Synassembler Cartridge

[Eric Rousseau]

Hi people ! 

 

I am used to work with Synapse Assembler 4.0 on my 800XL with the disk version.

I was wondering if there were any advantage using the cartridge version instead of disk version.

After a quick try, I saw there is no load/save function !

I never used any cartridge before... how can we load/save source files if we don't boot from a DOS disk ?

I would like to know everything that is to know about using cartridges on the 800XL ou 800.... any reading suggestion ?

Thanks !

 

 

[Gunstar]

With MAC/65 cartridge, you still need a DOS as far as I know, I never tried it without, but then I've only ever used it piggy-backed to SDX and once in SDX type "CAR" to start it, and type DOS in MAC/65 (or any language as far as I know, BASIC XE for sure) to get back into DOS. I'd guess you would load up your favorite DOS and choose to run the cart from the menu or command line like SDX. I can't say for sure as I only started teaching myself assembly and BASIC with SDX and OSS carts (or carts with the images of those carts on them that is).

[+DrVenkman]

Just boot your favorite DOS with the cartridge installed. For Atari DOS 2.0 or 2.5 if you have DUP.SYS on your boot disk, type B to run the cartridge. If you just copy DOS.SYS, I think you'd boot DOS and then the machine would go straight to your cartridge. You should be able to save and load files as usual, but you wouldn't have the utility menu for other tasks.  For SpartaDOS 3.2 or 4.x, just type CAR at the command line. Not really that complicated. 

[JGroth]

On 5/17/2020 at 1:10 AM, DrVenkman said:

Just boot your favorite DOS with the cartridge installed. For Atari DOS 2.0 or 2.5 if you have DUP.SYS on your boot disk, type B to run the cartridge. If you just copy DOS.SYS, I think you'd boot DOS and then the machine would go straight to your cartridge. You should be able to save and load files as usual, but you wouldn't have the utility menu for other tasks.  For SpartaDOS 3.2 or 4.x, just type CAR at the command line. Not really that complicated. 

With U1MB and SDX 4.49 and a MAC/65 with DDT cartridge installed I just get

Not present!

when I type CAR.

I wonder why?

 

Regards,

JGroth

 

[+DrVenkman]

15 minutes ago, JGroth said:

With U1MB and SDX 4.49 and a MAC/65 with DDT cartridge installed I just get

Not present!

when I type CAR.

I wonder why?

 

Regards,

JGroth

 

If you're running a recent build of the U1MB BIOS, make sure you have the cartridge ROM enabled on the main screen.

 

[JGroth]

7 hours ago, DrVenkman said:

If you're running a recent build of the U1MB BIOS, make sure you have the cartridge ROM enabled on the main screen.

 

I don't have that setting as I'm running the U1MB on a 800XL and not a 1088XLD. The setting I have says:

SIDE Cart ROM: Disabled

and is greyed out.

The BIOS version is 3.02. Don't think there is a newer one.

 

[flashjazzcat]

22 minutes ago, JGroth said:

SIDE Cart ROM: Disabled

and is greyed out.

The BIOS version is 3.02. Don't think there is a newer one.

 

Make sure the PBI HDD is disabled if you have any cart other than SIDE plugged in. The newest firmware revision is 3.10.

[JGroth]

10 minutes ago, flashjazzcat said:

Make sure the PBI HDD is disabled if you have any cart other than SIDE plugged in. The newest firmware revision is 3.10.

I have searched the Internet for two weeks for that gold nugget! I can finally use MAC/65 with DDT cartridge and U1MB together.

You are a star!

So BIOS 3.10, is that bug fixes or new features as well? I take it I can download the ATR from your website?

[_The Doctor__]

hmmm no hard drive :(

[JGroth]

1 minute ago, _The Doctor__ said:

hmmm no hard drive

Hmmm, 1050 with a Happy upgrade to store source code For now that is just fine.

The optimum would be of course if I could start MAC/65 with DDT from SDX command line as a normal program using SIDE2 as an HDD. 

Disk based MAC/65 exist but you won't get an integrated DDT debugger with it or rather I haven't been able to find that combination other than on a cartridge.

 

Regards,

JGroth

 

[flashjazzcat]

2 hours ago, JGroth said:

So BIOS 3.10, is that bug fixes or new features as well?

Both. All fixes and improvements are listed in the changelogs.

