Using the new Turbo Freezer (Q&A)

[+Larry]

Here's a thread (mostly) for the many new users. I'm sure there will be lots of questions, and probaly better to "start fresh" rather than bury it in the old pre-order thread.

 

Here's my first question -- the IDE+2 works fine on the XE, but on the XL, it will not come up.

 

When powered from the joystick port, is the +5 VDC power carried through the adapter to the "pass-thru" XL adapter? (Probably not.) -OR- If the power is taken from the XL connection on the computer is that carried through?

 

If not, then it seems that a separate connection would need to be made to power the IDE+2. If separate, I presume that would mean that there is no problem to have the Freezer connected via the joystick and the IDE+2 connected from *either* an external power adapter or from the XL bus via a wire adapter?

 

Edit: I looked at the traces and checked the continuity. The trace does go from the +5 VDC input from the joystick to the "power pin" on the pass-thru connector (PBI pins 47 + 48). Didn't see anything in the IDE+2 manuals that explain the powering options, but I seem to remember that the +2 can be powered from the XL via the +5 VDC pin on the pbi connector (if connected). Since the question is answered for the Freezer, maybe best to pose this to Simius.

 

-Larry

[+Larry]

Second Question: I created a system disk (ATR medium density ATR image), but the sector count on the resulting image don't "add up" correctly. From the sector counts, I end up with a single density format of Dos 2/2.5 style 707 sectors free. The Dos written is MyDos 4.53/4 (good choice, BTW . I don't think this is any big issue, but the manual says "medium" density. Small errata?

 

I end up with

 

DOS.SYS 37

DUP.SYS 54

FLASH.COM 45

FREEZER.ROM 525

FREE SECTORS 046

 

Total 707.

 

-Larry

[+Larry]

Update:

 

I PM'd Simius, and he confirmed that the IDE+2 can be powered from the PBI "power pins."

 

Power availability from the joystick port may be too weak. (Incidently, I tried two different XL's with the same results.) I'll probably run a power connector to pins 47/48 inside the XL to get this working.

 

-Larry

[HiassofT]

Hi Larry!

 

Power availability from the joystick port may be too weak. (Incidently, I tried two different XL's with the same results.) I'll probably run a power connector to pins 47/48 inside the XL to get this working.

About 2 years ago I successfully tested a IDE+2 attached to the XL Freezer, but this was with a modified XL which had +5V on the PBI (joystick cable was not connected in this case).

 

I also suspect that the power on the joystick port might be too weak. +5V on the joystick port runs through a 10µH inductor inside the XL and I measured a total resistance of approx. 0.9 ohms from the +5V power input jack of the XL to pin 47/48 of the pass-through PBI port of the Freezer (via the joystick power cable). Most of this resistance is due to the inductor, which measured approx. 0.75 ohms.

 

With +5V on the PBI total resistance is only approx. 0.09-0.1 ohms.

 

I don't know the power specs of the IDE+2, but if you are using a spinning platter HDD the voltage drop accross the inductor / joystick cable might be too high.

 

Long story short: try the +5V PBI mod on the XL.

 

so long,

 

Hias

[HiassofT]

Second Question: I created a system disk (ATR medium density ATR image), but the sector count on the resulting image don't "add up" correctly. From the sector counts, I end up with a single density format of Dos 2/2.5 style 707 sectors free. The Dos written is MyDos 4.53/4 (good choice, BTW . I don't think this is any big issue, but the manual says "medium" density. Small errata?

The image is formatted with DOS 2.5 "medium" density, which is not a native MyDos format. MyDos can read the files on the disk just fine, but doesn't know anything about the DOS 2.5 secondary VTOC so it only shows a maximum of 707 sectors (i.e. sectors available for writing). Check the directory with DOS 2.5 and you'll see the "missing" sectors

 

I ended up with this (slightly awkward) choice because on the old (2005) Freezer system disk we needed more than 707 sectors, but also wanted a DOS capable of accessing larger (512k) files, and have maximum compatibility with other DOSes. Unfortunately the "medium" density format of MyDos isn't compatible with DOS 2.5, it defaults to using 16-bit sector links if you format a disk in "medium" density.

 

so long,

 

Hias

[+Larry]

Thanks, Hias. Mystery solved!

 

-Larry

[+Larry]

(Duplicate deleted)

[+Larry]

I'm concerned that someone might try to attach the +5 VDC to the wrong pins on the PBI, especially because the "official" Atari 800XL and 600XL schematics show that these are not connected/reserved. Also, perhaps just me, but the official schematics/diagrams are not clear as to the view for the PBI pin assignments. "Looking into the computer" but not from where.

 

Anyway, here is a very clear picture from the Ram 320XL thread by Ctirad that shows exactly where to attach the power. And a picture is worth...

 

Original thread link in post #208: http://atariage.com/...l/page__st__200

 

 

-Larry

[+Roydea6]

I just checked my Tracking # and got this info.

 

Depart USPS Sort Facility April 21, 2013 PHOENIX, AZ 85043 Registered Mail^™

 

So the next stop should be my Mail box 4/22/13. And then I may be able to add some questions to this thread.

I hope to mostly use this with my 130 XE, but then I will need to detach my KarinMax disk drive interface.

Edited April 22, 2013 by rdea6

[+Larry]

Glad to hear yours is "close," Roy!

 

Update on the Freezer power issue with the IDE+2. Attached the +5 VDC as described above, and everything works great! Thanks for the help from Simius and Hias.

