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TI-99/8 and more collection - it arrived...


kl99

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I was doing dumps of all cartridges that didn't come with the original label.

And I was doing dumps of an original labeled cartridge from my collection to have a comparison.

I did the dumps with Gramkracker.

 

What does it mean if two Grom Files have different content from Byte >2086 forward? It looks irrelevant.

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The following cartridges have different binary content within the first >2000 bytes, indicating some sort of prototype:

MBX Championship Baseball

MBX Bigfoot

Tombstone City

Q/A GROM (french Diagnostic?) (Jon Guidry seems to have that cartridge as well labeled Diagnostic Tester)

 

I don't have a Securities Analysis cartridge with original label for comparison, can someone dump that with the Gramkracker?

All other cartridges with custom labels have identical content within all the Bytes til >2086 of each Grom chip, which means they are not different than the production release.

Still the board of those cartridges could be special in itsself, and those QA labels are collectors items themselves.

 

Here we go, as promised:

cartridgedumps.zip

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Dumping the first Disks with Pc99 using the RSector and WSector progs.

 

The first small box containing 10 disk which is black and called Memorex, seems to contain Plato Disks, at least the first 4 Disks are all Plato.

Could it be he was responsible to review the Plato Disk Software? The disk labels partially have "Test" and "Review" and Dates on them.

Edited by kl99
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Hi Ksarul, nice to have you here. Sadly most of those QA cartridges were identical to their production release. The ones that differed I have already posted.

 

I interrupted the disk dumping process to open the 99/8, since Jens-Eike was so kind and opened his 99/8 in order to help me install the p-code chips. Before stopping dumping disks I discovered some nice GPL files for Story Machine and for TI Surgeon (released as Microsurgeon). They need an analysis. Also two disks containing text files for 99/8 parts which specify all kind of production numbers. Some similar disk was for 99/4(a) parts.

 

I uploaded the various photos of the opened 99/8 to Facebook, including the p-code chips installation instructions sheet:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.10153827945259844&type=1

 

It's hard to always post everything to atariage, FB and yahoo. Feel free to upload the pics to this thread. You would safe me some time.

 

The p-code chips seem to be fine, however they need to be soldered before trying them out. Especially the middle board felt quite loose on those pins. Jens-Eike agreed that soldering is safer, before powering up and risk some damage. As I am totally without experience, I guess we all agree, it's wrong to do the first steps on a prototype computer.

 

Before I forget, infos on the 99/8 Prototype #80 can be found here:

https://web.archive.org/web/20050113190941/http://aug.99er.net/ti-99_8.htm

 

When my 99/8 #15 powers up the Version 3.0 is shown in the title scren, and it comes with Extended Basic II in the menu, returning 200 when using CALL VERSION.

Overall the motherboard seems to be very similar to the 99/8 from Jens-Eike, which has some problems with Speech and Keyboard. Both is working in mine however, so there is hope to fix at least the Speech for Jens-Eike.

 

Have to teach some math hours now for the cousin of my fiancee. More later...

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Hi Klaus,

 

Re: Have to teach some math hours now for the cousin of my fiancee. More later...

 

>> The 1st thing you need to do is to learn him how to use a TI (or emulator) and use the

>> "the Educational Cartridges" on the TI and also the Plato Software

>> (see FaceBook, last time I sorted out every disk, module) and it has a lot of math as well.

 

Then you can go back to the more important things! (just kidding!)

I am really enjoying this, it looks like an adventure game.

 

 

 

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Here are those disks that seemed most promising so far.

attachicon.gifd007.dsk

attachicon.gifd011.dsk

 

Please analyse and share you thoughts

 

 

Re:

d011.dsk -- loads in Classic99 (but somehow not in JS99er.net)

 

> Editor Assembler --> Option 3

> DSK1.TISURG (it loads the file)

> Press enter

> Enter TISURG (now you see a green screen loading the MSURG file)

> and you will see MicroSurgeon of Imagic 1983 (which is scrolling right to left)

> it looks the same as I know it.

 

post-39490-0-22382600-1452354750_thumb.jpg

 

post-39490-0-53583600-1452354757_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by globeron
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Re:

d011.dsk -- loads in Classic99

 

> Editor Assembler --> Option 3

> DSK1.S (it loads the file)

> Press enter

> Enter S (now you see a blue screen loading all the other object files)

> and you will see Story Teller it looks the same as I know it

 

 

 

The other one

> Editor Assembler --> Option 3

> DSK1.D (it loads the file)

> Press enter

> Enter D (now you see a blue screen loading all the other object files + SBUGO)

 

> it goes into the Super Bug Version 3.1 mode

 

 

post-39490-0-95855900-1452355251_thumb.jpg

post-39490-0-26139800-1452355259_thumb.jpg

post-39490-0-30107400-1452355262_thumb.jpg

post-39490-0-88306000-1452355276_thumb.jpg

post-39490-0-66199700-1452355282_thumb.jpg

post-39490-0-89054100-1452355292_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Many thanks to those helping to explore the content of those disks!

Sadly some of the disk I am dumping contain bad sectors, I am doing multiple tries to overcome some.
And some disks I can't even read the first sector with Disk Utilities 2000 from.

 

Many disk look (almost) empty in TI99Dir, but in fact they contain hidden Plato Stuff or no Files appear because they are Forth/Pascal stuff.

Anyway the PC99 Image should capture anything on them to figure that out in the end.

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The following cartridges have different binary content within the first >2000 bytes, indicating some sort of prototype:

MBX Championship Baseball

MBX Bigfoot

Tombstone City

Q/A GROM (french Diagnostic?) (Jon Guidry seems to have that cartridge as well labeled Diagnostic Tester)

 

I don't have a Securities Analysis cartridge with original label for comparison, can someone dump that with the Gramkracker?

