SGM Test ROM?

[ricky]

Some obvious questions to start:

 

1) Are you using a ColecoVision or an Adam?

 

2) Assuming it's a ColecoVision, do you have an alternate Coleco BIOS installed?

 

 

EDIT: All SGMs are the same internally, by the way.

1) I am using a European Colecovision Pal and a French Secam.

2) The Bios of my Colecovisions are from origins.

I use the latest Atarimax-SD firmware beta and the SGM roms work well except Kings Valley.

I have a single cartridge SGM Zaxxon Super Game that works well.

So where does the worry come from?

[Bmack36]

There is a setting in the atarimax that allows you to skip the bios. If this is enabled it prevents the lower 8k bankswitching functionality of the SGM and will prevent it from working. Check the atarimax settings to see if it is enabled and disable it.

[ricky]

There is a setting in the atarimax that allows you to skip the bios. If this is enabled it prevents the lower 8k bankswitching functionality of the SGM and will prevent it from working. Check the atarimax settings to see if it is enabled and disable it.

Thank you for this info Bmack36.

I disabled the Bios Bypass in the settings of Atarimax and the SGM works fine, as well as the Kings Valley game..

Problem resolved .. Again thank you !

PS : I also participate in the Kickstarter Phoenix, I hope that its development will be completed

Edited October 17, 2018 by ricky

[Shannon]

Here is the ROM file for doing tests with Super Game Module.

 

It does the following:

 

o Detection of base system (Colecovision/Coleco ADAM)

o Check of base system memory (1K in Colecovision, 32K in ADAM)

o Detection of Super Game Module.

o Check of 32K Super Game Module memory.

o Individual test of Super Game Module sound chip.

o Parallel test of SGM sound chip with Coleco sound chip.

o Music playing at same time over SGM and Coleco sound chips. (William Tell overture from Princess Quest enhanced for SGM, like in forthcoming Mecha-8 )

 

Thanks a lot to Pixelboy, NIAD and Opcode for testing it.

 

Special thanks to SpiceWare for bringing up the need for this utility.

 

Enjoy it!

 

I'm just curious... what method does this ROM use to detect the base system?

 

Thanks

[+nanochess]

 

I'm just curious... what method does this ROM use to detect the base system?

 

Thanks

 

It's relatively easy, at startup it checks the $2000 area, if there is RAM, then it's an ADAM, because SGM doesn't come active as default and ADAM leaves RAM enabled at $2000-$7fff when booting as Colecovision.

[Shannon]

Oh ok... so if the SGM does not come active as default.. what "activates" it and how?

[Pixelboy]

Oh ok... so if the SGM does not come active as default.. what "activates" it and how?

The SGM "boots" with 24K of RAM, which leaves the BIOS untouched. The software on the game cartridge can tell the SGM to replace the 8K of BIOS with RAM, thus making 32K of RAM available. If the SGM is never told to go to 32K mode, it will stay in 24K mode until the console is turned off.

[Shannon]

Oh ok... I knew about that functionality.. You just threw me off when you said it does not come active as default. I did not know you were referring to full RAM use. Thanks for the info. I was just curious. I've been looking at support source in emulators lately and I was just curious about the SGM.

[CrazyBoss]

The SGM "boots" with 24K of RAM, which leaves the BIOS untouched. The software on the game cartridge can tell the SGM to replace the 8K of BIOS with RAM, thus making 32K of RAM available. If the SGM is never told to go to 32K mode, it will stay in 24K mode until the console is turned off.

 

The SGM does not "boot" with 24K, it need to get a command to enable it. If its An Adam its not safe to enable the SGM ram, so first you check for "is it an Adam" if not you can enable 24/32k.

[CrazyBoss]

By the way, is it possible to enable all 32K on an ADAM ?

[Pixelboy]

The SGM does not "boot" with 24K, it need to get a command to enable it.

Really? I was under the impression that 24K was the default mode when you turn on the ColecoVision console with the SGM plugged in.

[opcode]

Really? I was under the impression that 24K was the default mode when you turn on the ColecoVision console with the SGM plugged in.

No, I had to make all RAM disabled by default so the module would be compatible with the f* ADAM. And then I was accused of stealing from Coleco when I replicated the memory mapping mechanism to make the programmer’s life easier. Just like with romantic relationships, once you take too much crap, things are never the same again... but I digress.

 

Anyways, the technical reason is, since we can’t disable RAM on Adam and we can’t have two memories mapped to the same space at the same time, I disabled the sgm ram by default. If no ram is detected, then the game must enable the sgm ram.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pixelboy]

No, I had to make all RAM disabled by default so the module would be compatible with the f* ADAM. And then I was accused of stealing from Coleco when I replicated the memory mapping mechanism to make the programmer’s life easier. Just like with romantic relationships, once you take too much crap, things are never the same again... but I digress.

 

Anyways, the technical reason is, since we can’t disable RAM on Adam and we can’t have two memories mapped to the same space at the same time, I disabled the sgm ram by default. If no ram is detected, then the game must enable the sgm ram.

Ah okay, thanks for the clarification.

[Kiwi]

I do recall games like Super Cobra used the mirrored RAM address, so having the RAM off on default makes sense. Evidently, I will look into how to turn 24KB on for future Colecovision games if I needed more RAM and the C library uses the bios routines.

[+mytek]

On 5/5/2013 at 6:44 AM, nanochess said:

Here is the ROM file for doing tests with Super Game Module.

 

It does the following:

 

o Detection of base system (Colecovision/Coleco ADAM)

o Check of base system memory (1K in Colecovision, 32K in ADAM)

o Detection of Super Game Module.

o Check of 32K Super Game Module memory.

o Individual test of Super Game Module sound chip.

o Parallel test of SGM sound chip with Coleco sound chip.

o Music playing at same time over SGM and Coleco sound chips. (William Tell overture from Princess Quest enhanced for SGM, like in forthcoming Mecha-8 )

 

Thanks a lot to Pixelboy, NIAD and Opcode for testing it.

 

Special thanks to SpiceWare for bringing up the need for this utility.

 

Enjoy it!

sgm_test.zip 3.23 kB · 917 downloads

First of all, let me say thank you for providing this great resource 👍

 

And secondly I have a request for an extra feature (or two). I'm in need of a test rom that would let me press a key on the keypad and put out a sustained full volume note for all 6 voices. I was thinking that this could be added to the end of the present SGM Test ROM.

 

Example...

 

1 = Voice One of SN chip

2 = Voice Two of SN chip

3 = Voice Three of SN chip

4 = Voice One of AY chip

5 = Voice Two of AY chip

6 = Voice Three of AY chip

0 = Sound OFF for all Voices

 

This would allow for checking levels and integrity of audio mixing circuit in upcoming or existing designs. Basically the sustained note would allow an O-Scope to lock in steady for measurement purposes.

 

EDIT: After thinking a bit more, it might be good to have each voice in a different note so that simultaneously activated ones would be distinguishable from each other.