Using Pokeymax Config (v0.7) to configure my Pokeymax

[Gunstar]

Is there an actual guide/readme file explanation or anything for Pokeymax Config beyond what can be figured out with the programmer's guide?

 

I have a Pokeymax Quad + Covox in my Incognito 800. I want to set-up my Pokeymax and either make it "permanent" by updating the core or at least storing the configuration so I can load it and possibly set it up to be autoload in batch file when booting up SDX. There doesn't seem, that I've found anywhere, to be an actual guide on how to properly use this utility. I have of course figured out what most of the settings do from the Pokeymax programmer's guide. I do want to know what 'Channel mode' is actually for (can't seem to find anything on it in the programmer's guide) and also, while I assume the Restrict option is to restrict one or more of the built-in sound chip/devices, why would I want to do this? Is there some advantage for me to restrict either my Quad Pokeys or my Covox in certain situations? And is this actually "turning off" these chips/devices or what?

 

But the most important things I want to know are the finishing options of Apply, Store, Update. I assume Applying my configuration is making it work that way until I do a power-cycle. But everytime I store the configuration, though it says it worked, whenever I load up Pokeymax Config everything is back to the default configuration! So how is this storage suppose to work and how to retrieve it?

 

Lastly, I'd like to just update the core, but I read in the programmer's guide that this is only for versions with flash capability, so how do I know if mine is flash capable? And also, I've gone ahead and selected the option to see if it works, but it tells me to insert core.bin (where can I get it?) into D4 (does this really mean Atari D4: and if so why D4:? I don't even have my system set-up with a D4: partition as I reserve D1:-D4: for real floppy drives or SIO2PC/SDrive max, so I guess I'd have to get core.bin on a floppy disk 4 drive or mounted on D4: SIO2PC/SDrive max? I haven't attempted anything with the updating the core option beyond this...

 

EDIT: I forgot to mention, and it may be critical, so far I've only loaded and used Pokeymax config via Side Loader on Incognito or my SD card on Fujinet. Should I be doing this from an APT partion or real or emulated floppy drive for it to work properly? I'm pretty sure the answer here is yes, since these are FAT partions, at least about the 'Store config' option.(I hadn't really thought about this until after I posted this topic) I still need answers to the rest though of my questions though...

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Edited May 21, 2021 by Gunstar

[Gunstar]

I finally found the link to core.bin that worked and the version 1.1 of Pokeymax config.  I'm still wondering about the couple of configuration options I asked about above. And I'm still curious about why the core.bin needs to be in D4...

[foft]

I'm afraid I didn't write any documentation for the tool. I should do something... The dev guide is indeed the best reference for the features right now.

 

Firstly I'd use the latest version from my site, which I see you found now. I put this and the cores here: http://www.64kib.com/pokeymax_files/.

Particularly important to make sure the software is new for updating the core, some earlier versions had some bugs for some configurations.

 

The larger FPGAs have flash storage (10M04/10M08/10M16), the small ones do not (10M02). The MXX is shown in the version code in pokeycfg. A quad+covox is definitely large enough, since it doesn't fit in the 10M02. For new ones @Duddie now started using 10M04 and higher.

 

When you "apply" the settings are activated until the next boot. When you "store" it writes the flash. Note that it does not activate it immediately. Pokeymax only reads its flash memory after a cold reboot. If you have a pokeymax without flash support then it does not have the "store" option. When you start up pokeycfg it reads the state from the registers on pokeymax, so if you have not rebooted after a "store" then you will indeed see the old settings.

 

Channel mode is described in the dev guide. It is for outputting each pokey channel to a different audio output. "Output each pokey channel separately. E.g. channel 1 on AUD, channel 2 on audio pin 1, channel 3 on audio pin 2 and channel 4 on audio pin 3. In the case of multiple pokey chips, the channels are summed.". So typically you don't want it, unless you are doing something special!

 

"Restrict" removes chips from the memory map, so instead you will see mirrors of pokey1. Its just for incompatible software of if you don't want, for some user specified reason, to have a sid for example. I added it for the U1MB plugin so it was easy to disable devices to run incompatible software.

 

The use of D4:core.bin is only because I didn't implement a file selector. I did plan to add one then got used to it as it is! Its a large file so I thought most people would use sio2pc or sio2sd anyway where its easy to mount it in that drive as that filename. Is it a problem because you have a real D4 so would need to unplug the SIO cable?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2021 by foft

[Gunstar]

@foft

Thanks for answering my questions. I have a full understanding now. I must have missed the channel mode description in the programmer's guide. It's absolutely no problem for me to use D4: I was merely curious as to why it was D4:, it just seemed an odd choice to me and I wanted absolute verification that "D4" text on the config flash screen was indeed referring to D4: drive since it was missing the colon. I do not have a real D4:, I have real floppy drives D1:-D3: on both my Atari's and D5:> are APT partitions. D4:, depending on which of my Atari's I'm using, I reserve for use with SIO2PC, SDrive max on my 1200XL or Fujinet/SIO2BT on my 800, that I can mount core.bin on for use. I only need to not power my floppy drives if I decide to use D1:-D3: with any of these SIO options, no need to mess with cables. Thank you for your help.

Edited May 22, 2021 by Gunstar