of the time with makes it unplayable. I just tried it at the native window size and it was a slight bit better but still is acting freaky. Perhaps it is not the Pi 3 being slow as much as thats just the way it plays on ti99sim.

 

Of course I am doing this all under Raspbian and I would wager there is some overhead there that is removed with RetroPie/Emulation Station... (I will tackle RetroPie down the road) The great thing about The Raspberry PI is that if your PI 1 does turn out to be a bit sluggish... its a whole whopping $35 bucks to get an entirely new computer! : )

 

Next challenge for me is to figure out how to access disks... it is not a TI99/4a if it can't play TOD!

Edited by MurdockScott
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Of course I am doing this all under Raspbian and I would wager there is some overhead there that is removed with RetroPie/Emulation Station... (I will tackle RetroPie down the road) The great thing about The Raspberry PI is that if your PI 1 does turn out to be a bit sluggish... its a whole whopping $35 bucks to get an entirely new computer! : )

 

Next challenge for me is to figure out how to access disks... it is not a TI99/4a if it can't play TOD!

 

Yeah, I'm not going to cry about spending another $35. I've been on the fence - a few other systems are a tad pokey (SNES runs fine, but the Atari 7800 drags - strange).

 

Agreed about TOD. I did notice the system config only lists the ctg files as roms. Surely there's a command line switch in the emu to let you load a disk image. But the other systems in my own config that use disks and carts list all the extensions, but only seem to pass a %ROM% variable to the emu. Definitely something to play around with. I would love to play Oh Mummy, Freddy, The Mine, and Carfax Abby on the big screen.

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Well, I've had some time to play around, and I think I'm close. Emulationstation displays the TI99 entry, and the list of cartridges in the retropie ROMs folder appear. However, when I try to launch one, I get "Unable to locate console ROMs."

 

For kicks, I tried copying the four ROM images into /opt/ti99sim/roms but that didn't help.

 

The emulator itself is in /opt/ti99sim. The console roms are in /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS and the cartridges are in /home/pi/RetroPie/roms. I've modified the PATH and ran the export command. (pi@retropie:/opt/ti99sim $ echo $PATH

/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/local/games:/usr/games:/home/pi/.ti99sim:/opt/ti99sim:/opt/ti99sim/bin:/opt/ti99sim/roms/:/opt/ti99sim/cartridges

pi@retropie:/opt/ti99sim $)

 

Any ideas on what else I might be missing? I've ran through the instructions a few times (I don't blame the instructions...I'm surely missing something obvious here).

Edited by etownandy
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  • 2 months later...

Updated installation procedure of TI-99/Sim (new version) 0.14.0 (25 June 2016) on RetroPie v3.8.1 (4 June 2016):

 

http://www.globeron.com/freedownload/services/TI99/TI-99-Sim-Installation-on-RaspberryPI2ModelB-RetroPieV381-DocV2.pdf

 

 

also see the previous FB posting: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2209774843/permalink/10154007498184844/

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  • 2 months later...

Any idea what the latest installation method is? With the latest Retropie it is possible to install from the Experimental menu Ti99Sim. The Github for retropie then says to put the roms and BIOS in the usual places. It does say however to put the BIOS file into the folder TI99, which doesn't exist. I also see in the config file that the BIOS is not being referenced.

 

Anyway, I can't seem to get it working, so wondered if I was missing a step.

 

Thanks.

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  • 3 months later...

I don't suppose there's an easy way to convert rpk cart images to ctg format? The various links on the various topics on this forum give me a good set of game modules, but I'm interested in running educational stuff as well (especially Milliken, Scot Foresman, and DLM math, and the "Reading" series). It's been ages since I've had v9t9 format copies of modules. I did look on whtech, but the v9t9 folder under emulators is pretty bare.

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