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Anyone have one of these SD2IEC devices for C64?


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Hm, I wonder which routine MagerValp used then. The SD2IEC firmware can detect at least a handful popular routines and service them accordingly, but I suppose all it takes is a small variation on an existing routine, and the device won't recognize it anymore. Just in case anyone wonders why one fastloader would work but not the other, it lies in the fact the SD2IEC hardware doesn't have the capacity to emulate the drive entirely, so it rather simulates it and can branch into custom loaders when it recognizes one (Epyx Fastload, Final Cartridge, Action Replay with 1581 ROM, Dreamload, JiffyDOS etc). This is one of the reasons why the more expensive 1541 Ultimate series are more capable: they've got bigger, more expensive capacity chips so more code can be fitted.

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Hm, I wonder which routine MagerValp used then. The SD2IEC firmware can detect at least a handful popular routines and service them accordingly, but I suppose all it takes is a small variation on an existing routine, and the device won't recognize it anymore. Just in case anyone wonders why one fastloader would work but not the other, it lies in the fact the SD2IEC hardware doesn't have the capacity to emulate the drive entirely, so it rather simulates it and can branch into custom loaders when it recognizes one (Epyx Fastload, Final Cartridge, Action Replay with 1581 ROM, Dreamload, JiffyDOS etc). This is one of the reasons why the more expensive 1541 Ultimate series are more capable: they've got bigger, more expensive capacity chips so more code can be fitted.

 

Good information! Here's a couple of threads that discuss the GOLD releases:

 

http://www.lemon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=48765&sid=eaff049e272137bad341f90e8e391a87

 

http://www.lemon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=570425

 

The second link has responses from Magervalp as well.

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Get JiffyDOS set if you plan to keep the C64 a while longer. It'll boost the speed by a lot and leave the cart port free plus some cart fast loader don't always play nice with some copy protection tricks.

 

If you get SD2IEC and find your favorite game won't work, get a set of blank 5.25" DD disks and either a disk notcher or a hole puncher to make it 2 sided then use something like Fast Hack'em to copy the content of d64 to a real disk. Then run that disk, since it'd be running in a real 1541 you're less likely to run into loading issue.

 

(only 1571 can naively read both sides, all other 5.25 serial disk drive you need to flip the disk, and almost all commercial games are single sided anyway)

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I have both a uIEC (which will someday be mounted inside my 64c) and a 1541U2. The uIEC seemed good enough until I received the 1541U2. It's not just the floppy emulation but the CRT and TAP support, instant (DMA?) loads, integrated freezer, built in file selector. I recommend picking one up if you have the means.

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But at about double the cost? I'll stick to running off SD2IEC. If a game doesn't want to work on it because it depended on real 1541 hardware, I can run Hack'Em and copy to a real disk and run from there.

 

Number of games that works vary but I've read between 50% and 80% which is plenty.

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But at about double the cost? I'll stick to running off SD2IEC. If a game doesn't want to work on it because it depended on real 1541 hardware, I can run Hack'Em and copy to a real disk and run from there.

 

Number of games that works vary but I've read between 50% and 80% which is plenty.

 

I've tried quite a few games, and if you can't get the original to work you can try a 'cracked' copy - which is usually what you find on the net anyway.. Haven't figured out how to get Championship LodeRunner working yet, but hey, that's one of the few that I've been totally unable to run on the SD2IEC.

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I've tried quite a few games, and if you can't get the original to work you can try a 'cracked' copy - which is usually what you find on the net anyway.. Haven't figured out how to get Championship LodeRunner working yet, but hey, that's one of the few that I've been totally unable to run on the SD2IEC.

 

Did you try using a disk copier to copy it from SD2IEC to a good blank disk? This assumes you have a working 1541 compatible disk drive and some 5.25" disks that are not HD format.

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Did you try using a disk copier to copy it from SD2IEC to a good blank disk? This assumes you have a working 1541 compatible disk drive and some 5.25" disks that are not HD format.

 

Nope! I have the original disk - just wanted it on the SD2IEC to keep from having the floppy drive on my desk! I've tried nibtools to .d64, and different disk images on the net with no luck yet.

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Nope! I have the original disk - just wanted it on the SD2IEC to keep from having the floppy drive on my desk! I've tried nibtools to .d64, and different disk images on the net with no luck yet.

If you mean you're nibbling from the original to the SD2IEC, that's probably because the protection is getting spannered by the transfer. For the cracks, i'd guess at fastloader incompatibility...

Edited by TMR
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If you mean you're nibbling from the original to the SD2IEC, that's probably because the protection is getting spannered by the transfer. For the cracks, i'd guess at fastloader incompatibility...

 

I'm using nibtools to read the original disk to a .nib file, then I convert that to a .d64 to play on emulators / SD2IEC. Maybe Champ Loderunner uses a fastloader of some sort? I mean, it originally asked you to wait for 1.5 minutes, so maybe it was a slow/fastloader!

 

 

http://c64preservation.com/nibtools

Edited by TheRealAnubis
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I'm using nibtools to read the original disk to a .nib file, then I convert that to a .d64 to play on emulators / SD2IEC. Maybe Champ Loderunner uses a fastloader of some sort? I mean, it originally asked you to wait for 1.5 minutes, so maybe it was a slow/fastloader!

It might be the process of converting to a disk image that's breaking things; D64 wasn't designed to image protected disks so quite a lot of on-disk protection will fail. G64 is the format that was devised for protected images and unusual disk formats, but the SD2IEC firmware currently doesn't support it.

 

Try it in VICE from the D64 with and without True Drive Emulation enabled, we cat at least make a few more "educated" guesses from there. =-)

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It might be the process of converting to a disk image that's breaking things; D64 wasn't designed to image protected disks so quite a lot of on-disk protection will fail. G64 is the format that was devised for protected images and unusual disk formats, but the SD2IEC firmware currently doesn't support it.

 

Try it in VICE from the D64 with and without True Drive Emulation enabled, we cat at least make a few more "educated" guesses from there. =-)

 

I think I tried VICE a while back, both ways, as well as Frodo - I'll admit, though, this was on the GP2X Wiz handheld - LodeRunner is great on handhelds! I'll see if I can try it on my PC sometime soon - I don't really have it installed there since I've started using the SD2IEC and the handheld options..

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I think I tried VICE a while back, both ways, as well as Frodo - I'll admit, though, this was on the GP2X Wiz handheld - LodeRunner is great on handhelds! I'll see if I can try it on my PC sometime soon - I don't really have it installed there since I've started using the SD2IEC and the handheld options..

If it failed both ways in VICE that sounds like on-disk protection that the D64 conversion isn't replicating so you're probably going to need a cracked version. If it's not been done properly, give Nostalgia a nudge because they might be up for giving it a go.

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I found two versions on Latif, one called CHAMPLR.D64 that loads tracks 17-11 (with true drive emulation enabled) then somehow gets stuck in a loop, possibly waiting for changes to the CIA at $DD00. The other version called CHAMPLRE.D64 actually loads the game, at least with true drive emulation but it seems to contain wrong colours and may be a bit buggy so it is not playable. There may be other versions elsewhere, I just checked the first possible location. If true drive emulation in VICE is not enough, I don't know if 1541 Ultimate would handle it better, or restoring the D64 image to a real 1541 floppy disk for that matter.

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I found two versions on Latif, one called CHAMPLR.D64 that loads tracks 17-11 (with true drive emulation enabled) then somehow gets stuck in a loop, possibly waiting for changes to the CIA at $DD00. The other version called CHAMPLRE.D64 actually loads the game, at least with true drive emulation but it seems to contain wrong colours and may be a bit buggy so it is not playable. There may be other versions elsewhere, I just checked the first possible location. If true drive emulation in VICE is not enough, I don't know if 1541 Ultimate would handle it better, or restoring the D64 image to a real 1541 floppy disk for that matter.

 

One of the versions I have loads up, but the graphics are all messed up - the game seems to work, but it's not playable.. I'll keep looking and see what I can find as well! Thanks!

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I have one of Jim Brain's uIEC/SD devices, and recommend it very highly. As others have mentioned, for smaller, simpler games (i.e., games that typically load on a single disk without any sort of fancy loading techniques), it's perfect. For more complex games, you'll find that this device won't load them directly. However, for those, I have a 1541 disk drive and a set of 5.25" disks and a copying program that I can use with the uIEC/SD to offload those multi-disk games onto the actual floppies, and then load them from there. Essentially, it turns the uIEC/SD into a handy way to interface from PC to C64 (transferring .d64 images onto actual disks).

 

That being said, if you intend to use the uIEC/SD in that fashion (as an interface for getting .d64 images onto actual floppies), I would highly recommend investing in JiffyDOS. You will need it for both your 1541 as well as your C64. A good alternative, if you don't want to permanently install it into the C64, would be to purchase an EasyFlash III cartridge and flash JiffyDOS onto one of its kernal slots (besides, the EasyFlash III is another great tool to have on hand). All these can be purchased on Jim's site.

 

Incidentally, the program that I use to do my images-to-disk transfer is a C64 app called CBM-Command (latest version is 2.3, and is final), although I'm sure there are other applications out there that will work just as well (or perhaps better).

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Or a 128 with 1571. They are pretty fast without JiffyDOS and with them they are even better. I am planning to copy Ultima 3 and 4 gold version to 1571 (double sided mode) to play since people have reported problem running them off SD2IEC.

 

Still waiting for my SD2IEC to show up. Shipping from Europe does take a while.

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JiffyDOS is a good product, but if you have an old TFC 3 or similar cartridge, they tend to yield decent turbo speed as well. Personally I mostly use my uIEC/SD on the C64 with an Action Replay Mk VI and have loaded a 1581 ROM onto the uIEC to trick the Action Replay it is dealing with a such drive and use the associated turbo routines. It works pretty well as long as I play with the C64, but I've noticed that Pasi/Marko's turbo routines (which also come in different versions for 1541 and 1581) used in EasyLoad on the VIC-20 Megacart don't like it very much, so I have to disable the soft loaded ROM if I'm using the uIEC/SD with my Megacart.

 

I realize that once you bought both a uIEC/SD or other SD2IEC device, and a EasyFlash 3, you're likely more than halfways to the cost for a 1541 Ultimate 2, which indeed will do even more than the other two combined. The choice of hardware thus depends some on how much you intend to use it, which previous peripherals you own and how soon you want the new stuff. I can see that for a relative newcomer or returning C64 user who expects a lot of play and as little hassle as possible probably will not think twice about investing in a 1541U, while someone who has been around all the time and already has a selection of drives, cartridges, ROM expansions, cables etc but only use it sporadically may settle with a cheaper, but more limited solution.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have had the sd2iec and it is great for loading single filers at high speed (as it can be used in conjunction with the software jiffydos fastloader).

 

For multipart games, loading speed suffers (and ofcourse most fastloaders will not work)

 

There are a few fastloaders that are supported at simulation level on the sd2iec which includes the GIJoe loader, as well as the Dreamload IRQ loader (that can run some demo's flawlessly - e.g error 23)

 

With the Epyx fastloader cart, things get even more simpler and fast (but again many people may assume that it will speed up loading for everything) which is not the case.

 

I have since purchased the Turbo Chameleon 64 and even though the price tag of 250 euro may seem high. It does near or enough everything including the ability to run Amiga, Atari2600 and even now the atari800 core

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