palmheads

Hey Greg - you have a Tandy 100/102 huh? If so, see if you can get at least some terminal echo happening? I tried again last night with TE II setting 7 bit even parity at 300 baud - still not happy with my null modem cable I use everywhere and another straight through cable I have. I'II try getting the TI connected to my PC, might show issues with my nanoPEB.

Hi InsaneMultitasker - no, mine is just a normal TI. Be cool too see one of those variants works! Cheers! Daryn

Awesome! Will keep a look out for that then!

Ah well that explains it! Thought i was going mad! Cheers Greg!

Hi Been trying too get some serial communication working between my Tandy 102 & TI-99/4a. Have been doing these sorts of projects for years. The null modem cable I use works with my Tandy 102 with: Transferring files to and from Android using a USB OTG cable, a disk emulator called mComm on my Android Nexus 5, USB->Serial converter, null modem cable Transferring files to and from Ubuntu Linux using an app called desklink, USB->Serial converter, null modem cable Am fairly confident my null modem cable is a good one. Got a website detailing some of the stuff interfacing the Tandy with things over the years (seriously needs an update) http://www.planetnz.com/palmheads/tandy.php Idea was too try & transfer a TXT file stored on a DSK file on the CF Card of the nanoPEB to the Tandy 102. First step was too put each machine into Terminal mode to see if I can echo out commands in full/half duplex on both machines. I set up the Tandy to receive in 38N1D, which is 300 baud, send chars using 8 bits data, No error checking parity, 1 pulse at end of each char, disable remote control of data output. Then set the Tandy 102 TELCOM app into Terminal Mode I then tried both the Terminal Emulator II and the Mass-Transfer 4.3 application on the XB 2.7 module. Terminal Emulator II - 300 baud, No parity, tried Full and Half, RS-232 #1 in terminal mode Mass-Transfer 4.3 - 300 baud, RS-232 #1, trying different combos of line feed toggle, echo etc in terminal mode I literally get no response at all at either end. No data is transferred between either. What are the changes the RS-232 on the nanoPEB is faulty? Can anyone see any obvious issue with my settings? Does the TI need a special null modem cable? cheers Daryn

This looks great! Nice combination of tools.

Just a wee update on this. Got stuck (and associated mental block) about how to handle my ship shooting "something". Figure the bullet needs to be a sprite and then trigger collision detection and proximity etc. Just didn't know how to approach it. Then I realised TI-Invaders has source code, so am going to use that for some hints. As I'm piecing things together, I have to rely on some solid example code. This is still on my bucket list!

Reckon one of my bucket list entries will be building a JoyTalk in the future, maybe starting with a breadboard version (beginner at soldering/building kits)

You guys deserve any kudos you get. Is quite an achievement!

Wow - that was amazing!

I think I might have answered my question above re-reading the original article in 99'er magazine. Here is the snippet: "In this way, users who don't have a peripheral expansion system can output to a printer or other serial device using only a Mini Memory cartridge and some low-cost hardware..." So I reckon you could have used the Joyprint/Joytalk interface with the included software to output a file to another computer with the same flow/parity/baud via RS-232 to receive the file (eg from Miniwriter I). Linux could be getty, Hyperterminal in Windows. Hell, TELCOM or XMODEM on a Tandy 102!! cheers Daryn

Hi Still on the lookout for the mini memory version of this game. Supposed to be way better than the extended basic version. cheers Daryn

Was reading about a guy here in New Zealand in the mid 80's who was writing extremely high quality machine code games for the Sega SC3000 & selling them. A Z80 based machine very similiar to MSX (used TMS9929A VDP), but with the similar TI sound chip as the TI-99/4a (SN-76596). So I guess similar to the Colecovision. Have played some of these games, and they are REALLY good. Like Jet Set Willy quality. http://playitagainproject.org/creators/michael-boyd-2/ http://playitagainproject.org/wp-content/uploads/MichaelBoydInterview.pdf So e would have been using long REM statement at the start of his code, then POKEING in Z80 opcodes through DATA statements or though some sort of BASIC loader. Incidently I had a go at this a few years ago for the ZX81 with a "Hello World" example using 3 different methods (keying in opcodes thru a loader, then writing assember on the ZX81 using an assembler from the time, lastly using "pasmo" an assembler on a PC compiling a loadable executable): http://www.sinclairzxworld.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1050 That was quite fun getting it working. But essentially the guy above for the Sega SC3000 was figuring out the Z80 opcodes on paper, then entering them in some way without using an assembler at all. Saving his work to cassette tape. Incidently the same guy wrote an assembler/disassembler for the Sega but never actually used it himself (SegaMon). Was thinking about the mini memory module (and particulary EasyBug) for the TI-99/4a. The combo of the Line By Line Assembler actually made it quite a powerful dev environment at the time. You'd figure out stuff on paper. Use the LBLA to write assembler for small routines & get instant compile/feedback of the opcode and mem location. Then you could use EasyBug to key in the opcode to the right mem location. Or use CALL PEEK/POKE from TI BASIC etc. Sure its way more cumbersome thatn the Editor-Assembler. But looking back, EA actually might have spoiled developers a bit, as alot of systems didn't really have those tools! Dunno why I have a "thing" for the mini memory module! Something about it I find intriguing. Ah the good old days! Daryn

