Gary Bowser

One Positive Step At A Time In Rebuilding My Life! Another goal post has been reached, last month ODS approved me getting an hospital bed and yesterday it was finally installed in my condo. This will greatly help my lymphedema in my left leg and for hopefully my surgery soon.

Thanks to everyone that sent me good thoughts and prayers for my 57th birthday yesterday. I spent it quietly with close family and friends, nothing special as it was a rainy and chilly day. Looking back at everything in my life recently, it's been one dynamic adventure, and I am lucky to have some caring friends and to be able to continue my love and passion for the Texas Instruments TI99 Computers. My restarting journey is not over yet, still lots to get done in improving my health and overall wellness, but I think we made some good progress during the 3 years I have now been back in Canada with my freedom. Looking forward to having many more birthdays and to continue on life's adventure and making new friends.

@thara1129 @uniskie2 This is the one I have, which I bought from Amazon. Seems to be well laid out and complete for the original MSX '84 design. a.co/d/063n1nZI

この本、前半は日本語で書かれてるのに、後半は英語でテキストファイルをそのまま印刷したような感じなんですよね😅 そして、また付録の方で日本語が現れる。なかなか興味深い本です。 国会図書館オンラインで見られます。 MSXテクニカルデータブック２の方には、BIOSソースコード載ってます。 こっちは残念ながら持っていませんが、国会図書館オンラインで見られます。 数値が 8進数で書かれてたりするので、超絶見づらいですが。 データブック１ dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/12628451 データブック２ dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/12628454

May 2026 has finally arrived, but it's still a bit on the chilly side, hopefully when my birthday comes up on the 12th, the weather will be nice to have an outdoor party in the park like I did last year. Looking forward to my 56th birthday as it will mark basically the end of my 3rd year of freedom and also the end of my federal probation, so I will be even able to enjoy more Canadian freedom and independence. Many thanks to everyone that gathered together and promoted my GoFundMe campaign during April to reach the $25k goal milestone before my birthday. Every bit helps me towards improving my overall health and well-being, so please continue to help spread the word about my story and rebuilding of my life. April was a crazy busy month in getting things on track for improving my health and quality of life, soon I will be receiving a custom powered wheelchair finally, and also a proper hospital bed, and some more renovations to my condo as well to make it easier for me to get around and live by myself with less stress. But the struggle is never over, I got to keep on pushing and moving forward, and staying positive and continue on the path of improving my health and overall well-being, so I can focus my mind more on various retro projects for the Texas Instruments hobbyist community that have also been supportive during the last 3 years Thanks again everyone for your donations, the Tumblr community has been good in their support and kind words, so all the best wishes to everyone there, and thanks again for all your kind messages, prayers and thoughts. -=(GaryOPA)=- P.S. The above photo is an AI mockup of me sitting in the park with my new wheelchair for my birthday, looking forward to taking a real photo of myself during that happy birthday celebration event coming up in 12 days.

@modrobert I have a hot air rework station. But I was looking at using the hot plate instead. Since the whole board is all SMT and single sided.

@Bowser_GaryOPA Are you going to use oven or rework station? I've done some with SMD rework station (hot air with nozzle), it's mostly about masking off the area of interest with kapton tape, placing the solder paste and trying to keep the heat evenly.

Sun Is Shining On GaryOPA Upgraded Workshop May is almost here. Sunny Spring Days have finally started in Canada. And here at OPA headquarters, we have completed some much needed upgrades to our little workshop packed away in the very sunny Den of my condo in Scarberia. It's going to be a learning curve for me as I am going to start assembling soon a bunch of FinalGrom99 cartridges for our beloved TI99 retro computer community, but I have never done tiny SMT soldering before, but I think I have got all the required equipment now installed, like microscope, hot plate & stencil. Any tips or advice from fellow hobbyists that have done SMT work is much appreciated, as I am a total noobie in this field. Thanks again for all the support and encouragement recently.

Lots of small things have been happening in April to make my daily life a bit easier. My ODSP caseworker finally approved for me to have an emergency toilet thingy and with recent donations to my GoFundMe allow me to get an affordable mini-fridge. So I have now, rearranged my tiny but cute bedroom area and even hooked up an Atari 7800+ console to my 32" TV. Along with a small movable table for my old laptop, this will allow me to relax, but still do some online work on those bad days I can't even get out of my bed due to my lymphedema in my left leg giving me too much pain. Having the toilet now next to my bed reminds me a bit like my tiny old prison cell that I spent 40 months in, but I am blessed to be just over a month away from 3 years of Canadian freedom and I am very much looking forward to my 56th birthday soon along with warmer spring days in May. Thanks all for your prayers & thoughts!

