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TIPI in a Speech Synthesizer Housing?


J-Data

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18 minutes ago, Calab said:

Just to update... I was overthinking this. The TIPI was a breeze to set up. I am able to open the configuration screen. Wifi is connected and I can get to the HTTP interface from my Windows PC.  :)

map a network drive to the TIPI from your pc and you can easily copy files and .dsk images to the TIPI.  the TIPI will automatically extract the files from the disk image into a new folder.  ready to be loaded..

Edited by Shift838
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  • 4 months later...
On 3/24/2022 at 9:07 PM, Calab said:

Does anyone know if there is an STL file of the TI Speech Synthesizer case that can be 3D printed available anywhere?

I just received my TIPI-32K and now I'm trying to figure out how to put it together with my Pi Zero 2 W... Got no instructions with the board at all.

 

Parts.thumb.jpg.a6ae43a288c1003e310a64a2c15bd461.jpg

 

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10 minutes ago, johnph3 said:

Just received my TIPI/32K and am trying to use it just as a 32k memory board. When I install it on side port and turn on computer and and select extended basic it just goes to a blank screen. Any ideas?

Most of the instructions are located at JData's Wiki.

 

Home · jgparker/tipi Wiki · GitHub

 

I've never tried my unit as a standalone 32K.  Suspect the hardware needs the TIPI / Raspberry Pi installed to work properly (But not really sure.)

 

Check Jedimatt32's pages and Wiki for detailed information on the TIPI side.

Home · jedimatt42/tipi Wiki · GitHub

 

Hope this helps?

 

Example .stl for speech case:

 

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8 hours ago, johnph3 said:

Just received my TIPI/32K and am trying to use it just as a 32k memory board. When I install it on side port and turn on computer and and select extended basic it just goes to a blank screen. Any ideas?

I am aware that the poster already has his answer, but for everyone else... The TIPI is a hobby project. The communication model does not have timeouts. So when it attempts to communicate with the PI, such as when XB implicitly loads "DSK1.LOAD", the TIPI ROM will block forever, until you plug a PI into it and that PI responds.

 

If you want to skip the PI, and use one of the combo boards as just memory, you need to pull the ROM out.

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On 8/20/2022 at 11:17 PM, jedimatt42 said:

I am aware that the poster already has his answer, but for everyone else... The TIPI is a hobby project. The communication model does not have timeouts. So when it attempts to communicate with the PI, such as when XB implicitly loads "DSK1.LOAD", the TIPI ROM will block forever, until you plug a PI into it and that PI responds.

 

If you want to skip the PI, and use one of the combo boards as just memory, you need to pull the ROM out.

Ahh. Got it. 

Thx for that explanation.

 

I had experienced that the TI floppy controller didn't operate with raspberry turned off on the PEB version of Tipi.  I assume this is why, because after pi boot the controller functions. I didn't even know this until shutting down the pi. 😂

Thx again for explaining here... I've probably missed it being talked about somewhere else...

 

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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Hey, guys...  I have a (hopefully) quick and simple question.

 

I recently picked up a TIPI-32K and a Pi Zero 2 W, and am installing it into a shell which is now empty (due to the internals going into a PEB using the Shift 838 speech adapter card).  I have two TI-99/4A,s one which is going to remain largely "real steel" except for the TIPI PEB and the speech synthesizer being inside the PEB.  The other, I am going to make mods to... it's using the TIPI-32K, rather than a PEB, and eventually I plan to install an F18A ( mark 2, I hope).

 

I read... somewhere... that having the TIPI-32K outboard of the Speech synthesizer means that it doesn't get console power, and my physical tests so far have borne that out.  This is what I WANT, however, as I intend to leave the PI, at least, and I guess the TIPI as well, on at all times.

 

In the TIPI-32K wiki, I see that I can power the TIPI from the Pi, going from a pin on the GPIO of the Pi to a pin on the TIPI board.  And yes, that works fine.

