avatar_Phantomz

6128 PLUS Problem! Not sure what the problem is.

Started by Phantomz, 19:33, 12 October 17

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Phantomz

I took my 6128 PLUS out of storage to test the new gotek/usb firmware with disk support.

At first the computer appeared to be working ok, however I've come across a problem and I've no idea what's causing it.

I loaded up the new version of R-type (128k) and started to play the game, and it all runs ok up until I pick up the blue item for weapon upgrade then the machine just crashes out.
If I avoid the blue weapon upgrade I can complete the first level, I also tried to pick up a yellow upgrade and this did the same.

I know it's not a fault with the disk or file used, as I tested it on another 6128 PLUS and the game played fine.

I'm puzzled to know what the issue is, I've played other games and they appear to work fine, but I haven't had chance to play to much at the moment to see if I get issues in anything else.

Maybe some of you guys might know what the issue is.

Thanks.

dragon


Phantomz

#2
@dragon

Just tested the game in both 6128 plus machines again.

I used the same power supply, original yellow English OS Cartridge and ran the game from the 3" Disc.

The working 6128 PLUS played the game ok, the 6128 PLUS with the problem didn't.

The game is crashing when I pick up a blue weapon upgrade, I can collect the first one ok, but if I go to get a second blue upgrade ( when I have the drone thing ) then the game crashes.

The second blue upgrade is around the middle of the level, just after the background changes colour, and you go through the small passage with the small turrets, just before you get to the big circle alien.

Other games appear to be working fine so I'm rather puzzled.  ???

dragon

#3
Try it from  another source if  you  can.


What revision motherboard  is?.


What cpu is mounted  ram etc etc. search  por anything different from the other plus.


You can try swap cpu (is in socket).

Phantomz

#4
Quote from: dragon on 22:41, 13 October 17
Try it from  another source if  you  can.


What revision motherboard  is?.


What cpu is mounted  ram etc etc. search  por anything different from the other plus.


You can try swap cpu (is in socket).

Amstrad 6128 Plus that works
Motherboard
MC0122A [5]
2700-016P-3
AMSTRAD PLC 1990

CPU
Z8400AB1
Z80ACPU
29021

Amstrad 6128 Plus with the Problem
Motherboard
MC0122C [7]
2700-016P-3
AMSTRAD PLC 1990

CPU
Z8400AB1
Z80ACPU
29026

I haven't tried to swop the CPU's over as don't really want to mess about with my working 6128 plus.

I've also got a GX4000, can I swop the CPU from that into the 6128 PLUS with the problem? is it fully compatible?

My Amstrad GX4000
Motherboard
MC0123C
2700-017P-4
1990 AMSTRAD PLC

CPU
Z8400AB1
Z80ACPU
29024

I was going to try and swop the CPU from the GX4000 and put it into the 6128 Plus with the problem to see if it was helped, but wasn't sure due to the different numbers on the CPU's.  ???

dragon

Yes is fully compaible. My plus ir rev c so i can try the game

Phantomz

Quote from: dragon on 21:47, 14 October 17
Yes is fully compaible. My plus ir rev c so i can try the game

Just swopped the cpu from the gx4000 to the rev c plus, still got the same problem with r-type.  :(

Have you had chance to try the game on your rev c plus yet?

Bryce

What exactly does the game do at that exact moment? Does it write to some particular RAM address or play a sound? Knowing what it was doing will tell you exactly what's not working properly.

Bryce.

dragon

Quote from: Phantomz on 21:37, 16 October 17
Just swopped the cpu from the gx4000 to the rev c plus, still got the same problem with r-type.  :(

Have you had chance to try the game on your rev c plus yet?


Tomorrow i mount it is the modern remake right?.

Phantomz

Quote from: dragon on 21:54, 16 October 17

Tomorrow i mount it is the modern remake right?.

Yes, the new 128k version, I don't think it matters where you get the disks from as I've tried different places, same problem.  ???

Bryce

My first guess is a dodgy RAM in the upper 64K.

Bryce.


The Equalizor

I have made a nice 3rd party cartridge that arnold5 diagnostics  runs very nicely from, so OP, please let me know if you're interested in acquiring one of these. I'm only gonna sell them at cost of parts and shipping...


Cheers


Rob

Phantomz

Quote from: Bryce on 07:44, 17 October 17
My first guess is a dodgy RAM in the upper 64K.

Bryce.

I've got a feeling it might be this also.  :'(

Just puzzled that other 128k games appear to work, will need to play more to test I guess.


Quote from: dragon on 09:45, 17 October 17

Then he can try this:


http://www.grimware.org/lib/exe/fetch.php/documentations/hardware/amstrad.plus/cartridges/arnold.5.test.rom.zip

Thanks, I'll give that a go, I take it that it will be clear and state memory fail on the test if this is the case?  ???

Quote from: The Equalizor on 15:01, 17 October 17
I have made a nice 3rd party cartridge that arnold5 diagnostics  runs very nicely from, so OP, please let me know if you're interested in acquiring one of these. I'm only gonna sell them at cost of parts and shipping...

Cheers

Rob

Thanks for the offer, however I have a C4CPC so can run the arnold5 diagnostics  cart, thanks all the same.  :)

The Equalizor

Me too! I just get a kick out of schematic and PCB design because I'm sad lol


Regards


Rob

dragon

Quote from: Phantomz on 15:43, 17 October 17
I've got a feeling it might be this also.  :'(

Just puzzled that other 128k games appear to work, will need to play more to test I guess.


Thanks, I'll give that a go, I take it that it will be clear and state memory fail on the test if this is the case?  ???

Thanks for the offer, however I have a C4CPC so can run the arnold5 diagnostics  cart, thanks all the same.  :)


i can't made run it in my plus. in the hxc or my 3,5 floppy the game not load after load the presentation he is in a bucle  loading from disk.

