Notes on using Console Writer cart w/Nanopeb

[newTIboyRob]

For a likely very small group that may find this useful, from a little curiosity, experimentation and the knowledge I acquired from playing with the Personal Records Keeping cart, turns out you actually can save and load files with the Console Writer cart and Nanopeb combo, contrary to what I once believed and mentioned. It's the same procedure I used for my post "Notes on using Personal Records Keeping cart w/Nanopeb." Here's an adapted reprint: 

 

Now I'm not saying this is the only way to do things. But I am saying that this was at least one way I got it to work, when premounting preformatted volumes and using DSK1 and DSK2 ultimately just did not. I actually had success by reserving DSK 3 Vol 3 for Console Writer Data Files.

 

• With the Console Writer cart in, assuming you have Vol. 3 free on the Nanopeb, first do a CALL MOUNT (3,3) in TI BASIC.
• Reset the TI, do your Console Writer word processing work, and from the SAVE document part on the main menu, type DSK3.YOURFILE name with no quotes

 

When I reset the TI, I was able to successfully load and print a Console Writer data file from Volume 3 this way, with the other files on Volume 3 unaffected. Your Console Writer data files will display on the VCATALOG's Vol. 3.

 

The only snag here, as with the PRK data files on Vol.3,  is that you won't be able to tell from which program they initiated. But a simple pen and paper note taking or typing a clue within the file name at saving time takes care of that.  Hopefully someone finds this helpful. 

 

***** One important thing to mention here... a word of warning... I was only able to save the first file this way, and when I tried a new file save, the program went, as the literal word it says in the manual, "bonkers."  (disk controller confusion, etc.)

 

 

Edited February 18 by newTIboyRob

[newTIboyRob]

So this should be my last post on this thread. The answer all along here was "you can" but "you really shouldn't" actually. Can you get it to work with the Nanopeb?  Yes, I did that. Is it unreliable?  Totally.  I tried just 2 more attempts, figuring 3 strikes and you're out, using DSK2, and this time with a correctly formatted Vol 52, and a CALL (2,52) premount in TI Basic.  I created a file, tried to save, saw the yellow Nanopeb drive activity light a'flashin' and then... poof... the program indeed went "bonkers" just like the manual warned. It was kind of a cool colored bonkers though!  Ironically, it did save the file to Vol 52 as shown on the VCATALOG (though listed w/ an error), and when I tried to load it back, nada. So the other time I did have success above was likely a fluke. Talk about hit or miss though.

 

Conclusion: If you want to use the cart to actually save anything, I never thought I'd say this... but an actual good tape recorder is the safer bet, because it takes the disk controller conflict out of the equation, thus is safer in this scenario.  Of course, if you find another solution to get the cart to work smoothly with the Nanopeb, please, by all means, do post, because that would be somethin'.

 

 

Edited February 18 by newTIboyRob

[newTIboyRob]

Just one longshot afterthought on this...

 

Is it possible to actually "mod" the program itself on the chip inside the cart to allow it to facilitate use with the Nanopeb?   If no, then this indeed is a dead end using the cart reliably, in essence, at all, with the Nanopeb.

Luckily, I've now moved on to the TI-Writer and do like that one as well, but Console Writer was much less complex to use though was more limited in function.