Merry Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas everyone!

I'm enjoying my time off this week being with the family. The last few days I have been reading several books, including Terry Brooks, Terry Pratchet, Marvel Defenders, and reading various Koine Greek manuscripts. Not much on the front of coding or working on computers - but have been eating a lot of cookies as my daughter has spent several days cooking them.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Years!

Why should you program in Assembly Language?

A) What are the two biggest benefits of using assembly language?

  As a general rule of thumb, there are a number of benefits.
    1 Faster Execution - 
      First, some assemblers are faster than others, but they are almost always 
      faster than higher level languages.
      
      Importantly, one of the main advantages of assembly language is that it 
      can produce very fast and efficient code. This is based on the fact that 
      assembly language is close to the machine code that the processor executes. 
      
      Assembly language eliminates the need for a mid level compiler stages or 
      interpreter that translates high-level languages into machine code. This 
      reduces the overhead and latency that can affect the performance of a 
      program. 
      
      Assembly language can also take advantage of the specific features and 
      capabilities of the processor (CPU) it was built for, such as registers, 
      flags, and instructions, that may not be available or optimized in high-level 
      languages.
      
    2 Smaller Size
      One of the main advantages of using assembly language for hardware or kernel 
      programming is that it allows you to write code that is fast and efficient. 
      Assembly language gives you full control over the hardware resources, such 
      as memory, CPU, and I/O devices. You can optimize your code to use the least 
      amount of instructions, cycles, and bytes, and avoid unnecessary overhead or 
      abstraction. This can improve the performance, reliability, and power 
      consumption of your hardware program.
    
B) Are all assembly languages the same?

  No, they differ in several areas.  Instruction labels can differ to what 
  resgisters are looked at for functions.   Some assember languages are just a 
  little faster than others.  Even the format itself differs from assembler 
  toolset to the next - even to the point of data space formatting.

Small list of 80 computer emulators:

List of 80 computer emulators on a web browser:


The TI-99/4A
https://js99er.net/#/

The Apple II
https://www.scullinsteel.com/apple2/

The Commodore C64
https://retrogamecoders.com/c64-emulator/

The Commodore PET
https://retrogamecoders.com/pet-emulator/





Firewire!

More on some of the computers in my home lab.

I have some weird computers in my lab.  Here is My Android RCA Viking Pro sitting on top of my my HP file server.  The RCA is used mostly for testing.

 This is my first Apple Mac OSX computer I ever purchased that I still use today and is still working great.  I use it mostly for compiling software.

New office/computer lab done!

My new office/computer lab is done!

This is my 7 to 1 KVM setup that I spent only $83 on. It manages all but two of my computers and soon my C64. Video connections left to right - ThinkPad, HP, TI-99/4A, Atari, Mac OSX

Then I have my HP media server and my RCA android dev computer.  

New desk, cabinets, and book shelves. 

Macro Assembler versus "Computer Intro!" Assembler for Odyssey2

First, lets look at the Macro Assembler "Hello World"

  cpu   8048              ; using the Intel 8048 CPU
  org   400h
  include "g7000.h"       ; common developer header
  jmp   myinit            ; go directly to myinit and skip start screen
  jmp   irq
  jmp   timer             ; required to have here, but not to use
  jmp   vsyncirq
  jmp   start             ; start of the app code 
  jmp   soundirq

myinit
  call init

timer
                          ; not used

start
  call gfxoff             ; turn off graphics mode while we paint
  mov r0,#vdc_char0       ; using #0 of the graphic character set
  mov r3,#20h             ; set the x
  mov r4,#20h             ; set the y
  mov r2,#0Bh             ; set to 11 characters long
  mov r1,#hellostr & 0FFh ; point to the string we will read 0FF is the terminator

loop
 mov a,r1                 ; move character into the accumulator
 movp a,@a                ; memory move the accumulator
 mov r5,a                 ; put the accumulator into register 5 where the call 
                          ; to vdc_char0 is stored to display
 inc r1                   ; ready for next character
 mov r6,#col_chr_white    ; register 6 is where vdc_char0 looks for color
 call printchar           ; display character
 djnz r2,loop             ; is register 2 in loop at 11 yet, if not continue loop
 call gfxon               ; turn on graphics mode
 
 stop
  jmp   stop

hellostr
  db   1Dh, 12h, 0Eh, 0Eh, 17h, 0Ch
  db   11h, 17h, 13h, 0Eh, 1Ah

Now lets look at "Computer Intro!" Assembler for Odyssey²

00 6B LDV.B.00       ;Load display register B with position 00
01 00
02 60 LDV.0.00       ;load register 0 with NULL
03 00
04 6C LDV.C.12       ;Load data space register C with step 12
05 12
06 09 MOV            ;Move data space to accumulator
07 30 BEQ.0.24       ;If NULL goto end
08 24
09 0B OTA            ;Display accumulator
10 12 GTO.06         ;go back to move at step 06   
11 06
12 1D                ;H  Start of data space
13 12                ;E
14 0E                ;L
15 0E                ;L
16 17                ;O
17 0C                ;space
18 11                ;W 
19 17                ;O
20 13                ;R
21 0E                ;L
22 1A                ;D
23 00                ;NULL  end of string
24 00 NOP            ;No operation, just a place to land

Both Hello Worlds have major differences while working mostly the same and using the same character set.

Less than a week

Less than a week before I get my new office/computer play ground (if you will).
I will have new cabinets, desk, storage, wire management, conduit, network switches, monitor switches, USB hubs and switches, ect....

I'm becoming quite familiar with the Magnavox Odyssey² computer and realizing it is well within my means to create software for it now. I'm hoping to create one of the best manuals for this also.

http://mrgibson.com/

Hello World Examples from different 80's platforms

Programming in the 80's, every platform had to be differnt.

Odyssey2 Computer Intro! Assembler has multiple ways of 
displaying Hello World, here is one.

