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! FlashROM 99 & FinalGROM 99 - Repository


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Okay, thanks to Rasmus, first of the FinalGROM 99 files has been added! :-D

The program works great!

 

We're heading towards a future where a non-inverted ROM cartridge image will be the norm (and we can drop the awkward term "non-inverted"). The only reason I see for making inverted cartridge images available is for people like me who have a stash of the old boards available. I believe we're talking about a handful of 16K - 128K images that might be relevant to burn to one of the older boards. I think it would make sense to join the two pinned ROM image threads and list the few inverted images under a separate heading in the joined thread, but otherwise assume that everything is "non-inverted", so it's only the size that determines which boards an image can be used with.

 

When it comes to ROM/GROM mixed carts, I'm not clear about how these will be distributed in the future. Does the FG99 rely on file naming conventions to associate ROMs and GROMs?

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When it comes to ROM/GROM mixed carts, I'm not clear about how these will be distributed in the future. Does the FG99 rely on file naming conventions to associate ROMs and GROMs?

 

I've not been briefed yet on all the particulars, so that is a question that Ralph will have to answer, sorry.

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Rasmus,

You might want to look over this Microsoft Multiplan cartridge .BIN. It might give you an idea of how it works. I've noticed all the GROM cartridges end in "G"... I've not check to see if the "G" changes anything though.

 

 

** EDIT **

 

A ROM image file cannot end with a "G".

A mixed ROM & GROM will be split into 3 files C & D for the ROM and G for the GROM file.

In the case of the "D" that would be used for a second ROM bank.

phm3113G.BIN

Edited by --- Ω ---
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In my last two years I really wasn´t able to finally learn about the filename expansions and extensions at all. Very confusing for me.

Especially when I have a "break" for some weeks or so. And to (re-)find infos about is hard, AA-threads are a mass or a mess for me.

Same for burning cartridges. I have a range of about 12 of them, never got one running in the end. Too much information. Too less time.

 

Since the FlashROM´99 there is a real mitigation, but only because there is this one pinned thread here, with all working files.

For me all other things are just trial and error only. And you maybe know about all my efforts of making lists and tables about all....

And as my "Lists-Thread" is broken and unusable for 9 months now, I have paused the PDF-work now, do it just on request.

I am sure I have gathered and sorted all public given TI-99 files. (All, and all servers !). 250+ GBs now. (incl pics, books, manuals...)

And I have tried to sort, name and categorize them in a "good" way. Millions of files :0) But the problem of handling is still there.

 

Concerning software, the only "clear" format for me is .DSK But there you often have to find out how to start a thing. Similar story.

So I am generating PDFs here now, coming from the DOCs from inside the .DSKs, if given. But endless work.

 

A small, universal "analysing- and and maybe converting tool" to tell some infos about a file (format, usability...) would be very nice.

I mean ONE tool, not 50 threads spreading over the forum, telling things I do not understand at the very end.

(Edit: see it from the view of a 99er buddy here, new to the TI-99/ world)

 

Yes, kill me, but so it is. ;)

For me. And I am doing some IT-stuff for more than 35 years now... maybe my head is too full for that.

But I never give up, it´s the hobby :)

 

post-41141-0-58989200-1490520309_thumb.jpg

 

post-41141-0-58358200-1490520306_thumb.jpg post-41141-0-19238600-1490520308_thumb.jpg post-41141-0-99079600-1490520304_thumb.jpg

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The extensions are all documented in the Classic99 manual. ;) Originally there was PC99 and V9T9. PC99 encodes the file type information inside the file instead of the filename, so you can't really tell by looking at it. V9T9 had these, originally, for cartridges only (so they all started at >6000, which is cartridge space):

 

G - GROM. Starts loading at >6000.

C - CPU memory - standard 8k at >6000

D - Second CPU bank of a 16k bank-switched cartridge. Used for XB and Atarisoft.

 

When the new bank switched carts became popular and were based on the "74LS379" chip, I added support to Classic99. Since I wanted to support the user->open feature, which required the filename to encode the type information, I extended the naming scheme and declared "3" to mean a bank-switched, 'inverted' order cartridge, cause that's what we had.

 

Larger cartridges came out later based on the "74LS378", which had more bits available but did not invert the order. This was the birth of "non-inverted" cartridges. Since the only different digit in the name was the '8', I used that character in Classic99, and so '8' became the code for a non-inverted bank-switched cartridge. Because "8" and "3" were hard to remember, I later added "9" to the scheme to replace "3" as inverted.

 

So:

G - GROM. Starts loading at >6000. V9T9.

C - CPU memory - standard 8k at >6000. V9T9.

D - Second CPU bank of a 16k bank-switched cartridge. Used for XB and Atarisoft. V9T9.

3 or 9 - "inverted" style bank-switching CPU memory cartridge. Classic99 extension.

8 - "non-inverted" style bank-switching CPU memory cartridge. Classic99 extension.

 

That should cover most cartridges. Classic99 also supports two tags for UberGROMs, but nobody is distributing images with that syntax. ;)

 

But as for your later request to understand all the file types - that's a big job. Many TI files don't contain enough meta-data to determine beyond a guess what they contain. For those that do, we have at least six kinds of cartridge (V9T9 cartridges, PC99 cartridges, GRAM cartridges (which may also have one of the following file headers), Win994A cartridges, MESS RPK cartridges old style, MESS RPK cartridges new style), three kinds of disk image (V9T9/sector disk images, PC99/track disk images, HxC disk images), three types of raw file storage (TIFILES/XMODEM files, V9T9 files, raw files), and then when you get to the raw file itself, pretty much all bets are off. Assuming it's native, it might be an Archiver file, an Editor/Assembler #3 program, an Editor/Assembler #5 program, a BASIC program, an Extended BASIC program, one of the many variants of XB, or of course a data file.

