transferring games from pc to ti99 4a

[bradhig1]

How do I transfer the wav files of tunnel of doom to cassette.  How can I transfer other games to my ti994a?

[chris36]

 

Using a PC with sound card.  Others have used MP3 players with output jack.

 

[+arcadeshopper]

read the FAQ?

 

[+jedimatt42]

15 hours ago, arcadeshopper said:

read the FAQ?

 

But the topic in the fact doesn't reference cassette and wav at all, so even in there it isn't obvious... https://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/ti-99-4a-faq-transfer-files-to-my-ti-from-my-pc/  

 

And this is pretty terse - https://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/ti-99-4a-faq-cassette-faq/  

 

I imagine there isn't much written about this because it's pretty straightforward. Old school real-time audio work. There are no special tricks. Such perseverance. 

 

I've heard anecdotal information about mp3 or wav from cell-phone not working well. And the actual original question isn't in the FAQ in any form. The hint in the FAQ about high volume is what we always hear. HIGH without clipping. 

 

Assuming your old TI cassette deck still works, you should be able to play the audio from your PC with a stereo headphone to mono cable and record it right onto your cassette deck. Press record on the deck, then hit play on the PC. PC software like Audacity is what I'd try first for playing with any .wav file. 

 

If you don't have a cassette deck, then the FAQ cassette page has a link for building the cable and you can likely adapt that to building a cable that merges the stereo to mono concern coming out of the PC.

 

With no remote cable for the TI to control the pause function of the cassette playback, you have to time the point where you press enter on the 4A to start loading, and hit play on the cassette/audio stream. There was usually a bit of a lead in. I haven't looked at any of the community archives of .wav files... if they start the audio immediately, then you probably want to give the TI a second before pressing play on the PC or other audio source. 

 

The original question was about ToD and .wav files specifically, but there is also tech around PC or web programs that produce a .wav from TI BASIC code text typed into a PC. I'd think that should be in the FAQ as well. I've not used them, personally. 

 

 

[+OLD CS1]

Reading WAVs into the TI is covered sparsely throughout the forum, and nothing that specifically says "use the white connector" that I can recall.  So, in short, the white connector is the speaker output from the cassette player.  The TI does expect speaker-level inputs, so the headphone output of most MP3 players, phones, computers, &c. is usually JUST BARELY enough to register on the TI.  As well, almost all of those outputs are attenuated or limited to protect hearing.  I found I had to use a USB sound "card" with certain equalization settings in VLC to make it work.  YMMV.

[+arcadeshopper]

On 2/18/2023 at 9:14 AM, jedimatt42 said:

But the topic in the fact doesn't reference cassette and wav at all, so even in there it isn't obvious... https://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/ti-99-4a-faq-transfer-files-to-my-ti-from-my-pc/  

 

And this is pretty terse - https://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/ti-99-4a-faq-cassette-faq/  

 

I imagine there isn't much written about this because it's pretty straightforward. Old school real-time audio work. There are no special tricks. Such perseverance. 

 

I've heard anecdotal information about mp3 or wav from cell-phone not working well. And the actual original question isn't in the FAQ in any form. The hint in the FAQ about high volume is what we always hear. HIGH without clipping. 

 

Assuming your old TI cassette deck still works, you should be able to play the audio from your PC with a stereo headphone to mono cable and record it right onto your cassette deck. Press record on the deck, then hit play on the PC. PC software like Audacity is what I'd try first for playing with any .wav file. 

 

If you don't have a cassette deck, then the FAQ cassette page has a link for building the cable and you can likely adapt that to building a cable that merges the stereo to mono concern coming out of the PC.

 

With no remote cable for the TI to control the pause function of the cassette playback, you have to time the point where you press enter on the 4A to start loading, and hit play on the cassette/audio stream. There was usually a bit of a lead in. I haven't looked at any of the community archives of .wav files... if they start the audio immediately, then you probably want to give the TI a second before pressing play on the PC or other audio source. 

