MVladimir

Can you share the model/name/manufacturer/seller of your replacement of adafruit module? Thank's in advance.

Please post this edited STL.

This article is interesting from the side of historical moments and events. And if somebody know all story of Best & Bradley history - don't read from this source... First I found this article in Russian translation, and then I found the original, I don’t know what Vice is as an information resource and what is its reputation, I just read an interesting topic for me and shared a link...

https://www.vice.com/en/article/7kvkx9/dont-piss-off-bradley-the-parts-seller-keeping-atari-machines-alive Some semi-long read regarding Best & Bradley....

It seems that in OS 6 the "reverse" OPTION key is in $04B7 - $F0 (hopefully it can be changed to $D0), which roughly corresponds to the similar code in this area in OS 3 and OS 4. Slightly shifted indeed. Thanks for the tip. I'll check tomorrow. I tested this patch, it works!!! The original OS 6 has CRC32: 527A9C88. OS 6 with patch for "reverse" OPTION key has CRC32: 4F50E675 Only the first checksum is changed since we are changing $04B7 in the first part of ROM ($F0 -> $D0) Checksums updated with Hias patchrom utility.

It seems that in OS 6 the "reverse" OPTION key is in $04B7 - $F0 (hopefully it can be changed to $D0), which roughly corresponds to the similar code in this area in OS 3 and OS 4. Slightly shifted indeed. Thanks for the tip. I'll check tomorrow.

In current OS (R3 or R4 - original) $049F can be changed from F0 to D0 to have "reversed" OPTION key (not pressed) to boot in DOS from disk (or SelfTest w/o DOS)

Already in discussion:

Thanks for this release. Can you tell me where and what to change the value for the "reverse" OPTION key? (Hope the values is the same as early, need an address in ROM code where to change) Then I renew checksum using Hias utility. I want to have this patch. You can reply in PM if you don't want distribute this trick.

The two versions are not quite a correct understanding of my question. There is only one version, but let's just say - if what is now enough - we use beta3, if more is needed - the next versions. That is, having slightly supplemented beta3 with previously excluded and corrected test options, to say that it is an edited stable system and can be used as a replacement for the original version 3. That's what I meant by compatibility with the system I currently have on my computers. I do not have extensions and high-speed devices, but sometimes crashes due to errors of the original system are annoying. Please try to make beta 3.1 - it will be the same as the original one with a rewritten Self Test page and additions. And this will be a certain completed stage in the work. Sorry for some persistence......

Let's think about compatibility. Not everyone has high-speed devices and memory expansions. But OS bug fixes, Option key reversal, keyboard shortcuts added, a simple speed patch, a fixed math package that works with BASIC and TurboBasic are likely to be needed by many owners of standard, unmodified computers. I think that we need to have two OS modification branches. One can stop at the current version and define it as "for standard computers". It probably needs to be improved a little, to return the memory check up to 128K to the test part, and probably something else. The other can be further developed with attention to high-speed devices, memory expansions and other modifications. Unfortunately, I am not a programmer, I can only state my vision of problems in words.

Thank you, Brian! Nice to read so qualified answers. This project is great, waiting for stable release.

Thank you for reply, I understand reasons. SIO path is implemented? I don't find it in notes for sources. You write only that Shift-Control-Delete cold starts the computer. If path is in OS so I want to know: All of this keystrokes are implemented? Or only one for coldstart? How to boot without highspeed?

Visually looks better! Time to time Break key don't interrupt tests. Don't know why, but sometime.... On keyboard test this key work well. And - when we're on a keyboard test, we can forget where we are (the memory test has a visible ending, so does the sound). There is no indication that our computer is still alive or already die when we don't press any keys. In the original OS, we have all the tests running continuously in a circle, and this shows us that the computer is working. Maybe it possible put somewhere a flashed point which show us the computer state? For example a dot, right of color system indicator, under same place where BASIC version?

It seems to me that in the first post of this thread there are hints of a possible solution/way, if it is feasible in the new BIOS. First check first part of memory, if OK copy there test code for rest of memory and test it for serviceability and performance. And I'm only talking about standard 64K or 128K memory, without any extensions. On unmodified machines this should work without problems, but with extended memory it will show the health of the base memory. In notes to revision 5.99: This is permanent change or we can toggle left margin? I check on my unmodded 130XE - left margin is always 0 after boot.

Yes, sure! My apologies, typo....

