What HARDWARE ITEM (that does not yet exist) would you like to see in 2017?

[atrax27407]

A P-Box USB card with a DSR to read flash drives.

[Omega-TI]

A P-Box USB card with a DSR to read flash drives.

 

In what manner? Like a hard drive?

[atrax27407]

Yep.

[Sinphaltimus]

Does anyone know of a source for the GROM port edge plug? Not the "female" connector. I'd rather not solder a connector from the 90 degree adaptor in the console if I can find a nude board on the cheap.

I think someone did post a source for the GROM port adaptor that comes in the console for the cartridge port. I can't seem to locate it. That would fine also since I can then desolder a connector without losing the adaptor I have.

[Sinphaltimus]

 

ROM Select and GROM Select should be enough. The problem with the Navarone Widget is it did NOT cut GROM Select. For some reason for the GROMs it cut the -5v, which the UberGROM doesn't use.

ROM Select? Maybe +5 and the GROM Select?

 

Name I/O Use

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

1 RESET < Resets the system (active high)

2 GND Signal groud

3 D7 <> Data bus, bit 7 (least significant)

4 CRUCLK* > Inversion of TMS9900 CRUCLOCK pin

5 D6 <>

6 CRUIN < CRU input to TMS9900

7 D5 <>

8 A15 > Address bus, bit 15 / also CRU output bit

9 D4 <>

10 A13 >

11 D3 <>

12 A12 >

13 D2 <>

14 A11 >

15 D1 <>

16 A10 >

17 D0 <> Data bus, bit 0 (most significant)

18 A9 >

19 VCC +5 Volts power supply

20 A8 >

21 GS* > Grom select. Active low is addr in >9800-9FFF

22 A7 >

23 A14 > Address bus, bit 14. Select mode: low=data / high=addr

24 A3 >

25 DBIN > Active high = read memory

26 A6 >

27 GRC > GROM clock: color burst of VDP 9918A

28 A5 >

29 VDD -5 Volts power supply

30 A4 >

31 GR < Active high = GROM ready

32 WE* > Active low = write enable (derived from TMS9900 WE*)

33 VSS

34 ROMG* > Active low if addr in >6000-7FFF

35 GND

36 GND

 

[Omega-TI]

- A Flashrom99-like cartridge with GROM emulation? (say 8x8k GRAM?).

 

If it can run the TI Multiplan cartridge it'll be a winner... of course since I always want more, I'd want the software tweaked so it does not require the disk to be named ".IMP"

[Tursi]

ROM Select? Maybe +5 and the GROM Select?

 

GS* (GROM Select) and ROMG* (ROM Gate).

 

Switching power isn't recommended, although you would need it if you get too many carts on there. (I have no idea how many too many is). The problem is that when you activate power to a chip, it likely won't be a clean transition and can cause the chip to malfunction.

[Tursi]

I think someone did post a source for the GROM port adaptor that comes in the console for the cartridge port. I can't seem to locate it. That would fine also since I can then desolder a connector without losing the adaptor I have.

 

I have literally hundreds of them, drop me an IM

[Tursi]

--- Ω ---, on 09 Jan 2017 - 8:44 PM, said:

 

If it can run the TI Multiplan cartridge it'll be a winner... of course since I always want more, I'd want the software tweaked so it does not require the disk to be named ".IMP"

 

And I did that years ago, for the 80 column version at least. However, instead, it assumes DSK1 (of course you could sector-edit that, too).

 

I'm sure I posted this before, but that's okay...

 

multiplan80columnDSK1.dsk

[Omega-TI]

 

And I did that years ago, for the 80 column version at least. However, instead, it assumes DSK1 (of course you could sector-edit that, too).

 

I'm sure I posted this before, but that's okay...

 

multiplan80columnDSK1.dsk

 

Oh yes, my mind is not yet so far gone that I forgot about those. I was referring to a GROM based SD card flash ROM device capable of eliminating the need for the Multiplam cartridge. I'm eagerly waiting to see what Ralphb comes out with next. Once the hardware is built someone will find a way to stick it in there if it's possible.

[Tursi]

 

Oh yes, my mind is not yet so far gone that I forgot about those. I was referring to a GROM based SD card flash ROM device capable of eliminating the need for the Multiplam cartridge.

 

Then why would there be a disk name at all?

[Omega-TI]

 

Then why would there be a disk name at all?

 

Well, the GROM based program in the TI Multiplan cartridge requires the disk name to be DSK1.TIMP correct?

I was figuring that the code could be hacked/modified to allow the user to select any path to the data disk of any name.

 

From what I understand so far, this FinalGROM 99 looks like it could possibly eliminate any and all other cartridges currently in existence. If so, one would never have to swap cartridges in the future for any reason.

 

It's already looking like another "pie in the sky" dream is starting to come true this year.

[Tursi]

--- Ω ---, on 10 Jan 2017 - 3:08 PM, said:

 

Well, the GROM based program in the TI Multiplan cartridge requires the disk name to be DSK1.TIMP correct?

I was figuring that the code could be hacked/modified to allow the user to select any path to the data disk of any name.

 

Yes (TIMP), but so do the programs on the diskette, as they also load each other. But if you're going to hack it into a new cartridge, why load from disk at all? It's not the data disk that needs to be named, it's the program disk. Most of the code is not in the cartridge.

 

I'd forgotten the GROM had references, and I see on my disk I had that too. So the full version hacked for DSK1, just to keep it together:

 

MultiplanDSK1G.zip

 

But the hack was simply searching for "DSK.TIMP" or whatever it is and replacing it with "DSK1" (padding the ends of the relevant filenames with spaces - they are all fully qualified paths so no real hacks needed).

[Omega-TI]

^ Sweet!

[Meddler]

GS* (GROM Select) and ROMG* (ROM Gate).

 

Switching power isn't recommended, although you would need it if you get too many carts on there. (I have no idea how many too many is). The problem is that when you activate power to a chip, it likely won't be a clean transition and can cause the chip to malfunction.

I do not think loosing power (3 lines: Vcc,Vdd,Vbb) is a problem but it has to be done with regard to the fact that the bus is still connected and gets messy.

Alternatively you could use silicon diodes in series with Vcc and Vdd (the trusty "watt-less dropper") for the cartridges in standby i.e running at recommended minimum voltages; Chip select does the rest.

 

Selection of an active cartridge is recognized by the Cartridge 'insertion' re-set that causes the console to look at the GROM space and run the DSR.

 

Err, I think... Ksarul/ Tursi will know, good luck

[Sinphaltimus]

I do not think loosing power (3 lines: Vcc,Vdd,Vbb) is a problem but it has to be done with regard to the fact that the bus is still connected and gets messy.

Alternatively you could use silicon diodes in series with Vcc and Vdd (the trusty "watt-less dropper") for the cartridges in standby i.e running at recommended minimum voltages; Chip select does the rest.

 

Selection of an active cartridge is recognized by the Cartridge 'insertion' re-set that causes the console to look at the GROM space and run the DSR.

 

Err, I think... Ksarul/ Tursi will know, good luck

 

I'm keeping this as simple as possible. Turning off the console before a cartridge switch. I do it that way anyhow with single carts. At least this way, I will significantly cut down on the grom port wear and tear.

[PeBo]

I was playing around with the 'text to speech' disc the other day, and it struck me that there is one piece of hardware that would be very cool to have, and that would be a re-jigged/re-imagined speech synthesizer board that would, as TI once considered, accept expansion vocabulary cartridges.

 

Now TI thought about Speak 'n Spell cards, but what would be truly outstanding, would be the ability to store user created digitized words/sounds on CF or SD cards.

 

Phonemes are great in TI Basic but they have that 1970's compu-speak sound, and in XB, the contents of the Text to Speech disc eat up so much memory that little is left for practical applications to be created with it.

 

But the ability to use CALL SAY (or GPL/Assembler/Forth equivalents) to access an expandable library of words/phrases/digital sounds) would open a huge world of possibilities.

 

If it all fit in the existing synthesizer case and connected through the side port as it does currently, that would be cooler still.

 

Probably dreaming in technicolor, but isn't that how this community comes up with all the cool new toys we have???

[+adamantyr]

A NanoPEB with SAMS/AMS. Seriously, shut up and take my money if you can make me one.

[Omega-TI]

 

Probably dreaming in technicolor, but isn't that how this community comes up with all the cool new toys we have???

 

 

A NanoPEB with SAMS/AMS. Seriously, shut up and take my money if you can make me one.

 

 

PeBo! I like your Technicolor dreams! I can actually envision it! A couple of years from now we may all be modding our 'Speech Synthies' with an add on board. Games might even start coming out in two parts, the main program itself for the FinalGROM 99 and the second part for the speech portion. Both downloaded off the Internet and put onto SD cards.

 

May I add to your dream? Factor in a little F18A and SAMS support and we'd have a totally new class of programs for the TI.

Throw in adamantyr's idea for a new NanoPEB or maybe a new JediMatt42 sidecar memory device and EVERYONE could partake.

[+Ksarul]

There are actually two boards out there that incorporate a goodly portion of PeBo's dream: the Berlin Speech card from Winfried Winkler and the SPVMC card from SNUG. Winfried built an enhanced DSR for the Berlin Speech Card that included the Text-to-Speech routines and seriously increased the utility of the Speech synthesizer. Michael Becker went from that starting point and added the speech primitives from as many additional words as he could extract from every single Speak and Spell cartridge he could lay hands on. That seriously increased the resident vocabulary--and you still had the additional capabilities of the Text-to-Speech for words that weren't resident. Berlin Cards are rare (Winfried built about 20 of them), but the SPVMC is still listed as available on the SNUG site, IIRC.