Today we're changing gears. As a reward for finally getting this machine up and running and with gorgeous video out, today we're going to chill out with the TI-99/4A while learning about it. We're going to write a BASIC program; will it be as slow as people say? Then we'll explore some of the games catalog that the TI-99 has to offer, both classic and new, homebrew games.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:38 Keyboard 01:19 BASIC overview 03:23 Where do BASIC programs go? 05:18 BASIC benchmarks 11:51 Why so slow? 13:47 Extended BASIC 15:29 Cartridges 16:56 Classic games 22:10 Music 23:43 Homebrew games 24:42 Conclusion
TI-99/4A BASIC Performance, Games and Comparison to Other 8 Bit SystemsNoels Retro Lab2020-12-10 | Support Noel's Retro Lab on Patreon: patreon.com/NoelsRetroLab
Today we're changing gears. As a reward for finally getting this machine up and running and with gorgeous video out, today we're going to chill out with the TI-99/4A while learning about it. We're going to write a BASIC program; will it be as slow as people say? Then we'll explore some of the games catalog that the TI-99 has to offer, both classic and new, homebrew games.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:38 Keyboard 01:19 BASIC overview 03:23 Where do BASIC programs go? 05:18 BASIC benchmarks 11:51 Why so slow? 13:47 Extended BASIC 15:29 Cartridges 16:56 Classic games 22:10 Music 23:43 Homebrew games 24:42 Conclusion
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:26 Memory-mapped IO 01:38 Dedicated IO lines 02:53 OUT 05:28 Measuring 08:33 What about B? 13:08 Amstrad CPC 17:18 Alternative to OUT
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:50 How can an 8-bit computer have more than 64KB? 02:23 RAM expansion 06:14 CPLD 07:12 Build 09:37 RAM test 13:09 80s programs that use more RAM 17:26 Modern OSs 20:56 Cost 21:19 Conclusion
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:32 Power 01:06 Inspection 03:11 Voltages 04:07 Temperature 09:23 Signals 14:49 Stuck test 19:53 CRTC? 26:11 ROM 31:46 Final touches
#repair #retroThis 8-Bit Computer Has Two CPUs (And One Acts As A GPU!)Noels Retro Lab2023-08-03 | The Secoinsa FM-7 is a rare Japanese-Spanish computer with an architecture like no other 8-bit computer I have seen before. Let's have a close look at it and get it up and running.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:18 Initial test 03:10 Keyboard 05:48 Pixel test 07:14 Video generation 08:39 Multiplexors 11:25 Signal testing 13:42 Traces 15:55 Extra test 17:06 ROM 18:50 Conclusion
#repair #amstrad #retroCassette Tape Data RecoveryNoels Retro Lab2023-06-15 | This episode is sponsored by PCBWay pcbway.com Cassette tapes degrade over time, and eventually you may not be able to read the data stored in them. In this episode, we dive into the technical details of cassette tape data recovery: how data is encoded, what we can do to recover it, and what kind of tools we can use.
#cassette #retroSurprising My Neighbor With His Childhood ComputerNoels Retro Lab2023-05-05 | To try everything Brilliant has to offer—free—for a full 30 days, visit http://brilliant.org/NoelsRetroLab . The first 200 of you will get 20% off Brilliant’s annual premium subscription.
My neighbor surprised me by giving me his childhood TI99/4A and a bunch of accessories and he asked to come by the lab if I got it working. Today I get to pay him back, show him his restored computer and try to recover a game from cassette that was lost for 38 years.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:59 Power supply 03:56 Video cable and test 06:03 Disassembly 07:20 Cassette tapes 09:11 Testing 09:51 Data recovery 14:35 Loading on the TI99/4A 17:27 Putting it all together 20:41 John's visit
3D printing is an excellent complement to retro computing. Here I share my experiences with filament and resin printers, in addition to 3D-printing services.
#3dprintingVideo Cables For Retro DevicesNoels Retro Lab2023-03-17 | Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/noelsretrolab - Enter promo code NOELSRETROLAB for 83% off & 3 extra months for FREE!
