A new 99er in Europe

[youxia]

So I had one of these (rare) Lucky BIN Auction moments last week and nabbed a TI-99/4A for about ~140USD. This might sound like a lot for folks from the US, but here in Europe, especially in my neck of the woods (Poland) they're a pretty rare. Especially being in a fairly good nick, with box, modulator, heap of books and leaflets (even got the one with that felon comedian) ,which is all nice but most  importantly it's NTSC! I wanted one for a long time but it was in my mental Totally Unrealistic wishes tab, next to Apple II.

 

So that's all great, but what do I do now? Two main problems are:

 

1) display: the modulator is old school and cute as hell, but I have no idea how to connect it to my RF. I have a few CRTs but none is ancient enough to have this kinda connection, and I can't solder. So I guess I'll need a custom cable: Composite from the TI to SCART in my TV. Does anybody have the schematic/pinout  for that?

 

I also read elsewhere that an Atari / C64  cable might work. I have S-Video - SCART cables for both but am kinda afraid to try them. Do you think it's safe, or perhaps pointless because it just won't work?

 

2) How to get some software on this thing? I suppose Final Grom is the gadget to get - does anybody know some sellers in Europe (preferably not in UK too)? Also, are there any other inexpensive ways to solve this problem? I guess for Gotek I'd need some floppy interface, how about tapes? All I want is just to be able to run most of the games for the lowest cost possible.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[+arcadeshopper]

All these answers are in the FAQ

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[+Lee Stewart]

13 minutes ago, arcadeshopper said:

All these answers are in the FAQ

 

FAQ

 

...lee

[+Lee Stewart]

1 hour ago, youxia said:

So I had one of these (rare) Lucky BIN Auction moments last week and nabbed a TI-99/4A for about ~140USD.

 

Welcome aboard!   

 

...lee

[youxia]

Thank you. I read some of the faq, it's great. I figured that my PAL Atari/C64 video cable will not fit in the NTSC video socket.

 

I'd still like to know whether anybody knows some Flashrom99 / FinalGrom sellers in Europe, other than ti99iuc.it.

 

Also, can you load wav files from a PC or phone using that cassette DB9 cable?

[+arcadeshopper]

Only if your PC has enough volume, check the cassette FAQ for that information

Obviously a pal cable is probably not going to work with an NTSC computer, but you can check the pin outs. They're in the FAQ

The FinalGrom99 uses a CPLD that is pretty much unobtainable at this point due to part shortages I expect to have some in stock in the United States soonish but they will go quick. I seriously doubt anybody in Europe is making any at this point

I also have that NTSC cable in stock

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[Hans23]

2 hours ago, youxia said:

2) How to get some software on this thing? I suppose Final Grom is the gadget to get

I don't have CPLDs at this point to build FinalGROM99's, but I have a couple of FlashROM99 cards that I never used because I realised that the FinalGROM99 is the way to go.  Send PN if interested, I'm located in Germany.

[SteveB]

11 minutes ago, Hans23 said:

but I have a couple of FlashROM99 cards

Doesn't FlashROM99 require a 32kB Extension? I have a FlashROM but never tried without the memory expansion.

[youxia]

59 minutes ago, arcadeshopper said:

The FinalGrom99 uses a CPLD that is pretty much unobtainable at this point due to part shortages

Ah, that old chestnut. I forgot about the bloody chip shortage ?

 

Still, I sent a query to the Italian guys from ti99iuc.it and they apparently do have some in stock. With a case and shipping it'd be nearly 90E thou...it's not cheap.

 

For casual gaming, is FlashROM99 a much worse proposition?

[+arcadeshopper]

23 minutes ago, SteveB said:

Doesn't FlashROM99 require a 32kB Extension? I have a FlashROM but never tried without the memory expansion.

it does for carts that require it, such as running any converted GROM cart like say parsec etc.. 

[+arcadeshopper]

3 minutes ago, youxia said:

Ah, that old chestnut. I forgot about the bloody chip shortage ?

 

Still, I sent a query to the Italian guys from ti99iuc.it and they apparently do have some in stock. With a case and shipping it'd be nearly 90E thou...it's not cheap.

 

For casual gaming, is FlashROM99 a much worse proposition?

flashrom99 - 32k max rom only max 127 files on a card no folders, so no extended basic as that's rom AND grom.. etc.. mostly rom games and a few grom conversions that need 32k expansion ram to run 

finalgrom99 - 1mb max ROM also GROM capable, max 147 files per folder, and like 147 folders i think..  much more versatile.. for cartridges that is.. It will load 99% of the carts made for the 4/a with the exception of the bigger multicarts (2mb) and dragon's lair (128mb) which require dedicated cart hw..  doesn't need expansion ram to run the GROM games (parsec, munchman, pretty much everything from TI) as it loads GROM natively 

 

you need both cartridge and disk and memory imho.. to use the TI to its fullest, cassette is pretty unreliable and slow and you can't load any advanced software without expansion ram

 

the cheapest way to get that is the TIPI/32K sidecar board that requires a raspberry pi to operate but gives you a hard disk, internet connection, mouse, printer emulation and more.. 