March is just flying by, soon it will be April showers that bring May flowers. Finally, this month in the progress of making my daily life easier, I was able to have grab bars installed, along with an new shower bench in my bathroom. Thanks everyone for your prayers & thoughts!

I have been following your work since the start as I am a big fan of the tms9918 and the Yamaha v9958 chips, and a newer FPGA chip needs to be developed regardless of any bios or cpu, it should be totally independent of the system it's being used it, I was looking forward to seeing you v9968 in other systems, like the Texas Instruments TI99. There is a very large retro community outside of just the MSX works, many many systems used the original 9918 and few used the 9938, all those different systems need your v9968. I fully support your efforts to move forward and I am willing to supply you with whatever you need to move forward and make a totally independent design. You don't need to have your amazing work tied down to just the MSX with its complex bios licensing system. Just design it like the original video chips that can work no matter what system they are installed in. Thanks and I hope you continue to move forward with your project.

【MSX2++プロジェクト キャンセル】 残念ながらこのような結果になってしまいました。 MSX2++本体が出ることを待ち望んでいた方々へ、 本当に、申し訳ありませんでした🙇‍♂️ 力及ばず、結実するに至ることができませんでした。 私にとって、MSX は中学生のころ以来の相棒です。 最初に買ったのは 1989年だったと思います。SONY HB-F1II でした。 最初は MSX-BASIC、次は機械語、とプログラミングや、 グラフサウルスを使って絵を描いたり、 MML使って曲を作ったり。 いろいろなことに使える、でも少し動作が遅かったり する部分を工夫で乗り越える、そんなことで技術の基礎を学びました。 その流れで将来はプログラマーという夢を持ち、 新卒でプログラマーになる。そして今の会社に引き抜かれ、ASIC設計者に転職。 仕事自身も非常に楽しく、職場では少し技術を引っ張る側に携わることができていると思います。 そのベースには、MSXで学んだ基礎知識が活きています。 2022年DEVCON1。SNS 以外の場所で、また MSX の名を見ることができる。 MSX3 SDK の購入予約のようなものに記名したので「もうすぐ MSX3 が届くんだ」と、年甲斐もなくワクワクしました。 半年、１年と経っても出てこない。 2024年8月に MSXDIY の打ち合わせに呼ばれ 話を伺う機会ができたので、聞いてみるとまだまだ開発中という段階。 DEVCON 発表では大々的にいろんなバリエーションを挙げておられますが、 実際のところは最初の１つ目もまだ動作の段階に至っていない。 もしかして、このままだといつまでたってもモノが出ないのではないか？ という危機感が沸き上がりました。 最初は V9958 の代替となる FPGA 開発を頼まれたのがきっかけでしたが、 この時点で、DEVCON1 から２年経過。マズい状況。 おぼろげなイメージしかない MSX3 は、もう少し固まるまでまだまだ時間がかかりそうだ。 それなら、MSXDIY の枠組みの中で MSX2++, MSXturboR+ を FPGA で実現したらどうか？ MSX愛好者の多くは、過去のMSXの互換機が欲しい。 でもただの互換では面白みがない。 なら、MSXturboR と MSX3 の間を埋める、 200X年発売の MSX, 201X年発売の MSX を作ったらどうだろう？ 元々、1chipMSX の改造だけでなく、自分で FPGA を使って MSX を作ってみたいと思っていた。 MSX のためなら一肌脱ぐか。 未来路線の MSX3 に対して、現実の延長・歴史のIF を実現するために、MSX2++ の開発を始めたのでした。 MSX に対する恩返しになるのではないかと。 残念ながら、実ることはできませんでした。 今回、はっきりわかったことは、 私が好きなのは MSX なのであって、西さんではないということです。 モノづくりを進めるうえでの根本的な考え方が、 全く異なることを実感しました。 どの進め方が良い・悪いとは言えませんが、 私の進め方と、西さんの進め方の相性が悪いことはわかりましたので、 私はおとなしくこの開発から身を引きたいと思います。 今後の DEVCONは、私は出向くことはありません。 DEVCON1 以前に戻るだけです。 せっかくの成果物を無駄にしないために、私は私の何かを作ります。 時々、作ったものをチラ見せするかもしれません。 今後ともよろしくお願いします😉

