TIPI Usage and Support

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1 hour ago, Airshack said:

1 hour ago, arcadeshopper said:

The original TIPI DSR, could not handle E/A option 2 or 3.

Gee, I thought I said that!

 

Better to let someone else take the blame, though.

 

I have never been able to get a TIPI network drive, to MAP onto a PC LAPTOP.

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25,100 views!

750 replies!!!

 

 

Too Hot!

[+arcadeshopper]

Gee, I thought I said that!
 
Better to let someone else take the blame, though.[emoji38]
 
I have never been able to get a TIPI network drive, to MAP onto a PC LAPTOP.

Lmk i can help you figure that out

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[Airshack]

I really appreciate your time on this issue today.

 

I did use Greg's suggestion to convert my PC file to TI file: DIS/FIX 80, using TIDir.

 

Then I used TIdir to convert v9t9 to TIFILES. It all converted. 

 

After moving to the EA diskette1 image (TIPIs config'd to DSK1)  I was able to use E/A, Option 3 to load both SFIRST_O and SLAST_O but not my file ENK21.

 

I know SFIRST_O loaded because when I tried it twice I received the Error - Duplicate Definition. 

 

When I tried to load my own file ENK21...I got the Error -- ILLEGAL TAG. This is progress as it seems to find the file. Previous error was I/O Error Code 0.

 

I tried the entire process again with ENK21_O as my file name and using TIPI's web client to do the v9t9 to TIFILES conversion. still...nogo.

 

DM2K is really nice though!

[+arcadeshopper]

May be the conversion is messing up the file.. try the cr lf options

 

You can view the file in dm2k with t

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[Airshack]

I've come to an understanding that TIDir is necessary since my Assembly Development Workflow uses: Asm994a + Classic99 + TIPI

 

Classic99 (QI399.018) allows for assigning THREE disk types: Files (FIAD), Image(DSK) and TI Controller (DSK).

I'm using Asm994A to assemble my code. Therefor, the disk type I choose must be readable by Classic99 ===> Image(DSK).

This combination served me well while programming with my laptop, and before TIPI existed.

NOTE: Do not select the V9T9 reverse image option. I had this selected which caused issues.

 

With TIPI this .dsk file type is not web interface (browser) interface importable to the network mapped TIPI drive.

TIPI needs TIFILES as Greg has been trying to get me to understand. Got it! The file will copy over but...

 

**** I was unable to simply import my Classic99 disk image over to TIPI, and use the browser 
web admin interface's convert v9t9 to TIFILES feature. Note the red question mark by my dsk4 file below. The convert v9t9

to TIFILES option will not work on a file (of this type) after importing over with the web admin browser utility.

 

THE FIX: First, I experienced success with TIDir to copy the obj file from my Classic99 

dsk file, onto the TIPI network mapped folder. The important thing is to copy the object file from 

the disk image, not the entire disk image. 

 

I copied it into a folder named T:\ENK21 which was created by the browser web interface add folder feature.

Attempting to load the object file onto the TI-99/4A with EA Option3 at this point generates an error: 

ILLEGAL TAG.

 

The last step is to now use the TIPI web interface to convert the object file to TIFILES format.

 

After conversion is complete the target directory now looks like this:

 

 

The object file is now loadable by the real TI's EA option3. 

 

Workflow Summary: 

 

1. Write code in editor of choice.

2. Compile assembly code to object code with Asm994A.

3. Asm994A automatically exports object code to Classic99s dsk file of choice.

4. Test on Classic99.

 

When you wish to test on real metal TI hardware complete the following steps:

 

5. Use TIDir to copy the object code file (only) to a folder on TIPI's networked drive.

6. Use the TIPI web admin interface to convert the object file to TIFILES.

7. Load&Run via EA Option3 on the real 99/4.

 

It works.

 

[HOME AUTOMATION]

WinDiskMngr.exe, can output a TIPI compatible FIAD.

...Just delete the file extension after saving.

 

 

[+jedimatt42]

The TIPI software on the PI will extract many/most disk images if they are copied over to it through the web browser or file sharing, or sftp... 

 

Files ending in dsk are checked if they are a track dump. If so, converted to a sector dump, and then the volume name on the disk image is used to create a directory, and all the files in the disk image are extracted to TIFILES inside there. 

 

Repeat, and the directory name will increment.  (I case you have lots of different disks named something like BLANK or DATA)

 

That said, yes, TIPI doesn't emulate disks. It is a file storage device. Conversion of disk images is as good as I could get it without user prompts... Track images are hard to detect and can be ambiguous with the detection mechanism I found documentation for. 