00 6B LDV.B.00  ;Load display register B with position 00
01 00
02 60 LDV.0.00  ;load register 0 with NULL
03 00
04 6C LDV.C.12  ;Load data space register C with step 12
05 12
06 09 MOV       ;Move data space to accumulator
07 30 BEQ.0.24  ;If NULL goto end
08 24
09 0B OTA       ;Display accumulator
10 12 GTO.06    ;go back to move at step 06   
11 06
12 1D           ;H  Start of data space
13 12           ;E
14 0E           ;L
15 0E           ;L
16 17           ;O
17 0C           ;space
18 11           ;W 
19 17           ;O
20 13           ;R
21 0E           ;L
22 1A           ;D
23 00           ;NULL  end of string
24 00 NOP       ;No opperation, just a place to land

TI-99/4 and TI-99/4A BASIC

10 CALL CLEAR
20 PRINT "HELLO WORLD"


ATARI 8-bit (400/800/800XL/130XE) BASIC

10 PRINT CHR$(125)
20 PRINT "HELLO WORLD"

Commodore VIC 20 BASIC

10 PRINT "{CLRSCN}"
20 PRINT "HELLO WORLD"

Commodore 64 BASIC

10 PRINT CHR$(147)
20 PRINT "HELLO WORLD"

IBM AT GW-BASIC

10 CLS
20 PRINT "HELLO WORLD"

joystick programming with Odyssey2

I wrote a couple of examples of joystick programming with Odyssey²'s Computer Intro! cart.
I also added this function to my o2 programming manual for Computer Intro!
http://mrgibson.com/o2man.php

Super simple version Joystick test
STEP HEX  Assembler Remarks
00   6B   LDV.B.05  ;sets display position with Register B
01   05             ;loading 05 for position to register B
02   0A             ;grab joystick status and save to accumulator
03   B1   UNP.1     ;Unpack to Register 1 and 2
04   C1   OUT.1
05   C2   OUT.2
06   00   NOP       ;No Operation, to cut on flicker
07   12   GTO.00    ;Goto step 00
08   00

shows characters for values of UP, Down, and Center
STEP HEX  Assembler Remarks
                    ;Set our fixed values
00   61   LDV.1.FF  ;set register 1 with value
01   FF             ;FF for center stick
02   62   LDV.2.FE  ;set register 2 with value
03   FE             ;FE for stick up
04   63   LDV.3.FB  ;set register 3 with value
05   FB             ;FB for stick down 
06   6D   LDV.D.23  ;set register D with value
07   23             ;23 Hex for C
08   6E   LDV.E.15  ;set register E with value
09   15             ;15 Hex for U
10   6F   LDV.F.1A  ;set register F with value
11   1A             ;Hex for D
                    ;this is our loop start, always resetting to position 5
12   6B   LDV.B.05  ;sets display position with Register B
13   05             ;loading 05 for position to register B
14   0A             ;grab joystick status and save to accumulator
15   31   BEQ.1.23  ;check if Accumulator and Register 1 are equal
16   23
17   32   BEQ.2.26  ;check if Accumulator and Register 2 are equal
18   26
19   33   BEQ.3.29  ;check if Accumulator and Register 1 are equal
20   29
21   12   GTO.12
22   12             ;Goto/loop back to step 12
23   CD   OUT.D     ;Display C for center from Register D 
24   12   GTO.12    ;set goto
25   12             ;Goto/loop back to step 12
26   CE   OUT.E     ;Display U for up from Register E
27   12   GTO.12    ;set goto
28   12             ;Goto/loop back to step 12
29   CF   OUT.E     ;Display D for down from Register F
30   12   GTO.12    ;set goto
31   12             ;Goto/loop back to step 12

Adding 6th and 7th computer to my lab

New to the lab, but not new to the household is the Apple Mac. This Apple computer has not been used in a while, taken out of storage, and dusted off.


Also new to the lab, but not household, an RCA computer. I know nothing about this RCA, just found it in my old computer storage. At one time I must have purchased it for one of my daughters as it is hot pink. lol It is a "Viking Pro RCA"


So my lab now has three Windows boxes, RCA (Android Linux), TI-99/4A, Atari 400, and an Apple.


I have also added a backend ethernet network and file server to easily share files between the machines without being public and using up wi-fi resources.


Plus setting up a new KVM. the HP server, RCA, and Apple will share a large monitor while the TI-99, Atari, HP laptop and Lenovo laptop share a monitor.

Went book shopping and picked up Terry

Spent some time with my two oldest kids today at the book barn in Forsyth IL. Picked up three books for my Terry Brooks and Terry Goodkind collection.

- Pillars of Creation by Terry Goodkind
- Confessor by Terry Goodkind

and

- Dark Wrath of Shannara by Terry Brooks


Lastly, I purchased the eBook, Indomitable by Terry Brooks that is between the Wishsong and Dark Wrath.

That is the most high-fantasy books I have purchased in one day in a while. 

My collection listing can be seen at http://mrgibson.com/tbtg/

Dungeon Crawler : Hell's Halls

From the software packaging:

A Perilous Quest
In search of gold and glory, you travel to a dungeon.
It's said incredible wealth hides within the crypts
men call Hell's Hall.

But evil touches all who enter.

Hell's Halls

The Dungeon Awaits

A TI BASIC dungeon adventure for the TI-99/4 and
TI-99/4A home computers. Explore a dangerous
catacomb, collect treasure, and find its evil master.

I found a newer dungeon crawler called Hell's Halls that was released in 2022 by PixelPedant.  The game is only released for the TI-99/4A and for TI-BASIC (standard).  The game cost $10 for the full digital version or free for the first half of the game.

The way the game was created was quite creative, putting as much punch out of the system that a base unmodified TI-99 with only BASIC can muster.

This adventure type game is full of rewards, traps, and obstacles - all making your points go up and down as you play.  Each level/Floor is identified by a color, starting with white stone blocks.  There are four levels/floors and you race against the clock to get to the final exit before time runs out and you're trapped there forever.

 The game is mostly about efficiency and survival and the dungeon master makes sure you know time is your enemy.

The floors are randomized every game, so no two games are the same.

The free WAV file can be downloaded here: https://pixelpedant.com/hh/HALLS-MAIN.wav

The full digital download ($10) and the physical media ($25) can be purchased here:

https://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/store/#!/Pixelpedant-Software/c/143941511
 

More on 80s math processing.

I can see why Atari was so frustrated in the 80s. They were making better 8-bit and 16-bit computers than IBM and Apple for a whole lot less.



How were they better? First lets look at simple number storage in memory.

