Bootstrap Atari 850 only once

[Marius]

Hi!

 

Bobterm will download the RS232 driver everytime I boot it. Even without switching the 850 off and back on... Bobterm download the RS232 EVERYTIME it runs. That is what I want, and also how it is very convenient!

 

But....

 

Other Terminal programs do not have a built-in piece of code that download the RS232 driver from the 850, so an external boot850.hnd, or RS232.com file has to be started, before the 850 will give it's driver back to the atari.

 

Now here is the problem:

 

Those programs (RS232.COM from the SpartaDos disk) only let me download the driver ONCE. Even when I reboot the Atari... the Rs232 driver will not come again from the Atari 850. Only when I switch off the 850 and back on ...

 

This is not convenient, since it happens (a lot) that I need to quit my terminal program... do some DOS tasks, and relaunch my terminal program. When I switch off the 850 I lose my connection.

 

The only program that let me do this is Bobterm... Everytime Bobterm is launched the 850 gently re-send it's rs232 driver.

 

So here is my question:

who has an RS232.COM for SpartaDos which will download the driver everytime... even without switching the 850 off and back on.

 

Thanks

Marius

[Marius]

As an additional question related to the above.

 

I suppose no one (except Bob Puff) has the source of Bobterm right?

 

I really should disassemble this fabulous program and extract the RS232 'trigger' '(the thing that downloads the driver') from this program.

 

It is the only 'thing' that can force the 850 into sending it's drive every time, over and over again. Without switching the 850 off and back on.

[russg]

I don't know if any of these R: handlers will do what you want. One, I guess, it has been a long time, one is for the ICD PRC device, one is the Sparta RS232 handler, and one is the 850

R: handler. Maybe the 850 handler will re-load the R: handler. I'm including a .BAS program that will show you the HATABS list of installed handlers. If I recall, the PRC.HND worked best for me.

If you exit your term program, you can run HATABS.BAS and see if the R: handler is still there. If it is, your term program should work, I guess.

RHAND.zip

Edited January 10, 2012 by russg

[russg]

Too late to edit my post. The RS850 and RS232 only work to download the driver from the 850 at boot time, has to be named AUTORUN.SYS or put in your STARTUP.BAT. The PRC.HND is the best bet I think.

[Marius]

I will check on that.

 

I also tried the setup.com from my DOS 2.5 Disk, which created an autorun.sys on my Dos 2.5 disk. This has also the same problem. A reboot of the disk does NOT reload the driver, unless I first switch off the 850 and then the 850 back on. This is really a bit frustrating.

 

I'll check at your attachment. Thanks anyway.

[phaeron]

It looks like Bobterm is sending an 850-specific boot command ($21) while RS232.COM is using a poll command ($3F), the latter of which is only responded to once by the 850. According to my notes, the latter returns a 12-byte SIO control block which is copied to DDEVIC then used to download the handler and relocator via the $21 command in a format similar to a disk boot sector. This is a bit inconvenient for a running system as the bootstrap code loads at $0500. I have to wonder if this is easier than just loading the handler directly off of disk.

 

Incidentally, the XL addendum documents type 3 and type 4 poll commands ($40) but says to contact Atari Customer Service about type 0-2 polls. I haven't been able to find any information about these and I'm pretty sure that Atari Customer Service no longer has any clue about them....

[GoodByteXL]

...

So here is my question:

who has an RS232.COM for SpartaDos which will download the driver everytime... even without switching the 850 off and back on.

SpartaDOS X does this.

[Marius]

@goodbytexl

 

No. Try it :-)

 

Atari 850 switched fresh on

Boot Sdx

Run Rs232.com

Atari 850 sends driver

Work on your Atari....

Reboot Atari... Even switch off Atari and back on

Boot Sdx

Run Rs232.com

 

Error ... Atari850 does not respond.

[Marius]

I have to wonder if this is easier than just loading the handler directly off of disk.

 

Ah that is also an idea! I will write a tool that simply carries the driver and installs itself. That is an awesome idea. Thanks for detailed information!

[Mathy]

Hello Marius

 

IIRC one of the XEP80 articles on my site (I guess one of those written by Erhard) mentions a bug in the bootstrapping code for the 850 that's used in one of the XEP80 handlers. Some part is loaded twice originally. Maybe the article can help you figure out what to do.

 

Mathy (who has no clue which one of the files it is)

[Marius]

@Mathy tomorrow I will take a look at that. Thanks for your reply.

 

I'm amazed there is SO MUCH information about Atari 8bit.... on the internet, in my huge library of books, manuals, documentation (on paper AND digital) and this subject is SO POOR documented.

 

It's a serious GAP in the Atari technical references!

[Lord Cygnus]

I don't know if any of these R: handlers will do what you want. One, I guess, it has been a long time, one is for the ICD PRC device, one is the Sparta RS232 handler, and one is the 850

R: handler. Maybe the 850 handler will re-load the R: handler. I'm including a .BAS program that will show you the HATABS list of installed handlers. If I recall, the PRC.HND worked best for me.

If you exit your term program, you can run HATABS.BAS and see if the R: handler is still there. If it is, your term program should work, I guess.

 

Thanks for posting these R: handler drivers in the zip file! They work great.

 

Kudos

 

-=[Lord Cygnus]=-

[+tf_hh]

I'm amazed there is SO MUCH information about Atari 8bit.... on the internet, in my huge library of books, manuals, documentation (on paper AND digital) and this subject is SO POOR documented.

 

Yes, it is - Although it´s one of the best devices Atari evermade.

 

One year ago I try to disassemble the 850 operating system to speed up serial communications to 19200 bps more, but I did not success. Spent only 2-3 days playing around with it, then other projects come in front.

 

The problem with the bootstrap (loaded only once until computer was powered off) can be easily cheated: Just look at the 850 PCB, the "READY" Line (Pin 10 of SIO) is connected to RESET-circuit of the 850. When SIO pin 10 gets low (the computer was switched off), then the 850 isn´t active. When the computer is powered on again, the signal goes high and this causes a 10 ms RESET-pulse, the whole 850 resets.

 

Just cut off the trace from SIO Pin 10 (connected to both SIO ports) to R166/R150 and solder a break contact button in line. So you don´t need to switch off the computer when you´re testing software or want to write new drivers, just press the button and the 850 will reset - and bootstrap loading is enabled again.

 

Regards, Jurgen

[Marius]

Hi Jurgen,

 

That is a nice idea.... but in the meantime I wrote a 'better' solution. I simply took the driver outside the atari 850, and made an executable file (works only on spartados 3.3a at this moment). I simply load the driver from harddisk in stead from the 850 itself. My solution alters memlo and all that too.

 

I have to perfect it ... it is not resetproof (yet) and I want to make it compatible when other items are load into memlo area too.

 

Now it is fixed on a certain mem location so my driver has to be loaded first in startup.bat

 

A few things to do ... but it works.

 

Thanks for your idea though!

Greetz

M>

[_The Doctor__]

Did you ever finish taking this all the way to what you envisioned? as did you do those few things you wanted to do?

[_The Doctor__]

True, I don't want the 850 to reset everything if I power off the Atari while online and switch term programs or load up a tool, compress a file etc. and return to do the upload etc...