Geneve help. Need software and advice!

[+FarmerPotato]

I need to get my Geneve up and running and I'm stuck. Help! Opry99 only got to see the MDOS prompt and I vowed to do better.

First of all, I have the original Geneve card, no mods, TI floppy controller, booting ancient 1.01 and 1.14 and 1.23.

Most of my floppies from 1992 are DSDD and I can't use them.

1. Would someone be willing to send me single density floppies with software for an unmodified Geneve?

GenProg, anything really. A term program so I can transfer files... I know I can't run the later MDOS versions.

Or suggest what combination of mass storage is going to work for the Geneve.

Images that might work with my GoTek for instance.

2. I am open to upgrading my Geneve to enable current MDOS. I'm not sure where to get instructions.

I'm equipped and capable of doing it.

3. Stuff I have that might be useful:

* I purchased a Gotek from arcadeshopper about 3 years ago but have had no success getting it to work.

* I do have a Kryoflux to read my DSDD disks but don't know how to move files onto physical disks.

* I have a IDE card for the 4A that I've never tried out. Not sure if MDOS supports that. If so, I can try CF on it.

* EZ135 SCSI external. I used them a lot back in the day.

4. Stuff I have that is not working, not really pursuing:

* Geneve that appears to have piggybacked RAM (former MaTIUG member). It doesn't see the TI floppy controller.

This one was working fine before some moves.

* HFDC card for Geneve.. this one was from Insane and I plugged in into a P-box of a 4A with a flex card and that may

have done something bad to it. Kind of stuck there.

Thank you for any assistance!

[peterfleeman]

I can happily send you some single sided floppies with whatever software you'd like. I was in a similar situation to you, but wound up getting it running using a Lotharek floppy emulator.

[+9640News]

I've got the Lotharek drive, not the Gotek, but I assume they are pretty close to being the same.

 

Let me ask, are you able to boot any MDOS at the moment?

 

If so, then it should be just a matter of getting you DSK images you can drop onto whatever the storage format is for the GoTek and you should be able to boot if you have the right dip switch settings and cabling.

 

After you get that accomplished, then I would consider adding the 32K ram upgrade. You should be able to go to ftp.whtech.com and look in the root directory and search for "32K" and be able to find the file. Pretty simple modification if you can solder. Once you have a working 32K chip, then, you can go to MDOS 6.50.

 

At that point, I feel it would be just a matter of attaching DSK images to get something up and working for you on your system. I have no idea anymore about the configuration limitations with respect to some of those earlier MDOS versions and what works and doesn't work in trying to coordinate MDOS and GPL.

 

The key is getting your GoTek drive recognizing as floppy disk #1. Does it support 1 or 2 drives? Make sure your real floppy is set at a drive #3.

 

As far as the HFDC, I doubt the Flex Cable would have caused a problem for it. Likely, with the Geneve, it takes a long time for MDOS to timeout on the hard drive before it tries to boot from floppy #1. You can help yourself out quite a bit by getting the V1.0 Geneve Boot Eprom as you can then specify to boot straight from floppy.

 

Assuming you have a good working Geneve, a working TI Disk Controller, and a working GoTek, you have the pieces as long as you have a computer to transfer DSK images < - > to the GoTek drive. Either way, you need to solve that issue.

 

Other mass storage, if after the above gets working, then for the Geneve and since you have a HFDC assuming it is working, a DREM will get you hard drive storage unless you can find a good, working MFM drive. I've stopped using my MFM drives and use the DREM exclusively now for hard drive storage. Support for simultaneous floppy and hard drive use is going on now with the development of the DREM. I think I am going to have to limit myself to around 2 x 40 MB hard drive images at present with 2 x 360K floppy images until memory management of the DREM is perfected to allow for drive emulation above about 96MB.

 

Beery

[RickyDean]

On your Gotek, did you purchase the HxD bootware from Jeff (I have some experience there), or did go the free option (I have no experience there, though I do have a spare Gotek and the files)? A gotek is not just plug and play.

[+arcadeshopper]

Depending on what I put on it the drive, 3 years ago would be the HxD bootware probably.. I'm using flashfloppy now.. it's a lot more versitile..

 

He should just be able to stick lotherok images on the usb drive and use them if so. Actually either firmware supports that..

 

Did I include a usb stick?

 

Greg

[+FarmerPotato]

I've got the Lotharek drive, not the Gotek, but I assume they are pretty close to being the same.

 

Let me ask, are you able to boot any MDOS at the moment?

 

If so, then it should be just a matter of getting you DSK images you can drop onto whatever the storage format is for the GoTek and you should be able to boot if you have the right dip switch settings and cabling.

 

...

Assuming you have a good working Geneve, a working TI Disk Controller, and a working GoTek, you have the pieces as long as you have a computer to transfer DSK images < - > to the GoTek drive. Either way, you need to solve that issue.

 

Yes, I can boot MDOS 1.23 from floppy for instance. I think I will take Greg's input and try to get the GoTek proved out on the 4A. It might be a Lotharek. I'll check.

 

 

After you get that accomplished, then I would consider adding the 32K ram upgrade. You should be able to go to ftp.whtech.com and look in the root directory and search for "32K" and be able to find the file. Pretty simple modification if you can solder. Once you have a working 32K chip, then, you can go to MDOS 6.50.

