Potential new hardware

[jhusak]

This new 65816 core is looking promising: https://github.com/robfinch/Cores/tree/master/FT816

 

It's pretty large so not possible for all platforms.

 

Any interest in 65816 support? If so what is the most popular memory layout and best software to test with?

I am interested

[vanfanel]

@foft: I have updated to the latest core with Airstrike fixed but now scanlines are gone again

Any chances that you add them as an option on the MCC-216 (VGA) build? They make a BIG difference on how things look closer to a TV.

[foft]

@foft: I have updated to the latest core with Airstrike fixed but now scanlines are gone again

Any chances that you add them as an option on the MCC-216 (VGA) build? They make a BIG difference on how things look closer to a TV.

They can be toggled on/off via left win or left alt. I forget which.

[EdwardianDuck]

This new 65816 core is looking promising: https://github.com/robfinch/Cores/tree/master/FT816

 

It's pretty large so not possible for all platforms.

 

Any interest in 65816 support? If so what is the most popular memory layout and best software to test with?

 

65816 support is something I'd be interested in, if it would fit on a MiST.

 

Jeremy

[vanfanel]

They can be toggled on/off via left win or left alt. I forget which.

But booting directly with scanlines ON would be nice. No way the setting could be saved?

[lemiel]

Will Atari800 core works on ZX Uno? Is there enough power in his FPGA Xilinx Spartan XC6SLX9-2TQG144C?

http://zxuno.speccy.org/maquina_e.shtml
http://www.worldofspectrum.org/forums/discussion/52629/small-batch-of-zx-unos-outside-spain#latest

[foft]

@vanfanel: Yes, one day I'll implement this :-)

 

@lemiel: This is the same size FPGA as the Papilio Duo, which the core has been ported to. Its tight, but after removing some stuff it fit. I think it has mono pokey instead of stereo and no turbo freezer, but I forget now. I can advise on porting if you want to try but don't have time to commit myself.

[lemiel]

No, I was just asking for now about possibility. I am not sure if I can buy it.

[lemiel]

I ordered one ZX-Uno - http://www.worldofspectrum.org/forums/discussion/52629/small-batch-of-zx-unos-outside-spain#latest- will arrive in September. If you will have spare time in Fall I can be a tester.

Here is english manual: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8U1AO594Ex1TTJwaWhNUWdFTnM/view

[Gábor Orvos]

Hi Atari Gurus!

 

I never had an Atari, but a c64 during my chlildhood. I own a Turbo Chameleon 64 since the january of 2015, and I use Your Atari800XL core with the greatest pleasure! Some of the Atari games (i.e. Keystone Kapers) were never ported to Commodore platforms.

 

Nowadays I play a lot 4-player, 4-joystick games with my friends (the TC64's Docking Station has four DB9 connectors, just like the original Atari 400 or 800 computers).

 

I found cca. 30 c64:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64_joystick_adapters

and cca. 80 Amiga titles, which are using 4-player adapter:

https://ftp.fau.de/aminet/docs/misc/FourPlayerGames_EN.pdf

 

I tried some of the Atari 8-bit family's 4 joy games, but none of them worked on the Chameleon:

http://www.atarimania.com/faq-atari-400-800-xl-xe-what-games-support-4-or-more-simultaneous-players_67.html

 

You wrote in the Atari 800/5200 FPGA Core Manual, on side 2 / 13:

"Chameleon can either use the two joystick ports on a real Commodore 64 or use two of the four ports on the Chameleon docking station."

 

Mi question is: Is it possible to 'activate' the 3rd and 4th joy port of the Chameleon's Docking Station to use with Atari 4-joy games? The c64 and the minimig cores support this option.

 

Sorry for my poor english, I learned german in the school... :-)

 

Regards: Gábor

[foft]

This is not supported at the moment. However it could be added...

 

The Atari 800XL only has 2 joystick ports. Before this, the Atari 400 and Atari 800 had 4 joystick ports. Then Atari removed two ports and reused the registers on the PIA chip.

 

The core is an implementation of the Atari 800XL and so the PIA registers are not available for joystick use.

 

So to support it the options are:

i) 400/800 setting in the address decoder

ii) Multi-joy - this was an adaptor that connects to the 2 ports.

 

Which games were you hoping to play? Does anyone here know if everything decent multi-player has multi-joy patches?

[Gábor Orvos]

Thanks for the fast reply!

