OPA Gary!

[Gary from OPA]

Texas Instruments Retro Friday Fun

 

Got out the soldering iron and upgraded my PGRAM card to the PLUS model, so now I can have FOUR banks of GRAM available, allowing me to load in multiple Solid State Software Modules and do some advanced GPL Development work on my TI99 system!

 

See my earlier post in my PGRAM thread, for the techie details on how this upgrade works!

[Gary from OPA]

I ordered today, one of the new PI Pico 2 boards which use the new RP2350B processor.

 

I am looking forward to seeing what amazing new retro project I can cook up with it for the TI99 with more RAM, Dual ARM or RISC-V cores and more GPIO.

 

https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/pimoroni-pico-plus-2?variant=42092668289107

 

Edited August 9 by Gary from OPA

[Duewester]

34 minutes ago, Gary from OPA said:

I ordered today, one of the new PI Pico 2 boards which use the new RP2350B processor.

 

I am looking forward to seeing what amazing new retro project I can cook up with it for the TI99 with more RAM, Dual ARM or RISC-V cores and more GPIO.

 

https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/pimoroni-pico-plus-2?variant=42092668289107

 

How about.... the risc cores as a co processor for the 9900? Way beyond my capabilities but probably within reach of many others.

[Gary from OPA]

11 minutes ago, Duewester said:

How about.... the risc cores as a co processor for the 9900? Way beyond my capabilities but probably within reach of many others.

Yes, it's a good idea. Personally, I like the Risc-V more than Arm. Looking forward to coding something cool. And knowing me I will be programming the most I can in direct assembly, rather than C or other languages.

[Gary from OPA]

The TI-GROMmy2 device by @speccery is now fully operational, with an expanded 96k of flash storage space for an improved GPL Operating System, which will allow me to code up some cool new features to be released by OPA Phoenix Technologies for the Retro Community of TI99 users!

[Gary from OPA]

For the last few days, I have been under the weather a bit, with a nasty chest cold and flu, but finally nearing the end of it and starting by Tuesday, I will be back to doing some cool new TI99 updates. In the meantime, I am enjoying my new LEGO playset that GROK2 made for me!

[+mizapf]

Funnily, "Opa" in German means "grandpa", so "Garyopa" reads to me like "Gary grandpa".

 

[Gary from OPA]

23 minutes ago, mizapf said:

Funnily, "Opa" in German means "grandpa", so "Garyopa" reads to me like "Gary grandpa".

 

Yeah. Well officially OPA stands for my company name Oasis Pensive Abacutors.

 

But I am old enough now to be a grandfather and been around since the start of the TI99 community, so I guess it is fitting.. plus one of my grandfathers on my dad's side was German as well.

[Gary from OPA]

I received the amazing PICO9918 device from @visrealm today, and I am looking forward to trying it out on my 3rd TI99 system which will be an /4QI console, as my other two Texas Instruments systems have already been upgraded with the F18A FPGA design, and full v9938 setup.

[rgjt]

Wow, I cannot wait to see what comes out of this super upgrade for the TI99/4A. The old TI99 has more lives than my cat.

[Gary from OPA]

The eBay affordable VGA monitor I won finally around today after waiting for it since August 22nd. So much for next day UPS.

 

So I installed it on my main ti99 system, and now I have free up the tiny VGA monitor which I will use with the pico9918 in my QI console in exchange of the 10" original TI CRT monitor.

 

Will do that tomorrow, as I need another VGA cable and power cord which will arrive from Amazon tomorrow.

 

Then all 3 of my ti99 systems will be VGA and have 80 columns, main one with v9938, secondary with f18a and the QI with pico9918.

 

 

[+OLD CS1]

11 minutes ago, Gary from OPA said:

Love the MPES.  I wanted one to tote around to VCF as it would be so much easier than a PEB.  One came up on eBay a while back and I lost it in grand fashion.  I managed to get hold of a CorComp 9900 MES with dual drives, instead, and I am not unhappy with it, for sure.  I remember Dad and I looking to get one back in the late 80s, and it would have cost wayyyyy too much.

[Gary from OPA]

I finally installed the PICO9918 by @visrealm inside my TI-99/4QI console, and the picture is crystal-clear on this small VGA screen which replaces the bulky CRT I was using before.

 

I also installed a larger VGA monitor that arrived from eBay to my main TI99 v9938 system.

[+dhe]

That's an excellent use of a speech synthesizer! I always had this psychological problem with the Myarc MPES being what felt like soooo close to my right hand.