Rana ROM images

[MrMartian]

Excellent! So happy to see confirmation this works for someone else!

[MrMartian]

Well, getting my Incognito seems to have inspired me to get going on this..

 

Here's the Rana 6502 variant ROM, which works for me. Please let me know how it works for you!

 

rana.bin

[MrMartian]

Okay, some feedback will be great....

 

I usually use Hias' patched OS for everything, which is great... And, the drive worked great for me there...

 

But, I was just trying it under SDX 4.47's normal SIO.SYS and it keeps erroring out on me.. SIO.SYS /A works... I'm guessing it's a small timing issue between them, but I'd like to see what others find before I go tweaking all over the place...

[+Larry]

Hi-

 

SUCCESS!

 

For testing, I'm using my Black Box to provide US. I formatted the SD disk using SDX 4.46, then copied several images to the disk using MyDos. I'm not experienced at all using SDX, but formatting and looking at the disk using SDX (with the AtariDos driver) it works just fine. This one works better than the Intel version (it wouldn't format in UltraSpeed). I'll test this one for the next couple of days and then give you a final report.

 

Edit: Works flawlessly in DD, also. Can't see any issues at all. Copied files to several disks and then ran VTOCFIX on them -- perfect.

 

Great Job!

 

-Larry

[MrMartian]

Well, I put my 8031 board back in the Rana I'm using, and put the attached code in the ROM. Works at normal and ultraspeed, formats US skew, and works SD, ED, and DD..... Maybe I sent something wrong before? Here it is..

 

rana8031.bin

[+Larry]

Thanks, I'll check. I don't remember some of the details, but pretty sure that mine was upgraded from 8 to 12 MHz. It did everything right except format U.S. First thing I'll do is to compare the ROM images. But anyway, the 6502 rocks!
Larry

[+Larry]

Hi-

 

Yes, this new image is different than the one that I had in the 8031 Rana. But the new one does read, write, and format for U.S. Great! Thanks for the update!

 

-Larry

[+Larry]

"Final Update" for this 6502 rom version. Everything continues to work perfectly. My poor Rana needed this upgrade!

 

Thanks so much for your efforts!

 

-Larry

[tschak909]

I'm very curious as to why Rana switched CPUs....

[MrMartian]

I'm curious which one was first...

[Bryan]

Crystals are pretty generic... Here's the first one at Digikey that matches: http://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/MP120/CTX058-ND/67712

 

I know this is an old post, but I just wanted to make a comment about crystals. They aren't exactly generic. Some are calibrated for series resonance and others for parallel. This determines the type of driver circuit used. (for example, the 4MHz crystal in the 6502 board is a Fox 040A crystal which is a series model). Also, with parallel crystals, matching the load capacitance of the crystal to the circuit is important for accuracy. Anyway, for a floppy drive we don't need an absolutely precise 12MHz and there's a chance a randomly selected crystal of the right speed will work, but just be aware that some crystals will be a better match than others.

 

http://www.maximintegrated.com/en/app-notes/index.mvp/id/726

[Bikerbob]

I am looking to make this upgrade.

 

Anyone who did this Panther etc.. do you still have crystals around? even if just to tell me what one you bought that worked? I am looking at these.

 

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/310973898241?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

and does the rana use the 2732ajl eprom like the Indus GT? because I will need a bunch of those as well.

 

I am burning ROMS and if I have to buy a lot could also supply a crystal to anyone wanting to make the upgrade.

 

James

[venom4728a]

Interested in one depending on price.

[+slx]

Well, getting my Incognito seems to have inspired me to get going on this..

 

Here's the Rana 6502 variant ROM, which works for me. Please let me know how it works for you!

 

 

Hi,

 

I know it's been quite some time but what kind of EPROM is required for the 6502A Rana? (I suspect my Rana might have a faulty EPROM as I found it uncovered when disassembling the drive. It starts up and shows track info but does not even attempt to read the drive when trying to boot.)

[xrbrevin]

i think its a 27128 eprom but i'll have to dig my drive out to check

have you checked your drive number select switch? it would produce the same symptoms

[+slx]

i think its a 27128 eprom but i'll have to dig my drive out to check

have you checked your drive number select switch? it would produce the same symptoms

The drive number select switch is set to all off, which should be the drive 1 setting. I can try wiggling them or switching them several times in case they're not making good contact.

 

I found an IC missing on the mainboard (U17, a 74LS374 according to Paul Alhart's schematics), so that might be the culprit as well. But then this socket is empty on russg's mainboard as well.

 

Paul Alhart says it could be a dirty head. I find it strange that the drive doesn't seem to try to read at all, disc's not spinning.

[xrbrevin]

check the switch that detects when a disk is inserted - also check where it plugs into the PCB.

could these wired connectors be incorrectly arranged?

i believe the absent chip is to manage the nearby pin interface but ive yet to see one that is populated!

the ROM on russg's board is labeled up with 2732 - my guess-timate of a 27128 was wrong! - i'll open up my rana at the weekend to find out because i used the modded firmware on an EPROM and it works fine

[xrbrevin]

here is proof it IS a 2732 eprom!

 

 

[fatwizard]

Hi all, Sorry to bump this thread, but I'm new here and this thread is on topic for me.

