PC to TI99/4A interface?

[Kurt_Woloch]

OK. Just found THAT thread and, having used the TI for a long time, I do have some comments...

 

1. Seems like funny little unit.

2. About the dumped cartridges... I have some of them myself on TI disks... and most of them load using Editor/Assembler. They have already been created back in 1984 or 1985. Some have a menu, and some games load directly. My memory's a little sketchy by now, but I think some of the modules that originally use 16K of CPU ROM are stored on disk as 2 PROGRAM files, which have the advantage that they're the fastest to load from Editor / Assembler (I think it was menu option 5, RUN PROGRAM FILE). For those files, the TI loads the whole content of a file into VDP RAM and then copies it over to the 32K expansion (I suppose the reason for doing it this way is that the TI can't communicate with the RAM expansion and the disk controller at the same time, or the DSR's in the disk controller are programmed to load into VDP RAM, since that's the only RAM guaranteed to be there), while for other file formats, they are loaded block by block, which is slower (and Extended Basic again does it MUCH slower than Editor/Assembler, if it works at all!). For some games I have I even don't know if they were originally module-based or not. Some games also are enhanced compared to their respective module version, for instance, Demon Attack has speech in the disk version, but not in the module version, and Burger Time has got two different bonus items in the disk version (don't know if I have that one, though), while the module which I have only ever shows the same bonus item on every round. And some probably aren't complete, for instance, Shamus crashes at some point.

[+remowilliams]

OK. Just found THAT thread and, having used the TI for a long time, I do have some comments...

Do you have any module dump disks that I didn't list earlier in this thread that you'd care to share ?

 

Nearly all of the module disks I have use the GPL simulator to load and require 32K and Extended Basic. They automatically boot to the selection menu when XB is selected. Only two disks I have in that list do use the Ed/Asm load approach.

 

What I'm really looking for is someone who has the menu generation code for the GPL simulator disks. If I could get a hold of that (or instructions at least) I could probably put a whole bunch more modules on disks.

[Kurt_Woloch]

OK. I'll list the contents of my disks here. As far as I can see, those are mainly third-party programs that have been written mainly in Assembler, with maybe a short GPL routine calling them if need be.

I don't list the disks which only contain BASIC and XBASIC programs...

E/A 5 means these are normally called by Editor/Assembler Option 5 (Run program file), E/A 3 means Option 3 (can't remember its name now). Out of the mixed disks I don't list pure BASIC and XBASIC programs. I can't say exactly which of them are really module dumps...

Sorry if I give wrong names for some programs, but I didn't actually try to load all those when I wrote the list, so some (to me) unfamiliar programs might have a different name than can be supposed from their usual 10-char filename.

 

TI Editor/Assembler Data Disks A and B: Assembler / Editor / Debugger / Tombstone City (with source code)

Anteater / Bigfoot / Burdie / Cave / Driving Demon / Ghostman / Gulp / Wargames (all E/A 5)

Lasso / Moonsweeper / Mouse / Shamus / Spy's Demise (?) / Tennis (all E/A 5)

Popeye (E/A 5)

BurgerTime (with XBasic loader)

Freddy (E/A 3 loader) / Henpecked (E/A 5), Nibbler (Xbasic loader)

Slymoids (E/A 3)

Assembler Demo (with XBasic loader), Atari (loader for: Dig Dug / Pole Position, but those also seem to work independently with E/A 5), Macro Man (E/A 3)

Donkey Kong / Driving Demon / Eat-Man / Guardian (all E/A 5)

Cerberus (original disk, can be loaded with E/A 3 or XBasic)

@Apesoft Grafic Generator (Bitmap graphics for XBasic, original disk)

Frogger (E/A 5) / St. Nick (E/A 5) / Fruc (E/A 3)

Ghostman (E/A 5) / Call_Vdump (Xbasic) / Monopoly (Xbasic) / Micro Pinball (E/A 5) / Sub Command (E/A 5) / Wargames (E/A 5)

Caterpillar (E/A 5) / Crossfire (E/A 5) / Espial (E/A 5), Ghostdruck (?), Defender (with loader)

Angler Dangler / Pizza (all E/A 3)

GRAM Loader (E/A 5) / TI Invaders (E/A 5)

Backsteine (E/A 5)

Lasso (E/A 3) / Ms. Pac Man (E/A 5) / Treasure Island (E/A 5)

Star wars (E/A 3)

Interept (E/A 5) / Worm attack (E/A 5)

 

As for the GPL simulator disks... I never got that deep into the TI-99. I just programmed it in XBasic and tried some little things in Assembler, but never got very far with that (on the TI). I never had a GRAM card or something like that, I only used "official" modules or programs supplied on disk. Basically, I never cared exactly HOW they got those cartridge programs to work from disk, so I don't know which programs use a GPL simulator and which ones don't.

 

But I do know someone around here (in Austria) who knows much more about the TI than I do and who has tried various things with it. He also never seems to give up his TI-99 hobby. Maybe he'll be able to help you out. His name is Gerhard Eichberger, and the last e-mail addresses I found are:

Gerhard.Eichberger@blackbox.net (from 2003) or

helmi@ccc.at (from 2006).

 

Maybe he'll be able to help you...

Edited April 26, 2007 by Kurt_Woloch

[Foster]

I'm sorry to resurrect an old thread but I just recently learned about this Compact Flash Adapter (CF7+) for the TI99/4a and am curious if they might still be available anywhere. I've searched high and low to no avail. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

... Steve

[telengard]

I'm sorry to resurrect an old thread but I just recently learned about this Compact Flash Adapter (CF7+) for the TI99/4a and am curious if they might still be available anywhere. I've searched high and low to no avail. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

... Steve

 

I got mine on eBay. Did you look there? If not I'd try contacting the fellow who makes them. I have one but unfortunately can't use it because I do not have a Disk Manager cart.

I'm a newb @ TI99/4a stuff so I could be wrong about needing that.

 

~telengard

[Kchu28]

I'm sorry to resurrect an old thread but I just recently learned about this Compact Flash Adapter (CF7+) for the TI99/4a and am curious if they might still be available anywhere. I've searched high and low to no avail. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

... Steve

 

I got mine on eBay. Did you look there? If not I'd try contacting the fellow who makes them. I have one but unfortunately can't use it because I do not have a Disk Manager cart.

I'm a newb @ TI99/4a stuff so I could be wrong about needing that.

 

~telengard

 

I'm a newbie with the TI-99 as well :-)

I suggest getting an 'Extended Basic" cart as a start.

[+remowilliams]

I have one but unfortunately can't use it because I do not have a Disk Manager cart.

What are you looking to do? DM is good for file management, directory listings etc. Doesn't do anything for running stuff though. TI XB, Editor/Assembler are used to load stuff like the GPL sim disks.

[telengard]

I have one but unfortunately can't use it because I do not have a Disk Manager cart.

What are you looking to do? DM is good for file management, directory listings etc. Doesn't do anything for running stuff though. TI XB, Editor/Assembler are used to load stuff like the GPL sim disks.

 

Hehe, I can't remember exactly. I believe I put a dsk image on the CF and was trying to load a program from it. This was a while back. Either that or I was trying to save a simple BASIC listing. Can't recall exactly. I did some searching and the only thing I found that could load/save files seemed to be the Disk Manager. I have an Extended BASIC cart so I'll try that out.

 

Told ya I was a newb. Only thing I know how to do on the TI99/4a is play Hunt the Wumpus.

 

~telengard

[Foster]

I just thought I'd bump this thread to see if anyone might know if Jaime Malilong is still making his CF7+ interfaces. Might anyone have a way of contacting him? I've been looking for months. Any help would be appreciated beyond measure.

 

Have a great Thanksgiving!

[+remowilliams]

I haven't talked to him in over a year but I have his email address from the time, I'll PM you. Hopefully he (or someone else) is still making them, they are just too awesome.

[oracle_jedi]

I haven't talked to him in over a year but I have his email address from the time, I'll PM you. Hopefully he (or someone else) is still making them, they are just too awesome.

 

I'd like to buy a CF7 also - if you get a hold of Jamie - or anyone else who makes the CF7 unit, please let me know!

 

Cheers.

 

Graham

[Foster]

Hi Graham.

 

I tried the email address that Remo provided but was not able to get through. I'm assuming Jaime's email address has since changed. The CF7a+ seems like such an incredible device. It sure would be a shame if production has ended for good. If I find anything I'll certainly let you know.

 

... Steve

[oracle_jedi]

Hi Graham.

 

I tried the email address that Remo provided but was not able to get through. I'm assuming Jaime's email address has since changed. The CF7a+ seems like such an incredible device. It sure would be a shame if production has ended for good. If I find anything I'll certainly let you know.

 

... Steve

 

Steve, thanks for the follow up.

 

I will keep hoping Santa will be good to me and give us both the opportunity to obtain the expansion device.

 

Graham

[+remowilliams]

I found another email address, but it too unfortunately is no longer active.

 

You may want to try posting in the Yahoo TI99 group, as there are active members there.

[oracle_jedi]

I found another email address, but it too unfortunately is no longer active.

 

You may want to try posting in the Yahoo TI99 group, as there are active members there.

 

I did send in an application to join that group. Its a moderated Yahoo group and so only approved applications can post. The application sat for 2 weeks before being automatically rejected by Yahoo.

 

I've also tried many TI web sites, but it seems many of them are now little more than collections of broken links.

 

Thanks

 

Graham

[S1500]

I did send in an application to join that group. Its a moderated Yahoo group and so only approved applications can post. The application sat for 2 weeks before being automatically rejected by Yahoo.

 

I've also tried many TI web sites, but it seems many of them are now little more than collections of broken links.

 

Thanks

 

Graham

 

 

This, sadly, is true. I even made a "ti-994a websites that don't suck?" thread a while back that addressed this. Heck, even the emulators(save for MESS) for the TI are antiquated. I wouldn't be surprised you need an emulator to run some of the older emulators.

[Foster]

Thanks Remo for again trying to contact Jaime. I am a member of the Yahoo TI group and have posted about the CF7 but have not had any responses. ...and it's a pretty active group. I guess the CF7 interfaces are truly scarce these days. Hopefully Jaime will make another run. I read somewhere that he may have been working on a followup (CF8) but it's been quiet for a good while.

 

Graham, you may want to apply to the Yahoo TI group again. I had the same experience as you the first time around but was accepted within a day of reapplying. Good luck.

 

... Steve

[Tursi]

Heck, even the emulators(save for MESS) for the TI are antiquated. I wouldn't be surprised you need an emulator to run some of the older emulators.

 

I still update Classic99 semi-regularly.. what makes it antiquated?

[S1500]

Heck, even the emulators(save for MESS) for the TI are antiquated. I wouldn't be surprised you need an emulator to run some of the older emulators.

 

I still update Classic99 semi-regularly.. what makes it antiquated?

 

I didn't know you were still updating classic 99. After awhile with all the emulators, I just gave up & used MESS with hit & miss emulation for the TI. Sadly, a lot of self-made formats popped up for things like cartridges, and sometimes it's a challenge to get running. I'll give your emulator another try.

[Tursi]

I've been updating Classic99 semi-regularly for 15 years. After a while it just becomes habit.

 

Only problem is my priorities vary by what I'm playing with at the time, so what other people want doesn't get a lot of dev time.

[+remowilliams]

Ok, after numerous requests (and finally remembering to do so) here are the 'modules on disk' images that were discussed earlier in the thread.

 

Modules_on_Disk.zip

[Foster]

Thanks a bunch for posting those modules Remo! I look forward to having a go with them.

 

Cheers,

.. Steve

[Kurt_Woloch]

Hmmm... now I only have to find an image of the Extended Basic cartridge which, seemingly, is needed to load most of the games on those disks. I mean, I do own this cartridge, but I currently have no means of transferring it to the PC... or at least no means I know of.

[+remowilliams]

Here's a disk full of goodies that I moved onto a CF7 type disk image and now works fine with it

 

It's a single (large) disk, containing the following games. Editor/Assembler Cart is required. Use Option 5 (Run Program file) in E/A, and run DSK1.UTIL1

 

Buck Rogers

Centipede

Dig Dug

Defender

Donkey Kong

Frogger

Hopper

TI Invaders

Jungle Hunt

Jumpy

M*A*S*H

Moon Mine

Miner 2049er

Moon Patrol

Ms. Pac-Man

Parsec

Pac-Man

Micro Pinball

Pole Position

Picnic Paranoia

Protector II

Shamus

 

EA5GAMES CF7.zip

[unhuman]

Awesome, thanks.... Is there a size limitation on dsk files? I mean wouldn't it just be ridiculously great to have 1 HUGE disk?