And in one of these times. when i put the disk in the pc,The disc was wroken and he left inside the metal plastic door of disk!.

I have now to disarm  the pc umount the floppy open it and extract it.

:-\

Phantomz




Quote from: dragon on 18:40, 17 October 17

i can't made run it in my plus. in the hxc or my 3,5 floppy the game not load after load the presentation he is in a bucle  loading from disk.

And in one of these times. when i put the disk in the pc,The disc was wroken and he left inside the metal plastic door of disk!.

I have now to disarm  the pc umount the floppy open it and extract it.

:-\

Sorry to hear this dragon  :o

Hope you get it sorted out mate, strange that the game isn't working on your hxc.  ???

I did a quick memory test, it didn't come up fail or anything,I tried to record it on my mobile phone ( sorry about the wobble, getting old ).  ;D


https://youtu.be/_8_-BxEphYk

Does this look ok?

I saved the game to disk using my multiface 2, then transferred the files to my M4 sd card and then to my pc.
I created a floppy in winape, transferred the files to that, added the 1990 multiface2 plus rom, then ran the disk in winape.
The problem is recreated in emulation.  ???

If I load the multiface two save in my working plus, I get the same problem.

Maybe someone can figure out the problem.

Here is the disk with the r-type multiface 2+ (1990) save and also a snapshot.

dragon

#17
I finally manage it work, i don't know why the files of cpc power of  3 inch dsk frezee. I take the files to 3.5" write it extract it from disk and he boot in hxc to. I don't view any freeze, anyway the metal head is inside my 3,5" pc fdd XDDDD.

Anyway sound a software problem, i think it  broke.

Phantomz

Quote from: dragon on 19:26, 17 October 17
I finally manage it work, i don't know why the files of cpc power of  3 inch dsk frezee. I take the files to 3.5" write it extract it from disk and he boot in hxc to. I don't view any freeze, anyway the metal head is inside my 3,5" pc fdd XDDDD.

Anyway sound a software problem, i think it  broke.

Glad you got it all sorted mate, hopefully your 3.5" pc fd will still work.  :)

Does the game play ok for you?

dragon

#19
yeah i have try it with the cheat and no problem.

when happen he call in 0bad to call 36e0, but never returns to 0bb0 because he found a inc sp in 3719 that not was here early.

That was created in &32ad change in 3715 21 to 39 when you pickup the blue item. Maybe is calculating someting wrong or so.

My pc fdd works but have stuck into it the fdd metal cover :D.

Phantomz

Quote from: dragon on 20:25, 17 October 17
yeah i have try it with the cheat and no problem.

when happen he call in 0bad to call 36e0, but never returns to 0bb0 because he found a inc sp in 3719 that not was here early.

That was created in &32ad change in 3715 21 to 39 when you pickup the blue item. Maybe is calculating someting wrong or so.

My pc fdd works but have stuck into it the fdd metal cover :D.

I'm still confused with what the problem is.  ???

What cheat did you use? I can't get the one on cpc-power to work!  ::)

dragon

#21
Quote from: Phantomz on 22:06, 17 October 17
I'm still confused with what the problem is.  ???

What cheat did you use? I can't get the one on cpc-power to work!  ::)


Probably something is wrong stored in the ram. Try the oposite, create a snapshot with the multiface in the good cpc and try it in the crashed cpc and view if it not crash.

If  crash extract it without execute it.and is a question of compare the two. To view  If the ram is corrupted. (Some hex editors can compare two files).

I need study how work the test ram.


The cheat is explained in cpc power, i use the joystick.

Phantomz

#22
Quote from: dragon on 22:12, 17 October 17

Probably something is wrong stored in the ram. Try the oposite, create a snapshot with the multiface in the good cpc and try it in the crashed cpc and view if it not crash.

If  crash extract it without execute it.and is a question of compare the two. To view  If the ram is corrupted. (Some hex editors can compare two files).

I need study how work the test ram.


The cheat is explained in cpc power, i use the joystick.

This game is making me pull my hair out.  :laugh:  :o

I've found out that my working plus ( rev a ) has it's drive spinning to fast (fast track test ), did 3 test, 1 = 190110 micro seconds, 2 = 190060 micro seconds, 3 = 190030

But it appears to be running software ok.

I made a multiface 2 save on the menu screen and tested it loaded ok ( on the rev a ), and it loaded fine from disk.

I then tried to load this multiface two save on the rev c plus but the disc would not load.

I then tested the drive in the rev c and it stats the drive is spinning correctly (fast track test ), did 3 test again, 1 = 202910 micro seconds, 2 = 202920 micro seconds, 3 = 202910 micro seconds.

I think the disck would not load on the rev c due to the rev a drive speed.  :doh:

So I had to go back to copying the files to my M4 sd and back to the pc and create a disk, blah blah blah  :doh:

Anyway I made a disk image with these new files from the rev a and named it " R-Type-Boot ", I put this on my gotek/hxc and it booted it up ( at the main menu ) I then changed to disk A in the gotek / hxc.

I then activated the cheat and played the game through to the end.

I don't mind using an extra disc to play the game if I need too, will just miss the intro, will also need to keep the multiface connected too.  :-\
The save / boot disk from the rev a is below, used multiface 2+ 1990 again.  ;)

Bryce

Try SyXs RPM test on the drive and if it's outside 290 - 310 then adjust it back within that range.

Bryce.

Phantomz

Quote from: Bryce on 07:52, 18 October 17
Try SyXs RPM test on the drive and if it's outside 290 - 310 then adjust it back within that range.

Bryce.

Thanks for the advice, I'll have to search for it later.  :)

Is there also a SyXs Ram test? I'm still not sure if my ram is ok.  :-\

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