jfmateos

Dear all, Thank you very much for your support to his project... I think I have answered all the mails received till now (please, contact me if I have not answered you). The first batch of Atari 7800 cards has sold out. I will build a new batch this week and write here as soon as it is available. Best regards

Good news: the card is now ready after a lot of testing with different console models (PAL, NTSC and SECAM). The instructions to use the card are: Get the rom file that you want to burn. It must be a raw rom (without header), and the extension of the file name must indicate which bank switching scheme it uses. The card is compatible with all the bank switching schemes listed below (please, notice that all the letters in the extension file names must be uppercased). As the most popular format for Atari 7800's roms is A78 (that includes a 128 bytes header), I have deployed a service at http://vectrex.hackermesh.org/a7800converter/ that helps to remove the header (in this page you will also find a list of the bank switching scheme used by each game), or you can just remove the header with an Hexadecimal editor like HxD. .8K for 8kB games, like Color Selector Demo .16K for 16kB games, like Centipede .32K for 32kB games, like Pole Position II .32P for 32kB games, that use the POKEY sound IC like Ballblazer. .48K for 48kB games, like Donkey Kong .SG for 128kB games that use the standard bank switching scheme of eight 16kB banks, like Xenophobe. .SGR for 128kB games that use the standard bank switching scheme of eight 16kB banks and additional RAM, like Jinks. .SGP for 128kB games that use the standard bank switching scheme of eight 16kB banks and POKEY sound IC, like Commando. .S9 for 144kB games (use the size slide switch to select 144k in step 3), like Alien Brigade. .S4 for 64kB games that use the standard bank switching scheme of four 16kB banks, like Karateka (PAL). .S4R for 64kB games that use the standard bank switching scheme of four 16kB banks and additional RAM, like Tower Toppler. .AB for F-18 Hornet. .AC for Activision's games Double Dragon and Rampage. Use the rotary switch to select the slot in which you want to burn the rom. Use the slide switch to choose between up to 128 kBytes roms or 144 kBytes roms. When you select 144 kBytes, the slot selected in previous step will merge with the opposite slot; for example, if you had selected slot 0, it would be merged with slot 8. Carefully insert the card into the burner matching the X's and O's rows. There is a small horizontal gap between the card and the burner socket; please try to align the contacts precisely. Plug the burner into a free USB port on your PC. The operating system will detect the burner as an empty disk drive with 256 kBytes of free space. If the drive contains a file named game.bin, this means that the burner has not detected the card properly (probably the contacts are not properly aligned). The file indexing feature of some operating systems, like Windows 10 and MacOS X, automatically creates hidden folders/files in all disk drives. These folders/files could fool the burner preventing the rom from working properly in your console; please apply the workarounds explained in the FAQ section of my web site. Drag the rom file onto the burner drive. The saving operation will take only a few seconds. Safely eject the burner from your PC. Extract the card from the burner. Plug the card into your Atari 7800 console with the "Label Side" (and rotary switch) facing the back of the console. Turn on your console and enjoy. The card includes a socket for the POKEY chip, but the chip itself it not included (I have tested it using cannibalized ones from cards like Ballblazer). The card cannot be easily fitted inside a standard Atari 7800 card (sorry). I will try to desing a 3d printed compatible case. Finally, I didn't include any 2600 compatibility.... although I'm working in an Atari 2600 similar card. If you already own a burner, it will probably need a firmware upgrade to use this card (please, contact me to find out). I have built a small batch and the price is 34€ for each card (take into account that the burner is also needed (24€) and that the shipping cost is 6.55€). Please, if you are intested, use the contact form in my web site (I use an ERP system to manage quotes and shipping). I want to thank Vectrexroli, Gambler172, and many others who have helped me to reach this aim. I want also to thank all atariage members for you patience. I love you ALL, and also all the retrocomputer community.

Dear Roland, thank you very very much for your video-review. Dear atariage forum users, The card is not ready for release yet because there are still some issues to fix and I'm waiting for the arrival of some electronic components. The POKEY chip will not be included in the final card; there wil be just a socket to plug it. I'm not sure about the final price... somewhere between 25 adn 35€ I'm working on a specific Atari 2600 card, but I will try to include some of the basic Atari 2600 basic bank-switched schemes also in this card (<4k, F8...). Thank you for your interest.... and I will keep you informed through this thread.

The web service deletes the header and, in 512kb files, it also rearranges the rom content to make it compatible with my card.