 

But... can it also work the other way around?  In other words, can I externally power the TIPI, and then power the Pi by that same single-wire connection?  It seems like that ought to work, but I'm unclear as to whether it really can.  (I'm a mechanical engineer, not an electrical or software engineer, so it's entirely possible that I'm missing some idiosyncrasy of how the Pi is powered.)

 

I haven't tried it out yet.  But I really want to be certain that this would work before I do, so I won't fry anything.  It's hard to get TIPIs, and it's just as hard to get Pis these days.

 

I know I'm going to have to cut holes in my speech housing, and I just want to ensure that I don't cut any holes I don't need to cut.  Powering the Pi from the TIPI is the physically easiest solution, as I can just notch out a small area on the rear of the box... in a location which is very easy to see and locate, precisely.  I have the right-angle-adapters suggested to power the PI and run USB keyboards, as well, but I'm not thrilled with the solution... having to hack away at the piece, or the internals of the speech box, or both, in order to make it work.  It'd be easier, by far, to just power the Pi from the GPIO header, from the TIPI.

 

By the way, I got a few "do it yourself" parts from Adafruit to make ribbon-cable HDMI and microUSB extensions.  Ideally, just a single microUSB there rather than two, but I can do two if absolutely necessary.  And a full-sized HDMI port.  Both (or "all three" will be hidden behind the slide up cover on the side, so I can plug in a monitor, or a mouse, or whatever... not merely to use the Pi as a "TIPI" file server, but also to access it directly.  (I installed the standard Pi OS GUI, "pixel," already, and a few other items which really make using the Pi stand-alone much, much easier...  software repository stuff, mainly, and a few libraries.)

 

So, this system will eventually be a "modded" TI-99/4A with F18A outputting... well, to whatever digital format you ultimately end up going with (HDMI would be ideal, but I get the issues there... and going from DisplayPort to HDMI, externally, is utterly trivial.  Going from VGA to HDMI is more of a pain, but entirely doable, and... well... going from composite video to HDMI is what I'm doing right now, and is "unsatisfactory" at present.)  It will then have the speech box, and the TIPI-32K plugged into the speech box.  Of course, I have a FinalGROM99, so the whole system is essentially self-contained.  I'll still likely use my cartridges on the "original-state" TI-99/4A, though... at least for now.  (The main reason I intend to put a TIPI into that PEB is to preserve my physical disks for as long as possible by reducing their usage to... well, zero or as close to zero as I can get.)

 

So...  CAN the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W be powered from the TIPI, or can it only go the other way?

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2 hours ago, Duewester said:

@CLBrown, I have a tipi/32 board with a pi02w in a home printed case attached to my Ti-99 4a and a speech synth attached to the TiPi/32. No external ps. Now if you have the original two board TiPi and 32 set-up, you'll need an external pi power and depending on the pi you use that will govern the size of power supply.

Good to hear, but not really an answer to the question I asked.

 

Again, to reiterate... I want my TIPI-32K (the one we're discussing in this thread) to be outboards of the speech synthesizer, NOT powered by the console, but I want to push power in through the microUSB port at the rear edge of the TIPI-32K, and then power the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W from the TIPI board.   I'm asking if there is any potential danger or pitfall to doing so.

 

As far as I can tell... it should be fine.  The 5V rail on the Pi is connected directly to pins #2 and #4, and the TIPI-32K header has two ground pins present already.  I'm using a Pi-compatible power supply already, with a switch on the cable... this one:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B79FVPQ4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I want, if it's possible, to run this into the TIPI-32K main board, and then power the PI off of the TIPI-32K board.

 

By having the TIPI-32K outboard of the actual speech synthesizer, I BELIEVE I do not receive any power from the TI-99/4A console to the TIPI-32K.  So, it will be, power-wise, isolated from the console.  Meaning, when I turn the TI off, but leave the TIPI-32K+Pi combo running, everything should be perfectly fine.  AND I get an easy path to run power in, by just notching out the rear edge of the upper speech case, and the "lip" that seats into it, on the lower case.  I'll use needle-files to get the rectangle just the right size and shape to accomodate the plug from the power supply I linked to, above.

 

I have TWO reasons I want to do it this way.  First, of course, so that the Pi can run entirely disconnected from console power... only data connections.  But second, because I want to have my HDMI and USB ports accessible under the little sliding cover plate on the side of the TIPI-32K's speech box.

 

I bought these parts, from Adafruit:

 

Mini-HDMI Male, Right-Angle (for Pi side)

https://www.adafruit.com/product/3554

 

Full-sized HDMI Female, straight (for at the right-hand-side slot cover)

https://www.adafruit.com/product/3551

 

Micro-USB Male, Right Angle (for Pi Side) (2x)

https://www.adafruit.com/product/4104

 

Micro-USB Female, Straight (for at the right-hand-side slot cover) (2x)

https://www.adafruit.com/product/4107

 

Ribbon Cable (generic, used in all of their modular "kit" connectors like the above)

https://www.adafruit.com/product/3560

 

As it turns out, the two MicroUSB ports on the Pi Zero 2 W are too close to practically use two of these, together.  I mean, you CAN, but it's a bit "close" and you have to deform the PCBAs slightly to make it work... never a good idea.

 

That's what led me to seriously think about going in the other direction... powering the Pi from the TIPI.

 

The two others work marvelously, though... stuck with double-sided foam tape to the TIPI board's right-hand "contacts" area (which I won't be using), I have an easily accessible full-size HDMI port and an easily accessible Micro-USB port.  I could also have gone with a full-sized USB-A port, and I may still do so, but for now, I'm using a 4-port USB external hub there which connects  using micro-USB, and it's working very nicely.

 

Here's the thing.  I haven't cut plastic yet, nor have I tested out the "powering the PI from the TIPI" yet, and I'm a little hesitant to do the latter, just in case there's something I'm not aware of which could result in my barbecuing my Pi and TIPI if I do so.

 

 

As far as I can see, this ought to work fine.

 

 

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One last question...   has anyone made up labels for the TIPI-32K, in quantities where they can share (at a reasonable price point?)  I can certainly buy a big bag of brushed-aluminum labels, which I can then print to...  but out of several hundred blank labels in the box, I'll only be  using maybe three, at most.  Which seems like a bit of a waste!

 

I've found this stuff which, while not aluminum, matches up reasonably well... and would be helpful for anyone who really wants to make their box "look like real TI hardware.)

https://www.amazon.com/Livelynine-Decorative-Countertops-Dishwasher-Refrigerator/dp/B07QQB3W2G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1I8P5B3SBFE2F&keywords=brushed+aluminum+label&qid=1667832359&sprefix=brushed+aluminum+label%2Caps%2C179&sr=8-1

or

https://www.amazon.com/Madlie-Brushed-Silver-Permanent-Adhesive/dp/B08D7D81BJ/ref=sr_1_25?crid=3ES2A4O3KUC3V&keywords=brushed+metallic+label&qid=1667832543&sprefix=brushed+metallic+label%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-25

or

https://www.amazon.com/Prime-Vinyl-Brushed-Silver-Permanent/dp/B09DG7W41C/ref=sr_1_24?crid=3ES2A4O3KUC3V&keywords=brushed+metallic+label&qid=1667832543&sprefix=brushed+metallic+label%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-24

 

But it's not "printable."

 

I found this, but I don't have a laser printer:

https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Address-Labels-Laser-Printers/dp/B000UCQ566/ref=sr_1_39_mod_primary_sns?crid=135FN0UPPG7NH&keywords=metallic+label&qid=1667832489&sbo=GLaw0Fx56FiNH%2FiZ%2B6XKiQ%3D%3D&sprefix=metallic+label%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-39

 

I'd really like to have my TIPI-32K labeled as what it is, rather than as a Solid State Speech Synthesizer.  Especially given that it's literally right next to a real speech box.   But it's not proving to be nearly as easy as I'd hoped.

 

Yeah, "real men don't worry about making things look pretty."  I could just put masking tape over the markings and use a sharpie, I guess...  (sigh)

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@CLBrown, The way I looked at it was "I don't have the skills or hardware to make this look like an original peripheral. But, I do have the skills and materials to make a "Steam Punk" case.

So I whipped out the calibers, fired up Tinkercad, warmed up the 3d Printer and started work on a "kinda original looking" case. Made several versions and still tinker with it occasionally. I used 77 spray and aluminum foil on one version - showed every little printer line. Even considered some silver filament and acetone to smooth it out. Never thought about 'Metallic Contact Paper.', guess it's time to tinker some more.

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On 11/9/2022 at 3:27 PM, arcadeshopper said:

powering the tipi board and the pi are in the github.. clearly documented

 

https://github.com/jgparker/tipi/wiki/tipi-32k-installation

I read that.  And nowhere in that did I see an answer to the question I asked.

 

I wrote a whole response to this, but the site then "logged me off" in mid-post, so I'm not going to waste my time trying to recompose it.


Suffice it to say, the specific question I asked is whether there are any potential pitfalls from powering the Pi from the TIPI.  Nowhere in that Wiki is that question even addressed.

 

I THINK it should be safe.  The Pi's 5V rail is connected to pins 2 & 4, and the grounds all share a common ground-plane.  So, if the TIPI can output the power as required by the Pi by its "power in header," that should all work fine.


I know that the Pi can power the TIPI.  I DO NOT KNOW if the TIPI can power the PI.  I know nothing about that at all.  While I know what the input threshhold for the Pi is... what's allowable, and what's not...  I have NO IDEA if the TIPI is capable of providing that, if powered from the USB plug rather than the console power.

 

I guess I'm not going to get that answer, either.  So, I'll just risk it.

 

I'm an aerospace engineer, and have equipment I designed (or led the design team for) in many aircraft currently in service, and several pieces in space.  I don't do the electronics side of the design, but my teams always include a number of EEs who do that, , and I'm used to having fully-defined specs when I do this sort of thing.  The idea of "taking a shot" is anathema to me.  In my job, if I "guess wrong" and something fails, people die.  It's hard to accept "nobody really know, just try it" as an answer.

 

Oh well.  If the TIPI, or the Pi, fries...  that'll answer the question, huh?

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42 minutes ago, CLBrown said:

I read that.  And nowhere in that did I see an answer to the question I asked.

 

I wrote a whole response to this, but the site then "logged me off" in mid-post, so I'm not going to waste my time trying to recompose it.


Suffice it to say, the specific question I asked is whether there are any potential pitfalls from powering the Pi from the TIPI.  Nowhere in that Wiki is that question even addressed.

 

I THINK it should be safe.  The Pi's 5V rail is connected to pins 2 & 4, and the grounds all share a common ground-plane.  So, if the TIPI can output the power as required by the Pi by its "power in header," that should all work fine.


I know that the Pi can power the TIPI.  I DO NOT KNOW if the TIPI can power the PI.  I know nothing about that at all.  While I know what the input threshhold for the Pi is... what's allowable, and what's not...  I have NO IDEA if the TIPI is capable of providing that, if powered from the USB plug rather than the console power.

 

I guess I'm not going to get that answer, either.  So, I'll just risk it.

 

I'm an aerospace engineer, and have equipment I designed (or led the design team for) in many aircraft currently in service, and several pieces in space.  I don't do the electronics side of the design, but my teams always include a number of EEs who do that, , and I'm used to having fully-defined specs when I do this sort of thing.  The idea of "taking a shot" is anathema to me.  In my job, if I "guess wrong" and something fails, people die.  It's hard to accept "nobody really know, just try it" as an answer.

