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IDE+2 Questions


Larry

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I noticed if I hold start to get the menu, then press escape to exit then it hangs.

 

That thread I linked to the picture on has all this rd5 discussion, I didn’t know about that mod. I also added back the write protect led, offset to allow carts to work:)

 

In the thread I saw a new Rev E cpld core mentioned to be updated via usb blaster. Though it was not posted as far as I can see. Did that ever happen/ is it possible to check?

Edited by foft
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4 hours ago, foft said:

I noticed if I hold start to get the menu, then press escape to exit then it hangs.

Cannot reproduce that. Besides, Ctrl/X and Esc are handled by the same procedure, i.e. Esc is the same as Ctrl/X, just without saving the settings to the NV-RAM.

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6 hours ago, foft said:

That thread I linked to the picture on has all this rd5 discussion, I didn’t know about that mod. I also added back the write protect led, offset to allow carts to work:)

 

 

It was a real bummer to find that very few cartridges could be inserted on the rev. E (if using an XE).  That was fixed in F. This is a non-issue if using an XL. 

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Have not gotten that done yet. Maybe I'll get it done today?  I was hung up on the SDX formatter, but watched a Nir Dary video that helped.  But since you've asked, when the ATRs are copied to the partition, is it just a regular file copy? That means that the ATR  header is not copied.

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8 minutes ago, Larry said:

Have not gotten that done yet. Maybe I'll get it done today?

No pressures. I was just asking, because in that post you seemed to be going to try that right away. But there is no haste with it, take your time.

 

9 minutes ago, Larry said:

I was hung up on the SDX formatter, but watched a Nir Dary video that helped

What was the problem?

 

9 minutes ago, Larry said:

when the ATRs are copied to the partition, is it just a regular file copy?

Yes, you copy ATR files as any other files to the destination disk. Like if D7: is the disk you want to run ATRs from, you do:

 

COPY GAME?.ATR D7:

 

10 minutes ago, Larry said:

That means that the ATR  header is not copied.

Why? The ATR header is an integral part of the ATR file (16 first bytes), so it will get copied.

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"Format" -- I had forgotten about "Build Directory"  Got it, now.

 

Another question... Does the SDFS partition need to be bootable?  I suspect not, but still good to ask you. On the CF card I'm using, the main bootable partition is a MyDos partition, and D2: is SDFS. 

 

Where does the ATR need to be located in order to get copied? If it is mounted (say in APE), then the header is invisible, isn't it?  So I'm presuming that the ATR can't be already mounted.  If I use COPY D5:*.ATR, D2:, then I get File Not Found.  In your example where is GAME?.ATR located?  Sorry about the basic questions, but I use SDX maybe once a year.

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22 minutes ago, Larry said:

Another question... Does the SDFS partition need to be bootable?

No.

 

22 minutes ago, Larry said:

Where does the ATR need to be located in order to get copied? If it is mounted (say in APE), then the header is invisible, isn't it?  So I'm presuming that the ATR can't be already mounted.

Correct. We are discussing ATR being a file, not being a disk image. Copy it from (supposedly) your PC the same way as you copy executable files. Say, GAME.EXE. Located on PC. You want it on Atari. So, you probably mount in APE the directory where the GAME.EXE is located, then copy it from the virtual drive assigned to that directory to the local disk using the regular copy functions.

 

Now do the same with (say) GAME1.ATR and GAME2.ATR - copy these two files onto your D2:

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On 10/31/2020 at 1:02 PM, drac030 said:

Cannot reproduce that. Besides, Ctrl/X and Esc are handled by the same procedure, i.e. Esc is the same as Ctrl/X, just without saving the settings to the NV-RAM.

Seems fine now, probably I was just feeling impatient or something!

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OK, back on it...  (It was a long errand) ;-) 

 

The procedure works great for Side A (the bootable side), using L Load Executable.  But after the program tells me to "Flip the disk and hit RETURN," I can find no way to mount/access Side B.  Since it is a data disk side, it just has to be there and then the program goes back to the correct position in the already loaded program. 

 

Reading further into the manual, it looks like I need to update the firmware to 1.7? (Currently at 1.6 -- there are several 1.7 versions, aren't there?)  Which one should I choose, if this is likely the issue?  BTW, it boots really fast!  I believe it at least as fast as using the Black Box. 

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Updated successfully to 1.7b.  Using a 320K 130XE. But the Load Executable doesn't seem to work at all now.

 

- I highlight the same ATR in the SDFS partition (D2:)

- I press OPTION + RETURN

- It just goes back to SDX. 

 

I am using 4.46 (still) in the IDE+2, but also tried turning off SDX in the interface and plugged in 4.49 in the SIDE2 cartridge.  I am using the docs for bios 1.7.  I am following the same steps that I did when flashed to 1.6.  It loads the first ATR perfectly (no return to SDX).

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53 minutes ago, Larry said:

- It just goes back to SDX.

This is so because probably you left SDX enabled in the menu. This is the difference between 1.6 and 1.7, before the loader automatically disabled SDX, when entered, now you have to set the "S" option to off before selecting "L". The same with external carts.

 

EDIT: it is written in the configuration guide (in the "Cartridge settings"), but not in the Loader section, I will have to put this information also there.

Edited by drac030
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OK, now it no longer goes to SDX.  But it still doesn't work (as best I can tell).  If I follow the docs, it tells me that the Side B ATR is mounted on D11.  It would appear that the SDFS file system must be D1. (?)   I will send you a PM. 

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That is nothing bad that one would be mounted as D11. You can mount them anywhere, as long as you want them swapped later, this does not matter.

 

Say you have your ATRs, SIDEA.ATR and SIDEB.ATR on D2. The procedure is:

 

1) enter IDE+ menu

2) make sure SDX is off

3) enter [L]oader

4) press 2 to get to the directory of D2

5) you should see your two ATRs there

6) highlight SIDEB.ATR

7) press Shift/9 - it will get mounted at D9:

8 now hightlight SIDEA.ATR

9) press Return (holding down Option if the game needs it)

10) now the computer will boot off SIDEA.ATR

11) when booted, press the IRQ button: this will "rotate" the ATRs, in the example above (just two) they will be swapped, SIDEA.ATR will become D9 and SIDEB.ATR will become D1.

12) press IRQ button again to swap them back.

 

That is all.

 

Edited by drac030
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Konrad, your procedure works great!  Thanks so much for explaining this. Your procedure will definitely become an addendum to my IDE+2 docs!  I would not have thought to load side B first, then side A and then rotate them.  Might I also add that the loading time is really, really fast! 

 

-Larry

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That is excellent.

 

Note that if you by chance have a PC keyboard attached to the Atari, pressing Shift+digit may yield unexpected results, because the Atari keyboard layout is assumed (as the most natural one) and in fact the characters count which are on the Atari keyboard on the corresponding keys. So:

 

1=!

2="

3=#

4=$

5=%

6=&

7='

8=@

9=(

0=)

 

So, on a non-Atari keyboard, it is better to use Shift/A, Shift/B, Shift/C etc. for D1, D2, D3... and so on up to Shift/O as D15.

 

EDIT:

 

I would not have thought to load side B first, then side A

 

In fact it is not so "side B first" as "side A last" (assuming the "side A" is the one to be booted).

 

Edited by drac030
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