Just acquired a FujiNet

[Dmitry]

I'm very excited to just have received a FujiNet.  Now, it doesn't work.

 

So, there is going to be some troubleshooting here.    It goes through config and connects to wi-fi.  It will download disks from TNFS.

 

However, any attempt create a disk will not succeed.  Also if I download disks and attempt to use them, like use BobTerm to connect to Alcatraz BBS - I it won't connect for more than 2 seconds, usually I see at. most a line or two, then the machine locks up and reboots.

 

Also in the config menu, if I go to an empty slot and hit w or r, the machine immediately locks up.

 

Even when loading another terminal like IceT, I've never successfully loaded that program - it tends to hang and reboot.

 

A bum unit?  Or this is the state of development so far?   

 

How are you using it as an ATR-loader?   According to the quick start, the machine is suppose to speak to me (I have that set in the config) when I switch disks, but it never makes any noise.  When I ask "how are you using it" - keep in mind you do not need to go into the standard spiel about reading the manual because I have done that - what I mean is the manual doesn't mention how you specifically create your own ATR or load them on the disk.  If it is a matter of merely copying them, that simply doesn't work for me, at this stage.   I go to an empty slot in config, and select enter and that does nothing.  I used another computer to copy over ATR images, but that does nothing.

 

I booted to SDX and looked at the included utilities and tried to use that to create a disk, but it also just says error.

 

Any help would be appreciated...I don't know yet if I just got a non-working unit, or another problem.  Could be anything...thanks!

 

 

[Dmitry]

From SpartaDosX,   FLD.COM - run once, OK.  

Run second time: computer hangs.

 

Reboot.  Run fld.com 3 times, OK.

 

shows 2 disks, hit switch button, no sound

 

try this:

 fnew.com 3,3,1,test.atr

 

computer hangs

 

cold start.  type fld.com OK,  type DIR F*.* - computer hangs

 

This computer is working otherwise, so....any ideas?

 

 

[tschak909]

31 minutes ago, Dmitry said:

From SpartaDosX,   FLD.COM - run once, OK.  

Run second time: computer hangs.

 

Reboot.  Run fld.com 3 times, OK.

 

shows 2 disks, hit switch button, no sound

 

try this:

 fnew.com 3,3,1,test.atr

 

computer hangs

 

cold start.  type fld.com OK,  type DIR F*.* - computer hangs

 

This computer is working otherwise, so....any ideas?

 

 

 

(1) When creating a disk, can you use the MONITOR button in the flasher to get the debugging output when you create the disk, and paste it here? This will help immensely.

 

(2) Some BBSes send lots of 1 byte packets that the ESP32 doesn't respond fast enough to (which causes duplicate packet acknowledgements and subsequent collisions, we are trying to solve this problem.)

 

-Thom

[Dmitry]

Thanks for trying to help!  Maybe we can figure something out, but it'll take a bit....as at this moment, I have no idea what you are saying.  The MONITOR? button in the flasher? 

 

What do those words mean?

 

What I have is a 1200XL (expanded, but I have turned off the rapidus), and a stock 130XE (also using to test, in case it helps).

And I have a FujiNet cartridge that I bought from one of the retailers.

 

After I started running into problems, I went ahead and turned on spartdosX in the U1MB on the 1200xL, booted to SDX.  Then, even though I have no peripherals attached, I can see the FujiNet utilities in D1:

 

As mentioned in previous posts, I tried various utilities, but they tend to lock up, after using the computer for a couple minutes.   I tried to create a disk, not knowing if it is correct syntax or not, but as follows:  fnew.com 3,3,1,test.atr.  

Anyway, that just causes a lockup.

 

As for BBS, I tried both on a 130XE (stock) and the 1200XL, and at different baud rates, and about 4 different BBS listed.

It would be odd to include them for demo purposes if they never work at all.  I'm assuming this list was curated and is an example of a working one, but if not, that's good to know, is there any BBS to try?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Dmitry
typos

[Dmitry]

p.s. given the syntax for that command seems to pair a host slot to a peripheral slot, there could easily be a 'concept' that isn't immediately obvious to me.

 

One thing I want to do is create an ATR locally on my SD Card.  Why would I need to pair that to a host?   

 

It's massively confusing when using a new device that also has problems - because I don't know if this is how it works, or if it is a problem.