Dear twoface2, please try with the attached rom I have taken the original lnx rom (from this thread), removed its 64 bytes header, padded up to 131072 bytes adding 35494 bytes at the end of the file, copied this 131072 block three times to get a 512kb file, added a fake 64bytes header at the begining of the file, and converted it with http://www.vectrex.hackermesh.org/alynxconverter/ It seems to work in my Lynx 2. Best regards 56ded7abe9537Luchs3d.bin

Dear goaltoss, I will send you a replacement card as soon as possible (please, confirm me your shipping address through PM). Please, would you be so kind to send me back your faulty card (of course I would pay the shipping cost)? I would like to further investigate this issue... it could be a rotary problem or a cold solder.

Dear goaltoss, When you connect the burner to your computer it should appear always (with the switch in 256k or 512k position) as an empty drive with 512 kb of free space. If you see the file game.bin, this means that the burner has not properly detected the card; this usually happens when the card is not exactly aligned with the burner. Please, try this using windows 7 (windows 10 can be a bit more cumbersome): 1. Insert the card into the burner aligning the contacts carefully. 2. Plug the burner into your computer... it should appear as an empty 512kb drive. 3. Drag a rom onto the drive. Please, keep me informed about the result... i will do my best to solve this issue

They use the A10 address line.

I have developed a card able to hold up to 16 Videopac games. This card must be used in combination with my USB burner, that is also compatible with Vectrex, Watara/Supervision and Atari Lynx rewritable cartridges. You can find more information in my website: http://www.vectrex.hackermesh.org You can play all official games (including 59+ Helicopter Rescue and 60+ Trans American Rally) except 31 and 40. 12kb games (55 and 58) must be prepended with 4kb of data to make them 16kb (you can do it using any Hex editor, like HxD). Although the burner can detect the size of the rom (exactly 2k, 4K, 8K or 16k) to apply the proper bankswitching scheme, you can also force a bankswitching scheme through the file extension of the rom (this can be useful for homebrew developers): vp0 - 2k vp1 - 4k vp2 - 8k vp3 - 16k Vectrex Roli has published a nice YouTube review.

Dear Bad, It is a very odd issue. I guess it could be a problem with the rotary switch. Regarding This is indeed the intended behaviour; windows must detect your burner as and empty 512kb write when you replug it; the previously burnt roms are still there and won't be erases unless you burn another rom on the same slot. If windows detects in your burner a file named game.bin it means that something is wrong; probably the contacts are not properly aligned. Very sorry for this problem... i will do my best to solve it.

Dear DeSchatten, I have tried all of them. Please, take into account that 512kb games must be rearranged (for example, using this online conversor http://www.vectrex.hackermesh.org/alynxconverter/)

Mine does the same... so I think it is normal

Dear friends, I have been on holidays till yesterday... I had a few messages about lynx cartridges availability and I think I have caught it all up, but if you have not received an answer from me, please let me know. I have also read a the new thread messages: thank you very much roli, gadgetuk and karri. This is a very nice community.

Dear superphamicon, my cart is not compatible with animaction because that card uses additional rom. You can loot at Richards' one: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/238148-looking-for-a-vectrex-multicart/

Dear Krip316, In fact it is not mandatory to unplug the burner... you can burn a rom, delete it, change the slot, burn another rom, and so on... this works in most cases, but some user's computer store additional files when a file is deleted (trash bin) and then it is recommended to unplug the burner. If the burner is left plugged, the PC will probably set the saving energy mode and will not be recognized properly. thank you very much

Dear stardus4ever, First I want to express my sorry for the inconvenience some users are facing with this burner. Unfortunately, It´s not that easy as ignoring those files/folders because every OS, sometimes even every version (and sometimes even every patch in the same version) behaves in a different way... but basically all the versions that use file indexing (this is the general name for the feature responsible of creating this hidden files/folders) not only store those files/folders but also re-read them to verify that the drive is working properly. This implies that you cannot ignore them, you indeed have to store them, and this arises two problems: The total available space in the card is smaller than the required by some roms. The rom file must be stored at the begining of the flash device (that is the place where the console will look for it) but this place has already been taken by the hidden files/folders. Of course, these problems could be overcome using bigger memories and more powerfull microcontrollers (two build a relational table between the FAT the computer creates and the FAT the console requires), but the price of the system would be higher. Nevertheless, I am continuosly improving the burner and all previous users can upgrade their devices to the new firmware or get a new one if the upgrade requere new hardware.

Dear jp48, the problem with Windows 8.1 use to be the hidden system folder that windows creates in every drive. You can manually delete it before saving the rom file o disable that windows 8.1 "feature" as described here:

Dear Tosser, It´s prefereable to move the switch to de 512kb position, then insert the card into the burner, and then plug the burner to the usb port of the computer. Selecting slot 0 or 8 produces the same result (it is irrelevant).

