Setting up a 512k cart

[Iwantgames:)]

My vote would be ToD since its 4 files and I already have it on cart

 

Could always save it for a possible gamecart6

[+remowilliams]

Munch-man(with TI corners) - if that's just an alt version it should go. Beyond Parsec is crap and can go too.

[Tempest]

I say Video Games 1 since it's a super crappy compilation anyway. That's 3 right there.

 

 

Could always save it for a possible gamecart6

 

If we can find those missing games in EA format there might be enough for a 6th one.

[UKRetrogamer]

At this rate, my nanoPEB will be used purely as a RAM upgrade!

 

Almost everything I have stored on my CF card (with the exception of the Scott Adams Adventure database files and the fbFORTH FBLOCKS data) are gradually appearing in these 512k cart files.

 

Edit: From reading the last few posts, I can see a cartridge (#6 or #7?) containing only games NOBODY cares about, which were ejected to make room for the previous release.

 

I'm convinced it'll never happen as he's releasing his own games as ROM carts but Rasmus' games would be PERFECT inclusions. (As long as they're the FIRST items on any menu!)

Edited October 26, 2014 by UKRetrogamer

[+Ksarul]

Though I love to play TOD, I'd say pull it and prepare it for an eventual Games 6.

[Fritz442]

My vote would be Video games 1(3) & Battleship(1)

Maybe they could go to cart 6....if made?

 

**I kinda hope TOD and Adventure stay on the same cart.**

Edited October 26, 2014 by Fritz442

[UKRetrogamer]

When he's finished shoe-horning newly found titles into these fantastic menus, maybe Gazoo could re-visit his first title and re-code the menu so all the cartridges match?

 

I really, truly, honestly appreciate all the work you're putting into these compilations Gazoo but because of its different layout, the first menu no longer looks like part of the same awesome cartridge collection.

 

Please don't hate me - I'm hoping you'll take this as POSITIVE, constructive criticism.

 

Keep up the good work.

Edited October 26, 2014 by UKRetrogamer

[Gazoo]

When he's finished shoe-horning newly found titles into these fantastic menus, maybe Gazoo could re-visit his first title and re-code the menu so all the cartridges match.

 

I really, truly, honestly appreciate all the work you're putting into these compilations Gazoo but because of its different layout, the first menu no longer looks like part of the same awesome cartridge collection.

 

Please don't hate me - I'm hoping you'll take this as POSITIVE, constructive criticism.

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Why would I hate you? Actually the menus don't match. My preference would be to redo them in the exact style of Game cart 4.

They look like a real TI cart in that one.

 

But it's not high on my list of priorities at the moment. Maybe someday... I believe I'll have something new to play with after next weekend that will keep me busy for a while.

 

 

Gazoo

[UKRetrogamer]

Oh, really?

 

Because you've given no indication of what this mysterious project is, I HATE YOU!

 

(No, not really)

 

...Goes off to check out menu 4 again...

[Tempest]

If you do redo the carts, you can remove Chicken Coop and replace it with something else since it's the same as Henpecked.

[UKRetrogamer]

I say Video Games 1 since it's a super crappy compilation anyway. That's 3 right there.

I second this. I hadn't loaded Video Games 1 until it was mentioned here, so I booted it from a GPL disk and...

 

Meh!

 

Maybe there'll be room for this on the "stuff no-one wants" cartridge when we run out of better titles to burn?

[Gazoo]

I only had to remove Video Games 1 as Adventure and Hustle use the same 1st file, so I didn't need to include it twice.

Binary files are joined and Menus are done, just have to do the loader code for the games.

 

Gazoo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bank Number Eprom Addr Write to CPU Addr Start Addr Contents

----------- ---------- -------- -------- ---------- --------

 

1 >0000 >6000 GAMES menu program

2 >2000 >6002 >2FFC >315C Adventure (length(>C00)

3 >4000 >6004 >A000 Adventure

4 >6000 >6006 >A000 >A082 Astro Fighter

5 >8000 >6008 >BFFA Astro Fighter

6 >A000 >600A >DFF4 Astro Fighter (length >700)

7 >C000 >600C >A050 >A4F6 Battleship

8 >E000 >600E >A000 >A000 Beyond Parsec

9 >10000 >6010 >A000 >A000 Bigfoot

10 >12000 >6012 >BFFA Bigfoot

11 >14000 >6014 >DFF4 Bigfoot

12 >16000 >6016 >A000 >A000 Killer Caterpillar

13 >18000 >6018 >BFFA Killer Caterpillar

14 >1A000 >601A >A000 >A000 Cavern

15 >1C000 >601C >BFFA Cavern

16 >1E000 >601E >DFF4 Cavern

17 >20000 >6020 >A000 >A000 Fireball

18 >22000 >6022 >A000 >A000 Angler Dangler

19 >24000 >6024 >BFFA Angler Dangler

20 >26000 >6026 >DFF4 Angler Dangler (length >200)

21 >28000 >6028 >A000 >315C Hustle (use Adventure #1)

22 >2A000 >602A >A800 >A800 Microsurgeon

23 >2C000 >602C >C7FA Microsurgeon

24 >2E000 >602E >E7F4 Microsurgeon (length >1700)

25 >30000 >6030 >A000 >A000 Mission X

26 >32000 >6032 >BFFA Mission X

27 >34000 >6034 >A000 >B486 Munchman

28 >36000 >6036 >BFFA Munchman

29 >38000 >6038 >2000 >A000 Munchmobile (length >700)

30 >3A000 >603A >A000 Munchmobile

31 >3C000 >603C >BFFA Munchmobile

32 >3E000 >603E >DFF4 Munchmobile

33 >40000 >6040 >A000 >ADA0 Newton’s Revenge

34 >42000 >6042 >A000 >A000 Space Bandits

35 >44000 >6044 >BFFA Space Bandits

36 >46000 >6046 >DFF4 Space Bandits

37 >48000 >6048 >2800 Space Bandits (length >1100)

38 >4A000 >604A >A000 >A256 Schnoz-Ola

39 >4C000 >604C >BFFA Schnoz-Ola (length >300)

40 >4E000 >604E >A000 >A000 Sewermania

41 >50000 >6050 >BFFA Sewermania

42 >52000 >6052 >DFF4 Sewermania

43 >54000 >6054 >2800 Sewermania (length >E00)

44 >56000 >6056 >A000 >A000 Sneggit

45 >58000 >6058 >A000 >A712 Star Force

46 >5A000 >605A >A000 >A000 Star Fort

47 >5C000 >605C >BFFA Star Fort

48 >5E000 >605E >A000 >A000 Superfly

49 >60000 >6060 >BFFA Superfly

50 >62000 >6062 >DFF4 Superfly

51 >64000 >6064 >2800 Superfly (length >C00)

52 >66000 >6066 >2000 >2000 Tunnels Of Doom

53 >68000 >6068 >A000 Tunnels Of Doom

54 >6A000 >606A >BFFA Tunnels Of Doom

55 >6C000 >606C >DFF4 Tunnels Of Doom

56 >6E000 >606E >A000 >A000 Virus Attack

57 >70000 >6070 >BFFA Virus Attack

58 >72000 >6072 >DFF4 Virus Attack

59 >74000 >6074 >2676 Virus Attack (length >0E00)

60 >76000 >6076 >2000 >2000 Hunt The Wumpus

61 >78000 >6078 >A000 Hunt The Wumpus

62 >7A000 >607A >A100 >A100 Wing War

63 >7C000 >607C >C0FA Wing War

64 >7E000 >607E >E0F4 Wing War (length >1F20, starts @>6020)

Edited October 26, 2014 by Gazoo

[TheMole]

My vote would be Video games 1(3) & Battleship(1)

Maybe they could go to cart 6....if made?

 

**I kinda hope TOD and Adventure stay on the same cart.**

 

For me, this kinda sums it up...

 

*edit* nevermind, hadn't seen Gazoo's reply yet... excellent choice.

Edited October 26, 2014 by TheMole

[Iwantgames:)]

The dump of Fantasy is up on WHT in the MESS Cartridge list. It looks like it has 5 GROMs and a ROM. . .too big for this purpose, although you could put it onto an ÜberGROM.

How hard is this to do? This game looks pretty cool

[UKRetrogamer]

I don't own a mini-memory or super-memory cart but just began wondering if 32K (rather than 8K) of RAM could be added to a future revision of these cartridge boards to negate the need for a PEB/nanoPEB?

 

I didn't own a Ti-99 back in the day, so I'm not familiar with the hardware.

 

Having on-board RAM on these carts (and possibly the carts on which the XB 2.7 boards are based) would open these images up to many more Ti users who don't own either of the PEB-type expansions.

 

Apart from costs incurred in development, adding 32K of RAM to the design shouldn't be too expensive, should it?

 

I'm assuming it's possible within hardware limitations to add RAM in this way?