Plus when TI changed tack, & released modules like the mini-memory - even though that had only 4KB ram, the unexpanded VIC-20 was something like 3.5KB. Lots of cassette games were made for the unexpanded VIC (Gridrunner etc). That could have been a more successful market if TI has maybe introduced the mini-memory a year or so earlier than they did.

Oh thats cool!

Rasmus - Off Topic, but John Hogerhuis at the Tandy 100/102/200 mailing list has created a ModelT javascript based emulator - pretty cool! http://bitchin100.com/CloudT/ I've got a Tandy 102 - awesome little machine!

Hi Apols for terrible sound quality, but here is a small update. Just designed a wee header showing dummy data for fuel, score etc and an example of sound when the shop hits something cheers Daryn

So only using the basic console, what do you reckon was the most popular way to print stuff back in the day. Using the Axiom parallel interface, or the JoyPrint quasi RS-232 interface? Love reading the ads in the MP mags about early '85 advertising the basic console, mini-memory module, mini-writer word processor on cassette tape, axiom interface and a GP-100TI printer

Got my ship making a sound when it collides with something! Yet again, the Compute book comes up trumps! Followed the example given in the book.

Interesting - so it could be the speech synth's (dirty) contacts. Am just pleased to have a fully functioning nanoPeb.

Yup, mine has the nanopeb v18 on the TI home screen. Weird how removing the speech synth seems to have solved the issue.

Rasmus!! What type of witchcraft is this!!!??? That worked!!!! Removed the speech synth. Works everytime now Fabulous!

Hi gang Was trying to get the classic infocom adventure "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" working on my TI & nanopeb the other night. See here for getting the Infocom adventures http://atariage.com/forums/topic/94628-pc-to-ti994a-interface/page-4?do=findComment&comment=1986803 I downloaded "Infocom CF7.zip" In JS99'er with XB 2.7 added as a module, I can add the "HITCHHIKER.dsk" to DSK1, boot up into extended basic, and have the Hitchhikers Guide menu pop up instantly. Great! From there I can pick the non 80 column version, press a key to load the 2nd disk, and the game works perfectly. On my real TI with nanopeb, (using the xdt tools), I can get the "HITCHHIKER.dsk" added to my CF card (as DSK10) , then I can make sure the DSK is on DSK1 for the nanopeb by issuing the: CALL MOUNT (1,10) Sure enough, with XB 2.7 module loaded into my real TI, and with "HITCHHIKER.dsk" as DSK1 on the CF card for my nanopeb, I can boot into Editor/Assembler. Sure enough, it tries to boot the Hitchhikers Guide menu. However "most" of the time I get a basic error popping up saying "Error line 280" with a text too long error. Sure enough when I list line 280, it has some garbled text. I say "most" of the time, as from a cold initial start after having not tried for a few weeks, turning on my TI it actually booted & got the Hitchhikers Guide menu and I was able to play the game. However subsequent tries I always get the error on line 280. Can anyone with a nanopeb/CF7 replicate? cheers Daryn

yeah it does huh! haha - was just stoked to actually get it accelerating to the ground! =) will definitely tweak it more

WOO! Progress! Have got some gravity working. Might be hard to see, but the ship actually speeds up as it heads downwards. Unfortunately adding 1 line of code to initialise a count (outside main game loop) that I increment (within game loop) somehow has meant I cannot now rotate my ship right! WTF. Will work on that! Anyway, progress - finally cheers Daryn