Thomas Jentzsch Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 I have hacked myself an unofficial Harmony BIOS version. Try this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stlouisrod Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 I have hacked myself an unofficial Harmony BIOS version. Try this. I installed your 1.07. But the 2nd port does not work the menu, even if I hold the joystick button down on startup. However, your suggestion had me try holding port 1 button on powerup, and that worked, even on the standard 1.06. So that's a pretty easy workaround. So thanks for that. You just gotta remember to mash that button every time you power up another game from the menu. I would be happy to help test any updates to this firmware that fully alleviate the issue on composite-hacked 2600s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 That sounds like your joystick is not a standard one. Can you confirm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stlouisrod Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 Its a standard atari joystick. I've tried several. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHoboInYourRoom Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Has either version of the Boulder Dash demo ever been compatible with the original Harmony? I reflashed mine with 1.06 today, and everything up to and including the title screen works fine, but as soon as I try to start a game after choosing level and difficulty, I just get a blank screen with VBLANK turned on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Nope. I works with a Krokodile Cart and probably with an Encore too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHoboInYourRoom Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Ah, darn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omf Posted September 10, 2018 Share Posted September 10, 2018 is there a PAL version of the latest bios, seems to be just NTSC, not greately helpful for me being in the uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_79 Posted September 10, 2018 Share Posted September 10, 2018 (edited) If your TV supports PAL60, then you can use the NTSC bios. The harmony menu will display in PAL60 but with wrong colors (blue text instead of green). The format of the bios does not affect the games, just the menu. Edited September 10, 2018 by alex_79 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr SQL Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 Harmony cart locked up playing with family on Thanksgiving after player collision, latest firmware and bios fixed it - much better looking font and easier to read menu! (hadn't updated it since 2011) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iesposta Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 (edited) The latest Harmony computer software is hosted on GitHub. * Versions for Win, Mac, LINUX, UNIX, and source are here: https://github.com/sa666666/harmonycart/releases Click Assets to show the download links. This is the Personal Computer software program that communicates with the Harmony Cart or Harmony Encore Cart connected with a 4-wire USB Data cable (most are 2-wire Charging cables). HarmonyCart_1.3 is used to upload the hbios Firmware, among other uses such as “flash Harmony to Single Cart use” good for developer testing of loading “your 1 game” into Harmony to check that everything works. (22 changes have been added which will become HarmonyCart_1.4 at the next release.) This is fixed and updated by StephenA — same member who maintains Stella (an Atari 2600 emulator). As of this post, December 2018, it is HarmonyCart_1.3. (Not to be confused with Harmony BIOS 1.06, eeloader version, or Harmony hardware version 1.09.) Thank you StephenA for doing this! *The latest (best) versions of software with bug fixes, added features, etc., are not all in one place for many reasons. The main reason being that the AtariAge community creates “Unofficial” versions, shares them somewhere, and having no formal way to have them incorporated into “Official” versions, they end up in different places. Edited for clarity. (Suggestions welcome) Edited December 9, 2018 by iesposta 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MitchSchaft Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 I still can't believe Microsoft bought Github Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDTV1080P Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 The latest Harmony computer software is hosted on GitHub. * Versions for Win, Mac, LINUX, UNIX, and source are here: https://github.com/sa666666/harmonycart/releases This is fixed and updated by StephenA — same member who maintains Stella (an Atari 2600 emulator). This is the Personal Computer software program that communicates with the Harmony Cart or Harmony Encore Cart connected with a 4-wire USB Data cable (most are 2-wire Charging cables). As of this post, December 2018, it is Version 1.03. (Not to be confused with Harmony BIOS 1.06, eeloader version, or Harmony hardware version 1.09.) Thank you StephenA for doing this! *The latest (best) versions of software with bug fixes, added features, etc., are not all in one place for many reasons. The main reason being that the AtariAge community creates “Unofficial” versions, shares them somewhere, and having no formal way to have them incorporated into “Official” versions, they end up in different places. quote from website "1.3: (Aug. 13, 2013)" So the latest version for the Harmony Encore is still version 1.3 which came out a little over 5 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iesposta Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 quote from website "1.3: (Aug. 13, 2013)" So the latest version for the Harmony Encore is still version 1.3 which came out a little over 5 years ago. No. Not exactly. The latest Firmware is: hbios_NTSC_106.bin on Page #1 of this pinned thread of messages. The latest Harmony software is: HarmonyCart_1.3_xxx... (link to Github in post #186) HarmonyCart software lets your computer upload the hbios Firmware to the Harmony Cart. HarmonyCart software came out “a little over five years ago”, but the Source Code has had 22 changes since then, last change being July 2017. Those 22 changes will become HarmonyCart 1.04 software when the next release comes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 I've been trying for years (unsuccessfully, obviously) to get the links on AtariAge to point to Github, and have it be the official development location for HarmonyCart software. Including adding a webpage indicating that fact. I've contacted the developer of the hardware multiple times, without response. At this point, I've mostly given up on that project, since I get zero feedback from either users or (most importantly) the hardware developer. So it's no surprise that the development is haphazard, done all over the place, and nobody knows what the latest version(s) are. On a side note, this doesn't happen for Stella since to put it bluntly: (a) I have mostly full control over the project and its location, so (b) I really don't have to get anyone's permission to do something. That project is a well-oiled machine compared to the HarmonyCart one. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDTV1080P Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 I have been using the latest BIOS version 1.06 and Harmony Programming Tool version 1.3 for a few years. However it sounds like people are making unofficial changes to the software and then not changing the version number. It is common practice for programmers to always change the version number of a software program hat has been updated. I guess one needs to go through some type of official channels to get the version number changed when there is improvements in the Harmony Encore software. The last I heard is the Harmony Encore SD cartridge is the best version on the market for North American consumers. Is there any other USB or SD ATARI 2600 cartridges that are currently on the market besides the Harmony product line? According to this Flashcart and Multicart link the Harmony Encore and standard Harmony are the only SD cartridges that are currently available for the Atari 2600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xefned Posted December 10, 2018 Share Posted December 10, 2018 The last I heard is the Harmony Encore SD cartridge is the best version on the market for North American consumers. Is there any other USB or SD ATARI 2600 cartridges that are currently on the market besides the Harmony product line? According to this Flashcart and Multicart link the Harmony Encore and standard Harmony are the only SD cartridges that are currently available for the Atari 2600. That is my understanding as well. It was the successor to the older, legendary "cuttle card" long unavailable. I have one for sale that I've never used if anyone is interested. I'd prefer to sell it direct to an Atari Age member and avoid the 10% ebay markup + 3% paypal markup. If anyone's interested, $67 shipped? PM me please. Matthew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDTV1080P Posted December 10, 2018 Share Posted December 10, 2018 (edited) The last I heard is the Harmony Encore SD cartridge is the best version on the market for North American consumers. Is there any other USB or SD ATARI 2600 cartridges that are currently on the market besides the Harmony product line? According to this Flashcart and Multicart link the Harmony Encore and standard Harmony are the only SD cartridges that are currently available for the Atari 2600. That is my understanding as well. It was the successor to the older, legendary "cuttle card" long unavailable. I have one for sale that I've never used if anyone is interested. I'd prefer to sell it direct to an Atari Age member and avoid the 10% ebay markup + 3% paypal markup. If anyone's interested, $67 shipped? PM me please. Matthew $67 shipped would have been a excellent price since the Harmony Encore SD cartridge use to sale for $89.24 shipped ($84.99 + $4.25 S/H). Also for $89.24 one only got the cartridge and no accessories. However back in October 2018 the Harmony Encore SD cartridge ended up getting a price decrease of $16 ($15.99 after shipping). A brand new Harmony Encore SD cartridge in a cartridge case with no accessories sales for $69 + $4.25 for shipping. This $16 price drop is either a clearance price to move inventory or a new price even if the product is still being manufactured. https://mkt.com/erstwhile-technologies/ However your price of $67 shipped s still $6.25 cheaper when compared to the new $73.25 shipped price. I am guessing that you are selling the Harmony Encore SD model with the cartridge shell in place. Yea those EBAY fees can be between 10-16% and the PayPal fees can be over 4.25% (depending on what plan one is on). Edited December 10, 2018 by HDTV1080P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xefned Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 $67 shipped would have been a excellent price since the Harmony Encore SD cartridge use to sale for $89.24 shipped ($84.99 + $4.25 S/H). Also for $89.24 one only got the cartridge and no accessories. However back in October 2018 the Harmony Encore SD cartridge ended up getting a price decrease of $16 ($15.99 after shipping). A brand new Harmony Encore SD cartridge in a cartridge case with