SmartBASIC 2.0 and floppy formatting

[matthew180]

I'm trying to troubleshoot a floppy disk problem on an ADAM. I'm not very familiar with the system and I'm finding it very difficult to locate any command reference information, especially when it comes to the disk drive.

 

I have some games on disk, as well as a version of SmartBASIC 2.0 (see attached image of the start screen) which I believe is probably pretty rare? I cannot find *any* reference to v2.0, only people trying to get v1.0 from tape to floppy.

 

Basically I need to verify if writing to the disk is working (reading seems fine since I can load and play the games I have on disk). Can a new disk be initialized from BASIC? I tried:

 

] init

] init d5

] init,d5

 

The disk spins but BASIC gives a "file not found" error. Also, can you save a program to disk from BASIC? That seems like it would be a very critical task for BASIC to be able to perform.

 

I don't have any other utilities for the ADAM and I was really hoping to get by with BASIC. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[NIAD]

SmartBASIC v2.0 in an unreleased and nearly complete update of the SmartBASIC v1.0 program that was included with each and every ADAM Computer system sold. It was released by Coleco to numerous ADAM Users Groups in late 1985 along with numerous other finshed and unfinished programs that Coleco no longer planned to sell commercially. So, as far as it's rarity value, it basically has none since it was put into the Public Domain. As far as the program itself, a lot of changes where made between v1.0 and v2.0, creating numerous compatibility issues between the two versions... not so much with text programs, but definetly with graphics programs and any routines that CALLed Operating System functions since a new E.O.S. (Elementary Operating System Rev. 7.0) is included/loading prior to the Basic Interpreter.

 

There are some nice additions as well as a plethora of bug fixes in SB v2.0, but 95% of the Homebrew programmers back-in-the-day stuck with SB v1.0 and simply patched all the known bugs since there were so many people that provided information on how to do so. One tremendous addition to SB v2.0 is the ability to use a 64K Memory Expander installed in the ADAM as extra programming space by using the EXTMEM command. After entering this command (with the SB v2.0 disk or data pack inserted) you would increase your free memory from about 28K to about 92K. To return to using standard memory only, you would enter the STDMEM command with the disk or data pack inserted.

 

A brand new disk or a used one from another computer has to be FORMATTED first in order to use it on the ADAM. There are numerous programs on the ADAM for formatting disks and Disk Manager (including with every disk drive sold) has an option to format disks. The INIT command/function only writes a new directory to the disk or data pack and the syntax is:

 

INIT name,d5

 

Where the name of the directory that you want to use can be upto 11 characters if I recall correctly (if you get an error, then it is 10 characters) and the drive designators are:

 

d1 = Digital Data Drive #1

d2 = Digital Data Drive #2

d5 = Disk Drive #1

d6 = Disk Drive #2

d7 = Ramdisk (if you have a Memory Expander and the proper ramdisk creation software

 

Other commands....

 

CATALOG - to catalog the current drive

CATALOG,d# - # is from drive list above

SAVE filename,d# - filename can be upto 11 characters long and then you have the drive designator if needed

LOAD filename,d#

 

I highly recommend that you follow this link below and download all the NIAD Newsletters and Nibbles & Bits Newsletters that are available in PDF format for TONS of articles on the ADAM, programming in SmartBASIC v1.0 and v2.0, SmartLOGO, CP/M and everything that you can imagine under the sun and a whole lot more:

 

http://www.sacnews.n...ewsletters.html

 

I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised as these newsletters are like an encyclopedia on the ADAM and also contain a lot of great ColecoVision info.

Edited May 4, 2012 by NIAD

[matthew180]

Cool, thanks for the info. I don't have the disk manager, so I'm trying the "format on a PC" route. The instructions I have say for format the floppy with the DOS FORMAT command using the /1 /8 flags (single sided, 8 sectors), but I'm getting an error that those flags are incompatible. The machine is a 386sx from way back, running MS-DOS. If I get the floppy formatted, I was going to try the ADAM Disk Maker program by John Wiley. Is there an easier route?

