Kchula-Rrit Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 While trying my cartridge-to-breadboard adapter, I got this screen upon startup: What does it mean? The F18A is an original from 2012, not upgraded, in a silver-and-black console. When I unplugged the adapter the computer started normally. My adapter is this. I was using one of those fancy 80-pin IDE cables to connect to a couple of logic gates on the breadboard. K-R. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 15 minutes ago, Kchula-Rrit said: While trying my cartridge-to-breadboard adapter, I got this screen upon startup: What does it mean? The F18A is an original from 2012, not upgraded, in a silver-and-black console. When I unplugged the adapter the computer started normally. My adapter is this. I was using one of those fancy 80-pin IDE cables to connect to a couple of logic gates on the breadboard. K-R. @matthew180 is the creator of the F18A and the code, so he should be able to assist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OLD CS1 Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 IIRC, that means the F18A has started up but the console has not. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 first it means you need to upgrade your f18a.. second means your f18a has started but your computer is hung prior to initializing the vdp.. something in that board is holding reset or making something else unhappy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shift838 Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 1.9 is the latest. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kchula-Rrit Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 Thanks for the help. I downloaded v1.9 and, used the dsk2cf program that came with my NanoPEB to copy the disk image to a CF board. Got "permissions" errors trying to verify any files in it with TI99-Dir on my WinXP and Win7 systems (hate OSes that don't let you access your own hardware). The Win98 machine has a CF reader in it with drivers, but I have to make a USB adapter to use it. Now I'm not sure my console is entirely trustworthy. I get the green screen again, with flashing letters and symbols, like the "light show" on an old CGA/EGA display when a program crashed. Or I get a blank screen. Right now the console is belly-up on my work-table, getting the cartridge port glop-applicator removed. I've cleaned the fingers on my cartridges, on theory the cartridge-port glop is affecting their operation. I'll post my results. K-R. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew180 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 As others have mentioned, the V1.3 firmware is old and is the original release from 2012. There have been many updates with the latest being V1.9 (also mentioned). However, do NOT update if you console is not stable. At the very least you need a reliable system. The updater tries really hard to not brick the board, but if you lose power at the wrong time it is possible. If that happens you will need have it updated via JTAG (we can discuss those options if it comes to that). When you see that "green screen" (as it has been called), that means (as OLDCS1 mentioned) that the F18A is powered up, the FPGA has loaded its configuration and is operational, but the host computer has not tried to talk to the VDP. You can basically consider seeing that screen as a way to know that the F18A is working, but your host computer is not working. Garbage on the screen would suggest that the computer is trying to talk to the VDP, but there is corruption somewhere. When you are making your own hardware, you need to be careful with the 99/4A cartridge port. There are some odd signals like the reset circuit that is exposed to the port. Also, make sure any external devices like the NanoPEB, CF7, Tipi, etc. are using their own external power. People making expansion devices seem to ignore the power consumption aspect of their project devices, and the 99/4A power supply was only designed to power the motherboard and one cartridge (and I suppose the speech synth). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kchula-Rrit Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 (edited) Thanks for the advice, matthew180. The update is on hold, for now, with the demise of my Ed/Asm cartridge. I had removed the board from the case to put a chip clip on it for my logic analyzer. I checked supply voltages on the port using a Shift838 cartridge-breakout board; all were okay, except for +5V being at 4.8. While checking the system after the green screen I think I plugged the Ed/Asm board wrong-side-up. Now it doesn't work. Blasto, Ext-BASIC, and Disk Manager started up, as does console BASIC. I'd have gladly traded Blasto for Ed/Asm! The green screen happened while I was using a cartridge-to-breadboard adapter that I had drawn-up and had boards made. It worked okay until I connected some ICs to it on the breadboard. That's when I got the green screen. Figuring I had broken something, I pulled the adapter from the cartridge port and tried to start the system and got the standard TI boot screen. The system is run off of an external 3-output supply, a Mean Well RT-65A that puts out +/-5V and +12V. It's rated for 6 amps on the +5V line, so I power the NanoPEB off of it as well. Disk Manager was able to read the Compact Flash. The setup seems to work; I had set the V1.9 upgrade disk image as DSK3 and was able to catalog it to see the upgrade files in it. I have a FinalGROM to try but it's always been kind of flakey. The board looks twisted inside the case. K-R. Edited January 24 by Kchula-Rrit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kchula-Rrit Posted January 28 Author Share Posted January 28 While looking around Fred Kaal's Web-site, I ran across these Ed-Assem ROM images in the modules page: Editor/Assembler II r2 Editor/Assembler III r2 Editor/Assembler IV r4 The pages indicate that it is available for a "64K Green Board" "inverted" ROM cartridge "v03c". i happen to have one of these sitting on my work table. Anyone tried running running the F18A updater with this program? K-R. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 47 minutes ago, Kchula-Rrit said: While looking around Fred Kaal's Web-site, I ran across these Ed-Assem ROM images in the modules page: Editor/Assembler II r2 Editor/Assembler III r2 Editor/Assembler IV r4 The pages indicate that it is available for a "64K Green Board" "inverted" ROM cartridge "v03c". i happen to have one of these sitting on my work table. Anyone tried running running the F18A updater with this program? K-R. probably work fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kchula-Rrit Posted January 28 Author Share Posted January 28 Thanks! I'll try it and post my result. K-R. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kchula-Rrit Posted February 8 Author Share Posted February 8 (edited) After finding my console had 4 Volts on the +5V line and fixing it, I was finally able to run the update. My "real" Ed/Assem cartridge died, so I used Fred Kaal's Editor/Assembler II r2 to do the update. The update worked and the F18A works great. K-R. Edited February 8 by Kchula-Rrit 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew180 Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Excellent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kchula-Rrit Posted February 8 Author Share Posted February 8 (edited) Almost... While I was putting the computer back together, my keyboard cable decided to snap. I wonder if the F and U keys were a "message"... A replacement cable has been ordered from the arcadeshopper Web-site. Thanks for the assistance and encouragement! K-R. Edited February 8 by Kchula-Rrit 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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