[MSX Megaflashrom restoring kernel getting "kernel too big" error]

Sorry took so long to reply to the thread @nanochess.

 

I actually had to go one step further in fixing mine. Just got it all working again today. To install the kernel.dat file I had to download & flash an SD image to a SD card using this:
SD card image for recovery

Then I was able to flash kernel.dat, then I could use OPFXSD to install dskrom.rom & romdisk.dsk.

Can finally load roms & desks again!

 

I think the SD card image for recovery gives you a FAT12 formatted card pretty much which allows you to install all the software you need if in my situation.

If you Google flashing SD image to SD card there are tons of wikis Todo it. I followed one for a Chromebook. Worked great!

 

Thanks for your help btw, this was a tricky one!

cheers

Daryn

[MSX Megaflashrom restoring kernel getting "kernel too big" error]

Hi

 

I had purchased the Megaflashrom for my SVI-738 (MSX1) few years ago. Hadn't used it in a while, then the other day  stupidly deleted the kernel from the recovery menu  and the romdisk. So now I can't run OPFXSD, call fdisk erc etc. Get no A: on bootup of the megaflashrom in MSX Basic.

 

Thought no problem, I remember there being a way to recover the kernel.

 

This site does a good job at describing process

https://blog.falvarez.es/2013/04/megaflashrom-scc-sd-tutorial.html

 

Essentially with a blank microsd card, you copy the kernel.dat file to it, jump into recovery mode on the megaflashrom, choose "F4 - Install microsd kernel" & it should work. 

With me I run that, it scans the card fine, eventually finds the kernel file, but when installing it gets an error "kernel too big". Have tried multiple sized cards, even used archive.org to find an older version of the kernel.dat file. Nothing works. Always get "kernel too big".

 

Does anyone know what I need to Todo here?

 

cheers

Daryn

 

 

[Is it time for another Wikipedia update?]

1 hour ago, JB said:

Sounds like ORIGINAL RESEARCH to me! Humph!

Yeah its strange huh? It was like the inference was I was trying to drive traffic to my own website with content (as if it would actually do that!?). But ignored the fact I was bothered enough todo my own research, found a relevent source (not mine, an actual offically branded players card), and was trying to provide proof that the info I was updating had some validity to it. Not sure what else someone could do for something so minor as a players height/weight info! haha

[Is it time for another Wikipedia update?]

Yeah updating wikipedia can be a pain. Few years ago I updated some height/weight details of a Rugby player (I had a breakfast cereal players card with his details on it). I had scanned the card in and uploaded to my website, so I could use it as a reference on the wikipedia article (was trying todo the right thing not updating stuff without some sort of proof). Because the domain of my email address matched the domain of my website, the update was rejected (something like self promotion). I think I got around it by using a different email. Just sometimes lacks common sense.

[It's downright vexing how good MSX artists were at designing for 9918 graphics]

56 minutes ago, dhe said:

With the recent discussions of 9938 programming - was there any stand out games for MSX using the 9938/9958?

Looks like some impressive games made for MSX2 & the 9938
https://www.blockfort.com/game-lists/msx2/

 

[Cool TMS9900 story fixing a comms system in research vessel]

Last couple of days on a New Zealand Vintage Computing Group Facebook page we've been talking about the TI-99/4a.

 

One of the guys had this great story where he recounted to us ... found the original 2011 message
https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=505

 

Basically a Research Vessel called the "Tangaroa" for one of our Science Research Institutes (NIWA) had a broke comms system back in 2011. The CPU in the comms system was a TMS9900! It needed to be fixed urgently, and would have taken too long to get a replacement chip into NZ, so the guy repairing it found a collector here in NZ, and this guy had a non working TI-99/4a so he donated the motherboard to get the comms system fixed!

[TI 990 parts for sale.]

21 hours ago, jbdigriz said:

Seller has a (WIP) page documenting the systems these are used in. Suprisingly enough, while they're being phased out and decommissioned by next year, there are some of these DNOS systems still in actual production use.

 

http://rknorman.co.uk/DART and TI990 Documents.html

 

jbdigriz

"decommissioned in 2022 in the UK after 37 years of 24/7 service"

Wow!

[Machine language/Assembly in the machine itself?]

Hi

 

So was the Tomy Tutor able to poke/peek from basic/gbasic?

 

Any assemblers on the machine itself?

 

Googling appears the answer is no, just be interesting to confirm.

 

cheers

Daryn

[TI-99/4a port of MSX game Transball?]

Hey guys

 

I remember @rasmus saying once for a port of a Z80 game for the TI, he really needs Z80 source code.

 

So here is an intriguing possibility!

https://github.com/santiontanon/transballmsx

 

Its a "Thrust" like game for the MSX with full source. Same graphics chip as well.

 

Looks a great game!

 

You can play it online here:

https://homebrew.file-hunter.com/index.php?id=transball

 

Anyway, another game to add to the list of possible ports for the TI!

 

cheers

Daryn

[Has the COVID-19 hysteria increased your TI-99/4A time?]

Working from home last 2 weeks, New Zealand about to go into full lockdown w/state of emergency as of 11:59pm tonight for 30 days. Am actually finding am working longer as people with flexible hours now have different work schedules.

 

I did look at my xdt99 config for my "Thrust" game code couple of days ago, so fingers croseed

[Simple TI text editor (for cassette use)]

Probably not exactly what you want, but there is that Miniwriter word processor that ran on the mini memory module.

[Learning assembly - porting Thrust to the TI-99/4a]

We find out this week how long they want to keep us. Won't say much more until after gone. But yeah, I think feelings are rather obvious. Ugh.

 

cheers

Dazza

[Learning assembly - porting Thrust to the TI-99/4a]

 

I am living almost the same situation in Italy. lost my job in 2016 still struggling to find another one-

TI99 helping me to not think too much.

 

Hobbies are a great distraction! Good luck, hopefully you can find a role that makes you happy & gives you enough moola!

[Learning assembly - porting Thrust to the TI-99/4a]

Hi guys

 

Done nothing in a while I'm afraid. Although am about to be made redundant thanks to these Texas Capitalist **** buying the company I work for in NZ...forbes article about them...

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2018/11/19/how-a-mysterious-tech-billionaire-created-two-fortunesand-a-global-software-sweatshop/#7439ab76cffe

 

I may have alot of downtime & therefore more time for hobbies over next few months.

 

cheers

Dazza

[Game idea: Port of ZX81 game "City Patrol"]

 

Here's a quick demo drawing the city. I don't think TI BASIC is up to the task here since just drawing one screen already takes too long...

100 CALL CLEAR
110 RANDOMIZE
120 CALL CHAR(36,"FFFFC3C3C3C3FFFF")
130 CALL CHAR(37,"FFFFFFE7E7FFFFFF")
140 CALL CHAR(38,"FFFF000000000000")
150 REM  BACKGROUND BUILDINGS 
160 CALL HCHAR(22,1,38,32)
170 FOR X=1 TO 32
180 Y=INT(RND*13)
190 IF Y>8 THEN 210
200 Y=0
210 CALL VCHAR(22-Y,X,37,Y)
220 NEXT X
230 REM  FOREGROUND BUILDINGS 
240 FOR X=1 TO 32
250 Y=INT(RND*18)
260 IF Y>10 THEN 280
270 Y=0
280 W=INT(RND*3)+1
290 FOR I=0 TO W-1
300 IF X+I>32 THEN 330
310 CALL VCHAR(24-Y,X+I,36,Y)
320 NEXT I
330 NEXT X
340 CALL CLEAR
350 GOTO 150

 

Oh wow that is slow. Graphically it does look doable though!

