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Altirra 2.40 Final out..


Mclaneinc

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Why would the 512K cartridge power in the first bank when the 4MB cartridge powers up in the last one?

 

 

It is how it is.

Please refer to your own source code. You already emulate Megacart 512K (EPROM Version).

Or refer to the atari800 source code or ask BigBen (the Megacart 512K and 4MB designer of the flash based carts) if you don't believe me ;-)

 

You can test the emulation using images generated with: http://www.abbuc.de/~bernd/4MB_FLASH_MEGACART/assets/megacartstudio.zip

 

To be honest - I don't think that anybody needs to test the flashing process in the emulator.

You could actually add Megacart_2M and Megacart_4M cart emulation (as per the source code which I provided) as if they were EPROM like versions.

Then you could remove Megacart_1M_2 and there is no more problem with Megacart module types anymore.

Edited by TheMontezuma
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Thanks. Helped a lot.

But seems to have problems with selecting proper register sizes.

 

 

Fixed -- was an issue with M/X tracking. It'll never be perfect, but this should work better.

http://www.virtualdub.org/beta/Altirra-2.50-test19.zip

http://www.virtualdub.org/beta/Altirra-2.50-test19-src.zip

 

 

To be honest - I don't think that anybody needs to test the flashing process in the emulator.

You could actually add Megacart_2M and Megacart_4M cart emulation (as per the source code which I provided) as if they were EPROM like versions.

Then you could remove Megacart_1M_2 and there is no more problem with Megacart module types anymore.

 

The original MegaCart modes refer to cartridge types that existed over a decade ago and weren't based on flash. These new cartridges are flash-based and I already have flash emulation code, so I see no reason not to support it. Besides, Atari-flashable cartridges have already been used for novel purposes like emulating a writable disk.

 

The Megacart (2) entry refers to yet another "Megacart" that uses 8K banks instead of 16K banks.

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The original MegaCart modes refer to cartridge types that existed over a decade ago and weren't based on flash.

 

The original Megacart modes include Megacart 2M and Megacart 4M as non flash carts, as well.

BigBen has introduced new, flash based Megacart 512K and Megacart 4M carts (based on the old specs for non flash devices).

From Atari (or Emulator) point of view, the flash based carts behave in the same way as the old non flash based davices (are backwards compatible).

Additionally it is possible to write to the flash from the Atari.

 

These new cartridges are flash-based and I already have flash emulation code, so I see no reason not to support it. Besides, Atari-flashable cartridges have already been used for novel purposes like emulating a writable disk.

 

That is really great. There is a software for flash based Megacart 512K from Stefan "Dietrich" Dorndorf which implements a writable disk.

However emulation of that, even if you already have ready flash emulation code is a bigger challenge.

 

To summarize, there is a list of EPROM based Megacart module types (ID: NAME), that are already supported by atari800:

 

26: MegaCart_16K

27: MegaCart_32K

28: MegaCart_64K

29: MegaCart_128K

30: MegaCart_256K

31: MegaCart_512K

32: MegaCart_1M

64: MegaCart_2M

63: MegaCart_4M

 

It would be great to have them in Altirra as well.

The only FLASH based Megacart modules from BigBen (Bernd) are:

 

Megacart 512K

Megacart 4MB

 

I have sent you (per Private Message) all information that you would need to implement the emulation of flashing.

Maybe it would make sense to distinguish in Altirra between the emulation of the EPROM based Megacart and FLASH based Megacart modules (valid for 512K and 4MB)?

 

 

The Megacart (2) entry refers to yet another "Megacart" that uses 8K banks instead of 16K banks.

 

I don't have more information about this module, other than that:

 

http://www.abbuc.de/~bernd/selfmade-hardware/megabyte-modul/index.html

Edited by TheMontezuma
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Hi Avery,

I share(d) your confusion about the different MegaCarts and their properties and had sorted that out together with Kr0tki and Macin and made sure it's documented properly here:

 

http://atari800.cvs.sourceforge.net/viewvc/atari800/atari800/DOC/cart.txt

 

See new types 61-64 for details.