Making video cables is time consuming and error-prone, but sometimes you just have to do it. Let's go over how to do it while I build one I needed.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:59 Setting your goals 02:13 New techniques 03:03 New games for retro platforms 04:05 Take advantage of new developments 05:14 Choosing a target retro platform 07:44 Choosing a coding platform 09:31 Using modern computers to create games 09:49 An ideal setup... 10:24 Source code editors 10:51 Building the code 11:48 Running the program 12:10 Choosing emulators 12:23 Launching the emulator automatically 13:23 Get two emulators 13:57 Automating outputs with scripts 15:18 Managing assets 17:16 Tools to create content 18:28 Graphics: Aseprite 19:17 Music: Arkos Tracker 2
#retrogame #gamedevDont Use This Electric Socket!Noels Retro Lab2023-01-20 | This episode is sponsored by PCBWay pcbway.com Universal sockets can be dangerous! Let's learn why exactly and how we can replace it.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 03:10 Flat-bed scanner 03:51 CZUR scanner 04:57 Flat cardstock 05:35 Brochure (shiny) 06:06 Spiral-bound book 06:56 Lay-flat book 07:38 Why do we care? 09:55 Hard to open book 11:05 Magazine 11:31 LARGE magazine 12:31 Importance of magazines 13:25 Radio Shack catalog 15:24 Game boxes 17:47 Boards 19:23 Conclusion
#scanner #retro #magazinesHow To Service A CRT MonitorNoels Retro Lab2022-11-25 | This episode is sponsored by PCBWay pcbway.com CRT monitors can be dangerous. Let's learn how to work on them safely while fixing this monochrome Amstrad monitor.
#crt #repair #hvpHow To Use Foreign Retro ComputersNoels Retro Lab2022-11-10 | This episode is sponsored by PCBWay pcbway.com Let's figure out what we need to do to use any retro computer anywhere in the world.
#electronics #toolsSetting Up My Ideal Retro SpaceNoels Retro Lab2022-07-29 | Get the exclusive NordVPN deal here at nordvpn.com/NoelsRetroLab. It's risk-free with NordVPN's 30-day money-back guarantee! Join me setting up the new Retro Lab space! From an early look, to painting and preparing the space, and the (close to) final retro room.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:17 First look 02:21 Layout 03:39 VPN 05:09 Retro road trip 08:14 Painting 10:52 Standing desk 14:10 Retro space 16:42 Final look
#kicad #msx #cartridgeAlways Check The Basics First - Amstrad CPC RepairNoels Retro Lab2022-04-22 | Some repairs are epic and others... not so much. But it's really important to always do the basic checks before moving on to other things to identify easy faults as quickly as possible.
#amstrad #z80 #retrocomputerOric Repair: The Impossible RAM FailureNoels Retro Lab2022-03-18 | This episode is sponsored by PCBWay pcbway.com What should have been a relatively straightforward repair of an Oric Atmos, turned into a wild chase for the true source of the problem. Tests kept pointing me in one direction, but my gut told me it was something else.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:22 Look inside 03:43 Voltages 05:21 Clocks 08:16 RAM 09:17 Diagnostics ROM 12:50 RAM circuit 15:02 ULA 16:08 Power 18:51 Last try 20:38 Testing 21:13 Making sense of things 23:46 Conclusion
#cassette #loading #tapeHow To Find a Transistor ReplacementNoels Retro Lab2022-02-11 | Sometimes you need to replace an old transistor with a modern equivalent. Let's figure out exactly what transistor we need for the clock circuit in the Amstrad CPC 464 while learning some interesting things about transistors along the way.
#amstrad #janstrad #janstrad2022Can This Rare Cartridge Be Recovered?Noels Retro Lab2021-12-29 | This episode is sponsored by PCBWay pcbway.com This rare cartridge claims to convert an SVI-328 into an MSX-compatible computer... or close to it. There are two problems though: 1) The cartridge doesn't work and 2) There's no information about it on the Internet. So this is our chance to recover some early computer history, restore the device, and get as much information as we can about it for the future.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:52 MSX 02:47 Test and teardown 04:57 Approach 1 06:13 Approach 2 07:30 Approach 3 08:24 Approach 4 09:47 The real problem 11:47 Comparing ROMs 13:31 Reprogramming in place 15:31 New EPROM 17:40 Soldering problem 20:06 Conclusion
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:39 Accelerators 02:53 PiStorm features 03:43 Installation (cheat mode) 05:47 First power on 07:27 Configuration 12:14 WHDLoad 13:57 Acceleration 17:23 Incompatibilities 18:56 Transfer 20:18 More features 21:58 Rambling 24:31 Cost 25:56 Conclusion
#commodore #amiga #raspberrypiDead KERNAL ROM? [Nibble Edition]Noels Retro Lab2021-11-26 | This episode is sponsored by PCBWay pcbway.com Let's answer a few questions about the dead KERNAL ROM from the previous VIC-20 repair episode.
