I know it's never gonna happen, but I gotta know... is it possible?

[Omega-TI]

I didn't want to go off-topic in the RXB 2016 thread as that would have been very uncouth of me, so I decided to start this thread to ask a couple of theoretical questions...

 

The topic of using the 1 Meg SAMS card came up as well as a transparent (to the user) way of utilizing the memory. Which made me ponder...

 

In a BASIC environment

 

Could there possibly be a way to make the computer monitor how much memory is being used and when the pointer goes above a pre-defined limit, switch to the next bank? I imagine an additional segment would need to be utilized to keep track of all string and numeric variables upon execution. This makes me wonder about the Monopoly loader, how does it operate? It appears to be some kind of controlling shell. Could that type of control mechanism be burned into a chip for immediate execution upon power up and appear transparent to the user?

 

Yes, a shell environment would add overhead, but the additional memory of the SAMS card would offset the overhead with a gain in memory, but I'm not sure what this would do to speed.

 

In a SHELL type environment

If something like the above could be implemented in BASIC, I've wondered about DOS and GUI environments as well. With all our super-fast loading cartridges, it seems like a ton of stuff could be dumped into active memory of the SAMS pretty quickly upon start-up. This could be anything from the simple programs we use now, to a DOS or even GUI environment.

 

Again these questions are all theoretical, I know there isn't a snowballs chance in an Arizona summer of any of this coming to pass, I just need to know if it's 'possible'. --- Thanks.

 

 

 

[Sinphaltimus]

If that were possible, theoretically, you could have a lot more than a meg of ram. And that's what I keep thinking of when ever I see these fpga projects.

 

I don't know the math but imagine the 24k or so of usable ram from a standard upgraded console being soley dedicated to driving a I gigabyte memory system using bank switching 24k at a time(ok maybe 1gb is a stretch, like I said I don't know the math).

 

The overhead might be mitigated by a fast performing board.

 

Dreaming here... Just think tanking.

[Omega-TI]

Yeah, lot's of stuff can be done with a FPGA magic, but the guys here have rubbed off on me over the years, and it just wouldn't 'feel like a TI to me'. I kind like the feeling of 'some limitations', by sticking to 'extensions' of technology that was used 'back in the day' and using software to bring it all together. Since the SAMS was around back then I figure... "it's Kosher", so to speak.

[Sinphaltimus]

Oh. A purist. Nothing wrong with that at all. I'm a duality. Won't mod unless absolutely necessary or I have an official unmodded working spare in better condition.

 

For my ti. I have 2 spare consoles and a spare immaculate peb with cards to match my missed peb. So I like to imagine in the extreme.

 

I'd love an fpga based ti that is 100 percent compatible (right down to the hardware connections for legacy devices, speed and ram limitations) but could also be configured I the bios to support a lot more ram, run at a faster speed and have usb, ide, etc....

 

Putting it in a legacy cars world just be a bonus.

 

[Asmusr]

I didn't want to go off-topic in the RXB 2016 thread as that would have been very uncouth of me, so I decided to start this thread to ask a couple of theoretical questions...

 

The topic of using the 1 Meg SAMS card came up as well as a transparent (to the user) way of utilizing the memory. Which made me ponder...

 

In a BASIC environment

 

Could there possibly be a way to make the computer monitor how much memory is being used and when the pointer goes above a pre-defined limit, switch to the next bank? I imagine an additional segment would need to be utilized to keep track of all string and numeric variables upon execution. This makes me wonder about the Monopoly loader, how does it operate? It appears to be some kind of controlling shell. Could that type of control mechanism be burned into a chip for immediate execution upon power up and appear transparent to the user?

 

Yes, a shell environment would add overhead, but the additional memory of the SAMS card would offset the overhead with a gain in memory, but I'm not sure what this would do to speed.

 

In a SHELL type environment

If something like the above could be implemented in BASIC, I've wondered about DOS and GUI environments as well. With all our super-fast loading cartridges, it seems like a ton of stuff could be dumped into active memory of the SAMS pretty quickly upon start-up. This could be anything from the simple programs we use now, to a DOS or even GUI environment.

 

Again these questions are all theoretical, I know there isn't a snowballs chance in an Arizona summer of any of this coming to pass, I just need to know if it's 'possible'. --- Thanks.