 

Amazingly, we can usually open an unknown file and with a bit of poking around and a little experimentation, probably figure out what it is and how to run it. But I don't know that it can be automated for enough of the cases to be useful.

 

This is probably a bit off subject for this thread, I guess.

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...and now I see the start here, confusing FR99 with FG99 , destroing this wonderful pinned FR99-thread here

It´s just a question of time that this thread will be full of questions.... ;(

 

On topic and related questions, I have no problem with. With the index a person will still be able to zero in on the files wanted without the fog of a lengthy thread getting in their way, however only programs that run will be indexed.

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How long has it been since you were a kid with that anticipatory feeling of excitement knowing that you would be opening Christmas presents soon? Ahh... the future is just around the corner...

 

Massive storage capacity, HD like tree structure, able to run dang near anything in existence.

512K of banked memory... I'm wondering what this will do for the next generation of TI Games?

 

... I'm getting excited.

 

Question - Other than collectors, will anyone ever need more than one cartridge?

Like my DVD and CD cabinets, the TI-cartridge cabinet continues to serve a very very important decorative purpose.

(c'mon man I'm running out of excuses to give her for not boxing-up all the carts and putting them in storage - she already won with the vinyl, don't give her ammunition to replace more of my stuff with more of her chachka!)

 

Gotta admit though, one of these new puppies will make a stand-alone 4A a mighty complete retro system! Add a nanopeb and an F18, could have the console and everything ever written for it in a small backpack, ready to be plugged into any modern TV/monitor.

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Vinyl! Yeah, back in the day I had a 5 foot long shelf filled end to end with LP's. Now ALL of that music and more is on one 64GB USB stick!

 

I'm actually thinking of getting rid of some TI duplicates taking up valuable space, but I'm too lazy to want to box anything up to ship! Sadly most of the stuff I would want to get rid of has little no value... like cartridges! Of course I do have a NanoPEB in a 3D printed case that just sit's on the shelf because it's caused me trouble in the past and I don't personally like it. While it's 'currently working' I'd have to let it go cheap because with those things 'you never know'. Then I have a pretty nice looking P-Box that I put a whisper quiet fan in a year or so ago that never gets any use. In fact it's the one featured in << this blog entry >>. If someone is interested, I can bring them to Fest West I suppose.

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Vinyl! Yeah, back in the day I had a 5 foot long shelf filled end to end with LP's. Now ALL of that music and more is on one 64GB USB stick!

 

I'm actually thinking of getting rid of some TI duplicates taking up valuable space, but I'm too lazy to want to box anything up to ship! Sadly most of the stuff I would want to get rid of has little no value... like cartridges! Of course I do have a NanoPEB in a 3D printed case that just sit's on the shelf because it's caused me trouble in the past and I don't personally like it. While it's 'currently working' I'd have to let it go cheap because with those things 'you never know'. Then I have a pretty nice looking P-Box that I put a whisper quiet fan in a year or so ago that never gets any use. In fact it's the one featured in this blog entry >>. If someone is interested, I can bring them to Fest West I suppose.

 

I need to do that fan mod. Was it difficult? My soldering skills are quite limited, but it doesn't look like much soldering is involved.

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The hardest part of the project is finding a nice flat place to do the work. Take your time, don't rush. If I was to give anyone some advice, it would be to blow it out if needed. If you don't have an air compressor, get a can of air. Also clean the solder points with a Q-Tip and rubbing alcohol before soldering.

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The hardest part of the project is finding a nice flat place to do the work. Take your time, don't rush. If I was to give anyone some advice, it would be to blow it out if needed. If you don't have an air compressor, get a can of air. Also clean the solder points with a Q-Tip and rubbing alcohol before soldering.

I bought mine NOS so it's clean inside. :)

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There's WHTech.com, which is a treasure trove of all things TI. It also contains all sort of cartridge dumps.

 

And there's a new folder of known good, single file, uninverted images that can also be used for the FlashROM 99.

 

If some image is not working just let me know and I'll add to the compatibility section on the FR99 homepage.

 

Just got my FlashROM99 -- amazing.

 

Does this FTP folder exist elsewhere now? The link is presently dead.

 

Will the FlashROM handle Atarisoft images? Thanks.

 

 

 

bp

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This starts to confuse me now.

Maybe we should post some files for the Uber here, too, to make this perfect.

I think, I have 10 or 20 files now with the same name, but for totally different things.

There is a bin for uber post already :)

 

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

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This starts to confuse me now.

Maybe we should post some files for the Uber here, too, to make this perfect.

I think, I have 10 or 20 files now with the same name, but for totally different things.

 

I'm thinking more people will eventually purchase the FG99 than an EEPROM burner. Trying to avoid future confusion is why I'm posting the files here now. When they get one, they'll want a "one-stop-shopping" sort of thing. I'm thinking this will make it easier on the newbies that come on board later as well.

 

The FinalGROM will also load files that the FlashROM cannot, like multi-part example below.

Example.zip

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