
Floppy Days 51 - TI99 Tech Specs, Modern Upgrades with Tursi
01/25/16 • 84 min
The TI-99/4A - Tech Specs, Peripherals, Modern Upgrades with Tursi
This show is a continuation of the on-going series about the TI-99/4A computer. In the last couple of episodes, I had TI-99 fans Jim Fetzner and Mark Wills on the show and interviewed them about their experiences with the TI-99 and then we covered the history of the machine. In this show, I have a new co-host, Mike Brent, better known as Tursi or Harmless Lion, the creator of the Classic 99 emulator and so much more. After a short interview with Tursi, we discuss the technical aspects of the TI-99, including the tech specs, peripherals, modern upgrades, and connectivity to modern computers. It’s an information-filled show, so I hope you enjoy it.
Before we get into that, I’ll discuss a few new vintage computer-related acquisitions that have come my way, give you the scoop on upcoming shows, and share with you a few pieces of feedback I’ve received about the show from listeners.
Links Mentioned in the Show:
Intro
- Bill Degnan’s VintageComputer.net - http://www.vintagecomputer.net
- Bill Degnan’s “History of Commodore Computers” Poster - http://www.vintagecomputer.net/poster_detail.cfm
New Acquisitions
- “The Future Was Here: The Commodore Amiga (Platform Studies)” - Jimmy Maher, The MIT Press - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0262017202/?tag=flodaypod-20
- Tiny Pascal for the TRS-80 Model I - https://archive.org/details/Tiny_Pascal_1982_Tandy
News
- Amigospodcast - http://www.amigospodcast.com/
- TRS-Box - Dropbox client for MISE/M3SE equipped TRS-80 - http://pski.net/trs-box/
Upcoming Shows
- VCF Southeast 4.0 - April 2 & 3 2016, Roswell, GA
- VCF East - April 15-17, 2016 - InfoAge Science Center, 2201 Marconi Rd., Wall, NJ, 07719 - http://www.vintagecomputerfederation.org/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/
- 25th Annual Last Chicago CoCoFest - http://www.glensideccc.com/cocofest/ - April 23 & 24, 2016, Heron Point Convention Center, Lombard, IL, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-3
- VCF Midwest 11 September 10-11, 2016, Elk Grove Village, IL - http://www.vcfmw.org/
Feedback
- TI-99 Beginner’s Video by Roland - https://youtu.be/I-S-BmJCV_c
- Roland’s YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/VectrexRoli/
Interview with Co-host
- Tursi’s Web Site - http://www.harmlesslion.com
- Classic 99 Emulator by Tursi - http://www.harmlesslion.com/cgi-bin/showprog.cgi?search=Classic99
- PS/2 Keyboard Adapter for the TI-99 by Tursi - http://atariage.com/forums/blog/567/entry-11851-a-ps2-keyboard-on-a-ti-994a/
- UberGROM Simulator by Tursi - http://www.harmlesslion.com/cgi-bin/showprog.cgi?search=uber
Modern Upgrades/Connectivity
- F18A Video Upgrade by Matthew Hagerty - http://codehackcreate.com/store#!/F18A-V1-7-Video-Board/p/14022176/category=0
- Extended BASIC 2.7 Suite Cartridge by Tony Knerr - http://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/?page_id=11#!/Extended-Basic-2-7-Suite/p/44354005/category=15846004
- Turbo Forth for the TI-99/4A by Mark Wills - http://turboforth.net
- FBForth by Lee Stewart - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/210660-fbforthti-forth-with-file-based-block-io-post-1-updated-12082015/
- NanoPEB and CF7+ - http://webpages.charter.net/nanopeb/
- HDX update for the RS232 card by Fred Kaal - http://www.ti99-geek.nl/
Reference
- ...
The TI-99/4A - Tech Specs, Peripherals, Modern Upgrades with Tursi
This show is a continuation of the on-going series about the TI-99/4A computer. In the last couple of episodes, I had TI-99 fans Jim Fetzner and Mark Wills on the show and interviewed them about their experiences with the TI-99 and then we covered the history of the machine. In this show, I have a new co-host, Mike Brent, better known as Tursi or Harmless Lion, the creator of the Classic 99 emulator and so much more. After a short interview with Tursi, we discuss the technical aspects of the TI-99, including the tech specs, peripherals, modern upgrades, and connectivity to modern computers. It’s an information-filled show, so I hope you enjoy it.
Before we get into that, I’ll discuss a few new vintage computer-related acquisitions that have come my way, give you the scoop on upcoming shows, and share with you a few pieces of feedback I’ve received about the show from listeners.
