SIDE 2 Help - please

[flashjazzcat]

See here Roy.

[phoenixdownita]

You might have a conflict between U1MB and MyIDE2 ?

 

The flasher for U1MB requires you to have SDX Enabled in order for it to work, which is why the creation of a MyDOS ATR isn't done...

Ok that explains why it locks on attempting to run theRomgenerator generated ATR thru MyIDE2 partition space.

 

I still have no idea as to why SIDE2+U1MB can't load ATRs and simply goes to BASIC. My U1MB was purchased like 2 weeks ago and has a 39SF040 so I kind of doubt that it is a V1.

Edited November 17, 2013 by phoenixdownita

[Kyle22]

I bricked my 1200XL U1M as well. I ordered a programmer for the 39SF040, but it could be until mid December until it gets here. I am in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, and I would be happy to program your chip if you are in my area.

 

-K

[phoenixdownita]

As you saw here http://atariage.com/forums/topic/218960-u1mb-side2-on-xegs-issues/?do=findComment&comment=2873226 Lotharek is attempting to assist me, for now not much has happened.

 

I'm in WA, I ordered the programmer as well but Lotharek already told me that I have the latest firmware so flashing might not help.

To be clear, I have another Eprom programmer that may work but I do not have the PLCC adapter, given it is a TOP853 with no support for 64bit I decided to purchase the TL866CS (I don't need the A version) with PLCC 32pin adapter, we'll see what happens but the SW seems to support 64bits (I already installed it on Win 8.1) so I can use my primary machine (the old crappy laptop I was using with Win7 32bit is really slow and the TOP853 does not support many chips that the TL866CS does).

 

Thanks for the offer though, hopefully we'll get to the bottom of it.

 

MyIDE2 supports flashing from FAT32Loader (CTRL F on the flashing rom, it has 512K of SRAM + 512K of Flash so it can always load the flash content in SRAM first then flash from there), I wish U1MB would support something similar from SIDE loader, after all U1MB has 512K of flash and 1024KB of RAM, more than enough to load the whole flashing ROM + ad-hoc flasher.

 

Anyway finger crossed, let's see what happens. It will be mid-December for me too to receive the programmer, definitely not a plug and play solution, MyIDE2 (bricking aside, at which point it requires a flasher too [Maxflash USB Cartridge Programmer Kit]) is a more thought out alternative regarding this particular aspect.

Without such feature the ATR based formatting requires SIDE2 or SIO2PC/SIO2SD, oh well, I wish Candle'o'Sin, Lotharek and Steve would join force and build the ultimate solution .... it ain't going to happen, it's like asking van Gogh, Renoir and Michelangelo to cooperate ... not a chance. .

Edited November 24, 2013 by phoenixdownita

[flashjazzcat]

...I wish Candle'o'Sin, Lotharek and Steve would join force and build the ultimate solution .... it ain't going to happen, it's like asking van Gogh, Renoir and Michelangelo to cooperate ... not a chance. .

Well - the APT spec has been around for two years or more, so every opportunity was open to avoid incompatibility on that side of things when new interfaces were developed. Unfortunately, Van Gogh chose not to hop on board, preferring instead to lop his ear off.

[Kyle22]

I just discovered a 'feature' in either the SIDE Loader...

 

I copied a huge number of games to CF card for Incognito, press L, and only the first so many show up. Example, copy games starting with numbers, A, and B into directory 0ab, same with cde. All files in folder are visible on Windows machine, but, for example, the 0ab folder begins with:

 

007 living daylights

1 million bc

180darts

.

.

.

a_e_side_b

 

end

 

Bounty Bob is there (in Windows), but Loader doesn't see it.

 

I hope that made some sense. Also, is there any easy program to break down thousands of files into smaller directory groups automatically, or must I do it the LONG hard way?

 

-K

[Roydea6]

http://sio2sd.gucio.pl/wiki/SoftwarePC_en

 

This program will do it. Requires Java installation..

NVC.JAR..

[Kyle22]

Thanks, I'll try it.

[Kyle22]

OK, now I am in the process of downloading every .atr that I can find, and I'm going to use the NVC program to sort them out. Next question: Should I re-format my CF card FAT16 or FAT32? I would like to use the SIDE loader, and also (if possible) be able to mount the ATR in SDX, so I can use SCOPY to a 1050 or Indus to create a real disk. I have heard of a FAT driver for SDX, but it's not in my CAR:. If I can find it, I can put it there. Is there a reliable working one?

 

I have seen one that does FAT16, Anything for FAT32?

 

 

Thanks!

 

-K

Edited December 1, 2013 by Kyle22

[Roydea6]

http://sdx.atari8.info/index.php?show=download&file=sdx_files/4.46/toolkit_rev_c.atr

 

Tool kit has an arc file in it that unarc's to three fat12 drivers put them in SDX path somewhere and invoke whenever you want to view the fat12 partition..

 

The easiest to use is call FATFS.SYS

The other two are mostly for Diskettes..

 

EDIT: for NOTE*

NOTE* I have a lot of trouble with making a Fat12 partition with fjc FDISK.EXE but version #8 is the best... to date. Suggest just using Matr.exe and mounting a 32 mb atr from Fat32 portion of the CF card.. or option 'L' from the bios. highlight the atr and press spacebar then ENTER.

Edited December 1, 2013 by rdea6

[flashjazzcat]

Kyle: How many 255 byte FAT directory entries do you think you can fit into 48K? Or am I missing something here?

[Kyle22]

What about using L from the menu and selecting spartados 3.x as D1: and the source .ATR as D2: and writing to real floppy as D3: Would that work?

[Kyle22]

Kyle: How many 255 byte FAT directory entries do you think you can fit into 48K? Or am I missing something here?

Wow, I didn't know each FAT entry takes 255 bytes..... Now I understand the problem.

[Kyle22]

Sorry for the stupid questions... I just want to figure this out

 

OK, when I tap space and select D1: on an image, it seems that I am stuck in that directory. If I select .. (up dir), and try to select another image as D2:, it selects D1: again. It forgets my D1: selection if I change directories.

 

I don't know how to tell what version of SIDE Loader I have. Hopefully, there is a newer version that corrects this.

 

-K

[Kyle22]

Playing around with it a little more, I found that I can see SIO devices that are not mapped to APT drives, but I get 'not binary file' and 'truncated record' when I try to access them (after booting a FAT32 ATR image with the Loader.)