Bankswitched bankswitch games? Yes!

[MrBeefy]

Ah I want 1!!!

[phoenixdownita]

I don't know for sure, since I didn't dig any more deeply into it once I fixed the source of the spurious bankswitch and confirmed the game was working. It could just be coincidence, but to me the usage of the 9000 hotspot infers they knew about the spurious bankswitch. The question is, did they work around it in hardware or software?

 

Since the game works in emulation, the workaround could well be in software, and our meta bankswitching scheme doesn't work with their work-around. If the workaround is hardware, then the emulation of Atari bankswitching may not be 100% accurate.

 

I'll be interested to hear how Ninja Golf works once you get your cart running. If you do need to patch it to get it to work, just search for "A9 16 85 7E" in a hex editor, and change the $16 to $15. You'll also need to re-sign the binary.

I managed to put Ninja Golf in a 27C801 for a C300595 PCB (http://www.atarihq.com/danb/7800cart/C300595.shtml) with other 7 128K games and it all worked with no problems.

I guess the original bug in Ninja Golf did not do anything harmful to the original release as I didn't have to modify the PCB at all. The BINs I used were from http://www.atari7800.org/bin.htm.

On the C300595 afaik the hotspot is the whole range $8000-$bfff, and the 74LS373 only captures the lower 3 bits, so if the weird value you discovered messed up the higher bits the original bankswitch is unaffected. I'm just glad it works as is.

 

In any case thanks a bunch for the heads-up, making Atari multicarts is full of surprises, I honestly didn't realize how many 128K games map fixed page 6 at $4000-$7fff, basically almost all 128K games without RAM do that, and I have not been able to figure out if the C000565 or even the more capable C100039 can be made to support a C300595 "mode", those PCBs are kind of cheap to get by especially the C100039.

Unfortunately there's very few of the 128K games with a C300595 that are still cheap.

Edited May 18, 2014 by phoenixdownita

[CPUWIZ]

Why do you think I designed a whole new line of boards?

 

I have a bunch of 595's laying around (I think 10-15 PAL Sentinel boards), I also have a buttload of 565's, I don't use them anymore these days, my boards are far superior to those. If you want a couple of those old boards, drop me a PM and I'll send them to you, to play with. Experimenting and learning in the process, is fun.

[phoenixdownita]

Yeah, I wish I knew how to etch PCBs, and how to do it cheaply, that way it is much easier given that all 128K games (page 6 fixed or not) do work on a C300595.

Also the work involved to fit a 32 pins chip where a 28 pins chip was with a couple of traces to be rerouted is no fun once you've done it a couple of times.

 

I wonder if I'll ever find time and will to learn the art of PCB design and fabrication.

 

If I may ask, rather than devising a new global bank switching scheme that requires patch to the games, why not having a non std hotspot that can be triggered only once by your game selector code to do the required setup and then be stealth until power is reset, a sort of bootstrap to setup the board right before launching the game proper?

[not sure how hard that would be, so I am not belittling your work at all, just thinking out loud]

Edited May 18, 2014 by phoenixdownita

[GaryH917]

Count me in for #2!

[Lynxpro]

Whenever this becomes available, I hope there's a separate thread with official listing. I'd be interested, although I think if Mean 18 was swapped out for Commando, you'd have the greatest multi-cart for the 7800 by far. Of course the code would have to be modded slightly so you'd only get the soundtrack if you had a POKEY via the XM or XBoard [since the multi-cart doesn't have an onboard POKEY]. That would be a fair caveat.

[santosp]

I'll be interested to hear how Ninja Golf works once you get your cart running. If you do need to patch it to get it to work, just search for "A9 16 85 7E" in a hex editor, and change the $16 to $15. You'll also need to re-sign the binary.

 

Thanks. You are great!

[RevEng]

Your SIO2SD Micro is driving my 800xl. The feeling is mutual!

[phoenixdownita]

 

Thanks. You are great!

 

What are you cooking?

Are you making your own bank switching multi card?

[santosp]

 

What are you cooking?

Are you making your own bank switching multi card?

 

Ηey, who disseminate such falsehoods?

No no. nothing like that.

[toiletunes]

I am still interested if/when this happens I love the other two multicarts- thank you very much for doing these.

Edited August 3, 2014 by toiletunes

[walter_J64bit]

Say, I like to get one too!

[CPUWIZ]

Sorry, too many haters around, that spend all day on Faceplant discussing how "illegal" it is and in the same take of breath support flash carts. Plus spewing inaccurate stuff like how many of the first one were made. Don't have time for this crap.

[walter_J64bit]

That's just sucks.

[Jinks]

Yeah its too bad. This cart had some awesome rare games on it!!

[toiletunes]

Sorry, too many haters around, that spend all day on Faceplant discussing how "illegal" it is and in the same take of breath support flash carts. Plus spewing inaccurate stuff like how many of the first one were made. Don't have time for this crap.

 

That is a shame, although I understand and respect your decision. I am grateful for the two multicarts I have. Thank you for what you do.

[+frankodragon]

Hey, I enjoyed the PMP multicart. If you ever change your mind, I'd be willing to buy a #2.