Amstrad CPC WiFi

[Duke]

just a question: would it possible to add some kind of path variable / environment (somedays)? Like in MS-DOS (path=...)?

It's a good idea, it would be possible yes, if I can find the time implement it sometime.

[Audronic]

It's possible, but not convenient.
M4 rom was designed to completely replace amsdos, so it would have best possible compatiblity with existing software and usable even on CPC without FDC (464).
However I have thought of an easy method I could allow for sdcard/floppy disc access at the same time if the user chooses to run two DOS (both M4 and AMSDOS). So may add that sometime around.

Hi Duke
Thanks
Ray

[SOS]

Anyway in current versions, you can do this. Change M4 rom position to be after AMSDOS, ie. slot 8.
All basic commands now go to disc drives A & B.
If you want to copy files to SD card, use |FCP command. To dir SD card, use |LS, and you can also use |CD etc...

Ok, when I do so, I can not start any Game from the SD-Card?!
So what is the advantage to set the M4-DOS on ROM 8?

(and Forget: Happy new year!!!  )

[Duke]

Ok, when I do so, I can not start any Game from the SD-Card?!
So what is the advantage to set the M4-DOS on ROM 8?

True, the point was only to enable both floppy drives, so you could copy files to sd card via |FCP command.
Better solution soon I expect.

Happy new year all.

[Duke]

A few screenshots of a new edge connector version of M4, with a 90 deg. angle available.
It's possible to solder an edge pcb on the backside and make it passthrough like old skool devices (I don't offer them though).

Only available on new orders (all existing orders are now prepared, except I am missing WiFi module for the last 5, which should arrive soonish!).

Also MX4 version now is updated with another voltage regulator, meaning it will work without external PSU in MX4 (unless of course the power draw is too big for your PSU).

[merlinkv]

Hello Duke,

It's possible to order one board with MX4 connector? ... I'm really very interested.

Thanks in advance.

[Duke]

Hello Duke,

It's possible to order one board with MX4 connector? ... I'm really very interested.

Thanks in advance.

Yes it is, pm sent. Status is a couple of weeks before I can ship new ones (got most in stock, just missing wifi modules atm.).

[merlinkv]

Great!!!!

PM answered. 

[Duke]

Here is another beta firmware for M4 Board, please note this is experimental and mostly recommended for people who want to help me, by providing feedback.

This new beta focus on integration with AMSDOS, so you can use floppy discs and microSD at the same time.

You should ideally have AMSDOS or PARADOS as rom 7 (default) and put M4 in slot 6 or below. To use floppy discs, you should not use my modified lower rom (an alternative will come later).

At boot up everything is the same, if you wish to read your floppy discs, type:
|DISC
And all AMSDOS commands go to floppy drive, like |A, |B, |dir, cat, load, save etc.
To switch back to M4/microSD, type
|SD

If used without AMSDOS or with my patched lowerrom for CPC6128 everything should be the same as before, with some minor improvements.

Issues to be dealt with:
|TAPE, this will only work if you have AMSDOS (664/6128..) and type |DISC first
New Lowerrom mod to force initialization of both M4 rom when AMSDOS is.
Probably more...

Download:
http://www.spinpoint.org/cpc/M4FIRM_v110b10.zip

Feedback / bug reports appreciated.

Lastly, anyone know if AMSDOS only exists in version 0.5 and 0.7 ? Is it 0.5 for DDI and 664 too?

[dragon]

Duke, can i ask you about a very strange feature?.


Is posible made aspecial lower rom  that when booting from m4 made a copy of a cartridge to the  m4 sd card and  nothing more?.


I was thinking about if  it is possible dumped the  White cartridges carts of trade in post that are made from the amstrad csd demostración box that  not are dumped, i have a few of It.


Without open the cartridge., Solder/unsolder the eeprom with the risk of Broken the cartridge.


Or best made a  |dumpcartridge .

[Duke]

@dragon
I have no idea what those carts are. Is it the actual CSD software you want dumped, or were the carts used for something else?
Maybe it contains it's own lowerrom already?  I guess I could put something together, but you would need to be sure that lowerrom of M4 is used and I don't know anything about plus carts, so some code to deal with that aspect would be needed too.

[KaosOverride]

Just try! Use an alternative lowerrom with your CPC Plus. If you get the READY prompt you are done.

Plus cartridge is mapped at rom pages 128 and above, just mirrors the 128, 129 and 131 (not exactly sure) as lowerrom, basic and amsdos. if you have your own lower rom, basic and M4rom at the M4 rombanks and get the READY prompt just try to save the upper rom pages. I did long time ago a DSK for dumping in basic the lowerrom from system cart (To get spanish and french key layout). Can be modded to dump the rest of blocks... It's a modified version of ROM dumper example at Marco Vieth's CPCEMU 1.5 basic utils for real CPCs.

