New iOS App Released!
25/November/2012 13:44
It has been, quite literally, years
since I have posted anything here… (October of 2008 to be
precise).
That was news about my first iOS app release; iSlideRule.
Since then, I've updated the app several times (as noted in the iSlideRule web log). I've been in development for the past two years on my latest app; RPD-95.
RPD-95 is a full simulation of the TI-95 Procalc® keystroke programmable calculator from Texas Instruments. This was a product that TI developed in the 1980's, and sold until around 1989. I worked on a small portion of this calculator as a member of the development team (I wrote the calculator-to-cassette recorder interface code, and the Doc-Bus I/O system.
Anyway, I was granted a license to develop an iPad version of the product (at my request), and have now finished this development. What we have is a full implementation of the TI-95, called "RPD-95", that provides a machine level simulation of the original product. So; what does this mean?
This means that the simulation actually runs the original machine code (the TI-95 has a TMS70C46 microcontroller). Part of the app development was to write an original TMS70C46 emulator to run the actual machine code. Another part was developing the LCD display driver emulation to simulate the hardware display and tie that to an iOS UIView with the calculator display pixels simulated.
There is a complete I/O system implementation that intercepts the operations and performs the corresponding functions in application code rather than simulating the I/O hardware of the calculator. So; this means that there is Doc-Bus simulation code to support disk drives, printers, and other devices, built in and usable by the calculator's CIO function, as well as a simulated printer and "cassette tape" built in. The tape simulation is accessed through the calculator I/O key, but instead of reading and writing to tape, it accesses a folder of the app sandbox on the iPad (contents are viewable in the program and data view within the app).
Also simulated and supported are 32K RAM cartridges for storage, and 32K application ROM cartridges (available for in-app purchase and fully loaded with the original apps from the TI-95; titles to be provided include Mathematics, Statistics, Chemical Engineering and more&hellip
As the application is updated, I'll post more information here about it; and possibly start its own unique web log…
The new app is available on iTunes…
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rpd95/id578080235?mt=8&uo=4
-Steve
That was news about my first iOS app release; iSlideRule.
Since then, I've updated the app several times (as noted in the iSlideRule web log). I've been in development for the past two years on my latest app; RPD-95.
RPD-95 is a full simulation of the TI-95 Procalc® keystroke programmable calculator from Texas Instruments. This was a product that TI developed in the 1980's, and sold until around 1989. I worked on a small portion of this calculator as a member of the development team (I wrote the calculator-to-cassette recorder interface code, and the Doc-Bus I/O system.
Anyway, I was granted a license to develop an iPad version of the product (at my request), and have now finished this development. What we have is a full implementation of the TI-95, called "RPD-95", that provides a machine level simulation of the original product. So; what does this mean?
This means that the simulation actually runs the original machine code (the TI-95 has a TMS70C46 microcontroller). Part of the app development was to write an original TMS70C46 emulator to run the actual machine code. Another part was developing the LCD display driver emulation to simulate the hardware display and tie that to an iOS UIView with the calculator display pixels simulated.
There is a complete I/O system implementation that intercepts the operations and performs the corresponding functions in application code rather than simulating the I/O hardware of the calculator. So; this means that there is Doc-Bus simulation code to support disk drives, printers, and other devices, built in and usable by the calculator's CIO function, as well as a simulated printer and "cassette tape" built in. The tape simulation is accessed through the calculator I/O key, but instead of reading and writing to tape, it accesses a folder of the app sandbox on the iPad (contents are viewable in the program and data view within the app).
Also simulated and supported are 32K RAM cartridges for storage, and 32K application ROM cartridges (available for in-app purchase and fully loaded with the original apps from the TI-95; titles to be provided include Mathematics, Statistics, Chemical Engineering and more&hellip
As the application is updated, I'll post more information here about it; and possibly start its own unique web log…
The new app is available on iTunes…
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rpd95/id578080235?mt=8&uo=4
-Steve
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