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

divisionofSimon

&

Schuster,

Inc.

j^^

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Avenueofthe

Americas

C^ML

New

York,

N.Y.

10020

Ltd.

this

book

or

portions

thereofinany

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 also expand 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. Ifyouare upgrading

fromaless

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 easy to

use.

Andyou'llundoubted

ly

find

manyusesforyourcomputer;

precisely

whatthose usesare

will

depend onyour inter

ests. Inlearningto useyour

TI-99/4A,

you'll be

come

familiar

with theuse ofyour computer in

particular,

and computers

in

general.

Becoming

familiar

withcomputers

(i.e.,

becoming

comput

er

literate)

isoneof the primarybenefits of

owningahome

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"

soundstootech

nical,

think of it this 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 a term

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 store and

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 are con

sidering

the

costs

ofanew

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. The educationalsoftware 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

a question-and-answer

drill

format:

you respond

to

questions

posed

on

the

screen,

and

the

com

puter monitors your answers. Some programs

take the formof interactive simulations:

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 games you 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

tionyou'll need to choose the rightsoftware

and

accessories for

whatever

you

want

to

do.

Many people areunder

the

impressionthatto

useahome

computer

they

have

to

become

pro

grammers,

but that is

far

from

the truth.

You'll

findthat using your computer iseasierthan

you

ever

dreamed.

For

example,

your

computer

uses

plug-incartridges asa

form

of software. Allyou

have

to

do is insert

the

cartridge into a slot,

and

thecomputer isreadyto perform.The software

iseasyto 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 write your

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

a powerful,

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 of display, 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 of cartridge

software,

and

a built-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

torisnot

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, is a

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 connect your 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

a large access area forthese cartridges.

To

the

rear of

the

cartridge software access area is a

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. (Chapter 3 covers

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.Ifyou

are

using a television

set

as

a monitor,

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

intoastandard

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

Tolink

your

computer

to

a television 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

STEP

4

Locate

the

five-pin plug

at

the

end

of

the

Video

Modulator's

computer

interface

cable

and

insert

it into the circularfive-pin connector on the right

rear

of

the

computer. Besure

that

the

pins are

properlyaligned to

the

socketto avoid breaking

the

pins.

Connect

the

plug

firmly,

but

don't

try

to

force it

into

position.

20

STEP

5

Use

the

peel-and-stick adhesive

tape

on

the

rear

of

the

Video

Modulator

to

attach

the

modulator

to

your

television set.

21

STEP

6

In

your

area, television

channel

3

or4should

be

unused.

Place

the

channel

select

switch

at

the

bottom

of

the

Video

Modulator

in

the

unused

channel

position. Also

set

your

television

set

to

that

channel.

22

CO

CM

Jlgf^^

If

you

are using

the

TlColor Monitor, follow

these

steps:

STEP1

Unpack

the

Tl

Color

Monitor,

and

locate

the

Color

Monitor

Video Cable supplied

with

the

monitor.

24

STEP

2

Locate

the

five-pin plug

at

the

end

of

the

Video

Cable

and

insertitinto

the

circular five-pin

con

nector

on

the

right rearof

the

computer. Be

sure

that

the

pins are

properly

aligned

to

the

socket

to

avoid

breaking

the

pins.

Connect

the

plug

firmly,

but

don't

try

to

force it into position.

25

STEP

3

Locate

the

jacks

marked

"VIDEO"

and

"AUDIO"

on

the

rear

of

the

Color

Monitor.

Insert

the

plugs

on

the

end

of

the

Video

Cable

into

these

jacks. The plugs are differentsizes,

so

you

can't

put

them

in

the

wrong

places.

26

If

you

purchased

Tljoysticks

with

your

com

puter, follow

these

steps: Locate

the

nine-pin

plug

at

the

end

of

the

joystick cable. Insert this

plug firmly into

the

Game

Controller Port

on

the

left

side

of

the

computer.

27

Ifyou are using a cassette recorder for program

storage,

follow

these

steps:

STEP!

Obtain

the

Tl

Cassette

Recorder

Interface

Cable.

This

cable

is

not

supplied

with

the

computer;

it is

supplied

with

the

Tl

Cassette

Program Recorder,

or

you

can

buyitseparatelyifyou

want

to

use

a

different

cassette

recorder.

'28

STEP

2

Locate

the

nine-pin plug

at

one

end

of

the

Cassette

Recorder

Interface

Cable.

Insert

this

plug

firmly

into the jack on the left

rear

of

the

computer.

29

Texas Instruments TI-99/4A User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual