Amstrad CPC WiFi

[Bryce]

So the CPCWiki/Forum will be hosted on a CPC in the near future?? 

Bryce.

[KaosOverride]

Using SymbOS Cluster Server or FutureOS NetWarp 

[TotO]

While connected peoples use a CPC to access the forum/wiki, it should be not a problem. 

[Bryce]

Using SymbOS Cluster Server or FutureOS NetWarp 

Ampache perhaps?

Bryce.

[Gryzor]

Guys, it's already running on one, haven't you noticed the stability improvements?

[CraigsBar]

Guys, it's already running on one, haven't you noticed the stability improvements?

with 512mb extension I guess

[KaosOverride]

Very good! I have now an empty sockets lib and the example "open connection and say OK" code is ready under SDCC.

Now is time to fill in the gaps and make null returning funcs usable.

The only docs are the M4info.txt and the telnet example? Looks like I can go on with that. And the read buffer is accessed by turning on the M4 ROM at &C000 and go to the offset pointed at M4info.txt. Well, ok 

[Duke]

Very good! I have now an empty sockets lib and the example "open connection and say OK" code is ready under SDCC.

Now is time to fill in the gaps and make null returning funcs usable.

The only docs are the M4info.txt and the telnet example? Looks like I can go on with that. And the read buffer is accessed by turning on the M4 ROM at &C000 and go to the offset pointed at M4info.txt. Well, ok 

There has been some more changes, that I haven't documented yet and I also found bugs(!). The socket status can now contain 3 if remote closed connection, so you can check before recv() instead of looking for 0xFE return from recv().
Over the weekend I will try to iron out the bug(s) and also the socket status structure will be changed.

[TFM]

Using SymbOS Cluster Server or FutureOS NetWarp 

Well, I hope more for a solution based on native OS, so everybody can use it. However since the M4 provides ROMs it's not a problem to also use SymbOS as platform. But it would be so nice to just enter one RSX command and everything is starting up. 

[Duke]

Made another little example for testing the TCP netapi, appearently the bug(s) I thought I found last night, must have been due to my z80 code.
Anyway its a small TCP echo server, running on PC and a client on the CPC, so you simply can send messages to the PC and it will echo them back.
Only useful for testing, no practical use
GitHub - M4Duke/tcpecho: TCP echo server for PC and client for CPC M4 board

If anyone wants to try it out, you can download the binary directly via M4 to your cpc:
|httpget,"spinpoint.org/cpc/TCPECHO.BIN"
and
run"TCPECHO.BIN"
Launch the tcpserv.exe on your PC (get it from github repo above).
Type PC IP number on CPC and start chatting with yourself

[KaosOverride]

Good work, sure you will iron those bugs!


Now I' refreshing the very very little asm I now and hope to write the "talking engine" from C with asm inserts for SDCC.


Taking a look at the tank game, or I rewrite the full tile/sprite directly to cpctelera primitives or I make the port of SP1 lib nobody has done over many years, but that is another history apart from this tcpip.


Maybe I take other of the examples from de spectranet TcpIp sources like the irc client 

[Duke]

Maybe I take other of the examples from de spectranet TcpIp sources like the irc client 

That would be very cool

[Duke]

Firmware updated to v1.0.9b7: http://www.spinpoint.org/cpc/M4FIRM_v109b7.zip

Now added host (passive) functions, bind, listen, accept.

[youtube]cPNONrogPaM[/youtube]

The newly created sockinfo structure in rom that works as read only hardware registers have changed.
The table is read by, taking the addr of 0xFF06, which points to the structure:
; 5 socket status structures (0 is used for gethostbyname*, 1-4 returned by socket function) of 16 bytes
; structure layout
;    status        1    - current status 0=idle, 1=connect in progress, 2=send in progress, 3=remote closed connectoion, 4=wait incoming (accept), 240-255 = error code
;    lastcmd        1    - last command updating sock status 0=none, 1=send, 2=dnslookup, 3=connect, 4=accept, 5=recv, 6=error handler
;    received        2    - data received in internal buffer (ready to get with C_NETRECV)
;    ip_addr        4    - ip addr of connected client in passive mode
;    port            2    - port of the same..
;    reserved        6    - not used yet (alignment!).
; *for socket 0, gethostbyname, status will be set to 5 when in progress and back to 0, when done.

I made a tcp echo server for running on the cpc as example (as seen in video above) to show how it works. Get the source code on the github repo:
GitHub - M4Duke/tcpecho: TCP echo server for PC and client for CPC M4 board
M4 rom code was updated too:
GitHub - M4Duke/m4rom: M4 Board, z80 rom part
Aswell as: http://www.spinpoint.org/cpc/m4info.txt (ctrl+r to refresh!)

Let me know if any bugs, questions etc.

[KaosOverride]

 


LoL, Great work. Now I have more homework 


Just some problems to translate maxam to gas for sdcc, with my limited asm, but fun.


Thinking of uploading to github so people can give me some advice

[Prodatron]

Cool, so I should update the driver for the new socket info structure and the DNS lookup.
Today on the XzentriX retro party I was able to get the first stuff running:

m4symnetwork2.jpg
(181.13 kB, 1304x734 - viewed 144 times)

 [ Invalid Attachment ]
I tried to download the M4INFO.TXT from Dukes website with WGET in SymbOS, and it mostly worked, but there is at least one bug left. Anyway it already looks very nice

[CraigsBar]

Awesome amazing  wonderful. Does the m4 storage and internet clock also get support?

[Prodatron]

SD card driver is next on my list A little NTP app should be easy to implement, you could add it to the autostart menu then.

[Duke]

Now at v1.0.9b8: http://www.spinpoint.org/cpc/M4FIRM_v109b8.zip
Fixed an issue with larger transfers.
Updated http://www.spinpoint.org/cpc/m4info.txt a bit too under "Developer information"

If noone reports any bugs, this will be the release candidate for v1.0.9 and I can take a long break 

[anyf33]

hello DUKE is possible to have all the firmwares in one directory?
you can add a directory for example FIRMWARE and access via ftp
and add as a sign to the end of every message in cpcwiki
also another way is to add a link to a folder on a dropbox acount (also in your sign) .
you can have a sign like CPCWIFI www.spinpoint.org/cpc for the m4info.txt
thank  you

[Duke]

hello DUKE is possible to have all the firmwares in one directory?
you can add a directory for example FIRMWARE and access via ftp
and add as a sign to the end of every message in cpcwiki
also another way is to add a link to a folder on a dropbox acount (also in your sign) .
you can have a sign like CPCWIFI http://www.spinpoint.org/cpc for the m4info.txt
thank  you

Hi anyf33,
Sure but they are all here: M4 Board - CPCWiki
Except the betas (Latest beta I link in m4info.txt), I don't think there is any reason to keep the beta's?
 - They are only temporary until tested and final version released.

[Duke]

Attached is a slightly modified lowerrom for cpc6128.
This is for CPC6128 users who cannot not set M4 rom to 7, which breaks compatiblity with many games, that re-initialize amsdos (rom 7).

With this lowerrom you must set M4 rom to 6, then enable lowerrom and upload this to whatever lower rom slot you choose (ie. 31).

When games (loaders) call init rom 7, rom 6 (m4) will be initialized instead.

If there's interest I may make the patch a little more intelligent so that M4 rom could be at any pos.

[Edoz(MSX)]

Wow duke that movie is so cool! Looking at 2 cpc machines connected. Reminds me on This movie i created a while ago when I had the chat program ready for symbos.

It would be cool to chat with you in the future!

[youtube]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QLbEt-yjWDE[/youtube]

[tvandor]

Hi Duke,


Just wanted to let you know that I finally received Tot0's Mother4x and the adapter cable
for Schneider CPC.


Unfortunately I was not able to test the board with the Mother4x itself as it needs a power adapter
and I do not have one.


Anybody who uses the Wifi board wih the Motherx4, could you please let me know what kind of
power adapter I need? Thanks a lot! (I do not want to experment and risk wrecking my hardware...)


