Amstrad CPC WiFi

[Duke]

yes, I did it, and the result was the same: it didn't worked
The only extra stuff this amstrad 6128 have is the 3 1/2'' disk drive that replaced the original 3'' drive.  Can it be related with that?

Nah, that should not be a problem.

Guess you better ship it back to me so I can examine it, replace or fix it.

[ASiC]

Now create a version for a 512K upgraded CPC 


Thank you very much for your commitment 

[zhulien]

Hi duke. Do you have a photo of the edge connector version?

[Duke]

Hi duke. Do you have a photo of the edge connector version?

Yes sure, here is some of the 90 deg. version:
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/amstrad-cpc-hardware/amstrad-cpc-wifi/msg138893/#msg138893

And there's two of the regular one here:
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/M4_Board

Let me know if you need any others, I probably have more pics

[MiguelSky]

Has anybody thought about making a case for ours M4?

[zhulien]

I like the look of the vertical version, any chance for a through connector though?

[Duke]

I like the look of the vertical version, any chance for a through connector though?

I've made the pads so it should be easy to solder an edge PCB on, to make it pass through. If there's the demand I can order 10 pcs, it would add another 2 euro to the price (because of low quantiy + shipping cost and 25% vat).

[jomicamp]

Hi Duke,


Finally I received the cable to connect my M4 to the MX4 motherboard (also loaded with a X-MEM board). Now my goal is to set SymbOS 3.0 to work in my cpc 6128 using this setup.


Since you gave me some tips about the ROM configuration which would work better with this setup, there have been some changes in the firmware of the M4. The version 1.0.9 worked pretty well in my cpc 6128 during these months. However, I saw that you have introduced new firmware versions (mainly the 1.1.0 bx and 2.0).


The ROM structure I use is still the one you recommended me (M4 rom in slot 6 together with AMSDOS ROM and the patched low rom in slot 0). Under these conditions I have tested the firmware versions 1.1.0 b10 and 2.0 and none of those runs stable in my cpc. A lot of freezing events, screen colapses, etc, go on under these firmware versions. Moreover, I could not run most of the games I succesfully did with the 1.09 version. As my goal is to run SymbOS with the most internet tools I would be grateful if you could help me to clarify the following points:

1. What firmware version do you recommend me to use for these purposes? Is the 2.0 version ok?
2. Is the most proper way to update the firmware to unzip the corresponding packages in the root folder of the SD card? or is it better to unzip them in the m4 folder? 
3. Would be the ROM configuration you recommended me a couple of months ago still the most appropriate to be used with the latest versions of the firmware? If not what changes do you suggest me to implement?
4. What is the most proper SymbOS 3.0 preview version to use with the recommended firmware and my expansion setup? Is that the release candidate 1 made available by Podatron on Nov 14th 2016 in these forums? Or, is there a more recent release that you should recommend me? In such a case, can you post a link to it?
5. What is the most proper way to install SymbOs in the SD Card? Is it as simple as unzipping the corresponding package in the root folder of the SD Card? or should I create a SymbOS folder and unzip the content there?
6. What to do in regards to the symbos.ini and symbos1.ini files? Should I erase any of them? Should I let both?
7. What is the best option: powering the MX4 motherboard or only the M4 board?


As you see so many doubts only to put the things to work ...but I will appreciate your help.


Thank you in advance and best regards!!

[Duke]

The ROM structure I use is still the one you recommended me (M4 rom in slot 6 together with AMSDOS ROM and the patched low rom in slot 0). Under these conditions I have tested the firmware versions 1.1.0 b10 and 2.0 and none of those runs stable in my cpc. A lot of freezing events, screen colapses, etc, go on under these firmware versions. Moreover, I could not run most of the games I succesfully did with the 1.09 version.

This should not be the case, same games should work as before, there should NOT be any freezes or anything else going on, so I suggest you work on these issues first. Have you disabled ROM board function of XMEM for starters?

1. What firmware version do you recommend me to use for these purposes? Is the 2.0 version ok?

V2.0.0 for all purposes

2. Is the most proper way to update the firmware to unzip the corresponding packages in the root folder of the SD card? or is it better to unzip them in the m4 folder? 

You have to extract to root of microSD, it wont help to put them into M4 folder.
If you are not on latest version, you can simply use |UPGRADE rsx.

3. Would be the ROM configuration you recommended me a couple of months ago still the most appropriate to be used with the latest versions of the firmware? If not what changes do you suggest me to implement?