Bowser Wishes Everyone A Happy Mar10 Day! Its been a while since my last social media post, time is just flying by, I can't believe we are already into 3rd month of year 2026, anyway on this nice and warm Mario day, I like to give everyone a progress update on my overall health and what's been happening recently. I now have a PSW coming 3 times a week to help me with daily chores like showers, laundry, etc. And a nurse coming twice a week to wrap my leg with compression bandages in the hope it will slowly help to reduce it. I also now have fresh meal coming each day for launch, and weekly a box of frozen meals for my dinner, here hoping after a few months on this diet I will lose at least 100 pounds and get down to around 250 at least, it is tough getting used to it, but at least its all covered between United Way and my "disability benefits", so that will save me money at least each month on groceries, I only need to buy food for my Sunday's. I also finished all my doctor's appointments over the last month which I was keeping me busy, no more until early April, so now hopefully I can catch up on some Texas Instruments retro projects for my beloved TI-99/4a Home Computer that I been working on recently. Other good news, is with the recently appointments and at home visit by my OT, I have gotten the paperwork started and approvals coming down the line for various things I need to make my life easier, for one there going to be an "custom power wheelchair" delivered by March 26th, and also March of Dimes is working on giving me "home renovation" grant so I can make things better, like adding a ramp in my backyard, and making my bathroom door wider, and installing a tub with cut-out in it, that should all occur sometime in April. My ODSP caseworker has also passed along other requests from my OT for things like a new shower chair, and recliner to rest my legs on when relaxing, and medical bed as well which should help my legs when sleeping. Its been a tough road, but finally I am starting to see some good progress being made via the Canadian healthcare system, it has taken a while since I been back in Canada since June 2023, so we are coming up to the 3 year mark, but now that the wheels have started moving, many things are happening all at once. Looking forward to the warmer weather that started last weekend, but sadly this week we might have a little blast of snow again, but soon it will be April, and then coming up in May my birthday, and I think by then everything I mentioned above and more will have been put in place, so looking forward to having a great one! And thanks for all the positive thoughts and prayers!

It's time for progress report on the 838-FDC... Currently, getting back into the flow of some major coding to finalize things up, as many of you know I had some health issues last month, but I am back on track, and getting to regular schedule of daily coding and testing now. All the issues with FPGA replacement for WD1772 been resolved, everything is running smoothly now on TI99 system with formatting, reading, writing floppy diskettes in both 5.25" and 3.5" on various physical and gotek drives. Work now is on verifying that "high-density" 1.44mb can be fully supported on the TI99, I been hard at work on writing some very compact and tight assembly code to all fit within the 256 bytes of scratchpad, as we need as much speed as possible on the /4A to transfer 36 sectors of data per track. What I am doing now is writing more test programs, and then comparing results between the 838-FDC and a Geneve with HFDC (which is currently the only other controller that can handle 1.44mb diskettes), but only on Geneve! I hope to post up video later on this weekend, showing the test program, reading a physical 1.44mb diskette that been filled up with data on Geneve first, on a /4A and without any errors or other issues. Next step after that is to do the opposite fill up a new diskette with bunch of files on the /4A and then read/compare the data back on Geneve to have it again without any errors or other issues. Once those two steps have been done by me and verified by Shift838 as well on couple of different systems and setups, then we will be opening up pre-orders for the card. It also has been decided to leave the hardware design with SMT as-is, without reducing it more, I was looking at possible changes to reduce the amount of parts, but that would add more work for end-user, as it would require modding your drives to support auto-switching, as not all drives output the density signal on pin 2, and also it would remove the option of using an existing Ajax chip or regular WD1772 chip, forcing the card to only use the FPGA, and not everyone "cost-wise" and for other reasons might want that. That's all for now, will be updating and posting more updates on regular basis now, that I got my routine done health-wise, with my new diet, and 3 PSW visits per week, and 2 nurses per week. One step at a time, and staying positive and moving forward! In the meantime, Shift838 and I have a bunch of other cool projects in the works, so stay tuned to his channel for more great TI99/Geneve news in the coming weeks and months!

