Sleepy Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 (edited) Hi, I´ve a little problem with the SIDE 2 cart. My setup: XEGS with stereo and VBXE (both installed a few years ago), just bought a Ultimate 1MB and SIDE 2. Original firmware on Ultimate 1MB and SIDE 2 until yet (before I do any updates, I want to be sure that U1MB is build in correct and works correctly). A real printer is connected to SIO. My problem: When I start the XEGS with SIDE 2 and the build-in SpartaDos X is loaded, I can´t print. Tried out with Last Word (loaded with "X LW.EXE" from SIDE 2, not via the SIDE-LOADER!) and with LIST "P:" from BASIC (switched from SDX to BASIC with the "BASIC"-command). When I start printing, SIDEs LED flashes up, but nothing happens - the printer doesn´t do anything, I get no error-message. If I start the XEGS without SIDE 2, SpartaDos is loaded, I switch to BASIC, try to print some BASIC-lines with LIST "P:", it works... It seems that the printing-job is redirected to the SIDE 2-cart...?!? What can I do to use the printer and SIDE 2? My target is to do my writing-jobs with Last Word loaded from SIDE 2. It´s my first steps with SpartaDos X & SIDE 2. I tried to find some printer-driver or s.th. similar for SDX, but for nothing. Sleepy Edited January 27, 2017 by Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candle Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 could you try with panther? without sdx whatsoever, just clean boot with this file (you can use side2 loader) ftp://ftp.pigwa.net/stuff/collections/atari_forever/Tools%20-%20atr/PANTHER.atr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Make sure the SIDE driver is up to date. A really old version has a bug which affected printing and floppy access, etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted January 27, 2017 Author Share Posted January 27, 2017 (edited) could you try with panther? without sdx whatsoever, just clean boot with this file (you can use side2 loader) ftp://ftp.pigwa.net/stuff/collections/atari_forever/Tools%20-%20atr/PANTHER.atr I put the atr on the CF-Card and followed the steps explained in the SIDE2-manual: VI. ATR loading - ULTIMATE USERS only • Enter ultimate bios ( help+reset ) • Enable Sparta DOS • Enable PBI device with BUTTON SUPPORT • Press and hold “L” to activate SIDE2 loader • Choose Your *.atr file and press enter The SIDE-LED flashes up, then screen freeze blue with cursor at 0,2. If atari8 is online again, I´ll update SIDE and try again. Sleeπ Edited January 27, 2017 by Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Ack... totally missed that you're using the SIDE with the PBI driver. There should be no issues then, but ensure that HSIO is set up the way you want it if using the Alt firmware. SIDE.SYS on CAR: is irrelevant if you're using the U1MB PBI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) Inbetween, I managed to update the Ultimate 1MB to fjc´s improved firmware. I updated "Main BIOS" and "Loader". Past these updates, LW sends a document to the printer and I heard this familiar dot-natrix-sound ! Hooray! :-) In the "Ultimate 1MB and Incognito BIOS and XEX Loader: User Manual (PDF)", it is mentioned to update the main bios, loader and the PBI-bios, but the download (Ultimate 1MB Firmware Update 07-12-2016) doesn´t contain a PBI-bios (UPBIxxx.ROM). Is this correct? After that, I tried to update the SIDE 2-cart. Starting the FLSIDE2.COM-flasher (mounted as D4: via sio2osX), I got a ""WARNING: Flash not found!"-message. When I changed to D1:, I can acess to the files stored on the CF-card; so I think the SIDE 2 is present for the atari, but the flasher doesn´t find the cartridge... Any idea what I´m doing wrong? Sleeπ Edited January 28, 2017 by Sleepy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 In the "Ultimate 1MB and Incognito BIOS and XEX Loader: User Manual (PDF)", it is mentioned to update the main bios, loader and the PBI-bios, but the download (Ultimate 1MB Firmware Update 07-12-2016) doesn´t contain a PBI-bios (UPBIxxx.ROM). Is this correct? Inside the "ROMs" folder is ULPBI185.ROM. That's the PBI BIOS. You can also apply FIRMWARE.ROM to the "Firmware" slot using the most recent UFLASH versions if you like. This absolutely ensures all three firmware components are up-to-date and in sync. After that, I tried to update the SIDE 2-cart. Starting the FLSIDE2.COM-flasher (mounted as D4: via sio2osX), I got a ""WARNING: Flash not found!"-message. When I changed to D1:, I can acess to the files stored on the CF-card; so I think the SIDE 2 is present for the atari, but the flasher doesn´t find the cartridge... The U1MB PBI feature completely disables the SIDE2 flash ROM, so you need to disable the PBI BIOS (or at least the hard disk) and disable SDX in the U1MB BIOS menu. Boot SDX from the SIDE2 (with the switch in the lower position) and run UFLASH, which should then detect the SIDE flash ROM and allow updating of SDX and the loader (external cart). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) O.K., PBI-driver succesfully updated. :-) I still try to update SIDE 2. If I start uFlash and choose "Device/Open.../SIDE2", I get still a "Device not present"-message: If I start uFlash and choose "Device/Open.../SIDE", uFlash shows some information about hardware detected. Could it be possible that the problem is the CF-Card (or some information stored on the card) ? I also own an older SIDE, which I never really use, but the CF-Card was in the older SIDE before. Tested: Its the same without CF-card. Sleeπ Edited January 28, 2017 by Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Side should auto-detect if U1MB SDX is disabled and PBI is off. Can you make some screenshots of main and PBI BIOS settings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) No problem. U1MB bios-settings: uFlash loaded from SIDE 2 via U1MB-loader: Side-cart: Actual loader on the cart: Sleeπ Edited January 28, 2017 by Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 