Code: [Select]

100 REM ROMGET (v2.0)
110 REM 3.9.1994
120 REM
130 MODE 1: CLEAR: DEFINT a-z
140 PRINT"ROMGET v2.0":PRINT"Run on a CPC to save the ROMs as files.": PRINT
150 PRINT"Insert disk with >= 50K free space": PRINT"and press a key ..."
160 CALL &BB18
170 adr=&A000: sh=adr+2: dh=adr+5: k=adr+15
180 h!=HIMEM: MEMORY &1FFF
190 FOR i=adr TO adr+&12: READ a$: POKE i,VAL("&"+a$): NEXT
200 POKE sh,0: POKE dh,&20: POKE k,&FC: CALL adr
210 POKE sh,&C0: POKE dh,&60: CALL adr
220 PRINT"Saving lower&upper-ROM (CPCXXXX.ROM) ..."
230 SAVE"!CPCXXXX.ROM",b,&2000,&8000
240 POKE k,7: CALL adr
250 IF PEEK(&6000)<>1 THEN PRINT"No AMSDOS-ROM found.": GOTO 280
260 PRINT"Saving AMSDOS-ROM (CPCADOS.ROM) ..."
270 SAVE"!CPCADOS.ROM",b,&6000,&4000
280 PRINT"Trying to find some other ROMs ..."
290 FOR i=1 TO 251:PRINT HEX$(i);
300 IF i=7 THEN 360
310 POKE k,i:CALL adr
320 IF PEEK(&6000)=&80 THEN 360
330 PRINT" ROM found -- ";
340 PRINT"Saving MYROM";HEX$(i,2);".ROM ..."
350 SAVE"!MYROM"+HEX$(i,2)+".ROM",b,&6000,&4000:PRINT
360 PRINT CHR$(13);:NEXT
370 PRINT:PRINT"bye."
380 MEMORY h!: END
390 DATA 21,00,C0,11,00,20,01,00,40,DF,0D,A0,C9,10,A0,00,ED,B0,C9



[KaosOverride]

. (cannot delete!)

[cyrillem]

hello


I'm interrested by A m4 BOARD WITH eDGE connector. is it possible ?


thanks

[Duke]

I'm interrested by A m4 BOARD WITH eDGE connector. is it possible ?

It is, I already replied to your email via forum yesterday. Send me a private message with your email address if you haven't received it.

[Joseman]

Hi @Duke

I installed the new version as i'm using the M4 intensely lately, will see if any problem emerge!

But now, i will tell you one weird error (not related with the new rom version) on a game, perhaps the weirdest thing that i saw with the M4...

The game is Kick Off, all the crack versions fail to load, some crack (like the abraxas crack) is normal that doesn't work, because the main file surpass the 40k's size and destroy the m4 rom (just throw an error of disc missing, ok, it's normal).

The problem come with all the rest of the cracks, they compressed the main file, now the file has 26-35 k's... and even some cracks (like twomag crack) load completely because the crack introduction appears and the game in this version is only 1 file!. But the error is on all of that versions: the CPC just display a red border and hangs... is really a weird weird thing... because i now that some cracks load correctly... perhaps a "multiface-type" protection of the game that hangs the M4?

sources:

http://www.cpc-power.com/
http://cpccrackers.free.fr/
http://www.velus.be/cpc-1273.html

[Duke]

This one works for me, when I set M4 rom to 7 (should be the same if you use modified lowerrom)
http://cpccrackers.free.fr/Downloads/WIZARD/KickOff_Wizard.rar

This one too:
http://www.velus.be/cpc-1273.html

Maybe its because you run M4 as rom6 without modified lowerrom?
Or what machine do you use?

Also regarding himem. With latest version and no AMSDOS (or other roms) I get himem 0xAAFB, which is significantly more than you get using AMSDOS.

Hi @Duke

I installed the new version as i'm using the M4 intensely lately, will see if any problem emerge!

But now, i will tell you one weird error (not related with the new rom version) on a game, perhaps the weirdest thing that i saw with the M4...

The game is Kick Off, all the crack versions fail to load, some crack (like the abraxas crack) is normal that doesn't work, because the main file surpass the 40k's size and destroy the m4 rom (just throw an error of disc missing, ok, it's normal).

The problem come with all the rest of the cracks, they compressed the main file, now the file has 26-35 k's... and even some cracks (like twomag crack) load completely because the crack introduction appears and the game in this version is only 1 file!. But the error is on all of that versions: the CPC just display a red border and hangs... is really a weird weird thing... because i now that some cracks load correctly... perhaps a "multiface-type" protection of the game that hangs the M4?

sources:

http://www.cpc-power.com/
http://cpccrackers.free.fr/
http://www.velus.be/cpc-1273.html

[Joseman]

Hi @Duke

Yes, i'm using the M4 Rom in slot 6, and not using the modified rom...