 

Oh well.  If the TIPI, or the Pi, fries...  that'll answer the question, huh?

That it will

 

the biggest question is power draw.. the pi's are well documented. the tipi and 32k are pretty much 1a..  so if you have enough amps coming into the device to power both, logically it should.. I'd error on the side of more amps myself and add at least 1a to the pi requirements maybe 1.5-2 to be safe. It has nothing to do with TIPI being able to provide something, it has to do with the power supply you are using to run the whole system.

 

  the TI CONSOLE itself does not have 3a of headroom. its documented to be like 500ma on the 5v line 

 

 

Model Voltage Recommended Capacity
Zero 5.1V 1.2A
Pi 1 A / A+ 5.1V 700mA
Pi 1 B+ / 2 B 5.1V 1.8A
Pi 3 A+ / B / B+ 5.1V 2.5A
Pi 4 B / 400 5.1V 3.0A
Pico 1.8–5.5V DC

 

 

Basically if you are providing 5v to the "stack" and connecting power to the PI from the 32k/tipi power supply inputs you will need to make sure the total > the requirements of the two   The github shows how to hook up the pi to the 5v line https://github.com/jgparker/tipi/wiki/Raspberry-PI-power

Edited by arcadeshopper
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@CLBrown and to add to what @arcadeshopper stated, I found that some devices (like Matt's 32k) which could previously be powered by the TI expansion port stopped working.  Re-capping the console's internal power supply was the remedy, so I have a couple of cap kits in my arcadeshopper.com bag.  She is an old gal and needs a little sprucing up every so often.

 

1 hour ago, CLBrown said:

Oh well.  If the TIPI, or the Pi, fries...  that'll answer the question, huh?

Damn sight better than someone getting killed.  Although, the possibility could add suspense, like soldering leads onto a LiIon pack.

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  • 7 months later...

i've seen where the tipi32k can be used as 32k mem board with rom removed.  i've built one but its not seeing the 32k ram at all in memory tests.  tested my srams in a standard 32k board and works fine.  does the tipi32k need external power to just use the board as 32k memory? 

 

thanks!

 

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4 hours ago, kneehighspy said:

i've seen where the tipi32k can be used as 32k mem board with rom removed.  i've built one but its not seeing the 32k ram at all in memory tests.  tested my srams in a standard 32k board and works fine.  does the tipi32k need external power to just use the board as 32k memory? 

 

thanks!

 

only if you aren't connecting directly to the console. if you have speech inbetween then you either need to jumper the 5v across the speech board OR use external power

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  • 8 months later...
On 8/20/2022 at 11:17 PM, jedimatt42 said:

I am aware that the poster already has his answer, but for everyone else... The TIPI is a hobby project. The communication model does not have timeouts. So when it attempts to communicate with the PI, such as when XB implicitly loads "DSK1.LOAD", the TIPI ROM will block forever, until you plug a PI into it and that PI responds.

 

If you want to skip the PI, and use one of the combo boards as just memory, you need to pull the ROM out.

i know this is an old question, so trying to load extended basic with the tipi32k it locks up (unless pi is installed and booted). is the only workaround disabling / removing the eprom?  i know extended basic works fine with the old sidecar 32k and tipi combo.  any info is appreciated, thanks!

 

...mike

 

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41 minutes ago, kneehighspy said:

i know this is an old question, so trying to load extended basic with the tipi32k it locks up (unless pi is installed and booted). is the only workaround disabling / removing the eprom?  i know extended basic works fine with the old sidecar 32k and tipi combo.  any info is appreciated, thanks!

 

...mike

 

Not sure, but I've got the SAMS/Tipi combo and if the pi isn't booted it locks at call tipi. Here's the wiki on it https://github.com/jgparker/tipi/wiki/

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