Yes, it is. However if you wish to use disc / tape / sd from AMSDOS at the same time, I suggest you don't use any lowerrom modification.

4. What is the most proper SymbOS 3.0 preview version to use with the recommended firmware and my expansion setup? Is that the release candidate 1 made available by Podatron on Nov 14th 2016 in these forums? Or, is there a more recent release that you should recommend me? In such a case, can you post a link to it?
5. What is the most proper way to install SymbOs in the SD Card? Is it as simple as unzipping the corresponding package in the root folder of the SD Card? or should I create a SymbOS folder and unzip the content there?
6. What to do in regards to the symbos.ini and symbos1.ini files? Should I erase any of them? Should I let both?

There's a thread under software here about SymbOS, I think you can find all answers there.

7. What is the best option: powering the MX4 motherboard or only the M4 board?

Depends, for me it works fine to just power the MX4 motherboard, maybe in other configurations its better to power M4 seperately.

[merlinkv]

Hi @Duke

Payment done for two M4 Wifi boards.

You have PM with shipment details 

Thanks again 

[jomicamp]

This should not be the case, same games should work as before, there should NOT be any freezes or anything else going on, so I suggest you work on these issues first. Have you disabled ROM board function of XMEM for starters?

I don´t know where these problems are coming from. But the good news are today I switched on the cpc and suddenly it is working fine with the 2.0.0 version (What happened to the intermediate versions between the 1.1.0 and the 2.0.0?)...and yes the ROM board function of XMEM was disabled...

[jomicamp]

There's a thread under software here about SymbOS, I think you can find all answers there.

Yes but in this thread Podatron introduces at least 3 different packages. Could you put a link to the most appropriate for the better performing internet functionalities such as irc, etc? Or just confirm if the correct package is the one called "Candidate Release 1"


Thanks a lot

[jomicamp]

However if you wish to use disc / tape / sd from AMSDOS at the same time, I suggest you don't use any lowerrom modification."

You mean to substitute the patched lower rom by the normal one or just let the empty the slot 0?


By doing so, is it possible that i have compatibility issues?

[Duke]

Yes but in this thread Podatron introduces at least 3 different packages. Could you put a link to the most appropriate for the better performing internet functionalities such as irc, etc? Or just confirm if the correct package is the one called "Candidate Release 1"

Tbh. I can't remember which one is the latest of them, without re-reading the thread, lets see if @Prodatron comes around

You mean to substitute the patched lower rom by the normal one or just let the empty the slot 0?
By doing so, is it possible that i have compatibility issues?

Just let it be empty or put lowerrom in slot 31 and disable it. And yes less games will work, however it shouldn't be that bad to re-enable it in the webinterface when needed.

[jomicamp]

I don´t know where these problems are coming from. But the good news are today I switched on the cpc and suddenly it is working fine with the 2.0.0 version (What happened to the intermediate versions between the 1.1.0 and the 2.0.0?)...and yes the ROM board function of XMEM was disabled...

Unfortunately the problems have come back... I have observed that the upgrade files unzipped in the root folder of the Sd Card dissappear from there after running a new M4 cycle... I asume it should be normal...


I am suspecting that the connectors in the cpc are not perfect yet...this weekend I will give them another cleaning round before trying anything else...

[Duke]

Unfortunately the problems have come back... I have observed that the upgrade files unzipped in the root folder of the Sd Card dissappear from there after running a new M4 cycle... I asume it should be normal...

Yes, that is normal.

I am suspecting that the connectors in the cpc are not perfect yet...this weekend I will give them another cleaning round before trying anything else...

Yes.

[Maniac]

Version 2 of the M4 ROM is awesome. It's great that I can now access my ROMDOS D20 DSK images via here. Great work Duke!

I have however found a couple of minor issues.


1. Whenever I run the |netstat command it seems to crash my 6128+ and in turn the CPC side of the M4 which needs to be power cycled or reset via the web interface to work again. The M4 would appear to have a network connection as the time has been set and can be confirmed by running |time and the web interface continues to work as expected.


2. In the 90's I used to use a tool by Antoine PITROU (Antoine of POW!) called S-DAF (http://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=5045) to link and compress files together which was incredibly useful. However if I try to run any files created by this tool or the tool itself the CPC returns the error "Direct Command Found". All works as it should do via the HXC I have or a normal floppy.