Links Mentioned in the Show:
Intro
- Bill Degnan’s VintageComputer.net - http://www.vintagecomputer.net
- Bill Degnan’s “History of Commodore Computers” Poster - http://www.vintagecomputer.net/poster_detail.cfm
New Acquisitions
- “The Future Was Here: The Commodore Amiga (Platform Studies)” - Jimmy Maher, The MIT Press - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0262017202/?tag=flodaypod-20
- Tiny Pascal for the TRS-80 Model I - https://archive.org/details/Tiny_Pascal_1982_Tandy
News
- Amigospodcast - http://www.amigospodcast.com/
- TRS-Box - Dropbox client for MISE/M3SE equipped TRS-80 - http://pski.net/trs-box/
Upcoming Shows
- VCF Southeast 4.0 - April 2 & 3 2016, Roswell, GA
- VCF East - April 15-17, 2016 - InfoAge Science Center, 2201 Marconi Rd., Wall, NJ, 07719 - http://www.vintagecomputerfederation.org/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/
- 25th Annual Last Chicago CoCoFest - http://www.glensideccc.com/cocofest/ - April 23 & 24, 2016, Heron Point Convention Center, Lombard, IL, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-3
- VCF Midwest 11 September 10-11, 2016, Elk Grove Village, IL - http://www.vcfmw.org/
Feedback
- TI-99 Beginner’s Video by Roland - https://youtu.be/I-S-BmJCV_c
- Roland’s YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/VectrexRoli/
Interview with Co-host
- Tursi’s Web Site - http://www.harmlesslion.com
- Classic 99 Emulator by Tursi - http://www.harmlesslion.com/cgi-bin/showprog.cgi?search=Classic99
- PS/2 Keyboard Adapter for the TI-99 by Tursi - http://atariage.com/forums/blog/567/entry-11851-a-ps2-keyboard-on-a-ti-994a/
- UberGROM Simulator by Tursi - http://www.harmlesslion.com/cgi-bin/showprog.cgi?search=uber
Modern Upgrades/Connectivity
- F18A Video Upgrade by Matthew Hagerty - http://codehackcreate.com/store#!/F18A-V1-7-Video-Board/p/14022176/category=0
- Extended BASIC 2.7 Suite Cartridge by Tony Knerr - http://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/?page_id=11#!/Extended-Basic-2-7-Suite/p/44354005/category=15846004
- Turbo Forth for the TI-99/4A by Mark Wills - http://turboforth.net
- FBForth by Lee Stewart - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/210660-fbforthti-forth-with-file-based-block-io-post-1-updated-12082015/
- NanoPEB and CF7+ - http://webpages.charter.net/nanopeb/
- HDX update for the RS232 card by Fred Kaal - http://www.ti99-geek.nl/
Reference
- ...
Previous Episode

Floppy Days 50 - TI-99 History
The TI-99/4A - History, with Jim Fetzner and Mark Wills
This is the second in a multi-part series on the TI-99/4A computer. For this history segment, I was lucky enough to find a couple of people who have an incredible history with the TI-99, Jim Fetzner and Mark Wills. Jim has an extensive, multilingual library of all things TI and possesses some very interesting hardware items related to the TI-99. Mark is the author of TurboForth for the TI-99/4A and has been involved in the TI-99/4A scene pretty much since 1983. He’s also English, living in the UK, so he has a rather British take on the home computer wars. I will cover TI-99 history with the help of these two gentlemen. I think you will find this very interesting!
Links Mentioned in the Show:
Intro
- Bill Degnan’s VintageComputer.net - http://www.vintagecomputer.net
- Bill Degnan’s “History of Commodore Computers” Poster - http://www.vintagecomputer.net/poster_detail.cfm
New Acquisitions
- Tricky Tutorial #5 (Player/Missile Graphics for the Atari - http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-tricky-tutorial-no--5-player-missile-graphics_28271.html
- Tricky Tutorial #6 (Sound and Music) for the Atari - http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-tricky-tutorial-no--6-sound-and-music_28278.html
- Tricky Tutorial #11 (Memory Map) for the Atari - http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-tricky-tutorial-no-11-memory-map-tutorial_28283.html
- Atari Logo - http://www.atarimagazines.com/v2n6/logo.html
- Atari 130XE Package from Ron Luks - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10208571288938997&set=gm.1662349070709066&type=3&theater
- REX for M100 - http://bitchin100.com/wiki/index.php?title=REX
- Club 100 - Club for the TRS-80 Model 100 - http://www.club100.org/
- TRS-80 Model 100 Mailing List Subscription Page - http://lists.bitchin100.com/listinfo.cgi/m100-bitchin100.com
- HP-85B Owner’s Guide and Programming Manual - http://www.greendyk.nl/hp85/
News
- Stan Veit Audiobook Podcast, published by David Greelish - http://www.classiccomputing.com/CCPodcasts/Stan_Veit/Stan_Veit.html
- RetroChallenge 2016/01 - http://www.retrochallenge.org/
- The M3SE Project by Peter Bartlett - http://bartlettlabs.com/M3SE/
- Vintage is the New Old - http://vintageisthenewold.com
- VCF Southeast 4.0 - April 2 & 3 2016, Roswell, GA
- VCF East - April 15-17, 2016 - InfoAge Science Center, Wall, NJ - http://www.vintagecomputerfederation.org/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/