 

The original question was about ToD and .wav files specifically, but there is also tech around PC or web programs that produce a .wav from TI BASIC code text typed into a PC. I'd think that should be in the FAQ as well. I've not used them, personally. 

 

 

it says.. hook up your pc to the cable, make sure the volume is loud.. pretty much it.. if your pc has any sound modifiction/filters..turn them off

[bradhig1]

I have a finalgrom99 coming.   I need a tape player with a microphone.  My sony TC-100 doesn't have a built in one.

[+OLD CS1]

28 minutes ago, bradhig1 said:

I have a finalgrom99 coming.   I need a tape player with a microphone.  My sony TC-100 doesn't have a built in one.

You do not need a built-in microphone to use with the TI.  When you plug in an external mic, or the mic lead from the TI, the physical microphone is disabled, anyway.  You do, however, need a cassette recorder with the mic input or else you will not be able to save your programs from the TI to tape.

[bradhig1]

I used a microphone on my old gaming headset to record the wav file of tunnels of doom quest for the king.  I hear it screeching ,but I keep getting no data found.

[bradhig1]

Now when I try to record the wav file I only hear a hum on the tape.  Every mic I saw at the theft stores had a jack that was too big to plug to my recorder. 

Edited February 23, 2023 by bradhig1

[+Ksarul]

30 minutes ago, bradhig1 said:

Now when I try to record the wav file I only hear a hum on the tape.  Every mic I saw at the theft stores had a jack that was too big to plug to my recorder. 

The key to your problem is probably your attempt to use an actual microphone here. If you take the sound OUT from your PC and connect it to the microphone IN on your cassette player, you will have much better results. This is basically a straight cable with an audio plug on both ends, no actual microphone needed. You may still have issues if the PC lowers the output levels (some do) or if the original WAV file was recorded at a low level. Sometimes, adjusting the input volume on the recorder helps (I generally start at max and slowly work my way down on subsequent attempts).

[bradhig1]

I don't have a cable with audio plugs on both ends.

[RickyDean]

7 hours ago, bradhig1 said:

I don't have a cable with audio plugs on both ends.

Walmart or another store, such as a phone store, should have what you need.

[bradhig1]

I got my cable today and was able to play Tunnels of Doom Quest for the King. It has multi colored doors unlike the emulators where the bars on the doors are all white.

Edited February 28, 2023 by bradhig1

[bradhig1]

Now I can't transfer Robochase.  It starts reading it in and after one block it says error detected in data.

[+OLD CS1]

Can you post a photo of your setup, demonstrating how you are connecting the tape player to the TI?

[bradhig1]

I fixed it.  I was playing the wav files through media player which altered them somehow.  When I clicked on them on the whtech.com website they work fine.  There is a buggy version of camel there I downloaded.  Is there a way to download basic games through emulators? There are some not on that site that I want like Evac Pod from Home Computer Magazine.

[+OLD CS1]

Classic99 can load from a program wav file when mounted as a tape.

[+Ksarul]

7 hours ago, OLD CS1 said:

Classic99 can load from a program wav file when mounted as a tape.

I think the question was is there any emulator that moves files in the opposite direction: from disk file to WAV. Do we actually have that capability anywhere except on real iron?

[+mizapf]

MAME, for sure. Just save the program to CS1 as you'd expect it. The only issue is that MAME produces a square wave output, not the - don't know the proper name - needle-like output. I seem to remember that the resulting WAV can be read by the emulator without problems, but there may be some issues when loading on real iron.

[bradhig1]

I don't know how to use tapes in classic99.  several files in the whtech.com rawwavfiles directory at the top are readme , runme!! ,and they don't work. I get program error check program in memory.  I don't have extended basic.

[+OLD CS1]

25 minutes ago, bradhig1 said:

I don't know how to use tapes in classic99.

Again, in the documentation.

[bradhig1]

I needed a new version.  The version in the TI 99 4A gamebase didn't have that option

 

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[bradhig1]

Is there a way to copy the custom Tunnels Of Doom games off the disk image in gamebase to a tape so I can play them on my TI994A?  Arcadeshopper.com is out of the real iron tunnels of doom collection.