idavis Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 So, is dumping the EPROMs unnecessary now? Don't forget to place some protective tape over the eprom windows. Just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishcar Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 I'd love to be able to use this on actual hardware (800XL) for high school classroom for announcements, etc. I'm already using various other scrolly apps (thanks to members of this board) but would love to add this to the options. The easiest way (for classroom use) is to get it on a real floppy, which I can do with .atr and .xex files. However, I can't figure out how to load a .rom file onto actual hardware from a floppy. Is there a convert .rom to .atr utiilty somewhere or does this file exist as an .atr or .xex already? It would definitely see the light of day again. I'm using Atari800MacX as my emulator and the 800XL with an 810 as the real silicon in the classroom. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 As long as it doesn't contain copy-protection self-modifying code, it should be simple, just add FFFF and load/init headers to the file. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 All of this brings to mind a question to which I can't seem to find a straight forward answer (maybe there isn't one, I don't know) ... How the heck do you convert a .ROM, .BIN or .CAR file to an .XEX that can be loaded through an SIO2PC/SIO2USB type device? Is there a utility to automate the conversion, or does it require manual bit-fiddling with a hex editor? I don't know enough about cartridge ROM formats or the .XEX file format to even be sure of the parameters of my own question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 I'd love to be able to use this on actual hardware (800XL) for high school classroom for announcements, etc. I'm already using various other scrolly apps (thanks to members of this board) but would love to add this to the options. The easiest way (for classroom use) is to get it on a real floppy, which I can do with .atr and .xex files. However, I can't figure out how to load a .rom file onto actual hardware from a floppy. Is there a convert .rom to .atr utiilty somewhere or does this file exist as an .atr or .xex already? It would definitely see the light of day again. I'm using Atari800MacX as my emulator and the 800XL with an 810 as the real silicon in the classroom. Thank you! If the rom has any banking schemes or stitching involved easier to use the The Cartridge Studio and or Maxflash cartridge studio to manipulate the rom and flash it to a cartridge.... you could even show how the Atari can flash a cart and program the chip with no pc attached to it at the school if converting the flasher atr to a real disk and flashing from that.. just have something to keep them busy while it does it. when the beeping stops the cart should be ready There are a multitude of cartridge solutions these days, Maxflash... The!Cart etc. and it works well. This method can be used convert things to your liking and give you something you could work on more easily as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 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.. This is in the list of reasons never to use 2.0S we treated 2.0s as a plague in the users groups year ago... but like so many abolished plagues when forgotten for to long they re-emerge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishcar Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Thanks Kyle and Doctor. I have to agree with DrVenkman: I don't know if I have the tools or the talent (Ghostbuster reference!) to be able to add FFFF and load/init headers to the file nor flash a cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 I have been rather busy lately, but I'll try to get to it soon. You want a binary executable loadable from DOS, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishcar Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Kyle! Yes, please! I need to be able to load it from say single density, DOS 2.5, as an executable. That would be great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 First attempt, try this. It works in SpartaDOS-X, but has a little screen garbage. Clearing memory (from within the program) seems to help. There may be an issue with Video RAM, but give it a try. This was only a "quick and dirty" first attempt. Please let me know if it works for you with DOS 2.5. -K ENCORE2.zip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishcar Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 It works as a straight load in the emulator (double click on the file), but fails when being binary loaded from DOS 2.5 on an .atr image (black screen). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 I'll see what I can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishcar Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Does it work if you rename it AUTORUN.SYS? Also try and Load it, then use DOS option M Run at Address and select 8000. Let me know if that works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 (edited) Try it with MyDOS 4.53. Load it, then Run 8000. I can fix the file, but don't have time right now... I work on it when I can. BASIC OFF, of course. Edited November 1, 2014 by Kyle22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sup8pdct Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Try this . should load from any dos. James encore.atr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClausB Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 (edited) Finally looked at this thread. Pretty cool. I worked once for CIS of East Lansing where we did a similar hotel info system that was disk-based. It was installed in several Michigan and Wisconsin hotelsin 1982. The ROM board here is interesting. A straightforward decoder circuit for the 8 2K ROMs and maybe the usual deselect gates for carts. I think Rybags had it right. Edited November 2, 2014 by ClausB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savetz Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 I interviewed the founder of Encore Video. https://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-episode-382-rik-dickinson-encore-video-productions Also he sold me the last of his character generator carts, manuals, and hardware. More on that soon. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savetz Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 I acquired some hardware, software, and documentation from Rik at Encore. I will post information about it here as I dig through it. First up is a black box with simple circuitry inside, which Rik told me is a switcher to switch from video playback to the character generator. A hotel showing movies on videotape, running on a timer, would show CG info from the Atari between movies. This box apparently helped switch between the two video sources. You can plug the Atari power supply into one cable, then the Atari into the other, and I guess it powers the Atari on when there's no videotape playing. There's a 3.5mm jack on the box, which I suppose plugs into the u-matic deck, which sends a signal when it's playing a tape, powering off the Atari? These are guesses. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savetz Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 OK, I've started diving into the 10 cartridges that I got from Rik at Encore. I've done my best to sort them into categories. I think some of these have never been dumped. For clarity each type of cart will be in its own message. First up is one copy of "Information Display System" by Whittman and Harshburn. This appears to be the same as the software that started this thread. Only this is on cart rather than on an Atari 800 personality board. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savetz Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 (edited) Next is "Character Generators Inc" which seems to me to be an early version of "Information Display System". Cart case says version #8520. Does that mean Feb. 1985? I have one copy. Edited May 17, 2020 by Savetz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savetz Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 Next is Info/Soft Technology Inc. Info/Soft 3000 version 3.2. 1986. It is listed in AtariAge but undumped. I have one copy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savetz Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 Next is Info/Soft The Information Channel. 1986-1987. Not mentioned on AtariAge. I have 4 copies of this, which at a glance appear identical. I'm guessing this is the best version/what they used the longest because of the later year and the fact that there are so many copies. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savetz Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 Next, two copies of Cable Graphic Sciences. 1984. I think this is called INFO/gen and is dumped already. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savetz Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 Lastly, this janky cart in a duct tape case, won't boot. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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