Author Topic: X-Converter  (Read 3818 times)

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Offline TC01

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X-Converter
« on: November 07, 2010, 06:47:39 pm »
This is the project that I alluded to here- a program to extract data from X-Link appvars into programs.

X-Link is potentially very useful in that it allows 83+/84+ calcs to receive data from all other TI calculators (the 85, 86, and 68ks- not Nspire though). But because the 89 Titanium has a very large archive memory, I would rather store TI-84+ programs on the Titanium and send them to an 84+ instead.

Rather than try to create an 89 version of X-Link, I decided to do something simpler. Make a computer program to package 8xp files as 89y custom variables (called "X-Packager"), and then make a z80 assembly program to unpack X-Link appvars and copy the contents into a program.

This would allow a TI-89 user to download TI-84+ games and share them with friends who have z80 calculators (the reason I wanted to do it).

I'd say it's about 50% complete. I've completed a Python program to make the 89y files (it uses ttbin2oth from the TI-68k Developer Utilities for the packaging, and a Python script I wrote to extract data). And I've written a z80 assembly program to extract data from an appvar and copy it to a program (I used Andree Chea's ZCopy as an example for this- it basically did what I wanted, but it copied a program into another program.

I still need an X-Link appvar containing a TI-89 variable, however, to take this any further, for the reasons outlined in the other topic.



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Offline DJ Omnimaga

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Re: X-Converter
« Reply #1 on: November 07, 2010, 08:48:44 pm »
I remember you talking about this a while ago. This should be really useful, because some school users might have 89T calcs but everyone else 84 calcs.

Offline shmibs

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Re: X-Converter
« Reply #2 on: November 07, 2010, 08:49:53 pm »
ooh, shiny!
i personally wouldn't have a use for it(although if it worked the other way around i'd be able to test out Jumpman on real hardwarez), but somebody definitely will.

Offline TC01

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Re: X-Converter
« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2010, 09:11:38 pm »
ooh, shiny!
i personally wouldn't have a use for it(although if it worked the other way around i'd be able to test out Jumpman on real hardwarez), but somebody definitely will.

A program could be made to make an X-Link appvar out of another variable on a TI-83+ (once I figure out the format)... coupled with a program to pack a TI-89 program inside a TI-83+ appvar... then the reverse is doable without making X-Link for the 89.

Possible. Maybe I'd even work on it if I had time.



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Offline TC01

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Re: X-Converter
« Reply #4 on: November 24, 2010, 10:02:00 pm »
Well, bit of a progress update...

X-Link does not seem to work with the 89 Titanium (for unknown reasons). And BrandonW said on #ti that he might take a weekend and rewrite this application at some point (to handle the IO ports better).

I might still do work on this in the mean time, but I've basically done everything I can already without using X-Link.



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And in addition to calculator (and Python!) stuff, I mod Civilization 4 (frequently with Python).

Offline DJ Omnimaga

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Re: X-Converter
« Reply #5 on: November 24, 2010, 10:48:12 pm »
Strange, I would have thought that libraries/compilers/whatever that are available to code on 68K now supported the 89T. X.x Good luck fixing compatibility with the calc.

Offline TC01

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Re: X-Converter
« Reply #6 on: November 24, 2010, 10:51:14 pm »
Strange, I would have thought that libraries/compilers/whatever that are available to code on 68K now supported the 89T. X.x Good luck fixing compatibility with the calc.

Well, X-Link is a 83+ application, not an 89 application. :) So it's not really a problem with 68k coding.



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And in addition to calculator (and Python!) stuff, I mod Civilization 4 (frequently with Python).

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Re: X-Converter
« Reply #7 on: November 24, 2010, 10:51:46 pm »
Oh right, sorry, I confused both in your post. X.x