Atari 800 with Encore Video Productions Info Display System

[AtariGeezer]

Like I posted earlier, the first sector of the file on that ATR is the only one that has a sector link, the rest of the sectors were saved as raw data.

 

I copied the data and removed 3 bytes from the sector link data and made this: Encore2.bin

 

The file that was saved has missing data in the last 786 bytes.

 

[Rybags]

Looks like a bit more missing than that... the last 2,000 or so bytes all zeroes ~ no valid cart vectors/flags. But judging by some of the text, at least a partial successful dump.

[AtariGeezer]

Okay, about (786 Hex / 1926 Dec)

[Savetz]

I guess I will try to binary save again, onto a fresh disk image. Tomorrow.

[TXG/MNX]

Best try a cheap univeral programmer on ebay you got them very cheap on ebay just to read the roms to a .hex file.

When you removed the roms you can take a good picture of the top pcb then people can remake this :-)

 

Only the small pcb with the connector need to be photographed aswell.

[Kyle22]

I suspect that the rest of this program is on a cart, because there are references in the file to addresses from $4xxx up to $Bxxx.

 

-K

Edited September 13, 2014 by Kyle22

[sup8pdct]

Have just had a very quick look. The fact it replaces the 3rd ram slot makes this look like a 16K cart starting at $8000. Maybe try superdos for the binary save next time.

 

here is the last 6 bytes 80 00 04 F8 BF 08 init address of $BFF8, run address of $8000

 

James

[sup8pdct]

The 1st sector link appears ok. the 2nd sector link is mangled. from then on, it is very difficult to tell the sector link from code as the sector link appears to be a copy of the next 3 bytes in the file Ie the sector link wasn't put in. (looking at the raw data in the atr file with a hex editor). it would appear the this dos cannot write out roms properly.

 

James

[sup8pdct]

 

after a bit of work with the ATR file, saving it as a 16K cart ROM image, it works.

 

ENCOREfixed.rom

 

 

 

James

[thorfdbg]

I used DOS 2.0S to do:

 

Binary Save -> ENCORE2,4000,7FFF

 

seemed to work but if I try to binary load the file, I get ERROR 164.

 

You did nothing wrong. Oss did when creating Dos 2.0s. It is a known problem for Dos 2.0S when trying to save *any* data from a ROM area. Dos 2.0s does "burst transfers" when transmitting data from RAM to disk, and for that it inserts the sector link into the last three bytes of the data to be saved - *life* into to the data by first storing the data that occupies the link, then saving the data from the RAM address to disk, then restoring the data. Clearly, this fails if the data to be saved is in ROM.

 

Thus, Dos 2.0S can only save data from RAM areas with binary-save. Dos 2.5 fixed this by using a dedicated sector buffer (so does Dos 2.++ which is part of Os++, the Atari++ Os). As said, a known bug (one of the...) of 2.0S.

 

At least you know now that there's a rom in this area..

[joeventura]

By the way

Encore Video Productions

is still in business at the same address

[ilaskey]

encore.jpg

 

after a bit of work with the ATR file, saving it as a 16K cart ROM image, it works.

 

ENCOREfixed.rom

 

 

 

James

Press corresponging letter? Oops.

[sup8pdct]

 

 

works for me

 

James

[TXG/MNX]

Now we only need the schematic complete so it can preserved for the future.

[Savetz]

Yay, sup8pdct is a hero. Amazing. I got it running on Atari800MacX (choose Mega Cartridge 16KB for cart type.)

[Savetz]

So, is dumping the EPROMs unnecessary now?

 

I also noticed that the program traps the System Reset key. That's interesting.

 

[sup8pdct]

So, is dumping the EPROMs unnecessary now?

It would seam so. It appears to work for everyone except ilaskey.

 

What i did was to load the ATR file into a hex editor (winhex) Remove from end of DUP to start. remove what appeared to be the end of dump till end of ATR.

Starting at the end, found the munged sector link and removed it. did same for all the rest of the sector links (took some time to do). removed the 6 byte header and saved and tested it.

 

I also have dissembled it to have a look.

 

James

[Savetz]

 

I also have dissembled it to have a look.

 

 

 

 

Please share.

[ilaskey]

I never said it doesn't work for me, I just pointed out the screen shit showed a typo in the program.

[ilaskey]

Arghh.. Let down by autocorrect. Screen shot.

[+Allan]

Arghh.. Let down by autocorrect. Screen shot.

Either answer would have worked. Thanks for the laugh.

 

Allan

 

[sup8pdct]

Never noticed that. Have to look now...

 

James

[sup8pdct]

Here is dissemblely. Only ran it through 6502 dissembler with no other work done at this point.

 

Am getting ready to go to frazer so won't have any more time to work on it for a while.

 

James

encore diss.txt

Edited September 16, 2014 by sup8pdct

[joeventura]

It's a teleprompter

[Savetz]

It's a teleprompter

 

Nope. The author told me:

 

It's a CCTV Hotel Information system that I originally wrote for Ensign Communications to be used in local Salt Lake City, Utah hotels. It would scroll text from the bottom to the top, and show the current date and time. It was written in 6502C assembly language and had a rudimentary text editor for entering the text that the hotel wanted to scroll. I was probably 18 or 19 years old when I created it and got about $1500 for my work. I never met the co-author which updated the software afterwards. I always wondered what became of the system. Of course, I assume that most systems were replaced by more modern systems that could show pictures and video, scroll text, etc. But, I do remember seeing this system still running in the Red Lion Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City in 1990 or 91, so it did survive for quite a while.