cbmeeks

The keyboard was working on my A600 but then stopped. Some of the traces on the membrane have vanished. I thought about trying to repair it and I may revisit this again. But I'd rather buy a new one if possible. The only one I can find is almost $60 which seems really expensive. Anyone know where I can get one? BTW, the one I need is the green one (56C471B). Thanks!

Thanks. I've been on a book buying binge lately and several of them are for the TI.

OK, I couldn't resist. I've been buying TI books lately. I can't believe how many there are! This book isn't exactly for me, but it was cheap and will be enjoyed. 🙂

Everything about it is here: https://atariage.com/forums/topic/168968-f18a/ But to answer your questions, no. The composite is not supported on the new chip. It's an FPGA implementation and composite was not used. I don't think all TI's are socketed. If not, you would have to remove it yourself (or get someone to help). Just remember, desoldering can be challenging.

Sorry, I made an assumption. 🙂 The F18A is a cycle-accurate replacement for the video chip in the TI-99/4A. The TMS9918. It also has some extra features. Basically, it outputs VGA instead of composite. Unfortunately, they are not made any more. But the creator has a version 2 (MK2) that should be released sometime soon (we hope).

For those that have installed the F18A, one thing you might want to search for is a right angle VGA adapter like the one here. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Xiwai-VGA-SVGA-Male-To-Female-extension-Adapter-Vertical-Flat-Right-Angled/373388659830?hash=item56efb2cc76:g:AxUAAOSwisRf1Tbm I didn't buy this exact one, but I bought one similar a couple years ago and it really helped with the video cable routing on my small desk. I hated the way the video cable bunched up near my monitor so routing it to the left at 90 degrees made it much nicer. Just make sure you pay attention to the orientation and male/female ends if you purchase one.

What @Justin said. I get so annoyed with people who trash talk the TI on YouTube when they have never used one. Or, they've used it for all of 10 minutes before deciding it's junk. The TI certainly had quirks (many of them!), but that's what made it so great. And beginners should know that.

When you use the speech synthesizer, the tone is sometimes very sarcastic....which makes it even more entertaining. lol