Amstrad CPC WiFi

[Audronic]

quote author=TotO link=topic=11977.msg129559#msg129559 date=1467290448]The question is not new and always the same: When the CPC is no more a CPC?Taking control over the Z80 with a MCU (your ARM, Arduino, ...) allow everything. The CPC is finally a simple terminal to input and display. 
Reading the thread when Reading  your post remember me on thing.
You have described how superfx chip works in snes. Fx do all the job, and he only send to snes vídeo memory what snes draw in screen.
If you asking a player when is playing  Doom or super Mario world 2. If a snes is not a snes anymore. I dobut they respond no. They probably tell sfx is a great  chip and desmotrate the power of snes.Because snes is designed to allowed these type of chips. And is a part of the system.
Only remember the history
PD: i not know what happend with the font is write o.k. lol.

The Font is a bit small ?
Ray

[Duke]

Please notice, on M4 boards shipped after 2016-10-01:
Due to a new flashchip on the wifi-board, do not use firmware versions lower than v1.0.9. If done by accident, use v1.0.9 or higher to restore it.
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/M4_Board

[00WReX]

Hi 00WReX,

You are probably the first to try this I guess.

Try to disable M4 rom (and dont have any other roms enabled). I am curious if the CPC464 cost down will start up without entering reset loop?

Regards,
Duke

Hi Duke / All,

Sorry...False alarm.

I can confirm the M4 does work with the CPC464 MC0099A cost down board (100 pin custom ASIC).

I decided to give the expansion contacts another clean and guess what...all good.

The expansion contacts looked spotless and like they had never been used even before I cleaned them the first time.

In comparison a 6128 I got out to test with the M4, visually the contacts looked terrible and dirty, but a quick clean and all was good.

It just goes to show you, those edge connector contacts can be a real pain.

Clean, clean and clean again and if it still fails, clean them a few more times 
I did end up using a form of microscrub on them (old telephone exchange contact cleaner that I have had for years...does wonders but I use it sparingly although it is not really abrasive, just a firm like bristle).

Cheers,
Shane

[Audronic]

I did end up using a form of microscrub on them (old telephone exchange contact cleaner that I have had for years...does wonders but I use it sparingly although it is not really abrasive, just a firm like bristle).

Cheers,
Shane

Hi Shane
is it the same as this, ( From my OLD PMG Toolkit )
Ray

[00WReX]

Hey Ray, Yes that's the stuff...exactly. 

[Bryce]

You can make a very useful little "scrubber" by wrapping a piece of Velcro (Klettverschluss), the "hook" side, around a stick (Mine is made from a Chopstick). It's soft enough not to do any damage to contacts.

Bryce.

[Audronic]

@Bryce
Would that be suitable for cleaning Floppy drive heads ??
I have some 5 1/4" drives that its hard to reach.
I like the Long reach of the chop stick
Ray

[Bryce]

Floppy drive heads are extreme scratch sensitive. For these I use a cotton bud (the ear cleaning type) with some isopropanol on it. Anything more abrassive wouldn't be advised.

Bryce.

[TotO]

Reading the thread when Reading  your post remember me on thing.
If you asking a player when is playing  Doom or super Mario world 2. If a snes is not a snes anymore. I dobut they respond no. They probably tell sfx is a great chip and desmotrate the power of snes.Because snes is designed to allowed these type of chips. And is a part of the system.

I have not said that is bad to do it, but asking again "when we can considerate the CPC to be no more a CPC"...
Generally the answer is: "While the Z80 does the job and the expansion doesn't hack the system, it is OK."

The SuperFX example is interresting because the chip is embedded into each games cartridges and transparent for the players.
It render 3D polygons and advanced 2D effects into a frame buffer and blit the result into the SNES video memory.
I think that was a clever way to speed up the PLUS display instead of using sprites... (see it like a co-processor)

[dragon]

You can make a very useful little "scrubber" by wrapping a piece of Velcro (Klettverschluss), the "hook" side, around a stick (Mine is made from a Chopstick). It's soft enough not to do any damage to contacts.

Bryce.

In this lands not only in cpc , to anthing related with pcb edge contacts as consoles cartridges etc etc... The people always uses one of these .

http://www.milan.es/en/default.aspx?ACCIO=PORTALENC&NIVELL=6579D32CB08575F9FCF4AE36493CC854995DB4A2CB1DA743033701EFA893603B36FEABA697FAFE4F52C1C67EA780C1E0

I have not said that is bad to do it, but asking again "when we can considerate the CPC to be no more a CPC"...
Generally the answer is: "While the Z80 does the job and the expansion doesn't hack the system, it is OK."

The SuperFX example is interresting because the chip is embedded into each games cartridges and transparent for the players.
It render 3D polygons and advanced 2D effects into a frame buffer and blit the result into the SNES video memory.
I think that was a clever way to speed up the PLUS display instead of using sprites... (see it like a co-processor)

But better with socket to upgrade it to plus plus  one time every decade.

[Bryce]

Yup, erasers are great for contacts that are accessible like the PCB edge, but they're no good for internal contacts like the Centronics connector or the connector side of the edge connector.

Bryce.

[00WReX]

Hi Duke,

I don't like making feature requests...but I will. 

It may have already been asked or on the to-do list.

Are you able to add an RSX to list installed ROMs.
Something like the |help in utopia.

Maybe   |ROMS

I know the ROMs can be seen from the Web Browser, but straight from the CPC is very handy too.

Thanks.