Here is IBM with a 16-bit Intel processor with Microsoft's GW-BASIC. This would have been standard with the 8086, 286, 386 processors.






With IBM, there are two interesting things going on. First, only 8 places after the decimal point is stored for processing and display.  Secondly, even in the code, the hard coded numbers past the 17th spot are cut off.

Next, I tried with the TI-99/4A. I had gotten some pretty good responses with math on this computer. The TI-99 has a 16-bit TMS9900 CPU also (the first home computer to ever to be 16-bit)




>LIST                         

 100 TEST=.123456789123456789 

 200 PRINT TEST               
>RUN                          

  .1234567891                 

  ** DONE **                  

The TI-99/4A has neither problem the IBM has.  All numbers are stored and the TI-99 display 10 digits behind the decimal.

With Atari's 8-bit MOSS 6802 CPU, we get a little bit better response than the IBM, but not much.
The better is we get 9 decimal places to work with instead of IBM's 8. Unfortunately, the hard coded value also get's changed:





100 TEST=.1234567891123456789    
200 PRINT TEST                   
RUN                              

0.123456789                      

                                 

READY                            

LIST                             

100 TEST=0.123456789             

200 PRINT TEST                   

                                 

READY                            

One additional decimal place (9) and the 0 before the decimal.

I would love to see how the Atari ST 520 , Apple Mac, or the Apple IIe stacked up against these three.

But back to the TI-99/4A.  Why did it do better than the 16 bit intel IBM computers and the 8-bit Atari computers?

Key points about the TI-99/4A's math capabilities:

First, it had an advanced (for it's time) 16-bit CPU for processing. Unlike most other home computers at the time which were 8-bit, the TI-99/4A's 16-bit processor allowed for more complex calculations with greater precision. But it still beat the x86 (that was also a 16-bit CPU).  

Although I would love to, I have not compared the TI-99/4A to computers that used the 6800 CPU.

But the TI-99/4A had another trick, The TI-99 computers had a dedicated floating-point unit. The TI-99/4A had a dedicated hardware component for handling floating-point operations, which significantly improved the speed and accuracy of mathematical calculations. 

Optimized floating-point format:

The way the TI-99/4A represented floating-point numbers internally was specifically designed for efficiency, further enhancing its mathematical performance. 

Program a SS and Compare BASICs (and stuff)

I have changed my mind.  My next project is going to be a multiplatform spreadsheet in BASIC.  This would not be the first time I have programmed a spreadsheet, but the last time I programmed it in C for Windows and Linux.  This time it will see how well I can make a SS for older computers like Atari 800, TI-99/4A, and old DOS computers.

First to see what I am dealing with, I did a math accuracy test:

100 PRINT ATN(5)
RUN

TI-99/4A TI BASIC         displays 1.373400767
Atari 400/800/800XL/130XE displays 1.37340076
IBM PC GW-BASIC/PC-BASIC  displays 1.373401



My guess is Microsoft purposely chose this accuracy level to promote paid products.

The cable I purchased has worked really well. still factory sealed, from 1979! Just opened it, looks, feels, and smells like brand new! I dumped a hundred TI-99/4A WAV files on my virtual tape drive and it is great!

So another successful experiment with my TI-99/4A 

BASIC Manuals

Now that I have both my Atari Computer and My Texas Instruments Computer hooked up to the KVM system, I plan on doing even more programming on them this winter.



So this weekend, I started writing two BASIC programming manuals, one for each system.

For the TI-99/4A
http://mrgibson.com/TI/Basic.php

For the Atari 800/800XL/800XE
http://mrgibson.com/atari/atari_basic.php

I got a lot done with both manuals, and have a lot of useful information, but neither completed.

As soon as I have my PEB completed for my TI-99/4A, I plan on loading a lot of BASIC games on my website in both BASIC text and WAV file audio.

My next programming project will be to complete that slots program for the Atari computers.

This is my [virtual] PEB and tape drive for my TI-99/4A

This dusty looking computer is my [virtual] PEB and tape drive for my TI-99/4A

I thought about getting my self a PEB and tape drive for my TI-99/4A and then I thought to myself, "why?". Both of those things really suck. People put up with those because we had to back then. So, I'm using a PC for those purposes, and it is soooo much better!

My next few posts will be on this topic.

game controller geeking-out on TI

I spent a good chunk of time this weekend continuing working on the game controller stuff for the TI-99/4A. I built and tested several adapters. I then documented everything on my website here:

http://mrgibson.com/TI/CX30.php

Honestly, the Sega Genesis controller felt and responded the best on the TI-99.

The Atari Video Touch Pad is the least useful device. Because of the build of the internal circuit and how TI-99/4A reads joystick input - As far as I can tell, the best you can do with the device is get 6 of the 12 button to work on the TI-99/4A. Even at that, 3 buttons read at/on joystick 1 and 3 buttons read at/on joystick #2.  And that is only after building an adapter to redirect to different pins.

So for the time being, I'm considering this project done.

TI-99/4A slots in TI BASIC

Below is the slots code I wrote this summer for the TI-99/4A  I never finished the code for the Atari 800

1 REM Slots by Michael Gibson GPL 2024

3 call color(1,7,16)
5 call color(2,7,16)
10 call color(3,7,16)
15 call color(4,7,16)
20 call color(5,7,16)
25 call color(6,7,16)
30 call color(7,7,16)
35 call color(8,7,16)
40 call color(9,7,16)
45 call color(10,13,16)
50 call color(11,2,16)
55 call color(12,6,16)
60 call color(13,11,16)
65 call color(14,5,16)
70 call color(15,2,16)

71 REM number7
75 call char(92,"007F7F7070")
80 call char(93,"00FFFF0E0E1C3838")
85 call char(94,"00000001010307")
90 call char(95,"7070E0C0C0C0C0")

91 REM heart
95 call char(96,"00001C3E7F7F7F7F")
100 call char(97,"0000387CFEFEFEFE")
110 call char(98,"3F1F0F070301")
120 call char(99,"FCF8F0E0C080")

129 REM Cherry
130 call char(100,"00000000001F3F7F")
140 call char(104,"0000060810204080")
150 call char(101,"7F7F7F7F3F3F1F")
160 call char(102,"E0F0F0F0F0E0C0")

