• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

Brand New TI-99/4A Owner with Questions

smp

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2011
Messages
1,716
Location
Bedford, NH, USA
Good afternoon, folks,

I finally broke down and picked up my first TI-99/4A on eBay - a computer I've been curious about for ages.
I have the instructions to build up a composite video / audio cable, and I'm anxiously awaiting the computer's arrival.

As is usual for me, though, I now see that it is pretty much impossible to find a PEB, and also the modern nano-PEB seems to be no longer available! Are there any waiting lists that I should sign up on to get a nano-PEB? Will they ever become available again?

In the meantime, I guess I'll have to make due with the cassette interface for saving and loading things. Does anyone have an idea of a good modern electronic gizmo that can emulate a cassette recorder?

Finally (for now) I'd like to hear suggestions for any other items that I should be on the lookout for, and should buy as soon as one comes available. There's currently a Mini-Memory cartridge available on eBay. Is that a useful thing to pick up? I see 32K sidecar memory, too, but I was really hoping for one of those nano-PEB units. Please make any suggestions that I should know about for things that I should prioritize on my get-it-quick list.

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions that you may have to offer!

smp
 
I knew that I'd forget to ask about something...

There is a FinalGROM99 cartridge available on eBay, too. Can someone explain what this is and is it a good item to pick up?

Thanks again!

smp
 
About the PEB replacement, I was going to say just get a TIPI but those seem to be out of stock as well! I guess these things go in cycles. arcadeshopper (the user) is generally available on atariage so you could hit them up to see if there's more in the works.

For cassette recorder you can use any device you like, usually one of those cheap USB audio dongles hooked up to a PC or other. Important thing to be aware of, there's a "feature" present in the TI-99 4A's design that the audio in won't be grounded unless the audio out is connected back. Just make sure both audio in & out are both connected to any device you use and it should work fine, although the volume can be quite finicky during playback. If you want to record AND playback your own cassette saves lmk I have a work-around for that using Audacity.

Mini-Memory indeed is a very nice module or module image to have available for low-level debugging. You can even write your own assembly language using the line-by-line assembler. If you get a TIPI you might not need to have the physical module.

FinalGROM99 is like an "all-in-one" module (cartridge.) See here: FlashROM 99 & FinalGROM 99 - Repository
 
Greetings fellow new 99er.

I'd like to eventually put a real PEB into my collection, but for the time being I'm making use of the TIPI+32k Combo that VeryVon linked to. It's out of stock currently, but the stock at arcadeshopper.com does fluctuate and one may come up in the near future. (If you do go with a Tipi+32k you'll also need to source a Raspberry Pi Zero W)

With the Tipi to handle my virtual disk and cassette needs, I've been able to do some playing around with TI Basic. I can also use Classic99 emulator to work on TI Basic programs which I can save to a shared network folder which is on the Tipi, meaning I can develop on my normal machine and test on real hardware.

Next on my list is a FinalGROM99 so I'm not limited by my small collection of cartridges for the TI99/4a. I especially am looking forward to some of the extended basic carts that are available and give access to some of the more advanced features of the VDP.

Once I have that in place, I may also start looking for an F18a VDP upgrade, I understand the original is no longer in production, and the v2 isn't complete yet, but t hat doesn't mean I can't watch for developments on that front.
 
Thanks a million for your replies, folks!

As I said, in this Vintage Computer game, I am perpetually late to the party! This is the umpteenth time that I've finally gotten around to trying out a new machine that I've always been curious about, and then found that the cool modern devices developed to support them went "out of stock" several years ago.

Right now I still have my system and manuals inbound, as well as a cassette I/O cable.
Please post here with any more ideas or advice that you may have for me!

smp
 
Well, as I anxiously await the arrival of my stuff coming in this week, I have now made a surprising (to me, anyway) discovery:

It appears that any significant cartridge, or at least the cartridges that *I* am interested in, come with an associated disk! So, I look at an Editor/Assembler cartridge available at a reasonable price, and then a bit more research indicates that the cartridge does not actually have the Editor or Assembler on it, but that they came separately on a disk! Yikes! I am much more used to my Color Computer, where, when you purchase a cartridge, you get all of what the cartridge says, and nothing is left off requiring you to also have a disk attached.

This is a major surprise for me. If I were to pick up one of the Flash-ROM devices, will I be able to get images of both the (G)ROM part *and* the disk? Will I *still* need a disk system to do anything more than play a game (and some games *also* come with associated disk, too!)?

At least, It appears that I may be able to use the Debugger/Monitor in my Mini-Memory cartridge to enter machine code, one word at a time. Tedious, but do-able if I can get source code to type in.

Thanks for listening! Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

smp
 
Once I have that in place, I may also start looking for an F18a VDP upgrade, I understand the original is no longer in production, and the v2 isn't complete yet, but t hat doesn't mean I can't watch for developments on that front.
The F18A MK2 is taking longer than expected, unfortunately. However, the primary hold up since 2020 has been the parts shortage. Even making more of the original F18A is not possible due to the shortage (Spartan-3E FPGAs dried up too). As soon as I can get my hands on parts, I'll make *something* available.
 
I found that Arcade Shopper has some Combo 32K/TiPi boards available.
Looks like I would need a Raspberry Pi Zero to attach to it.
Looks like I could get a Raspberry Pi Zero W v1.1 on eBay.

Can anyone tell me what size memory chip is needed and what software I would need to install to make this all work?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

smp
 
I found that Arcade Shopper has some Combo 32K/TiPi boards available.
Looks like I would need a Raspberry Pi Zero to attach to it.
Looks like I could get a Raspberry Pi Zero W v1.1 on eBay.

Can anyone tell me what size memory chip is needed and what software I would need to install to make this all work?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

smp
 
I found that Arcade Shopper has some Combo 32K/TiPi boards available.
Looks like I would need a Raspberry Pi Zero to attach to it.
Looks like I could get a Raspberry Pi Zero W v1.1 on eBay.

Can anyone tell me what size memory chip is needed and what software I would need to install to make this all work?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

smp

I've been having a blast with my Combo 32K/Tipi board. Today my FinalGROM99 arrived, which means I can now play with extended basic and get access to sprites.
 
  • Like
Reactions: smp
Here's a new question - most of my acquisitions are still inbound - when I have attached the 32K/TiPi board, will I still be able to use the Mini-Memory cartridge? If the 32K/TiPi board fills in all the empty memory spots, will the memory in the Mini-Memory cartridge overlap some places in memory with its battery-backed-up memory and foul things up?

smp
 
I've been able to answer my own question this time.

The 32K/TiPi board fills the 32K Memory Expansion spaces available at 2000H-3FFFH and A000H-FFFFH.
The Mini-Memory has memory available in Command Module space at 7000H-7FFFH.

So, both can be used at the same time, as they do not conflict with each other.

smp
 
I received my Mini-Memory cartridge today. As expected, the cartridge works just fine, but the battery to keep the RAM alive is likely dead.

Can anyone point me to instructions on how best to replace the 3V lithium battery? I found mine is soldered in.

smp
 
Apologies for the poor lighting in the images. FWIW, I found that battery holder on Mouser at the time. It is a very low-profile CR2032 holder with the pin spacing perfect for the Mini Memory board. I still have the cartridge in the photos and plan to take some better pictures when I get a round tuit.
 
I have my new battery holder inbound from Mouser now. Hopefully, I made the right pick out of the many they had available!

I haven't seen a "round tuit" in ages - good luck!

smp
 
Good morning folks!

I have successfully assembled my TIPI with a Raspberry Pi Zero W, installed it, configured it, and I am up and running. WEHW!

I figured out that I use the TIPI interface via my browser to see the TIPI. I figured out that I have to create folders and associate them with a DSK1-4. I have been able to SAVE a BASIC program from my TI-99/4A onto DSK1, and also use the OLD command to get it back again.

Now, I would like to move a file from my MacBookPro into folders on the TIPI so I can use them on the TI.

I've been reading all that I can find about the TIPI, but I have not yet found instructions for doing this. Can anyone please point me to the proper instructions, or give me a hint about this?

Thanks very much in advance for any advice or pointers that you can provide.

smp
 
OK! I've figured it out now.
Instead of uploading the file and then moving it into the folder, I have to get into the folder first and then upload the file.
For me, the simplest interfaces can be confusing because I try to use them as I have used other interfaces on other machines.
It certainly helps to just open your mind and not use any pre-conceptions!

smp
 
I've been having a blast with my Combo 32K/Tipi board. Today my FinalGROM99 arrived, which means I can now play with extended basic and get access to sprites.

Did you purchase Extended BASIC as a cartridge, or did you find it as a file somewhere?

smp
 
Back
Top