 

Could be an XB/Assembly job then

[Game idea: Port of ZX81 game "City Patrol"]

Hey

 

Whenever I'm mucking around with my other retro computers, if I see a game they could be cool on the TI-99 for TI-BASIC & mini memory (perhaps for next 4k challenge) I make a note of it. Been playing this game on my ZX81 (real & emulated).

 

http://www.zx81stuff.org.uk/zx81/tape/CityPatrol

 

You are a turret that turns 360 degrees. In front of you is a city scape. The city is in layers - some buildings closer, some further away. You have a gun sight. UFO's fly up/down/between buildings. You have to aim with your sight & shoot them. You can blow up buildings but you lose points. The UFO is also shooting at you (quite effective - a white square with an asterisks when it shoots.

 

Its really playable & enjoyable!

 

cheers

Daryn

 

 

 

 

[TI-99/4A Stuff - The "what I'm looking to buy" topic.]

 

you can make one!

 

http://www.mainbyte.com/ti99/joytalk/joytalk.html

 

Gotta learn howto build stuff like that first!

 

From my limited knowledge, it does look relatively simple.

[4K Short'n'Sweet game contest]

When you look at the quality of some of these games, if only TI had introduced the mini memory module maybe 6 months earlier than they did. You would have seen a bunch of impressive games on cassette for the console only. Only a handful were actually developed. These games are fantastic

[Gridslugger - Game in progress (compiled XB)]

Oh wow thats fantastic Bones-69!!!

 

Thanks awesome feedback from Jeff Minter himself!!

 

And Mr Minter - love Gridrunner on Android! Also love opening up a Vic 20 emulator and playing Matrix.

 

That PS4 version looks great!

[DS990 Commercial Computer System - anyone has experience?]

Interesting too see doco relating to converting the Model 770/771 terminal (used as terminals for the /4, /10, /12 etc) to a DS990/1.

 

http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ti/990/ds990/2262327-9701_Model_771_Intelligent_Data_Terminal_Upgrade_Instructions_to_DS990_System_Model_1.pdf

[TI-99/4A Stuff - The "what I'm looking to buy" topic.]

For no real practical reason, I want one of those Joyprint RS-232 interfaces

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/231338-joyprintjoytalk-with-mini-memory/

 

Daryn

[DS990 Commercial Computer System - anyone has experience?]

There have been multiple operating systems, even for the same devices over the time.

There was TX5 wich was close to TX990, also close to TXDS. The difference between those 3 might only be the device they run from. TXDS meaning TXDiskSystem running the OS from disk and the other two running it from EProms!?

There was DX5 and DX10.

There was also TPL for the Terminals.

It might be that DX10 requires a harddisk to be in your setup. So far the infos I have on the actual differences are very vague.

The DS990-1 came with ~10 disks and I will try to preserve them in the proper way and I hope I can tweak the most out of the system with the help of other owners and the available disk images on the net.

It could be that unless you have the dedicated TX5 version of a certain software (mostly OS, Programming Languages, Assembler,...) you are screwed but I don't know that yet.

The fun is to find all that out.

 

Looks like for the higher spec'd machines there was also DNOS, which looked like the latest OS for those machines

 

http://www.cozx.com/dpitts/ti990.html

 

Dave Pitts has ported a version of unix as well.

 

Have tried out his simulator in Ubuntu, DNOS looked pretty cool!

 

Also old-computers.com has a nice breakdown of the machine(s) - http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1025&st=1

[DS990 Commercial Computer System - anyone has experience?]

Thats pretty cool!

 

Was it true that TI wrote alot of the software for the TI-99/4a using their TI 990 range minis? I wonder what version of the 990 range they mainly used? Would be quite cool to even go through the process of writing software on the 990 for a 4a!

[4K Short'n'Sweet game contest]

Wow these games are great!

[Tombstone City - anyone go past day 1?]

Been playing this game a fair amount this weekend. It's a really fun game, surprisingly addictive. Haven't got past day 1 yet. But it's an enjoyable little play for 10-20 minutes.

 

Daryn