New (alt) BIOS for Ultimate 1MB/Incognito

[flashjazzcat]

I'm glad everything else is working great!

Nearly everything. I see (while writing the user guide for the XEX loader) that I broke BASIC file loading without anyone noticing. Fixed for next release.

[Panther]

We didn't notice because we'd tested such things with earlier versions and they worked, and nobody expects you to break something that's already working! <g>

[flashjazzcat]

Well, this demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of how developers work which I want to debunk right here and now.

[Frankie]

 

Problem fixed thanks to Frankie. Some arcane code was called to reset the menu page offset when coming out of a subdirectory and said code was faulty, with the bug only triggered if there were sufficient folders in the parent directory to fill multiple pages. Fixed now. Greyed out ATRs do not seem to be a factor but I removed those anyway, and thanks to those who provided feedback on that too.

 

isidel44.zip

Do you have a new ultimate-side loader as well?

[flashjazzcat]

Do you have a new ultimate-side loader as well?

Yeah: will upload later. Been on a Retr0Briting binge this morning from 7am: first sunny day in the UK for weeks.

[TheNameOfTheGame]

Yeah: will upload later. Been on a Retr0Briting binge this morning from 7am: first sunny day in the UK for weeks.

 

Oo, I hope you have pictures. Love to see the before and after on these retrobrite projects!

[flashjazzcat]

Oo, I hope you have pictures. Love to see the before and after on these retrobrite projects!

Sadly I forgot to take "before" photos, but the "after" photos are pretty good:

 

 

Both XE keyboards were yellowed, but one BADLY and it took four treatments in dull weather.

 

 

Batch of XEs with cleaned up keyboards - all done in the space of a morning.

 

Freshening the keyboards transforms those XEs even when the cases aren't 100 per cent.

 

[/OT]

[TheNameOfTheGame]

Awesome! That one at the bottom is especially white. Keyboard looks brand new.

[flashjazzcat]

Appeal: I just heard that Lotharek does not own a 1200XL, so can someone please donate one or sell him one at a reasonable price. I've informed him of the 100pF cap fix for the noisy reset line, but clearly U1MB issues are hitherto a mystery to him.

[danwinslow]

I'd be glad to send him one...keyboard might be spotty but works otherwise. Leaving town for two weeks, but I cna get it when I get back. Have him PM me with a mailing address here.

[flashjazzcat]

Many thanks Dan for your very kind offer and quick response. I've emailed Lotharek asking him to PM you.

[danwinslow]

I dunno, I emailed him too and he said he doesn't want one...confused.

[flashjazzcat]

Me too. I don't intend to labour the point, though. Thanks anyway Dan.

[Marius]

Me too. I don't intend to labour the point, though. Thanks anyway Dan.

 

I'm pretty sure the fix on U1MB will add stability to other setups too. I can not imagine that any true a8 lover would turn down a 1200XL offer but... hey who am I?

[fujidude]

I'm guessing he doesn't want any expectations placed on him to produce solutions. If so, that is of course unfortunate, but very understandable. We all (most of us anyway) have lives beyond our hobby too. I'm purely speculating.

Edited March 26, 2016 by fujidude

[Marius]

I'm guessing he doesn't want any expectations placed on him to produce solutions. If so, that is of course unfortunate, but very understandable. We all (most of us anyway) have lives beyond our hobby too. I'm purely speculating.

 

Well yes and no.

 

If you sell the stuff, and you call it XL/XE upgrade, I guess you want to be 100% sure it works on ALL XL models, and in case of problems, I guess it is very handy you have the computer type with possible issues within reach.

 

If you don't want that, it looks to me like you don't care.

 

I'm not sure, that is the case; I respect Lotharek, and I appreciate it that he produces all this for a8... but this is something I don't understand

[flashjazzcat]

I'm pretty sure the fix on U1MB will add stability to other setups too. I can not imagine that any true a8 lover would turn down a 1200XL offer but... hey who am I?

Yes: according to Hias, the reset line issue is not unique to the 1200XL (certainly we cannot say that all 1200XL U1MB issues are magically cured by the knowledge that a 100pF cap between Reset and GND might help), but the cap solution should probably at least be part of some formalised U1MB troubleshooting check list. As for 1200XLs... heh - yeah, I'd take another spare, especially since my main machine gets dismantled every time I have to troubleshoot hardware on someone else's machine.

[flashjazzcat]

There's one more problem I need to investigate: two 1200XLs here occasionally get stuck on a black screen on Help+Reset and when I power cycle to get out of it, the NVRAM has been reset. Infrequent but irritating.

I discovered that the 1200XL from Hell is quite prone to this issue so I added a single retry when the CRC is wrong in the NVRAM config. This seems to be making quite a difference so far (the effect being that if the BIOS reads the config and finds it messed up, it tries one more time instead of immediately clearing all the settings). I hooked up the Freezer but the very act of doing so (via the cart/PBI adapter) appears to make the problem go away. I guess connecting a SIDE or other cart has the same effect. No idea why I lose the video when this anomaly crops up (it's on a VBXE machine), but in any case I'll leave this fix in place. Even if it averts problems with NVRAM data half the time, it's doing something useful.

[Roydea6]

Hi Jon,

 

In the original bios there was a SIDE with button and SIDE without button options. My question is : How is this implemented into the new Bios and can I still do MyIDE 1&2 Cartridges with out button.

 

RoyE

[flashjazzcat]

In the original bios there was a SIDE with button and SIDE without button options. My question is : How is this implemented into the new Bios and can I still do MyIDE 1&2 Cartridges with out button.

The 'ATR swap button' option controls the SIDE button:

 

 

However, to use MyIDE safely you'll probably want to set 'Hard disk' to 'Disabled' so that nothing in CCTL is touched, and this should automatically block access to the button register. Better yet, disable the PBI BIOS entirely (since I don't think MyBIOS runs it anyway).

Edited March 27, 2016 by flashjazzcat

[flashjazzcat]

I see that one of my 1200XLs, even before the alt BIOS was installed. I never did get it working.

Update: the blackout issue appears to be fixed by the 100pF cap discussed earlier.

[flashjazzcat]

Now I have Rapidus here, I'm going to try and fix a reported issue with the PBI BIOS and DracOS before releasing version 1.0 of everything. Aside from that, everything is ready to go.

[Smokeless Joe]

Update: the blackout issue appears to be fixed by the 100pF cap discussed earlier.

 

 

This is most excellent news! I was going to try this fix, until I realized that I stole the 1uH inductor out of the problem 1200XL to fix the 1200XL that didn't have the problem (but had blown the inductor). Now I have a dozen 1uH inductors on their way.

[Roydea6]

 

I would like the Flashing Dialogue box be moved to the position (approx..) like in the posted picture. It might seem silly but it will leave the readable text open for viewing the Slot information.

 

 

[flashjazzcat]

I'd rather not: the dialog boxes are all automatically centred on the screen and things like the file selector are going to obscure the list anyway. You select the slot before the dialog comes up anyway, and there's nothing to say that extra information may not eventually appear behind your suggested location.