 

more xpensive is a SAMS memory card and sidecar tipi setup.. or a peb and the cards..   

 

 

[ti99iuc]

1 hour ago, youxia said:

[...]

Still, I sent a query to the Italian guys from ti99iuc.it and they apparently do have some in stock. With a case and shipping it'd be nearly 90E thou...it's not cheap.[...]

 

 

let me say that you raise 90/95 euro if you take a FG99 + case + label + SD Memory fully assembled and shipping included.

 
But you can save money taking only the PCB board for 50 euro. plus shipping of course.

EDIT:
and if you think these are sales without profit, just cover the costs and time.

 

 

Edited May 7, 2022 by ti99iuc

[youxia]

15 hours ago, ti99iuc said:

and if you think these are sales without profit, just cover the costs and time.

Not at all, I simply meant these things are relatively expensive in general - especially for somebody like me, who is not focused on only one platform, but loves all the microcomputers. Let's just say I've also purchased a BBC Micro last week and shipping+customs alone were ~80USD ? ...and now  Ihave to get assorted cables/SD solutions too.

 

Anyway, many thanks for your reply to my query (and everybody in the thread too)...if you could let me know what exactly the shippping from Italy is, it would be great. I'm currently mulling over your offer and the one from Hans23 here for flashrom99.

 

Having Tipi would be awesome, of course, but much as I like the TI it's not my main machine, and so that solution is over my budget (especially with the crazy Pi prices atm).

 

I know a guy around here who makes cables. If I show this NTSC diagram from the Wiki do youi think it's enough to make working cable? Asking because I don't know anything about electronics and he about microcomputer, he just follows instructions/schematics. Also, the pinout on the main Wiki page looks a bit different (I guess it's reversed and seen from inside? (I've also found this instructable, which has 12v on pin 3, sounding potentially dangerous?)

 

PS: One more thing: are there many/any games available only on disks (or maybe even tapes)? In other words, can I run "mostly everything" available for the TI from the FinalGrom?

 

 

Edited May 8, 2022 by youxia

[+Ksarul]

Do note, you will need a monitor that can accept an NTSC input unless you are using some kind of signal converter between the TI and your display. A compatible cable is usually only part of the solution.

[JB]

On 5/8/2022 at 7:53 AM, youxia said:

(I've also found this instructable, which has 12v on pin 3, sounding potentially dangerous?)

Yes, there's 12VDC on the TI's video port. It is meant to power the external RF modulator, and you do need to give it some extra caution when making a cable. 

[globeron]

19 hours ago, Ksarul said:

Do note, you will need a monitor that can accept an NTSC input unless you are using some kind of signal converter between the TI and your display. A compatible cable is usually only part of the solution.

For converters look at OSSC open source scan converter (expensive) but good quality and you can use it maybe for the other micro computers.

 

or look into GBS82xx series to convert to VGA or HDMI. Cheap and different boards.

 

but your TI is a USA console (NTSC) with a 5 pin DIN plug? then a normal cable to Composite (yellow, red, white) should work. Cheap solution. If it is a European 6 pin DIN (PAL) then use Component (Ybr,red,green,blue if TV supports component) or with a GBS82xx board in between.  Or (solder) two composite (yellow, white, red) on the PAL modulator.

 

http://www.ti99.com/ti/index.php?article151/signal-composite-sur-l-interface-pal-pha2036

 

 

[youxia]

9 hours ago, JB said:

Yes, there's 12VDC on the TI's video port. It is meant to power the external RF modulator, and you do need to give it some extra caution when making a cable. 

My point was that in that Instructable link 12v is assigned to pin 3, and in the wiki it's on pin 1.

 

@globeron thanks, but I'm strictly a CRT user, so no need for converters. Guess I just need the composite NTSC cable then (my TVs can handle NTSC). But I can't solder myself and the only person I know who can make one for me needs very precise instructions.

[globeron]

2 hours ago, youxia said:

My point was that in that Instructable link 12v is assigned to pin 3, and in the wiki it's on pin 1.

 

@globeron thanks, but I'm strictly a CRT user, so no need for converters. Guess I just need the composite NTSC cable then (my TVs can handle NTSC). But I can't solder myself and the only person I know who can make one for me needs very precise instructions.

Do you have a 5 din plug?    Do you have the modulator um1381?  http://www.ti99.com/ti/index.php?article52/les-interfaces-video

[youxia]

So I finally got it all together: had the composite cable made, and got the Flashrom99 too (thanks, @Hans23!)

 

I've tried it today, and the TI seems to boot fine & I can start Basic too - both magical & relieving moment (you never know with these old machines).