- 25th Annual Last Chicago CoCoFest - http://www.glensideccc.com/cocofest/ - April 23 & 24, 2016, Heron Point Convention Center, Lombard, IL
Feedback
- Quantum Link - https://www.tinytickle.co.uk/quantum-link/
History
- Bill Gaskill’s TI-99 Timeline - http://www.ti99ers.org/timeline/timeline.htm
- Ron Albright’s “Orphan Chronicles” - https://archive.org/details/tibook_the-orphan-chronicles
- Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Instruments_TI-99/4A
Next Episode

Floppy Days 52 - TI99 Software,Books,Magazines with Chris Schneider and Rich Polivka
Welcome to episode 52 of the Floppy Days Podcast where we talk about our beloved old computers like some guys talk about their old cars. I’m Randy Kindig. I want to thank Michael Glaser for providing his thoughts and memories of the TI-99 computer. No, this hasn’t suddenly turned into a TI-99 podcast. However, this IS the fourth in a series of what now will be 5 episodes on the TI-99/4A home computer. There just turned out to be so much material on this very interesting machine and so much interest in the community, that this turned out to be quite an extended series. Having already covered history and technical topics on previous episodes, I had originally intended this episode to cover everything from software and magazines to Web sites, but by the time my co-hosts and I had gotten through the material it turned out to be over 2 hours of audio and I decided to break it into 2 parts. This episode will cover TI-99 software, books, magazines, ads and user groups while the next one will cover emulation and Web sites. My very special co-hosts for this episode are two more luminaries in the TI-99 community: Chris Schneider, who produces the SHIFT838 newsletter and Rich Polivka, who manages the popular 99er.net Web site. They provide a very interesting perspective on the TI-99 and I think you will enjoy this show.
One final thought. It was 3 years ago this month, on Sunday, Feb. 17, that I posted the very first episode of Floppy Days. It’s incredible to think that here we are 51 episodes later, still going strong. I was new to the podcasting game at that time, unsure how well the show would be received or if anyone would care, but determined to do this because it seemed like a tremendous amount of fun to learn about all the old computers from the 70’s and 80’s. I’ve been blown away by the interest and support from the community and have made an awful lot of friends along the way. I honestly and deeply want to thank everyone who helped me produce this show, provided an interview, or simply provided words of encouragement. Who would have thought that there would be 1,000 or so geeks like me out there who would care enough about old computers to listen to me ramble on month after month. All I can say, is thank you so much, and please keep listening because I have a lot of ideas for interesting shows for some time to come.
Links Mentioned in the Show:
New Acquisitions
- “The Atari Book Volume 2” - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BKS5SHU/?tag=flodaypod-20
- “Kids and the Commodore 64” by Edward H. Carlson - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0942386779/?tag=flodaypod-20
News
- Bill Degnan’s “History of Commodore Computers” Poster - http://www.vintagecomputer.net/poster_detail.cfm
- Floppy Days Logo Contest Poll - https://www.facebook.com/groups/floppydays/permalink/1699121653679601/?qa_ref=qd
- VCF Southeast 4.0 - April 2 & 3 2016, Roswell, GA - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-southeast-4-0/
- VCF East - April 15-17, 2016 - InfoAge Science Center, 2201 Marconi Rd., Wall, NJ, 07719 - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-southeast-4-0/
- 25th Annual Last Chicago CoCoFest - http://www.glensideccc.com/cocofest/ - April 23 & 24, 2016, Heron Point Convention Center, Lombard, IL, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-3
- TI Fest West 2016 - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/248617-pnw-ti-994a-fest-west-2016-april-30th/ - April 30, Centralia WA
- KansasFest, 28th edition - https://www.kansasfest.org/ - Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, from Tuesday, July 19, through Sunday, July 24
- Vintage Computer Festival West - August 6-7 at the Computer History Museum, in Mountain View, California. - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-west-xi/
- VCF MIDWEST 11 September 10-11, 2016, Elk Grove Village, IL - http://www.vcfmw.org/
- Portland Retro Gaming Expo - 11th annual Expo at the Oregon Convention Center on October 21-23, 2016 - http://www.retrogamingexpo.com/
Feedback
- F18A Video Upgrade by Matthe...
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/floppy-days-vintage-computing-podcast-265757/floppy-days-51-ti99-tech-specs-modern-upgrades-with-tursi-31626610"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to floppy days 51 - ti99 tech specs, modern upgrades with tursi on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy