X-MEM, a new memory expansion for all CPC.

[gerald]

OIC, great to fill the void until SymbiFace3 Hardwareentwicklung | Dr. Zed's evil Lab
Hardwareentwicklung | Dr. Zed's evil Lab comes to life Really Soon Now, but not "commercialized" in light of TotO's X-MASS & X-MEM (BTW allowing 640kB on 6128s too?) ?

640k support on 6128 : Yes

Since mentioned in the testing, does any of these provide an equivalent of the Cherry-T/Khany RAM bank swapper (unless someone has figured out how to replicate that on a CPC6128plus) for the first memory bank, which so often allows to capture 64k code with its defences down? 
an unpublished tip for pyradev users
an unpublished tip for pyradev users
File:Khany's BankSwapper.jpg - CPCWiki
File:Khany's BankSwapper.jpg - CPCWiki

Switching the 64k main banks requires modification to the motherboard.
Doing this on a Plus should be easy, the CAS signals are going through resistor from ASIC to RAM devices.

[OCT]

640k support on 6128 : Yes

TotO, same for yours?
BTW, MegaFlashROManager - CPCWiki lists 2 brands of flash supported in X-MEM, does one need to consider/check for a third (as I recall mentioned in this thread) with respect to usable software?

Switching the 64k main banks requires modification to the motherboard.
Doing this on a Plus should be easy, the CAS signals are going through resistor from ASIC to RAM devices.

Anyone with more than one Plus, how about trying this out?
Pins to halt before swap are on the Expansion Port, cf. bottom right:

[TotO]

Sure, the X-MEM allow 640K on 6128...
But, it is better to deal with 576K first to be compatible with all CPC.

[TFM]

Over X-MASS I tested the Inicron 512 KB expansion, which is S-RAM buffered and allows to select between internal or external 2nd 64 KB (&C4-&CC). Works like a charm! I couldn't test with X-MEM though.

[TotO]

The X-MEM allow to select the extra 64K (or 512K) at $7E00 to reach 640K or 1MB.

[arnoldemu]

Over X-MASS I tested the Inicron 512 KB expansion, which is S-RAM buffered and allows to select between internal or external 2nd 64 KB (&C4-&CC). Works like a charm! I couldn't test with X-MEM though.

Do you still have access to it?

I have emulated the inicron ram in arnold wip and I want to check I emulated it correctly.

[arnoldemu]

The X-MEM allow to select the extra 64K (or 512K) at $7E00 to reach 640K or 1MB.

Is this always active? Or is it selectable with a switch.

[TotO]

The X-MEM decode A8 to share the addresses.
ODD ($7Fxx) = X-MEM
EVEN ($7FExx) = CPC 6128 Expansion or Y-MEM

[TFM]

Do you still have access to it?

I have emulated the inicron ram in arnold wip and I want to check I emulated it correctly.

It's nothing different, compatible to Dobbertin and dk'tronics. Only difference: A switch selects between internal or external 2nd 64 KB bank on a CPC6128 (or 6128 Plus in this case).

[arnoldemu]

It's nothing different, compatible to Dobbertin and dk'tronics. Only difference: A switch selects between internal or external 2nd 64 KB bank on a CPC6128 (or 6128 Plus in this case).

Yes but not 100% compatible.

on cpcwiki:
"Since the box is not 100% compatible to DK-tronics or Dobbertin-Expansions, it is not supported by Symbos or FutureOS."

Document attached.

I hope I emulated it correctly. I will send you a link that you can use to try it out

[TFM]

Yes but not 100% compatible.

on cpcwiki:
"Since the box is not 100% compatible to DK-tronics or Dobbertin-Expansions, it is not supported by Symbos or FutureOS."

Document attached.

I hope I emulated it correctly. I will send you a link that you can use to try it out

Pah. All these Wikis... in Research we need original citations... Oh, btw, it works 100% with FutureOS, no problems, all fine. I use it with my 6128 Plus. 

[TotO]

YOU ARE AMAZING!!!

Just to let you know that I'm close to build the 200th X-MEM board! 
Like the 100th board, it will be free for the people preordering it, by refund.

Now, you can chose for some DIY kits for all my boards.
I officialy do that, because some peoples have pleasure to build their "own" expansions.
That allow to save some euros and time too. If you don't have enough skill, please forget! 

 

[HAL 6128]

Respect!

I'm sure you had already optimized your "production line" over the last month and you are now faster than during ramp-up time?

[TotO]

I should assemble them with my eyes closed. 

[Bryce]

I should assemble them with my eyes closed. 

Don't, you'll burn your fingers

Bryce.

[TotO]

I have already done that when opened. 

[khaz]

I'm new to the scene, but I'm interested in the X-MEM, should be a nice companion to the HxC that will arrive soon. I'm a bit confused at how to plug it to the Amstrad proper. You need the additional ribbon cable, right? And you only need one ribbon cable if you get the MotherX4 and more addons afterwards.

I was playing with the new firmware in WinApe (Is there a thread for the new firmware? I couldn't find any) and I have to say it is brilliant. But there is one thing that I wish could be changed. Correcting the keyboard so that the | key prints | instead of ù on the screen is good. However, ù should have been kept its function as an alternate of |, if you get what I mean? Pressing | and ù correctly displays | and ù, and the commands |cpm and ùcpm should both work. Now, only |cpm works and I have to say 1) it messes with 30 years of ingrained keyboard use and 2) having a direct access to | without using SHIFT was freaking awesome.

[||C|-|E||]

Don't, you'll burn your fingers

Bryce.

I found that burning myself with the soldering iron is actually not the worst!! The burned tissue is automatically cauterized and, therefore, you never have infections. Moreover, the excruciating heat really kills the axons of your nociceptors and you cannot so easily feel the pain anymore. All in all, is great except if the soldering iron falls onto your naked leg and makes a hole there, as I saw once. Luckily, it was not me but a random poor bastard that fell asleep with the soldering iron in his hands  . I am sure that he did not repeat the mistake  .  BTW, there was a nice hole in the tissue but no, he was not bleeding, I am sure that it was painful, though, considering how loud he was shouting.

[TotO]

I'm new to the scene, but I'm interested in the X-MEM, should be a nice companion to the HxC that will arrive soon. I'm a bit confused at how to plug it to the Amstrad proper. You need the additional ribbon cable, right? And you only need one ribbon cable if you get the MotherX4 and more addons afterwards.

The X-MEM use a 50 pins connector, to be used with an Edge or Centronic ribbon cable, depending of the CPC model or directly plugged on the MotherX4 slots. (in this case, the ribbon cable is used to connect it to the CPC instead)

I was playing with the new firmware in WinApe (Is there a thread for the new firmware? I couldn't find any) and I have to say it is brilliant. But there is one thing that I wish could be changed. Correcting the keyboard so that the | key prints | instead of ù on the screen is good. However, ù should have been kept its function as an alternate of |, if you get what I mean? Pressing | and ù correctly displays | and ù, and the commands |cpm and ùcpm should both work. Now, only |cpm works and I have to say 1) it messes with 30 years of ingrained keyboard use and 2) having a direct access to | without using SHIFT was freaking awesome.

The 'ù' key is definitively a side effect of the french firmware. Both symbols can't definitively works together... I have always used SHIFT+'|' on the french keyboard for the RSX ; It is the right way. 

[khaz]

The 'ù' key is definitively a side effect of the french firmware. Both symbols can't definitively works together... I have always used SHIFT+'|' on the french keyboard for the RSX ; It is the right way. 

Yeah but ù is just faster... So you're confirming there is no way to have both then. Bummer.

[TotO]

I don't really see what faster mean when it is about pressing only one key instead of two for using a 30 years old computer. 

[khaz]

Accessing Level 2 characters are just slower and more difficult. It's why the various French characters were placed at direct access on the first row instead of the numbers, or why accentuated letters have their own key instead of using a dead key. Professional programmers tend to switch to more efficient layouts, with direct access to the characters most used in their favourite coding language in order not to use SHIFT or ALT.

I just feel it's sad to relegate |ù to a second level when we had it on direct access for so long, especially as it's a character used quite often in AMSDOS. At least " is still on direct access on AZERTY, unlike QWERTY users who have to use SHIFT every time they want to start a program, be it run"disc or |cpm.

ùcpm forever in my heart.
And on my discs labels.

[OCT]

Accessing Level 2 characters are just slower and more difficult. It's why the various French characters were placed at direct access on the first row instead of the numbers, or why accentuated letters have their own key instead of using a dead key. Professional programmers tend to switch to more efficient layouts, with direct access to the characters most used in their favourite coding language in order not to use SHIFT or ALT.

German QWERTZ is actually much less useful to programmers than many other layouts: Even with the latest PC keyboards' "many keys more", > needs Shift (unlike < on the same key: oh the joy of writing HTML/XML that way ), and each of @ { [ ] } \ ~ | even "Alt Gr" (an extra Alt to the right of Space, the additional level of which often fails over terminal emulators).

[TotO]

I just feel it's sad to relegate |ù to a second level when we had it on direct access for so long, especially as it's a character used quite often in AMSDOS. At least " is still on direct access on AZERTY, unlike QWERTY users who have to use SHIFT every time they want to start a program, be it run"disc or |cpm.

An AZERTY keyboard have far more 2nd level keys than a QWERTY keyboard... So the argument is not valid for the occasional RSX usage. 

The fact is that all CPC have their "|" key located like that and the idea is to remap the key/function at the good place.
To the question: Is-it possible to use both? The answer is no, because the firmware can't handle that.
(by the way, using the 'ù' key is a side effect of a wrong key mapping, fixed by this firmware)

[dodogildo]

Yay! My X-MEM arrived at the long last


Hmm, where to start, what roms to install, have lots of things to think about this evening, olé!