The TI-99A at Maker Faire this year and next year

[RobertB]

     Because of the success of having a TI-99A exhibit at the Vintage Computer Festivalers tables at this year's Maker Faire, I plan to bring it again to next year's Maker Faire (if we get permission to have another classic computer display).  Many, many attendees who used the computer this year remarked that they had the TI when they were younger, and they were happy to play with the few game cartridges that friend Duncan M. and I had brought.
     For next year, thanks to the generosity of Duncan, I have even more game carts... too many!  For next year, I'm even considering the purchase of the last bit of original TI hardware I don't have - the Peripheral Expansion Box (PEB).  I might even hack the TI to overdrive the CPU a bit. 

         Expensive but necessary to use a disk drive,
         Robert Bernardo
         Fresno Commodore User Group
         http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm

[RobertB]

...I plan to bring [the TI-99A] again to next year's Maker Faire (if we get permission to have another classic computer display).

     Permission has been given!  The TI-99A will return!

...I have even more game carts... too many!

     I recently bought a SD card cartridge for the TI.  Now I will be able to load dozens and dozens of games via SD card.

For next year, I'm even considering the purchase of the last bit of original TI hardware I don't have - the Peripheral Expansion Box (PEB).

     Duncan has obtained a PEB for me!  Now the system is complete.

         Truly,
         Robert Bernardo
         June 10-11 Pacific Commodore Expo NW -
         http://www.portcommodore.com/pacommex
         July 29-30 Commodore Vegas Expo v13 -
         http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex

[RobertB]

     A few days ago at The Other Group of Amigoids meeting, Duncan met me there and brought in the PEB.  What an imposing, heavy beast of a box!  Externally, it looks to be in very good condition with some fading on the Texas Instruments lettering.  Internally, it came with four cards -- the disk controller, the RS-232 interface, the 32 x 8 memory expansion, and the flex interface (connection card) with its "firehose" cable.  Duncan hadn't powered it up, and in the next few days, I'll power up.

         The acid test,
         Robert Bernardo
         June 10-11 Pacific Commodore Expo NW -
         http://www.portcommodore.com/pacommex
         July 29-30 Commodore Vegas Expo v13 -
         http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex

[RobertB]

Duncan hadn't powered it up, and in the next few days, I'll power up.

     The PEB powered up for the first time at the Bay Area Maker Faire.    However, the creaky, original drives needed "exercise" in order to read disks.  Duncan opened up the PEB and examined the drives; he found single-sided drive mechs, not the preferred double-sided drive mechs.  He promised that the next day he would bring double-sided ones.
     The next day he installed one double-sided drive in the PEB and another in the external TI drive case.  Then he tried to run disks through the use of the carts, Disk Manager II and Editor/Assembler.  It was not easy... some disks were still not recognized...  however, he was able to get two relatively new games running, Centipede and Tetris.  Heh, old TI users who came to the tables were surprised to see the fairly modern Tetris running on the old machine. 

         Writing from Las Vegas,
         Robert Bernardo
         June 10-11 Pacific Commodore Expo NW -
         http://www.portcommodore.com/pacommex
         July 29-30 Commodore Vegas Expo v13 -
         http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex