Texas Instruments TI-99/4A User manual

BY THE EDITORS OF
CONSUMER GUIDE®
THE USER'S GUIDE TO
TEXAS
INSTRUMENTS
TI-99/4A COMPUTER,
SOFTWARE, & PERIPHERALS
Another Originalpublicationof POCKET BOOKS
4^^JJ POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
j^^ 1230 Avenue of the Americas
C^ML New York, N.Y. 10020
Copyright © 1933by Publications International, Ltd.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce
this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue
of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10020
ISBN: 0-671-49504-6
First Pocket Books printing December, 1983
10 987654 3 21
POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks
of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Printed in the U.S.A.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
WELCOME TO HOME
COMPUTING 4
Byusing this book to learn about your
system, you will be well on the way to
many happy hours of home computing.
CHAPTER 2
GETTING STARTED 9
You'll learn about what you need to
assemble your basic computer system.
Then you'll go step-by-step through the
details of setting it up.
•Troubleshooting Guide
CHAPTER 3
MEET THE KEYS 42
Each and every key on your keyboard
is presented here, complete with
exercises to teach you how the keys
work. Detailed photographs show you
how your screen will look as you work
through the exercises.
CHAPTER 4
PERIPHERALS-
EXPANDING YOUR
SYSTEM is?
So you want your new system to do
even more for you? Here's the
background information you need to
decide what additional equipment you
might want to buy.

CHAPTER 5
SOFTWARE 177
Software programs alsoexpand your
system's capabilities. Here are some
software packages you might use for
various kinds of purposes.
CHAPTER 6
YOUR COMPUTERS
NETWORK 221
Many resources are available to help
you get the most from your computer
system. You can share all sorts of
information with other computer users
and with national information banks
as well

CHAPTER 1
WELCOME TO
HOME COMPUTING
Congratulations on owning your new Texas In
struments TI-99/4A Home Computerl Ifthis is
your.first experience in the world of home com
puters, you willdiscoverthatyour computer
opens a new world of entertainment and educa
tionto you. Ifyou are upgrading from a less ex
pensive computer,you'll find that the TI-99/4A
offersexpansion capabilities that willserve the
needs of many home computer enthusiasts, from
the noviceto the advanced programmer.
You will quickly notice that the TI-99/4Ais de
signedto be easyto use. Andyou'll undoubted
ly find manyusesforyourcomputer; precisely
whatthose usesare will depend onyour inter
ests. Inlearningto useyour
TI-99/4A, you'll be
come
familiar with theuseofyour computer in
particular, and computers in general. Becoming
familiar withcomputers (i.e., becoming comput
er literate) isoneof the primarybenefits of
owning a home computer.

A littleof the basicshelps us begin to realize just
howuseful computers canbe.A computer, after
all, isan electronic device that has the abilityto
process data. If "process data" soundstoo tech
nical, think of itthis way: each time you look up
anaddressand phone numberoradd all ofthe
month's
bills together,you areprocessing data.
When you worry overyourtax form each year,
you areprocessing data.When you type aterm
paper ora letter and retype itto correct mis
takes,you are processing data (processing
words, specifically). A computercanhelpyou
perform all of these tasks—and more.
With the ability to storeand recall electronic
files, you canuseyourcomputer for countless
household chores. Keepingclose track of med
ical, dental, insurance,and automobile mainte
nance records arejust some ofthe possibilities
that come to mind.
Tracking home finances isone of the most pop
ularapplications forhome computers. Youcan
examine your budget planexpenses, and pro
jectyour
financial future based on expected
salaryadjustments and inflation. Ifyou arecon
sidering the costs of a new home, you can use
the computerto calculate real estate financial
values and provide comparisons between hous
ing choices.Youcan alsocalculateexact pay
mentson loans, adjusting fordifferent interest
rates. And at the end of the year, during your
annual income tax planning ritual, you can use
your computer inthe roleof tax accountant

Education isone of the most exciting areas for
personal computer use, particularlyforyour
TI-99/4A. Theeducationalsoftware packages
available foryourcomputer number in the hun
dreds—at levels from preschool to college.
Programs areavailable for spelling, grammar,
reading concepts, mathematics, history,music,
foreign languages, and other subjects. Much
of the educational software available comes in
aquestion-and-answer drill format: you respond
to questions posed on the screen, and the com
puter monitors your answers. Some programs
take the formof interactivesimulations: you are
placed in a situation (say, the Battleof Gettys
burg) so that you can learn about the event. The
wide array of educational software on the mar
ket for the TI-99/4Awillcontinue to grow asthe
popularity of educational software increases.
Games and hobbies alsoadapt to computeriza
tion. Inaddition to the video gamesyou can
play on your TI-99/4A, there are a number of
thinking games and simulation games. Sim
ulations of popularsports such as football and
soccer, along with common board games such
aschess and checkers,can be played using the
computer.

Your computer caneven expandyour horizons
bytapping into information networks—with
the use of atelephone. Information networks .
offer the latest news, stockexchange prices, air
line schedules, electronic classified ads, and
national restaurant and movie reviews. Some
servicesof this type even offer electronicshop
ping and banking.
With appropriate software and peripherals
(accessories), allof these applications are now
available to you. This text providesthe informa
tion you'll need to choose the rightsoftware
and accessories for whatever you want to do.
Many people are under the impressionthatto
use a home computer they have to become pro
grammers, but that is far from the truth. You'll
findthatusingyour computer iseasierthan you
ever dreamed. For example, your computer uses
plug-incartridges asa form of software.Allyou
have to do isinsert the cartridge into a slot, and
thecomputerisready to perform.The software
iseasy to use because it presentsyou with a list
of choices. By simply following the step-by-step
instructions outlined on the screen,you'll find
that commercial software packages require
no programming knowledge at all.