169 REM Bell
170 call char(112,"0000010101010101")
180 call char(113,"0000808080808080")
190 call char(120,"03070707070F0701")
200 call char(121,"C0E0E0E0E0F0E080")

209 REM Lemon
210 call char(128,"000000030F1F3FFF")
220 call char(129,"000000C0F0F8FCFF")
230 call char(130,"FF3F1F0F03")
240 call char(131,"FFFCF8F0C0")

249 REM Diamond
250 call char(105,"000103070F1F3F7F")
255 call char(106,"0080C0E0F0F8FCFE")
260 call char(107,"7F3F1F0F070301")
265 call char(108,"FEFCF8F0E0C080")

266 REM RED/GREEN 7
267 call char(134,"00000001010307")
268 call char(135,"7070E0C0C0C0C0")

269 REM BAR
270 call char(136,"00000000003F3F3F")
280 call char(137,"0000000000FCFCFC")
290 call char(138,"3F3F3F")
300 call char(139,"FCFCFC")

309 REM D-BAR
310 call char(140,"00003F3F3F3F")
320 call char(141,"0000FCFCFCFC")
330 call char(142,"003F3F3F3F3F")
340 call char(143,"00FEFEFEFEFE")

349 REM T-BAR
350 call char(144,"003F3F3F3F003F3F")
355 call char(145,"00FCFCFCFC00FCFC")
360 call char(146,"3F3F003F3F3F3F00")
365 call char(147,"FCFC00FCFCFCFC00")

369 REM SPADE
370 call char(148,"000103070F1F3F3F")
380 call char(149,"0080C0E0F0F8FCFC")
385 call char(150,"7F7F3F1B03070F")
390 call char(151,"FEFEFCD8C0E0F0")

391 REM black Diamond
392 call char(115,"000103070F1F3F7F")
393 call char(116,"0080C0E050A8FCFE")
394 call char(117,"7F3F1F0F070301")
395 call char(118,"FEFCF8F0E0C080")

396 REM slot window
397 call char(91, "FF00FFFF55AA55AA")
398 call char(103,"AA55AA55FF00FFFF")
399 call char(114,"1010101010101010")

410 RANDOMIZE
420 CALL CLEAR
425 call hchar(11,11,91,10)
426 call hchar(14,11,103,10)
427 call hchar(12,11,114,10)
428 call hchar(13,11,114,10)
430 C=12
440 FOR I=1 TO 3
450 PIC(I)=INT(17*RND)+1
460 ON PIC(I) GOSUB 840,900,960,1020,1080,1140,1200,1260,1320,1380,1450,1510,1570,1630,1690,1750,1810
470 C=C+3
480 NEXT I

490 REM Scoring
493 if PIC(1)=11 then 610
494 if PIC(1)=12 then 610
495 if PIC(1)=13 then 610
496 if PIC(1)=14 then 610
497 if PIC(1)=4 then 660
500 if PIC(1)<>PIC(2) then 520
510 if PIC(2)=PIC(3) then 700
520 if PIC(1)<>PIC(3) then 610
530 GOTO 650

610 REM Check middle
611 TOTAL=TOTAL-10
612 if PIC(2)=1 then 635
613 if PIC(2)=4 then 635
614 if PIC(2)=15 then 635

620 print "SORRY! YOU LOSE!"
625 GOTO 770

635 Print "MIDDLE WIN $20!"
637 TOTAL=TOTAL+30
640 goto 770

650 TOTAL=TOTAL+50
655 print "OUTER MATCH - YOU WON $50"
657 GOTO 770

660 TOTAL=TOTAL+20
665 print "1ST LEMON - YOU WON $20!"
670 GOTO 770

700 REM Jack POT
710 if PIC(1)=1 Then 730
720 Goto 750

730 TOTAL=TOTAL+500
740 Print "3 HEARTS JACKPOT! YOU WON $500"
745 GOTO 770

750 TOTAL=TOTAL+250
760 Print "3 OF A KIND JACKPOT! YOU WON $250"
770 print "CURRENT TOTAL: $";TOTAL
780 print "WANT TO PLAY AGAIN?"
790 PRINT "PRESS Y FOR YES"
800 CALL KEY(0,KEY,STATUS)
810 if STATUS=0 then 800
820 if KEY=89 then 410

830 End

840 REM 1 sel - draw heart
850 call hchar(12,C,96)
860 call hchar(12,C+1,97)
870 call hchar(13,C,98)
880 call hchar(13,C+1,99)
890 return

900 REM 2 sel - draw cherry
910 call hchar(12,C,100)
920 call hchar(12,C+1,104)
930 call hchar(13,C,101)
940 call hchar(13,C+1,102)
950 return

960 REM 3 sel - draw bell
970 call hchar(12,C,112)
980 call hchar(12,C+1,113)
990 call hchar(13,C,120)
1000 call hchar(13,C+1,121)
1010 return

1020 REM 4 sel - draw Lemon
1030 call hchar(12,C,128)
1040 call hchar(12,C+1,129)
1050 call hchar(13,C,130)
1060 call hchar(13,C+1,131)
1070 return

1080 REM 5 sel - draw Diamond
1090 call hchar(12,C,105)
1100 call hchar(12,C+1,106)
1110 call hchar(13,C,107)
1120 call hchar(13,C+1,108)
1130 return

1140 REM 6 sel - draw Bar
1150 call hchar(12,C,136)
1160 call hchar(12,C+1,137)
1170 call hchar(13,C,138)
1180 call hchar(13,C+1,139)
1190 return

1200 REM 7 sel - draw number7
1210 call hchar(12,C,92)
1220 call hchar(12,C+1,93)
1230 call hchar(13,C,94)
1240 call hchar(13,C+1,95)
1250 return

1260 REM 8 sel - draw double bar
1270 call hchar(12,C,140)
1280 call hchar(12,C+1,141)
1290 call hchar(13,C,142)
1300 call hchar(13,C+1,143)
1310 return

1320 Rem 9 sel - draw triple bar
1330 call hchar(12,C,144)
1340 call hchar(12,C+1,145)
1350 call hchar(13,C,146)
1360 call hchar(13,C+1,147)
1370 return

1380 REM 10 sel - draw spade
1390 call hchar(12,C,148)
1400 call hchar(12,C+1,149)
1410 call hchar(13,C,150)
1420 call hchar(13,C+1,151)
1440 return

1450 REM 11 sel - heart/Lemon
1460 call hchar(12,C,130)
1470 call hchar(12,C+1,131)
1480 call hchar(13,C,96)
1490 call hchar(13,C+1,97)
1500 return

1510 rem 12 sel lemon/bar
1520 call hchar(12,C,138)
1530 call hchar(12,C+1,139)
1540 call hchar(13,C,128)
1550 call hchar(13,C+1,129)
1560 return

1570 rem 13 sel diamond/7
1580 call hchar(12,C,107)
1590 call hchar(12,C+1,108)
1600 call hchar(13,C,92)
1610 call hchar(13,C+1,93)
1620 return

1630 rem 14 sel spade/diamond
1640 call hchar(12,C,150)
1650 call hchar(12,C+1,151)
1660 call hchar(13,C,105)
1670 call hchar(13,C+1,106)
1680 return

1690 REM 15 RED/GOLD 7
1700 call hchar(12,C,92)
1710 call hchar(12,C+1,93)
1720 call hchar(13,C,134)
1730 call hchar(13,C+1,135)
1740 return

1750 REM 16 Black Diamond
1760 call hchar(12,C,115)
1770 call hchar(12,C+1,116)
1780 call hchar(13,C,117)
1790 call hchar(13,C+1,118)
1800 return

1810 Rem 17 cherry/bell
1820 call hchar(12,C,120)
1830 call hchar(12,C+1,121)
1840 call hchar(13,C,100)
1850 call hchar(13,C+1,104)
1860 return

Non TI-99 game controllers on TI-99 part III

I have found and purchased a product that is going to make testing all the different DB9 (9-pin) game controllers on the TI-99/4A

With screw tightened connections, wire can be swapped easily to try different connections.  There are more condensed versions of these plugs, but for testing purposes only, I think this will work great.  

Additionally I now have the pinout of the Colecovision Flashback controllers. 

Pin  Use          

1    Down

3    Common/Ground

4    Up

8    Right

9    Left

It will take a while to get these parts to me via mail, so I'll pause this topic here.

Non TI-99 game controllers on TI-99 part II

After my "experiments" yesterday, I would like to make two adapters. One adapter would allow an
Atari CX-30 and Sega Genesis. The second Adapter would be fore the Atari Video Touch Pad. It is possible, only one would need to be made for all three of these.
TI-99 41 Joystick port
     ___________
    ( 1 2 3 4 5 )
     \ 6 7 8 9 /
# Use \_______/
- -------
1 not used
2 joystick 2 ground / common
3 Up
4 Fire button pressed
5 Left
6 not used
7 joystick 1 ground / common
8 Down
9 Right

Atari 2600 CX-30 Joystick port
     ___________
    ( 1 2 3 4 5 )
     \ 6 7 8 9 /
# Use \_______/
- -------
1 Up
2 Down
3 Left
4 Right
5 Paddle B
6 Trigger
7 +5 volts
8 ground / common
9 Paddle A

Sega Genesis Joystick port

     ___________

    ( 1 2 3 4 5 )

     \ 6 7 8 9 /

# Use \_______/

- -------

1 Up

2 Down

3 Left

4 Right

5 +5 volts

6 Button C / Trigger

7 ground / common

8 Select Button

9 Button B and A

TI-99 has one joystick port and the Atari 2600 has two joystick ports.

With the Atari 2600, on either controller, if  pin 8 to pin 4 is a closed circuit, the joystick is pushed Right.

With TI-99/4A if joystick #1 has a closed circuit with pin 7 to pin 9, the joystick #1 is pushed Right.

So from our experiments yesterday, it makes sense that only down worked for the CX-30 and genesis as this is the only mapping that is the same (except reversed) and had a closed circuit. 

So with this information, I should be able to make an adapter that would allow me to use two Atari CX-30 Joysticks or genesis controllers to the one TI-99/4A port.  But the easier (first option) would make 1 joy to 1 port for testing the concept.

Thinking though this, it looks like I would need to create a separate adapter for the touch pad.  By the mapping above, Button five would have done pin 2 and pin 5 for button 3 and pin 2 and pin 9 for button 4.  So I'm going to concentrate first on making a 1:1 CX-30 to TI-99 joystick port adapter.

Non-TI game controllers on a TI (no special adapters) - Part I

This post is about testing controllers on the TI-99/4A without adapters or special hardware. How am I testing? I wrote a super simple joystick read:

100 call joyst(1,x,y)
200 print x,y
300 goto 100

Next change the 1 to a 2 to test for the other controller.

1st, what about the Atari Video Touch pad?

Controller #1... nothing appears to send a valid signal. How about controller #2? With controller #2, two (2) buttons out of the 6 work. Button 4 sends the left control input and Button 5 sends the right control input. So mostly unusable, but if you wanted to make a game that only used left and right set for controller #2... it is something.

How about the Atari Joystick (original CX-30)?


Controller #1 reads nothing and Controller #2 only reads and sends out the down position. That is even worse and pretty much unusable.

Next I tried the 6 button Sega Genesis game pad. How did it do? Exactly the same as the Atari CX joystick. Only down on the controller #2 input.  Worthless. 



Next I tried the new Coleco controllers for the Colecovision Flashback. Controller 1 has two (2) buttons that worked and Controller 2 only had one. A failure.

No worries, I have more to test!
Next I have a Chinese NES knock off controller.
Controller #1 - nothing!
Controller #2 - nothing!

So next I'm going to try the Atari 7800 Pro controller (US). Don't have high hopes for this.


the 7800 controller was STRANGE.  It actually changed the mapping of the keyboard when I plugged it in!!!  Also, no inputs were registered.

using TI-99/4A for unusual tasks

 

Golf Discs and their numbers

In the post, I'm going to talk about the 5 primary characteristics of golf discs:
Weight, Speed, Glide, Turn, and Fade (plus a couple other traits):

disc showing speed, glide, turn, and fade

Weight of a disc:

Range: 100 grams to 200 grams
There are two weight classes:
1. 150 Class is the designation given to discs approved for play in Japan and other PDGA sanctioned events designated as 150 Class. All discs on the PDGA Approved list may be used in these competitions as long as their weight is 150 grams or lower.
2 .Standard Class is for disc 140-200 grams. This is what is used in most games and courses.