 

Flashrom is a bit of a puzzle thou - it only seems to work right (as in, a game runs properly) when there's only one program on the SD card. If I put on more then one (even just two),  they get listed okay, but never load properly. Some symptoms depending on the SD card/program include:

-the dots in lower corner spin forever (and no LED activity on the F99)

-the listing just refreshes

-the words Flashrom99 and other text on screen flashes

-some glitching artifacts appear on screen

 

I'm pretty sure Flashrom itself is okay, I know Hans23 had tested it before shipping, so unless there was some freak accident in the post.... I also did the banktest and it came out a-ok. The software I used is from this page's F99 Starter Packs section. I managed to play Ambulance and Anthill withe the 1-game-onSD method, so I suppose (hope) the TI itself is also ok.

 

I've tried 3 different SD cards - 1 big Sandisk  32GB, 1 small (needs adapter) Kingston 32GB and one small no name 16GB. All formated in FAT 32 in Win 10.

Steps I take:

-format the card, copy the soft to the root

-insert it in the F99, turn the TI on

-wait till the F99 led goes off

-press a key, press 2 for F99 menu

-choose a game from the menu

 

 

[RXB]

On 5/7/2022 at 12:32 PM, SteveB said:

Doesn't FlashROM99 require a 32kB Extension? I have a FlashROM but never tried without the memory expansion.

No most do not some do, XB or RXB does not or XB 2.9 but most of the XB 2.9 will not work without 32K.

[+Torrax]

A fair chunk of the FR99 Starters Pack !!DO!! require 32K.  As most of the programs there are the 32K disk conversions.  In where the contents of the FR99 menu selection is copied from the cart to the ram expansion and then run.

 

You'll have more luck with the Atarisoft, Romox, Navarone, Funware, and Databiotics games on the FlashROM99.  Any cart that used ROM banking should work.  All GROM and MBX based cartridges will not work.  Also with a FinalGROM99 there is no MBX or 8K SuperCart support.

 

There are 5 Databiotics carts that used CRU banking and you'll need modified versions to run them.  They are Red Baron; Star Gazer I-II-II; Beyond Wordwriter; Desktop Publisher; and TI Workshop.  The last one needs the 32K mem-expansion.

 

Your best bet is to get a FinalGROM99 and you'll be able to run most of TI's catridge library.  Also adding a 32K mem-expansion is highly recommended.  You can then run the MBX cart conversions; have expanded Extended Basic support; and other options.

 

Edited May 19, 2022 by Torrax

[youxia]

16 hours ago, Torrax said:

A fair chunk of the FR99 Starters Pack !!DO!! require 32K.

Thanks, but I'm pretty sure that 32k compatibility is not the issue here. I was mostly using this pack, it's called "Flashrom99 software that doesn't require 32k ram". I've tried a few games from it and they all worked when being the only files on the SD card. The moment I add even one more file, they don't, displaying one of the aforementioned symptoms. It's rather bizzare.

 

I'm not sure what should I do next. Is there any diagnostic software I could run (apart form the banktest)? I said that the games work (I've tried about 5) but one - Manic Miner - loaded and wouldn't start (says press Enter, but doesn't respond. Enter works in TI Basic)

Could the SD card size be a factor?

 

(I did try to get FinalGrom first, but it's made of unobtainium atm. And this Finalrom should work anyway for a fair chunk of software from what I understand, with 171 files being accessible on the SD - not just one)

Edited May 20, 2022 by youxia

[+arcadeshopper]

Thanks, but I'm pretty sure that 32k compatibility is not the issue here. I was mostly using this pack, it's called "Flashrom99 software that doesn't require 32k ram". I've tried a few games from it and they all worked when being the only files on the SD card. The moment I add even one more file, they don't, displaying one of the aforementioned symptoms. It's rather bizzare.
 
I'm not sure what should I do next. Is there any diagnostic software I could run (apart form the banktest)? I said that the games work (I've tried about 5) but one - Manic Miner - loaded and wouldn't start (says press Enter, but doesn't respond. Enter works in TI Basic)
Could the SD card size be a factor?

Find the cheapest 4gb or smaller card you can find it's your card if it doesn't read properly

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[Asmusr]

3 hours ago, youxia said:

Manic Miner - loaded and wouldn't start (says press Enter, but doesn't respond. Enter works in TI Basic)

I haven't seen this before. Is it playable, or just the opening screens? 

[youxia]

5 hours ago, arcadeshopper said:

Find the cheapest 4gb or smaller card you can find it's your card if it doesn't read properly

I dug out a 2GB card from some other device, formatted it in FAT 32, put a handful games on it, but get the same behaviour like before. It's a micro SD though (I use it with an adapter), do you think this could be a factor?

 

2 hours ago, Asmusr said:

I haven't seen this before. Is it playable, or just the opening screens? 

The first screen says something like Press Enter To start, but when I do, nopthing happens. It might be because of my general problem though.