TIPI Usage and Support

[+arcadeshopper]

It can print but it's 40 column and no ansi

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Call tipi("HTTP://ftp.whtech.com/TIPI/MXT")

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[+Vorticon]

The obvious workaround is to use Term80 with a WiModem to telnet into BBS'ses then use the print spooling facility of Term80 to capture screens. This should work I would think but I will have to test it out.

[Omega-TI]

Tursi wrote a screen capture utility a few years back, so 1/2 the job is done, but it requires load interrupt capability.  If it's compatible with the program, capturing the image would be possible, the only thing... it saves to a file, it may take a lot of effort to change over to printer format.  

[+9640News]

And, depending upon the level of ANSI graphics, not all the characters may be defined on the printer to give the proper display.

[+Vorticon]

So print spooling with Term80 is less than ideal unfortunately and not very reliable even without ANSI active... Oh well...

[+InsaneMultitasker]

I have a question/concern related to my TIPI share and available RPi space.  

If I check the properties of the folders/files in the share, Win10 reports 7,403 files consuming 118MB with a size on disk of 7.22GB? 

In the second picture the properties of the share reports 2.46GB used, 912MB free.

 

Can someone help me interpret and am I at risk of filling up my TIPI share? Is there something configured wrong?  Thanks

 

  

 

 

 

[+jedimatt42]

While a file might be 8k, it'll probably use a minimum of 1 allocation unit which will consume some ridiculous amount of space on a modern filesystem.

 

I wouldn't trust SMB to report correctly until verified with Linux directly. 

 

Telnet into the PI, and run

 

df -h .

(I think it is -h for human friendly output)

 

 

[pcoderdude14]

On 2/7/2021 at 3:56 PM, Vorticon said:

The obvious workaround is to use Term80 with a WiModem to telnet into BBS'ses then use the print spooling facility of Term80 to capture screens. This should work I would think but I will have to test it out.

Hey...Vorticon!  ?

Do  you  have the DOCs for Term80?  I  haven't been  able  to find them, in my collection.

 

Jt

 

P.S. Could  you attach them to here, if you have them?  Thanks

Edited February 9, 2021 by pcoderdude14
Forgot attachments

[+Vorticon]

3 hours ago, pcoderdude14 said:

Hey...Vorticon!  ?

Do  you  have the DOCs for Term80?  I  haven't been  able  to find them, in my collection.

 

Jt

 

P.S. Could  you attach them to here, if you have them?  Thanks

I only have printouts. The docs are on the disk distribution in TI Writer format. 

[+jedimatt42]

9 hours ago, jedimatt42 said:

While a file might be 8k, it'll probably use a minimum of 1 allocation unit which will consume some ridiculous amount of space on a modern filesystem.

 

I wouldn't trust SMB to report correctly until verified with Linux directly. 

 

Telnet into the PI, and run

 

df -h .

(I think it is -h for human friendly output)

 

 

In my case, I have about 8000 files ( a ton of the SID files compatible with SidMaster99 )

 

tipi@tipi4a:~ $ df -h .
Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/root        15G  2.2G   12G  16% /
tipi@tipi4a:~ $ cd tipi_disk
tipi@tipi4a:~/tipi_disk $ find . | wc -l
8421

 

From windows 10, with the share mounted as a drive, they seem to agree. 

 

I don't know where the picture on the left hand side from @InsaneMultitasker comes from... But the right hand side picture indicates the standard 4GB SD card image, with not a lot of additional space used. @InsaneMultitasker, if your SD card is larger than 4GB, you should follow the TIPI setup instructions from the wiki, that refer to growing the partition size. 

[+InsaneMultitasker]

 

6 hours ago, jedimatt42 said:

I don't know where the picture on the left hand side from @InsaneMultitasker comes from... But the right hand side picture indicates the standard 4GB SD card image, with not a lot of additional space used. @InsaneMultitasker, if your SD card is larger than 4GB, you should follow the TIPI setup instructions from the wiki, that refer to growing the partition size

The left-hand picture comes from selecting the folders and files, right-click, properties.  Single folder example:

  

 

I remember growing the partition but it must have been on the previous SD card. Thanks for catching that!  df -h before/after:

 

Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/root       3.4G  2.3G  913M  73% /
 

Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/root        15G  2.3G   12G  17% /

 

I even backed up my files beforehand 

 

[Omega-TI]

Never having tried, I'm curious, will the TIPI access a USB hard drive plugged into one of it's USB ports?  The reason I ask is because with power failures the SD card can get corrupted, but if the majority of ones data was stored on a hard drive, it would mean much less data to restore later. 

 

While green is not my color, the image below turned up in my inbox.  I've also been told a TI-related one could be produced, probably with the appropriate logo and matching color scheme.  I have to admit, I like the idea!

