Geoff Oltmans
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Posts posted by Geoff Oltmans
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Rich was a great guy and an asset to the community! Got to meet him in person at Adamcon back in about 2010(?) when it was held in Grand Rapids.
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On 8/20/2023 at 12:05 PM, jedimatt42 said:
Update 3.21 - 2023-08-20
- Fix TipiWatchdog.service - restore functionality that tipi.service restarts when PI detects reset signal from TIPI hardware. I think this has been broken since the Le Potato alternative PI function went in. This is also a good example of why whitespace should not be a substitute for { } in a programming language. As you can see here, the change is just deleting 6 space characters: https://github.com/jedimatt42/tipi/commit/6d7de225b1c67f252aaa1e02d1608838295ed9c3
Ugh, that's been my life lately, don't get me started. My favorite is when pro-whitespace people tell you to just "turn on visible whitespace in your editor." Uh, how is that any better than already visible scope markers like {}???
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30 minutes ago, digdugnate said:
I've got a couple of CX40s that were refurbed with similar boards by Best Electronics back in the day- they're my stick of choice for the TI unless I'm feeling masochistic, lol. They are THE BEST i think to play games with. I also have a NES-style controller, but it usually doesn't see as much gameplay.
I used the pain-sticks my entire childhood, i only now occasionally subject myself to them.
When I was a kid my dad sacrificed a couple of joysticks that likely he got from Goodwill and wired them together instead of using a splitter or a peripheral.
PSh.. "pain sticks" that's part of the visceral experience you can't get with emulation! haha
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18 hours ago, Tursi said:
That comes up for me sometimes too. But... if it's in the same shell, and it uses the same peripherals, and it runs the same software, I'm kind of okay with it.
Like, I've been sorely tempted to drop a cheap PC in the console with the necessary hookups to run the hardware, and use an integrated emulator for the compatibility function. It'd be fun. If it wasn't also a multi-year full time project, I think I'd have done it already.
At the end of the day it’s all for funsies, isn’t it?
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18 hours ago, Tursi said:
Well, the ROMs and scratchpad you'd suck into internal memory on the accelerator anyway, though bank switching becomes an issue. Might as well pull in the GROMs too, they aren't going anywhere.
In theory you could minimize your external interface to CRU, DSR, video and sound.
If you decide to host video and sound too, well, you've pretty much got the F18A Mark II with a second-gen HDL loaded.
It's got the necessary hardware onboard, would just need to be wired in a little differently.
Only thing I keep coming back around to is "what apps does the TI have that benefit from acceleration?" Sure, we could do more, but what exists that would benefit? Chess, I guess?
It'd be neat to see for sure. I'm not sure that it wouldn't need a lot of new software to be useful. And if we want to take that route, hell with an accelerator. Let's do the PCB replacement route.
Yeah, and then it's like, "why are we even doing this? If we change it too much and all we wanted was a more powerful computer, why not just use a PC?"
I admit it's a existential problem I struggle with with a lot of retro hardware projects (Commander X16?).
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The Intellivision version is the best IMO.
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2 hours ago, RickyDean said:
I believe Jeff White had been working on an accelerator back in the day, but did have problems with the trace spacing and and noise, maybe as well as timing issues. Don't know if today's tech can take those issues.
It's certainly a lot cheaper to build low numbers PCBs these days with more than 2 layers... so maybe that would help.
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1 hour ago, FarmerPotato said:
Sone have boosted the slow parts of the console, especially RAM on the 16-bit bus. But replacing the CPU leads to making a whole new computer.
The most one could overclock the 9900 would be, I hear, 3.3 (10%) or 4 (AMI S9900). (And see what breaks.)
The best option is to get an F18A and play with the 100 MHz 9900 core inside it!9995 or 99105 present so many differences... Those several of us who have used them -- have produced an all new computer.
I'm one trying a 99105 board design which offers a 4A and Geneve hardware abstraction layer. But design and PCB layout are perhaps the easy part.
The SNUG approach also redesigned everything and moved the CPU into the PBOX.
Oh, I'm under no illusion that there wouldn't be (potentially significant or impossible) issues with bus timing and/or software timings. Usually wiring things up is the easy part. hehe
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Go watch a video of someone refinishing a Delorean and see what some of the challenges are. It's a bit of an art form to get a uniform brushed finish.
I imagine whatever brushing out of the aluminum you do would probably require some replating step as well as arcadeshopper points out if you see any with gouges the color is quite a bit different than what's on the surface.
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That's what I figured. I can't recall ever seeing anybody talk about them back in the day or after the fact. All I found was some references in an old Micropendium.
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Kinda awful that a publisher would let such a glaring bug out the door.
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Were there ever any CPU accelerators sold for the TI? I see where a couple were announced at one point.
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12 hours ago, arcadeshopper said:
I don't really think the video is better.. ymmv
i have a sid in my 4a
I have 1mb of ram in my 4a
Well, upgrades after the fact are kinda moot... if you're gonna do that, then the Commodore 64 has similar type upgrades, including some CPU accelerators.
As far as the video goes, the VIC-II has more flexible color usage for tile graphics, can do more than 4 sprites per scanline, raster interrupt, and has hardware scrolling capabilities. You could argue that the Commodore's palette is uglier and I wouldn't necessarily disagree there. That's not to say I don't like the 9918 though... it was very influential and the followup designs (MSX and Sega on the Master System and Game Gear) that were backward compatible with it addressed pretty much all it's shortcomings.
CPU was much faster on the 64.
More memory available in the whole 64K address space.
You could certainly have a much more capable C-64 for a lot less money with a single disk drive and an RS-232 interface than a TI-99 with a PEB, memory expansion, disk drive, and RS232.
