Eric Rousseau Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 Hi people ! I am used to work with Synapse Assembler 4.0 on my 800XL with the disk version. I was wondering if there were any advantage using the cartridge version instead of disk version. After a quick try, I saw there is no load/save function ! I never used any cartridge before... how can we load/save source files if we don't boot from a DOS disk ? I would like to know everything that is to know about using cartridges on the 800XL ou 800.... any reading suggestion ? Thanks ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 With MAC/65 cartridge, you still need a DOS as far as I know, I never tried it without, but then I've only ever used it piggy-backed to SDX and once in SDX type "CAR" to start it, and type DOS in MAC/65 (or any language as far as I know, BASIC XE for sure) to get back into DOS. I'd guess you would load up your favorite DOS and choose to run the cart from the menu or command line like SDX. I can't say for sure as I only started teaching myself assembly and BASIC with SDX and OSS carts (or carts with the images of those carts on them that is). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 Just boot your favorite DOS with the cartridge installed. For Atari DOS 2.0 or 2.5 if you have DUP.SYS on your boot disk, type B to run the cartridge. If you just copy DOS.SYS, I think you'd boot DOS and then the machine would go straight to your cartridge. You should be able to save and load files as usual, but you wouldn't have the utility menu for other tasks. For SpartaDOS 3.2 or 4.x, just type CAR at the command line. Not really that complicated. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGroth Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 On 5/17/2020 at 1:10 AM, DrVenkman said: Just boot your favorite DOS with the cartridge installed. For Atari DOS 2.0 or 2.5 if you have DUP.SYS on your boot disk, type B to run the cartridge. If you just copy DOS.SYS, I think you'd boot DOS and then the machine would go straight to your cartridge. You should be able to save and load files as usual, but you wouldn't have the utility menu for other tasks. For SpartaDOS 3.2 or 4.x, just type CAR at the command line. Not really that complicated. With U1MB and SDX 4.49 and a MAC/65 with DDT cartridge installed I just get Not present! when I type CAR. I wonder why? Regards, JGroth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 15 minutes ago, JGroth said: With U1MB and SDX 4.49 and a MAC/65 with DDT cartridge installed I just get Not present! when I type CAR. I wonder why? Regards, JGroth If you're running a recent build of the U1MB BIOS, make sure you have the cartridge ROM enabled on the main screen. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGroth Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 7 hours ago, DrVenkman said: If you're running a recent build of the U1MB BIOS, make sure you have the cartridge ROM enabled on the main screen. I don't have that setting as I'm running the U1MB on a 800XL and not a 1088XLD. The setting I have says: SIDE Cart ROM: Disabled and is greyed out. The BIOS version is 3.02. Don't think there is a newer one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 22 minutes ago, JGroth said: SIDE Cart ROM: Disabled and is greyed out. The BIOS version is 3.02. Don't think there is a newer one. Make sure the PBI HDD is disabled if you have any cart other than SIDE plugged in. The newest firmware revision is 3.10. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGroth Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 10 minutes ago, flashjazzcat said: Make sure the PBI HDD is disabled if you have any cart other than SIDE plugged in. The newest firmware revision is 3.10. I have searched the Internet for two weeks for that gold nugget! I can finally use MAC/65 with DDT cartridge and U1MB together. You are a star! So BIOS 3.10, is that bug fixes or new features as well? I take it I can download the ATR from your website? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 hmmm no hard drive :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGroth Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 1 minute ago, _The Doctor__ said: hmmm no hard drive Hmmm, 1050 with a Happy upgrade to store source code For now that is just fine. The optimum would be of course if I could start MAC/65 with DDT from SDX command line as a normal program using SIDE2 as an HDD. Disk based MAC/65 exist but you won't get an integrated DDT debugger with it or rather I haven't been able to find that combination other than on a cartridge. Regards, JGroth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 2 hours ago, JGroth said: So BIOS 3.10, is that bug fixes or new features as well? Both. All fixes and improvements are listed in the changelogs. 