Texas Instruments TI-99/4A Product information sheet

TE XAS IN STRUMENTS TI -99/4A COMPUTER
User's
Reference
Guide
A complete, deta il ed guide to using and e nj oying
yo ur Te xa s In s trum ents TI-99 / 4A Comput er.
LC B·449 1
Texas I ns t rume n ts in vented the i nt egrate d ci r cu it. micro pr ocessor.
and microc
omp ute r - tec hn ologi ca l mil es tones that made lod ay's
sma ll co mpu ters a rea li ty. TI is a w or ld l eade r in pro ducing re li ab le.
a fT or d ab le ad va n ce d elect ron i cs .
See important warra nt y in formation at back of book.

This book was developed by:
The Staff of the Tex as Instruments L ear ning Center
and
Th e Staff of the Texas In str uments P erso nal
Computer Division
Artwork and layout were coordinated andexecut ed by :
Schenck Design Associates, In c.
Federal Communications Com mi ssion Requirements Co n ce rning Ra di o Fr equency Interference
Th e Texas In strume nts TI-99/4A Computer generates and u ses radio fr equency (RF) ener gy. Ifnot
installedand used proper ly (as outlined in the instruc ti ons provid ed by Texas In str uments), the
comput er may cause interference to radio and television reception.
Th e comp uter has been type-tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B computing
device in accordan
ce with the specifica ti ons in Sub - part Jof P art 15 of FCC Rules. These r ul es
are designed to provide reasonable protection against radio an d television interference in a
residential insta ll ation. However, there is no guarant ee that interference will not occur in a
particular in stallation.
If this equipment does cause inte rf eren ce to radio or television reception (which you ca n
determine by turning the equipment off and o
n) , try to correct the int er ference by one or more of
the fo llowing m eas ures:
• Reorient the r
ece iving antenna (that is. the ante nna for the ra di o or television th at is
"receivin
g" the interference).
•
Change the position of th e comput er with respect to the radio or television equipment that is
r
ece iving interference.
• Move
th e computer away fr om the equipment that is receiving interference.
• Plug the computer into a different wall ou
tl et so that the computer and th e equipment receiving
interference are on different branch circuits.
If these measures do n ot e li minate the interference, please con su lt yo ur d ea l er or an experienced
ra dio/ television tech ni cian for ad dit io nal sugges ti ons. Also. the Fed era l Co mmunications
Commi
ss ion has prepared a helpful bookl et , "H ow to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV
Interference Problems
." Thi s booklet is available from
Th e US Government Printing Office
W
as hingto n. D.C. 20402
Pl ease specify Stock Numb er 00 4-000-00345-4 when order ing copies.
WARNING: This equipment h as been ce rtified to comply with the limits for a Class B
computing device,
persuant to Subpart Jof Pa rt 15 of FCC Rul es. Only p er iph era ls (comput er
input/output devices, terminals. printers, etc.) ce rtified to comply with the Class 8 limits m ay be
attac hed to this computer. Operation with no n- certifi ed peripherals is likely to result in
interference to radio and TV r ece ption.
I SBN#O·895 1 2-048·8
Library of Congress Catalog #8 1·51829
Copyright
Cl 1979. 1980. 1981. Texas Instruments Incorporated
Users Referen ce Guide
n

Table of Contents
I. GENERAL INFORMATION .. ......... ............... . .................... .. ... . ..... 1·1
Int roducti on ................................. . ......... . ......... ... ......... 1,1
Pow
er ful TI BASIC ................ . ................•......... . ........... 1·1
Co nvenient Modul e S ys t em ........ .. . • .. ... ••.••.. . .. .•.• . .. . .... • ... . ..... 1·1
Tape and Di skette Programs ........ .. ..... .. ........ .. . . .. . . ...... . ... .. . .. I·t
Using Thi s Book ... . . .. .. ..... . . .. . . .... .... .. .. .. . . .. . .... . . . . . .... .. . . ..... 1·1
Pl ace ment and Ca re .... . ........... . .. . ......•.......... . . . .. . . . . ............. J-l
Monit
or · Conso le Co nn ec tion ........................................ . . . . . ....... 1·2
If You Are Usi
ng the TJ Co lor Monit or ......................... . .... . . . .. . . . . 1 ·2
If You Ar e Us ing Your Tel ev i sio n S et an d the TI·900 Video M od ula tor ............. 1·2
Co nn ec t Po wer Cor ds ........ ............ . .... . . . . .. . . ...... . .... . . . . ..... 1 -3
Chec k the Conn ec tions . . . .. . . . .. ...... .................. . ... . ... 1 -3
A Tour of Yo ur Compu ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Gett ing Start ed ...... ... . . . ... . .. ......... . . . .. . . ... • . . ...... ... .... ...... 1-4
A T
our of the K eyboa rd . .... . . . . .. . . . . . .. .. . .. . . . . . .. . .... . .. . . ... . . .. _ .... 1-5
Automati c Re peat .......... . _. ... . _. .. . ... . . _. . ... .. . _. . . .. . . . . ...... 1·5
Alphab et Keys ... . . . ................ . ......... . .... _ .. _. . . _ .... . ..... 1 -5
Alpha L oc k ......................... • .................. .... .......... I·S
Number K eys ............ .. ..... . . . . . ..... . . . ........ _. . . . • . .. _ .. .... 1·5
Pun c tuati on and Symbol Keys .. , .• . . .. . .. .•.... _. . . . . .... ..... ........ _1·5
Sp ec ial Fun c tion K eys ............ . . . . ...... . . . . .. .... . . .......... _ .... 1·5
Sp ecia l Con tr ol K eys .............. . .. ...... _ .. .. ............. _ ........ 1 -6
K eyboa rd Ov erl ay .................................... . . . _ .......... 1 -6
Math or Operatio n Keys _ ............. . ........ ... ... . ... . . .. . ... . ..... 1-6
Spac e Bar ... . ... . ..... _ ...... . .. ... . . .... . . ... . .. . . . . _. . . ..... . _ .... 1-7
Cor r ec tin g Err ors ................. .. ..... .. ......... . . _ .. _ ...... . . .. . . ... . 1· 7
A
ccesso ries ........... .. . .. . . .......... _. _. . .. _ ....... . .... ... . . . .. . . . . ...... 1-7
T I D
isk Memory System .................. .. ....... . . .... . . .. ...... . .... .. . 1·7
TI Solid State Spe ec h "" S y nth esizer . .. . . • . . .. . .... . .. . ... . ....... . . _ .......... 1·7
T l Solid
St a te Thermal Printer .... . . . . .... .. ......... . .. . ...... .. ..... ...... 1-8
TI Wired Re mot e Contro ll ers . .. . . . ................. . ........ ..... ... _ ...... 1 ·8
T I RS 232 Int erface ........... . .. ... . . .. ... .. .. . . . . ••.•. . . ... .. ... ........ 1· 8
T l
Te le phone Co upl er (M odem) .... .. . ... . .. . .... . . .... . . . .. ... • . _ ......... .1 -8
TI Audio Adapt er . ... . .................. .. .. . .. . . .... . . ..... • .. _ .... . ..... 1 -8
TI Mem ory Expansio n Unit ....... . .............. . .. . .... . .. .. .. . . . .. . ..... J-8
Casse tte Int e rfa ce Cab le . . ......... . . . . . . ....... . ...... .. . _. . . .. . . .. .. ..... 1-8
Connec t ing the R eco rd er ........................... . ................... 1 ·9
To Save / L oa d D ata ....... .. .. . . _ ...... ... ......... • ......... . ........ 1·9
To
Sav e/ Load Data in TI BAS IC ......... . .. .. . .. .. . . . . .. ... .. . ..... 1·10
To
Sav e Data Wh en Us ing a Modu le ....... . .. ........ .. . . ........... 1-10
To
Load D ata Wh en Using a M odu le ...... _ .. _ ... _ ....... . .... . .. _. . . 1·12
User 's Ref erence Guide
'"

Table of Contents
II. BASIC REFERENCE SECTION
,y
Introdu c ti on . ................ ... .............................. . ............. 11 ·2
How This S ec ti on Is Organized . .................. •......... . ...... . . ...... 11- 3
Notational Conventions . .. ........ . ... .... .. ..................... . .. ...... II-3
Examp l es . ..................... . ... . . ... ... .. . ....... . . . .... . . . . ....... 11- 3
Gen eral Information ............... ....... ... . •.• ... . ... . .... .. ..... ... •. . .... 11 ·4
Introduction . ......... . ... ....... . . .... . ... . . .... ... ... . . . .. . . . . .. .. .. . . 1I·4
Special Keys. ... . .. . .... . ... . . . . . . ...... ............... . .. . .......... . . . 11-5
Bl ank Spaces . ........ ........ ........ .. . . ... .. ........... . ... . . .. , . . , . ' II·7
Line Numbers,
".,."" , . . . , ... , . , .... , . , , . ' ... , .. .. . ... ... . .. ' . . , . , II· S
Num
er ic Constants .. , . , . .. , . , . , . .... ' , .. . ... . . . . , . .. ... . . ... ... ..... , . , , . II·9
Scientific Notation . ,
.... , .. ' . ' . ' . , . , .. . . ' ..... . ... .... . . ' , . . ... . . ' . , . , . , . II -9
String Co nstants. . ... . . ... . _. _ .. .. . ..... . . , .. , . ' . . . . .... ' ... , .. ... . .. . .. I1 ·10
V
ar iabl es .. , . , .... . . , . , . , ... ' .. ..... . . ... , .. , . . ... . . ... ' ..... . . . . . . .. . . 11 · 11
Numeric Expr ess ions. . . ... , . , . . ....... .. . . .. . ............... .. ... . . . .. .. I1·12
Rela
ti onal Ex pr ess ions . .. . ... ... .. . . . _. . . . .. . . .... . .. _ ...... , . ' . . ' . ... .. Il·14
String Expr
ess ions. ... . . ......... . . _. _ ...... . ...... . ...... . ... , ......... IJ.15
R
ese rv ed Word s .,., ............ , ..... ... ... . .... , . . ....... , ... ········· 11 ·16
Stateme
nt s Used as Commands . ..... , , ....... . . ' ... , . , ......... . ..... .. . . 11·17
Comma nd s Used as Statements . .. . ... .. . ..... • ......... ' .... , .. .. ...... , . 11-1 8
Commands , . , . , . , . . . . ..... , ........... . . ...... . ... , .... . . , .. _. _ .... . . .. , .. II-1 9
Intr oduc ti on .............. ,.,., ..... - .. ,., . ..... .......... . _. . .. . .... .. 11-1 9
NEW .............•... .......... . . ...•.. .. .• .•....•........••.... . .... 11 ·20
LIST ............ .. .• ..... .. ... . . ..•.• .. .. ...... .• •........•.......... 11·21
RUN .... . .... ... .• . .. .... . .. . .. . .. ... ........... .. ........• ... ....... 11·23
BYE .......... . .............. . ..................••............. .. .... 11 ·24
NUMBER ... . ......... ........... • ....... • ...... •• ....... . ... . . ... .... 11 ·25
Editing in Number Mode .. , . . .. .. "., ., .... , .. . .. . . ...... , .. . _ .. . . . . 1l·26
RESQUENCE ................. . . .. . .• . . . ... .. ... . •..•.... ... ........ .. 11 ·28
BREAK ............. . . . . . . . .. ... . .. . . . . .. ....... . ........ • .... . ...... 11-30
UNBREAK .... . ...• . . . . . . . . . .. .. • .... . . ........... . . . . ...... .. . .. ... . 1 1-33
CONT I NUE ............. • ................... . . ...•..•..... . ... . . . ... . . 11 ·35
TRACE .... ..... .... . . . . ... .... . • .•. ... . ....... •. ... .. .. • , ...... . .... 11 ·36
UNTRACE ..... . . .. . . . .• ........ • ...... •. . .... • ......... .• . • . . . . . . . .. 11·37
EDIT ........... ..... • . .......• . . . . ...•. .... ... .... .. . . . •.. .. . . . ..... 11·3 8
SAVE
............. . . .• ........ ... .. . .. . •...... ..•. . .. . . . . ......•... . . 11·4 0
OLD ........... ....... . . ... . .. . .. . .... ....... .. ........• . . . . . ... • .... 11·42
DELETE ........ .......... . . ... .......• , .....• . ....... •• ...... . ...... 11,4 3
General Program Statements . ......... . ... , . , .... , ................ . _. _ .. . .... II ·44
Int
rod uc ti on .. , .. , . , . , . ....... ...... . ... . ... ... . . . . .... ................ 11-44
LET .................... . . . ... •.. .. ... •. . ... ......... • •.............. 11·45
REM .......... •..... .... . . . . . ........•.....•........•........... .. ... 11·46
END .......•.... . . . • . .......• ... ... .. •. •.. . .. .•.. .. . .. .......• .. . . ... 11-47
STOP ......... . ... . •. ... .. ...... . .. .•. . ...••..... .. . ......... . . . .... . 11·4 8
GO TO ..............•. ....... .... . . ... ..... .. .... .. . . •.... . . . .. . . .. ... 11 ·49
ON.GOTO . . . . ... . ...... ... • . .......• ... .. . • •.. . ... . •..•......... ..... 11 ·50
IF.
THEN . ELSE ... . ..... .. . . . .. •..... . . .•. .. ..... . ........ . . .. • ....... 11·51
FOR . TO.STEP . ..... ... . ..... •. • . . . ... . . ....•..... .. • . ........ . . .. .... 11·53
NEXT ..... . . . . ..... • .. . .. ... . . ..... •.... . .• . ...... . •.. .. ....... .. .... 11 · 56
U se r 's Reference Guide

Table of Contents
Input-Output Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....... . . . . . . . ...... II -S7
Introducti on . .. . .... . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .... . . .. . . . ... ... .. . . .. ...... . .. . . .. . 11 ·57
I NPUT . . . . . ... ..... . . . . ... . . .. ... . ... . . ... .. . . . .. . . . ...... . ...... . . . 11 ·58
READ . . . . . . . . . . . .. . • .. . . . ... .. . . .. . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . •. . . . . . .. . . . . 11·6 1
DATA . . .
... . . . . .. . . .... . . .... . . ........... .. • . .. . . . . .. • .. . . .......... 11 ·63
RESTORE ..... . . .. . . . ... .. . ....... . . .. . . .. . •. ...... . . .. . .. .. . . . • .. . . . 11· 64
PRINT ......... . .. . . ... . . .. .... ..... .. . .. .. ....... ... . . ... .. .... . .. . . 11 ·65
DISPLAY
... ... . . . ... . . .. . . • .•. .... . . . .... . . .. . . . . ... . . ...... . . .. . .. . . 11 ·70
Color Graphics and Sound .. . ... . .. . ... . ... .. ... ... ......... .. .. .. . .......... II-?l
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... , ... . . II ·?1
CALL CL EAR . .. ....... . . . .. . . . . . .....• . .. .. . . . .. . .. . .. ... .. .. .. . ..... 11 ·72
CA LL COLOR . . . .... .. . . • . .. .... . . . .. . . . . .. . ... .. • . .... .. . . • . . . . .. .... 11 ·73
CA LL SCREEN ...... .. . . ..... ......... . . .. . . ....... . . .. ..... .. . .. . . .. IPS
CALL CHAR . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . .. .... .. .... .. .. .. . . .. .. .. .... .. ..... .. 11· 76
CALL HCHAR . . .. ... . .... .... .. ....... ... .... . .. .. . . . . . . . . ......... .. 11 ·80
CA LL VCHAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . •• . . . . . . . 11 ·83
CALL SOUND .... ... .. . . . ... . . • ..• .. . . . .. ..... • ... ... . . . • ..... . . . . .. . 11 ·84
CALL GCHAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . •• . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . 11·86
CALL KEY ........ . . . . . . .. .. . • .. ... . . . .. . . . . . . •. . ...... . ... . ... . .. . . . 11 ·87
CAL L J OYST . .. . . ......... . . . . . . . . ..•. . . ..... . • .• .. ... . . . ....... ... .. 11 ·90
Built ·I n Numeric Functi ons . .. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . .. ... ... ....... _. . .. 1l ·91
In tr oducti on .. . .. . . ...... . .. . . .. . . . . ....... . . .. . . ....... . . . . . . .. . . , ... . Il -9 1
ABS . . . . . . . . . ........ . . . . .. .. . •.. . . . • . .. . . . ....•. .. . . ... . . ...... . . .. .. 11 ·92
ATN
.... . .... .. . . . . . . ...... .. . ... . . . • ....... .. ..•. . ... ... . . ..... . . . . . 11· 92
COS . . . . . . • . . . . . ... .• . . . . . . . . . .. . . ..• .. ... . . . . . ..... . • . . . .... . . .. . . 11·93
EXP . . . .. .. .. . . ..... .. . ... . . .. .. ... .. ...... ... ........ . • ... . . .. .... . . 11 ·93
I
NT . . ........ . . . . ... ...... ...... ........ . .. ... ............. ...... . . 11 ·94
LOG
...... . . ... ... • .... ....... .. . .. .... .. ... . ..• . .... . . . ....... • . .. . . 11· 94
RANDOMIZE . .. . . . .. . .. . .. . ... . . . . . .. . .. . . •. . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. 11 ·95
RND .......... . .. . . . . . . . . . . ... . . ... ...... .. • . . . . .. .. . •... . ... . . . .... . 11 · 96
SGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... ..... ... . . . . ...... . . . .. . .... . ... ..... ... 11 -97
~N . .... . . ..... .. . .. ..... . . .... . . .. .. . .. . I I~
SQR .. . ... ... ...... ......... .. . .. . .. . ....... . ... . . . . . . . . . . ......... . . 11 ·98
TAN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... • . . . . . .. . •• .. ... . . . ....... . 11 -98
Buil t- In String Functions. . .. . ... . .. . . . . . . . .... . .. . . ... . . .... .. ............ 1I ·99
Intr od uction . .... . ... . . . . . . . ...... . .. . . . . .. . . .. . . . ... .. ... ....... ...... II ·99
ASC . . . . . . . . .... .. .... ... .. .... ... . .. .. ..... .... . . ..... ... ..... 11 -1 00
CHR$ . ... . ... . .. . . .. .. .. ... . . . . ... .... .. ... .... ...... .. . . . ... .... .. . 11·1 00
LEN . . . . . . . .. .. .. ..... ... ....... ... . . ... ..... ........... . .... . ...... 11 -1 01
P OS .. . . . . ........ ... . ... . .... .............. ... . .. .. ..... . ........... 11- 101
SEG$ . . . . .. .. .. . .. . .. .... . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . .... . . .. ... . . ... . 11·1 02
STR$ ..... ... . . ..... .... . . . . .. ..... ...... .. .... ..... . .. . ........ . . . . 11 ,103
VAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.. . . .. . . • . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . •. . . . . . . ... .. .. 11 ·1 03
U se r-Defined Functions .. . . .. _. .... ...... _. ....... .. . . . .. . . .. _. .. .. ..... .... II -I 04
Introduction .. ...... .. . .. ....... .... . . . .. .. . . ... . . . . . . . . . ... . . .. .. 11 ·1 04
DEF . . . . ........ . . .. .. .. ... . . .... .. .. .. .. .... .... ... .... . .. ... ...... 11· 105
Arrays . .. ....... . . . .... . . . . .. ... . . ... . .. . ... . .. . . .. . .. .... ... _ .. . .. . ..... 11 -1 08
Introducti on . .. . . .. . . ... . . ... . .... . .. .. . .. .... . . . .... .. . ... .. . .... .... 11 -1 08
DIM ... . .... . . ... . . . . . . . . .. .. . . ..... . . . ..... .. ... . .......... 11- 11 0
OPT ION B ASE . . ... ..... . .. .... . .... .. ... . .. ... . . . . . ..... . . .. ... .. . 11 · 11 2
U se r 's Refere nce Guide v

Table of Contents
Sub routin es .. ,... . . .. . ... .. . . . . ...... . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . ........... . 11 ·113
Intr oduction . ..... . .. . .. . .. . . .. . . ..... . . . . .. . . . . . .... ..... . . . . . ....... 11- 11 3
G OSUs. .... .. .. ... . .. . ... ... .. ..... . . .... . . ... . . . . . . .... . .... ....... 11 ·114
RETURN . . . . . ... . . . .. .. . . . . • .. .. ... . . .. . .. ... . ..... .. . .... . . . . ...... 11 · 11 6
ON· G OSUB . . ... .. . ..... . . . ... . . ... . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . ..... . ....... 11 · 11 7
File Processi ng . . . . . . . . . .... . ... . ....... .. . ..... ....... .. .... . . .......... 11- 11 8
Intr o du ct io n . ...... . ....... . ... ....... ..... . .. . .. . . . .. .. . . . ... . .. . ... . II - lI S
OPE N ...... . ... . .. ..... ... . .. . . . . . •.. . . . . • ... . ... . . . ... .... . .. . . .. . . 11 ·119
CLOS E
... . . . .... . . . . ... . .. ... . . . ... . ...... • ....... • . .... . . ... .. . .... 11 ·123
I
NPUT ........ . ... ............ . .. .. . .. .. . . . ... . ... .. 11 ·125
EOF ... . . . . . . . . . .• . . . . . . . • ... ..... . . . . .. ....... .. . ... . . . ... . . . . . . . . . 11 ·1 30
PR I NT ................. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . ... ... . . . . . . ... .... . . . .. ... ... 11 ·131
R
ES TOR E ................. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . ..... . . . . . ... . . .... . . . . . .. . . 11 ·1 36
III. APPENDIX TO BASIC REFERENCE SECTION . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . .•. . . . 11 1·1
AS C II Character Co d es .. . ... ........ . . . . .
Function a
nd Co nt rol Keys .. . . ........... . ... . . . .... . . ... - . ...... .
Keyboa
rd Ma pp ing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . - . . . . . . . ....... .
Character
Co d es for Split Keyboard. ..... . . . . ........... . . . . . ... . ......... .
Pa
tt e rn - Id e nt i fi er Co nversion Table . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . ... . . .. . ..... . ... .
Co lor Co d es . . . . . .. . . ................ .. . . .. . •. ... . • . •• .... . .•.... .. ....
111·1
111 ·2
11 J.3
111·4
1 11 ·5
111 ·5
High·Reso lut ion Co lo r Combinatio ns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . IIl -6
Mu sical Tone Fre qu enci es . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . ... . . . . .. . . . ...... 1lI ·7
Er ro r Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 -8
A cc uracy Information. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 111 ·13
Ap pli cations Pro gra ms. . . . . . . . ... , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IlI -14
IV. GLOSSARY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... IV·1
V. MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE INFORMATION .. .. .. . . .. . .. . . .
...... • .... . ... . ..... V·l
VI. INDEX . ....... . .
... ..... .. ..... ... . ..... .... . .. ...... V
I· 1
WARRANTY
V I User's R
ef erence Guide

General Information
INTRODUCTION
You are about to be introdu ced to the exc iting
n
ew world of the pe r sona l co mput er. Until ju st a
few
years ago, the size, price. and complexity of
comp ut ers put them beyond th e r eac h of th e
individual
purchaser. To da y, T exas Instrum e nt s
P
ersona l Computers bring you remarkable
compu ting power in afforda bl e, compact units
that can be eas ily set up in yo ur home, office, or
school.
Wh et her you have yea rs of computer exper ien ce
or have never worked with comp ut ers before,
the innovative and fl ex ible features of your
comp ut er offer you a wide va riety of
app lication s. Within minutes. you can begin
using your computer to
• manage your personal r esources
• deve l op projects f or home and business
•
bring new dimensions to e du ca tion -for you
and your children
•
provide e ngaging n ew typ es of e ntertainm en t
for
the e ntir e family
•
and much more.
Powerful TI BASIC
TI BASIC. a simple but very pow erful co mputer
language. is built right into your T exas
In st rum ents Computer . With TI BASIC . you
ca n d eve l op a nd u se yo ur ow n comp uter
programs for applications ranging from co l or
graphics to s tati sti ca l analysis a nd more . Thi s
l
anguage makes yo ur TI comp ut er a " tru e"
compu t er - not a v id eo game or el ect ronic toy.
Convenient Module System
The unique system of easy-t o- use. snap-in Solid
State Software™Command
Modules· ass ur es
the continu ed versatility and useful ness of your
comp uter. These rugged. all so lid-s tat e modules
are complete ly pr e pr ogram med f or you. You just
sn ap them in. and they "promp t" you through
activities.
app li catio n s. games, and
e
nt er tainment. With a module plu gge d into the
comp uter console. you can s tart usi ng yo ur
compu t er imm ed iatel y. You can choo se from a
wide se l ectio n of Co mmand Module titles. Ask
your dea ler to see all of them!
Tape and Diskette Programs
In a ddit ion to Command Modules. T exas
In struments offers a variety of convenient
so ftware on tap e or diskette . ranging in
User 's Reference Guide
comp lexity from simple games applications to
high-level
business and professional programs .
Lik e Command Modu les, these appli catio ns are
r eady for you to use. without any programmi ng
on
your part. Pr ograms on cassette tape r equire
the Cassette Int er fa ce Cable· to connect the
com put er and your cassette recorder . and
diskette programs require the TI Disk M emory
System.· Ask you dea l er to sh ow you a li st of
the many tape and di skette packages available
fr om TI and oth er softwa re deve l opers .
USING THIS BOOK
The User 's Reference Guide is o rganiz ed in the
following step-by-st
ep fashion:
• a
brief discussion of the care of yo ur n ew
computer.
• an exp lanati on of how to connect the
comp ut er to the monitor.
• a
tour of yo ur computer. starting with the
co nn ector out l ets and including the co mput er
keyboard.
• the
accessories ava ilable for the com put er.
• a BASIC ref ere nce sec tion.
No spec ial expert i se or ex peri ence is n ecessary
to fully enjoy and util iz e your TI co mputer. The
simple ins tru ctions we provide here and in the
books enclosed with eac h sof twar e package, as
we ll as the prompting you receive from the
co mput er. are all you need to get "up and
running " quick l y.
PLACEMENT AND CARE
Fir st. find the right l ocation for your comp ut er
system. Select a pl ace where sunlight or bright
light doesn't fa ll dir ec tly on the sc reen. Also. it's
best to place the system on a hard-topped non-
metallic surfa ce. such as a table. DO NOT SET
THE COMPUTER CONSOLE ON TOP OF A
TELEVISION SET.
Correct ventilation is n ecessary for the
continued proper operation of yo ur comp uter
syste m, Be s ur e air ca n fl ow fr ee ly thr ough a ll
the ventilation slots on the bottom s. backs, and
tops of the console and monit or (o r TV se t, if
you're usi
ng the TI-9 00 Video Modulator and a
TV set). Do n ot obstru ct the ventilation or
encl ose the sys tem in any way ,
·so ld se parately

General Information
Fr om time to time you may want to clean the
surfac
es of yo ur computer. Fir st. turn the
computer
OFF . Then gently wipe the surface
using a damp. li m·free cloth. Do not use
so lv ents or oth er clean sers to clean the
computer console.
CAUTION: El ectronic equipment ca n be
damaged bystatic electricity discharges. Static
electricity build-ups can be ca u se d by walking
across a ca rpet. If you build up a static c har ge
and then touch the computer. a Co
mmand
Module. or any accesso ry device. yo u can
perman ently damage the internal circuits.
Al wa ys touch a m et al obj ec t (a door knob , a
d es k lamp. etc.) before working with your
computer. co nn ecting accessory d ev ices. or
handling or
in se rting a Comma nd Modul e. You
ma y want to purchase a special anti-static spray
for the
car peting in the room where yo ur
comp uter is l oca ted. Thi s commercial
pr eparation is u sua ll y avail ab le fr om local
ca rpet. hardware. and office supply stores.
MONITOR-CONSOLE CONNECTION
Wh en yo u have c ho se n the right l ocat i on for
yo ur co mputer, you are r ea dy to se t up the
system.
Th e hook-up instructions to fo ll ow
dep en d on whether yo u are using the TI Co l or
Monit or or yo ur own television se t as a video
display.
It You Are UsIng the TI Color Monitor
Connecting yo ur co mput er to the TI Co lor
Monit
or requir es only two simple steps. using
the
cab le p ac ked with the monitor.
1.
Co nnect the s-pin plug (called a "DIN" plug)
to your
co mput er console at the point shown.
Back of
Main Console
1'2
Connect
5 pin "DIN"
plug her
e.
2_ Th e other end of the ca bl e (with two plugs)
c
onn ects to your monitor. Co nnect th e larger
pl
ug to t he out let l ab eled 'V IDE O" on the
back
of yo ur monitor and the sma ll er plug to
the outlet l
abe led "AUDIO" on the back of
yo ur monitor as shown below.
Not e: Do not attach the
con
so le directly to a
television
set using this
cable. Connection
of the
con
so le to a television
receiver must be made using
the T I
·900 Video Modulator.
If You Are Using Your Television Set and the
TI -900 Video Modulator
CAUTION: Fed eral Radiation Emiss ion
Standards se t forth in Regulation 21 CF R 1 020
do not apply to col or tele vi si on receivers
manufact ured bef ore Januar y 15. 1970. To
avoid possible
ex p osure to radiation emi ss ions
in
excess of the s tandard s. Texas In struments
rec
omm ends the u se of th e Video Modulator
o
nl y with TV receivers manufac tur ed af t er th at
dat e.
Connecting
the computer to yo ur television se t
requires the
us e of the TI -9 00 Video Modulator.
To
in sta ll the m od ul ator. fo ll ow th ese steps.
1.
Turn the television se t and the computer
OFF .
2. Remove the V HF antenna cab le from your
television
se t. (If yo ur set does not have a
s
tandard antenna hoo kup similar to the one
shown below. pl
ease consult th e Video
Modulator manual for m
ore details.)
3.
Co nnect the television interco nn ect cable.
mark ed H TV VHF " on the TI - 900 Video
Modulator, to
th e VHF ante nna terminals on
yo
ur television se t.
User's Reference Guide

General Information
4. Con nect the VHF antenna cable that yo u just
removed from yo ur television se t to the Vid eo
Modulator te rminal s. marked "ANT."
5. Remove the p
aper backing from the do ub l e-
sided tape on the modulator and press the
unit aga
in st a flat surface on yo ur television
se t.
6. Co nn ect th e S-pin "DIN" plug of the computer
interfa ce cab le into the S-pin so cket on the
b
ac k of the co n so le.
B ac k of
Main Console
Connect
5 pin "DI N'"
plug he re.
Once th e m od ul ator is in sta l1 ed. set the NC H.
SELECT" switch on your Video Modul ator and
the channel
se lector on yo ur televsi on se t to the
sa me ch an ne l. eith er cha nn el 3 or 4. If there is a
television station ope
ratin g on one of these
channels
in yo ur area. se t th e "CH. SELECT "
switch and the television to the oth
er channe l.
Then. to u se yo ur television se t as a co mput er
displa y. se t the ' TV ICOMP:' switch to "C aMP :'
(When you are r eady to watch television again,
set the
'TV ICOMP ," switch to " TV :)
Connect Power Cords
Next. connect the power cord (w ith transformer)
to
th e computer. Conn ect the small 4-pin p lu g
end into the outlet on the
back of the computer
as indicated be low_No ti ce that the pins o nl y line
up
one way,
U se r 's Ref erence Guide
P owe r Cor d
ConnecLS H
ere
Th en. p lu g th e power transformer in to a regul ar
wa ll outlet. It is b es t to plug the transformer
into a
wa ll outlet that is conti nu ously " Ii ve:' not
one controlled by a
wa ll switch. You may wan t
to secure the power transform
er to th e wa ll
outlet as in the s ket ch above. (Not e: Som e wa ll
plat es may not have a screw l oca tion that
m
atc h es the transformer.)
Fin a ll y, plug either th e monitor or television
power cord into a conti
nu ously "' li ve" wa ll ou tl et.
(
Th e col or monitor is d es igned to operate on
1 20 volt 60 Hz AC . DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
OPERATE THE UN IT ON D CI Th e power
supply cord has a plug with two blad es a nd one
grounding pin as a safety f
ea tur e. DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO PLUG THE POWER CO RD
I NTO A 2·HO LE WALL OUTLET. If th e plug
does n ot fi t yo ur wa ll outle t. contact an
electrician.
Check the Connections
Before you turn on yo ur computer. follow th ese
step s:
• Check to see that a ll connections are sec ur e.
• Make sure both the comput
er and the monitor
or your television
se t are plugged in to a live
wall outlet.
• If you are using yo ur own television set and a
Tl · 90 0 Video Modulator. se t the "TV!
Ca Mp. " switch on the modulat or to "CaM P :'
and be sure that the "C H. SE LE CT" switch
on
th e modul ator an d the channel se leclOr on
yo ur television are set lO the sa me ch anne l
(e ither 3 or 4, whichever is not a broad cas ting
ch
anne l in yo ur ar ea).
1 -3

General Information
A TOUR OF YOUR COMPUTER
Your comput er console is the central part of
your computer system. It 's designed so that all
of the oth er units of tht system eas ily conn ec t to
this console. No tools are required.
Getting Started
Let's l oo k at the front and right side of yo ur
co mput er.
1
1 Thi s is the ON/ OFF switch. Th e small li ght
n
ex t to the switch indicates wh en the
comput
er is ON.
2 Command Module sof twar e· sn aps into this
out let.
3 Thi s keyboard is u se d to type information
i nto the comp uter.
4 This outlet is for optional periph era l
accessories. Details
are included with the
appropria te peripheral.
1 -4
Thi s is the back a nd le ft side of the console:
7
5 Th e Cassette I nt erface Cab l e'" connects to
the co nsole at this 9-pin "0" outle t.
6 The P ower Cord attaches to the con so le at
this 4-pin outlet.
7
Thi s S-pin conn ector (al so ca ll ed a DIN
connector) is for audio-out and
vi deo-ou t.
Thi s conn ec tor wi ll in se rt easily when
proper ly a li gned.
8 The Wired Remote Contro ll ers connect to
this 9-pin outle
t. Details are includ ed with
the
accessory .
(Note: Do not confu se this Q·pin ou tlet with
the 9"pin outlet on the
back of the console.
Th ey are not interch angeab le.)
·so ld se p arate ly
User "s Reference Guide

General Information
A Tour of the Keyboard
Let's tak e a cl ose l ook at the keybo ard .
I· I: I; I: 1,1 ; I ~ I ; I ~ I : I : I
0 w , " • . " • 0 " ,
,
• • 0 • 0 " , • • ,
I ~ "Q
-1
<
-.
• , • • • "
--
.- .oc_
...
-."
Th e keyboa rd is l ike a s tandard type writ er,
with keys of
se ve ral types. Pr ess ing an y key
ca uses its lowe
r- ca se (s ma ll capital) charact er to
display on the s cr ee n. and holding down the
SHIFT k ey while pre ss ing an y o ther ke y re turn s
the
upp e r- ca se (large capital) charact er for that
key. Ex ce pt for the alphabetical ke ys. each
key's upp er- ca se charact er is print ed at the top
of the key
fa ce, while the lowe r- ca se chara cter
is
print ed at the bottom.
Some of the keys also have special function s. as
explained in the fo ll owing sec tions.
AUTOMATI C REPEAT
T I BASIC is d es igned with an aut o mati c re peat
function. If you hold do wn the SPACI BAR or
any c hara cter key for mor e than o ne se cond.
that c har ac ter is repe ated until y ou rel ea se the
k
ey .
ALPHABET KEYS
All alph abe ti ca l sy mbols ar e typed into the
co mput er using the a lphab et keys. To capitalize
letter
s. hold down the SHIFT key and pr ess the
letter key. just
as you would on a standard
type wr iter key board .
ALPHA LO CK
Pr e ss ing A LPHA LOCK lo ck s all the al phab etical
keys i nto their upp er· ca se mode. The numb er
and pun ctua ti on k eys ar e not affected. Wh en
y
ou pr ess A LPHA LOCK again. the ke y board
re turns to normal op eration.
Note: When you ar e using the Wired Remote
Co nt ro ll ers. A LPHA LOC K mu st be in the o ff (up)
p
os ition.
User 's Reference Guide
NUMBER KEYS
Th e numb er keys ar e l oc at ed on the top row of
your co mput er ke yboa rd . If you have pr evious
typing experience. you n
ee d to be aw are of two
differe
nc es betw ee n this k ey board and so me
type
writ er k ey bo ard s. With the comput er. you
c
annot type the letter "L" as the numb er "I ."
Also. ne
ver s ub s titut e the letter " 0" for a ze ro .
Th e co mput er sc r ee n displays the letter N O"
with s quar ed c orn ers and displays a zero with
ro und ed c orn ers. so you' ll be ab le to distinguish
them.
PUNCTUATION AND SYMBOL KEYS
Th e co mput er key board has the pun ctuation
a
nd symbol keys which app ea r on a sta ndard
ty pewrit er. as well as seve ra l others used in
co mput er app lications. To type an y sy mbol
which
app e ar s on the bottom of a key fa ce.
simply pr ess the key. To type the upp er symbol.
hold do
wn the SHIFT key and pr ess the symbol
key. Notice that
pun ctuation mark s and
s ymb ols also appe ar on the fr o nt s of some keys.
To type th
ese symbols. hold down the FCTII ke y
and pr ess the k ey .
SPECIAL FUNCTION KEYS
Seve ra l keys have var ying functions in T I
BASIC. so me Co mmand Module so ftware. and
oth er applications. Th e u se of the keys is
described
in detail in the appr opriate sec tions of
this Guid e or in the manua ls that ac compan y the
various mo
du les.
To activate any spe
cia l function. exce pt I! IIT I R.
hold down the FeTIl key and p res s the le tt er or
numb er key.
FCTN = (QUI T)
Pr ess ing QUIT (at any time) re turn s the
co mput er to the ma st er title scr ee n. Note: When
you
pr ess QUIT . a ll data or pr ogr am mat erial
yo u have e nt ered will be er ase d.
I! IITI!R
In most ca ses. pr ess ing the IIiTI R key te ll s the
co mput er to acc ept the i nf o rmati on you have
just finished typing. Additional functions will be
explained in the a ppr opriate manual s.
I·S

General Information
FCTN -( LEFT)
Pr ess ing the left-arrowkey (backspace) moves
the cursor to the le ft . The cursor does not erase
or change the c haract ers on the sc r ee n as it
passes over them.
FCTN -( RIGHT )
Pr essing the right'arrow key (forwardspace)
moves the cur
sor to the right. As the cursor
passes over the c hara cters printed on the
sc r een, it does not alter them in any way.
FCTN I (UP)
FCTN I (DOWN)
Th ese keys ha ve var ious functions acco rding to
the specific application
where they are u se d.
S
ee the TI BASIC sec tion in this book and the
appropriate software manual s for a compl ete
ex planation of the ir use.
FCTN • (DEL)
Th e D. Let e ke y is used to delete a le tt er,
numb er, or oth er character fr om the lin es you
type.
FCTN 2 (INS)
Th e 'N se rt key is u se d to insert a le tt er.
num be r. or oth er c haract er into the lines you
type.
FCTN 3 (E RASE )
Pr essing the aRAsa key be fo re pressing aNTaR
era ses the line yo u are pres ently typin g.
FCTN • (CLE AR )
Thi s key is normally u se d to clear from the
screen any information yo u ha ve typed (before
pressing aNTaR ). It also has additional functions
in
TI BASIC. See " Sp ecial Keys" in the BASIC
Reference Section of this book for details
of its
use in TI BASI C.
Oth er keys have special functions in software
applications.
Som e of these are:
FCT" 5 (BaGIN)
FCTN e (PROC ' D)
FCTN 7 (AID)
FCTN 8 (RaDO )
"CTN • ( BACK)
1·6
SPECIAL CONTROL KEYS
Th e T I co mp uter also has co ntr ol c hara ct ers
w hi ch are used primarily for
telecommuni
ca tions. For a list of the standard
ASCII control c
hara cte rs included in your
comp
ut er. see "Control Key Codes" in the
Appendix . To enter a control ch arac ter. hold
down the CTRL key and press the app ropri ate
le tt er or number key .
Keyboard Overlay
A tw o' level strip ove rl ay is included with yo ur
co
mput er. You ca n use this ove rl ay to help you
more
eas ily identify certain keys th at are u sed in
combina ti on with the FCTN a nd CTRL keys.
Th e top level of functions, identified by the red
dot. are
ca lled co ntr ol keys. To access these
keys. hold down the
CTRL key, marked with a
red dot. while pressing the a
ppr opria te number
or al phabet key . The second level of functions,
identified by the light gray dot.
are accesse d by
hol ding down the FCTN key. also marked with a
light gray dot. while pressing the a
ppr opr i ate
numb er or letter key.
MATH OR OPERATION KEYS
Th e Math ke ys (or operati on keys) are the keys
used to instruct
th e co mput er to add. subtr act.
multiply. divide. and raise a num ber to a power.
Th e sy mbols for addition. s ubt rac tion. and
eq
ua ls are the usual ones yo u're familiar with.
but
th e multiplication and division symbols may
be n
ew to yo u.
+ Addi ti on
Subt rac ti on
* Multiplication
/ Division
= Equ als
Th e "ca ret" key ( A ) is also u se d for
mathematical op
era tion s:
IHIFT A
This symbol tells the comp uter to perform
exponentiation (raiS
in g a number to a power).
Since SJ ca nn ot be easi ly printed on your
sc r een. th e computer interprets 5 A 3 to mean
that thr ee is an exponent.
User's Referen ce Guide

General Information
The following keys are used to indi ca te
mathematica l relationships in Tl BASIC:
SHIFT <
SPACE BAR
"Greater than": this symbol is
u sed to compa re tw o quantities.
"Less than"; this symbol is also
used to compare two quantities.
The SPACE BAR is the long bar at the bottom
of the keyboard. It operates ju st like the
space bar on a regul ar typ ewr iter. When you
press th e SPACE BAA , the computer leaves a
bl ank sp ace between words. le tt ers or numbers.
The SPACE BAR can also be used to erase
cha ra cters al ready on the screen. (See the
section titled "Correcting Errors.")
Correcting Errors
To cor re ct a typing error before you press
.1iIT.R, move the cursor back to the c haracter
you want to c han ge (using the left· arrow ke y).
Retype the co rr ect character (or characters);
then move the cursor back to the end of the
word or phrase you were typing (using the right·
arrowkey).
You ca n erase errors by using the SPAC. BAR.
Backspace (using the left'arrow k ey) to a point
where yo u want to begin erasing. Th en press
the SPAC. BAR to move the cursor over the
characters on the screen. The characters are
erased.
In certain app lications. you ca n also make
corrections using the D_Lete key and the INSe rt
key.
User's Reference Guide
ACCESSORIES
A wide variety of accessories is available for use
with the comp
ut er. These accessories expand
the capabilities of yo ur basic unit. l ett ing you
build your system
as yo u need it.
TI Disk Memory System·
The TI Disk Memory System is a mass storage
sys tem , consi st ing of a TI Disk Drive Cont ro ll er
and one to three Di sk Memory Drives. With the
system, you can save your computer programs
for use at a l ater time. as well as enjoy
preprogrammed applications available on
diskette . In addition. some of the Command
Modul es are designed to let you store data and
results from yo ur computati ons .
Th e Disk Manager Command Module is
packaged with
eac h Disk Drive Controller.
With the m
od ule, you can cataJog a diskette,
name
diskettes or fi les. de l ete files. copy
diskettes or files. protect your fi les. and test the
opera tion of your disk system.
TI Solid State Speech™Synthesizer·
The SolidState SpeecH" Synthesizer gives yo ur
T I computer a
vo i ce of its own and adds new
exc itement and enjoyment to computer
applications
thr ough spoken words. phrases.
and sentences. To activate the Speech
Synthesizer. you must also have a spec ialized
Comma nd Module* plugged into your computer
console. You can u se the Speech Editor
Command Module. the Terminal Emulator II
Command Module, or any other module which
is programmed for speech.
*sold
separate ly
1-7

General Information
TI So li d Slate Thermal Printe r'
When the TI Solid State Therma l Print er is
connected to your computer,
yo u can obtain a
printed copy of your program and data to aid
you in revising long programs or maintaining
fi l es of programs and results. In addition. the
Therma l Printer can be used with so me
sof twar e applications to print sc re en di sp lays or
gene rat e printed li sts and r epo rts.
The printer prints up to 32 c hara cters on a li ne
an d prints either c hara ct ers from its r es ide nt
c haract er se t or specia l characters that you
define. Special f ea tur es included in the printer
also let yo u control the amount of paper that is
ejected and
th e spaci ng between lines.
TI Wired Re mo te Controllers ·
The li ghtweight. compac t Wired Rem ote
Co ntr o ll ers add grea t er fr eedom and versatility
to games. graphics.
and so und app lications on
yo ur computer. without the need for ke yboard
interaction. You
ca n use the Remote Controllers
with ce rt ain software applications or with your
own TI BASIC programs.
Note: Wh en you are using the Wired Remote
Co ntrollers. ALPHA LOCK must be in the off (up)
position.
TI RS232 Interlace ·
Th e Texas In st ruments RS2 32 Interface a ll ows
you to co nn ec t a wide rang e of ETA RS2 3 2C,
compatible accessory devices to your comp uter.
With the
RS 232 I nterface attached to yo ur
comp ut er . you ca n list programs on a printer ,
utilize a modem for
te lecommunications. print
grap hs on a pl otte r. and much more.
TI Telephone Co u pler ( Modem )·
Added to the RS232 Interface. the Telephone
Coup l er (Modem) enab les yo ur compute r to
communi
cate over telephone lin es with anoth er
similarly equipped comp uter. If yo u also have a
TI Command Module* designed for
telecommuni
ca ti ons. you can access
sub scr iption data base se rvices.
TI Aud io Adap t er ·
The Audio Adapter provides a hand y conn ec t or
f or u se with JA "'p lug h eadp hones.
1·8
TI Memory Expans i on Unit·
The Memory Expansion unit a dd s 32K bytes of
Random Access Memory to the
comp uter's
built·in memory. In addition, the unit increases
the
numb er of accesso ri es which ca n be
connected to the computer. (Note: The Memory
Expansion unit requires the u se of a Comma nd
Module or an accessory designed to utilize the
unit.
The TI BASIC pro gramming langu age
built i nt o the co mput er cannot mak e use of the
Me
mor y Expans ion unit.)
Cassette Inte rl ace Ca ble
You ca n furth er expand yo ur comp uter system
by using
au dio casse tte tape recorders. Tl
BASIC allows yo u to st ore and retrieve data you
enter in
th e comp ut er (programs. numerical
data. etc.). By r ecord ing data on a tape. you can
save it as a p er manent record. L ate r you ca n
load the da ta from the casse tt e tape into the
co
mput er's memory if yo u want to use that
inf or mati on again. Severa l of the command
modules also u
se this f ea tur e to save and l oad
data yo u've u se d in the module.
You ca n use either one or two recorders for this
purpose . Using two cassette recorders is
esp
ec ially helpful for advanced programming
appli catio ns.
·so ld sepa rat ely
User's Reference Guide

General Information
Man y standa rd casse tt e r eco rd ers can be us ed
with the co mput er. For best op e rati on. howeve r.
th ey should have such featur es as :
• Volume co ntr ol
• Tone control
• Microphone ja ck
• Remote j
ack
• Earphone or ex ternal sp ea ker jack
• Digital tap e count er (Thi s will enable you to
eas
il y l oc at e the co rre ct tap e p os ition in ca se
you want to store more than one pr o gram or
data se t on the s am e tap e.)
Si nce motor co ntrol design vari es fr om
manuf a ctur er to ma nufactur er, we hav e te st ed
se ve ral different ca sse tt e re corder s to dete rmin e
wh ether th ey c an be u se d with the co mputer . A
li st of r eco rd ers that app e ar to work we ll with
this
co mput er is included se parate ly. We've also
indicated the volume
se tting and tone control
se tting for e ach unit that gi ve the best op e rating
r es ults.
Tex
as Instrum e nt s ca n ass ume no responsibil it y
for any d
es ign c hang es mad e by the casse tte
r eco rd er manufa c tur ers that might aff ec t the u se
of a specific r eco rd er with the TT c omput er.
Ca refully fo ll ow the directions for se tting up a nd
using yo ur reco rd er. as d esc rib ed in the
re
maind er of this sec tion. If yo ur ca sse lte
r
eco rd er d oes not app e ar to be compatibl e with
the
co mput er. tr y dis conn e ctin g the black wir e
fr om the re mote ja ck on the r eco rd er and
ope ratin g the r eco rd er manuall y. If you can save
or l
oa d data while operating the r ec ord er
manuall y. but cann ot do so when the black wire
is conn
ec ted. you ma y co ntinue to ope rat e the
re cord er manually or c han ge to one of the
r ecomm ended ca sse tt e units.
No te: Th e ca sse tt e interface cable u ses the
tr iple-plug end for c asse tte number t " CSt. " and
the do ub l e- plug end for casse tte number 2
"C
S2 ." Ca sse tte unit 1 ma y be u se d for both
reco
rd ing ( writ i ng ) and rea din g: ca sse lte unit 2
may be u se d for writing o nl y.
User's Re fer ence Guide
CONNECT ING THE RE C ORDER
To c onn ect your casse lte player {s) to the
co mput er. u se the casse tt e int er f ace ca bl e. and
follow these simple steps:
1. In
se rt the single pl ug end of the c ab le with
the 9-pin "D" co
nn ec tor i nt o the g·pin outlet
on the
ba ck of the co nsole (l abeled "A 'l
2. Atta ch the triple plug ends into the ca sse tte
r
eco rd e r{ s) as foll ows:
• In
se rt the plug with the re d wire into the
microphone
jac k
• In
se rt the plug with the bl ac k wi re into the
remote
ja ck (note that this plug is small er
than the other tw o plugs)
• In
se rt the plug with the white wire into the
e
arph one ja ck (o r e xt ernal speaker jac k) -
C St only.
3, Mak e sure you notice how the ca sse ttes are
co nn ect ed when you se lect either CS 1 or CS 2
when saving
dat a. When loading d ata. only
CS t ca n be u se d. S ee T O S AVE/ LOAD
DATA sec ti on f or more inf ormati on.
(Not e: You will usually el ec t to co nnect only one
c
asse tt e r eco rder. Th e other p lu g end w ill
simply be i na ctive when only one r ecor der is
u
se d with the co mput er .)
1'9

Generallniormation
Aft er all cab les are connected. turn the tone
control on yo ur cassette player to full TREBLE
or to the point indicated on the tab le on the
separate casse tte sheet. Set the volume at about
half sca le (if the vo lume control has ten
positions.
set it at five or at the position
indicated in the table).
If your cassette player
does not h ave a tone contro l. you may h ave to
set the volume contro l higher for best results.
Note:
Th e Memory Expan sion unit adds 32K byt es
of Random Access Memory ( RAM) to the built-in
memory of the co mputer . However. even with
the Memory
Expansion unit available. the
largest program
that can be stored on a casse tte
t
ape is 12K bytes in size. Note that, although
the length of
the actual program is limited by
the amo
unt of available built-in memory.
utilizing the Me
mor y Expan sion unit provides
other
advantages. For exa mple. with the unit
attached and turned on. yo ur program can be up
to 12K byt
es in length, while any data generated
by the program can be s tor ed in the Memory
Expansion unit. Without th e unit. the program
must be sh
or ter so that both it and the
genera t ed data can be stored in the computer's
built-in memory.
TO SAVE / LOAD DATA
If you have your casse tte ma chine(s) connected
to the con
so le as instructed. yo u are r ea dy to
sa v e/ l oad data.
Before you attempt to save /t oad yo ur dat a,
make sure that:
•
You are u sing high quality audio tape . Poor
quality tape yie ld s poor performance.
•
The tap e is not longer than C-60. Lo ng er
tapes are thinner
and provide tess fidelity.
•
The cassette machine is not located within
two feet
of the monitor or a television se t to
minimize magnetic field inte
rf erence.
•
Th e tap e is nev er placed wi thin two feet of the
monitor. a television set.
an el ectric motor, or
any
other strong source of magnetic fields to
avoid accidental
erasure of your data .
•
Th e system (computer console, casse tte
machine,
and Co l or Monitor) is not l ocate d on
a
co ntinuous metallic surf ace to minimize
condu
cte d noise.
1·10
• You are using o nl y CS t for LOAD. CSI or
CS2 ca n be u se d for SAVE.
To Save/ L oa d Data in T I BASI C
For com pl ete in s tru c ti ons on h ow to save and
load data when you are programming in TI
BASIC, see the sec tion on the SAVE comma nd.
To
Save Data Wh en Using a Module
Aft er you have entered your data into the
computer and connected the recorder to the
computer (with a good quality tape cassette in
place). you
are ready to begin recording. Select
the "
SAVE " option offered by th e module yo u're
using.
The computer then offers you a li st of
opti ons for saving data . (Note: You'll get an error
message if yo u select an option for a device that
isn't connected to
the console an d turned ON .)
Suppose. for exa mple. that you want to save
your data on a cassette recorder that' s attached
to the triple-plug end of the casse tt e interfa ce
cab le. Sele ct CSt (cassette unit 1) from the
op tions li s t.
From this point on, the co mputer guides you
thr oug h the SAVE routine with on-screen
instructions. (Note that
th e same in structions
appear whether yo u se lect CS t or CS2 .) The
compu ter co ntrols the reco rd er motor power, so
th e tape does not s tart to move until you press
.NT . R at the points indicated.
Screen Instruc
ti ons
• REWIND CASSETTE TAPE CS1
THEN PRESS ENTER
Proced ur e
Rewind the
tap e before you pr ess ENTER. If your
recorder does not have a tape·position counter,
rewind the
tape altthe way to the beginning. If
your r eco rder does have a posi ti on counter,
position the
tap e at the spo t where yo u want to
begin recording. and press the "stop" button
on
the r eco rd er. (Write down the position for l ater
ref ere nce.) Th en press ENTER to continue.
User 's Reference Guide

General Information
• PRESS CASSETTE RE CORD CSI
THEN PRESS ENTER
Pr ess the "record" button on the recorder. and
then pr ess ENTER on the computer. As soon as
you do, your data wi ll begin recording on the
tape. and the screen
wi ll show this mess ag e:
• RE CORDING
Y ou ma y hear the so und of the en coded
information as it is being stored or r ead from the
tap e unit. Several seco nds of bl ank tap e will be
recorded to a ll ow for the leader on t he tape.
• PRESS CASSE TTE STOP CSI
THE N PRESS EN TER
When a ll the data has be en r ec or ded . pr ess th e
"stop"
butt on on the record er. and then pres s the
co mput er's ENTER key.
On ce you've done this. you' ll be as k ed:
• C HE CK TAPE IV OR N)?
Not e: The single -l ett er responses (Y. N. R. etc.)
you give when savi ng or lo ading data on a
cassette tape mu st be upp er-case ch ara c ter s.
Ho ld d ow n the SHI FT key. and pr ess the
appropriat e le tt er key.
At this point you may choo
se to let the c omputer
ch ec k yo ur tap e to make sure everything wa s
recorded properl
y. We strongly recommend that
yo u do so to ens ur e the accu racy of your tap e for
future use. Note:
CS t onl y.
If yo u deci de not to check the tape . pr ess N for
no. Remove
yo ur tape. and label it for l ater
reference.
If yo u want to ch ec k the tape. pr ess Y for yes.
Again. the comput
er guides you with the
fol lowing messages:
• REWI ND CASSETTE TAPE CSt
THEN PRESS EN TER
Rewind the tap e (be fore pressi ng ENTER) to the
point
where you began r ec ording your data. If
you st ored your data at the beginning of the
tape , simply rewind the tap e to the beginnin g. If,
however. yo u began at a point ot her than the
beginni
ng of the tape, rewind the t ape to that
positio n. and press the "stop" button on the
recorder.
Th en pre ss ENTER.
User's Reference Guide
• PRESS CASSETTE PLAV CSI
THEN PRESS ENTER
Pr ess the "pl ay" button on th e recorder. and
then pr ess ENTER. The computer wi ll co mpar e
the
data in its memory to the data on the tap e.
Wh ile your tap e is being chec ked by the
computer, you'll see this message:
• C HE CK ING
If th ere are no e rr ors. the fo ll owing m ess age s
are displayed on the sc r ee n:
• DATAOK
PRESS CASSETTE STOP CSI
THEN PRESS
ENTER
You ca n now remove your data tape and label it
for future use.
If . however. the data were not recorded properl y.
yo u' lI rece ive one of two e rr or messages:
Error M ess age
• ERROR -NO DATA FOUND
M ea ning
Your data wa s not recorded. or it did not play
back .
PRESS R TO RECORD CSI
PRESS C
TO CHECK
PRESS E
TO EXIT
Error Message
• ERROR IN DATA DETECTED
Meaning
Some part of your data did not record properl y.
PRESS R TO RECORD CSI
PRESS C
TO CH ECK
PRESS E TO EX IT
Before you go further. yo u may want to recheck
the se items:
• Is the reco
rder at a proper dis tan ce fr om
your television
se t (two feet or more)? Is the
r
ec ord er a tta ched pr ope rly to the computer?
• Is the ca sse tt e tape in good co nd ition?( If in
doubt, try
another tape .) • Are the cassette
recorder volume and tone adjusted cor r ec tl y?
Wa s the volume too high or too low? Does the
ca sse tt e t ape h ea d n ee d cl ea nin g? • Is the
system l
oca ted on a metal surface?
I- II

General Information
When you have checked th ese. you can choose
one of these three option s:
• Pr ess R to record yo ur data again, us in g the
sa me instructions for RECORD that are
di sc u sse d above.
• Pr ess c to ins tru ct the co mput er to check
yO Uf data again.
• Pr ess E to "exit" and the following mess age
appears:
• PRESS CA SSETTE STOP C SI
THEN PRESS ENTER
Th e "exit" key take s you ba ck to th e beginning
of the " Sav e" option of the modul e. Thus. when
you pr ess ENTER, you see the " Sa ve Data "
scree n a nd ca n try to store yo ur data aga in .Ju st
follow the instructions as th ey appear on the
sc reen.
To Load Da ta Wh en Using a Mod ul e
Th e next time you want to u se the information
stored on the tape. you'll n ee d to "load" yo ur
data - th at is. re ad the data you save d on tape
into the memory system of th e co mput er." Fir st.
co nnect yo ur casse tte r ecor der (s) to yo ur
compu t er . Th en in se rt into the co mput er the
module
fr om which you save d the information.
Wh en you're r ea dy to "load," se l ec t the "LOAD
DATA" option of the module. Wh en the
co
mput er as ks, press the 1 key to indicate the
information is being read from a ca
sse tte. Then
press the 1 key aga in to se lect casse tte unit
CS 1. Reme mber CS1 is u se d f or lo ading data .
Fr om this point. the computer prints
in
st ructions on the sc reen f or yo u to fo ll ow.
Screen Instruc ti ons
• REWIND CAS SETTE TAPE CSI
THEN PRESS ENTER
Pr oced ur es
Rewind the tap e before yo u pr ess ENTER.
Position yo ur tape at the point fr om which you
wan t to read the d ata into the com put er (at the
beginning if
yo ur r eco rder does not have a
position co
unt er). Th en press ENTER.
* Du e to differences in tape cassette design, a tape
recor
de d by one mod el of reco rd er may not be
readable by another modelof recorder.
1·12
Screen In structions
• PRESS C ASSETTE PLAY CSI
THEN PRESS EN TER
Procedures
Pr ess the "pla y" button on the reco rder and the
ENTER key on the computer. Th e information is
r
ea d from the tap e and entered into the
com
put er's memory. While the co mput er is
reading the tape, the following message appea rs
on the
scree n:
• READING
It tak es some time to r ea d in the data ,
depending on the amount
of information s tor ed.
Wh en the computer fini sh es r ea ding the dat a, it
te
ll s you whether or not it r ea d th e data
properly. If the data was r ea d cor r ec tl y, you' ll
see the fo ll ow ing m essages on th e sc reen:
•
DATAOK
• PRESS CASSETTE STOP CSI
THEN PRESS ENTER
You 're now ready to b eg in working with the
module.
If , however, the data h as not been entered
pr operly into the co mput er's memory, yo u' ll see
one of several "e rror " m essages . Follow the
dir
ec tions on the sc reen to try to load yo ur data
agam .
If you sti
ll have difficulty. you' lI want to mak e
sur
e:
• yo u are l oa ding the correct tape
•
th e tape is positioned at the corr ec t starting
pla ce for the data you are loading
• the
tap e ha s not been da mag ed
or accidenta ll y erased
•
th e rec ord er is a prop er dis tan ce fr om yo ur
tele
vi sion se t (two f ee t or more)
• the reco
rder is atta ched properly to the
co
mputer
• the casse tt e recorder volume is ad justed
co
rr ectly
• the system
is not l oca ted on a metal s urf ace
• the tap e was recorded with yo ur casse tt e unit or
an identical model
• the
casse tte lape head is clean
• you
are using cassette unit 1
U se r 's Reference Guide