[NIAD]

There is a lot easier method of formatting ADAM disks on a PC in MS-DOS... it is an MS-DOS based program called The ADAM Connection and here it is....

ADAM Connection (1988) (SpeedyWrite Software).zip

[NIAD]

Also, read through this thread and download the programs I posted...

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/177853-looking-for-specs-on-coleco-adam-floppy-drive-model-%237817-power-supply/

 

and another one...

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/179825-was-montezumas-revenge-available-on-disk-for-the-adam/page__p__2251139__hl__dcopy__fromsearch__1?do=findComment&comment=2251139

[Tempest]

Are you sure there's not a disk manager disk in that box? I could have sworn I have a copy. Maybe I left it here, I'll have to check.

[matthew180]

@NIAD: Thanks again for all the info, very detailed and much appreciated. I'll be busy reading for a while.

 

@Tempest: Nope, no disk managed in the box. However, using the ADAMAKER program, which I finally got to work, wrote a disk manager on the floppy I was using, so I have it now.

 

Using my newly acquired disk manager, I tried to format a floppy on the ADAM. The drive goes through the motions and the head steps across the entire disk, but when it gets to the end it reports the disk cannot be formatted and tells me to check the disk and the door on the drive. I have tried a few floppies and formatted them all in a PC, so the disks are known to be good.

 

What I really need to do at this point is determine if the drive itself is bad. The interface to the drive looks like a standard floppy. Can the drive itself be used in a PC? Or, can a standard 360K DSDD (or 160K SSSD) floppy be used with the circuit board in the ADAM disk unit? I need to narrow down my problem to either the drive unit itself or the circuit board in the bottom that implemented the ADAMnet interface.

 

What is odd about this problem is, the drive reads fine, but appears to not be able to write. I have confirmed all the optical sensors are working (write protect, index hole, disk in place, and head location), so the easy obvious stuff is eliminated. Hmm... I didn't confirm voltages though, DOH! Better do that so I'm not making a classic repair mistake.

[Tempest]

You're right, I have the Disk Manager disk here. I thought I sent it along. Grrr...

[ed1475]

I also have an ADAM 160K disk drive that will only read disks. It doesn't write to disks except under 1 specific scenario.

 

I tried the scenario again today and it worked. Using disk manager, I try to format an Adam disk that has already been formatted for Adam and doesn't have any files stored on it. The software gives an error message and doesn't write to the disk. I then exit to SmartWriter using "escape/WP." I then type up a document and store it to disk. It works. It will keep being able to write to the disk until I remove it from the drive. If I take it out, then place it back in the drive, the drive will give an error message if I try to store any files.

Edited May 5, 2012 by ed1475

[jblenkle]

If you can't write to the disk...another possibility is the disk is bad due to age. I have two working ADAM drives and a whole bunch of disks I got off eBay and other sources. I probably have a 90% failure rate on them.

 

Oddly enough, I've found most of the disks that are good have a firmer, harder shell...almost all the flimsy covered ones are bad.

 

I may actually have to buy some new disks one of these days.

[matthew180]

I also have an ADAM 160K disk drive that will only read disks. It doesn't write to disks except under 1 specific scenario.

 

Interesting test, but I don't have a blank formatted ADAM floppy to mess with yet... hmm. Maybe I should just try to format the Disk Manager disk I made on the PC. I'll give that a shot and try your process. In the mean time, I stuck my o-scope on the "write data" line going into the disk drive from the controller, and there is no data during the format, which seems odd to me.

[matthew180]

If you can't write to the disk...another possibility is the disk is bad due to age.

 

I have verified the disks I'm using in two other systems. I have also found that the older 360K and lower disks are very reliable. Much more so than the modern day 3.5" floppies and the older HD 5.25" floppies.