[+Ksarul]

Actually, the memory space in the cartridge slot and the memory space for the expansion RAM are in two different sections of the TI memory map. The cartridge slot will only recognize 8K of memory starting at >6000. Note that it is very possible to use the cartridge boards for large programs that do not require the 32K space--those programs would just have to be written to take advantage of the huge number of banks available in the >6000 space. The fbForth cartridge is a good example of a program written to use four 8K banks. It still requires a 32K card--but that is for the Forth programs it runs. fbForth itself is running out of the cartridge space. The cartridge version of Sabre Wulf is another one, although it is a hybrid that runs out of both cartridge space and expanded memory. Note that XB 2.7 will run without expansion memory--but the rest of the utilities on the cartridge won't.

[UKRetrogamer]

Thanks for clarifying Ksarul.

 

I also wondered because both the PEB and nanoPEB require their own power and it would've been nice to be able to use the console and these modern cartridges without having to remember to plug-in the RAM expansion.

 

There's been a couple of times where the carts have failed to start, only for me to then to realise I've either left out my nanoPEB or not supplied it with power.

 

Pity RAM couldn't be expanded on-cart this way although I suspect if it were possible, this would probably have been done already.

[+Lee Stewart]

The PEB and nanoPEB/CF7+ are not just for 32KB RAM. They provide for file storage/retrieval. The PEB, of course, needs the addition of disk drives and a controller card. The nanoPEB/CF7+ have disk storage emulated on an accompanying CF card that can be updated with disk images on a PC.

 

...lee

[Fritz442]

 

I also wondered because both the PEB and nanoPEB require their own power and it would've been nice to be able to use the console and these modern cartridges without having to remember to plug-in the RAM expansion.

 

There's been a couple of times where the carts have failed to start, only for me to then to realise I've either left out my nanoPEB or not supplied it with power.

 

 

On my CF7 I jumpered the 5v pin to the pwr connector

with a single wire, and don't use a external power supply.

Have used it now for 3 yrs with no problems.

[Tempest]

You should make a note on the menu that Munchman is a prototype or something. Maybe Munchman Alt or something.

[UKRetrogamer]

Hi Lee

 

I have (and use) a nanoPEB. My question was more a query regarding the possibility of adding 32K onto the cartridge board to negate the need for a PEB or nanoPEB and thereby opening up these cartridge images to those with a console only. Imagine how many more cartridges would be sold if all of the programs could be used on a standalone Ti-99 micro?

 

Ksarul pointed out that cartridge-based memory (as seen in mini-memory and super-memory carts) is mapped differently and won't work unless the program images on the cart were written (or presumably, hacked) to use memory from the cart rather than the PEB-based RAM.

 

It's a pity really, but expansion RAM on these old micros was always a mine-field. Just look at the Commodore Vic-20 and its range of RAM/Program compatibility issues. Base RAM, 3k, 8k, 16k. Having owned a "Vixen" switchable RAM cart [for the Vic] back in the day, and having to set DIP switches just so you could play a different game...

Edited October 27, 2014 by UKRetrogamer

[UKRetrogamer]

On my CF7 I jumpered the 5v pin to the pwr connector

with a single wire, and don't use a external power supply.

Have used it now for 3 yrs with no problems.

Coincidentally, I thought of doing something like that earlier today.

 

Rather than use a 5V PSU and take up a valuable mains outlet, I have a USB cable with the correct-sized/polarity plug at the other end. I run this from a nearby PC.

 

I was actually contemplating adding a 5V outlet jack to the back of the Ti and running a short (detachable) cable between the two.

 

When I can afford an F-18A, I might modify the case for both at the same time while I have the case open.

[Omega-TI]

 

The problem with this scenario is that the font is loaded into VRAM. You would have to add the font (1 – 2 KB) to ROM along with a modified loader. This is definitely not as easy as saving a CPU RAM image.

 

...lee

 

Well hell, I'd still love it on an Uber Cart, even if I still had to load the font.

[Fritz442]

Coincidentally, I thought of doing something like that earlier today.

 

Rather than use a 5V PSU and take up a valuable mains outlet, I have a USB cable with the correct-sized/polarity plug at the other end. I run this from a nearby PC.

 

I was actually contemplating adding a 5V outlet jack to the back of the Ti and running a short (detachable) cable between the two.

 

When I can afford an F-18A, I might modify the case for both at the same time while I have the case open.

 

Here's what I did, but I think the Stones had a lot to do with it....

[Omega-TI]

 

Here's what I did, but I think the Stones had a lot to do with it....

 

That's freaking SLICK dude! Best case I've seen yet for a Nano...

... and the best use for an 8 Track tape EVER! Is it still easy to open up to get to the CF card?