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Firmwareupdate for the Sdrive Max


BigBen

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There is new software for the Sdrive Max.
The information about it.

 

- touchscreen auto detection added

- usage without display

- fixed buffer overflow on tape blocks > 256 bytes

- support reading baud from CAS file

- added support for ILI9325 displays without scroll feature(willy)

- added support for RM68090 display(vladkvladk)

- added ATX support for ED images

- support DD and QD image creation on "New" button

- fixed bug format image on insert after "New" button cleared

- added a button ">>>", to quickly change current drive to next image in directory

- added ATX motor start delay for more compatiblity

- honor read only flag of image file

 

Here is the software

https://github.com/kbr-net/sdrive-max/releases/tag/V1.2

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I saw the Github notification email this afternoon. I've already flashed my device and confirmed that DD image creation works great in both SpartaDOS 3.2g and SpartaDOS X 4.49c.  That was the one feature I really missed with previous firmware versions. Now that the SDrive-MAX is able to create DD images, I am able to recommend it as the best all-around stand-alone peripheral device for an A8 computer. :)

 

Now I just need to buy parts and build one or two more someday soon ...

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I found an old thread, forget what I was asking, it now creates a new drive and builds it fine under SDX.

 

One question, since I flashed my Sdrive, the screen is now upside down, means the cables now face me

instead of out the back over the table, strange !!! (and annoying)

 

Might try one of the other drivers and see what happens

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12 minutes ago, tsom said:

Anyone got the short version of how to apply the update?

 

Thanks!

  • Get XLoader and install it
  • Plug the SDrive-MAX into your PC, it will install any required drivers.
  • Run xLoader and select the COM port your SDrive-MAX is attached to.
  • Select UNO from the device list, The baud rate can be left at default.
  • Find the eeprom_writer.hex file in the correct SDrive-MAX folder and click ‘Upload’
  • Find the SDrive.hex file in the correct SDrive-MAX folder and click ‘Upload’

 

https://atari8bit.net/everything-sdrive-max/

Edited by NISMOPC
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  • 3 weeks later...
On 4/8/2020 at 11:20 AM, TGB1718 said:

Just flashed this on one of my SDrives, how do you create a blank disk from the touch screen, touching "New"

creates a >New< on the selected drive, but I see no way to select the density, nor save the disk

You need to format the disk, in the dos you are using, for it to actually create and save a 'new' disk. Depending on the DD dos, it may or may not work.  I think it only really supports Sparta Dos (not sure which exact versions)  A work around would be to make dd versions of blank atrs and just use them.  Make them with some windows utility or Altirra or something.  It seems to read and write existing DD atrs, fine.

 

From atari-8-bit computers facebook group

So there was some discussion in a sub-thread here (replies to another comment) about using the SDrive-MAX to make DD (double-density) ATR images, and then write them out to real floppies. The tl;dr is yes, you can do both of these things. EDIT: to be clear, this is with the recently-released version 1.2 firmware on the SDrive-MAX and an SIO isolation board inside as well to allow use of real drives and the SDrive-MAX together at the same time.

The details: boot your favorite DD-compatible DOS. SpartaDOS 3.2 and SpartaDOS X both work. On your SDrive-MAX, tap the NEW button to put the placeholder into the ? slot of your choice. In SDX, use the FORMAT command. in SpartaDOS 3.2 use XINIT. Make set the parameters to 256 bytes per sector, 40 tracks, 18 sectors per track, 720 total sectors. The SDrive-MAX will then change that NEW placeholder to its auto-generated file name (rename the file on the card later if you want using your PC). Voila, done. I tested this yesterday to confirm the procedure.

You can also use a sector copier like DISK WIZARD II to copy your new double-density ATR to another brand new ATR file on the SDrive-MAX. Simply boot up DISK WIZARD II, tell it to use D1: as the source, D2: as the destination, and have the SDrive-MAX create a NEW ATR in the D2: slot. Tell DISK WIZARD II to format the destination disk as double-density and proceed with the copy and once again, voila, done. I tested this just this morning to confirm.

And finally, this morning I again confirmed that using a sector copier like this to write your new DD ATR to physical media works fine too, assuming your drive can do double-density. For this experiment, I copied an ATR I had made yesterday - this ATR is a DD disk that contains a bootable copy of SpartaDOS 3.2g. I loaded DISK WIZARD II from the D1: slot of my SDrive-MAX and had a Happy 1050 set as D2: powered on and ready with a blank disk inserted. After booting DISK WIZARD II, I told it to use D1: as the source, D2: as the destination, double-density, and to format the destination disk. I then swapped in the double-density ATR I had created earlier this morning into the D1: slot and let the copier do its work. After it was done, I powered off my SDrive-MAX, turned on my D1: drive (another Happy 1050), and booted up the disk I just wrote. (Pardon the CRT photo sync issues with my phone cam).

 

 

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1 hour ago, TGB1718 said:

Can't do that using SDX in a U1M apparently, but you can if you disable SDX, boot from another DOS .atr and do it that way

You absolutely CAN do that, with SDX from a U1MB. That’s my FB post the fellow quoted above, by the way. With the 1.2 version SDX firmware it works perfectly.

 

Tap NEW on the SDrive-MAX to put the placeholder in D1:, type the SDX FORMAT command, specify drive A (which is D1:), specify double-density, standard skew, 256 bytes per sector, etc. Can’t recall all the parameters offhand but I did it immediately after updating my SDrive-MAX firmware as a test. 

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12 minutes ago, _The Doctor__ said:

That’s the new development branch. I see one of the fixes is for DD support under MyDos. Great, someone on one of the FB groups was complaining about that.

 

The 1.2 release version works great with SpartaDOS 3.2 and SpartaDOS X.

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14 hours ago, DrVenkman said:

You absolutely CAN do that, with SDX from a U1MB. That’s my FB post the fellow quoted above, by the way. With the 1.2 version SDX firmware it works perfectly.

Appologies, didn't realise this had been fixed, thanks for letting us know.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So is SDrive now = or > than SIO2SD? I was just looking at some older thread which recommended SIO over Sdrive because of problems with preloading etc. But the new one now seems to have that swanky display (plus can handle cas files) so perhaps I should swap my naked & unwieldy SIO for this?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm having difficulty updating my SDrive-Max firmware.  I've downloaded & extracted the 1.2 files.  When I run Xloader & select the eeprom_writer.hex file & click upload, it says "Uploading..." and freezes.  I have to unplug the USB cable to get it to come back, at which point is says, "Upload failed".

 

The display clears, flashes white, then goes back to the SDmax display.  It does this twice.  Like it is resetting twice.

 

My configuration is correct as I can flash a separate, new Uno (although, oddly, not with the SDrive.hex file, which doesn't freeze but does come back with "Update failed".).  Flashing the eeprom_writer.hex file to the spare uno shows the normal writing & verifying progress bars on the display.

 

I finally got around to wanting to update my fw as I tried to format a DD disk and it failed, as previously discussed about the v1.1 fw.

 

Any ideas?

 

My setup includes a homemade UNO2SIO board, as well as a bicolor LED on the TX & RX lines with a 220 ohm resistor on the comman annode.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

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I unsoldered the annode wire on my RX/TX LED, and I was then able to flash the new fw.

 

So I am guessing that maybe 220 ohm is the wrong value to use here?

I think that I had tried a 470 ohm, but one side of the LED wouldn't light up when I was breadboarding it, so I went to a smaller LED.

 

Any suggestions on what the proper value of resistor I should use here is?  Or should I rework my board to hook the annode right to pwr and use two separate resistors on the RX & TX?

 

It's been 30 years since I studied EE at university, so I remember just enough to be dangerous!

 

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  • 3 months later...

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