Connect with Noel's Retro Lab: Discord ➤ discord.gg/ETcCh6J Facebook ➤ facebook.com/NoelsRetroLab Twitter ➤ twitter.com/NoelsRetroLab Instagram ➤ instagram.com/NoelsRetroLab Mailing list ➤ noelsretrolab.comA Tale of Two SpectravideosNoels Retro Lab2021-11-18 | Today we have two SVI 328s, but they're different revisions: The original MKI, and a the cost-down version, the MKII. Let's open them up and find out what the differences are exactly. Then we'll do a full restoration and we'll compare two different ways to clean the keycaps (one of them requires no work beyond removing the keys!).
Connect with Noel's Retro Lab: Discord ➤ discord.gg/ETcCh6J Facebook ➤ facebook.com/NoelsRetroLab Twitter ➤ twitter.com/NoelsRetroLab Instagram ➤ instagram.com/NoelsRetroLab Mailing list ➤ noelsretrolab.comIs This The Retro Chip Tester For You?Noels Retro Lab2021-10-21 | Let's have a look at the BackBit Chip Tester Pro. It definitely has a unique twist to it that makes it stand out. It's particularly aimed at Commodore enthusiasts, but it goes much beyond that. Which one is the ideal retro chip tester for you?
Connect with Noel's Retro Lab: Discord ➤ discord.gg/ETcCh6J Facebook ➤ facebook.com/NoelsRetroLab Twitter ➤ twitter.com/NoelsRetroLab Instagram ➤ instagram.com/NoelsRetroLab Mailing list ➤ noelsretrolab.comIs The Dragon a Clone of the CoCo?Noels Retro Lab2021-09-30 | This episode is sponsored by PCBWay pcbway.com Let's settle this question once and for all: Is the Dragon computer a clone of the Tandy Color Computer? Let's have a close look at a Dragon 64 and a CoCo 2 to try and answer that question. Along the way I may end up making a composite video mod for the CoCo and what's possibly the world's worst multi-cart system for both computers.
#septandy #septandy2021This Dragon Lost Its ColorNoels Retro Lab2021-09-23 | This episode is sponsored by PCBWay pcbway.com This Dragon 64 was working... but had really messed up colors. What I thought would be a quick fix adjusting a couple of potentiometers, ended up turning into a deep dive into the world of PAL color generation and discovering how the tiniest glitches can wreak havoc on the full system.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:46 Board overview 03:01 Video signals 05:57 LK2 09:25 Encoder 11:18 Other tries 12:42 Circuit analysis 16:38 Select signal 18:08 Short! 22:29 Final test 24:40 Dragon 32 surprise 25:24 Conclusion
#septandy #dragon64 #septandy2021Battery Leak Strikes Again!Noels Retro Lab2021-09-10 | What was lurking behind the Amiga 500 trapdoor? Our worst nightmare: A leaking Varta battery! Let's clean it up and get the RTC and RAM expansion working correctly again.