2 hours ago, JGroth said: I take it I can download the ATR from your website? https://atari8.co.uk/firmware/ultimate-1mb/ 1 hour ago, JGroth said: The optimum would be of course if I could start MAC/65 with DDT from SDX command line as a normal program using SIDE2 as an HDD. Why not try the patched OSS ROMs for SIDE/SIDE2 which ebiguy kindly put together? https://atari8.co.uk/firmware/side/ SIDE2_FULL_OSS_CARTS.ATR contains a ROM which you can flash to the 'whole' SIDE2 chip. It will update SDX to the latest version and provide not only the loader in the 'external cart' slot, but all four OSS programming carts. You can then use SIDECFG.XEX to select which ROM (loader or any of the four OSS carts) becomes active by default. To use these with SDX on the U1MB, enable the PBI HDD, but disable the ATR swap button, and enable SIDE Cart ROM. Put the side cart switch in the upper position and power-cycle the machine. You can then get at the selected OSS programming cart via the 'CAR' command. All this works alongside your SIDE-hosted APT HDD partitions, FAT-hosted disk images, etc (all you lose is the ATR swap button functionality). Not perfect (DDT glitches a little owing to the different ROM banking timings), but it's a useful workaround until such time as SIDE3 is finished (with SIDE3, you'll be able to run OSS ROMs direct from the loader and use them with your partitions and disk images). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGroth Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 1 hour ago, flashjazzcat said: Both. All fixes and improvements are listed in the changelogs. https://atari8.co.uk/firmware/ultimate-1mb/ Why not try the patched OSS ROMs for SIDE/SIDE2 which ebiguy kindly put together? https://atari8.co.uk/firmware/side/ SIDE2_FULL_OSS_CARTS.ATR contains a ROM which you can flash to the 'whole' SIDE2 chip. It will update SDX to the latest version and provide not only the loader in the 'external cart' slot, but all four OSS programming carts. You can then use SIDECFG.XEX to select which ROM (loader or any of the four OSS carts) becomes active by default. To use these with SDX on the U1MB, enable the PBI HDD, but disable the ATR swap button, and enable SIDE Cart ROM. Put the side cart switch in the upper position and power-cycle the machine. You can then get at the selected OSS programming cart via the 'CAR' command. All this works alongside your SIDE-hosted APT HDD partitions, FAT-hosted disk images, etc (all you lose is the ATR swap button functionality). Not perfect (DDT glitches a little owing to the different ROM banking timings), but it's a useful workaround until such time as SIDE3 is finished (with SIDE3, you'll be able to run OSS ROMs direct from the loader and use them with your partitions and disk images). You are a flipping wizard. The instructions worked perfectly. I can now use the CF card as an HDD and have MAC/65 with DDT. So going from nothing 4 months ago I got today: 800XL Ultimate 1MB VBXL SIDE 2 1050 with Happy upgrade SIO Splitter SIO2PC over USB SDrive-Max In the works 600XL It already got a: 64kB RAM upgrade and will get: U1MB VBXL Bidding on a 65XE (on eBay) that will get a 64 kB upgrade basically making it a 130XE. The 65XE is a later model I think because it has an ECI port that together with the cartridge port makes it a PBI port (or have I gotten that wrong). As it is a later model the PCB should be ready for a memory upgrade. Regards, JGroth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 (edited) Might as well use 256k ram chips. That gets you a nice fully xe antic machine with a liitle more memory in one mode and with the added bank select added an antic following 320k xe in the other, nice stuff are you ntsc or pal country, it helps decide if your 65 has an eci or not Edited May 25, 2020 by _The Doctor__ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGroth Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 (edited) 5 hours ago, _The Doctor__ said: Might as well use 256k ram chips. That gets you a nice fully xe antic machine with a liitle more memory in one mode and with the added bank select added an antic following 320k xe in the other, nice stuff are you ntsc or pal country, it helps decide if your 65 has an eci or not PAL country. According to the pictures I've seen it has an ECI port. Do you got any instructions or links how to upgrade it to 320kB? Regards, JGroth Edited May 25, 2020 by JGroth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted May 26, 2020 Share Posted May 26, 2020 Going to need to see whats on the board when it arrives.... there's a couple different variants... I hope you receive one with two banks of 8 chips. I normally do the peterson upgrade with switch mod. I've posted the upgrade and switch a few times. I can try the forum search under my posts with those terms in it or you can..... I'm just not doing it on my phone so maybe tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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