 

[Shift838]

27 minutes ago, Omega-TI said:

Never having tried, I'm curious, will the TIPI access a USB hard drive plugged into one of it's USB ports?  The reason I ask is because with power failures the SD card can get corrupted, but if the majority of ones data was stored on a hard drive, it would mean much less data to restore later. 

 

While green is not my color, the image below turned up in my inbox.  I've also been told a TI-related one could be produced, probably with the appropriate logo and matching color scheme.  I have to admit, I like the idea!

 

good question.  I know the standard raspbian OS can boot from a SSD as that is how i'm doing it on a couple of Pi3B+'s and a Pi4 8GB.

 

I believe it would if you upgrade the firmware and setting the system to boot via USB in the Raspberry Configuration is simple enough.  throw the TiPi SD image onto a USB stick or HD and it should be good to go.  If i have time I can test this next day or so.

[+arcadeshopper]

The question was will it access. The answer is yes of course it will. It's a modern os on a modern computer.

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[Omega-TI]

I'd be interested in learning, if it's currently possible (for the TIPI) on what the path that would be, or how to map it as a drive.  I did not want to 'assume' just because something might be possible with the Pi OS, that it was also 'baked in' to the TIPI interface.

 

  

[Omega-TI]

Mechanical drives are getting freaking DIRT CHEAP, especially the so-called 'smaller obsolete drives'.  Personally, I'd never consider a 160GB drive for any modern use, but for a TI application, that would be more space than I could ever hope to fill in my remaining lifetime... and for under $22.00!  << EXAMPLE HERE >>

 

 

 

 

[+jedimatt42]

TIPI update 2.19

 

Fix crash when WRITE to PI.PIO without having OPEN'ed first or since last CLOSE.  It now returns an error to the 4A immediately.

[dgrissom]

9 minutes ago, Omega-TI said:

Mechanical drives are getting freaking DIRT CHEAP, especially the so-called 'smaller obsolete drives'.  Personally, I'd never consider a 160GB drive for any modern use, but for a TI application, that would be more space than I could ever hope to fill in my remaining lifetime... and for under $22.00!  << EXAMPLE HERE >>

 

 

 

 

Most of the time when there is an SD card corruption, it seems to be due to a power failure.  This can occur naturally or if we simply pull the power while the Pi is actively running.  Whether we boot from SD, SSD, or HD, all can be corrupted in this manner.  However, in my experience, SD cards seem to be more corruptible.

 

BTW, you can use SSH to view your drive's contents and easily mount additional external volumes.  With this you can do a backups or access data.  These drives can be shared and show up on PC's and other devices similar to the TIPI folders.

 

I am using an SSD (120GB) on my main windows 10 machine.  My son bought it at Micro Center for $10.  (This size SDD have been routinely available for under $20 from New Egg and other locations.).  I say this in that mechanical drives can suffer from shock if dropped and generally require more power to run.

BTW, I used it with my RPi 4 as a boot device for several months (kind of a waste for me).

 

I protect my TIPI installation by periodically doing an SD card image backup with Win32DiskMgr as well as making simple data copies from my TIPI directory.

The latter is more reliable and can be automated with Windows Scheduler.  The downside of large drives is it is harder to image them if the drive gets corrupted.  I like 32GB or less if possible.

 

If my SD card becomes corrupted, and as a result my TIPI image is corrupted, I have downloaded (and keep on my HD) the latest TIPI image from Jedimatt's site.  It is fairly easy to reimage an SD card and copy my latest TIPI files back to the new SD card. I keep an TIPI imaged backup card available as well.  This makes sense as my primary TIPI is the TIPI/32k with Raspberry PI Zero W.  The RPi Zero is too slow for me to want to have a Window's style GUI on it.  Based on my readings of past threads, it can be difficult set this up.

 

While I am by no means an expert, I do have a stable of operating Raspberry Pi products (yes, this is a hobby as well):

1. 3 - RPi Zero W - 1 is TIPI, 1 is PiTPDD (TRS-80 Model 100 data drive), 1 is spare (@ $10 each, I can afford them) 
2. 1 - RPi 4  - Inside my TI case with Teensy based keyboard interface. (With emulation of TI, DOS, Amiga, and AtariST)
3. 1 - RPi 400 - Linux development tool and real world interfacing. (Christmas present.  Cool concept -- I don't like the keyboard.)
4. 1 - RPi 3B+ - Semi-retired (my son has it)
5. 2 - RPi Pico (cool cards) - Learning Python/Micro Python and real world interfacing. (@ $4 each lots of fun, why not!)

The point is, that at the current prices, for me, the Pi products can/should be dedicated devices/appliances.