OK... I see what's up. Please try running UFLASH from the SDX prompt after booting DOS from the SIDE cart or using the side loader on the cart itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted January 29, 2017 Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 (edited) Meantime, I think there´s something wrong with the SIDE 2-cart. In both position of the switch, the SIDE-Loader comes up. At the beginning, when the cart was new, in one position SDX starts, in the other the loader comes up. Maybe, my experiments in updating broke s.th. in the cart´s software (or the switch itself has a malfunction)... When I start uflash.xex, no hardware is detected: Starting uflash with the SIDE-Loader, neither "SIDE" nor "SIDE 2" is detected. Same uflash startet with the U1MB-loader, SIDE 2 is detected as SIDE. What is the criterium for uflash to say "this is SIDE or SIDE 2"? Sleeπ Edited January 29, 2017 by Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Yeah - perhaps SDX has been obliterated somehow, but if the old version of the XEX loader on the cart has the D: file system handler, you should be able to launch UFLASH from there, navigate to your ROMs in the FAT partition, and update SDX and the loader on the cart. But now I attempt to perform the operation here, it appears I can duplicate the inability to detect SIDE2, so let me see if I can fix this newly introduced bug. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 (edited) OK - I finally remembered the solution. Boot from SIDE2 with the switch in the SDX (down) position and then type CAR at the prompt. This will run the cart's XEX loader and let the banking register access the whole ROM since the bottom half of the chip is enabled (it's disabled with the switch in the loader position). UFLASH should probably be changed to still allow flashing of the upper half of the ROM when the loader has been directly booted (with the switch in the upper position), but you wouldn't be able to flash the SDX portion then anyway. The problem comes when SDX on the SIDE cart is damaged and you can't get into the cart loader using the above method. I don't see why UFLASH shouldn't be able to manually open the SIDE2 ROM when run from the U1MB's internal XEX loader, but the base register detection strategy (checking for banking registers and the presence of ROM and ensuring the device you don't want doesn't have ROM banked in at the same time) is quite complicated and I'll need to take another look at it. The ATR flashers for SIDE/SIDE2 which I included in the firmware update may get you out of trouble with flashing the loader. Meanwhile, the SDX ATR flashers will handle the DOS part of the ROM. Edited January 29, 2017 by flashjazzcat 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted January 29, 2017 Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 I´m sorry, I didn´t get uflash accepting SIDE 2. I´ll updated my old SIDE just now; it was no problem. I´ll show it to tf_hh at the next atari-meeting; he´s familiar with U1MB & SIDE and knows the hardware. If he doesn´t know, I´ll send it to Lotharek to fix it. Maybe it must be programmed with a programming device. The important thing for me is that I can use it as hard drive with Last Word, can save text and print it out at a real printer. This works perfect. Loading files from the CF card works also fine with the U1MB loader. :-) Many thanks for your help, Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 No problem - I'm glad if I helped in some way. I sat down last night and added the SIDE2 external cart as a separately detected device in UFLASH, but then abandoned everything I'd written, since presenting the flash ROM ("Entire ROM") entry as half its actual size (256KB instead of the whole 512KB) seemed confusing and counter-intuitive. So I'm inclined to stick to the idea that UFLASH should be run from SDX, with SDX booted from the SIDE2's ROM in those circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Yesterday evening, I wanted to play a little bit and put my Yoomp!-cart into the XEGS and noticed that it doesn´t boot from a normal game-cartridge anymore; before I installed the U1MB it did. Now, with a game-cart inserted, BASIC or SDX comes up, depending SDX/BASIC is enabled or not. So I think that my installation of the U1MB is faulty; maybe I damaged a pad desoldering the MMU... This evening, I´ll check RD4 & RD5 from cartridge-port via MMU to U1MB and fix the failure. Unfortunately, I didn´t test the upgrade with a normal game-cart; I thought when the SIDE / SIDE 2 works, installation is okay. Seems to be a mistake... Maybe that´s the reason for my problems flashing the SIDE 2, too. Sleepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Try disabling the hard disk (or the whole PBI) in the BIOS menu. When the PBI HDD is enabled, the external cartridge (usually the SIDE cart) will be suppressed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 (edited) Problem with non-starting game-cartridges solved! Actual, ordinary and logical: The U1MB contains four OS: stock XL, stock XE, QMEG & a HighSpeed-OS. But for the XEGS, there is a different OS. Flashed this OS into one of the U1MBs OS-slots, rename slot to "XEGS" et voilá, it works! No faulty installation of hardware, no software-issue, just the wrong OS... If the wrong OS also causes the trouble updating SIDE 2 I can´t check; it´s en route to tf_hh. Sleepy Edited January 31, 2017 by Sleepy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 (edited) so the cure was to reflash after all just helps to pick for the right machine! Edited January 31, 2017 by _The Doctor__ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 The updates to flashjazzcat´s firmware (Main/Loader/PBI) I had already done; but I don´t wonder about the different OS. I thought it´s adequate to set the U1MBs XEGS-Jumper. Sleepy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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