Dear Trew, those files will for sure prevent the burner from working properly. I will investigate further tomorrow, but a quick search have lead me to: http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/6707/how-to-stop-os-x-from-writing-spotlight-and-trash-files-to-memory-cards-and-usb

Dear aminor00, I cannot imagine a reasonable cause for slot 0 working in 512kb mode but not in 256kb mode. Do the other slots work in 512kb mode? A few general tips to use the burner and troubleshoot problems: All the cards are shipped with four roms on them: two 512kb games on slots 0-8 and 1-9, and two 256 games on slots 2 and 3. Please try the card in your Lynx before burning new roms to make sure that the card is working... this way, if a problem arises, it will be easier to know who is the responsible: the burner or the card. Connect the burner directly to a USB port in your PC (not through a usb hub). Don´t place it near your PC speakers or other strong magnetic fields. If you are using Windows, make sure your system is updated with the last service pack. For example, Windows 8.1 had a problem with its driver: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/usbcoreblog/archive/2013/11/01/help-after-installing-windows-8-1-my-usb-drive-disappears-or-file-transfers-stop-unexpectedly-r-a-post-title.aspx If you are using Windows 8.1, use the following information: Is MVBD compatible with Windows 8.1? Version I of MVBD´s printed circuit board is not directly compatible with Windows 8.1, although there is a workaround that is explained below. Version II is compatible because you can delete the folder that Windows 8.1 automatically creates in each drive. Windows 8.1 automatically saves a system folder in every USB storage device, included the MVRMC cartridges, and this folder confuses the MVBD burner disturbing its proper functioning. There is a workaround explained in this thread of a Microsoft forum: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-hardware/how-do-i-prevent-system-volume-information-files/815b0046-d631-4419-a43e-44083a3733f5?page=2 If you are using Mac OS, use the following information: Is MVBD compatible with Mac OS? Yes. Neverthless, Mac OS file system includes additional information (i.e. icon bitmap) in every file, even the VECTREX rom files stored in your computer. This additional information could be transferred to the rewritable cartridge when you copy the file using the Finder and, as the VECTREX console cannot understand it, the ROM will not work. To copy only the data of the rom file, without the additional resource information included by Mac OS, you can use the following ditto sintax in the terminal: ditto --norsrc --noextattr --noacl src_file dst_file Some antivirus could cause malfuntioning when they try to explore the drive; please, try the burner disabling your antivirus. Of course, some virus that propagate through usb drives will cause malfuntioning as they store hidden files in the drive or its fat; please, try the burner with other PCs known to be clean. There is a small gap between the card and the burner connector. Please, make sure that the connectors are properly aligned and that the card is not slanted (it should be vertical). When the burner is very new, the pins of its socket could be a bit tight; please try not to insert the card fully inside the socket (keep it 1mm from the full in position). The lynx card is very thin (1mm); please handle it with care. If the pcb is bent, the pins of the memory could unsolder. Please, don't hesitate to contact me if you face any poblem... I will try to do my best to solve it.

Dear boomah, Please, could you try the system on a Windows PC... this could help me to troubleshoot your issue. The burner should't disconnect itself unlees your computer is trying to write hidden folders/files on it. The cards are designed to accept only one file (you have to delete the current file in order to be able to store a new one); if the compurter tries to store several hidden files/folder, the burner will not work and may cause random disconnects. This was a common problem with Windows 8.1 as stated by marioweezer, but no user had reported it with OSX. Nevertheles, a few days ago another OSX user reported a similar issue, so I am trying to investigate it (unfortunately I don't own a Mac so it is a bit difficult). Till now, the only problem with Mac OS were the resources that it includes in every file (icon...), and the workaround was:

Dear gadgetuk, when you select 512kb, slots 0 and 8 join together, as well as 1 and 9, 2 and A, and so on

There are two available from the second batch slx, but I prefer to keep them until all the previous buyers have received their own (just in case any shipment get lost)...

Dear friends, Finally the USB sockets for the burners arrived today, so the Lynx 16in1 cartridges will be ready to be sent next week. I have already sent a mail to all of you in the second batch reservation list. Please, if you have not received this mail, let me know it.

Dear friends, Unfortunately, the usb sockets for the burner have not arrived yet... I have ordered them from a different provider using express shipping, but they won't arrive before the end of next week. As soon as the sockets arrive I will report it here. Thanks for your support and sorry for the inconvenience.