 

 

 

 

This is pretty much how the AMS System Loader works, but unfortunately only a few programs were written for it.

 

Try inserting a Super Cart and run E/A#5 DSK1.ASEA from the SAMS1.dsk. This will load the AMS system into the Super Cart where it will stay resident. Now choose 3 AEMS BOOT to enter the system, insert the ti-nopoly disk, choose "B Load and Retain" from the menu, enter DSK1.TIN_A and give it a menu name. TI-nopoly will be loaded into AMS and you can start it from the menu. If you exit nicely using Q you can return the the system menu, where you can open the game again, or other software, without reloading.

SAMS1.dsk

amstipoly.dsk

[Sinphaltimus]

That's not a bad approach actually. if you wanted something to stay resident to automatically handle the bank switching...put it on a cart for as little system overhead as possible. Like every other utility cart. Then you could theoretically launch large programs from disk to ram while the cart handles bank switching and storing tables for the bank records I suppose. A way for it to quickly swap banks based on variables stored in the tables to access the correct bank at the correct time. All that on a custom cart. So application in grom that controls bank switching, that can also write to ram chips (like the mini memory module can) in cart to store the tables for accessing the correct banks at the correct time.

??? I know little of what I speak, I'm mostly just piecing together an idea with lingo I picked up in the forums.

[Sinphaltimus]

Dood. What about using an fpga board connected to the cartridge port? What sort of things could be developed through that interface? This very device (break the 32k barrier)? USB? Mass Storage (SD, IDE, ETC...)?

[Omega-TI]

...put it on a cart for as little system overhead as possible. Like every other utility cart. Then you could theoretically launch large programs from disk to ram while the cart handles bank switching and storing tables for the bank records I suppose. A way for it to quickly swap banks based on variables stored in the tables to access the correct bank at the correct time. All that on a custom cart. So application in grom that controls bank switching, that can also write to ram chips (like the mini memory module can) in cart to store the tables for accessing the correct banks at the correct time.

 

 

30 years ago.....

 

IF, more people had owned SAMS cards, and...

IF, we had cool toys back then like the UberGROM, and F18A, and...

IF, we had more people that stayed with the TI...

 

... we might actually be using something resembling Windows today. Oh, what could have been...

[slinkeey]

Putting it in a legacy cars world just be a bonus.

 

 

Subaru?

[Omega-TI]

 

Subaru?

[Asmusr]

 

30 years ago.....

 

IF, more people had owned SAMS cards, and...

IF, we had cool toys back then like the UberGROM, and F18A, and...

IF, we had more people that stayed with the TI...

 

... we might actually be using something resembling Windows today. Oh, what could have been...

 

We would probably also have needed another CPU with a privileged mode :-)

[Omega-TI]

 

We would probably also have needed another CPU with a privileged mode :-)

 

A dual core TI?

That's a concept I hadn't seriously considered, but I LIKE IT!

[RXB]

Long ago some brainstorming we did back at the Chicago World's Fair in 1989 we sat around a coffee table at 4am and came up with a few thoughts.

 

1. SAMS memory used like how a 640K PC works.

2. ROM 0 in TI99/4A needs to be replaced for SAMS memory controller program and GPL loader.

3. GROM 0, 1 and 2 replaced for all the main routines needed to make a PC version of OS loading and controls.

4. Hard Drive access as that is the only way to quickly load this new OS and interface.

5. New OS would allow a RS232 Mouse interface using the SAMS and new OS.

6. Pretty much needs a new VDP chip and 1 Meg of VDP memory to make all of this work.

 

Now over the years we got the TIM Card that had 192K of VDP and the SAMS was expanded from 256K to 1 Meg, but the rest never happened.

[EKMELSOFT]

On what if type dreams -- I thought about on the internet usage - have a board or converter that would convert modern internet graphics interface to a TI compatible interface. Granted I would think the images on the TI would look pixated - but you could tell what it was just it would look boxy. We would need a GUI and a good mouse system also. This sounds a lot like RXB's post just ahead of mine. But you know nothing surprises me any more. at the Chicago Faire there was Linux based "box" running Internet a few years ago.