TheMole Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Sorry for the misleading title, as this is really a request for a MESS updates thread . I was trying to figure out if MESS evert started supporting non-inverted 512k cart images. I'm still running 0.149b and that one doesn't take the image I've been testing in js99'er. I tried going through the MESS release notes, but with all the changes for all the systems it's kind off hard to find the ti99 specific info. Anyway, Michael, consider this a request from my part to keep a thread dedicated to MESS updates, like we have for classic99 and js99er . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 You know about http://www.ninerpedia.org/index.php/MESS_version_history ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 supporting non-inverted 512k cart images I know we had some discussion on that some time ago ... could you PM me the specifications? See for comparison https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/emu/bus/ti99x/gromport.c#L1749 maybe I can do this pretty quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMole Posted August 16, 2015 Author Share Posted August 16, 2015 I only know how it works from a software perspective, but there are 64 banks in the 512k cartridge, and you select banks 0-63 by writing to 0x6000-0x6080 respectively. The banks are non-inverted, and the memory locations to activate them two bytes apart So: - to select bank 0, you write to 0x6000 - to select bank 1, you write to 0x6002 - to select bank 2, you write to 0x6004 ... - to select bank 30, you write to 0x603c ... - to select bank 62, you write to 0x607c - to select bank 63, you write to 0x607e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMole Posted August 16, 2015 Author Share Posted August 16, 2015 You know about http://www.ninerpedia.org/index.php/MESS_version_history ? Nope, I didn't, good to know and thanks for that! I still think it might be beneficial to keep a thread here on the forum to tell people when new versions come out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Currently, new MAME releases (including MESS) are issued once every month. Most changes relate to other systems, so you should always have a look at the ninerpedia pages. Once I proposed to set up a subforum for emulators, but the general consensus was not to split up the forum again. Is the 512K cartridge the one called "UberGROM"? What would be a proper cartridge type name for this 512K? The "paged379i" was named after the Flipflop selector chip on board. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lee Stewart Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 ... Is the 512K cartridge the one called "UberGROM"? What would be a proper cartridge type name for this 512K? The "paged379i" was named after the Flipflop selector chip on board. It is not the UberGROM. It is all ROM and does use the inverted outputs of a 379 chip. Jim Fetzner (@Ksarul), the board's designer will be along shortly, I am sure, to correct any misstatement I have made. ...lee [EDIT: Sorry for the misinformation in my previous version of this post.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Some question before I start adding code: - What ROM size is supposed to be handled with this cartridge? I read about 512K, 632K, 1024K, and 2048K. Are all these supported by the same cartridge type? (similar to the different sizes of paged379i?) - Is it Flash or EPROM? If Flash, can it be flashed by the TI console? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tursi Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 The "non-inverted" ROM is the same as the existing inverted ROM (paged379i), except using a different chip so that the bank order is not inverted. It's based on a 378 instead, which also has more pins available and so supports up to 2MB. IE: in the current chip, if you write address >6000, you get the "last" bank on the EPROM (the EPROM address depends on the EPROM size). In the "non-inverted" chip, writing to >6000 gives you the "first" bank on the EPROM (EPROM address 0). The largest cartridge size existing so far is 2048K, but the mechanism theoretically supports up to 32MB. All powers of 2 in that range are supported (8k, 16k, 32k, 64k, 128k, 256k, 512k, 1024k, 2048k). It's EPROM, not flash, not writable by the console. There's no relationship to the GROM emulation - that's distinct. The "632k" you read about would be a combination 512K ROM and 120K GROM emulation. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asmusr Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 I support RPKs with type="paged378" in Js99er. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 I think it really makes sense to call it "paged378" in MESS as well ... BTW, you may want to listen to my latest achievements in MESS: http://www.mizapf.eu/files/messflop2.mp4 http://www.mizapf.eu/files/messflop3.mp4 Well, yes, listen. This is only the first step; it will need a lot of further refinements. It's not committed to Github yet. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazoo Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 I think it really makes sense to call it "paged378" in MESS as well ... BTW, you may want to listen to my latest achievements in MESS: http://www.mizapf.eu/files/messflop2.mp4 http://www.mizapf.eu/files/messflop3.mp4 Well, yes, listen. This is only the first step; it will need a lot of further refinements. It's not committed to Github yet. Can the sounds be activated without the second screen being active? Gazoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jedimatt42 Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 I think it really makes sense to call it "paged378" in MESS as well ... BTW, you may want to listen to my latest achievements in MESS: http://www.mizapf.eu/files/messflop2.mp4 http://www.mizapf.eu/files/messflop3.mp4 Well, yes, listen. This is only the first step; it will need a lot of further refinements. It's not committed to Github yet. That is just too much fun! I have to say, it was the sense of realism in the mess emulation of the TI that triggered my re-purchase of real hardware. Being able to configure all those cards, hsgpl, gramkracker, the whole snug system... Some things I had never heard of, and others I always wished I