 

I would like to play Silicon Warrior (on c64 I had a 3-in-1 cartridge containing this title, this was one of my first games, but of course without 4-player option). The other title is the Asteroids (there is an Amiga clone called Poweroids, but it doesn't run on my Chameleon).

 

Thanks in advance: Gábor

[NML32]

@foft I think your website http://www.scrameta.net/is down.

[foft]

Thanks. Not sure why, hopefully no-one stole it!

[foft]

Thanks for the fast reply!

 

I would like to play Silicon Warrior (on c64 I had a 3-in-1 cartridge containing this title, this was one of my first games, but of course without 4-player option). The other title is the Asteroids (there is an Amiga clone called Poweroids, but it doesn't run on my Chameleon).

 

Thanks in advance: Gabor

 

Hi Gabor,

 

I found time to try this, finally.... I've got a test 48K Atari 800 core running on the Chameleon (as opposed to 800XL) . All four joystick ports are running well on the docking station.

 

Any interest in trying it? If so which core version do you use? PAL/RGB etc

 

Mark

[Gábor Orvos]

Hi Mark!

 

I would be glad to test the new experimental core, preferring the PAL system. I've both 50Hz compatible VGA monitor and Minimig VGA2SCART cable too.

 

Momentary I'm not at home, I could test the core on monday, early in the morning.

 

My E-mail adress is orvosg at gmail dot com, if necessary.

 

Thanks again in advance: Gábor

[Gábor Orvos]

Sorry, the correct address is orvosgab at gmail dot com.

[Gábor Orvos]

Thanks for the experimental core, test results sent via E-mail!

[jugac64]

 

Hi Gabor,

 

I found time to try this, finally.... I've got a test 48K Atari 800 core running on the Chameleon (as opposed to 800XL) . All four joystick ports are running well on the docking station.

 

Any interest in trying it? If so which core version do you use? PAL/RGB etc

 

Mark

Hi, cool! I'll be waiting for Gabor's review about the core.

 

Atari 800 and Atari 400 (with flat keyboard) were the first computers I worked (played) with, but later I only had Commodore's.

 

Best regards, Juan

[Gábor Orvos]

Hi, cool! I'll be waiting for Gabor's review about the core.

 

Atari 800 and Atari 400 (with flat keyboard) were the first computers I worked (played) with, but later I only had Commodore's.

 

Best regards, Juan

Be patient!

 

I tried it, works, but currently it's low compatibility. Mark is still working on it. I sent him my collection of 4-joy Atari games for testing purposes, and waiting for feedback.

 

Gábor

[EdwardianDuck]

I have a question about keyboard mapping. Is it possible to map the "lazy T" arrow keys on the physical USB keyboard to Control + +*=- to generate the normal Atari cursor move keystrokes?

 

I noticed in the manual that the arrow keys are shown on the list of available keys, but these (as far as I can tell so far, being a MiST neophyte) are only used by the OSD.

 

Jeremy

[foft]

There is no core support. Luckily I think mist itself supports remapping in firmware. Not sure about combinations.

[EdwardianDuck]

Interestingly, it seems like the core reads F1-F4 as the cursor keys (or at least it does when running the program I was trying), so I'll try mapping the keyboard's arrow keys to F1-F4 and see what happens.

 

Thank you

Jeremy

[EdwardianDuck]

Remapping via mist.ini sort of works, in the sense that the arrow keys drive the cursor round the screen in BASIC, but then of course the OSD doesn't work, which makes sense now that I think about it. In the end I remapped the arrows on the numeric keypad to F1-F4 and that's working, at least well enough for me.

 

I may try mapping the "lazy T" arrow keys to F1-F4 AND the keys on the numeric keypad to the arrow keys as I'd still rather have the "lazy T" arrow keys in control when the Atari is active, but that's an exercise for the weekend.

 

Below are the mappings I used in case this is of general interest.

 

Jeremy

 

[mist]

key_remap=5E,3D

key_remap=5C,3C

key_remap=60,3A

key_remap=5A,3B

[foft]

Wow, cool. F1-F4 is mapped to the F1-F4 keys as used by the 1200XL. So it must be the Atari OS that is mapping these to cursor movement! e.g. type BYE and go to the self test, in the keyboard you can see these are the 1-4 key codes in the special row.

 

I guess to have the OSD menu work and the cursor keys work from the 'lazy T' you'd need to get the mist.ini to send both key codes to the core. Or change the core.

 

edit: See FKDEF in mapping the atari appendix 12 - explains shift/ctrl F1-F4 too.

Edited July 7, 2016 by foft