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Fixed a lot of bugs in Altirra 8K BASIC, and integrated it into the emulator as the default BASIC ROM when no other one is available:

 

http://www.virtualdub.org/beta/Altirra-2.50-test20.zip

http://www.virtualdub.org/beta/Altirra-2.50-test20-src.zip

 

(If you've been wondering why I've been extending the debugger so much lately, this is why. ATBasic is extensively mined with trace and assert statements when symbols are loaded.)

 

It may seem a bit weird to do this, but it completes the last remaining ROM that I didn't have a viable, freely distributable replacement for (TBXL doesn't fit in the 8K BASIC ROM), and allows Altirra to be used for BASIC programming out of the box. It supports the whole Atari BASIC language except for the continue command (CONT), is binary compatible with .BAS files, and maintains reasonable compatibility with Atari BASIC's memory layout. I also fixed a few bugs in the built-in OS math pack and in the math accelerator that affected BASIC, so the baseline LLE[XL] OS + ATBasic configuration now seems to run a number of programs correctly now. It's pretty crazy what some people did with BASIC, like clearing players with A$(2)=A$.

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Thanks for updating the starting banks for 512k and 2M.

There is a small issue with autodetection of the Flash Version of Megacart 512K.

Didn't you want to call it "Megacart_512k_3"?

Such item is missing in the list presented to the user (but of course the emulation of the module type 31 - non flash 512k - works great)

 

 

post-29824-0-11497500-1389525052_thumb.jpg

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Fixed a lot of bugs in Altirra 8K BASIC, and integrated it into the emulator as the default BASIC ROM when no other one is available:

 

...

 

It may seem a bit weird to do this...

 

Not weird - just pretty remarkable. :) It makes good sense to want original substitutes for the Atari ROMs so that the emulator is stand-alone functional.

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modern carts are support, but old cz/sk homemade atari carts from 1980 - when atari era starts not.. why?

 

I tend to agree with you on this, if all these other carts are supported then why not these as wll BUT

 

As users we ASK if Phaeron will add them and this has been asked already, we never DEMAND or show FRUSTRATION towards the author as its HIS project and his alone.

 

Alternatively you can try the Al Capone way from the Untouchables with the line "you can get further with a kind word and a gun than just a kind word" :)

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Oh... just set up a VHD with Altirra because I needed to test something with the FAT loader and had no media to hand. Works great... but as soon as I mount the VHD under Windows, Altirra loses the VHD, and re-attaching it as a physical disk gets rid of the write capability. Is there any way we can get around this, or is it impossible to differentiate between a physical disk (which I understand you want to keep read-only) and a virtual disk?

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Added SSF39SF040 as an option for U1MB... already had the code for it, so the UI changes took more time than anything else. Note that you'll need to reinit U1MB for the changes to take effect.

 

http://www.virtualdub.org/beta/Altirra-2.50-test21.zip

http://www.virtualdub.org/beta/Altirra-2.50-test21-src.zip

 

Also fixed absolute long mode disassembly, added 17MHz and 21MHz options for '816 mode, and added another hook path so the H: device inits on 65C816 XL OS.

 

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The 512K, 2M, and 4M cartridges currently report their flash as Am29F040B, Am29F016D, and Am29F032B, respectively.

 

I finally tested the flashing emulation:

1) Attach special cartridge / Empty 512K Megecart Flash Cartridge

2) Disk Drives / D1 (I mounted an ATR with a flasher tool from BigBen)

And I could successfully "flash" the emulated cart :) Great :)

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Yup - that's the way the flasher works Montezuma!

 

It can be great fun - at least to me! - plugging in these virtual devices and playing with them as if they were the physical devices I could never afford as a child. The immense support for peripherals is Altirra's best feature in my opinion... On top of all the other best features of course!!!

 

On the back of the excellent 'XEP80' peripheral from a few months ago, is there any possibility we might see the 'Austin Franklin 80' or the 'XOS/80'? I think both would be fascinating machines to play with.

Edited by morelenmir
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