Rapidus in action

[Beetle]

Hi there!

 

I got my 1200XL set up nicely now with U1MB, VBXE and Rapidus upgrades, along with

an oldskool double-Pokey mod.

 

First thing i ask you for, please don't turn this thread into a "65816 turns A8 into sth else

but not Atari any more" one. We've all read that opinion often enough, and i disagree,

even more so when i can reactivate the 6502 easily, period.

 

I want to collect and share experiences with 65816 upgraded machines here.

 

In the time since i got Rapidus, i now had some time to collect experience with this cool

upgrade. One of them is, the stock 6502 CPU is getting quite hot. Its still below 50°C,

since i can touch it contious (when i decide its too hot to touch within 3 sec, an item

usually is above 50°C hot ). Its similar to what the VBXE FPGA warms up to.

 

Is that in your machines, too? I swapped 3 CPUs, all get similar temperature.

 

 

Some things do not work in 65816 mode, some do with sane settings. One that i

used a lot that is not working is "Toms Navigator V1.22", which is an alternate DUP

to MyDOS 4.5x. So, for my MyDOS images, i need to go back to original DUP.SYS.

 

 

Turbobasic needs to be started with X.com, as usual with SDX, and you have to configure

Rapidus to "CPU Address wrap = ON". Run your Turbobasic and stuff flies, wow.

 

 

SpartaDOS X 4.47 however, really rocks with the new setup. Text output is so much faster,

working with SDX is great, if you learn how to tap its possibilities.

With this setup, you get 2 RAMdisks: 1MB (ow whatever you configure your U1MB to)

XE-style banked, and a 16MB FASTRAM one in the upper 16MB of the 65816 high RAM.

 

 

Ooh, The Last Word is a kickass showcase. Put your LW folder into FASTRAM disk,

and Lastword will literally outperform your PC. Paging through documents is not fast anymore,

its instantly.

 

 

Games seem not to be a good showcase for the Rapidus. Most what i tried has issues,

some get unplayable. According to the video on Lotharek's Rapidus page, "Rescue on Fractalus"

makes good use of the added CPU horsepower. On my system it has ugly flickering.

Any hints of how to play this with Rapidus and no screen flicker?

 

 

What about you? What game or program you use makes good sense on a Rapidus

accelerated A8?

 

Have fun,

Beetle

[gozar]

You're not supposed to propose such great arguments for the Rapidus! Now I need to think about getting one...

[JoSch]

Did you try Action! ?

Edited April 26, 2016 by JoSch

[+Larry]

Hi Beetle-

 

Are you looking for other 65816 upgrades, or just Rapidus? For example, I have an XL14 from Bob Woolley. There are already a couple of others, and soon with Simius' upgrade there will be quite a few users but at 1.79 MHz.

 

-Larry

[Beetle]

Yes, post your experiences here!

[drac030]

Yes, 6502 gets warm here as well, even if it does nothing.

 

Turbo-BASIC XL works here without the address wrap enabled. Or perhaps I was lucky enough to never notice any problem.

 

But MyDOS does not work without address wrapping, you have to enable that or to use patched versions from here http://atariage.com/forums/topic/194253-turbobasicxl-problem/page-6?do=findComment&comment=2477246

 

It surprises me that the TOMS Navigator does not work, the program, IIRC, is not even written in assembler, it is an Action! compiled code, so perhaps this means that the Action! compiler generates code with such problems.

 

About the Rescue on Fractalus, I guess you have to wait until the author of the film returns from his business trip to China ...

[Beetle]

Hey drac030,

 

so loading Turbo-Basic FROM Mydos 4.50 was the problem. Okay, wow

 

I installed the patched 4.55 beta 4 instead now. Toms Navigator works with Rapidus enabled,

even with adress wrap off it seems - but only with 6502 OS (QMEG for example).

With Rapidus OS i get this:

 

 

excuse the bad video quality. I hope you can see whats going wrong or at least that it is.

[Kyle22]

I have been using a 65c802 in my 800 for quite a while now. I also have another 800 CPU card with a 65c816 on it. Both at standard speed (1.79). Almost everything works fine. The only things that do not work are those that are deliberately written not to.

[Beetle]

Here is some action, better video quality. I compare XRAM Test and fractal plotter "Superhop!" in

stock 6502 speed and 65816 high speed.

 

[drac030]

Toms Navigator works with Rapidus enabled,

even with adress wrap off it seems - but only with 6502 OS (QMEG for example).

With Rapidus OS i get this:

 

I tried to find the TOMS Navigator 1.22 but it seems I am unable to locate it. Could you prepare a test ATR (patched MyDOS + TOMS Navigator 1.22) and either send to me by mail / PM or attach here? I could then take a look what is wrong there.

 

EDIT: do not bother, found it

 

PS. Glad to see that Rapidus works nicely with U1MB after all.

Edited April 27, 2016 by drac030

[Beetle]

Hi drac030,

 

i attached the empty MyDOS 4.55 beta4 ATR with TN122.COM on it.

I hope this can be sorted.

 

TN opens D1 and D8 by default, so configure MyDOS and format the RAMdisk

before running TN.

 

 

Beetle

 

 

(edit: MyRD.AR0 found)

mydos455.atr

Edited April 27, 2016 by Beetle

[drac030]

Hi drac030,

 

i attached the empty MyDOS 4.55 beta4 ATR with TN122.COM on it.

I hope this can be sorted.