 

David

[Omega-TI]

31 minutes ago, dgrissom said:

While I am by no means an expert, I do have a stable of operating Raspberry Pi products (yes, this is a hobby as well):

1. 3 - RPi Zero W - 1 is TIPI, 1 is PiTPDD (TRS-80 Model 100 data drive), 1 is spare (@ $10 each, I can afford them) 
2. 1 - RPi 4  - Inside my TI case with Teensy based keyboard interface. (With emulation of TI, DOS, Amiga, and AtariST)
3. 1 - RPi 400 - Linux development tool and real world interfacing. (Christmas present.  Cool concept -- I don't like the keyboard.)
4. 1 - RPi 3B+ - Semi-retired (my son has it)
5. 2 - RPi Pico (cool cards) - Learning Python/Micro Python and real world interfacing. (@ $4 each lots of fun, why not!)

The point is, that at the current prices, for me, the Pi products can/should be dedicated devices/appliances.

 

Yeah, since Rpi's are relatively inexpensive, they have a habit of multiplying like rabbits.  I only use them as dedicated devices myself and have never really gone "under the floorboards" when it comes to the OS or programming.  

 

My Pi stable consists of:

1) 1 - RPi 4 dedicated to running KODI with an 8TB HD attached for entertainment purposes.

2) 1 - RPi 3B+ dedicated to TIPI use in the P-Box

3) 1 - RPI 3B+ dedicated for use as TRS-80 Model III emulator

4) 1 - RPi Zero W dedicated for TIPI use as a sidecar unit.

 

I'm also contemplating getting another Zero W for a future breadboarding project.

 

What I'd "like to do" is keep the SD card only for booting purposes (in the P-Box TIPI) and as little as possible for everything else, while keeping everything a bit more protected on a USB device.  Will it happen?  Dunno.  If or when it does, I'll cross that bridge then.

 

[RXB]

It would make sense to have a back up of the SD card on TIPI

and does not make sense when there is a power failure you lose what is there on SD card?

Why would a power outage corrupt the card if it is not doing anything?

I can understand if you were reading or writing to that card, but not if it is just doing nothing but being powered up and the TI99/4A is off!

Why is this a issue?

[dgrissom]

3 minutes ago, RXB said:

It would make sense to have a back up of the SD card on TIPI

and does not make sense when there is a power failure you lose what is there on SD card?

Why would a power outage corrupt the card if it is not doing anything?

I can understand if you were reading or writing to that card, but not if it is just doing nothing but being powered up and the TI99/4A is off!

Why is this a issue?

Cause 'Sh@t' Happens    (Actually, it is well documented.)

 

Linux may have service routines running in the background that can bust it.  My last corrupted TIPI SD card was due to storm power outages.  My TIPI was off.  Power came on and then went out again (TIPI booted and died mid boot - This is speculation as I was not near my system but remembered the outages.).  TIPI would boot but not work properly.  I had to reimage and restore.

 

I have a shutdown button on my RPi to help safely power it down.  That won't protect it in the above circumstances. 

 

Moral of the story.  Unplug when not in use (or use switch).  Even though I have a switch on the power supply, I still forget to do this.  (I guess I am prone to living dangerously...)

 

DG

[RXB]

You would think this would be in RAM not on the SD card and use a buffer in case it does lose power?

But that is one bad design if you think about a OS so prone to such a simple problem.

[Omega-TI]

16 minutes ago, RXB said:

You would think this would be in RAM not on the SD card and use a buffer in case it does lose power?

But that is one bad design if you think about a OS so prone to such a simple problem.

 

<< Simple solution >>, or << something else like it >> .

[dgrissom]

13 minutes ago, Omega-TI said:

 

<< Simple solution >>, or << something else like it >> .

Good suggestion!

 

All my desktop PC's are on UPS's.  (A cross backed on a NAS).  The UPS's are in part for surge protection.  However, scheduled services (backup's, defrag, update checks, etc.) could be running on Windows at any time time.

 

When I worked IT, all of our Windows servers and mission critical PC's were running on UPS's to avoid potential data loss even though all were running RAID.  Over the years, when I worked the help desk, I fielded a number of user's with lost data over the years, due to electrical outages.   Most of this was OS repair with HD replacements as user's files were always on the servers.

 

Good suggestions Omega-TI.  I may look into a solution for my TIPI (although, my TIPI/32K unit can't use a HAT).  Some of the cell phone backup batteries can charge while in use.

 

DG

[Omega-TI]

Actually, if it's just for the sidecar TIPI/32K, << THIS UNIT >> could set on the floor and have the TIPI plugged into it and run for hours.  In the video below, you can see that I've been able to run an entire sidecar unit on slightly larger UPS.