 

Classic99 can also use the TIFILES, so you could just take making a disk out of your development workflow. If that is an option for your tools. I use xdt99 as my assembler, and it has xdm99 tool for direct TIFILES generation so l can have all that scripted. 

 

If you have a disk image TIPI won't extract, PM me a copy, and I can see why... Maybe fix it.

 

Oh, if you like the manual approach, you can convert to TIFILES in TIDir. If I recall, you could make it the default. And classic99 is happy to read them too. (I haven't used TIDir in a while though cause of wine/Linux font problems, so I can't be more prescriptive )

 

-M@

 

 

[J-Data]

Hi All, I can't seem to get the "New BASIC File" button in the TIPI web interface to work.  Can someone else try it with the lates PI image and see if they get the same result?

 

 

 

 

 

It works fine for editing existing basic file, but seems to be adding an extra / in the path for new files. It does this regardless of what disk directory I'm in.  Is anyone else seeing this?

[J-Data]

Just in case anyone every needs to program the TIPI's CPLD on the using the Raspberry Pi... 

 

The latest version of xc3sprog has renamed the required Raspberry Pi cable definition  from "sysfsgpio" to "sysfsgpio_creator".  So, to test the JTAG chain you now have to use:

$ sudo xc3sprog -c sysfsgpio_creator

and to program the CPLD you have to use:

$ sudo xc3sprog -v -c sysfsgpio_creator -p 0 tipi_top.jed:w

This wasn't easy to find in the public domain, so I figured I'd document it to save someone else the trouble.  Other than than, the instructions on the Github TIPI Wiki work great.

 

 

[+jedimatt42]

17 hours ago, J-Data said:

Hi All, I can't seem to get the "New BASIC File" button in the TIPI web interface to work.  Can someone else try it with the lates PI image and see if they get the same result?

 

 

 

 

 

It works fine for editing existing basic file, but seems to be adding an extra / in the path for new files. It does this regardless of what disk directory I'm in.  Is anyone else seeing this?

It is probable I didn't test this in the base directory.  Maybe I'll work on some fixing tomorrow.

 

-M@

[J-Data]

7 hours ago, jedimatt42 said:

It is probable I didn't test this in the base directory.  Maybe I'll work on some fixing tomorrow.

 

-M@

Thanks for checking, I really do appreciate the help.  The behavior seem to be the same regardless of what directory I'm in.  I've been working around it by creating a file using the Samba drive and then opening it using TIPI web interface.

[jwild]

I think I'm getting the same thing with TIPI v1.51.  Can edit a file, but once I hit save and exit, i get a screen full of error messages similar to above.  Doesn't matter what directory i start in.   I see that /// in the filename.

 

 

[+jedimatt42]

10 hours ago, jedimatt42 said:

It is probable I didn't test this in the base directory.  Maybe I'll work on some fixing tomorrow.

 

-M@

 

Reproduces for me... we'll see if it can be fixed... I haven't changed anything in this area for a very long time.

 

-M@

[+jedimatt42]

1 minute ago, jedimatt42 said:

 

Reproduces for me... we'll see if it can be fixed... I haven't changed anything in this area for a very long time.

 

-M@

 

Oh, that's not true, I implemented the long format XB conversion... I usually save my files as TEST.BAS (becomes TEST/BAS to the 4A) which creates a native text file instead... then when you try to load them as a program image, it converts it to a BASIC program with xbas99 on the fly... But, that just points out that I neglected to test conversion on save from the web-ui... I'll make this work again.

 

-M@

 

[+jedimatt42]

Ok, I fumbled this a bit, but got it done..

 

Update 1.54 - 2020-04-04

 

Fix saving new BASIC program images from web-ui.

Add daemon.log viewing in the web-ui.

Fix utf-8 decoding of daemon.log 

 

1.53 and 1.52 were broken with regard to the daemon.log feature.

 

-M@

[jwild]

That was fast! I just updated my TIPI and tried again. Used both the root folder and a sub folder. Was able to create and edit a basic program and save it to TIPI from the web interface.

I think you fixed it.


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[J-Data]

5 hours ago, jedimatt42 said:

Update 1.54 - 2020-04-04

 

Wow, that was fast!  Works for me!  Thanks so much for everything you do for the community.

[jwild]

I often use “sudo apt-get update” and “sudo apt-get upgrade” on other Linux systems to keep them up to date and minimize security risks.

