s-drive max set up help please

[Mr Robot]

Takes you back to the awesome days of tape loading doesn't it!

 

[256 colors]

25 minutes ago, Mr Robot said:

Takes you back to the awesome days of tape loading doesn't it!

 

If you meaning in awe of game cover art and other screenshots of other formats yes

Then after multiple failed loads only to find the Atari version is poor no

 

Edited October 3, 2019 by 256 colors

[256 colors]

Lots of strange behavior dunno if it's the fault of the SDriveMax or the CAS dumps here:https://archive.org/details/Atari8bitPreservedSoftware2019-07-09

 

Ninja (1986)(Entertainment USA)(GB)[cassette] loads until block 10 then needs keyboard input otherwise wont load then loads to block 183 then wants keyboard input otherwise wont load then loads to block 183 again and game loads finally 

 

Lone Raider, The (1983)(Atari)(GB)[cassette] loads until block 12 then needs keyboard input otherwise wont load then loads to block 85 and game loads

 

Zone X (1985)(Gremlin Graphics)(GB)[cassette] stops around block 10 with boot error

 

Eastern Front (1941) (1981)(APX - Atari)(GB-US)[cassette] loads perfect first time

 

[kbr]

On 10/4/2019 at 11:25 AM, 256 colors said:

Lots of strange behavior dunno if it's the fault of the SDriveMax or the CAS dumps here:https://archive.org/details/Atari8bitPreservedSoftware2019-07-09

 

Ninja (1986)(Entertainment USA)(GB)[cassette] loads until block 10 then needs keyboard input otherwise wont load then loads to block 183 then wants keyboard input otherwise wont load then loads to block 183 again and game loads finally 

works without keyboard input

On 10/4/2019 at 11:25 AM, 256 colors said:

Lone Raider, The (1983)(Atari)(GB)[cassette] loads until block 12 then needs keyboard input otherwise wont load then loads to block 85 and game loads

works without keyboard input

On 10/4/2019 at 11:25 AM, 256 colors said:

Zone X (1985)(Gremlin Graphics)(GB)[cassette] stops around block 10 with boot error

there is an evil buffer overflow in SDrive-MAX, because this file has blocks with 1030 bytes, never seen before, and buffer is only 256 bytes.

Try to fix this, but there is an fsk block at the end also, this is not supported.

 

Testet on my 130XE

[kbr]

10 hours ago, kbr said:

Quote

Zone X (1985)(Gremlin Graphics)(GB)[cassette] stops around block 10 with boot error

there is an evil buffer overflow in SDrive-MAX, because this file has blocks with 1030 bytes, never seen before, and buffer is only 256 bytes.

Try to fix this, but there is an fsk block at the end also, this is not supported.

works now after fixing the buffer overflow, the fsk block does not hurt.

Will be included in the next release V1.2.

[+CharlieChaplin]

Hmmm,

 

having copied approx 730 A8 tapes NOT into CAS format, but onto diskette with a C-Simulator, I found approx. 85 tapes that used what I call "non-standard blocks", i.e. blocks longer than 128/132 Bytes. I could not copy them with my C/D copy programs and used a software freezer instead (worked most of the time!). Since I am no programmer and therefore unable to analyze the block length, here are my thoughts/wild guesses what the block length might be (guessed by ear and you know I am hard hearing)...

 

- Creative Sparks: approx. 256-384 Bytes per block ?

- Novagen: approx. 512-1024 Bytes per block ?

- English Software: approx. 1k per block ? (some programs use standard blocks however)

- Digital Integration's Fighter Pilot: approx. 1.5-2k per block ?

- Aackosoft tape version of BC's Quest for Tires: a short bootloader, then one approx. 16k block for the whole game!

- Ariolasoft: same as ESC ?, approx. 1k per block ?

- Gremlin Gr. Zone X: approx. 1k per block (more precisely 1030 Bytes per block), tape side A works with standard 600 baud (loading time shown with onscreen timer 9'40"), whereas tape side B works with approx. 900 Baud (loading time shown with onscreen timer 6'41")

- Synapse/Synsoft: same as ESC ?, approx. 1k per block ?

 

Someone with more knowledge may analyze the correct block length much more precisely than me...