This is because that i decided to make all the games run without the modified rom, the reason for that is (weird too), some cracks doesn't work with the modified rom!!, (the same game works without the modified rom) yes, sounds strange i know!, if you want, i tell you what games doesn't work with the modified rom...

[Duke]

Hi @Duke

Yes, i'm using the M4 Rom in slot 6, and not using the modified rom...

This is because that i decided to make all the games run without the modified rom, the reason for that is (weird too), some cracks doesn't work with the modified rom!!, (the same game works without the modified rom) yes, sounds strange i know!, if you want, i tell you what games doesn't work with the modified rom...

I see, problem is many games, even cracks, de-init all roms (to save himem) and re-init rom7 to use disc i/o to continue to load.
Thats why having M4 as rom 7 or using the modified lower rom (which inits 6 whenever there is a firmware call to init rom 7) is crucial to having high compatiblity with games.
Please list me games that doesnt work with modified lowerrom, it's always interesting to find the specific problems. Thanks.

Cracked kickoff from cpc-power works fine too btw.

[Joseman]

I see, problem is many games, even cracks, de-init all roms (to save himem) and re-init rom7 to use disc i/o to continue to load.
Thats why having M4 as rom 7 or using the modified lower rom (which inits 6 whenever there is a firmware call to init rom 7) is crucial to having high compatiblity with games.
Please list me games that doesnt work with modified lowerrom, it's always interesting to find the specific problems. Thanks.

Cracked kickoff from cpc-power works fine too btw.

Yes, i know that some cracks (and originals) reload only the rom 7, last week i tried to make work ThunderCats and all the versions didn't work because all are based on the original, yes, the original uses the firmware to load the game (but it re-init the rom 7) and the tape version, one file destroys the amsdos area... then no version is correctly made, because they are all lazy copies of the original with the credits of the "cracker" 

I made an especial version of ThunderCats that soon will be uploaded to CPC-Power that works with the M4 (and mass storages) with 64k-128k detection and the files untouched (minus the file that destroy the amsdos area that is splitted in two), a clean "crack" copy, without lame messages and lame cheats, like all the cracks should be!!

[Joseman]

@Duke

What is the best slot to put the modified lower rom?

[Duke]

@Duke

What is the best slot to put the modified lower rom?

It doesn't matter. Right now I am using slot 31.

[dragon]

@dragon
I have no idea what those carts are. Is it the actual CSD software you want dumped, or were the carts used for something else?
Maybe it contains it's own lowerrom already?  I guess I could put something together, but you would need to be sure that lowerrom of M4 is used and I don't know anything about plus carts, so some code to deal with that aspect would be needed too.

Are a demostration multicartridge made by amstrad used in the shop , are the same comercial games, But at same time, they are diferent at level code. They have White label, and work normally un plus computers.


http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Amstrad_CSD


Only Pang is dumped un [size=78%]cpcmania website as i know.[/size]


I try first kaooverride solution .


Joseman yo have take a look at cpcrulez if there are a diferent crack.?

[dragon]

Here is another beta firmware for M4 Board, please note this is experimental and mostly recommended for people who want to help me, by providing feedback.

This new beta focus on integration with AMSDOS, so you can use floppy discs and microSD at the same time.

You should ideally have AMSDOS or PARADOS as rom 7 (default) and put M4 in slot 6 or below. To use floppy discs, you should not use my modified lower rom (an alternative will come later).

At boot up everything is the same, if you wish to read your floppy discs, type:
|DISC
And all AMSDOS commands go to floppy drive, like |A, |B, |dir, cat, load, save etc.
To switch back to M4/microSD, type
|SD

If used without AMSDOS or with my patched lowerrom for CPC6128 everything should be the same as before, with some minor improvements.

Issues to be dealt with:
|TAPE, this will only work if you have AMSDOS (664/6128..) and type |DISC first
New Lowerrom mod to force initialization of both M4 rom when AMSDOS is.
Probably more...

Download:
http://www.spinpoint.org/cpc/M4FIRM_v110b10.zip

Feedback / bug reports appreciated.

Lastly, anyone know if AMSDOS only exists in version 0.5 and 0.7 ? Is it 0.5 for DDI and 664 too?

I install it with all connected c4cpc+m4+x-mem x-mass. And light are always on. After wait and wait i reset. In the sd card espfirm.bin was not deleted. I have to delete it manually to boot, but it appears work.

[Duke]

I install it with all connected c4cpc+m4+x-mem x-mass. And light are always on. After wait and wait i reset. In the sd card espfirm.bin was not deleted. I have to delete it manually to boot, but it appears work.

If ESPFIRM.BIN is not deleted it wont be upgraded. Not a concern if you had a recent version already, since I havent updated that part for the last couple of updates. However not good it didn't flash it, probably you should try again with a powercycle and see if that would've worked.