 

I have been collecting third party disk drives for the Atari 8bit line. All the ones I saw advertised in Antic and Analog magazines back in the day that I couldn't afford then. I have discovered that the drives I have gotten, Indus GT, Trak AT-D2, Percom AT99-S1PD, and now this Rana 1000, don't do enhanced or double density without hunting down firmware updates for them. I burnt a copy of the 6502 firmware listed earlier in this thread to a 2732 EPROM and installed it in my Rana 1000, but it still refuses to read ED or DD. Seems to work perfectly in SD. If I boot SmartDOS and reconfigure to double density, the drive will format a disk, but won't verify it. I guess I'm hoping to tap some experience here, I don't know what else to look at for the problem.

[toddtmw]

At one time, I had about six Ranas + extra boards, so I should have one of these 8031/12 MHZ combos. IIRC, only one was 6502 -- two at the very most. Very interested in this project. i've always liked the Rana, but it is dead slow. Hopefully you can fix that like you did in adding UltraSpeed to the Indus.

 

-Larry

 

HEY! That was my first disk drive! And I can tell you it was WAAAY faster than the 410 thaat it replaced and was priced at a point where a kid with a paper route could (eventually) afford it!

[toddtmw]

Wow, my Rana stock is quite depleted. I'm down to two good Rana's and no extra boards. One is 4 MHz and the other 8 MHz. The 8 MHz is definitely 8031 and the 4 probably is, but did not take the drive out to check the controller.

 

BTW, that is interesting -- never heard of a SD only Rana. But then they made a bunch of variations -- mechs, motors, controllers/cpu's, etc. so I'm not too surprised.

 

I'll have to wait until you (hopefully) get to the 8 MHz versions.

 

Edit: Anyone know of a good source for the 12 MHz crystal? What did 1050's use?

 

-Larry

 

Although, mine had the crappy bubble membrane buttons. I was bummed when they released a version with real buttons. Those worked much bettter.

[+Nezgar]

Hi all, Sorry to bump this thread, but I'm new here and this thread is on topic for me.

 

I have been collecting third party disk drives for the Atari 8bit line. All the ones I saw advertised in Antic and Analog magazines back in the day that I couldn't afford then. I have discovered that the drives I have gotten, Indus GT, Trak AT-D2, Percom AT99-S1PD, and now this Rana 1000, don't do enhanced or double density without hunting down firmware updates for them. I burnt a copy of the 6502 firmware listed earlier in this thread to a 2732 EPROM and installed it in my Rana 1000, but it still refuses to read ED or DD. Seems to work perfectly in SD. If I boot SmartDOS and reconfigure to double density, the drive will format a disk, but won't verify it. I guess I'm hoping to tap some experience here, I don't know what else to look at for the problem.

 

Pretty sure the Rana 1000 was always promoted as double density capable out of the box. Maybe not Enhanced density though. (I had one for a short time many moons ago in my youth) Indus GT could definitely do DD & ED.

 

I have recently acquired a Rana 1000 that I have not tested, will have to get on that, and dump the ROM for comparison here. It maybe more likely that some other adjustments are out of calibration for MFM operation.

[fatwizard]

There is an ad for the Rana 1000 in one of my old Analog magazines that states, "Double Density coming in the future". Earlier in this thread, SD only Rana drives were discussed. Moonsweeper, the topic starter, discussed how the ROM he inspected had a serious MFM bug and wouldn't operate in anything but SD.

 

I am currently using the corrected firmware Moonsweeper posted here for the 6502 variant. Other posters confirmed that it worked correctly, supporting all densities, so I suspect you are right that there is some other issue affecting MFM operation on my drive. My drive has the 6502 CPU with a 4MHz crystal.

[1050]

So many new guys make the same mistake, it's quite

alright too, but Moonsweeper is not the guy, the guy

is Mr. Martian. Moonsweeper is his posting count rating

gauged by an Atari game called Moonsweeper just like

yours is Combat Command or a relative lightweight

rating as of yet.

 

So what I see is that the 6522 is responsible for

selecting densities and perhaps you need a new one

that isn't stuck in SD with a defective port forcing

the FDC to be SD all the time?

 

OR try to see if anything might bring pin 37 of the

FDC high by nefarious means. Which means solder blob,

cut trace, and any number of other reasons that might

actually be the cause other than a wonky 6522.

 

You want the 6522A since it's rated for 2 MHz instead

of 6522 that just does 1 MHz, I would think but don't

really know.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6522-6522A-VIA-DIP-40-for-Commodore-1541-etc/142770026784

 

4 MHz crystal is being halved to 2 MHz for operation

of the 6502 and other parts - it's not a 4 MHz 6502.

[_The Doctor__]

 

 

I know this is an old post, but I just wanted to make a comment about crystals. They aren't exactly generic. Some are calibrated for series resonance and others for parallel. This determines the type of driver circuit used. (for example, the 4MHz crystal in the 6502 board is a Fox 040A crystal which is a series model). Also, with parallel crystals, matching the load capacitance of the crystal to the circuit is important for accuracy. Anyway, for a floppy drive we don't need an absolutely precise 12MHz and there's a chance a randomly selected crystal of the right speed will work, but just be aware that some crystals will be a better match than others.

 

http://www.maximintegrated.com/en/app-notes/index.mvp/id/726

 

the resistance of the crystal in function determines which mode it is more suited for, and are usually selected and utilized as such. It's one of those things that are overlooked on many homebrew devices today that sort of work, as they ride that edge. pretty cool to see a mention of it here.

Edited May 16, 2019 by _The Doctor__