 

Here is the reason:

00:2E38: A8                TAY

00:2E39: 2A                ROL

00:2E3A: 2A                ROL

00:2E3B: 2A                ROL

00:2E3C: 2A                ROL

00:2E3D: 29 03             AND #$03

00:2E3F: AA                TAX

00:2E40: 98                TYA

00:2E41: 29 9F             AND #$9F

00:2E43: 1D 49 FB          ORA $FB49,X
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
00:2E46: 85 A0             STA $A0

00:2E48: 60                RTS

00:2E49: A8                TAY

00:2E4A: 2A                ROL

00:2E4B: 2A                ROL

00:2E4C: 2A                ROL

00:2E4D: 2A                ROL

00:2E4E: 29 03             AND #$03

00:2E50: AA                TAX

00:2E51: 98                TYA

00:2E52: 29 9F             AND #$9F

00:2E54: 1D 4D FB          ORA $FB4D,X
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
00:2E57: 85 A0             STA $A0

00:2E59: 60                RTS

00:2E5A: 20 F8 F2          JSR $F2F8
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
00:2E5D: 85 A0             STA $A0

00:2E5F: 60                RTS

The underlined stuff is illegal references to OS internals. In the source, this is LIB.ACT, section Gfx routines, functions: Internal, Ascii, Getchar.

 

These should be replaced, the program should get recompiled and it will probably work better, unless there are more presents there like those.

 

EDIT: the two tables referenced are 4 bytes each. And the indirect call via $E424 (which is a legal equivalent to the JSR here) is 9 bytes. So TN, being itself 12k long, using these illegal references saves the whole lot of 17 bytes (1,4 promille of its length) at the expense of upward compatibility.

Edited April 27, 2016 by drac030

[Beetle]

So,

 

thats why it works with a stock OS: still illegal references - but the code exists as assumed by TN.

 

Thanks for clearing it up! I don't know the man who did this program, and i can't code more than a bit

of BASIC, so it remains as-is until someone picks it up. Its a nice tool, it should be fixed.

 

But this shortcoming of TN brought me SDX, and SpartaCommander is very promising, yet not as simple.

 

cu,

Beetle

[drac030]

Just in case, if anyone would want to fix it, here is the TN 1.22 + source code:

tn-1.22.atr

[Dmitry]

You all are making me anxious. My Rapidus is not yet installed.

 

I did make two attempts to learn how to solder. Which is related to the Rapidus in the sense that it inspired me to learn how to solder, once again.

 

Still.... since I don't want to destroy the Rapidus, I sent that off to have an experienced person install. When done, I'll have an 800XL with VBXE and Rapidus in one system.

 

On my little soldering side project, I did manage to get the original CPU off a 130XE motherboard - destroying the CPU in the process and getting solder everywhere. However, I feel like I did learn a lot....I AM going to report success on a soldering project eventually. My technique does improve each time and eventually will raise to the level of not killing the patient.

[rockdoc2010]

Hi Beetle-

 

Are you looking for other 65816 upgrades, or just Rapidus? For example, I have an XL14 from Bob Woolley. There are already a couple of others, and soon with Simius' upgrade there will be quite a few users but at 1.79 MHz.

 

-Larry

 

Couldnt you get a rockwell 6502 chip that clocks at 4.77MH? Just thinking about old chips and the like.. The rest of the chips may not play nice with the aforementioned CPU? just asking...

 

Douglas

[Beetle]

Dmitry, keep practicing! You will know how to do it properly and without destroying stuff with the time.

 

See my 600XL: i removed every single component, and every single component still works.

 

I just "misplaced" them to the bottom side of the mainboard (which means i had to bend each chips

legs 180° upwards before putting it back).

 

I replaced about 5-10 components at once and tried the XL after every one of the bigger chips.

 

But now back to Rapidus & Co...

 

[Panther]

See my 600XL: i removed every single component, and every single component still works.

 

I just "misplaced" them to the bottom side of the mainboard (which means i had to bend each chips

legs 180° upwards before putting it back).

 

Um.... *stunned*

[Kyle22]

Impressive, but wouldn't all that hard work have been better used by installing precision sockets and upgrading the capacitors on the top side of the board?

[Beetle]

Maybe. But then i'd never see those shocked people . That moment when you open the case of the working computer...

The OS EPROM has in fact a precision socket

Edited April 28, 2016 by Beetle

[rockdoc2010]

how the hell did you make an XE version work with a 1200XL?

[flashjazzcat]

how the hell did you make an XE version work with a 1200XL?

 

You need to manufacture an EXTSEL signal by using an additional 74LS08 AND gate.

[rockdoc2010]

So.. its guys like you that make guys like them look like armatures? Sorry busted glasses. cant see straight, horrendous on the equillibrium.. cant solder or glue titainium..

not done with the 1200XL monster board..

 

where do i do that pull for extsel?

 

Douglas

[flashjazzcat]

Fourth paragraph:

 

http://www.retrobits.net/atari/pbi.shtml

 

Although you'll need to get an XL/XE OS in there as well (also described in the same article).

Edited April 28, 2016 by flashjazzcat

[pasiu]

About the Rescue on Fractalus, I guess you have to wait until the author of the film returns from his business trip to China ...

 

Actually it was not China .

 

Here is the version of Rescue of Fractalus I used to record the video:

http://atarionline.pl/arch/R/Rescue%20on%20Fractalus%21/Rescue%20on%20Fractalus%21%20%281985%29%28Epyx%29%28US%29%5Ba%5D.xex