Most standard discs weigh between 150 and 180 grams, but there are some that weigh more and some less. Those outside of the 160-180 usually have specific purposes. for example, 144 gram discs for light throwing on calm days. The weight of your disc golf disc matters and can significantly affect the flight of your golf disc. Lighter discs take less effort to throw than heavy discs and as a result are often more accurate. However, light weight discs are also generally affected by wind more than heavy discs so you may find heavier discs can maintain a consistent path more effectively in windy weather. Discs weighing 180-200 grams are normally discs used for breezy or windy conditions
Disc weight summary
With PDGA standards, a disc must not weigh less than 100 grams and must not exceed 200 grams. Putters usually weigh between 170 and 175 grams. The average disc golf putter weight is 173 grams. Some people will use a 180 gram putters or even higher. Drivers will normally be 160 to 165 grams.

Speed of a disc:

Range: 1 to 14, with 1 being the slowest and 14 being the fastest
This is the speed a disc needs to be thrown for best performance. This is not the actual speed, but how hard the disc is to be thrown. Throwing below or above will alter the stated performance of the other numbers such as glide, turn, and fade.

Glide of a disc:

Range: 1 to 7, with 1 being the least glide and 7 being the best glide
In disc golf, glide is the term used to describe a disc’s determination to stay in the air. The higher the flight number, the more a disc wants to remain airborne, the longer potential fly for a longer distance. Discs with a Glide rating of 1 or 2 fall out of the air quickly and are more difficult to throw far.

Turn of a disc:

Range: -5 to +1
-5 will throw straighter and +1 with curve more. Depending on the path you need to throw will depend on what number you want to use.

Fade of a disc:

Range: The fade range for disc golf is 0 to 5
A number with 0 being the straightest finish and 5 being the hardest hook:
0: The disc will finish straightest and hook the least as it loses speed at the end of its flight.
5: The disc will hook the hardest as it loses speed at the end of its flight.


What about disc diameter size?
The golf discs used today are much smaller and heavier than traditional flying discs, typically about 21 centimeters (8.3 inches) to 22.86 centimeters (9 inches) in diameter and weighing between 150 and 180 grams. The PDGA prohibits any disc to be heavier than 200 grams. The maximum diameter for a disc golf disc approved by the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) is 30 centimeters (11.8 inches). The minimum diameter for a disc golf disc is 21 centimeters (8.3 inches).

What about disc diameter height?
The height of a golf disc varies depending on the type of disc, but typically ranges from 1.65 centimeters for a distance driver to 2.11 centimeters for a putter:
Average distance driver: 1.65 centimeters
Average fairway driver: 1.77 centimeters
Average Midrange: 1.97 centimeters
Average Putter: 2.11 centimeters (0.83 inches)

Evaluating NES games

Evaluating NES games with a Yes or No if they are worth loading on systems.

A few I tried today.

shuang xiang Pao            NO
sky destroyer
Solomon's Key           YES
Solomon's Key 2         YES
Stinger                 Yes
Trog                    Yes
Uncanny X-men                NO
Trolls in Crazyland     yes
Trolls island           yes
Wheel of Fortune        Yes
Werewolf                     NO
Western KIds
Wild Gunman                  NO, 
Willow                  YES
Willy & Right no Rockboard   NO
Win Loose Draw          Yes
Winter Games                 NO
Wits                    YES
Wazardary  [both]            NO
Wizardry II                  NO
Wizardry III                 NO
Wizards & Warriros      YES
Wizards & Warriors III  YES
WWF Wrestlemania steel  YES
WWF Wrestlemania chal   Yes
Xenophone               YES
Xevious - the avenger   YES
Xevious                 YES
Xexyz                   YES
Xiao Ma Li                   NO
Xing He Zhan Shi             NO - not playable if you can not read Japan
Xing Zhan Qing Yoan          NO - not playable if you can not read Japan
Xybots                  Yes  - but controls are hard to get used to
Yamamura Misa Suspense       NO - not playable if you can not read Japan
Yami no shigotonin Kage YES
Yasuda fire & Marine    Yes
Yie Ar Kunk-Fu          Yes
Ying Lie Qun            Yes
Ying Xiong Yan               No not playable
Yo! Noid                Yes
Yoshi                   Yes
Yoshi no Tamago              no duplicate of the US game
young ind jones         Yes (barely)
YS                      YES
YS III                  YES
Zanac                   Yes
Zelda II - Adv of Link  Yes 
Zelda no Densetsu 1          no Japan version of zelda
Zen Intergalactic Ninja YES
Zhan Guo Si                  No - just a bad Majon
Zhan Guo Si                  No - just a bad Majon
Zhi Li Xiao                  No - not playable 
Zhongguo                     NO - does not load
Zhuang QiU - Ball Story YES

Starting over again.

Started on my fourth iteration of my English/Greek Bible.

http://mrgibson.com/bible/

List of supported the Atari Gamestation Pro consoles

People on Facebook and Forums keep asking for a compatibility list for the AGSP, so I made one.
Default Firmware 1.10 and updated 1.20

Game Platform	file extension
Atari 2600	.a26
Atari 5200	.a52
Atari 7800	.a72
--
Nintendo Gameboy	.gb
Nintendo Gameboy Advance	.gba
Nintendo Gameboy Color	.gbc
Nintendo NES	.nes
--
Sega genesis	.bin
Sega cd	.bin/cue
--
TurboGrafx-16	.pce
--
Mame/arcade	.zip

Updated Firmware 1.30 adds

Game Platform	file extension
Nintendo Super NES	.sfc
--
Sega Master System	.sms

Updated Firmware 1.30c adds

Game Platform	file extension
Atari 400/800	.atr or .com
Atari ST games	zip, .st, .stx, .m3u
Atari Lynx
Atari Jaguar
CBM
PET
C64
Intellivsion
Oddyssey 2
ColecoVision

I have tested Atari 2600, 7800, NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis. I have tried over a hundred ROMs without a failure yet.