I was able to test the board directly with my CPC using the adapter cable!
It worked like charm! Thanks for doing this, it is really neat board! :-)


What I discovered so far:
-I was able to upgrade the firmware via the net interface without problem.
(Just one remark, would it be hard to display all the version information?
like M4 v1.0.9.b8  ? Currently it just displays v1.0.9 so I have no way of checking
if the upgrade went ok in between the same major version.)
-Rom upload via the website does not seem to work correctly, it seems to upload the rom only to slot 0. 
- |ROMUP command works fine :-)
- Webinterface lists "ROM" for every rom I uploaded.
- I tested the modified lower rom you posted. Uploaded it to slot 31, the "Rom number" in the web interface set to 6, then I checked the "lower rom" checkbox. The system booted up just fine, I did not detect any difference, although I did not check it with games.I noticed one problem however. With this setup, whenever I turn off the cpc and turn it on again, I am getting a black screen and the system won't boot.I need to turn off the m4 board too, then turn on everything back again, so the system would boot. Unchecking the lower rom check box does not help.But if I remove the uploaded rom from slot 31, then I am able to turn off and on the CPC normally. (Without turning off the M4 board)
- I uploaded Symbos 2.1 roms onto the board and I also copied the contents of the system and app disks into the root folder ot the SD card. After booting symbos, I was unable to load anyhting. I am getting the following error:
"Error while loading:
A disk error occurred during the loading process (error code 26)"
Anybody tried/had success with Symbos?
I do not have any RAM board (yet), just the Wifi board and the CPC.
Symbos probably needs proper driver for the Wifi board to work....?


Anyway, sorry for the long post, I will let you know if I find anything else of
interest!


Tamas

[CraigsBar]

Hi Duke,


Just wanted to let you know that I finally received Tot0's Mother4x and the adapter cable
for Schneider CPC.


Unfortunately I was not able to test the board with the Mother4x itself as it needs a power adapter
and I do not have one.


Anybody who uses the Wifi board wih the Motherx4, could you please let me know what kind of
power adapter I need? Thanks a lot! (I do not want to experment and risk wrecking my hardware...)


I was able to test the board directly with my CPC using the adapter cable!
It worked like charm! Thanks for doing this, it is really neat board! :-)


What I discovered so far:
-I was able to upgrade the firmware via the net interface without problem.
(Just one remark, would it be hard to display all the version information?
like M4 v1.0.9.b8  ? Currently it just displays v1.0.9 so I have no way of checking
if the upgrade went ok in between the same major version.)
-Rom upload via the website does not seem to work correctly, it seems to upload the rom only to slot 0. 
- |ROMUP command works fine :-)
- Webinterface lists "ROM" for every rom I uploaded.
- I tested the modified lower rom you posted. Uploaded it to slot 31, the "Rom number" in the web interface set to 6, then I checked the "lower rom" checkbox. The system booted up just fine, I did not detect any difference, although I did not check it with games.I noticed one problem however. With this setup, whenever I turn off the cpc and turn it on again, I am getting a black screen and the system won't boot.I need to turn off the m4 board too, then turn on everything back again, so the system would boot. Unchecking the lower rom check box does not help.But if I remove the uploaded rom from slot 31, then I am able to turn off and on the CPC normally. (Without turning off the M4 board)
- I uploaded Symbos 2.1 roms onto the board and I also copied the contents of the system and app disks into the root folder ot the SD card. After booting symbos, I was unable to load anyhting. I am getting the following error:
"Error while loading:
A disk error occurred during the loading process (error code 26)"
Anybody tried/had success with Symbos?
I do not have any RAM board (yet), just the Wifi board and the CPC.
Symbos probably needs proper driver for the Wifi board to work....?


Anyway, sorry for the long post, I will let you know if I find anything else of
interest!


Tamas

Depending on what else is plugged into the mother4x you might not need the extra power connected at all. Mine runs just fine with m4, albireo, rtc and xmem all at the same time. If I swap any if them for my playcity or minibooster then I need to add the 5v.

Oh and symbos has no m4 storage driver yet, but @Prodatron is working on it.

[anyf33]

Hello duke, i forgot to tell that i have also the same problem with roms and webinterface all going to rom 0. romup works fine
when i downgrade to 0.8 firmware i have no problem with web interface and roms.
please check it!
now i can test it because i break a pin in my connector.
so i can not test the last beta filmware
p.s. can i sent it back to replace the adapter?