 

I'm almost certain some things I'm trying don't make sense - at the same time, just having random lockups when even typing "DIR" seems kind of obvious I may have an issue with my cart....unless, I caused that lockup with DIR.  I notice when it fails to create a disk, it nevertheless shows that disk on subsequent reboots.

 

 

 

 

[tschak909]

The FujiNet flashing tool, that you can download from https://fujinet.online/download/

 

Has a serial debug output button:

 

 

Press it, try to make a new disk, and cut and paste the output of the text box into this thread.

 

-Thom

[Dmitry]

Thanks, that helps me understand what you meant me to do.   However, we aren't at the point where there is something to troubleshoot in that fashion.

I mentioned specifically the command I had used.

 

fnew.com 3,3,1,test.atr

 

It literally makes no sense to run that command.  A parameter to that command is host slot.  I chose 3.  Why would that be a correct choice?

I have nothing defined for host 3, so it probably shouldn't work, right?    Are we saying that I should run a non-sensical command and then check it in monitor?

 

I think you are hoping I can consistently create a problem creating a TNFS disk, and I cannot.  That isn't the issue.

My machine, with this device plugged in, does regularly crash in SDX, within minutes.

 

However, are we hoping when the crash occurs, which might be even when I run a DIR command that it will show in a monitor attached to FujiNet?

 

 

Things have changed a bit since my first post  - based on your advice that the BBS stuff doesn't always work - I took that to mean, the state of the software is that my experience that nothing worked at first, might be normal.   So I changed the baud rate from the setting that was on by default from that TNFS server (the one I happened to use, had set it at 9600) and made it 2400BPS.  Then I was able to establish a working session with Dark Force BBS.  So, even if that is the only known working BBS for me right now, it felt much different to have one that worked.

 

Now going back to disk access....the TNFS disks download, that has worked from the start.  But FujiNet online also states 

 

"Load floppy disk images from onboard MicroSD or networked server"  - So the first. part, from onboard, and not from a networked server - what is the mechanism to do that?

 

Can anyone point to how that is done?  It may seem simple, but I tried simply copying ATR images to the MicroSD, but if they are meant to show up somewhere, I don't know where they would.   

 

I am curious as how someone would do that part of loading disk images from onboard MicroSD without the networked server.

 

Once I can isolate this down to something that is known to work for other people, and doesn't for me, and if I can get it to be repeatable, then I will hook up that monitor and get the output, but right now, I think the system while not stable for me - I am still doing things most people wouldn't do - right, because I don't know how it operates, so I need to clear that up some.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dmitry]

SD

 

Thats the magic word I was missing.

 

After googling around, I finally came across Patreon's website, and some videos and I noticed they had an entry SD. I had no such entry.

 

So, I put that in, and wa-la, I had a "TNFS Host" of "SD" and it could read from my local SD.  It works.

And it creates disks as well.

 

I may still have some very harsh crashing in SDX, but in truth I may have never used it with SDX, except for the earlier issues which brought me to trying that.

 

 

[tschak909]

15 minutes ago, Dmitry said:

Thanks, that helps me understand what you meant me to do.   However, we aren't at the point where there is something to troubleshoot in that fashion.

I mentioned specifically the command I had used.

 

fnew.com 3,3,1,test.atr

 

It literally makes no sense to run that command.  A parameter to that command is host slot.  I chose 3.  Why would that be a correct choice?

I have nothing defined for host 3, so it probably shouldn't work, right?    Are we saying that I should run a non-sensical command and then check it in monitor?

 

I think you are hoping I can consistently create a problem creating a TNFS disk, and I cannot.  That isn't the issue.

My machine, with this device plugged in, does regularly crash in SDX, within minutes.

 

However, are we hoping when the crash occurs, which might be even when I run a DIR command that it will show in a monitor attached to FujiNet?

 

 

Things have changed a bit since my first post  - based on your advice that the BBS stuff doesn't always work - I took that to mean, the state of the software is that my experience that nothing worked at first, might be normal.   So I changed the baud rate from the setting that was on by default from that TNFS server (the one I happened to use, had set it at 9600) and made it 2400BPS.  Then I was able to establish a working session with Dark Force BBS.  So, even if that is the only known working BBS for me right now, it felt much different to have one that worked.

 

Now going back to disk access....the TNFS disks download, that has worked from the start.  But FujiNet online also states 

 

"Load floppy disk images from onboard MicroSD or networked server"  - So the first. part, from onboard, and not from a networked server - what is the mechanism to do that?

 

Can anyone point to how that is done?  It may seem simple, but I tried simply copying ATR images to the MicroSD, but if they are meant to show up somewhere, I don't know where they would.   

 

I am curious as how someone would do that part of loading disk images from onboard MicroSD without the networked server.

 

Once I can isolate this down to something that is known to work for other people, and doesn't for me, and if I can get it to be repeatable, then I will hook up that monitor and get the output, but right now, I think the system while not stable for me - I am still doing things most people wouldn't do - right, because I don't know how it operates, so I need to clear that up some.

 

 

 

 

 

Your answers are completely nonsensical, and you're rambling on without providing any sort of meaningful information. and quite frankly, you're starting to piss me off, and I am the very last person you want to piss off, because I am the guy writing the firmware.

 

Have you not watched any of the videos I've been publishing for the last year?

 

There is a concept of host slots. these are either TNFS servers, or the local SD card slot.

 

If the host slot is named SD, then FujiNet will read the desired image off the host slot.

 

With the command you typed above, it tries to create a new disk on host slot 3, and put it in device slot 3 (which corresponds to D3:), I do not think this is what you want.

 

Do you have a host slot defined as SD? Did you run the FujiNet configuration program to configure any host or device slots?

 

-Thom

[Dmitry]

I don't follow the community particularly closely.  I bought this device a few days ago, hadn't heard about it till last week.

 

Even though I don't know you at all, I did get the sense that you were trying to help me at a technical level.

I thought it would be respectful not to waste your time.  That's why I posted very specific commands and even stated they don't make much sense to run.

 

I thought I was pretty clear about that even describing that the commands made no sense to run since they were invalid.   As it happens I did find out about the SD keyword by eventually googling long enough to find videos and one showed the SD keyword..

 

I find it somewhat interesting you are saying my communication technique didn't work - and yet you also figured out from my text the SD keyword was missing - and also mentioned the videos.  I only coincidentally had found them from google a few minutes earlier, but even had I not, the conversation would've come to the successful answer.

 

Communicating openly isn't a bad thing - except in this community it causes people to get upset.

 

Please don't be upset, I'm not - from my perspective you came into the thread to help me.  And you did.  Thanks.

 

But as far as this community with people getting upset all the time - I don't really get it. So - here is what we can do - I just post to the public, not to any particular person.  Feel free to ignore any post you see.

 

Either way, we're cool.

 

[tschak909]

If you'd like to see the fnc-tools in use, you can view:

 

 

and for non-command-line DOSes:

 

 

-Thom

[tschak909]

p.s. apologies, sometimes I let frustration get the better of me.

 

I am spending every waking moment working on this firmware, trying to shore up as much functionality as possible, and pushing out the results for testing. The whole project is open-source, so there are a group of us actively trying to work out bugs.

 

-Thom

[Dmitry]

ah forget, I'm a quirky communicator, unfortunately I cannot really change that - hardwired into my brain.

 

But, I want to add I love this device, thanks for all you do!

 

The truth is, I was super keen to get it working, cause it really inspires the imagination with all the possibilities it opens up.

 

 

 

 

[Dmitry]

I'm gonna watch those videos.....and many more I'm sure.

[Dmitry]

Follow up, I tried to be a good internet citizen by contributing to the QuickStart guide on GitHub, based on my experience.  But, it just said Error 500.

I just signed up, maybe I don't have permission?

 

Anyway,I was just going to add a couple things to help and not waste anyone's time on it.....basically these two things might be a slight improvement:

 

#Getting to know your FujiNet -The guide speaks of power switch, but I would mention new devices don't have power switch

#Connecting your #FujiNet It is mentioned to remove cartridges and SIO devices. I would also mention, U1MB can also get ahead of the FujiNet boot (reminder to turn off internal SDX on U1MB) 

 

I am not sure about this one, but I"ll mention:

#When the #FujiNet is powered on and ready, the leftmost (white) status light will be solid and brightly lit.  - if this is true, then it needs no change.  However, I don't recall my light turning on until after I configured the device. 

 

The Quickstart does already mention "SD" keyword for access of local files on the Micro-SD.  Doh, I missed that one big time. ok moving on....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[snicklin]

It doesn't happen often but it is beautiful when an internet argument is resolved by both sides. Respect to both of you.