The Atari Gamestation pro

The Atari/MyArcade Gamestation pro has become my primary console. So much so, I'm thinking about shelving many of my other game consoles. I'm beginning to see this is an underrated console. The system plays Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Genesis, NES, SNES, Game Boy, MAME Arcade, as well as several other game systems. With Firmware "1.30c", there are ways of making Odyssey2 and Intellivision games run on the console. Really almost any 8-bit or 16-bit game console. Plus the amount of controllers that people have made run on the console is impressive too. If some could get PS1 and PS2 to run this would be my one console, but I'm not holding my breath as I really don't know the amount of horse power under the hood of this console.

As long as you put the games in the "Games" folder of the root of the micro SD card and use the correct extensions for the BIN/ROM file, the system plays thousands of different games across all these systems.

For example (not a complete list): .a26 for Atari 2600 .a52 for Atari 5200 .a78 for Atari 7800 .gb for Game Boy .gba for Game Boy Advanced .gbc for Game Boy Color .nes for NES .bin for Sega Genesis .gg for Sega Game Gear for updated firmware 1.30 [vendor] .sfc for Super Nintendo .sms for Sega Master System

Star Trek stuff...

Today's game pickup! 

 

This got me thinking, a Star Trek program from scratch would be a great coding project.

continued progress on the TI-99 Slots

logic and the code are pretty well flushed out and done. Still working on the graphics.

Here is the main loop of the code.

410 RANDOMIZE
420 CALL CLEAR
425 call hchar(11,13,91,8)
426 call hchar(14,13,103,8)
427 call hchar(12,13,114,8)
428 call hchar(13,13,114,8)
430 C=14
440 FOR I=1 TO 3
450 PIC(I)=INT(10*RND)+1
460 ON PIC(I) GOSUB 840,900,960,1020,1080,1140,1200,1260,1320,1380
470 C=C+2
480 NEXT I
490 REM Scoring
495 if PIC(1)=4 then 660
500 if PIC(1)<>PIC(2) then 520
510 if PIC(2)=PIC(3) then 700
520 if PIC(1)<>PIC(3) then 610
530 GOTO 650
610 TOTAL=TOTAL-10
620 print "SORRY! YOU LOSE!"
640 goto 770
650 TOTAL=TOTAL+40
655 print "YOU WON $40"
657 GOTO 770
660 TOTAL=TOTAL+20
665 print "LEMON - YOU WON $20!"
670 GOTO 770
700 REM Jack POT
710 if PIC(1)=1 Then 730
720 Goto 750
730 TOTAL=TOTAL+500
740 Print "JACKPOT! YOU WON $500"
745 GOTO 770
750 TOTAL=TOTAL+250
760 Print "JACKPOT! YOU WON $250"
770 print "CURRENT TOTAL: $";TOTAL
780 print "WANT TO PLAY AGAIN?"
790 PRINT "PRESS Y FOR YES"
800 CALL KEY(0,KEY,STATUS)
810 if STATUS=0 then 800
820 if KEY=89 then 410
830 End

TI-99 slots - first update on slot machine project

For the TI-99, I got a lot of programming and design done. Here are some of my notes on graphic design.

Notes for Gibson's TI-99 Vegas Slots

Nervous about memory limitations, as I suspect this code will be 
rather large. But if possible, there will be 10 slot graphics: 
- Number 7    - Red - uses color set 8
- Heart       - Red - uses color set 9
- Cherry      - Red with Green stem - uses color set 9 and 10
- Bell        - Blue with black handle
- Lemon       - Yellow 
- Diamond     - Green
- Bar         - Blue
- Double Bar  - Blue
- Triple Bar  - Black - uses color set 15
- Spade       - Black - uses color set 15 


If need be, I will back off the double and/or triple bar.

There will be 3 graphic slots

Each graphic will be 4 characters.


Number 7 - characters 92, 93, 94 95 

1234|1234|1234|1234
    |    |    |      1  00 00
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxxx  2  7F FF
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxxx  3  7F FF
 xxx|    |    |xxx   4  70 0E
 xxx|    |    |xxx   5  70 0E
    |    |   x|xx    6  00 1C
    |    |  xx|x     7  00 38
    |    |  xx|x     8  00 38
______________________
    |    | xxx|      1  00 70
    |    | xxx|      2  00 70
    |    |xxx |      3  00 E0
    |   x|xx  |      4  01 C0
    |   x|xx  |      5  01 C0
    |  xx|xx  |      6  03 C0
    | xxx|xx  |      7  07 C0
    |    |    |      8  00 00

===============================================

Heart - Characters 96, 97, 98, 99

1234|1234|1234|1234
    |    |    |      1  00 00
    |    |    |      2  00 00
   x|xx  |  xx|x     3  1C 38
  xx|xxx | xxx|xx    4  3E 7C
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   5  7F FE 
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   6  7F FE 
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   7  7F FE 
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   8  7F FE 
____________________
  xx|xxxx|xxxx|xx    1  3F FC
   x|xxxx|xxxx|x     2  1F F8 
    |xxxx|xxxx|      3  0F F0
    | xxx|xxx |      4  07 E0
    |  xx|xx  |      5
    |   x|x   |      6
    |    |    |      7  00 00
    |    |    |      8  00 00

=================================================
Cherry - Characters 100, 104, 101, 102

1234|1234|1234|1234
    |    |    |      1  00 00
    |    |    |      2  00 00
    |    |    | xx   3  00 06
    |    |    |x     4  00 08
    |    |   x|      5  00 10
   x|xxxx|  x |      6  1F 20
  xx|xxxx| x  |      7  3F 40
 xxx|xxxx|x   |      8  7F 80
____________________
 xxx|xxxx|xxx |      1  7F E0
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|      2  7F F0
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|      3  7F F0
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|      4  7F F0
  xx|xxxx|xxxx|      5  3F F0
  xx|xxxx|xxx |      6  3F E0
   x|xxxx|xx  |      7  1F C0
    |   |     |      9  00 00

===============================================
Bar - character 136, 137, 138, 139 - Blue