Keyboard was better on the 64.
I think TI XB was better than Commodore BASIC in all forms though.
The TI had that sweet speech synthesizer.
Still, warts and all I appreciate the TI and find it fascinating. It's a quirky machine. It was my first "real" computer (the TS/1000 was the absolute first, but got returned to the store and a TI replaced it), and then the C-64 came next.
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On 8/2/2023 at 1:34 PM, arcadeshopper said:
C64 > ti-99/4a without expansion
TI99/4a with expansion > C64
the biggest thing the 64 had going for it is a larger customer base = developer interest
Not sure I agree with that. The video capabilities are better in most respects, sound capabilities are better, the CPU is faster, and you have more memory to play with, even with an expanded 99, until you get into more exotic expansions, and even then you have similar upgrades on the 64.
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1 hour ago, PeteE said:
Reminds me, though we didn't have a Robie, my dad did have an Armatron. That was so much fun to try to move the balls between the pylons, but my dad was always worried us kids would break it.
The Armatron was a great toy.
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32 minutes ago, arcadeshopper said:
It may be related to power.. perhaps the vr in the fg99 is not getting enough to properly operate. it has a 3v regulator as the chips on the board are 3v not 5v like the console.. it could be that when you put enough load on the sideport it just isn't enough with your power supply..
There is a way to remove a line on the power supply to 'up the output' which is documented in a add-on for the keyboard interface from Whtech:
Next, remove the console power supply and locate the jumpers labeled W1
throught W4 (near the switch) . These are the voltage trimming strap. Cut ALL
FOUR straps to trim the voltage to the new load. One or more straps may already
be cut.Are there any other calibration steps you need to do? I checked voltages on my supply and they seemed to be right on, but I can't recall if I looked at them with the FG99 plugged in.
I have noticed that the GROM bus is really noisy on both consoles I've checked. -
28 minutes ago, OLD CS1 said:
One of my two FG99s, even with the 1.Q firmware, simply does not like some expansions attached, or attached and turned off, &c. For instance, it hates my PEB on a QI console, but is fine on an original console. It hates the CC9900 MES turned off, but is fine with it on. It sometimes just hates, and I deal with it. I may have to try that GROM test.
The GROM test tests all the address spaces for the expansion GROMs 3-7, and I guess the larger cart firmware with more than one GROM in them were the ones that were failing pretty frequently for whatever reason. I haven't really poked around the CPLD source/changes to understand why it made a difference, but it definitely did.
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On 8/4/2023 at 8:53 PM, OLD CS1 said:
Something to consider. I have one FG99 which experiences problems with certain expansions attached. A troubleshooting chart might shed light on the issue.
Console -> FG99 -> 32k: Works
Console -> FG99 -> SS: Works
Console -> FG99 -> SS -> 32k: Unstable
FG99 -> SS -> 32k: Nothing. WTF.
@netmosis I assume you still have the Pinball99 cartridge. If my list above is accurate, try the SS and 32k with the game cart proper. That would take the FG99 out of the equation. When you said you tested with Extended BASIC, was that with a proper cartridge or with the FG99?
I had some similar issues with my FG99... some programs wouldn't work with the SS and/or the PEB plugged in while using the FG99. The one game that I noticed this on specifically was Alpiner... the graphics would be garbled or the game would freeze almost immediately when gameplay started...but there were several others. I had a couple of components I ended up having to replace on my console in addition to this, but the firmware on the FG99 CPLD that came loaded on my FG99 just wouldn't work with some software. Download the FG99 test utilities on the github repo, and try running the GROM test. Mine would consistently fail this test when external expansions were plugged in, but after the CPLD image posted here for v2.2 boards it worked fine (and mine is a silver and black console to boot).
I also had some issues with a real Parsec cartridge with the speech synthesizer plugged in that caused some garbled video (but the game would otherwise play), but wouldn't work at all when the PEB was plugged in. I had to change a couple of components in the console to address that. If you can load the CPLD firmware from this thread I'd try that...
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On 7/7/2023 at 12:58 PM, arcadeshopper said:
I have a raspberry pi running TIPI on mine..
As far as FPGA = emu its not .. it's not emulating hardware, it's replicating it in programmable logic. It's not the same chips and resistors but it's the same RESULT (hopefully)
the biggest problem I have with say the mister is the inept user interface for controlling the core that was obviously designed by someone who spent little time using the real thing
To me it's a bit like the "is firmware software?" arguments. FPGA implementations of hardware are behavioral models and as such are approximations of the original article unless they are constructed as gate-level reproductions (which wouldn't truly be possible in FPGAs anyway. So, in essence they are emulating the original device.
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ROM checksum good?
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Yep... the oxide used on DD disks is the same as single density... the main difference is FM vs MFM modulation yielding higher density recording rather than the physical media itself.
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Was there any software produced that requires the use of a PAL VDP (9919) or different system clocking that has been done for the TI?
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Unfortunately, none of these links seem to work.
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42 minutes ago, jrhodes said:
I'll just say that if Retro Games LTD or some such other company made "THE99 mini" (reference to the THEC64 by Retro Games LTD) that included all first party TI titles and the ability to add new software via USB, i'd jump on it.
plug and play is nice...
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When I was a kid my dad sacrificed a couple of joysticks that likely he got from Goodwill and wired them together instead of using a splitter or a peripheral. 
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Off-Topic / Dumping Thread
in TI-99/4A Computers
Posted · Edited by Geoff Oltmans
@OLD CS1
We returned home from a trip to Orlando a few days ago. Our route took us via Perry and about 13 miles away from where it made landfall. We got to see the before and after on the way down and back. Hopefully everyone affected can recover quickly.