Hackpacts: "Home school" prototyping

TI-83+ calculator experiments:

1-bit music programming and playback (using HT2)
materializing binary data + sound of the CPU
recording on cassette tape (digital to analog processing)

Introduction of main interests:'

interested in the meaning of using obsolete tech today: revisiting and explore it's potential instead of discarding it
'Zombie media'
main interest in low-tech: reveal inner workings (transparency)
implement it in today's workflow (audio/visual, programming, etc)

Side interest: lo-fi music production and post-digital publishing
Interested in working with limitations.
creating workflows that reflect on what we use today

What I did:

came across an DIY open-source project
creates old calculators into 1-bit music composing tool (instrument)
uses the binary output of TI-calculator to produce 1-bit sound
1-bit sound: on/off (real basics of electronics)
Program ([Houston Tracker)] is still not being used so much.
Bought the necessary stuff to get it running. (very flimsy, hard to install but it worked)
uses audio input to load software (written in BASIC, same as C64)

***Demo: Wanna hear a 1-bit chord?***

So, that worked. Let's speculate about the publishing/sharing possibilities: To spread this project and both music, I thought about making a publication/release/demo in one.

Not only for the music as an artist but also to spread the word about this project:

I would write a 4 track album for it and release it on a TI-83.

People that buy it would receive a TI with the tracks on it (collected from thrift store / Marktplaats)

mail it to people

If interest arises:

hands-on hardware to get started.

See how tracks were produced might get people started

enlarge interest, spread the word & expand community?

This way, the public can not only listen but also directly engage and get their hands dirty if preferred. What I also think is interesting that in contrary to making music with the sound chip of obsolete gaming consoles is that it's much further detached from retro aesthetics. So it focuses much more on the tech part and thinking how to use this device otherwise.

Resources

TiLP is a linking program for Texas Instruments' graphing calculators:
http://lpg.ticalc.org/prj_tilp/

HoustonTracker 2 is a music editor/sequencer for the Texas Instruments TI-82, TI-83/82STATS, and TI-83+/84+/SE. It allows you to compose and play multi-channel 1-bit music directly on your TI graphic calculator:
https://irrlichtproject.de/houston/

Graphlink cable for converting binairy data to sound:
https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-94327-Graphlink-USB/dp/B00006BXBS

playful ideas & potentials to further explore:

publication to make 1-bit sound
implementing graphics: bitmaps
How to embed this in a modern context? What's the use?
BASIC programming language

resources:

Houston Tracker 2: https://www.irrlichtproject.de/houston/houston1/index.html

DOORS GUI: https://dcs.cemetech.net/index.php/Doors_CS_7_Scratchwork

graphics: https://www.ticalc.org/pub/win/graphics/

1-bit synthesis paper: https://www.gwern.net/docs/cs/2020-troise.pdf

1-bit synthesis techniques: https://phd.protodome.com/#anchor-pulse-width-sweep

SSTV (Slow scan television) experiments:

materiality of data via sound
'slow' data transmission (in contrast with invisible processes and speed)
encoding /decoding: deconstruction of data
both interests combined: lo-tech graphics & sound!

playful ideas & potentials to further explore:

IRC bots that send audio signals you can receive with your phone!
Instagram offline broadcasting
broadcasting images over Spotify
music & SSTV data combined? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ2X6HmW49E

resources:

boadcasting software: https://www.qsl.net/kd6cji/downloads.html

Python scripts to convert images to audio: https://pypi.org/project/PySSTV/

general resources: http://users.belgacom.net/hamradio/sat-info.htm

RXSSTV: http://users.belgacom.net/hamradio/rxsstv.htm

SSTV tools (encoding/decoding) http://www.dxatlas.com/sstvtools/

recent SSTV project: https://hsbp.org/rpi-sstv

Pictures On Cassette: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c38dLDQoRtM

Sound file of Mars image(mode: MartinM1: File:Sstv mars.mp3
Sound file of Mars ascii image (mode: MartinM1) File:Sstv ascii mars.mp3

KCS: digital data standard explorations

slow data transmission / image arise line by line
materiality of data via sound (physical connection, embodiment of a process)
deconstruction: encoding/decoding
storage and playback (on audio cassette)

playful ideas & potentials to further explore:

bot that outputs encoded texts via audio
bot that outputs encoded ascii art (ASCII IMAGES) via audio
printing out text receipt printer
creating a modern Flexi disc floppy rom: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_standard#/media/File:FloppyRom_Magazine.jpg

resources:

KCS standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_standard
Storing https://www.instructables.com/Storing-files-on-an-audio-cassette/
future of data storage: https://spectrum.ieee.org/computing/hardware/why-the-future-of-data-storage-is-still-magnetic-tape
Data Files on Tape (A Modern Attempt) https://youtu.be/muJDUonIOz8

Deconstruction workshop: materializing data over sound

recording sound of a deconstruction process: transfer to the physical carrier (analog tape)
recording data of images: broadcast SSTV signal
material combined in audio-visual performance