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TIPI Usage and Support


jedimatt42

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It only serves files from /home/tipi/tipi_disk which is the folder the TI sees as "TIPI."

 

DSKx drives can only be mapped to folders within "TIPI." using relative TI directory syntax. These mappings are meant to be changed to support specific legacy programs that insist your files are on "floppies" such as TI Artist, Old Dark Caves, etc... "TIPI." is meant to be treated like your TI hard drive.

 

This folder is also shared as a Windows file share named "TIPI", making it easy to transfer files as well as the web-ui.

 

A 4gb microsd is huge in TI speak.

 

----

 

All that said, it's all just Linux... You could reconfigure the OS to mount your thumb drive to the tipi_disk folder, or a folder within. You should be sure that the mount options allow the user "tipi" appropriate ownership/permissions.

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TIFILES files - the bane of my life!

 

So I've now got my TIPI (thanks ArcadeShopper!).

 

I'm trying to copy over the E/A files from a .tidisk format file. So I'm opening the .tidisk file using the Win994a Disk Manager, selecting each file in turn and selecting "Export to FIAD File". So I now have each of these files on my PC in FIAD format. I've got the TIPI web interface open and I upload the files. Some upload fine, but others have the TI logo and the red question mark on them. For example, the ASSM1 file looks OK but the ASSM2 file has the red question mark. Looking at the files on the PC using a hex editor, they both seem to have the TIFILES header on them. What am I doing wrong?

 

Thanks!

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I'm unsure what your doing wrong, but i for one have found that ti99dir is fine for working with .tidisk files.

Simply point it to the dir with your .tidisk files, and open them like you would a .dsk file.

Select your files, copy to the other pane. If needed, ti99dir has a option to convert a pc99 header to tifiles header.

I recently went through all of my extracted fiads i am using in classic99 and made sure they are in tifiles header format using ti99dir.

Prior to now, i just had classic99 set to read both headers, but only write tifiles headers.

As far as i know, i should be able to just copy everything over to my TiPi card and have a go at it.

Edited by jrhodes
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TIFILES files - the bane of my life!

 

So I've now got my TIPI (thanks ArcadeShopper!).

 

I'm trying to copy over the E/A files from a .tidisk format file. So I'm opening the .tidisk file using the Win994a Disk Manager, selecting each file in turn and selecting "Export to FIAD File". So I now have each of these files on my PC in FIAD format. I've got the TIPI web interface open and I upload the files. Some upload fine, but others have the TI logo and the red question mark on them. For example, the ASSM1 file looks OK but the ASSM2 file has the red question mark. Looking at the files on the PC using a hex editor, they both seem to have the TIFILES header on them. What am I doing wrong?

 

Thanks!

 

copy the tidisk file over to the tipi. either with the http:tipi:9900 or the samba share.. it will automatically unpack them into a folder named the same as the disk name.. also works for .dsk files..

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copy the tidisk file over to the tipi. either with the http:tipi:9900 or the samba share.. it will automatically unpack them into a folder named the same as the disk name.. also works for .dsk files..

 

So it does! That makes things nice and easy! Just a point should anyone else read this later - when you upload the .tidisk file using the TIPI web browser you initially see the .tidisk file listed with the big red question mark. If you then click the refresh button you'll see the files have been unpacked into a new folder with the disk name and the .tidisk file has been deleted.

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So, something that is goofy about the implementation of the disk image conversion, is that I use a daemon process that monitors everything in the TIPI share... this daemon detects the disk images and attempts to extract them, it also updates a database index so the server side of the browser doesn't have to open every TIFILE to show the details on the web-ui page. This was too slow for even medium sized directories without it.

 

Anyway, the goofy point, is that the browser interface doesn't actually know anything about DSK images... it just lets you upload a file, and then that daemon wisks it away and swaps in the extracted directory.

 

I don't work with DSK images much at all... ( I dislike them with a passion ) so I haven't prioritized getting the web-ui to be more user friendly in that way... I'll try and make it better next time I have a DSK image I want to play with.

 

-M@

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... I'll try and make it better next time I have a DSK image I want to play with.

Released an update this morning, with a fix to the web-ui to wait for the monitor daemon that converts files to settle down before returning after an upload.

And, includes the fix for when someone creates a directory named "TIPI" - that used to crash the system that looks for TIPI D/V80 files that describe drive mapping on PROGRAM IMAGE load.

 

As usual, go to BASIC, run CALL TIPI, TIPICFG will start up, and it should prompt you showing that an Update is ready... press U, wait a while... then enjoy.

 

-M@

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This is probably slightly off topic but, would i be hurting anything if i installed retropie over the top of the default raspbian lite/tipi-sd-card image installation?

I have decided that in addition to serving the TI files and internet access, i might try out retropie, since i do enjoy a good retro gaming session.

So would it hurt to first install the TiPi sd card image, and then install retropie over it? Or should i just install it on a different card?

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This is probably slightly off topic but, would i be hurting anything if i installed retropie over the top of the default raspbian lite/tipi-sd-card image installation?

I have decided that in addition to serving the TI files and internet access, i might try out retropie, since i do enjoy a good retro gaming session.

So would it hurt to first install the TiPi sd card image, and then install retropie over it? Or should i just install it on a different card?

 

I'd say it probably needs a different card. I woudn't want anything to conflict.. you have no idea what packages and drivers are loaded in retropie and what conflicts might ensue.

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TIPI's image is based on Raspbian Stretch Lite from November 2018.

 

TIPI's image moves a number of things to tmpfs (ramdisk) eating at the PI's RAM.

 

TIPI's image sets up filesystem monitoring, a web server, and the python services polling the TIPI interface, constantly, eating at the resource performance an emulator would otherwise expect to have to itself.

 

I expect it would just create a bad experience for both use cases.

 

-M@

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  • 2 weeks later...

Warning: A change to an adafruit library was checked in a few hours ago that breaks upgrade... If you run the TIPI upgrade mechanism at this time, your tipi will stop functioning and you'll have to get into a shell to recover...

 

I don't know the fix yet...

 

tipi@tipi9640:/tmp/Adafruit_Python_GPIO $ sudo python setup.py install
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "setup.py", line 1, in <module>
ensurepip
NameError: name 'ensurepip' is not defined

 

-M@

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Thanks for the warning. ;-) Tipi expected in the mail soon, i'll be sure not to try upgrading it for awhile.

I don't know a lot about linux, but there should be a way to hold or lock software at a certain version.

Maybe a tipi ppa with trusted and monitored versions of certain software is in order?

Edited by jrhodes
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There are lots of ways to deliver software to Linux. The cost of building packages and servers for us exceeds the value.

 

In this case it is a git checkout from an Adafruit repository, that while building, pulls another Adafruit git repository that has the breakage.

 

This is only needed for the i2c "TIPI Ready" display.

 

The update process adds software through PIP, apt-get, and git clone.

 

The stuff from Adafruit is git cloned. Their user base isn't big enough to merit a formal Linux distribution package.

 

I am able to install a previous revision of the breaking library during the TIPI upgrade process.

 

But as I don't use the i2c display, I will have no idea if it still functions.

 

-M@

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Wow, my Tipi literally just got here, super excited!

...I do have one immediate question though.

It was suppose to come configured for CRUBase >1100, bottom jumper set. My Tipi came as pictured.

I just need to change that to the bottom set of pins? I have a standard console, 32k, tipi, and no peb or physical disks.

post-64087-0-99267000-1553892420_thumb.jpg

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If I may be so bold, the configuration of the CRUbase jumper is something that could be documented better. There's plenty on [https://github.com/jedimatt42/tipi/wiki/crubase]to help you decide what the CRUbase should be, but nothing that I could find to help you actually relate that to which pins to jump on the connector block.

 

Can anyone update the TIPI wiki? I'm happy to help out if need be.

Edited by Stuart
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If I may be so bold, the configuration of the CRUbase jumper is something that could be documented better. There's plenty on [https://github.com/jedimatt42/tipi/wiki/crubase]to help you decide what the CRUbase should be, but nothing that I could find to help you actually relate that to which pins to jump on the connector block.

 

Can anyone update the TIPI wiki? I'm happy to help out if need be.

 

I thought it was super obvious, but that's because I've been focused on the silk-screen on the PEB card to document it... Forgot that the sideport boards didn't have much on them... I'll update the wiki...

 

When I made them, I always shipped sideport's with the jumper on the bottom pair for CRUBASE >1100... Peb boards I shipped with the jumper on the side vertically, in a stand by position for CRUBASE >1000...

 

The top row is the MSb of the nibble.... the bottom row is the LSb of the nibble... where you are setting >1x00 :: x is the nibble..

>1x00
  8 [ . . ]
  4 [ . . ]
  2 [ . . ]
  1 [ . . ]

A sideport TIPI without a floppy drive should have the jumper set on the bottom row... so the crubase is >1100, same as a TI floppy controller, for best results. They function fine at >1000, you just won't have the VDP stack set the way it would if you had a floppy drive.

 

-M@

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Warning: A change to an adafruit library was checked in a few hours ago that breaks upgrade... If you run the TIPI upgrade mechanism at this time, your tipi will stop functioning and you'll have to get into a shell to recover...

 

I don't know the fix yet...

 

tipi@tipi9640:/tmp/Adafruit_Python_GPIO $ sudo python setup.py install
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "setup.py", line 1, in <module>
ensurepip
NameError: name 'ensurepip' is not defined

 

-M@

 

 

I have tested and published an update that pins us to the previous version of the adafruit library. So update should be safe again.

 

-M@

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Some one somewhere is asking about CALL FILES and TIPI...

 

The wiki docs are a too light on this topic... I'll update that shortly...

 

But here is the jist:

 

TIPI only messes with the VDP stack if using CRUBASE >1100 ( that of a floppy controller )

TIPI operates fine without it. It does not need to reserve any VDP sector buffers.

 

Texas Instrument's CALL FILES didn't support a value of 0, so I didn't either.

 

If you have programs that need the extra VDP space for BASIC, such as tape files, you can run TIPI at a different CRUBASE ( In this case I recommend >1000 - no jumper ) and you should have the space and all features of TIPI will still work except the powerup routine will do less, and CALL FILES will do nothing except attempt to allow DSRLNK to continue on and find your real floppy controller in case it wants to do something.

 

In this mode, other programs like The Missing Link will not work unless you also have a real floppy controller, or change the CRUBASE back to >1100 for TIPI.

 

-M@

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