OK, I'm going to do this 32k upgrade: http://www.mainbyte.com/ti99/geneve/geneve32k.html

 

 

As far as the HFDC, I doubt the Flex Cable would have caused a problem for it. Likely, with the Geneve, it takes a long time for MDOS to timeout on the hard drive before it tries to boot from floppy #1. You can help yourself out quite a bit by getting the V1.0 Geneve Boot Eprom as you can then specify to boot straight from floppy.

 

 

I do have a MFM drive from the Insane One. My EPROM is the original from 1987 that boots from floppy. (It just doesn't turn on the HFDC light.)

One more item: does MDOS support the IDE card?

Edited February 5, 2019 by FarmerPotato

[+9640News]

The original Eprom should do a search on the hard drive subdirectory DSK1 for LOAD/SYS, and if LOAD/SYS can not be found and/or is not present, it would then go to real floppy DSK1 for SYSTEM/SYS.

 

Be aware of your CRU setting on the HFDC. For the Geneve with dual floppy controllers, the HFDC should be set at >1000. With just the HFDC, set to >1100.

 

I would get the TI DIsk controller working first without the HFDC in the system. I do not know about the GoTek drive, but with the Lotharek drive and a HFDC, you need to make sure everything is configured the same. In other words, do not try and use a DS/DD image if you have configured the system for an 80 track setup for 720K. There are individual settings for both the Lotharek as well as dip switch settings on the HFDC card. They need to pair up the same.

 

With a TI system, that means DS/SD. That means you can not use a 360K DSK image. I do not know if the GoTek uses the straight DSK image sector for sector, or if it uses, or can use, the Lotharek HFE image that is larger than 360K for a DS/DD floppy containing the additional track information..

[+InsaneMultitasker]

I do have a MFM drive from the Insane One. My EPROM is the original from 1987 that boots from floppy. (It just doesn't turn on the HFDC light.)

One more item: does MDOS support the IDE card?

Typically, the V11 EPROM is installed in any card that comes across my workbench. Does your card still have the original regulators and chips and caps? I don't remember sending you a card or MFM drive, so I'm guessing it was some time ago

 

I agree with Beery, the act of plugging it into a TI system is fine unless you did so without waiting the requisite time.

 

MDOS does not support the IDE card at this time, though I have proved it is possible by latching into the SCSI low level routines.

[FDOS]

 

I need to get my Geneve up and running and I'm stuck. Help! Opry99 only got to see the MDOS prompt and I vowed to do better.

First of all, I have the original Geneve card, no mods, TI floppy controller, booting ancient 1.01 and 1.14 and 1.23.

Most of my floppies from 1992 are DSDD and I can't use them.

1. Would someone be willing to send me single density floppies with software for an unmodified Geneve?

GenProg, anything really. A term program so I can transfer files... I know I can't run the later MDOS versions.

Or suggest what combination of mass storage is going to work for the Geneve.

Images that might work with my GoTek for instance.

2. I am open to upgrading my Geneve to enable current MDOS. I'm not sure where to get instructions.

I'm equipped and capable of doing it.

3. Stuff I have that might be useful:

* I purchased a Gotek from arcadeshopper about 3 years ago but have had no success getting it to work.

* I do have a Kryoflux to read my DSDD disks but don't know how to move files onto physical disks.

* I have a IDE card for the 4A that I've never tried out. Not sure if MDOS supports that. If so, I can try CF on it.

* EZ135 SCSI external. I used them a lot back in the day.

4. Stuff I have that is not working, not really pursuing:

* Geneve that appears to have piggybacked RAM (former MaTIUG member). It doesn't see the TI floppy controller.

This one was working fine before some moves.

* HFDC card for Geneve.. this one was from Insane and I plugged in into a P-box of a 4A with a flex card and that may

have done something bad to it. Kind of stuck there.

Thank you for any assistance!

 

 

I can help you with everything you've asked about. I no longer have either of the two IDE cards I assembled, but do have all the documentation. I also have two Geneves (2 MB GenMOD & PFM512K done by Tim Tesch), including 2 x 2MB MEMEX cards, even though the PFM512K can only access 504K, it was useful for Forth+ development while I was in Poland for a year. I have tons of original MDOS 5.25" floppy diskettes, also for WHT SCSI (I have three), and 2 x SyQuest ezFlyer230MB & one ez135MB drives, plus 15 cartridges for each type. I also have one Myarc HFDC whic currently only has one 45MB MFM drive connected, but I have one spare 45MB and two 60MB that haven been used in over 2 decades, so I don't know their status. I also have 2 x Myarc 80 track FDC cards, which means the vast majority of my own diskettes (5.25" & 3.5") are 720K (AKA; DSQD). I have a GOTEK using FlashFloppy SW up to SSDD80 or 1440 sectors, so reasonable, but not for all my 2880 sector diskettes. Oh well, there's always some short-comings in "do-it-yourself" operations. Let me know.

 

Bill

[+FarmerPotato]

Well, this is new. Jameco is reporting a tariff surcharge on this SRAM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK, I'm going to do this 32k upgrade: http://www.mainbyte.com/ti99/geneve/geneve32k.html

 

IC,SRAM,62256LP-70,5V, 32kx8,DIP-28,70ns 82472 4 $2.49

$9.96
Tariff Surcharge: $1.25