Sid1968 Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 (edited) My dear TI99 friends, I just checked out the BackBit Pro Cartridge in Evie's shop. https://store.backbit.io/product/backbit-pro/ I looked there primarily for the VIC-20 and C64. On the Internet, the reviews for these Commodore machines are quite good. The BackBit Pro cartridge runs with different adapters on various retro systems. But what was new for me was that there is now also an adapter for the TI-99/4A. Has anyone of you already had experience with the BackBit Pro cartridge on the TI-99/4A? What do you think of the cartridge. Cheers Sid1968 P.S.: Here you can find Evie's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EviesRevue Edited July 3, 2022 by Sid1968 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhodes Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 So, could this device be used for disk images on the TI, or only for loading cartridge images? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jedimatt42 Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 The TI cartridge port has limited address access. The 4A's operating system (GPL and routines in the console ROM) can access LVL3 DSR from cartridge GROMs. But most 3rdparty software that uses the filesystem interface doesn't use what GPL provides and contains their own DSRLNK routine. Most instances of that do not examine GROMs when searching for a DSR by name. So, yes, for many TI original titles, such as XB, TI-Writer, Multiplane, Tunnels of Doom, Adventure. But no for Disk Manager (and any similar programs in existence today), TI-Artist, etc... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Looking at this (from Evie's demo), it would basically function like the FlashROM99 does. ROMs would work, as would smaller GPL cartridges that can be launched into the 32K space for execution. Larger GPL cartridges, and any GPL cartridge that uses the 32K space for program storage (XB, E/A, Multiplan, TI Writer, Logo, Plato) probably would not work. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evietron Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 The BackBit cartridge supports up to 1MB of ROM using the banking scheme of writing to 6000,6002,6004, up to 60fe. 6 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid1968 Posted July 3, 2022 Author Share Posted July 3, 2022 (edited) Thanks for your feedback Evie! "Evietron" aka Evie is the developer of the BackBit Pro cartridge. Edited July 3, 2022 by Sid1968 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhodes Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 So no GROM loading support? May still pick one of these up, always good to have options. I love the approach here of one cart for multiple different systems! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Yep thanks @evietron for the specs.. ROM only up to 1mb.. so better than a flashrom space wise.. but no GROM support. how do you select images is it a menu program on the 4/A? or ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 44 minutes ago, arcadeshopper said: Yep thanks @evietron for the specs.. ROM only up to 1mb.. so better than a flashrom space wise.. but no GROM support. how do you select images is it a menu program on the 4/A? or ? Note, though it doesn't directly support GROM cartridges, any GROM cartridge small enough to use with a GPL Loader (YLOAD or one of several others out there) can be loaded and run in the 32K space. This eliminates any cartridges that need the 32K space for their own purposes, but it will still work with the majority of GROM game/educational/utility software. @evietron also demonstrated that in the demo when the cartridge loaded Parker Brothers Frogger (Parker Brothers used CROM chips, their own proprietary GROM workalike, but it demonstrated the small GROM load capability nicely). Most (if not all) of the cartridges that would run using this workaround have already been included in the FlashROM99 libraries, so the work to use them with the BackBit Pro has already been done. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhodes Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 So at best, this is a replacement for the Flashrom. (As far as TI99 is concerned. I can see plenty of use for this with Commodore machines) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 1 hour ago, arcadeshopper said: Yep thanks @evietron for the specs.. ROM only up to 1mb.. so better than a flashrom space wise.. but no GROM support. how do you select images is it a menu program on the 4/A? or ? answered my question 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evietron Posted July 5, 2022 Share Posted July 5, 2022 For the record, BackBit DOES support GROM, up to 40KB. You must use extension G. It also supports ROMs combined with a GROM (i.e. the CG/CDG format). For this, use extension BIN/ROM/C. Append binaries in the order C,D,G. For normal & multi-bank ROMs, use extension BIN/ROM/C. 11 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDMike Posted July 5, 2022 Share Posted July 5, 2022 Very much like finalgrom cart 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMole Posted July 5, 2022 Share Posted July 5, 2022 Really cool stuff, I like these "cross-platform" things! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXB Posted July 5, 2022 Share Posted July 5, 2022 14 hours ago, evietron said: For the record, BackBit DOES support GROM, up to 40KB. You must use extension G. It also supports ROMs combined with a GROM (i.e. the CG/CDG format). For this, use extension BIN/ROM/C. Append binaries in the order C,D,G. For normal & multi-bank ROMs, use extension BIN/ROM/C. So RXB 2022D would work in this cart? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evietron Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 I don't see why not. The only question would be where you are going to save your BASIC programs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid1968 Posted July 7, 2022 Author Share Posted July 7, 2022 On 7/5/2022 at 7:00 PM, RXB said: So RXB 2022D would work in this cart? How are the basic programs saved with the FinalGROM 99? I don't know if that works at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asmusr Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 BASIC programs are saved on disk or tape. The cartridge is not providing those devices. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid1968 Posted July 7, 2022 Author Share Posted July 7, 2022 1 hour ago, Asmusr said: BASIC programs are saved on disk or tape. The cartridge is not providing those devices. So the BackBit Pro cartridge has no disadvantage here. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXB Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 8 hours ago, Sid1968 said: How are the basic programs saved with the FinalGROM 99? I don't know if that works at all. I meant can you load RXB 2022 GROM and 3 ROMs into BACKBIT PRO CART. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid1968 Posted July 7, 2022 Author Share Posted July 7, 2022 (edited) 10 minutes ago, RXB said: I meant can you load RXB 2022 GROM and 3 ROMs into BACKBIT PRO CART. What is this necessary for? Can this be done with the Finalgrom 99? Edited July 7, 2022 by Sid1968 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOME AUTOMATION Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Distr., uhuh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 2 hours ago, Sid1968 said: What is this necessary for? Can this be done with the Finalgrom 99? Alternative? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXB Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 3 hours ago, Sid1968 said: What is this necessary for? Can this be done with the Finalgrom 99? Yea same for loading method for Classic99 for homemade carts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evietron Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 Any amount of ROM up to 1MB should be no problem (and can be combined with 40K GROM using the aforementioned method). 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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