had. I don't think I'd be enjoying soldering up joystick adapters, the HDX board, and cartridge boards, plus new games and old, if this mess emulation wasn't so tantalizing. Thanks! -M@ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 The second screen is just the terminal window with debug output; I only showed it for demonstration purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMole Posted August 18, 2015 Author Share Posted August 18, 2015 That is super cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sometimes99er Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 (edited) Hats off. For also adding disk drive sounds. How is MESS with CRT/TV emulation ? Something for a more complete experience. Screenshot from Classic99 using its TV filter. Click to get the scanlines right. Edited August 18, 2015 by sometimes99er 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 (edited) Have a look at the HLSL filters (DirectX) and GLSL (OpenGL). I did not care too much about that, but there is definitely a support for various effects. As for a more complete experience, personally I prefer the audible feedback from the drives to the CRT simulation; this is why I did not yet try the GLSL filters. With the real iron, the floppy sound gives you some hints what is currently going on in the system. Does it still load? Is the floppy damaged? There is one thing which is added by the CRT emulation: the blending of colors, which may be used on purpose in some games. Edited August 18, 2015 by mizapf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sometimes99er Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Have a look at the HLSL filters (DirectX) and GLSL (OpenGL). I did not care too much about that, but there is definitely a support for various effects. Thanks, and for a quick reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphb Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 How is MESS with CRT/TV emulation ? Something for a more complete experience. Also note that my screenshot posted here has been done with MESS using a simple TV effect mask and no filters. There are other patterns for different types of scanlines as well, but I think this one looks best (or worst, from an ergonomics point of view ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sometimes99er Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Also note that my screenshot posted here has been done with MESS using a simple TV effect mask and no filters. There are other patterns for different types of scanlines as well, but I think this one looks best (or worst, from an ergonomics point of view ). Thanks. Looks good or cool or ... Will look into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Maybe some of you are interested in PFM support for the Geneve? (I already included a version with AT29C040A, which is a planned update for the PFM. So you may want to test it here. :-) ) http://www.mizapf.eu/files/pfm512.mp4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 On the various cartridge boards: The scheme used by the Inverted 379 boards (Black Boards) allows cartridges up to 128K as a single bank zone--but you can add switches to allow selection of up to four separate 128K zones (for a total of 512K). This limitation is due to the fact that the 379 only has four latch lines. The scheme used by the non-inverted 378 boards (Red Boards) allows cartridges up to 512K as a single bank zone--but you can add a switch to allow selection of up to two separate 512K zones (for a total of 1024K). This limitation is due to the fact that the 378 only has six latch lines. It accepts chip sizes from 8K to 512K. I extended the 378 scheme to 2048K by using a 377 instead of a 378 on the Yellow Boards. This added two additional latch lines, with the minimum chip size it accepts as a 128K EPROM. The scheme could be extended up to 32MB, as noted by Tursi, using different components (all of them are 3.3V though, and require surface mounting skills). The UberGROM (Blue Board) uses the 378 scheme for EPROMs up to 512K (no switch option here) and 120K of GROM using Tursi's UberGROM software. It can be used as a ROM-only board, a GROM-only board, or a mixed board using both (the most common configuration). Sorry I wasn't able to answer sooner--I was offline all of last week, having fun with the family. . . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 What would you suggest for emulation on MESS? We already have the "black boards" as "paged379i" with up to 128K. Should we skip the red boards and go for the yellow ones directly ("paged377")? And then add a "paged378" which allows for ROM/GROM/both? That is, a blue board without GROM is a red board? The background is: If we put red and blue into one class, we could turn the cartridge in either one by adding or omitting the "grom socket"; see http://www.ninerpedia.org/index.php/MESS_multicart_system Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+InsaneMultitasker Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Maybe some of you are interested in PFM support for the Geneve? (I already included a version with AT29C040A, which is a planned update for the PFM. So you may want to test it here. :-) ) http://www.mizapf.eu/files/pfm512.mp4 I will reach out to Richard concerning the 040A now that we have another test method besides hot-swapping chips within my Geneve. Very nice work! Somewhere I have a stand-alone OS loader that doesn't perform any CYA functions, it simply loads the OS into PFM. I will locate that program since OS versions beyond 6.50 cannot currently be loaded via CYA. The other program I will find is the PFM flash loader, which copies a 360K diskette into the PFM device, usable as a drive remapped with device "T" and "U" if I recall correctly. Watch for the programs later this week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Michael, you could probably put all three of the 378-style boards into a single class, just by using a size selector (8K/16K/32K/64K/128K/256K/512K/1024K/2048K) checkbox and a GROM socket checkbox--with the GROM socket selection forcing the ROM selector to 512K when selected. That limits the number of added things for people to deal with. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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