Concerto firmware thread

[Mattpsu03]

This most recent build (.96 7822) fixed my issues I was having with Alien Brigade. Seems to run perfect now. Color change settings work fine also. 

[+Lymang]

On 8/11/2022 at 1:45 PM, Ecernosoft said:

Also, that build works on my Stock atari 7800 (RF only) 

Has anyone else confirmed this? Before I waste my time upgrading firmware on my Concerto.. I am using a UAV modded 7800 with s-video and don’t want to use the new firmware if my concerto stops working. 

[Feinsveur]

On 8/10/2022 at 8:49 PM, DrVenkman said:

Thanks for the updated BIOS to test! ALIEN BRIGADE now loads for me, so that's great progress. However, there are some TIA sound artifacts - some odd, bum tones during the title screen animations, and at least sometime, a stuck "rumble" sound during playback, which persists through to the little "cinematic" cut-scene between levels.
 

I did minimal testing though - more in the coming days. Any other titles we should specifically check?

I've got the same sound artifacts on the Alien Brigade title screen. I didn't notice the tone during cutscenes though.

51 minutes ago, Lymang said:

Has anyone else confirmed this? Before I waste my time upgrading firmware on my Concerto.. I am using a UAV modded 7800 with s-video and don’t want to use the new firmware if my concerto stops working. 

I've got the UAV installed and it's working fine.

[John Stamos Mullet]

Latest build working fine on mine. I also got the audio weirdness during the title screen of alien brigade.

[Bratwurst]

Not sure if I've done anything wrong but Alien Brigade still won't run on my 7800. I have flashed and updated the concerto to .96 7822 and I'm using the latest Trebor Rom Pack (4_10)

 

Does the game require a pokey chip installed to run? It boots to the title screen but it doesn't run long enough to fully load, plus the graphics are glitchy. At which point it crashes.

[Mattpsu03]

28 minutes ago, Bratwurst said:

Not sure if I've done anything wrong but Alien Brigade still won't run on my 7800. I have flashed and updated the concerto to .96 7822 and I'm using the latest Trebor Rom Pack (4_10)

 

Does the game require a pokey chip installed to run? It boots to the title screen but it doesn't run long enough to fully load, plus the graphics are glitchy. At which point it crashes.

Did you grab the 72822 daily build or 7822?  I made a typo with my last post. 72822 fixed all my issues.  7822 had Alien Brigade glitches. 

[Bratwurst]

I bet that's it, I'll check into it tomorrow.

[+Trebor]

The build from this post is the latest, as mentioned, hbios_concerto_0.96_build_72822_NTSC.bin.

[juanluma01]

Successful update to 0.96, but I keep having problems on my 7800 Pal FR "RGB Peritel". When I load a pal or NTSC rom the game loads, but after a while it crashes, the screen freezes and the sound freezes.

The 2600 roms that I have tested do work curiously.

Homebrews also fail, except for some like MS pacman, which is one of the few that does not have issues.

[Bratwurst]

Updating to 0.96 72822 has enabled Alien Brigade to work properly on my 7800 now, thanks very much.

[+x=usr(1536)]

On 7/14/2022 at 2:01 PM, batari said:

The option to work more reliably with a POKEY installed is the "Continue on fatal errors" option. These aren't really "errors" - it's just that the POKEY can interfere with status code communication and cause them to read incorrectly, even if the data stream is 100% correct.

 

Please let me know how it goes.

Gave this a shot, but am getting a crash at startup.  It looks as though it can't find the Qt libraries:

 

Spoiler

Termination Reason:    Namespace DYLD, Code 1 Library missing
Library not loaded: '/usr/local/opt/qt/lib/QtCore.framework/Versions/A/QtCore'
Referenced from: '/Applications/HarmonyCart.app/Contents/MacOS/HarmonyCart'
Reason: tried: '/usr/local/opt/qt/lib/QtCore.framework/Versions/A/QtCore' (no such file), '' (no such file), '' (no such file)
(terminated at launch; ignore backtrace)

 

Both Qt4 and Qt5 are installed, and other Qt-based applications are working OK.  FWIW, both versions were installed from MacPorts, which puts them in /opt/local/libexec/qtx, where x is the Qt major version number.

 

What appears to be happening is that the path fails when looking for the 'A' directory - on my machine, that directory doesn't exist at that location, just '5' and 'Current' (itself a symlink to '5' in the same directory).  I did give symlinking from there a shot, which worked, but after the second or third symlink I gave up since there was no telling how many might be needed.

[sngwriting1]

Hi group.  I apologize if there was a earlier post but I just received the concerto cart and having Pokey sound issues.  The issue is: it is not working at all.  The Pokey chip I installed was from a working 5200, (at least last year it was).  Can anyone let me know if I am missing something?  The games load, just not the Pokey sounds.  For example; Comanndo works but only the sound effects are present.  I tried the Pokey utility and it recognizes the chip but does not play any sound.  I was just hoping if someone here go lend assistance before having to find a replacement chip. I have included a picture of the Pokey installed.  Thank you in advance.

[Kuroiryu]

Sorry to bring up the same issue that others have, but their solutions aren't working for me. I got my Concerto last week and finally got a chance to test it out, with a good deal of success. I scrounged up a 32GB SanDisk SD card that worked right away, and with only a few known exceptions (looking at you, Tower Topper), 7800 games load and run beautifully. But for games that use both buttons for different things, the Pro-Line joystick buttons don't work at all. I tested Commando, Dark Chambers, Desert Falcon, and Karateka, and the buttons do nothing in any of them (Fight Night and Kung Fu Master work perfectly, though). The cart shipped with 0.94a, so I figured updating the firmware might help.

 

So I installed the HarmonyCart software and the CH341 drivers, and Windows 10 seems to detect the cart correctly as USB-SERIAL CH340 (on COM8 in the attached screenshot). But the software doesn't see it, no matter what. I've tried half a dozen different USB cables, all of which are known good data cables, on two different PCs, and nothing. It's a brand new cart with green PCB, and I haven't installed a POKEY. Does anyone know what the problem might be?

[+Mitch]

Where did you get your A78 files? Some of the ones floating around the internet have bad headers.

 

Mitch

[Feinsveur]

11 hours ago, sngwriting1 said:

Hi group.  I apologize if there was a earlier post but I just received the concerto cart and having Pokey sound issues.  The issue is: it is not working at all.  The Pokey chip I installed was from a working 5200, (at least last year it was).  Can anyone let me know if I am missing something?  The games load, just not the Pokey sounds.  For example; Comanndo works but only the sound effects are present.  I tried the Pokey utility and it recognizes the chip but does not play any sound.  I was just hoping if someone here go lend assistance before having to find a replacement chip. I have included a picture of the Pokey installed.  Thank you in advance.

Are you using the stock RF output?

 

If you still have that 5200 and a game, I would see if the chip works there. That would rule out if the chip is at fault. I remember reading about an unlucky user extracting a working chip from an Atari 8-bit and somehow it failed during the transition.

 

It wouldn't hurt trying to re-seat the chip or clean the console's cartridge connectors.

[Kuroiryu]

13 hours ago, Mitch said:

Where did you get your A78 files? Some of the ones floating around the internet have bad headers.

 

Mitch

I wasn't sure if you were asking me or sngwriting1, but my initial tests used ROMs from the Good7800 set. I just grabbed Trebor's ROM pack and tested again with the same results. No buttons in games that use both for different things.

[+Mitch]

19 hours ago, Kuroiryu said:

I wasn't sure if you were asking me or sngwriting1, but my initial tests used ROMs from the Good7800 set. I just grabbed Trebor's ROM pack and tested again with the same results. No buttons in games that use both for different things.

Sorry, I was responding to sngwriting1, I should have been more clear about that.

 

For your issue, have you tested your controllers on regular games?

 

Mitch

[Kuroiryu]

On 8/28/2022 at 12:01 PM, Mitch said:

Sorry, I was responding to sngwriting1, I should have been more clear about that.

 

For your issue, have you tested your controllers on regular games?