Slowly... One Step At A Time... Another Health Update... As most of you know, reading my blog, I had some major issues with my left leg, more so than normal back in January, and I ended up in the Scarberia Emergency during a Canadian snowstorm blizzard as well... Since then, I had more problems, with ODSP placing my disability file on hold, which meant no "payment" for January, that was super tough, I ended up with less than 10 loonies to my name, but I was able to get thru the month. Now as of yesterday, I had to more follow-up doctor's appointments with specialists, of course in Canada Health Care is slow, so that only caused some more appointments to be scheduled during the February and into March, one of which will be CT Scan to see if there is any issues in my hip and stomach area that could be causing my chronic lymphedema in my left leg to get worse. (Praying for good news when that occurs, and they don't find like a tumor or something inside me!) Some good news on the "At Home Care" side, since my trip to the to Emergency Dept. the Ontario government, decided to that I should finally have an PSW, 3 times a week to help with my showers and such things, and recently they decided to add a 4th longer visit during the week to help with household chores like laundry and cleaning. And lastly, in fighting to get my ODSP back, which today was finally approved after an "internal review", and assigning me a new "caseworker", that I should also be getting once a day a "hot prepared meal" for lunch that fits my special diet, and weekly a box of "frozen prepared dinners" also made for my health needs, all of which ODSP has agreed to cover as well expense wise. This should help me "lose some weight" and also reduce my monthly expenses on groceries, now all I have to worry about is items for a lite breakfast, and drinks, and my coffee (can't live without my coffee!). I had my first meal delivered today to me, sadly it reminds me a bit like being in "prison" the food, but hey that is one good thing that did occurred while I was in federal custody for 32 months, the "prison diet" did cause me to lose 150 pounds, and sadly I regain that back once I returned to Canada over the last 2 years, so hopefully, going back to controlled "special diet" will help me get rid of that excess which in turn will help my walking and overall health and well-being. And even tho the food and tastes and looks the same as "prison" trays, at least I have my freedom now in Canada, and can look out my windows, all tho there is still tons of snow on the ground and its still cold, but at least the days are getting longer again, and its not dark by 4pm anymore. (I miss the tropical DR winters!) Looking forward to seeing what the doctors say at my next appointment which has been scheduled for next Thursday, in the meantime taking it one step at a time, and trying to love the taste of bland prison food again! Thanks as well, to all those that supported me last month, your kind wishes and donations really helped!

Being Groundhog day, I decided to ask Gemini 3 to write me a program to fit the theme that would run on a Texas Instruments TI-99/4a Home Computer in Extended Basic. It didn't do too bad of a job, it make a couple of minor mistakes, once those errors were fixed, the program ran perfectly. For more info, and to see the AI output, see my AtariAge Thread about it: forums.atariage.com/topic/387960-g…

Finally, got the red LED original Texas Instruments TI Programmer calculator. But what kind of battery is this? It has a 9 volt type connector and 2 pin plug on the side? Can I recharge it? What do I use as a replacement? Can't wait to do some hexadecimal and binary math on it!

An quick Health Update after my very painful & long visit to the nearby Scarberia Emergency Hospital last Friday. My upper part of my left leg, where I torn my hamstrings from too much stress and such on my bad leg, looks still horrible, but it is slowly healing, and each day the pain to stand, walk, sleep is less and less, so that is good. Also good is that, I now finally have a PSW (at home care worker), coming 3 times a week for an hour, to help me with hard painful things to do like showers, and such. I should had one from day one for last 2 years, since getting a stable roof over my head and my return to Canada, but it takes forever with this Ontario government to get anything approved for your health. I also have specialists appointments coming up on the 2nd and 5th during the first week of February, to see what else I need "at home" with help or devices to make my overall life easier, and at the Scarberia clinic to see if there is finally some form of surgery they can do to make my leg at least better in having less massive hardened and swelling of my lymph tissue on my leg. I have tried specialists before when I first got back to Canada, and they basically push me off and didn't want to help, but this is different clinic I am going to in February, so maybe these doctors will be better and can recommend some form of surgery or treatment. The only thing that has helped in the past is costly physiotherapy, and so far the Ontario government hasn't been willing to cough up the money for it, because my condition is chronic, not something that can be resolved in 3 months of weekly treatment with a physiotherapist. You think after reading all the above things are going good and I am making progress, but sadly, its not all a bed of roses, just when you are down and you need more help, the government in all their wisdom has decided to place my ODSP on hold, and do a review, so this month is going to be super tough in covering my rent & paying my bills if I can't resolve it before the 31st. Good thing is mentally I am strong, and I can handle the stress, just why does it happen when you have other things to worry about, but I have to stay positive and push thru this and move forward, taking it one day at time & pray that next 11 months of 2026 will be better.

