jrhodes Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 Is there anyway to convert a EA3 program into a EA5 program? I have some programs that i want to try out on my real TI, but i can not figure out how i would load them. I am probably sounding like a broken record but, as i have said many times, i only have wav/tape + 32k + and XB, no disks, not FG99, no TiPi. I have had success using cass24k2 to load longer XB programs in int/var format that would normally be impossible from tape, and for Assembly programs, i have to use the Funnelweb cassette loader to load EA5 files. I have a small collection of programs in EA3, and if anyone could help this die hard cassette user load them on real iron, i would be very grateful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOME AUTOMATION Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 I am not familiar with Funnelweb. I believe the EA5 loader expects the first line of the loaded program to be the "entry point"... since this is not common for most programs, a branch to the entry point must be "inserted" at the beginning of the program... this is probably beyond the scope of a simple edit to the tagged obj. code...Perhaps a conversion utility could be written... although I suppose the user would have to indicate the correct program name.I imagine you envision converting on an emulator.I think Step 1 might be to disassemble... 2. edit, inserting the branch line and the SFIRST,SLAST,SLOAD labels... 3. reassemble... 4. load, load and run the SAVE utility from E/A DISK B. specifying CS1(MESS). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkdrummer Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 What are the DF/80 files youre looking to convert? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senior_falcon Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Is there anyway to convert a EA3 program into a EA5 program?I have a small collection of programs in EA3, and if anyone could help this die hard cassette user load them on real iron, i would be very grateful. Are these on tape? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhodes Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 (edited) Are these on tape? No they are in .dsk files. What are the DF/80 files youre looking to convert? Give me a little bit, i will upload them. Here they are on a .dsk file: badwalls ;program name is MERLIN bomber ;program name is BOMBER the others i believe autostart after inputting filename: as-TI-roids arthropod breakout cubit dragon dstation froghaven slymoids ATARIAGE.dsk Edited January 14, 2019 by jrhodes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asmusr Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 What does it even mean to have E/A#5 files on tape? Is the format described anywhere? Is the Funnelweb cassette loader also on tape? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhodes Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 Yes, the funnelweb loader is on tape. E/A #5 on tape is exactly how it sounds. I take a E/A #5 program on disk, and use CS1er on each file to produce a wav. As an example, here is the funnelweb loader, and hen-pecked E/A #5 program. upload.zip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkdrummer Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 I believe Ive got all those titles already in program format. Do you have a cassette recorder? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhodes Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 I believe Ive got all those titles already in program format. Do you have a cassette recorder? Yes i have a cassette recorder. Honestly though, i prefer to load wav files from my android tablet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asmusr Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 (edited) If you just need a PC tool that converts disk EA3 to EA5 I'm sure someone must have something you can use. Edited January 14, 2019 by Asmusr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhodes Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 If you just need a PC tool that converts disk EA3 to EA5 I'm sure someone must have something you can use. That is what i was originally hoping for, a pc tool for converting. Or someone to have the programs already in EA5 format. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FarmerPotato Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Is there anyway to convert a EA3 program into a EA5 program? I have some programs that i want to try out on my real TI, but i can not figure out how i would load them. I am probably sounding like a broken record but, as i have said many times, i only have wav/tape + 32k + and XB, no disks, not FG99, no TiPi. I have had success using cass24k2 to load longer XB programs in int/var format that would normally be impossible from tape, and for Assembly programs, i have to use the Funnelweb cassette loader to load EA5 files. I have a small collection of programs in EA3, and if anyone could help this die hard cassette user load them on real iron, i would be very grateful. It's possible, I have done it, and in 1986 I wrote a utility "Supersave" that automated the process of making an EA5 from multiple EA3 files. It worked by checking the next free address pointers in high RAM before and after loading. It would not handle programs that load into low RAM, code that is not simply relocatable object code, or programs that depend on having the E/A utilities in low RAM. If I were writing it today, I would make a complete new loader that handled all these issues correctly. Finding my original program Supersave has been tough.. I have a bunch of ARC files that I can't seem to open. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhodes Posted January 15, 2019 Author Share Posted January 15, 2019 I managed to convert most of the programs using supersave. I could not get arthropods, as-ti-roids, & froghaven to convert. Attached zip includes all of the other programs in EA5 format converted by me with supersave. I am still looking for EA5 versions of the programs i could not convert successfully. supersave converted.zip 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FarmerPotato Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 (edited) I'm happy that this worked for you. I can take a look at the games that didn't convert to see what's up there. Are those the versions from Gamebase or somewhere? Maybe a new version of Supersave is in order... Just now, my desk holds only a cassette based 4A (lots of Mini Memory and LLBA from cassette, I mean WAV file), so I may have a go at the Funlweb cassette loader. Separate thread for Supersave: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/287103-supersave-save-ea3-files-as-ea5-files/ Edited January 16, 2019 by FarmerPotato 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhodes Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 (edited) I'm happy that this worked for you. I can take a look at the games that didn't convert to see what's up there. Are those the versions from Gamebase or somewhere? Maybe a new version of Supersave is in order... Just now, my desk holds only a cassette based 4A (lots of Mini Memory and LLBA from cassette, I mean WAV file), so I may have a go at the Funlweb cassette loader. Separate thread for Supersave: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/287103-supersave-save-ea3-files-as-ea5-files/ The games are from whtech ftp. Part of the tosec disk collection. ... I think... Actually, i just noticed my converted copy of badwalls is not working today. I converted and tested all the programs in a single session of classic99. Today, i go to load badwalls in classic99 via E.A. option 5, and it hangs at a green screen. If i convert it with supersave, and immediately go back and select option 5, i can boot the converted program. Not tried the other programs i converted, not sure if its just that one program or if all of them are potentially trashed. ------------- OK, just checked, and badwalls is the only converted program to not boot/hangs on a cold boot from E.A. I have not tested loading these on my real TI from XB using the funnelweb cassette loader. Getting ready to convert them to wav files via CS1 later today. Edited January 16, 2019 by jrhodes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FarmerPotato Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 The games are from whtech ftp. Part of the tosec disk collection. ... I think... Actually, i just noticed my converted copy of badwalls is not working today. I converted and tested all the programs in a single session of classic99. Today, i go to load badwalls in classic99 via E.A. option 5, and it hangs at a green screen. If i convert it with supersave, and immediately go back and select option 5, i can boot the converted program. Not tried the other programs i converted, not sure if its just that one program or if all of them are potentially trashed. ------------- OK, just checked, and badwalls is the only converted program to not boot/hangs on a cold boot from E.A. I have not tested loading these on my real TI from XB using the funnelweb cassette loader. Getting ready to convert them to wav files via CS1 later today. OK, badwalls may rely on something particular to E/A default setup, or load something somewhere (low memory) that Supersave can't detect. I am happy to go in there and see what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhodes Posted January 17, 2019 Author Share Posted January 17, 2019 I have noticed graphic glitches with some programs after using super to convert them. Cubit, and breakout are missing the copyright character. Cubit, orignal E.A. #3 version: Cubit, converted to E.A. #5 with super save, loaded from E.A.: Cubit, converted to E.A. #5 with super save, loaded from TI XB using Funnelweb cassette loader: Dstation has a glitch near the troops remaining display: (seems the glitch disappears after losing a life) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FarmerPotato Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I have noticed graphic glitches with some programs after using super to convert them. Cubit, and breakout are missing the copyright character. It looks like the programs assume that E/A has set up things in the VDP. In particular, the char defs (with a © character that's not from the console char defs), color table, screen color in VDP register 7. In the case of D-station, it looks like an extra sprite, so that game may assume E/A has put sensible starting values in the sprite table. Its possible that Fweb cassette loader tries to set up the VDP to match the E/A environment (it gets the color), and leaves some differences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senior_falcon Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 I believe that it is possible to load and run EA5 programs with a bare console, 32K and cassette player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asmusr Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 Here's Badwalls as E/A#5, converted using Classic99. BADWALLS.dsk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhodes Posted January 18, 2019 Author Share Posted January 18, 2019 I believe that it is possible to load and run EA5 programs with a bare console, 32K and cassette player. Explain? I have been using console, XB, 32k, cassette, and Funnelweb's cassette loader. I don't have access to a E.A. or minimem cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senior_falcon Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 It would take a special loader that uses the principle used in the playground loader, which can run assembly language on an unexpanded console. Probably the best approach would be to write the loader embedded in a short BASIC program. When it runs it could copy itself to a safe location in VDP ram and from there would be able to load the EA5 files from cassette and start the program up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhodes Posted January 18, 2019 Author Share Posted January 18, 2019 Isn't that pretty much what the funnelweb loader is doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senior_falcon Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 Can the funnelweb loader run without a cartridge in the slot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhodes Posted January 19, 2019 Author Share Posted January 19, 2019 No. I see now, you want to make a loader for TI basic. With nothing in the cartridge port, isn't ti basic blind to the 32k needed for assembly programs? It will be interesting to see you pull this off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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