Cheers,
Shane

[rpalmer]

00WReX,

If Utopia has the function you request, why implement it again in something else?

rpalmer

[00WReX]

Hi rpalmer,

I totally agree with you.

The reason I asked is that Utopia is known to conflict with certain other ROMs and I removed Utopia from my list because of this.
It also needs to be after the AMSDOS / M4 ROM otherwise it's RSXs will be selected first.
But also, I figured it would be nicer  (and possibly not too much work) to have the RSX implemented on the device with the M4 ROM.
Other ROM RSXs are already implemented on the M4 ROM and I also like the idea of minimising the ROM count (to avoid any conficts etc).

Honestly, I mostly wanted Utopia on the board just for this function.

Just a thought anyway.

Cheers,
Shane

[MissionComplete]

M4 received and ready to work. Thank you, Duke!!! 

[Duke]

@00WReX

Sure I can add it sometime. For now you could put maxam in the romboard, it has |HELP too to list roms and |help,romnum to list RSX commands.

@MissionComplete

Good to hear

[Duke]

M4 Firmware v1.1.0 beta 2:

http://www.spinpoint.org/cpc/M4FIRM_v110b2.zip

Net stability fixes, recommended for SymbOS v3.0.
Also added some RSX functions written by SOS (please document them).

[Bryce]

Hi rpalmer,

I totally agree with you.

The reason I asked is that Utopia is known to conflict with certain other ROMs and I removed Utopia from my list because of this.
It also needs to be after the AMSDOS / M4 ROM otherwise it's RSXs will be selected first.
But also, I figured it would be nicer  (and possibly not too much work) to have the RSX implemented on the device with the M4 ROM.
Other ROM RSXs are already implemented on the M4 ROM and I also like the idea of minimising the ROM count (to avoid any conficts etc).

Honestly, I mostly wanted Utopia on the board just for this function.

Just a thought anyway.

Cheers,
Shane

Maxam also offers this feature and causes less problems with other ROMs than Utopia, it's also a pretty handy ROM to have installed.

Bryce.

[CraigsBar]

Hi Duke,

I don't like making feature requests...but I will. 

It may have already been asked or on the to-do list.

Are you able to add an RSX to list installed ROMs.
Something like the |help in utopia.

Maybe   |ROMS

I know the ROMs can be seen from the Web Browser, but straight from the CPC is very handy too.

Thanks.

Cheers,
Shane

FW 3.1x has this built in, and it works with the m4 beautifully.

[TotO]

FW 3.1x has this built in, and it works with the m4 beautifully.

Exactly... Using |HELP too.

[00WReX]

FW 3.1x has this built in, and it works with the m4 beautifully.

Actually, I should have known this...in fact I did know this  as I've had been running the Customer Firmware on a 6128 right from the start....

I even tried it on the M4 over the weekend, but because I have been testing and connecting across different CPC, have not settled on anything just yet.

Hmm, that's what happens after being off the Amstrads for a fair while. I should not have strayed 
It's been so long, I still have BonnyDOS running on an X-mass on the CPC with the CFW.

Personally, I still think it would be neat as part of the M4 ROM to have a way of listing the ROMS.
Especially because it has a RSX's to add ROMs and disable ROMs, maybe sorta makes sense to also be able to list them.

But yes, I had forgotten about the other options (outside of Utopia)...so thanks for the refresher 

Cheers guys.

Shane

[anyf33]

Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone has tested the M4 on a 'Cost Down' MC0099A mainboard CPC464 ??

The one with the 100pin SMD Gate Array (combines the old Gate Array, CRTC, and some FDC/DRAM/RESET logic in one chip).

http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Mainboard_Versions#CPC464_version_4_.28cost-down.29

I have been using the M4 fine with an older 464, and tested pretty much everything with it and all good.
But my 464 with the 'Cost Down' mainboard just cyclic reboots.
I have thoroughly cleaned the edge connector contacts.
I have moved the M4 ROM between positions 6 & 7.
I removed the SD card altogether.
During the cyclic reboot the M4 ROM name is never displayed.

I can still communicate with the M4 via the web browser (config file on SD card from other CPC setup).

Testing a normal ROM board on this CPC is fine so assuming the connector contacts are all OK.

The 'Cost Down' 6128 also has the same 100 pin SMD chip (40226) so interesting if anyone has tested an M4 with one of those as well.

http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Mainboard_Versions#CPC6128_version_3_.28cost-down.29

Cheers,
Shane

Hello again I have the cost down 6128 and it works fine! (the m4). After of course many many cleaning days! And i think the best rubber is the blue/red rubber. using the blue part! i was laughing when my friend (profesional electronic) told me . but it was right

[Joseman]

Hi @Duke_

Today the m4 board is unable to work with the wifi part

|netstat tells that is connected

but |httpget hangs the cpc and symbos 3.0 don't work with symirc anymore

if i type the ip on my pc firefox, instead of the configuration page it displays "404 - not found"

what can be happening?

[Duke]

Sounds like it isn't connected tbh.

Does it display an IP number when you type |netstat ?

What firmware do you have on it?

Hi @Duke_

Today the m4 board is unable to work with the wifi part

|netstat tells that is connected

but |httpget hangs the cpc and symbos 3.0 don't work with symirc anymore

if i type the ip on my pc firefox, instead of the configuration page it displays "404 - not found"

what can be happening?

[Duke]

Btw. if anyone feels like trying:
 M4 firmware v1.1.0b3 - http://www.spinpoint.org/cpc/M4FIRM_v110b3.zip

Should fix issues with corrupt file download and more when using symbOS 3.0 preview.