#commodore #amiga #batteryStumping Black Screen Amstrad CPC 464 RepairNoels Retro Lab2021-09-02 | This Amstrad CPC 464 had resisted all previous attempts at being repaired. And since I like a good challenge and I have a soft spot for Amstrads, I decided to take it on. The symptoms were a black screen with no video signal at all. It turns out, multiple faulty components made this repair more challenging than usual.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:43 Visual inspection 02:23 Voltages 04:48 Clock signals 08:24 Video signals 10:32 ROM 12:30 CRTC 14:38 Cartridge ROM 17:50 Gate Array 21:06 EPROM fix 23:54 Conclusion
#amstrad #retrocomputer #repairCan the Sun Help This Amiga 500?Noels Retro Lab2021-08-26 | This episode is sponsored by PCBWay pcbway.com Today I'm taking a sad-looking Amiga 500 and restoring it into something much better looking and much more functional. I try both retrobrighting with sun (sunbrighting?) and with liquid hydrogen peroxide with different results. Finally, I swap out the internal floppy disk drive for a Gotek with an external OLED screen.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:48 First look 02:25 Opening it up 05:30 Cleaning and retrobright 09:33 Gotek 16:24 Sunbright results 18:07 Gotek mounting 22:21 Key results 23:10 Comparisons 24:42 Conclusion
Connect with Noel's Retro Lab: Discord ➤ discord.gg/ETcCh6J Facebook ➤ facebook.com/NoelsRetroLab Twitter ➤ twitter.com/NoelsRetroLab Instagram ➤ instagram.com/NoelsRetroLab Mailing list ➤ noelsretrolab.comHow Fast Can We Load From Tape?Noels Retro Lab2021-08-12 | If we suddenly had a perfectly-reliable cassette tape, how fast could we possibly load data from it? This is a question I started pondering a while ago. To answer it, I had to do look into how data is stored on tape and how exactly we load it. Along the way, we'll find several limits and assumptions we have to work around on our quest for the fastest-possible loading.
Connect with Noel's Retro Lab: Discord ➤ discord.gg/ETcCh6J Facebook ➤ facebook.com/NoelsRetroLab Twitter ➤ twitter.com/NoelsRetroLab Instagram ➤ instagram.com/NoelsRetroLab Mailing list ➤ noelsretrolab.comThe Ultimate Retro Chip Tester?Noels Retro Lab2021-07-29 | Let's have a close look at the Retro Chip Tester Pro. With a list of hundreds of different retro chips and even the ability to read the contents of ROMs and use special adapters, is this the ultimate chip tester? Let's build one from scratch and find out (in spite of making a few mistakes along the way).
Connect with Noel's Retro Lab: Discord ➤ discord.gg/ETcCh6J Facebook ➤ facebook.com/NoelsRetroLab Twitter ➤ twitter.com/NoelsRetroLab Instagram ➤ instagram.com/NoelsRetroLab Mailing list ➤ noelsretrolab.comStumped By New Fake Chips ScamNoels Retro Lab2021-07-15 | Let's fix those last strange errors on the modern Commodore 64 replica board. They look innocent enough, but they hide something subtle and malicious. As we unravel the mystery, we'll deal with mains voltage frequencies, logic trigger levels, and fake Chinese chips again. But this time the scam seems a bit different.
Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:45 CIA 03:07 ToD 07:04 TLL 09:10 CMOS 10:29 TTL vs CMOS experiment 14:08 Fake chip tests 17:30 Zener fix 20:16 Final touches 21:34 Conclusion
Connect with Noel's Retro Lab: Discord ➤ discord.gg/ETcCh6J Facebook ➤ facebook.com/NoelsRetroLab Twitter ➤ twitter.com/NoelsRetroLab Instagram ➤ instagram.com/NoelsRetroLab Mailing list ➤ noelsretrolab.comFixing a Modern Commodore 64 BuildNoels Retro Lab2021-07-01 | This episode is sponsored by PCBWay pcbway.com Today I have a SixtyClone replica board of a Commodore 64 that was fully populated but it's not working. What could possibly be wrong? This should be interesting because it's not a regular repair of a computer that was previously working. Here literally anything could be wrong! Let's find out!
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:08 Voltages 05:52 Tantalum capacitor 08:23 Video signal 13:10 Diagnostics 16:09 Final tests 17:32 Conclusion
#commodore #c64 #repairBest VIC-20 Composite Video?Noels Retro Lab2021-06-24 | This VIC-20 out of my collection had several problems that caused the image to look from meh to really bad. Let's have a look at it, understand what's going on, and let's try to fix it so it looks as good as possible, without making any permanent modifications to the board.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:45 Original image 02:33 Board overview 04:21 Adjusting trimmers 06:11 Looking at the signal 08:10 Multicolor mode 12:21 Video circuit 14:42 S-video 17:50 Composite video mod 19:43 Heat sinks 20:33 Final tests 22:16 Conclusion
#vic20 #commodoreArduino DRAM TesterNoels Retro Lab2021-06-10 | Let's use an Arduino to test some of the most common DRAM chips we encounter in retro computers. We'll start with a home-made contraption and then try a commercial solution.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:48 How does 4164 DRAM work 01:29 Testing DRAM with an Arduino 02:40 Home-made tester 06:07 DRAM tester build 09:38 Trying out the tester 16:39 Drawbacks 20:24 Conclusions
#arduino #ramBest Way to Add Audio-In to an Amstrad CPC 464?Noels Retro Lab2021-06-03 | This episode is sponsored by PCBWay pcbway.com There are many ways to add an audio-in jack to an Amstrad CPC 464, but what's the best way to do that? Let's dig deep into how the cassette sound data is processed and amplified and find out. Then we'll be able to load any file from an updated TZXDuino Reloaded or even any smartphone or tablet.