Is there any way the files created by this tool could be made to work with the M4 please? Or does it use some trick/shortcuts etc in the AMSDOS ROM to achieve what it does?


The info page available in the tool has the following info if it helps:
[attach=2]


Not a big deal if this can't be made to work but thought I'd ask. It's taken me this long to remember what the tool was scratching my head trying to thing back 20+ years and only found it by searching through my utility disks!


Keep up the fantastic work.

[Duke]

Thanks, glad someone noticed the ROMDOS compatilibty (ya, you reported it :-) ). Should be useful 2+ disc games, as you can not switch .dsk images runtime.

1. Whenever I run the |netstat command it seems to crash my 6128+ and in turn the CPC side of the M4 which needs to be power cycled or reset via the web interface to work again. The M4 would appear to have a network connection as the time has been set and can be confirmed by running |time and the web interface continues to work as expected.

Weird issue. I will have to re-check on my 6128+ when I hook it up again (but I am fairly sure it works fine), right now it works fine on the CPC664 I am testing on.  - I may need your config.txt file, incase it's some particular parsing issue.

2. In the 90's I used to use a tool by Antoine PITROU (Antoine of POW!) called S-DAF (http://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=5045) to link and compress files together which was incredibly useful. However if I try to run any files created by this tool or the tool itself the CPC returns the error "Direct Command Found". All works as it should do via the HXC I have or a normal floppy.

"Direct Command Found" often means that the file header is messed up (or missing).
Likely it is some compatilibty issue with M4-ROM in the cas* functions, I will investigate, always glad that have these reported, thanks.

[Maniac]

Thanks, glad someone noticed the ROMDOS compatilibty (ya, you reported it :-) ). Should be useful 2+ disc games, as you can not switch .dsk images runtime.
Weird issue. I will have to re-check on my 6128+ when I hook it up again (but I am fairly sure it works fine), right now it works fine on the CPC664 I am testing on.  - I may need your config.txt file, incase it's some particular parsing issue.

So after some other playing around which included uploading some ROM images to the M4 and not working I decided to disable the ROM elements of the XMEM and |netstat now works as expected. I appreciate you've told many others to do this but in previous versions of the M4 ROM this setup has functioned just fine for me. The thing that also made me switch off the XMEM ROM is that M4 didn't work in slot 6 after 2.0 either. Does now! Think this is a very true case of RTFM for me!

[cyrillem]

Hi


Just tring to use my board without success, help would be appreciated...
My configuration : CPC 6128 and the board plugged directly on the expansion port
I'm currently reading the post but damn : 128 pages !
I've seen on a  screen capture that I must see this text at boot : M4 Board vX, is it true ?
Actually this is not the case only the standard boot text.
I can say that I have two led ON at start, a red and a blue and after 1 or 2 sec, only the blue one.
The power jumper is on EXT


Any idea to help me ?


Thanks

[Duke]

I've seen on a  screen capture that I must see this text at boot : M4 Board vX, is it true ?

Correct, it will display "M4 Board V2".

I can say that I have two led ON at start, a red and a blue and after 1 or 2 sec, only the blue one.
The power jumper is on EXT

Also correct behaviour.

Most likely, and I hate to say it again - You must clean your edge connector.

See picture of an edge connector I just cleaned today, the printer port on the left as comparison was also cleaned with just IPA.

[cyrillem]

I've seen that it was the main problem with our CPC, everything is fine now 
Thanks Duke

[wilco2009]

Tested and working.

Many thanks, Duke. 

[cyrillem]

Any ftp site to recommend with some apps to download ? My .dsk files doesn't functions : game start and I get an error about the disk and ask me to press Cancel Retry or Ignore


I've seen a post with an archive file available on amstrad.es on previous page but file doesn't exist anymore 

[Duke]

Any ftp site to recommend with some apps to download ? My .dsk files doesn't functions : game start and I get an error about the disk and ask me to press Cancel Retry or Ignore


I've seen a post with an archive file available on amstrad.es on previous page but file doesn't exist anymore 

When you get the Disc missing, you can fix it easy.
Use the modified lowerrom here:
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/M4_Board#Various files

Or set M4 rom as 7, if your cpc supports it.

Also these are good resources:
http://cpccrackers.free.fr/Downloads/
http://cngsoft.no-ip.org/cpc_lzx.htm
and of course:
http://www.cpc-power.com  (go after cracked version if possible).