 

-Larry

[+Roydea6]

YEP!! I got it but now what to do with it I have gotten into the Cartridge menu and ran SpartaDos (it is still 445) so I will need read up to FLASH 446 rom to it.

Damn Steep learning curve I think.... Well back to reading the FM.

[+Roydea6]

QUESTION:

If I burn an AtariMax cart to the Freezer will I later need to reflash the rom to get SpartaDos back. I am getting rom not found when I try to flash with the latest SDX446 TFREEZER.ATR.

 

and if I try to load a game from my game SpartaDos partition like FREECELL.EXE I lose the joystick controls..

[HiassofT]

If I burn an AtariMax cart to the Freezer will I later need to reflash the rom to get SpartaDos back.

It depends how large the actual data on the atarimax cart is. If only 512k are used, you could just program banks 0-63 and have SDX intact (in banks 64-95).

 

I am getting rom not found when I try to flash with the latest SDX446 TFREEZER.ATR.

You have to use SDX446_ultimate.rom and program it with FLASH.COM. The TFREEZER SDX versions are for the (old) 2005 Turbo Freezer.

 

and if I try to load a game from my game SpartaDos partition like FREECELL.EXE I lose the joystick controls..

Not sure what's going wrong here. I don't use spartados myself, maybe some other SDX users are able to help you.

 

so long,

 

Hias

[+Roydea6]

You have to use SDX446_ultimate.rom and program it with FLASH.COM. The TFREEZER SDX versions are for the (old) 2005 Turbo Freezer.

Ok now I have 'Unknown flash, check write jumper' and yes it is in the on position.

Ok now I have the correct FLASH.COM and it seems to be working ok read program OK. Earlier I was trying to use the flash.com in the SDX446 tfreezer.atr distribution but now I have moved the Flash.com file from freezer2011.atr and with the proper sdxrom it works.

 

Thanks for the ANSWER:

Edited April 24, 2013 by rdea6

[+Roydea6]

Freezer 2011 Flash Writer V2.0

© 2005-2012 by Matthias Reichl

Detected ST 29F040B

SW Version: 3.10 2012-11-09

1) Program CartEmu flash

2) Program CartEmu+Freezer flash

3) Write flash to file

4) Program RAM

5) Write RAM to file

6) Erase flash

7) Start CartEmu

0) Exit program

>

 

This is the Menu after running the flash.com program. I chose option 1. Then set the Bank to 64 next prompt press enter.. and the prompt for filename after filename is entered press return and flashing begins if the Flash Write switch is on and the Ramdisk switch is on.

[+Roydea6]

Joy stick is still locked out when loading SDX rom stick trigger functions but not the directions. Just booting to MyDos or Disk based SpartaDos joystick works.. I tried this with several stock 800xl's

[+Roydea6]

Joystick locked on 130XE system also, but I installed my IDE +2 with the XE freezer adapter disabled SDX on freezer menu and booted straight to the IDE +2 SDX system set the Bios 1.2 settings and now the joystick works with this version of SDX IDE +2 combination.. Finding --- something is wrong with SDX44x_ultimate.rom usages with the freezer2011 hardware.

[HiassofT]

Joystick locked on 130XE system also, but I installed my IDE +2 with the XE freezer adapter disabled SDX on freezer menu and booted straight to the IDE +2 SDX system set the Bios 1.2 settings and now the joystick works with this version of SDX IDE +2 combination.. Finding --- something is wrong with SDX44x_ultimate.rom usages with the freezer2011 hardware.

Thanks for testing and reporting, just discovered what was going wrong: it's the ULTIME.SYS driver in config.sys.

 

The U1MB RTC is located at $D3xx, so on any Atari without a U1MB the ULTIME.SYS driver changes PIA registers. The result is that PACTL is set to $00 (instead of default $3C), which means that reading PORTA (i.e. joystick ports) returns the value of the PIA data direction register ($00), not the actual input values. Also the cassette motor should be turned on

 

If you press reset, or have a custom config.sys without the ULTIME.SYS, the joysticks work fine again.

 

Here's a patched SDX 4.46 ROM which has the ULTIME.SYS driver commented out in config.sys:

http://www.horus.com...freezer2011.zip

 

Please give it a try and drop me a line if this image is OK. I never used the SDX imager before

 

so long,

 

Hias

[+Roydea6]

Image seems to be fine no ultime.sys loaded,,, but still no joy[pun] joy stick movement is still locked out.

My latest cold start with this as my config.sys has a good joy stick test.

I modified the CONFIG.SYS further to only load DEVICE SPARTA - DEVICE SIO - DEVICE ATARIDOS - DEVICE JIFFY.

 

 

JOYTEST.ZIP

This is a joystick program to test movement ..

c 1988 by CHAOS

Edited April 25, 2013 by rdea6

[HiassofT]

Image seems to be fine no ultime.sys loaded,,, but still no joy[pun] joy stick movement is still locked out.

Strange, the image works fine here. Stock 800XL, just TurboFreezer with SDX4.46, ramdisk on/off doesn't matter.

 

I tested both with your joytest.com program but actually prefer a simple "10 ?STICK(0):G.10" basic program

 

BTW: If you find a non-working setup which should work, check the PIA values with the Turbo Freezer debugger:

 

press Freezer button

press "D" to enter the debugger

enter "DD300" to display the PIA values. You should see something like

00 FF 00 FF 3C 3C FF FF

 

The bold values are the important ones, they configure PIA PORTA/joystick.

 

After the check, exit the debugger with "Q" then "SPACE".

 

so long,

 

Hias