 

Mitch

I have, and they work as expected. I do find it interesting that the single-button games I've tried so far have worked (anything marked 1 on the list at https://www.atari7800.org/7800list.htm; games marked 2 and 1* haven't worked with either of my two Pro-Line controllers). I'll go through and test more shortly, but a pattern is definitely emerging. I'm more concerned about being unable to get the HarmonyCart software to find the cart on multiple PCs (Windows 10 and Windows 11). I really want to get this all working

[sngwriting1]

On 8/27/2022 at 2:38 AM, Mitch said:

Where did you get your A78 files? Some of the ones floating around the internet have bad headers.

 

Mitch

Hi Mitch.  I got the Trevor Rom pack and the games work, just without Pokey sound.  I ended up buying another chip.  I am not going to be happy if the cart is the issue.  +$100 for an empty shell.  I bought the SD card and loaded the recommended Roms. It could be the Pokey chip but it would be really bizarre if it just stopped working.

[sngwriting1]

On 8/27/2022 at 3:14 AM, Feinsveur said:

Are you using the stock RF output?

 

If you still have that 5200 and a game, I would see if the chip works there. That would rule out if the chip is at fault. I remember reading about an unlucky user extracting a working chip from an Atari 8-bit and somehow it failed during the transition.

 

It wouldn't hurt trying to re-seat the chip or clean the console's cartridge connectors.

 

[sngwriting1]

Hi, thank you for responding!  The 7800 has the UAV mod so I am not using the standard RF.  Is the mod uncompatible with Concerto?  Unfortunately, I now longer have the 5200 I pulled the chip from.  It was a 2 port with a Terrible case but functional.  I used the power plug and some other components to mod my 4 port 5200 with the UAV.   I ordered another Pokey to try on the cart.  Do you know what the correct direction to install the Pokey chip?  I tried installing it right side up and upside down, with luck.  Maybe I damaged the chip if I installed it in the incorrect direction.  Absolutely no quide on which direction the chip should be installed.

[hermi69]

https://forums.atariage.com/topic/314640-concerto-firmware-thread/?do=findComment&comment=4968357

[+Mitch]

1 hour ago, sngwriting1 said:

Hi, thank you for responding!  The 7800 has the UAV mod so I am not using the standard RF.  Is the mod uncompatible with Concerto?  Unfortunately, I now longer have the 5200 I pulled the chip from.  It was a 2 port with a Terrible case but functional.  I used the power plug and some other components to mod my 4 port 5200 with the UAV.   I ordered another Pokey to try on the cart.  Do you know what the correct direction to install the Pokey chip?  I tried installing it right side up and upside down, with luck.  Maybe I damaged the chip if I installed it in the incorrect direction.  Absolutely no quide on which direction the chip should be installed.

Who modded your 7800? Some people don't hook up the Pokey sound line correctly.

 

Mitch

[Kuroiryu]

3 hours ago, Kuroiryu said:

I have, and they work as expected. I do find it interesting that the single-button games I've tried so far have worked (anything marked 1 on the list at https://www.atari7800.org/7800list.htm; games marked 2 and 1* haven't worked with either of my two Pro-Line controllers). I'll go through and test more shortly, but a pattern is definitely emerging. I'm more concerned about being unable to get the HarmonyCart software to find the cart on multiple PCs (Windows 10 and Windows 11). I really want to get this all working

And now I have to backpedal; they did work as expected, but not anymore. I no longer have working buttons on either controller in Karateka on an original cart, nor One-on-One, Pole Position II, or Ninja Golf. But both buttons work to do the same thing in Crossbow, Ms. Pac-Man, Robotron 2084, and Xevious. The Concerto cart itself seems to be working just fine as it turns out! Now I just have to take apart these controllers and the 7800 to figure out what the problem is there. 🙃

[sngwriting1]

2 hours ago, Mitch said:

Who modded your 7800? Some people don't hook up the Pokey sound line correctly.

 

Mitch

Hi Mitch.  I guy named Jesse moded my 7800.  He is very active on AA. The guy is no slouch, he knows his stuff.  Plus, my regular Commando cart works fine, just not on the Concerto.  Just checked the thread and I have the Pokey installed correctly, as I assumed.  I guess I'll have to wait and see if the replacement chip works once it arrives.  Stanger things have happened but not counting on the chip being the issue.  We shall see.