New Pace RS232 - You Voted - Useful Treasure -Modded as a ROMBox

[spookspring]

Pace RS232 Interface New Pace RS232 - Useful Treasure or Obsolete Anachronism?


Amstrad Serial Interface - CPCWiki   You Voted - Useful Treasure


Hi Retro Buffs. Having caught the retro-repair-bug I have gone all out assault on ebay and come up with a magic black box, a Pace RS232 (dry stored for 19 yrs) with 2 Commstar ROMS. Works on my 464 but not the 6128. I had some dream about finding an old modem and somehow browsing some secret micro forum, but having read all the technical jargon on these forums, this is probably beyond my capabilities on the current internet.


There is mention that it could be used to connect 2 CPC's, or possibly to a PC, but that also seems to be staggeringly complicated for a Basic/html user. AMSSIO software combined with Amstrad Pace RS232 serial Interface on 464


So what then is this magic box of wonders any good for in 2012? I read in the back of the manual that the ROMs could be replaced, so maybe I could use this as a small ROM box with a word processor and disk manager? Otherwise, it's to the display cabinet with you!


This model and manual is not featured in the CPC Wiki. I pdf'ed the manual and will upload the pics if Gryzor wants them.

Chiz, Spooks

[Gryzor]

this is probably beyond my capabilities on the current internet.

Yes, let's hope they will update the Internet soon so it can run on the CPC


Just kidding. I have an RS232 myself (don't remember if it's the Amstrad one or a Pace), never used it but it looks nice. Thanks for the manual - I actually emailed you yesterday morning, did you get it?


T

[TFM]

I used the Pace for the CPC6128 quite a coulple of times. It also has ROMs onboard.

[Badstarr]

Write some software and use it as a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) control keyboards and drum machines etc. Apart from that basic comms stuff that is all I could think of that you could use it for.

[ralferoo]

I think you should have a go just trying it out. Most desktop PCs from even a couple of years ago still have a real serial port on, if not a USB serial port is usually pretty cheap.

You might find it to be a nice easy way to get programs onto the CPC from the PC for instance...

That said, I bought a similar serial board (I think I got the next version on) at a car boot sale about 2 months ago and still haven't even plugged it into a CPC yet to see if it works!

[MacDeath]

Can't this be used to control some machine tool with numerical control ?


older models are better I guess... or a modern PC too.


Also if you are into Robotic.




What are the applications to handle this thing ?
Also what are the application to channel programs (.dsk) on the CPC or directly into RAM ?
Can you load some "single load games" with this ?


is RS232 well supported ? I suppose Future OS can do it.
Still it must be better to have a 6128 for this.


Weren't there a pair of "network multiplayer" games on CPC ?

[Gryzor]

I guess those have a terminal program on board?

[TFM]

Aehm.... I try to say it nicely... I do miss the time to try out everything you can do with an RS232, but I do not miss ideas what to do with it    It's good to have one 

[spookspring]

See, in here we have two replaceable ROMS. (Commstar is a browser for the internet).
It says in the manual they are replaceable, so I'm going to put...erm a PARADOS in there and see what happens.
Also there is room for two other ROMS! But looks like it needs a lot of other components to connect it.

[arnoldemu]

Please dump the roms, perhaps they are different to the ones dumped already.
I am interested in the 1179 numbers on them, it may be a revision number.

I like your idea to reuse the board to host some other roms.

I think the board uses rom slot 2 and 3.

[spookspring]

K go all tech on me and tell me how to dump a ROM, or come round and DIY!

[Bryce]

Hey, it can take up to four ROMs. Install the sockets and those two 2K2 Resistors and the ceramic capacitors (100nf should be fine) and you should be good to go. A nice 4 way ROMBoard It looks like the ROM Numbers can be selected with the jumpers A,B,C and D, so you'd have to add a jumper to A and B.

To dump the ROMs you're going to need an EPROM Burner. Or send the ROMs to someone who has one.

Bryce

Edit: I just noticed it has a 0-7, 8-15 jumper too. But I'd leave it at 0-7 anyway, especially if you intend using it on a 464.

[Terje_Norway]

Hi,


You should be able to dump the ROMS by using the "ROMGET.BAS" software provided by March Vieth ! ! !


Go to the following link, and choose the "cpcemu-dos-x86-1.5.zip"

CPCemu Downloads


In the ZIP file You'll find a a program called "ROMGET.BAS"


That's the program I have used to dump all my roms ! ! !


Yours

Terje Grind
NORWAY

[TFM]

Dumping ROMs:

-Select ROM
-Bank ROM in
-Copy ROM from &C000 to &4000
-Save 16 KB to disc
-Make a DSK
-Arnoldemu is happy!

Now if you already would have MAXAM in ROM it would be easy. But else you can use any kind of Assembler to compile such a program in a minute.

Now, do it twice, for ROM number 2 and then 3 (that's my boards configuration, it oversea).

[Bryce]

According to the jumpers on the PCB, his ROMs are set to ROM 4 and ROM 6.

Bryce.

[TFM]

May well be, didn't check... however, the most easy way to read this ROMs (or any ROM) is to download the ROManager:

http://www.colorado-boys-muenchen.de/users/futureos/files/MF_ROManager.zip


Start the ROManager (filename in archive is: 'MegaFlashROManager_4_BASIC_V1.44.dsk') and use 'File' --> 'Save 1 ROM'.

That's it! 

(Use joystick; cursorkeys, copy, return, esc for usage of the program).

[MacDeath]

so this model also include a ROM box...
4 chips possible I guess you can put 4x16k ROMs on this ?


Can you put RAM instead ?




Those cards look very clean.


Is it possible to solder pins in the holes for the selector part so you can use jumpers ?


Also could be a nice move to add sockets for the A & B ROM plug so it would be more practical too.

[Bryce]

@MacDeath:

Yes, it would be 4x 16K ROMs

No, you couldn't put RAM ICs in it without several other (complicated) modifications being made.

From the pictures, it looks like the holes for the bridges are 2.54 pitch, so it should be possible to add standard jumper pins here to make re-congiguration very easy.

As well as adding the sockets for A and B, you would need to add the smoothing capacitors and the two 2K2 pull-up resistors.

Bryce.

[TFM]

Well.... or you just get a nice MegaFlash 

[IanS]

The romboard looks very similar to the Honeysoft romboard I have. The resistors in the corner are diodes on mine. It also has an edge connector.

Also note that the Honeysoft board doesn't do full decoding of the rom number so the roms repeat at every multiple of 16 (rom 1 appears at 1, 17, 33,49 etc.). Not normally a problem unless you have some obscure hardware (e.g. brunword) connected.

[TFM]

Indeed! That's the same PCB 

[IanS]

Indeed! That's the same PCB 

Very similar, I'd be interested to find out what the EXP connections are for.

[TFM]

The raw of pins? Probably for a cable, so you can add further extpansions to the CPC.

[IanS]

The raw of pins? Probably for a cable, so you can add further extpansions to the CPC.

The two pins on the right hand side, below the rom range selection links (0-7, 8-15), they aren't on my romboard.

[TFM]

The two pins on the right hand side, below the rom range selection links (0-7, 8-15), they aren't on my romboard.

Ah got you. Well they select the ROM region for all ROMs. Either they are all between 0 and 7 or they are all between 8-15. So you can add some more of these cards ...