Capt. 2110
Experienced Member
So, my TI-99 has been relatively fun, but it's been having some issues lately, and I'm looking to try and fix them. The biggest issue is the crashing. Every so often, usually on the first or second boot, the machine will go to a solid blue screen and hang. This is usually on the boot menu, but it has happened in a game/in BASIC. If a tone was playing, that'll hang too. What could be causing this? It's happened with a cartridge in and without. If it happened after running a while I'd assume it's overheating, but this is usually within the first couple of minutes of running it. I haven't taken the machine apart yet, so maybe the issue will be obvious, but knowing what to look for will help too.
Another problem is the keyboard. It's a stackpole unit, and it has some pretty substantial key bounce. Can I reduce this in anyway? I have a Mitsumi keyboard from a broken unit that I've considered using instead. Is it better to type with compared to the stackpole switches? If I replace the stackpole model, what should I do to the Mitsumi (if anything) before installing it?
And as a final question, what should I do to make sure the unit lasts a long time? Are there any problematic parts that can damage the system when they fail? Do any parts (other than the internal power supply) run hot?
Thank you!
Another problem is the keyboard. It's a stackpole unit, and it has some pretty substantial key bounce. Can I reduce this in anyway? I have a Mitsumi keyboard from a broken unit that I've considered using instead. Is it better to type with compared to the stackpole switches? If I replace the stackpole model, what should I do to the Mitsumi (if anything) before installing it?
And as a final question, what should I do to make sure the unit lasts a long time? Are there any problematic parts that can damage the system when they fail? Do any parts (other than the internal power supply) run hot?
Thank you!