Increasing the usefulness of the FR99 or FG99

[Omega-TI]

It occurs to me that if 'someone' wanted to convert the attached program below into a BIN file, one could easily rename and edit it for use with their FlashROM or FinalGROM to load programs directly off their TIPI or disk drive directly from the cartridge menu. As you can see, all you have to do is edit the path between the arrows.

 

LOADER.zip

[Omega-TI]

What would YOU load? The 9640 Menu System/BOOT or maybe a direct program like TIPI.NET.TELNET?

 

The skys the limit!

[+jedimatt42]

I cheated and made a cart loader that loads your loader into 32kmem, and then lets that loader load the thing you wanted to load.

I used classic99's system of saving memory to a cart loader...

EA5CART_C.BIN

You can just edit it similarly...

I tested with with PI.http://myti99.com/....stuff, but it crashes...
If I map a URIx first, it works... So then I thought since I have a TIPI, and TIPI has CALL TIPI("your ea5 file goes here") and classic99 also has "BASIC Restore" cartridge building, I could make a BASIC menu:

100 CALL SCREEN(5)
110 FOR I=1 TO 16
120 CALL COLOR(I,16,1)
130 NEXT I
140 CALL CLEAR
150 PRINT "TIPI Net Loader"
160 PRINT 
170 PRINT "myTI99.com"
180 PRINT " 1: CHATTI"
190 PRINT " 2: CHESS"
200 PRINT " 3: SNEK"
210 PRINT "local"
220 PRINT " 4: TELNET"
230 PRINT " 5: TIPI CONFIG"
240 PRINT 
250 CALL KEY(5,A,S)
260 A=A-48
270 IF S=0 THEN 250
280 IF A=1 THEN 350
290 IF A=2 THEN 360
300 IF A=3 THEN 370
310 IF A=4 THEN 380
320 IF A=5 THEN 390
330 CALL SOUND(-10,110,3)
340 GOTO 250
350 CALL TIPI("PI.http://myti99.com/CHATTI")
360 CALL TIPI("PI.http://myti99.com/CHESS")
370 CALL TIPI("PI.http://myti99.com/SNEK")
380 CALL TIPI("TIPI.NET.TELNET")
390 CALL TIPI("TIPI.TIPICFG")

Then saved it as a BASIC restore cartridge (and uninverted the rom):

 

TIPIMENU_8.bin

 

This lead me to a couple deficiences in the CALL TIPI command:

1. It can only load from the TIPI board since it runs from the TIPI DSR.

2. It cannot take variables...

 

So I've studied TI Intern and walked through the BASIC variable stack to understand how I can lookup the value of a variable passed in. Should be do-able. So this is my next endeaver... make CALL TIPI understand variables so I can read the menu configuration off of a data file. ( I have no motive to fix issue 1 )

 

Anyway, that BASIC restore feature has huge potential with the flash cartridges.

 

You can set drive mappings in BASIC, and then load a program that needed the mapping... Something like:

10 PRINT "Press enter to load TI-Artist"
20 INPUT A$
30 OPEN #1:"PI.CONFIG",OUTPUT,DISPLAY,VARIABLE
40 PRINT #1:"DSK1_DIR=DISKS.ASCEBOT"
50 CLOSE #1
60 CALL TIPI("DSK1.TIA")

Then fix it so the path in line 40 is correct, label in line 10 is correct, and actual ea5 program name in line 60 is correct.

and save that as a BASIC restore cartridge.

 

 

NO XB here, just BASIC, restored into the console VDP.

 

-M@

[Tursi]

(and uninverted the rom)

You should update your Classic99

ooooooh... wait. TI BASIC restore didn't get those fixes. Someone should remind me when I miss stuff!

 

Neat usage though, I never anticipated people using it for anything more advanced than TI BASIC games. I guess Playground programs should be able to work with BASIC Restore too...

Edited August 30, 2018 by Tursi

[Tursi]

Ah, I was right the first time - update your Classic99. The TI BASIC cart option also lets you set inverted or not now.

[Omega-TI]

Okay! This BASIC restore stuff looks cool, I'm sold. So where are the step-by-step instructions for newbies/dummies located?

 

While were at it, were are the step-by-step instructions for turning an EA/5 into a cartridge BIN?

 

Any other step-by-step instructions for anything that's really cool?

 

Besides wanting to learn myself, I'd like to add links to << THIS COLLECTION >> under a new catagory called TUTORIALS, that way enyone could learn and do it themselves.