NTSC core for VBXE?

[Piotr D. Kaczorowski]

If there are no takers, I can probably also prepare such ATR images.

[tebe]

VBXE packages 2023-09-03 (MyDos, Sparta DOS X ATR-s included)

new core, GTIA + ROCKY Palette (rocky_real_atari2.act)

File: v1fx126a.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "FX v1.26 LAOO PAL               "
File: v1fx126r.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "FX v1.26 RAMBO LAOO PAL         "
File: v1g106a.rbf   converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 LAOO PAL             "
File: v1g106r.rbf   converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 RAMBO LAOO PAL       "
File: v2fx126a.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "FX v1.26 LAOO PAL               "
File: v2fx126r.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "FX v1.26 RAMBO LAOO PAL         "
File: v2g106a.rbf   converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 LAOO PAL             "
File: v2g106r.rbf   converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 RAMBO LAOO PAL       "
File: v1g106g.rbf   converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 5200 LAOO PAL        "
File: v1fx126g.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "FX v1.26 5200 LAOO PAL          "
File: v2g106g.rbf   converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 5200 LAOO PAL        "
File: v2fx126g.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "FX v1.26 5200 LAOO PAL          "

File: v1x126a2.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "FX v1.26 ROCKY PAL              "
File: v1x126r2.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "FX v1.26 RAMBO ROCKY PAL        "
File: v2x126a2.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "FX v1.26 ROCKY PAL              "
File: v2x126r2.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "FX v1.26 RAMBO ROCKY PAL        "
File: v1g106a2.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 ROCKY PAL            "
File: v1g106r2.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 RAMBO ROCKY PAL      "
File: v2g106a2.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 ROCKY PAL            "
File: v2g106r2.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "GTIA v1.06 RAMBO ROCKY PAL      "

File: v1x126a3.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "FX v1.26 NTSC                   "
File: v1x126r3.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE1, CFG name: "FX v1.26 RAMBO NTSC             "
File: v2x126a3.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "FX v1.26 NTSC                   "
File: v2x126r3.rbf  converted, HW:VBXE2, CFG name: "FX v1.26 RAMBO NTSC             "

 

VBXE_package_20230903.zip

Edited September 3, 2023 by tebe

[Piotr D. Kaczorowski]

 

I understand that someone might hesitate to use a program for flashing anything, but let me clarify that the NC.COM program is trivial to use.

 

Essentially, it shows the slots where you can load the cores. You have to select a core from the list beforehand. Then you load the chosen core into the designated slot.

 

After loading various slots, you can set which one is the active booting core. So, you can load several versions, such as FX, GTIA, FX with an NTSC palette, or FX with 320KB Rambo and an NTSC palette.

 

 

[_The Doctor__]

Please apply tags and all of that sort of stuff to these VBXE topics so they may be found with searches in the future.

[tebe]

2 minutes ago, _The Doctor__ said:

Please apply tags and all of that sort of stuff to these VBXE topics so they may be found with searches in the future.

https://madteam.atari8.info/index.php?prod=vbxe

[Piotr D. Kaczorowski]

12 minutes ago, _The Doctor__ said:

Please apply tags and all of that sort of stuff to these VBXE topics so they may be found with searches in the future.

 

@_The Doctor__,

 

For the NTSC region and the American history of 8-bit Atari usage, which is somewhat different from the European experience, I think an interesting topic will also be the native 80-column mode, which can be used for BBSs and CP/M. Among the new features are, of course, SpartaDOS X and a CON: driver that can be used with other programs.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 3, 2023 by Piotr D. Kaczorowski

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Off topic I guess, but until these newer cores etc. were released I didn't know there was anything specific for the 5200 and VBXE? So the VBXE can be used with a 5200? Any instructions on the install procedure for that? What about an NTSC 5200 core to be developed? Because if the VBXE is usable on the 5200, then that is awesome since the Sophia II isn't exactly readily available.

 

Also thanks @tebe for the files. I'm still not quite sure how they are used, but I guess I will try copying this stuff over to my FujiNet and set what I can figure out.