2 hours ago, JGroth said:

I take it I can download the ATR from your website?

https://atari8.co.uk/firmware/ultimate-1mb/

1 hour ago, JGroth said:

The optimum would be of course if I could start MAC/65 with DDT from SDX command line as a normal program using SIDE2 as an HDD. 

Why not try the patched OSS ROMs for SIDE/SIDE2 which ebiguy kindly put together?

 

https://atari8.co.uk/firmware/side/

 

SIDE2_FULL_OSS_CARTS.ATR contains a ROM which you can flash to the 'whole' SIDE2 chip. It will update SDX to the latest version and provide not only the loader in the 'external cart' slot, but all four OSS programming carts. You can then use SIDECFG.XEX to select which ROM (loader or any of the four OSS carts) becomes active by default. To use these with SDX on the U1MB, enable the PBI HDD, but disable the ATR swap button, and enable SIDE Cart ROM. Put the side cart switch in the upper position and power-cycle the machine. You can then get at the selected OSS programming cart via the 'CAR' command. All this works alongside your SIDE-hosted APT HDD partitions, FAT-hosted disk images, etc (all you lose is the ATR swap button functionality). Not perfect (DDT glitches a little owing to the different ROM banking timings), but it's a useful workaround until such time as SIDE3 is finished (with SIDE3, you'll be able to run OSS ROMs direct from the loader and use them with your partitions and disk images).

 

[JGroth]

1 hour ago, flashjazzcat said:

Both. All fixes and improvements are listed in the changelogs.

https://atari8.co.uk/firmware/ultimate-1mb/

Why not try the patched OSS ROMs for SIDE/SIDE2 which ebiguy kindly put together?

 

https://atari8.co.uk/firmware/side/

 

SIDE2_FULL_OSS_CARTS.ATR contains a ROM which you can flash to the 'whole' SIDE2 chip. It will update SDX to the latest version and provide not only the loader in the 'external cart' slot, but all four OSS programming carts. You can then use SIDECFG.XEX to select which ROM (loader or any of the four OSS carts) becomes active by default. To use these with SDX on the U1MB, enable the PBI HDD, but disable the ATR swap button, and enable SIDE Cart ROM. Put the side cart switch in the upper position and power-cycle the machine. You can then get at the selected OSS programming cart via the 'CAR' command. All this works alongside your SIDE-hosted APT HDD partitions, FAT-hosted disk images, etc (all you lose is the ATR swap button functionality). Not perfect (DDT glitches a little owing to the different ROM banking timings), but it's a useful workaround until such time as SIDE3 is finished (with SIDE3, you'll be able to run OSS ROMs direct from the loader and use them with your partitions and disk images).

 

You are a flipping wizard. The instructions worked perfectly.

I can now use the CF card as an HDD and have MAC/65 with DDT.

 

So going from nothing 4 months ago I got today:

800XL

Ultimate 1MB

VBXL

SIDE 2

1050 with Happy upgrade

SIO Splitter

SIO2PC over USB

SDrive-Max

 

In the works

600XL

It already got a:

64kB RAM upgrade

and will get:

U1MB

VBXL

 

Bidding on a 65XE (on eBay) that will get a 64 kB upgrade basically making it a 130XE. The 65XE is a later model I think because it has an ECI port that together with the cartridge port makes it a PBI port (or have I gotten that wrong). As it is a later model the PCB should be ready for a memory upgrade.

 

Regards,

JGroth

 

[_The Doctor__]

Might as well use 256k ram chips. That gets you a nice fully xe antic machine with a liitle more memory in one mode and with the added bank select added an antic following 320k xe in the other, nice stuff

 

are you ntsc or pal country, it helps decide if your 65 has an eci or not

Edited May 25, 2020 by _The Doctor__

[JGroth]

5 hours ago, _The Doctor__ said:

Might as well use 256k ram chips. That gets you a nice fully xe antic machine with a liitle more memory in one mode and with the added bank select added an antic following 320k xe in the other, nice stuff

 

are you ntsc or pal country, it helps decide if your 65 has an eci or not

PAL country. According to the pictures I've seen it has an ECI port.

 

 

Do you got any instructions or links how to upgrade it to 320kB?

 

Regards,

JGroth

 

Edited May 25, 2020 by JGroth

[_The Doctor__]

Going to need to see whats on the board when it arrives.... there's a couple different variants...  I hope you receive one with two banks of 8 chips.

I normally do the peterson upgrade with switch mod. I've posted the upgrade and switch a few times. I can try the forum search under my posts with those terms in it or you can..... I'm just not doing it on my phone so maybe tomorrow.