Ifyou want to learn programming, you have
that option, too. The programming language
called BASIC is built into your computer, allow
ing you to writeyour own programs and save
them on cassette or floppy disk. The 16K mem
ory that isa standard feature of your TI-99/4A
provides ample
storage for the novice to inter
mediate programmer. And your computeris
capable of using many additional programming
languages, including Extended BASIC, Pascal,
Logo, and Assembly Language.
Whether you are a first-time computer owner
or one who istrading up from a basic learning
computer,you'll find that you have apowerful,
expandable home computer in your TI-99/4A.
The purpose of this text isto help you get max
imum use out ofyour new computer.

CHAPTER 2
GETTING STARTED
To get the most fromyour new computersys
tem, you must take
the time to become ac
quainted with itsparts. Every system includes
some basiccomponents: the computer, a moni
tor or television set to connect to the computer
as a means ofdisplay, and software to use with
the computer. Inaddition to these basic parts,
you mayhave purchasedsomeperipherals such
as a set ofjoysticks,a cassette recorder or disk
drive system, and the cables needed to connect
these items to your computer.
The heart ofyour computersystem is the
TI-99/4A Home Computer Console, which con
tains the keyboard,a slot forthe use ofcartridge
software, and abuilt-in version of the BASIC
computer programming language. Inthe box
with your HomeComputerConsoleisthe Video
Modulator (a TV adapter which allows you to
connect the computerto a television set). Also
packed with your computershould be
two
books: User's Reference Guide and Beginner's
BASIC both supplied by Texas Instruments. A
separate Power Supply that connects to the
computer completes the basic computersystem.
Beforeyou set up your computer, let's take a
tour.

TI-99/4A computer (front view)
On the front of the computer, at the right side,
are the Power On switch and the Power Indica
tor Lamp. Sliding the Power On switch to the
right turns your computer on.
10

TI-99/4A computer (right side view)
On the right side of the computer isa slot that
iscovered by a sliding door. Thisslot houses the
Expansion Connector. You'll use this connector
to attach many peripherals (but more
about that
later).The door that covers the Expansion Con
nector should remain closed when the connec
tor is not in use. (And you should be careful not
to touch the metal pins on the Expansion Con
nector; delicate circuits inside the computer can
be damaged by static electricity if you touch
these pins.)
11

TI-99/4A computer (left side view)
On the left side of the computer is the Game
Controller Port;it has nine littlepins. This is
where you plug injoysticks when you want
to play games.
12

TI-99/4A computer (rear view)
On the rear of the computeryou'll find three
more connectors. The connector on the left
rearof the computer, resemblingthe Game Con
troller Port, is where you attach the Cassette
Recorder Interface Cable. Next, to the right, isa
connector with four pins;here you plug in the
Power Cord. Finally, on the right rearof the com
puterisa circular connector(with five pins). This
iswhere you connectyour video monitor or
television set.
13

TI-99/4A computer (top view)
Your TI-99/4A uses cartridgesoftware (referred
to as Solid State Software by.the manufacturer).
The right half of the computerconsole contains
alarge access areaforthese cartridges. To the
rear of the cartridge software access area isa
series of ventilation slots. THESE SLOTS SHOULD
NEVER BE OBSTRUCTED; they are necessary to
maintain propercooling of your computer when
it is in operation. The area on the left side of the
computer console is the keyboard. It resembles
the keyboard of a normal typewriter, plus some
special function keys. (Chapter3covers the
functions of the keyboard in detail.)
14

Here are the components you need to set up
your TI-99/4A computer. All these compo
nents (except the television) come with your
computer:
Video modulator
Standard home color (or black-
and-white) TV
Power supply
15

Place the computer console on a firm surface,
with room for any accessories that you may
have purchased. If you are using atelevision set
as amonitor, you'll need a screwdriver to con
nect the computer to it. Unwrap the books in
the cellophane wrapper. Between them you'll
find some papers;you'll also find some strips of
plastic (gray on the front and black on the back).
These plastic strips are called overlays.
One of
the strips has some writing on it; place that strip
on the computer console in the angled space
just above the keyboard.
Pick up the Power Supply that was packed with
your computer. Insert the four-pin plug at the
end of the Power Supply cable into the four-pin
connector on the left rearof the computer. Plug
the Power Supply into a standard 115-voltAC
electrical outlet. As a safety precaution, you may
want to unplug the Power Supply when you fin
ish using the computer (and replug it the next
time).
Tolink your computer to atelevision follow
these steps:
16

STEP 1
Turn the television set OFF. Loosen the screws
on the VHF antenna terminals on your television
set and remove the antenna cable.
17

STEP 2
Pick up the Video Modulator that was provided
with your computer system. Connect the Video
Modulator Television Interface Cable to the VHF
antenna terminals on the TVset. Tighten the TV
set antenna screws.
18

STEP 3
Connect the television VHF antenna cable to
the Video Modulator antenna terminals
and tighten the screws.
19