no accessories sales for $69 + $4.25 for shipping. This $16 price drop is either a clearance price to move inventory or a new price even if the product is still being manufactured. https://mkt.com/erstwhile-technologies/ However your price of $67 shipped s still $6.25 cheaper when compared to the new $73.25 shipped price. I am guessing that you are selling the Harmony Encore SD model with the cartridge shell in place. Yea those EBAY fees can be between 10-16% and the PayPal fees can be over 4.25% (depending on what plan one is on). Thanks for the detailed history. It takes a bit of hunting to find all that info. Mine looks like this [attached.] No mention of the word "Encore" anywhere on it so I'm assuming this is just the standard "Harmony" cartridge. Although I'm not sure why I would've chosen that one if the upgraded version was also available. As far as I can tell, there's no real difference except the Encore version can play roms >32k in size. Either I didn't know the Encore version existed, or I figured the cheaper one would suffice; I couldn't name a 2600 game >32k off the top of my head. My memory is that I paid around $65 for it. Although my memory is highly suspect on anything that happened more than a month ago. Anyway, thanks again for all the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+batari Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 I've been trying for years (unsuccessfully, obviously) to get the links on AtariAge to point to Github, and have it be the official development location for HarmonyCart software. Including adding a webpage indicating that fact. I've contacted the developer of the hardware multiple times, without response. At this point, I've mostly given up on that project, since I get zero feedback from either users or (most importantly) the hardware developer. So it's no surprise that the development is haphazard, done all over the place, and nobody knows what the latest version(s) are. On a side note, this doesn't happen for Stella since to put it bluntly: (a) I have mostly full control over the project and its location, so (b) I really don't have to get anyone's permission to do something. That project is a well-oiled machine compared to the HarmonyCart one. I updated the links. A while back, Albert and I discussed the software and could provide feedback. I can't seem to find that discussion but I will keep looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e5frog Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Would be cool to make a Channel F SD-cartridge out of the Harmony project. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 $67 shipped would have been a excellent price since the Harmony Encore SD cartridge use to sale for $89.24 shipped ($84.99 + $4.25 S/H). Also for $89.24 one only got the cartridge and no accessories. However back in October 2018 the Harmony Encore SD cartridge ended up getting a price decrease of $16 ($15.99 after shipping). A brand new Harmony Encore SD cartridge in a cartridge case with no accessories sales for $69 + $4.25 for shipping. This $16 price drop is either a clearance price to move inventory or a new price even if the product is still being manufactured. https://mkt.com/erstwhile-technologies/ However your price of $67 shipped s still $6.25 cheaper when compared to the new $73.25 shipped price. I am guessing that you are selling the Harmony Encore SD model with the cartridge shell in place. Yea those EBAY fees can be between 10-16% and the PayPal fees can be over 4.25% (depending on what plan one is on). Sure beats the $129.99 you're hawking them for on eBay though! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDTV1080P Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 (edited) On the official Harmony Encore website, if one wants all the accessories like SD card, USB cable, etc. The Harmony Encore SD cartridge costs $95.25 delivered. Before the $16 price drop last year, on the official Harmony Encore website it would have cost $111.25 delivered instead of $95.25. Amazon and EBAY dealers after credit card fees and other fees are paying around 20% in fees which justifies the higher price. But yes its cheaper to purchase the Harmony Encore products directly from the Harmony website. Edited January 30, 2019 by HDTV1080P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterbr Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 HarmonyCart_1.3 is used to upload the hbios Firmware, among other uses such as “flash Harmony to Single Cart use” good for developer testing of loading “your 1 game” into Harmony to check that everything works. Appreciate the clarification! Two questions: a) If I install a .bin with the "Development" tab, will it run just like a traditional cart (i.e., no Harmony code running prior)? Asking because I want to test a very customized Atari-frankenstein and I'd need my test code to be the onlly thing running upon turning it on (which doesn't seem to be the case, say, if I put the game on an SD card as AUTORUN);b) Is it possible to revert the cart back to non-development mode (so I can enjoy the games on my SD card again)? How do I do that?Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiz Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 I have a PAL 7800 and tried to install the PAL50 bios and EEloader so that everything would be displayed right, but I can't really know if it actually installed it or not since the only thing you check is witch BIOS version you have. Colors do seem to be displayed correctly now however. Also while I am sure I installed the 106 version it says 105. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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