 

[Piotr D. Kaczorowski]

2 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

 

I'm still not quite sure how they are used, but I guess I will try copying this stuff over to my FujiNet and set what I can figure out.

 

 

 

For example, you should copy the two files, FC.COM and v2x126a3.rbf (which is for HARDWARE: VBXE 2.0 / 2.1, FX core v1.26 with NTSC palette), to an ATR file.

 

Then run FC.COM, flash v2x126a3.rbf to the first empty slot, and set it as bootable.

 

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by Piotr D. Kaczorowski

[+-^CrossBow^-]

2 minutes ago, Piotr D. Kaczorowski said:

 

 

 

 

Right understood, but I've not ran any actual executable type files from off my 130xe since I finally decided to check it out just a few years ago. I only own software on cart as I haven't a working disk drive or tape drive. So yeah, using the fujinet beyond just loading single ATR/XEX type files will be a new one to me LOL!

 

[Piotr D. Kaczorowski]

7 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

Right understood, but I've not ran any actual executable type files from off my 130xe since I finally decided to check it out just a few years ago. I only own software on cart as I haven't a working disk drive or tape drive. So yeah, using the fujinet beyond just loading single ATR/XEX type files will be a new one to me LOL!

 

 

Thanks to @tschak909, Fujinet is my first tool

 

 

 

 

The above 600XL has VBXE and SRAM 64K v3. I have prepared an ATR with the Rocky palette, but it is formatted in the SDX format. Using UltimateCart, I launched SpartaDOS X. SysCheck 2.2 provided Atari with additional memory and HSIO.

 

 

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by Piotr D. Kaczorowski

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Okay, not having any luck with getting mine to flash apparently. As I'm not at all familiar with any of the actual DOS applications for Atari, it took me a bit and a user guide from an emulator of all things to finally figure out that the letter "L" is to load a binary file, only on the menu it is labeled as Load Memory so I didn't know that was for executing or running files labeled that way.

 

Anyway, I get FC.com running and press enter on the currently selected B1 bank and it pulls up the cores. I selected the one that I thought would go with my VBXE being the V2x126a3 core, but it comes back telling me wrong VBXE version? I can load up the v1x126a3 core and that goes through the flash, but then it errors on the verification and kicks me back to FC.com

 

Unless I've got some sort of odd bootleg VBXE (Pretty sure I don't) it should be a 2.1 VBXE as that is what is marked on the VBXE board so I'm not sure why the v2 core files all come up telling me wrong VBXE version?

 

Needless to say, it isn't taking the flash process so seems to remain as it was before.

 

I've attached a pic of the VBXE installed into my 130xe. States 2.1 on the top but apparently these 2x cores don't like it?

 

[Piotr D. Kaczorowski]

3 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

Okay, not having any luck with getting mine to flash apparently...

I'm going to check and install core with NTSC today.

[Piotr D. Kaczorowski]

4 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

Okay, not having any luck with getting mine to flash apparently.

 

 

 

You have the latest VBXE 2.1 version, so the most suitable core file for you will be: v2x126a3.rbf

 

[Piotr D. Kaczorowski]

 

ATR image for SpartaDOS X containing the files fc.com and v2x126a3.rbf.  This is basic core with NTSC palette, without 320KB Rambo and for the latest VBXE 2.0 oraz 2.1 boards.  

 

Installation verified. Video available on AtariAge Discord in hardware-mods.

VBXE2x_FX_v126_core_ntsc_palette.atr

[JGRAHAM2]

52 minutes ago, Piotr D. Kaczorowski said:

 

ATR image for SpartaDOS X containing the files fc.com and v2x126a3.rbf.  This is basic core with NTSC palette, without 320KB Rambo and for the latest VBXE 2.0 oraz 2.1 boards.  

 

Works! Thanks

[+-^CrossBow^-]

4 hours ago, Piotr D. Kaczorowski said:

 

ATR image for SpartaDOS X containing the files fc.com and v2x126a3.rbf.  This is basic core with NTSC palette, without 320KB Rambo and for the latest VBXE 2.0 oraz 2.1 boards.  

 

Installation verified. Video available on AtariAge Discord in hardware-mods.

VBXE2x_FX_v126_core_ntsc_palette.atr 359.64 kB · 1 download

I will give this a try a bit later as I still have the 130xe setup. Will load it up on my FujiNet as the file is too large to load up on my UnoCart.

 

*UPDATE*

 

No dice. The new ATR just throws BOOT ERROR down the screen from the FujiNet. Doesn't matter if I hold down OPTION or not when trying to boot the ATR. The only ATR that I can get to load so far is the MyDOS ATR of this update, but then that doesn't seem to actually update as I've stated. 

 

Is there someone that I can send my VBXE board to, to try and get this done perhaps? Maybe there is something wrong with my VBXE that has been there since day one I've never known about since this is the first time I've tried to make any changes to it?

 

 

[+DrVenkman]

2 hours ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

I will give this a try a bit later as I still have the 130xe setup. Will load it up on my FujiNet as the file is too large to load up on my UnoCart.

 

*UPDATE*

 

No dice. The new ATR just throws BOOT ERROR down the screen from the FujiNet. Doesn't matter if I hold down OPTION or not when trying to boot the ATR. The only ATR that I can get to load so far is the MyDOS ATR of this update, but then that doesn't seem to actually update as I've stated. 

 

Is there someone that I can send my VBXE board to, to try and get this done perhaps? Maybe there is something wrong with my VBXE that has been there since day one I've never known about since this is the first time I've tried to make any changes to it?

 

 

Okay, SpartaDOS X is not bootable from an ATR. But you can load Piotr's ATR in the D2: slot of your FujiNet, then something like SpartaDOS 3.2 in the D1: slot and boot (hold OPTION to suppress BASIC). From the SpartaDOS command line, you would then run FC  (e.g., D2:FC.COM) and then try to flash your board.

[tebe]

X FC.COM

 

We will be requisitioning equipment for not handling SDX or VBXE, just so you know, just a warning

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpartaDOS_X

 

https://atariwiki.org/wiki/attach/SpartaDOS/SpartaDOS X 4.48 User Guide.pdf

page 12 (2.16 BASIC, CAR, and X)

Edited September 4, 2023 by tebe

[syscall]

On 9/3/2023 at 1:39 PM, Piotr D. Kaczorowski said:

I need to send flowers to the lady from your company's secretariat. She may have violated "RODO" a bit, and I was shocked myself. The important thing is that the issue concerned a larger matter.

Dude, if you called his workplace to find and contact him, you are seriously spooky and I'd keep away from you.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

1 hour ago, DrVenkman said:

Okay, SpartaDOS X is not bootable from an ATR. But you can load Piotr's ATR in the D2: slot of your FujiNet, then something like SpartaDOS 3.2 in the D1: slot and boot (hold OPTION to suppress BASIC). From the SpartaDOS command line, you would then run FC  (e.g., D2:FC.COM) and then try to flash your board.

I will look for a Spartados image and give this a try. Although again, I'm suspecting something is up with my VBXE at this point vs how I'm trying to load it all up. But, I'm willing to give as much as I can a try here with what I can access and use LOL! Thanks all for the assistance in this! 

 

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I finally got this to work but it required some very specific stuff to do it.

 

First is that the ONLY spartados image I've found to work is the one from Brewing Academy's tnfs server. But even then, I had to copy it onto the SD card as just loading it via wi-fi wouldn't seem to work. That got Spartdos loading up. I then have to load up @Piotr D. Kaczorowski atr file that has the FC.COM and XBF config files in it to another slot on the FujiNet. From there I switch drives once Spartdos loads and run the FC.com and everything works as expected now. When I use @tebe's ATR, I can get the FC.com to load up, but then all of the info in the program is essentially blank and doesn't seem to 'see' my VBXE. While the FC.com from Piotr's does. No idea why that is...but there we go.

 

I've got the NTSC palette showing now through my VBXE and the game RGB finally looks correct!

 

So yeah it was a bit of a trial for me but I got it.

 

[Piotr D. Kaczorowski]

2 hours ago, syscall said:

Dude, if you called his workplace to find and contact him, you are seriously spooky and I'd keep away from you.

