ACE for Linux,Mac, Windows

[roudoudou]

new release

Linux instruction set limited to sandybridge but it seems it's not enough for very old CPU until i found something else

http://www.roudoudou.com/ACE-DL/

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- LibSDL upgraded to 2.30.2
- Shugart Drive ready loss time accuracy based on electronic sensors
- Drive distinction between EME-150A and EME-155
- FDC stress mode for command parameters
- allow configuration menu when in debug mode
- shadowing Joystick via Keyboard emulation at startup
- new HUD icon to temporary disabling Joystick via Keyboard emulation
- pressing F3 multiple time switch between Floppy/Snapshot load
- bugfix PSG volume with very high frequencies
- bugfix USB Joystick 1 Fire mapping
- bugfix multiple unintended opening of RamDump


[roudoudou]

ooopsy for Linux build, i made a new one with less optimizations (at least Zisquier succeed to launch it with an Ivy Bridge CPU)

[roudoudou]

Minor update, will take some times for new surprises incoming

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- True Drive LED management
- FDC Shadow polling management
- FDC Long HUT bug emulation
- FDC HUT cutoff for Seek/Calibrate/Illegal
- Reset emulator when draging new ROM to Dandanator
- Ludicrous timings adjustments in FDC polling according to electronic measures
- Ludicrous timings adjustments according to drive models for Ready loss with motor ON
- bugfix right-click on HUD buttons (wont trigger anymore vertically above)
- bugfix drive conflicts between A and B
- bugfix breakpoints on FDC Scan

http://www.roudoudou.com/ACE-DL/

[roudoudou]

Hi, some dev updates and an annoying bugfix...
http://www.roudoudou.com/ACE-DL/

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- Bugfix FDC Head reload with ReadData (some residual code left...)
- Automatic time counters with Execution Breakpoints (min, max, current)
- HexFind and TextFind in Memory Explorer (press F and N to repeat)
- Text Edition in Memory Explorer + Text selection
- AY registers color change on modification
- FDC ReadTrack timings when Not Ready
- Snapshot default memory banking

text edition will still need some improvments in the future (a full keyboard mapping at least...)

[SyX]

MERCI @roudoudou!!! Another wonderful release and I can edit text now

[roudoudou]

thanks to Syx for testing/suggestions, new US keyboard mapping

found out how to deal with Linux compilation trouble with old CPU, should work on almost any very old machines (mail me if you want a 486DX version )

http://www.roudoudou.com/ACE-DL/

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- little changes in Amstrad Plus monitor geometry
- added screen contours (Monitor>Plastic Cover)
- added US keyboard mapping
- keyboard mapping can be used in GUI (see new options in Configuration>Keyboard)
- bugfix some memory leaks
- bugfix FDC result persistence after Seek
- bugfix Green and Grey palette generation
- bugfix export of file >16K with floppy manager
- bugfix FDC timeout bug emulation, causing timeout on perfect writes...


[McArti0]

OUT &3DFF,X in CRTC3,4 should not set PAL.

[roudoudou]

OUT &3DFF,X in CRTC3,4 should not set PAL.

this subject is under investigation since a few weeks because with age some strange things may happen on all CRTC
this is PROBABLY due to Z80 internal resistance which decreases over time (like AY)
then the CRTC can overtake the databus
an emulation option may appear in the future (anyway, as this "trick" cannot work on all CPC, it should be avoided)

[McArti0]

this "trick" cannot work on all CPC

Has anyone found at least one non-Plus whose PAL is not set this way?

Does anyone know the difference between 40030 and 40031?

[Jean-Marie]

Just so you know, the FDC doesn't seem to handle the GAP2 protection on this Mastertronic's compilation:  3 games volume 1 © mastertronic (1988) (cpc-power.com)
 Also, my original of West Bank (UK) has a Size 0 sector in track 40 which causes troubles 
Edit: My bad, the compilation seems to work correctly now! Thanks

[roudoudou]

Just so you know, the FDC doesn't seem to handle the GAP2 protection on this Mastertronic's compilation:  3 games volume 1 © mastertronic (1988) (cpc-power.com)
 Also, my original of West Bank (UK) has a Size 0 sector in track 40 which causes troubles 
Edit: My bad, the compilation seems to work correctly now! Thanks

where does this original come from?
first, DSK is not a master format
second, a #41 sector on track zero with wrong CRC should not load, as expected?
third => i guess cpcrulez or cpc-power would be glad to have that dump

[Jean-Marie]

That's not a real dump. As the original UK version is missing, I had "created" an original by taking a compilation version, and modifying the boot block so that it loads West bank directly 
I'll have the CRC corrected, thanks!

[roudoudou]

new release, mostly dev oriented (just watched a developper live coding and added missing features )

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- write new DSK to export subdir (mostly useful for Mac users)
- new highlights in debug
- new YM export functionality
- bugfix keyboard mapping in ManageDSK File Header text input
- bugfix keyboard mapping in RamDump (still improving handling)
- clean Amsdos name when import file with ManageDSK module
- ability to Pause the Emulation with Pause and ScrollLock
- Memory Explorer at startup reuses last mapping+location
- Graphics Explorer at startup reuses last mapping+settings

[genesis8]

Hmm I forgot to add ACE in the left menu of the web site, corrected in a few minutes... Well, the original one also.