The last couple of days I had too much pain in my left leg more so than normal, so yesterday I went to the Scarberia emergency, and after 10 hours I was basically given a shot of morphine and sent home, with now upcoming referrals to see specialists on what can be done, but it seems for now I basically torn my hamstrings in my left leg, so now my upper thigh is bruised and hurts like hell when I try doing simple things like lifting my leg onto the bed or moving in my wheelchair. Starting Monday, 3 times a week I am going to have PSW come to my house to help me with basic things like showers, while I wait out this new problem to heal and hopefully get seen by the specialists sooner than later to see what more can be done for my leg to regain it's at least basic mobility I had before. It's not going to be an easy month for me, not a great way to start 2026 at all. 🙏

Jump™ Presents: GaryOPA - How I Got To Today! Jump™ decided this weekend to sit down and do a nice interview with me! So sit back now and enjoy: "Gary Bowser (aka) GaryOPA: How I Go To Today!" Afterwards show your support via my #gofundme gofund.me/5c51b291

2025: GaryOPA's Year of Retro Revival and Resilience Amazing enough I made it to year 2026, and I couldn't have done it without all your kind support and best wishes, and I am looking forward to making more progress over this New Year, and looking back to 2025 it was so busy, that I decided to get AI to review it for me! 2025 was a year of steady progress for Gary Bowser (aka) GaryOPA.com, marked by advancements in retro computing projects, personal health challenges, and community engagement. Through his posts, Gary shared updates on TI-99/4A hardware and software, health milestones, and nostalgic hobbies, all while rebuilding his life post-incarceration. Here's a quarterly breakdown of the highlights: Q1: Foundations and Retro Momentum (January-March) The year started with winter in "Scarberia" (Scarborough, Ontario), where Gary focused on TI-99 projects amid cold weather. In January, he teased the TePhOS 9T9 module and MIDI interface plans, while updating TI99ers.com with improved JS99'er speech emulation. February brought restoration of the Myarc Geneve 9640 GPL-Z80 simulator, running ColecoVision games on TMS9995 hardware - a tribute to mentor James Ballantyne. March included website enhancements, progress on 838-Floppy Card firmware, and a health update with normal MRI results. He also celebrated his father's would-be 95th birthday with an AI-generated Garfield image, reflecting on family and engineering roots. Q2: Milestones and Community (April-June) Spring emphasized personal achievements and retro expansions. April hyped the TePhOS 9T9 beta and saw Gary acquire a TI-74S and CC-40 for HexBus projects. May marked his 56th birthday with a lakeside outing, though lymphedema flared up, highlighting ongoing health battles. He launched a Tumblr garyopa.blog to document his post-prison restart and received book donations for TI-99 assembly learning. June featured the TePhOS.com 9T9 release on June 15, using the Grommy2 device - an upgrade to his 1991 OPA Micro-Manager. He also added a Yamaha CX5M MSX system, planning ports from TI-99 software. Q3: Challenges and Creativity (July-September) Summer mixed hurdles with hobbies. July's wheelchair breakdown led to upgrades and reflections on five years since his 2020 arrest. He binged Doctor Who and dove into books amid recovery. August upgraded his bed for better comfort after years of discomfort. September honored his arrest anniversary with a new bed and brighter outlook, while adding a NABU Personal Computer donation, reviving 80s vibes. He shared emotional tributes and expanded to MSX with plans for new hardware. Q4: Expansions and Festivities (October-December) Fall brought innovation and holidays. October launched the 838-SXB Multi-Module cartridge, packed with utilities, games, and Extended BASIC enhancements. November restarted his HO model railroad hobby with a 40x80 layout and a donated ASUS gaming laptop. December wrapped with holidays: reclaiming a POP-Cart prototype, building Pi-Pico W (PPEB) sidecars, and festive TI-99 plays like "St. Nick." He expanded PDF handling for projects, partnered on predictions, and shared health updates amid Canadian winters. The year ended with Boxing Day snow and JS99'er upgrades. Overall, 2025 showcased Gary's resilience - overcoming health issues while advancing retro projects and fostering community bonds. From TI-99 triumphs to personal victories, it inspired hope for 2026. Support his journey via #gofundme gofund.me/5c51b291 for ongoing health and projects.