jonesypeter Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 (edited) I recently picked up a TI99 on eBay with extended BASIC and a speech synthesizer. My main interest has always been the ZX Spectrum (The machine I grew up with), but have always been intrigued by the TI. With the Spectrum I'm used to having a multitude of cheap devices available to load emulator tape files via an SD card into a read Spectrum. Having looked around, I can't see anything similar for the TI99. I understand to emulate a disk drive I would need the expansion box to get started. Is there even software which would convert 'image' files of cassettes to a wav file so I can load that way? I have heard about Tape994a as a possible solution but the download link seems to be broken. http://www.99er.net/emutil.html Sadly many of the sites I have found seem to have been abandoned (apart from http://www.ti99iuc.it/). Is there a list of sites which are still regularly updated? Finally, is there anything available for the TI which allows me to type a BASIC program in notepad then convert to a tap file. Something similar to this: https://derekbolli.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/create-zx-spectrum-basic-program-tap-file-from-text-source-file-in-bbedit-using-zmakebas/ Many thanks in advance. Peter Edited September 4, 2020 by jonesypeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 I recently picked up a TI99 on eBay with extended BASIC and a speech synthesizer. My main interest has always been the ZX Spectrum (The machine I grew up with), but have always been intrigued by the TI. With the Spectrum I'm used to having a multitude of cheap devices available to load emulator tape files via an SD card into a read Spectrum. Having looked around, I can't see anything similar for the TI99. I understand to emulate a disk drive I would need the expansion box to get started. Is there even software which would convert 'image' files of cassettes to a wav file so I can load that way? I have heard about Tape994a as a possible solution but the download link seems to be broken. http://www.99er.net/emutil.html Sadly many of the sites I have found seem to have been abandoned (apart from http://www.ti99iuc.it/). Is there a list of sites which are still regularly updated? Finally, is there anything available for the TI which allows me to type a BASIC program in notepad then convert to a tap file. Something similar to this: https://derekbolli.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/create-zx-spectrum-basic-program-tap-file-from-text-source-file-in-bbedit-using-zmakebas/ Many thanks in advance. Peter http://www.cs1er.com/Course with a TIPI you can remove the cassette player from the loop and paste from a web page to a disk file..https://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/the-ti-raspberry-pi-connection/Sent from my LM-V600 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOME AUTOMATION Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 The input/output from CS1, in MESS/MAME , can be piped through your PC sound card, directly to and from a real world TI-99/4a. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesypeter Posted September 4, 2020 Author Share Posted September 4, 2020 (edited) Thanks @arcadeshopper I can't see the TiPi for sale on your shop. Do you have a link? Cheers EDIT: Just seen it here: https://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/store/#!/TIPI-SIDECAR-Raspberry-PI-interface-board-*44pin-interface-port-required*/p/103690282/category=28815024 For a novice - Could you explain what else I would need to purchase? Edited September 4, 2020 by jonesypeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 Thanks [mention=25598]arcadeshopper[/mention] I can't see the TiPi for sale on your shop. Do you have a link? Cheers EDIT: Just seen it here: https://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/store/#!/TIPI-SIDECAR-Raspberry-PI-interface-board-*44pin-interface-port-required*/p/103690282/category=28815024 For a novice - Could you explain what else I would need to purchase? For that model you also need a memory card I sell both 32k and 1 MB memory cards that both work with the tipi sidecar. You'll also need a raspberry pi I recommend a three or four but you could use a zero w if need be. there's also a combination board in stock that is both 32k and TIPI in one board. https://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/store/#!/Combo-32k-TIPI-pcb/p/202179717 There should be options to add a pi to the order if you want to get one from me otherwise you can get one anywhere you'll also need an SD card for the pi for the software and your file saves and disks etcSent from my LM-V600 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keneg Posted September 4, 2020 Share Posted September 4, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, jonesypeter said: Thanks @arcadeshopper I can't see the TiPi for sale on your shop. Do you have a link? Cheers EDIT: Just seen it here: https://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/store/#!