blakespot Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 I have a 520ST that I've expanded to 4MB RAM and upgraded to Rainbow TOS (1.04). NTSC machine w/ a SC1224. When I run any of the Spectrum 512 slideshow disks, I get garbled images. I know timing is key with Spectrum 512, but I'm not accelerating the system. Any ideas? I used Spectrum 512 happily on my decades-ago 520ST w/ earlier TOS and 1MB RAM. Thanks. bp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 I have a 520ST that I've expanded to 4MB RAM and upgraded to Rainbow TOS (1.04). NTSC machine w/ a SC1224. When I run any of the Spectrum 512 slideshow disks, I get garbled images. I know timing is key with Spectrum 512, but I'm not accelerating the system. Any ideas? I used Spectrum 512 happily on my decades-ago 520ST w/ earlier TOS and 1MB RAM. Thanks. bp It is timing dependent. Try a different slideshow program? I have a vague memory that Spectrum had to be updated for later STs. Maybe try the "Photochrome" program, which is the best image viewer I know of for ST. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakespot Posted July 6, 2017 Author Share Posted July 6, 2017 It is timing dependent. Try a different slideshow program? I have a vague memory that Spectrum had to be updated for later STs. Maybe try the "Photochrome" program, which is the best image viewer I know of for ST. Thanks for the tip. I will try to find an image for Photocrome and throw it on the HxC2K1. bp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exxosuk Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Try this demo. http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=66787 That is up to date to take into account various timing issues on various ST's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ijor Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 Spectrum won't work correctly with some wakestates. Later versions included a small test program in the AUTO folder that displayed a couple of vertical lines. Try to find that version, and if it fails, power cycle and try again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodLightning Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 I had a 1mb upgraded 520ST back in the 90s with the same problem. This particular STFM worked fine until it had been running 5 to 10 minutes and then spectrum images would begin to flicker and become garbled. The Union Demo 'Level16' screen would be particularly screwed up. After powering the computer off for a while, the problem would go away. It would return again when things had time to warm up. The video shifter was socketed, so I replaced it and saw no change. I ended up trading that ST for another one that worked fine. I have always wondered if the faulty one had some issue with the upgrade drams..cold solder joint or faulty chip somewhere? Maybe the factory memory had slightly different timing? Sorry to introduce more questions instead of answers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 I had a 1mb upgraded 520ST back in the 90s with the same problem. This particular STFM worked fine until it had been running 5 to 10 minutes and then spectrum images would begin to flicker and become garbled. The Union Demo 'Level16' screen would be particularly screwed up. After powering the computer off for a while, the problem would go away. It would return again when things had time to warm up. The video shifter was socketed, so I replaced it and saw no change. I ended up trading that ST for another one that worked fine. I have always wondered if the faulty one had some issue with the upgrade drams..cold solder joint or faulty chip somewhere? Maybe the factory memory had slightly different timing? Sorry to introduce more questions instead of answers. mine never had that problem, but my STfm often showed black pixels in Spectrum images that I don't think should have been there. I don't think my STe had that problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakespot Posted January 14, 2018 Author Share Posted January 14, 2018 I never got this working. I have 3 Spectrum 512 slideshow disks and all show garbled images on my 4MB expanded 520ST (no CPU accelerator or anything wonky like that). I tried Photochrome app, but it seems just to convert TGA, IFF, etc. into Spectrum vs viewing Spectrum images. Does anyone have a viewer that can render S512 images on this ST? Thanks. bp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanoidLittleMan Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 I never got this working. I have 3 Spectrum 512 slideshow disks and all show garbled images on my 4MB expanded 520ST (no CPU accelerator or anything wonky like that). I tried Photochrome app, but it seems just to convert TGA, IFF, etc. into Spectrum vs viewing Spectrum images. Does anyone have a viewer that can render S512 images on this ST? Thanks. bp Really ? Before writing such things should check better what some SW can. Photochrome is capable for much more than Spectrum 512, and was developed in last years too. I had some mailing with Douglas Little (man who did that SW), and he made it really well usable and configurable. Spectrum 512 was done before Atari STE, so can only 512 colors. Newer ones can 4096 colors, and even more using 2 alternating screens with slightly different palette. I used Photochrome images with game adaptations. You can try many of them without hard disk, from floppy, like: http://atari.8bitchip.info/SCRSH/moonpatr.html Later I started to use Cyg's hi-color system, what is similar to Photochrome, with even more overscan. http://atari.8bitchip.info/SCRSH/p47.html By later there are separated screens for ST and STE (file *.HST what starts with L is for ST) . There is compensation for USA ST timing difference (slightly diff, CPU clock) in later . I think that your ST is just in not good condition, and that's the problem. Waiting your test results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakespot Posted January 14, 2018 Author Share Posted January 14, 2018 Really ? Before writing such things should check better what some SW can. Photochrome is capable for much more than Spectrum 512, and was developed in last years too. I had some mailing with Douglas Little (man who did that SW), and he made it really well usable and configurable. Spectrum 512 was done before Atari STE, so