[roudoudou]

new release http://www.roudoudou.com/ACE-DL/

- new easter eggs
- enable/disable breakpoints in trace in the left side only
- PlayCity default initialisation for YM frequencies
- Reset reinitialise all audio expansions
- ludicrous graphics optimisations
- tape player prototype (wav only, not accurate)
- new option to emulate contention on databus (affect PAL)
- dynamic CRTC change on the fly (beware of side effects)
- added FR (Apple layout) keyboard mapping
- added UK (Apple layout) keyboard mapping
- bugfix execution breakpoint toggle
- bugfix extended key on GUI mapping
- bugfix regression with mouse wheel on debug

[Fessor]

The last Wine update doesn't seem to have been good for WinApe. The sound output no longer works and the debugger crashes after a short time.

So I downloaded AceDL for Linux for my Kubuntu 22.04 and managed to mount the Albireo directory with Unidos so that I don't have to waste time creating and mounting disk images, but can load the binary file created with RASM into AceDL as normal from Basic using Load "filename".

But the Linux version doesn't seem to want to load the RASM symbol file. Neither via drag & drop nor via the command line. Is this not yet implemented in the Linux version?

[roudoudou]

in order to load a file via albireo emulation, the binary must have an Amsdos header

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SAVE 'myfile.bin',start,size,AMSDOS
the symbol file for ACE is not the same as Winape so you must use -rasm option in the command line

and i guess it will work

note: download the very last version of rasm, i fix the user in amsdos header when it wasn't specified in the name

[Fessor]

Ah... -rasm in the commandline of RASM...

Yep, it works.

I used the SAVE-Statement in the source with RASM 1.5 back in the Day. If there was a bug, then i wasn't affected by it. Updated lately to 2.2.4  as i restarted my Project with Elite.

[roudoudou]

http://www.roudoudou.com/ACE-DL/

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- new option to allow extra sounds when recording video
- new option to force stereo on CPC machines (not Plus already stereo)
- allow digits in AMSDOS name when importing with ManageDsk
- added full translated keyboard to label search (L in Trace)
- redraw GUI borders when dynamically change CRTC without plastic cover
- Drive step skipping management more realistic
- FDC new jitterBit reading algorithm (was slower than expected)
- FDC HUT bug extended to sick mode
- FDC shadow polling must skip sick steps
- bugfix floppy position optimisation on track change
- bugfix a few memory leaks (HFE management)

[Neville]

Hello there. I'm an Spanish user and I'm having some issues with the latest releases of ACE-DL. Basically, the joystick emulation through keys no longer works.

These are my current settings:





But I've tried basically every combination of the above. I'm using the x64 build of ACE-DL with Windows 10 and a Spanish keyboard.

I'd also like to request something: ZIP file support! IMHO no modern emulator is complete without it, and I also think it's one of the few thinks that keep this emulator from being an essential app. Well, that and tape support, but I imagine that is being worked on.

[roudoudou]

Hello there. I'm an Spanish user and I'm having some issues with the latest releases of ACE-DL. Basically, the joystick emulation through keys no longer works.

These are my current settings:





But I've tried basically every combination of the above. I'm using the x64 build of ACE-DL with Windows 10 and a Spanish keyboard.

I'd also like to request something: ZIP file support! IMHO no modern emulator is complete without it, and I also think it's one of the few thinks that keep this emulator from being an essential app. Well, that and tape support, but I imagine that is being worked on.

yeah there is a side-effect of keyboard translation, thanks for reporting

will fix this

thanks for the other suggestions

[roudoudou]

hmmmm, about the joystick, i do not reproduce (but i do have some other side FX i will fix)

did you check the joystick at the bottom on the HUD, if it is grey (default when starting emu), click on it to enable joystick translation

i've done this to quickly enabling/disabling joy translation support without going into configuration menu

will work

[Neville]

The joystick button starts out in grey, yes. It seems to work fine again if I enable it. 

This is funny, I don't remember having clicked on it in the past. And I see that if I restart the emulator it's greyed out again, this could be a problem. Can you make the emu remember if it was active or not in the past session and keep it that way?

[roudoudou]

The joystick button starts out in grey, yes. It seems to work fine again if I enable it.

This is funny, I don't remember having clicked on it in the past. And I see that if I restart the emulator it's greyed out again, this could be a problem. Can you make the emu remember if it was active or not in the past session and keep it that way?

i can add an option to remember it sure but except if you use cartridge, it may be a bad idea because you need to CAT:RUN" (+cursor/copy or other keys) before launching a programm

that's why it is disabled when launching the emulator

[Neville]

I see... normally I use cursors + Right CTRL to emulate the joystick, but the other options (numeric keyboard, QAOP, WASD) could intrude when typing stuff. Damn, I expected this to be simpler.