All other cartridges with custom labels have identical content within all the Bytes til >2086 of each Grom chip, which means they are not different than the production release.

Still the board of those cartridges could be special in itsself, and those QA labels are collectors items themselves.

 

Here we go, as promised:

attachicon.gifcartridgedumps.zip

 

 

I do not have a GramKracker, but I loaded the Security Analysis GK files in the MESS GramKracker, it loads until the title screen, but then screen is blue

(Coincidentally I have the Security Analysis Module here, label says 1980, but the software indicates 1979, same as your GK file), but my module starts.

Probably someone has a dump already somewhere (I will check my disks, I might have the file there as well), otherwise I can do it early Feb. when I am

the Netherlands to dump the module on a real GK.

 

Baseball also loads - but comes with a Blue Screen " MBX System Required".

 

The other modules I will try, but I cannot get into the MESS GramKracker now, because of the Baseball module taking over...

 

 

EDIT:

GRAMKRACKER-FilesInMESS.zip

 

 

1. Here are all the screen shots (The MBX ones do not load: BaseBall and BigFoot)

2. and the GRAM-S2.DSK has the Security Analysis (1979) for GramKracker -> SECUANALY

>> all modules looks that they are archived already.

 

Edited by globeron
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The Gramkracker Device doesn't support playing (loading) the MBX cartridges, since they contain a 2K Ram chip that is used, however the Gramkracker is good to do the dumps afaik. You could try to recreate a cartridge out of it.

Klaus

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Klaus, I know all about TI-99/8 SN #80, as I am actually touching it at the moment (it is the machine right next to the PC I am using now). The Plato Course Development software would have been on disk, not as a module, so you may get lucky, especially as the guy who had these things was in the software testing department.

 

On disks with bad sectors, I have a SuperCard Pro, and at least one other person around here has a Cryoflux. Either of those is perfect for recovering disks that cannot otherwise be read. All you need is the device (approximately $100) and an appropriate 5.25 drive with an external power supply to connect to it. The SuperCard Pro or the Cryoflux then connect to a PC with a USB cable. . .and as the device is the disk controller, it doesn't matter if your PC can't normally read single density either. It will read the disks--and it will capture any surviving flux transitions and restore them if necessary.

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None of the cartridge boards has the required RAM for this (and MESS/MAME still doesn't have full MBX support, does it?). You might have to do the file testing using PC-99, as that does have MBX support, IIRC--or use a GRAMULATOR on a TI, as it supports MBX cartridges as well.

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Klaus, I know all about TI-99/8 SN #80, as I am actually touching it at the moment (it is the machine right next to the PC I am using now). The Plato Course Development software would have been on disk, not as a module, so you may get lucky, especially as the guy who had these things was in the software testing department.

 

On disks with bad sectors, I have a SuperCard Pro, and at least one other person around here has a Cryoflux. Either of those is perfect for recovering disks that cannot otherwise be read. All you need is the device (approximately $100) and an appropriate 5.25 drive with an external power supply to connect to it. The SuperCard Pro or the Cryoflux then connect to a PC with a USB cable. . .and as the device is the disk controller, it doesn't matter if your PC can't normally read single density either. It will read the disks--and it will capture any surviving flux transitions and restore them if necessary.

 

Klaus / Jim,

 

To compare your Plato disks to check if there are Plato Course Development software would have been on disk

 

(that time I went through all 1 by 1, this is the complete list so far)

http://www.globeron.com/freedownload/services/TI99/Plato-TI-99-4A-Package.zip

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is this familiar software?

       *******  SUPER BUGGER  VERSION  3.1  19-FEB-1983 ********
       ********  Copyright 1982 by NAVARONE INDUSTRIES *********
 
SUPER-BUGGER is a stand alone program that may be loaded by the
Editor/Assembler LOAD AND RUN option, or either TI-BASIC or EXT-
BASIC CALL LOAD Options. NO special hardware is required, but this
program will operate only on the TI99/4A with MEMORY EXPANSION,and
a DISK CONTROLLER. The RS232 may optionally be used to get a hard copy
printout on some operations.
 
The SUPER-BUGGER is a very sophisticated and powerful debug tool which
can provide funtions  usually only available on  very expensive develop-
ment systems requiring special hardware. SUPER-BUGGER allows you to
actually step through your machine language program, executing each machine
instruction one at a time.  Enabling you to examine the logic of your
program as it is being run. As each instruction is executed, the SYMBOLIC
interpretaion is displayed on the screen in the same format as it occurs
in your assembley source listing, providing a trace of instruction
execution.
 
SUPER-BUGGER has a built in DISS-ASSEMBLER which you can use to decipher
machine code to it's symbolic assembly language representation. It will
interpret any instruction and show all types of operand uses.
even displaying the JMP address of jump instruction.
 
Operation of the SUPER-BUGGER is syntactally identical to the TI-
DEBUGGER program, however there are features provided by the TI
program that are not supported by SUPER-BUGGER due to memory size
limitations. It is recommended you become familiar with the TI-DEBUGGER
and it's documentation prior to using SUPER-BUGGER.
 
The following is a summary comparison of the two debuggers. Both the TI-
DEBBUGER and SUPER-BUGGER can be used to compliment each other to provide
the best development tool in the industry.

Edit: PHD5099, TI Advanced Assembly Debugger. This product was formerly Super Bugger, released byNavarone. See \vendors\ti\phd\disks\phd5099.dsk, HELP, for the documentation.

Edited by kl99
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