Tatung Einstein Emulation

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While I am waiting for a fix for my poorly Tatung Einstein, I thought I would get some emulation configured so I have refreshed myself for the actual hardware.

Here is how I did it.

  • My OS of choice is Windows 10 – Your OS mileage may vary!!!
  • Go to http://www.emulator-zone.com/doc.php/misc/mess.html scroll to the bottom of the page and download the preferred flavour of MESS. I am using the 64 bit version
  • Install it. I chose c:\software\mess as the installation directory
  • Go to http://messui.1emulation.com/ find the MESSUI download section (About half way down) and find the matching version for the MESS you downloaded in step 1
  • Extract this 7Z file over the top of your mess install folder and overwrite when asked
  • Open a command prompt (I did this as administrator)
  • Navigate to the MESS install folder c:\software\mess
  • Type mess -cc then press enter/return
    1. This will create a default configuration file (mess.ini)
    2. Using your favourite text editor, edit this file and change the file paths by adding the MESS install locations in front of the folder names IE: rompath c:\software\mess\roms
    3. Save the new configuration over the existing file and exit from the text editor
  • Go to http://www.tatungeinstein.co.uk/front/messmame.htm scroll to the middle of the web page and follow the instructions for downloading and saving the 3 files needed for the emulator
  • Run MESSUI64.EXE from the installation folder and you should be presented with the GUI to launch your system
  • In the top right search bar, type Einstein and you should have 3 systems listed in the middle of the screen
  • Ignore the no entry icon – this appears to be a bogus warning and is infact working!
3 Einstein machines available, floppy image selected and preferences set
  • Highlight Einstein TC-01, right click and select properties
  • In the Audit tab you will receive an error about the rom not being found, but this is a bogus error as the emulator will run fine. Check the settings for this machine an when you are satisfied, close the properties box
  • In the 3rd column of the main screen you have the option of inserting a disk image into the virtual floppy drive on the einstein. Click on the ‘Assist Edit’ button to the right of FloppyDisk1 and select Mount File
  • Choose a zipped Einstein disk file. I chose XBAS.ZIP
  • Double click on the Einstein TC-01 entry in the machine list and you should get the emulated machine booting
  • If the window is too small, maximize it like a normal window and it will scale properly to the correct aspect/zoom level. Be warned, the original Einstein screen was 280×216 pixels so the zoom will be excessive!
Too small
Maximised to full dispay
  • Press OK to access the emulated Tatung Einstein
  • To reboot the machine, use CTRL & left ALT keys – This performs a CTRL & Break sequence from the original machine
XtalDOS and XBasic loaded from disk image archive file
Demo.XBS loaded and run
The Einstein demo runs sweet!!!

And thats your lot! – You should now be able to properly emulate a Tatung Einstein TC-01. The same instructions should work with the Einstein 256, but I do not own the rom file for this version so haven’t tried it.