[NIAD]

Joe B. is spot on concerning the quality of disks. While I haven't had any problems with NOS generic 5 1/4" disks (probably because they were new and sealed from the elements), they are noticeably louder/whinnier when inserted into the drive and the drive spins up. Other name brands that I have purchased such as Nassau (which was the brand Coleco used and recommended) have all worked flawlessly even after all these years and run considerably quieter.

 

One thing to also be aware of is that Single-Sided/Double Density (SS/DD) disks that have been converted to Double Sided/Double Density (DS/DD) flippy disks by hole-punching the timing hole on each side of the disk and notching the write-protect notch may be A LOT less reliable after all these years, especially since they were never verified by the manufacturers all those many years ago. An ADAM formatting utility such as Disk Manager, File Manager, One-Minute Formatter, Backup+, etc. should be used to both format these disks and more importantly verify all the blocks on them.

 

A good test program for the ADAM Disk Drive is actually the program included with each and every disk drive sold... Disk Manager. If there are issues with the drives alignment or operating speed, Disk Manager will not load or take an excessive amount of time to load. Unfortunately, the only other drive test program I know of is called R.I.D. Test, but I haven't been able to track down a disk image and IIRC the tests performed really wouldn't aid in tracking down specific issues.

 

As far as a disk drive being able to read, but not write to a disk, I had this issue with one of my drives back in the day. Fortunately, a friend of mine was an electronics wiz and knew that the photo cell on the top left track (it lines up with the read/write notch in the disk) and removed it from the drive until a replacement could be found. In order to write to disks in the meantime, I would shine a small flashlight through the hole in the track at the sensor on the bottom while performing write operations. This was the temporary cure I used for my problem, but can say with 100% certainty if this is the problem and remedy for other people.

[NIAD]

What I really need to do at this point is determine if the drive itself is bad. The interface to the drive looks like a standard floppy. Can the drive itself be used in a PC? Or, can a standard 360K DSDD (or 160K SSSD) floppy be used with the circuit board in the ADAM disk unit? I need to narrow down my problem to either the drive unit itself or the circuit board in the bottom that implemented the ADAMnet interface.

The drive mechanics used by Coleco were made by MPI Technologies and the controller board was made by Coleco. To swap out drive mechanics, the new drive would have to have all the extra sensors (disk in, etc.) to work. Actually Geoff Oltmans has discussed this in an old thread and there was a lengthy discussion on the "ADAM Mailing List" about disk drives that you should find very informative.

 

http://adamcon.org/pipermail/coladam/

[matthew180]

One thing to also be aware of is that Single-Sided/Double Density (SS/DD) disks that have been converted to Double Sided/Double Density (DS/DD) flippy disks by hole-punching the timing hole

 

Yup, I'm aware of that. I've been down that road plenty of times back in the day. I remember when a box of 10 DSDD floppies cost $20 or more.

 

As far as a disk drive being able to read, but not write to a disk, I had this issue with one of my drives back in the day. Fortunately, a friend of mine was an electronics wiz and knew that the photo cell on the top left track (it lines up with the read/write notch in the disk) and removed it from the drive until a replacement could be found.

 

I validated the four optical sensors on the drive. I wish it was that easy in this case.

 

To swap out drive mechanics, the new drive would have to have all the extra sensors (disk in, etc.) to work.

 

Thanks for the link, I'll be sure to read it. However, in the last hour I managed to get a 360K PC floppy drive to work in the ADAM, and if formatted a disk fine with Disk Manager. That's pretty conclusive that the problem is in fact the floppy disk. I have not read Geoff Oltmans notes yet, but to get the a "standard floppy drive" to work in the ADAM I had to do three things:

 

1. Remove the +12VDC from Pin-3 of the molex power connector. I was shocked when I saw that the power connector was NOT standard. A standard drive power connector has the two middle pins tied to ground, with the other two being 5VDC and 12VDC. I have to believe plugging in a standard floppy drive might blow out one or both of the 12VDC regs on the controller board.

 

2. Randomly move a jumper on the new drive. It only has one jumper block with four positions, and I suspect it is a "drive select" jumper. Moving it one position over allowed the ADAM to start controlling the head movement.