It is a good idea to do that on the TIPI? Or is it just adding unnecessary risk of breaking something?


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[+jedimatt42]

1 hour ago, jwild said:

I often use “sudo apt-get update” and “sudo apt-get upgrade” on other Linux systems to keep them up to date and minimize security risks.

It is a good idea to do that on the TIPI? Or is it just adding unnecessary risk of breaking something?


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My running instance of TIPI based on the latest sd-card image I shared, has automatic apt package security updates enabled. There are instructions on the internet to verify this for your own system. Mine being setup this way is not a forecast that yours is setup that way. It is an indication that it is possible to be setup that way. Again, information around Raspbian Buster lite should be referenced for your own verification, forecasting, and/or setup.

 

The only way I know how to navigate my employer's complex social media policy, and not end up homeless, is to refuse to provide instruction or even advice related to cyber security. Sorry.

 

Unrelated to security, for ease of use, I recommend that the PI running your TIPI software be left on so that it is in many ways ready to go when you turn on your 4A. And you should verify that it is regularly ready to go in all those many ways. Things have broken in the past. They will break again in the future. The tools are available to fix them. 

 

-M@

 

 

 

[jwild]

Fair enough. I’ll play around and if I break it, I’ll set it up again.

That’s part of the fun.


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[+jedimatt42]

Update 1.55 - 2020-04-05

 

Tidbit support

 

adds php and all that it brings along, so upgrade might be a little longer than the last several.

 

Now you can use native text files named with a '.tb' or '.TB' suffix on your PC through the file share, or in the TIPI web-ui editor. 

And just OLD or RUN them direct into BASIC or XB.  Remember, native names with '.' become '/' on the 4A... so:

 

OLD TIPI.TIDBIT.GAME/TB

 

Saving from the 4A is disallowed so you don't edit in place and overwrite the tidbit source.

 

No need to play with intermediate text | tidbit | xbas99 | disk | upload | BASIC chains... 

Just edit and save from your PC, then load and test on your Texas Instruments TI-99/4A Computer. 

 

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

 

Line numbering is 100, 10 and is hard-coded. If this needs  to be variable, we'll have to establish a convention where that goes in the tidbit source file... such as a meta-data comment in the top.... But that's not implemented.

 

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

 

So far, in my experience, bad code and bad label references just get turned into bad BASIC code, so it makes it all the way to the 4A in.

 

-M@

[+InsaneMultitasker]

On 4/3/2020 at 3:18 PM, J-Data said:

Just in case anyone every needs to program the TIPI's CPLD on the using the Raspberry Pi... 

 

The latest version of xc3sprog has renamed the required Raspberry Pi cable definition  from "sysfsgpio" to "sysfsgpio_creator".  So, to test the JTAG chain you now have to use:

$ sudo xc3sprog -c sysfsgpio_creator

and to program the CPLD you have to use:

$ sudo xc3sprog -v -c sysfsgpio_creator -p 0 tipi_top.jed:w

This wasn't easy to find in the public domain, so I figured I'd document it to save someone else the trouble.  Other than than, the instructions on the Github TIPI Wiki work great.

 

  

I prepped my TIPI-PEB card and am about ready to update the CPLD.  From your comments it seems that the two items above are the only differences you encountered in the instructions.  One quick question: did you type all of the following in at the console?  It isn't clear to me if this is a "batch" file or meant to be keyed in, one line at a time. 

 

 

 

[J-Data]

9 minutes ago, InsaneMultitasker said:

One quick question: did you type all of the following in at the console? 

Hi InsaneMultitasker, Rather than doing it from the console, I just opened an SSH session to the raspberry pi from a PC on the same network.  I used PuTTY to do this.  Then I literally just cut and pasted the commands from the WIKI to the SSH terminal rather than trying to fat-finger it from the console  No batch file, just ran one command at a time.  I happen to be running this process now on a TIPI science project, so here is a screen shot from PuTTY:

 

 

Good luck.

[J-Data]

35 minutes ago, InsaneMultitasker said:

I prepped my TIPI-PEB card and am about ready to update the CPLD.

Not sure if you need it, but here is a better picture that visually shows how how to connect the JTAG pins to the PI's IO pins for CPLD programming.  By the way, the TIPI does run fine with these jumpers left in place, if anyone was wondering.  Yes, I know I've mounted my Pi Zero  in an unapproved position, but i think it looks so much better there (used straight-up board to board connectors rather than the two right angles).