Look for positives, not negatives. No one has been harmed. Everyone is satisfied. Nobody is bothering anyone either. It's a normal thing. At least here in Poland, it's not a problem, because people are open to the problems of others and helpful. As Electron wrote, people here preferred to talk for 6 years instead of directly asking for help. Anyway, there's probably no need to develop this topic further, as it seems to have been close.

[Piotr D. Kaczorowski]

11 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

I finally got this to work but it required some very specific stuff to do it.

 

First is that the ONLY spartados image I've found to work is the one from Brewing Academy's tnfs server. But even then, I had to copy it onto the SD card as just loading it via wi-fi wouldn't seem to work. That got Spartdos loading up. I then have to load up @Piotr D. Kaczorowski atr file that has the FC.COM and XBF config files in it to another slot on the FujiNet. From there I switch drives once Spartdos loads and run the FC.com and everything works as expected now. When I use @tebe's ATR, I can get the FC.com to load up, but then all of the info in the program is essentially blank and doesn't seem to 'see' my VBXE. While the FC.com from Piotr's does. No idea why that is...but there we go.

 

I've got the NTSC palette showing now through my VBXE and the game RGB finally looks correct!

 

So yeah it was a bit of a trial for me but I got it.

 

I'm glad I could help

[wildstar87]

Thanks for getting this pushed through Piotr.  It gives me a bit more motivation to trying to get it working.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

10 minutes ago, wildstar87 said:

Thanks for getting this pushed through Piotr.  It gives me a bit more motivation to trying to get it working.

Well, I didn't quite outline the exact steps I had to take so for any others that similar to me, just aren't versed in using an Atari computer beyond simply loading games. I have a 130xe that I installed my VBXE into and used my FujiNet 1.5 to get it done.  This is what I had to do:

 

- First was finding a SpartaDOS ATR image that would work. The 3.2 image from Brewing Academy's TNFS worked for me. But I had to copy it to my SDcard and then load that to a drive slot.

- I also had to go into my FuniNet's configuration via HTML webpage and set the SIO speed to the slowest setting of 55kb. Anything faster and SpartaDOS would refuse to load properly. 

- I downloaded @Piotr D. Kaczorowski ATR that has the FC.com and needed XBF file and placed that into a different slot on my Fujinet. Slot 3 in this case for drive 3 emulation.

- Held down OPTION to have the fujiNet boot up using the SpartaDOS ATR in slot1

- In SpartaDOS I just had to type 'D3:' to switch to drive 3 (Slot 3 on the fujinet). That allows me to access the ATR files that Piotr provided.

- Type FC.COM

- From here the program comes up and shows me what is currently in the banks of my VBXE. I had the original FX 126 PAL installed into the first 2 banks and the GTIA 106 in banks 3 and 4.

- Made sure that bank1 was selected (It is by default), and had to press the 'L' key to load up a different XBF. It will come up with a list of the XBF files found.

- Use the cursor keys on the keyboard to navigate and select the XBF you want. If you use the ATR from Piotr, there will be just the one. I did add in the Rambo NTSC to the ATR using Altirra so I could select it also.

- Press enter on the XBF you want and at that point, it should begin to flash program the VBXE. This will take a few min given the slow speed of the SIO in this mode.

- Once that is done, it will then go through the Verification process which, looks the same as the programming. This should complete with no errors...although I still had some issues...

- You will be back at the main FC program screen and you can press the B key on the first bank or whichever bank you installed the XBF core file to, so that is the core that the VBXE boots with when it comes up from then on.

- Press Esc to exit and...you're done.

 

For some reason, the MyDos ATR had issues in that my VBXE was never being 'seen' properly by the program and it would only work properly using the SpartaDOS image. Even then I still had 2 instances where the verification process would just stop and give an error. Once was after the first verification, and the second time it happened was about midway through. On the 3rd attempt it seemed to pass without issue. I also got and still get verification issues when trying to load up the RAM expanded NTSC core. However, while it does or seems to fail verification, it still appears to be loaded and working regardless.

 

So that was the process I went through on my 130xe to get this going using my Fujinet.