/TIPI-SIDECAR-Raspberry-PI-interface-board-*44pin-interface-port-required*/p/103690282/category=28815024 For a novice - Could you explain what else I would need to purchase? I just went through this process. If you aren’t good at soldering, buy the PI-zero W from arcade shopper. That is what I did just to make sure I wouldn’t do something wrong and damage the TIPI/32k. With it you can save and load BASIC programs and a few other things. I think having extended BASIS will let you do more than I can. I now have a FinalGROM99 on order from arcadeshopper. That gives you the ability to run about any cartridge program you can find a file for, which is a lot. If you add the loaded SD card from his store, as I did, you should be set. With these two devices, there isn’t much you can’t do. I have been having fun writing BASIC programs to learn the machine, but really look forward to receiving the FG99 so I can experience amore of it’s capabilities. Edited September 4, 2020 by Keneg 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 Hey, can the TIPI load from a tape wav file?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 Hey, can the TIPI load from a tape wav file??No but you can play the wav on the pi and hook it to your cassette cableSent from my LM-V600 using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papalapa Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 For me the best solution for the TI-99/4A is FinalGROM 99. I love it. For my Spectrum I have the DivIDE 2k14 and both work in the same way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddemann Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 Thinking... Is it possible to use a Raspberry Pi and make a "connection cable" from the GPIO pins to the same place you connect the Speech synthesizer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 Thinking... Is it possible to use a Raspberry Pi and make a "connection cable" from the GPIO pins to the same place you connect the Speech synthesizer?Do you mean the audio pins on the side port? Or something elseSent from my LM-V600 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddemann Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 On the TIPI, you use the last 4 pins on the GPIO. I was wondering if everything could be simulated in the Raspberry Pi and then use a bigger cable IF needed. Like 32 k ram should be able to simulate in the Raspberry Pi and everything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 Not in the tipi it's just a serial communications line and a DSR to provide communicationfor what you describe you probably have to design your own boardSent from my LM-V600 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesypeter Posted September 5, 2020 Author Share Posted September 5, 2020 6 hours ago, Papalapa said: For me the best solution for the TI-99/4A is FinalGROM 99. I love it. For my Spectrum I have the DivIDE 2k14 and both work in the same way... Yes, I have a DivMMC. The FinalGROM only supports ROM Cartridges, yes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesypeter Posted September 5, 2020 Author Share Posted September 5, 2020 (edited) Thanks for all the comments. I'm happy to start this on a new topic if preferred for these linked questions. I downloaded CS1 and looked at the PDF instructions. The format seems to be 'FIAD'? Is there an archive of cassette games in this format that I can browse? Secondly, I downloaded GameBaseTI and all the files are .dsk. Looking at the GitHub page for TiPi I'm guessing they are no good for it? Cheers EDIT: found files on http://tigameshelf.net/xb.htm Edited September 5, 2020 by jonesypeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jedimatt42 Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 1 hour ago, oddemann said: On the TIPI, you use the last 4 pins on the GPIO. I was wondering if everything could be simulated in the Raspberry Pi and then use a bigger cable IF needed. Like 32 k ram should be able to simulate in the Raspberry Pi and everything else. You could connect a PI, like the Pi Zero, directly to the TI bus, skipping my little adapter.. but you'd have to ditch linux on the PI, and write a full bootable program. Linux is too asynchronous with no timing guarantees. I designed TIPI to be easy to write. Skipping the PI altogether, there is the SDD99 project under development... but it has no ETA as of yet. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 3 hours ago, jonesypeter said: Thanks for all the comments. I'm happy to start this on a new topic if preferred for these linked questions. I downloaded CS1 and looked at the PDF instructions. The format seems to be 'FIAD'? Is there an archive of cassette games in this format that I can browse? Secondly, I downloaded GameBaseTI and all the files are .dsk. Looking at the GitHub page for TiPi I'm guessing they are no good for it? Cheers EDIT: found files on http://tigameshelf.net/xb.htm copying a DSK file to the TIPI drive automatically unpacks the DSK image into a folder https://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/the-ti-raspberry-pi-connection/ has lots of good info A FIAD is a file that is used for emulation, you can put it in a folder and read it directly with say classic99 emulator. it can also be easily loaded into a TIPI drive and then using the web interface or tidir tool you can convert it to the correct format for TIPI to use (TIFILES) Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 Yes, I have a DivMMC. The FinalGROM only supports ROM Cartridges, yes?You should look the FinalGrom99 up in the FAQ .. Sent from my LM-V600 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papalapa Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 17 hours ago, jonesypeter said: Yes, I have a DivMMC. The FinalGROM only supports ROM Cartridges, yes? Yes, ROM and GROM cartridge images on the SD Card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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