 

3. Override the "disk inserted" sensor. Power going to, and feedback from this sensor goes directly to the controller board. For my test, I simply plugged the original floppy drive into the connector and put a disk in the unit. A simple jumper could probably be used as a permanent override, but I need to look at the schematics a little closer first. For some reason, there are a lot of components involved with that sensor.

 

So, the drive unit is working now, so I better see what the owner wants to do about it. I've never messed with the electronics on an actual disk drive itself, and without a schematic it would take a lot of time with a high probability of not being successful. But, I'm not sure how attached ADAM owners are to the *actual* drive itself.

 

Anyway, progress!

 

[NIAD]

Glad to hear that it was the drive mechanics. As far as how attached ADAM owners are to the actual drive.... if it's working, than VERY! All kidding aside, back in the day, hundreds of these SS/DD disk drives where converted to 5 1/4" 320K and 3 1/2" 720K by numerous companies, so unlike now where collectors prefer original equipment, people were willing to have the upgrade performed... especially if the drive was malfunctioning.

[matthew180]

As much as I'd love to fix the original, I have no desire to start tracing out a schematic of the drive itself.

 

Something interesting I read in those list archives you pointed me to, someone mentioned the power section of the controller board was under rated? And that it would get very hot and cause read/write problems... I'm wondering if there is any history of repairs made to the power section fixing read/write problems?

 

The unit I'm working on has good sized heat sinks on all the regs, so even though it might get hot, the heat sinks should do their job ok. But, the older drives do have more chips and bigger motors, so upgrading to a more modern drive can give some relief to the power section as well.

 

[jblenkle]

Not disputing you verifying the disks in other computers, but oddly enough -- and for example -- I can take the same disk that fails in my ADAM and format it in my Atari 1050 disk drive and it works just fine...or at least appears to... There's just no telling with old equipment and old disks.

 

 

 

 

If you can't write to the disk...another possibility is the disk is bad due to age.

 

I have verified the disks I'm using in two other systems. I have also found that the older 360K and lower disks are very reliable. Much more so than the modern day 3.5" floppies and the older HD 5.25" floppies.

[matthew180]

Not disputing you verifying the disks in other computers, but oddly enough -- and for example -- I can take the same disk that fails in my ADAM and format it in my Atari 1050 disk drive and it works just fine...or at least appears to... There's just no telling with old equipment and old disks.

 

No problem, no dispute assumed. I know people are offering help and suggestions. I know what you mean about disks not working in one machine, but seem fine in another. That is a plague with "modern" 3.5" floppy drives and disks. I find the older lower density 5.25" to be much more reliable, but certainly not without failure or problems. That's why I am using no less than 3 to 4 disks.

 

[matthew180]

For a final test I managed to convince the MPI drive to work in my 386 PC. What a weird drive! Anyway, it won't format a disk, but it *would* read! Well, at least half of the data.

 

I put a DOS formatted DSDD disk in the drive and could get a directory. Any file I tried to load would come back with a "sector not found" error, which is expected since one side of the disk is no accessible by the drive.

 

The drive would attempt a format, and go through the motions, but would always fail with an error (and one I have *never* seen before in 30-some-odd years). The error, after stepping through all the tracks was something like: "Format failed, can't write BOOT."

 

I assume that is referring to the MBR and the FAT. Anyway, my reason for testing in a PC was to eliminate the possibility of controller or power problems on the ADAM drive controller board. While not comprehensive I realize, I'm pretty satisfied that the drive itself has failed somewhere in the write circuit path.

 

[Tempest]

Well considering I got it for $5 at a game show in Texas 10 years ago and it didn't work right even then, I'd say that it's probably at the end of its hard life. IIRC the drive didn't work at all when I got it and DoubleDown and I opened it up to see what was wrong, freed up some stuck mechanism, and got it to start reading. I didn't even know it didn't write until last years MGC since I didn't know a drive could read but to write (I assumed either it worked or it didn't).