1234|1234|1234|1234
    |    |    |      1  00 00
    |    |    |      2  00 00
    |    |    |      3  00 00
    |    |    |      4  00 00
    |    |    |      5  00 00
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   6  3F FF
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   7  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   8  3F FC
______________________
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   1  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   2  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   3  3F FC
    |    |    |      4  00 00
    |    |    |      5  00 00
    |    |    |      6  00 00
    |    |    |      7  00 00
    |    |    |      8  00 00




Double Bar - character 140, 141, 142, 143 - Blue

1234|1234|1234|1234
    |    |    |      1  00 00
    |    |    |      2  00 00
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   3  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   4  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   5  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   6  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   7  3F FC
    |    |    |      8  00 00
______________________
    |    |    |      1  00 00
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   2  3F FF
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   3  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   4  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   5  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   6  3F FC
    |    |    |      7  00 00
    |    |    |      8  00 00

===============================

Triple Bar - character 144, 145, 146, 147 - Blue

1234|1234|1234|1234
    |    |    |      1  00 00
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   2  3F FF
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   3  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   4  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   5  3F FC
    |    |    |      6  00 00
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   7  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   8  3F FC
______________________
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   1  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   2  3F FC
    |    |    |      3  00 00
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   4  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   5  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   6  3F FC
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   7  3F FC
    |    |    |      8  00 00

===============================

Spade - character 148, 149, 150, 151 - Black

1234|1234|1234|1234
    |    |    |      1  00 00
    |   x|x   |      2  01 80
    |  xx|xx  |      3  03 C0
    | xxx|xxx |      4  37 E0
    |xxxx|xxxx|      5  0F F0
   x|xxxx|xxxx|x     6  1F F8
  xx|xxxx|xxxx|xx    7  3F FC
  xx|xxxx|xxxx|xx    8  3F FC
______________________
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   1  3F FE
 xxx|xxxx|xxxx|xxx   2  3F FE
  xx|xxxx|xxxx|xx    3  3F FC
   x|x xx|xx x|x     4  3F 
    |  xx|xx  |      5  3F 
    | xxx|xxx |      6  3F 
    |xxxx|xxxx|      7  0F F0 
    |    |    |      8  00 00

Do something a little different [coding]

I'm going to do something a little differnt and hopefully fun. I'm going to program a software slot machine, and hopefully a good one. Not only that, but I'm going to create 3 diffent code bases: one application for the Atari 8 Bit platform in Atari Basic, one application for the TI-99/4A 16 bit platform in TI-Standard Basic, and lastly one for the Microsoft/Intel 32 Bit platform in Microsoft Basic. As I Develop the notes, logic flow, bits of source code, graphic design, I will post the material on this blog. Eventually posting links to code.

Of course whatever I finalize, finish (or not finish), I will share as open source to share freely. I have already started this process first in my head, now in notepad. Hopefully, I will share material soon.

TI-99/4A tips and tricks

How to print memory:

at TI-BASIC command line, type:

1 m=m+8
2 gosub 1
run

The screen turns green and runs for a bit until the following error:

* memory full in 1 

Now type:

print m

-----------------------------------

Editing Tip

Using the delete function
Since the TI-99/4A doesn't have a backspace or delete key, you can hold 
down Function and press Cursor Left by pressing Function S. 

Then, continue holding down Function and press Delete (DEL) to delete the 
character to the left of the cursor.

Birthday Game Pickups!

I now have PS4 Spider Man and Genesis The Lost Vikings. Everything is pretty much checked off my lists now to be honest. I'm very fortunate. I was sooo stupid selling my original copy of The Lost Vikings in the first place and fortunate to finally find (via the hard work of my son) a version of this game

I also recieved a mini space invaders table top from my oldest daughter.

On my little spare time, I have been trying to update my game catalog that has grown significantly this year.

The TI-99/4A

Computer      TI-99/4A
Manufacturer  Texas Instruments

Media         ROM, cartridge, cassette, floppy disk

CPU           TMS9900 @ 3 MHz 16-bit

Memory        16 KB RAM default - can add 32k memory expansion
              256 bytes scratchpad RAM
              Despite having a 16-bit processor, standard TI can not use 64K or more of memory
              There are alterations to the TI that allow this.

Graphics      TMS9918A, TMS9918ANL 

Sound         TMS9919, later SN94624

Huge surprise today.

 I had a huge surprise today.  I picked up a light-6er with 39 cartridges and a original CX joystick.  Nine games came with boxes and all with manuals!  Big thank you to Dan H!

My game room catalog has not been updated in a LONG time.  With this acquisition, it is really out of date.

My game pickup today:

1 Stampede	2 Cosmic Ark	3 Venture	4 Dragster
5 Outlaw	6 Enduro	7 Pele's Socker	8 Street Racer
9 Night Driver	10 Carnival	11 Pitfall!	12 Tennis (Activison)
13 Atlantis	14 Breakout	15 Defender	16 Vanguard
17 Space War	18 Yars' Revenge	19 Missle Command	20 Air Sea Battle
21 Adventure	22 Battlezone	23 PAC-MAN	24 Casino
25 Galaxian	26 Video Olympics	27 Jungle Hunt	28 Home Run
29 Combat	30 Laser Blast	31 Star Voyager	32 Grand Prix
33 Donkey Kong	34 Blackjack	35 Dragon Fire	36 Haunted House
37 Super Breakout	38 Berzerk	39 Riddle of the Spinx

Another Pickup and more about last weeks Illinois Game Conference 2024

 I finally picked up KC munchkin for the Odyssey 2 this weekend.  My find list is now complete. I never owned that game, but it is the first game I played on that system.  Picked it up for $8 .

I have my TI-99/4A hooked up.  Let's face it -  How cool is it that in 1981 the TI had made a  computer with a16 bit processor and S-Video out!  Unlike everything else of that era, I don't need an RF demodulation.  Here is a photo of it hooked to a 60 inch monitor via HDMI. Better than that CRT TV I had when I was a kid.  But hey I guess it did me fine back then.

Here are some photos of my last week pickups. Yes there are duplicates of stuff I already owned, BUT, some of these are for display and not playing. The TI I had been wanting for some time.  Someone sold it to my for $60 and I could not turn that down.  Tore the TI down and apart - and it was amazingly clean on the inside.

And here are some pics of the Illinois Game Conference in Bloomington IL.  This conference was the best one yet! It has grown every year, so I'm curious about next years.