Excuse, my 2 cents..... In the XE | XL series, we have only 4 (as far as I know) INITIALLY installed versions of the base memory from ATARI: 8 chips - 64K; 16 chips - 128K; 2 chips - 64K; 4 chips - 128k. All other additional memory, DRAM or Static, are handmade extensions. I see for this project as an improvement on the existing base BIOS, adding functionality and removing unnecessary code in order to insert the new required one, while also fixing bugs found over the years. I think it's enough to leave in the BIOS testing only these 4 variants of base memory. All other must be checked using other soft/hardware..... But I want to see not only 48 squares or letters (or 4 more rectangles or 8 letters with 128K memory. I would like to see all the base memory, 64K or 128K, more clearly and a little more visual detailed. I'm comparing with CO30717, which are currently installed on my several ATARI. Also, I read somewhere that the part of 128K RAM (if present) in currently available XE|XL BIOSes is actually not checked due to a bug. Is this fixed in the OS being developed or is there no such bug? How to see the size of RAM without opening the case - is it 64K or 128K? Or if the computer have extended/expanded and untestable by this OS additional RAM? This project is great, thanks that autor have time and skills to do it. I'm not a programmer, so here is my view how and what I want see in redesigned SELF TEST of new OS.

If I find in my collection a floppy disk with BASIC programs written by myself, I will try to publish the part of the listing containing a simple definition of density. As far as I remember, we used this when we wrote the DIR print program for floppy inserts a lot years ago.

Can you share some more sectorcopy programs with this functionality? - DIR show and disk density BEFORE starting copying. Supporting more than 4 drives is preferable, but this is not critical for an "archiving station". Disks greater than D4 on AspeQT/RespeQt can be used for work and contain some programs necessary for checking disks and other things. And if you know - MyDos 4.55 is still in beta? Today I try to check process with TurboDOS if I find a full working copy with utilities.

Copymate is fine if you don't need a copying of "unknown"density disks... Not of all of them in my collection have a marking of density (we mark part of them when start use 35 years ago) and a lot of them written under SuperDOS 2.9/5.1 in different densities - for today is unknown..... I can use 130XE with 320k RAMBO mod, unmodded 130XE, 800XE with 130k mem, Lotarek's 10502PC/Sio2PC USB, LDW Super 2000 disk drives (clone of Indus GT), WIN10 or WIN7 PC. LDW can support single side 40 tracks SD/DD/ED disks. I never have double sided Atari disk drives here in russia. Anyway I check to use Disk Duplication for see the result. Not sure that there are some special sector copying software for LDW drive. Originally it comes with 2.35 DOS XL and it possible "duplicate disk" inside OS, same as in every other DOS. I need check something similar for "parent" disk drive - Indus GT. As I remember 30 years ago we use some programs for sector copy and editing disk, unfortunately until now I can't find this disks in my collection. Something like "US doubler" or similar.... not sure. Dark interface, red or dark red with yellow characters.... as I remember. But we only had the 800XL at the time, and the LDW and a working Microprint with a large dot matrix printer were sometimes brought in on the weekends from friends at the movie studio. No PC, no emulators .. late 80s, early 90s ... History ..... It was the heyday of the popularity of home-made Sinclair computers in our country, and few people knew about Atari, they were sometimes brought from Poland - beautiful graphics, sound and a lot of games on cartridges, which was better than a homemade Sinclair. 😊 Update: Disk Duplication checked - nice prog, but it take 3-4 times more time to copy disk, Kafar faster, but it under Windows. If you know density of disk, duplicator works ...

Hope my "story" is similar for this topic, so I post it here. I'm in process to archive my large collection (300-350) of discs (30-35 years old!) and I have a hard time archiving them using first Kafar, then check the contents with ATR tools, then checking them with Altira and finally with the real Atari. After that I compare some of them with similar content and try to "assemble" something similar to the "original disk" in ATR format on PC. I have an idea to make a "station" using an AspeQt/RespeQt on PC connected via Lotarek's 10502PC/Sio2PC USB with an LDW Super 2000 disk drive (INDUS GT clone). Booting from virtual disk D1 on the PC; D2 is reserved as the source from real floppy in LDW, all other possible disks can be used as destination for copies. All copies can be checked immediately on the PC in the same program, we use sector copiers and run them on the original Atari 8bit machine, we can check the archive copy on PC with Altira or run it on the Atari without connecting/reconnecting cables. I want using MyDOS 4.55b3 as the OS - it supports 8 drives, but the D8 is a RAMdrive, so we have 5 free drives for the new ATRs, one for boot and one as source. Do we have copy programs with the same functionality as Copymate, but for enhanced density and/or for all densities? How about this idea? Any suggestions are welcome, especially regarding software.

Your help, as usual, is very helpful. Until now, I did not know that ATR can be shortened and this file will be working. Thanks for the hint, everything worked out with copying.

Thank you! I try.

@rcamp48, some time ago you post this ATR's. Some of them are normal ATR's (91kB), but two first - Basic Program Lister v2.1 (1984-12)(Alpha Systems) and Basic XE Detokenizer v1.11 (1989-06-04)(Psycho) are strange cutted for 65kB and not working. In archive (First 418.zip) posted later, they are the same cutted size length. Can you check and repost this ATR files if available? Thanks in advance.

Yes. Same result.