can only 512 colors. Newer ones can 4096 colors, and even more using 2 alternating screens with slightly different palette. I used Photochrome images with game adaptations. You can try many of them without hard disk, from floppy, like: http://atari.8bitchip.info/SCRSH/moonpatr.html Later I started to use Cyg's hi-color system, what is similar to Photochrome, with even more overscan. http://atari.8bitchip.info/SCRSH/p47.html By later there are separated screens for ST and STE (file *.HST what starts with L is for ST) . There is compensation for USA ST timing difference (slightly diff, CPU clock) in later . I think that your ST is just in not good condition, and that's the problem. Waiting your test results. It seems capable of much, but I don't see it being capable of loading Spectrum 512 images and displaying them. At least according to the filetypes that it indicate it loads on the file prompt. What am I missing? I want to look at Spectrum 512 images, not convert Targa, RAW, GIF, or IFF files to Spectrum, etc. It prompts with those options -- does not offer the loading of .SPC images that I can see. If it does support this functionality -- can you point out how to access it? Thanks. bp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanoidLittleMan Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 (edited) You need to test your computer first. If it can not display properly hi-color formats no sense for seeking SW what can display Spectrum 512 images (if there is at all some except Spectrum 512 self). Your "it seems just to convert TGA, IFF, etc. into Spectrum" was misleading - why should it convert into Spectrum 512 format, when it uses more advanced formats ? And of course, you can look those images with some emulator. And you could post here those 3 slideshow disk images ... P.S. It's fascinating how little googling can find things in seconds: https://www.yaronet.com/topics/186587-spectrum-5124k-image-converter-for-the-atari-stste Why they call it converter is not clear. As I see it only displays ... Edited January 14, 2018 by ParanoidLittleMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakespot Posted January 14, 2018 Author Share Posted January 14, 2018 You need to test your computer first. If it can not display properly hi-color formats no sense for seeking SW what can display Spectrum 512 images (if there is at all some except Spectrum 512 self). Your "it seems just to convert TGA, IFF, etc. into Spectrum" was misleading - why should it convert into Spectrum 512 format, when it uses more advanced formats ? And of course, you can look those images with some emulator. And you could post here those 3 slideshow disk images ... P.S. It's fascinating how little googling can find things in seconds: https://www.yaronet.com/topics/186587-spectrum-5124k-image-converter-for-the-atari-stste Why they call it converter is not clear. As I see it only displays ... This < 2K SLIDE.PRG does view a .SPC image successfully. I put it on a floppy full of .SPC images and it loads and reloads just one image over and over and quits with any keypress. I wish it acted more as I might expect it to. :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanoidLittleMan Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 That program loads all SPC files on disk in cycle . I guess that your floppy is in bad shape. What about imaging it ? Do you hear me at all ? Nice avatar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakespot Posted January 15, 2018 Author Share Posted January 15, 2018 (edited) LittleMan, I am not using a floppy drive - you guessed wrong. HxC2001. And I contacted the author of SLIDE.PRG it only supports .SPU files, not the compressed .SPC files. Youre wrong again, it seems. Does any one else have any ideas re: NTSC Rainbow TOS 4MB 520ST showing garbled Spectrum 512 images? Thanks. bp Edited January 15, 2018 by blakespot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 I never got this working. I have 3 Spectrum 512 slideshow disks and all show garbled images on my 4MB expanded 520ST (no CPU accelerator or anything wonky like that). I tried Photochrome app, but it seems just to convert TGA, IFF, etc. into Spectrum vs viewing Spectrum images. Does anyone have a viewer that can render S512 images on this ST? Thanks. bp Photochrome is not a converter, it loads in several different image formats and displays them using one of six different strategies, (including Spectrum) I thought it loaded spectrum, but I guess not. It is capable of producing better results than Spectrum 512, and many common Spectrum 512 images are just converted from GIFs anyway, you can load those GIFs into photochrome. So I guess if you are trying to view specific Spectum pics, it won't help, but if you want to see what the ST is really capable of graphically, then you should definitely check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanoidLittleMan Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 LittleMan, I am not using a floppy drive - you guessed wrong. HxC2001. And I contacted the author of SLIDE.PRG it only supports .SPU files, not the compressed .SPC files. Youre wrong again, it seems. Does any one else have any ideas re: NTSC Rainbow TOS 4MB 520ST showing garbled Spectrum 512 images? Thanks. bp Sure, I'm wrong because wasting time with ungrateful, not capable even to use Google someone. Did I say that it can show SPC ? It was normal to assume that your floppy is in bad shape. And I offered you what to test, but you just repeat same and same again - how to watch Spectrum 512 images . Use emulator, use Google ... Don\t waste time with us, wrong people Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanoidLittleMan Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Of course, someone with brain would try to convert SPC to SPU and then to watch with that SLIDE.PRG - when it displays it OK on that computer. Funny in this is that Spectrum 512 is made in USA, so programmers certainly tested it on NTSC Atari ST. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lapin Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Hi, I'm happy to see that someone is still interested in working with spectrum. Any idea of where I could find the manual ? Thanks for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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