To wrap things up, I try to answer one of the unanswered questions I had about the Amstrad: How exactly are we hearing the tape loading sound?
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:09 Building a TZXDuino 04:41 MAXDuino firmware 06:41 Cassette sound data 07:52 Best place for audio in 11:04 No sound! 13:48 Audio connector 15:32 Remote signal 18:18 Loading from iPad 20:57 New audio in connection 22:35 Cassette loading sound 27:46 Conclusion
#arduino #amstrad #amplifierBest CGA to HDMI Conversion with a Raspberry Pi?Noels Retro Lab2021-05-27 | RGB to HDMI is a really great solution to be able to use a modern LCD on the Amstrad PPC with the CGA video. A lot of you had some really great questions and suggestions last time, so I'm tackling them here. There's some great stuff, from lag measurement to composite video artifacts and lots more!
#rgbtohdmi #cga #amstradppcGarbled Screen! Amstrad CPC 464 Video FailureNoels Retro Lab2021-05-13 | I was sure this kind of garbled screen was caused by a faulty CRT controller. It turns out, I was totally wrong! Along the way we take a good look at how video is generated in the Amstrad CPC and what some of the most common RAM failure patterns are.
#amstrad #retro #repairPainting a Commodore 64 Case (Disgusting C64 Part 3)Noels Retro Lab2021-05-06 | It's time to paint that disgusting case that we weren't able to restore properly just with elbow grease and retrobrighting. Rather than trying to match the original breadbin case tones, I'm just picking a bright, loud color and going for it. I'll cover choice of paints, technique, and how it turned out, as well as the restoration of a few more odds and ends.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:51 Prep work 02:42 Colors 04:16 Painting 08:02 Rusted metal 10:56 Restoring the manual 12:16 Putting case back together 14:47 Badges 16:03 Final result 17:00 Testing 18:07 Conclusion
#commodore #c64 #restorationReplacing a Laptop LCD With a Raspberry Pi Zero (Part 2)Noels Retro Lab2021-04-29 | This episode is sponsored by PCBWay pcbway.com Let's use a Raspberry Pi Zero and the RGB to HDMI project to convert a CGA signal into something a modern LCD can understand. This is the third option to replace the horrible LCD on the Amstrad PPC with a modern one. And of course, we need to figure out how to fit everything back inside the case. I'm really pleased with the final result!
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:22 Recap 01:14 Revisiting GBS8200 02:12 RGB to HDMI 04:01 Building the RGBtoHDMI 06:58 Programming the CPLD 08:37 Connecting to CGA signal 09:29 Testing it with the Amstrad 12:02 RGBtoHDMI cost breakdown 13:22 Fitting everything inside the case 19:30 Missing colors! 22:13 Single-button control 23:36 Final test 24:42 Conclusions
#amstrad #lcd #cgaDisgusting Commodore 64 Repair (Part 2)Noels Retro Lab2021-04-22 | Remember that disgusting C64 I got a few weeks ago? We got the outside more or less under control, so now we can focus on making it work. I thought it was going to be relatively straightforward given the good state of the board, but there were a few surprises along the way (some good, some bad).
Next time we'll come back for Part 3, fix up the case, and put it all back together.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:25 Cartridge tracks 03:57 Sockets 05:38 First power up 08:42 All chips back in 10:53 CIA trouble 13:33 More CIA trouble! 17:02 Restoring edge connector 19:05 SID 19:43 Screen corruption 24:26 SID tests 26:22 Conclusion
Let's go through a full tape deck tune up for the Amstrad CPC 464. A lot of this should apply to other computers (ZX Spectrum +2) and even standalone tape decks. We'll clean it, check the belts, check the azimuth, replace the counter reset button, and fix up the pause button. Also, since they come integrated in the 464, I'll also service the main switch and the volume wheel.