+OLD CS1 Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Well, like any update or modification, you can choose not to install it. Unless the modification is included in a critical fix update. Stop thinking like Microsoft 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+InsaneMultitasker Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 toggle option via some config file or presence of a file in the folder structure? If present, startup one way; if not, boot another way. Similar to the ramdisk menu option I mentioned in the tipi thread. Same deal for auto-starting a particular file/image like a boot menu, though I'm not sure why you'd want that with a cart full of images, but that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 /fg99.conf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 If present, startup one way; if not, boot another way. Similar to the ramdisk menu option I mentioned in the tipi thread. Same deal for auto-starting a particular file/image like a boot menu, though I'm not sure why you'd want that with a cart full of images, but that's just me. Fair question. Sometimes you just need to work with stuff that is on disk, an HFE, or on the TIPI SD card. When exiting programs, being forced to go through multiple screens can be a drag. In the case of the TIPI, none of the programs, like Chess, Chatti or the Telnet program are in cartridge form anyway, so being able to access them faster is a plus, so why bother with the title screen, selection screen or even the FG99 menu when it's not the goal? In the case of 4A/DOS, when exiting a utility or other program, immediately returning to the DOS environment makes much more sense. After giving your suggestion more thought, I agree, having a config file does make a lot of sense, with the ability to over ride it by holding down the space bar (or some other key) when re-setting the TI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphb Posted May 12, 2018 Author Share Posted May 12, 2018 A configuration option via SD card would work, but I'm not too excited of having to read an extra file during startup. It probably wouldn't be noticeable, but still ... And since few people will constantly toggle this way and that way I'd rather have two versions here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FDOS Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 That device is this one coupled with a ubergrom: Yes, this solves the GRAM/GROM 0 - 2 issue, but how does the ubergrom solve my need for 4 to 8 pages of RML that I intend to load up with GramKracker TI Basic Plus (TIB+) files, now that they won't need to be converted to FG99 format? I don't know anything about the ubergrom cartridge. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FDOS Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 A configuration option via SD card would work, but I'm not too excited of having to read an extra file during startup. It probably wouldn't be noticeable, but still ... And since few people will constantly toggle this way and that way I'd rather have two versions here. Wow, trying to keep up with all the proposals and counter proposals is giving me a nightmare headache. I, for one, would prefer the configuration file rather than two different versions of FG99 for my two very different projects: X4th99 and TI Basic Plus (TIB+). I think you should take a pole for two versions of FG99 or a configuration file. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+InsaneMultitasker Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 A configuration option via SD card would work, but I'm not too excited of having to read an extra file during startup. It probably wouldn't be noticeable, but still ... And since few people will constantly toggle this way and that way I'd rather have two versions here. I was really just thinking that the 'configuration file' is either an empty file sitting in the folder or a cartridge/file name starting with a certain character. For example, $extendedbasic would dump you into that cartidge directly. Or $bypassmenu would bypass the menu. Basically some boolean options based on filename(s) that doesn't add much to the processing but allows a little flexibility. Maybe holding spacebar cancels these special file actions to allow normal startup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 The UberGROM gives you up to 120K of GROM, which would be three full pages of RML space, FDOS, although you would lose much of the third page by putting three 8K GROM slots into the GROM 0-2 space. What it also gives you is 64 pages of ROM space, so not everything has to be in GPL or in the GROM space. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FDOS Posted May 13, 2018 Share Posted May 13, 2018 The UberGROM gives you up to 120K of GROM, which would be three full pages of RML space, FDOS, although you would lose much of the third page by putting three 8K GROM slots into the GROM 0-2 space. What it also gives you is 64 pages of ROM space, so not everything has to be in GPL or in the GROM space. Thanks! This is very helpful, as it is a solution to TI Basic Plus (TIB+) development. However, it does mean that all users of TIB+ would have to have the UberGROM, and we all know that the ones still using TI Basic for programming might purchase the FinalGROM 99 for single cartridge use (almost every cartridge on a single module), so a reasonable cost effective hobby item for all purposes. Probably few of these users will be likely to purchase the UberGROM cartridge just to do enhanced TI Basic programming offered by TIB+. I may purchase one, so I can proceed to develop TIB+, while holding my breath, waiting and hoping, that FG99 will be enhanced to include these same features some day. I expect that GROM 0 - 2 will come along later this year, but t's very doubtful that RML banking will ever be added to FG99 due to the limited GROM/GRAM memory allocation, and the additional, significant load time that will be required. Actually, TIB+ can get along without these features in UberGROM or FG99, provided TIB+ users have a GRAM device; 80K GramKracker or HSGPL or P-GRAM, etc. I'll let you know if I decide to purchase a UberGROM, which will be the case, if I'm unable to fix my 80K GramKracker (the RAM @>6000->7FFF is not working, yet the protect/unprotect switch works fine). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphb Posted May 15, 2018 Author Share Posted May 15, 2018 Regarding the one-button solution: This isn't as simple as I had thought. First of all, the GROM code with the powerup code present needs to be available very early, even before the title screen is shown. This could be done. However ... The FG99 needs some time to be "offline" in order to load the menu program containing all entries into the local RAM. Since that local RAM is connected to the bus, the cart has to be "offline", which means the TI 99 cannot access the cart until everything is done. (Right now, the FG99 is offline at the title screen, but this would then not be possible.) Thus, everything had to be done even before the title screen is shown -- which is not possible. The working alternative is quite involved: Load GROM, go "online", draw new title screen, when key is pressed, jump to little stub in scratchpad RAM, go "offline", load menu, go "online", jump from scratchpad to actual menu. Besides, jumping to BASIC safely would need indirect GPL branches to follow the chain from >2006 to >214D to >214F to BASIC, which is not supported by GPL. This all involves quite some changes, for which I currently don't have time, but it's not off my to-do list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 One thing that came to my mind - could you use READY or HOLD on the CPU? (Just a quick guess, I'd have to check the schematics.) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphb Posted May 15, 2018 Author Share Posted May 15, 2018 I'm using that for the GROM 0 version of the FinalGROM 99 that FDOS was interested in. But the entire cart didn't work for unknown reasons, so I put this project by the side for the moment. So yes, holding GR might work, but that would require even more modifications to the VHDL code (which I have, but in a non-working state). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80s_Atari_Guy Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Hi, Are these still available to buy anywhere ? Would you buy one if you already own both a Flashrom 99, and a Nanopeb ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Hi, Are these still available to buy anywhere ? Would you buy one if you already own both a Flashrom 99, and a Nanopeb ? Yes If you look in the FAQ you will find that info Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FDOS Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Hi, Are these still available to buy anywhere ? Would you buy one if you already own both a Flashrom 99, and a Nanopeb ? Yes, I did so, and you should too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Yes. The FinalGROM allows for larger cartridge ROM images and also real GROM images. Not to mention a host of other configurations and better file system management. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80s_Atari_Guy Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Thanks for the replies. I couldn't find a FAQ, I read all 23 pages, and looked around the TI forum. I did find the website. I take it I just do as these instructions say ? Amount [ ] assembled FinalGROM 99 board, buttons and LED soldered €45 [ ] assembled FinalGROM 99 board, without buttons and LED €45 [ ] FinalGROM 99 laminated cartridge label € 1 world-wide shipping for up to two carts €10 Get the first option if you plan to use your FinalGROM 99 without shell. The other option is intended for FinalGROM 99s in cartridge shells so that you can mount the buttons and LEDs of your choice on the shell. Please contact the developer at r@0x01.de for further information Contact that .de email address and then wait for a reply ? Many thanks for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Yep or if you want to buy one in the States try arcadeshopper.com Thanks for the replies. I couldn't find a FAQ, I read all 23 pages, and looked around the TI forum. I did find the website. I take it I just do as these instructions say ? Contact that .de email address and then wait for a reply ? Many thanks for your help. Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphb Posted June 14, 2019 Author Share Posted June 14, 2019 Since comments about the FinalGROM keep on ending up in the FlashROM thread, I'm bumping this thread to make it more visible for people looking for the FinalGROM. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphb Posted August 17, 2019 Author Share Posted August 17, 2019 Over the past few days, I worked on the Mini Memory image with saving option, first released here. As discussed before, the problem with that image is that it overwrites some bytes in the range >7000 to >7200. The TI 99 communicates with the FinalGROM via a sequence of bank switch-like writes to >6000 and >7000 + (b << 1), where b is the byte to send. In the original Minimem image, the code would simply CLR *R1 ; R1 = >7000 + b << 1 thus overwriting the bytes, because the range >7000->7FFF is configured as RAM. The obvious solution is to replace CLR by this sequence instead: MOV *R1, R0 ; R1 = >7000 + b << 1 MOV R0, *R1 or just MOV *R1, *R1 I tried this before, but surprisingly the FinalGROM wouldn't recognize the sequence at all any more. Looking at the VHDL code for the CPLD now, however, I noticed that the detection logic for this exact case used a latch, acting on ROMS* = 0 & WE* = 0. Latches are generally not recommended, but back in the day I didn't know how to use an edge trigger for either ROMS* or WE*, since the order of the individual signals ROMS* and WE* is undefined. So now I simply introduced a new signal for ROMS* && WE*, and edge triggered that, which works perfectly -- not sure why I didn't consider that earlier. Anyway, there is now a new Minimem image fg-minimem-2.zip, and you also need to update the CPLD "firmware". For the latter, please follow the instructions on the home page, in section "How to Update". This update won't bump your displayed version number, though, as the change is pretty small. If you're not interested in using the Mini Memory and saving the contents back to SD card, you don't need to update at all. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kl99 Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 Nice that you keep improving the FinalGrom. Really! I am wondering if you want to return to try getting the FinalGrom working for the 99/4Q, v2.2, 99/8? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphb Posted August 17, 2019 Author Share Posted August 17, 2019 Good point. I actually did make an interesting observation a while ago when I did a logic trace for Tursi. So yes, I'll keep working on the FinalGROM, although my priority is to get stuff working for Leicester. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariNostalgia Posted March 13, 2020 Share Posted March 13, 2020 Hi all. I'd like to buy a Grom cartridge but I'm very confused as to which is the final version and where to buy a pre assembled on from. Can I download games (for example) and have them run from it directly instead of inserting my solid states one by one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ti99iuc Posted March 13, 2020 Share Posted March 13, 2020 28 minutes ago, AtariNostalgia said: [...]confused as to which is the final version [...] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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