AMSDAP - Amstrad MSx aDAPter - connecting any MSX I/O hardware to the CPC

[gflorez]

I can try it with my Philips NMS8280(MSX2) and a Zemmix Neo(FPGA clone), probably this night.

Think that the most compatible chip series is LS, the ones universally used on the 80s for our loved machines.

Better I can make a picture of every machine working with the TRH9000, if you like. About 5 of them, counting the Enterprise, CPC 6128+ and Amstrad PCW

[gflorez]

This is the 6128+ running the FlappyBird demo inside SymbOS

[gflorez]

This one is the Enterprise running SymbOS g9k

[gflorez]

Now follow images of MSX+TRH9000, some on real hardware and others on Zemmix.

[gflorez]

More.

[gflorez]

These pictures with two screens are from a demo showing that is possible to move the normal and the V9990 screens at the same time:

http://ni.10-59.com/zip/2sc.zip

The full video from the creator(NOT MINE): 


More V9990 demos from the same author:  https://ni.x0.com/msx/

[dodogildo]

@gflorez thank you!

[gflorez]

The TRH9000 is not recognised on my PCW, so the next experiment will be to mount HCT chips.

[Mork]

@gflorez: Well done, excellent work!
How do you connect the TRH9000 to an Amstrad PCW? 
Does it offer the same expansion port like a CPC or exists a special AMSDAP version for the PCW? 

[Prodatron]

@gflorez: Well done, excellent work!
How do you connect the TRH9000 to an Amstrad PCW?
Does it offer the same expansion port like a CPC or exists a special AMSDAP version for the PCW?

They are similiar but not pin compatible, so you have to swap some wires:
https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Amstrad_PCW_Expansion_Port
https://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Connector:Expansion_port

Gflorez made a PCW-version of the AMSDAP some years ago, the previous GFX9000 cards were already working there.

[Mork]

And is it the same Port number on the PCW?
I am asking because I also thought of connecting it to a ZX Spectrum and it's not quite clear to me, whether the ports are defined by the AMSDAP.

[Prodatron]

Yes, the AMSDAP usually has to remap the MSX-based port numbers of the connected hardware.

The MSX ports #00-#ff are maped to...
- CPC: #FFxx
- PCW: #xxB0 (that was a great idea by Habi IIRC)
- Enterprise: #xx (not remaped; we had good luck that there are no collisions with V9990/OPL4)

Regarding the ZX Spectrum I wonder if there is still a free slot for mapping 256 port addresses (the ZX ports are a quite complex thing...) If not you have to search for some free areas, where at least the V9990 or the OPL4 ports won't collide with something existing.

[Mork]

But how would I map the ports if I could find some free once? 

[andycadley]

Regarding the ZX Spectrum I wonder if there is still a free slot for mapping 256 port addresses (the ZX ports are a quite complex thing...) If not you have to search for some free areas, where at least the V9990 or the OPL4 ports won't collide with something existing.

The Speccy has pretty much no ports that won't collide with something at this point So it's mostly a case of choosing the least worst collision. Absolutely zero chance of finding 256 free ports though, so you'd need some more complex circuitry in order to multiplex requests into a much smaller range.

[gflorez]

I think that the solution to interface a MSX slot on a Spectrum would be to use a port no more used by an obsolete device.

I have some candidates....

The problem is that even the Spectrum architecture itself lacks complete decoding of the ports, instead using individual bits of the address bus to interact with some of its insides. The third party expansions added a lot more confusion, leaving a web of mirror ports that cannot be used.

For example, the ULA "eats" all the pair ports because uses the bit 1 of the address bus for itself. This means that we have lost half of the possible free ports....

Even the ubiquitous Kempston joystick interface produces mirror ports= ---- ---- 000- ---- because only bits 5, 6 and 7  are used for the decoding, (is read by default on port 31d(1Fh, 000111111b) by the programmers) so you also could use ports 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29..., or you could use other value than 0 on the high byte as long as you leave bits 5, 6 and 7 unset.... Of course, you can't do that because some other peripheral will use some of these floating bits....

[gflorez]

Sorry, I mean that the ULA takes for itself the first bit on the address bus, this is bit 0....

[Mork]

@gflorez: Are the HC series chips on the TRH9000 DIP or SMD versions?

[gflorez]

They are SMD. I had better results with LS than with HCT, but not on all my machines, so the next experiment will be to change the logic to exactly the same than the GFX-NINE, that works on all my equipments.

I have consulted to some of my friends. Maybe that /RD cannot be accessed so many times(2), when some other expansion is also accessing it.

[dodogildo]

Hello, as some of you may remember, I previously claimed my AMSDAP might be faulty because it didn't work with TRH9000 graphic card.
Well I finally acquired Technobyte's V9990 Powergraph Lite and it turned out my previous claim was wrong. AMSDAP worked flawlessly this time (kudos to @gflorez who built the board). Just tested it with @HAL6128's impressive demo (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?msg=241884)

Here:

[gflorez]

I still have no time to sit a moment and modify my TRH9000, sorry...

[dodogildo]

BTW I can't seem to run Symbos properly on my AMSDAP + V9000 setup. Trying the SymbOS-CPC-G9K folder from the official distribution package but having errors. @Prodatron, may be you can help me figuring this out    -many thanks

[poulette73]

Hello,

Check that symbos.ini/symg9k.ini files have to be placed always in root directory (but extended config files symbosxt.ini/symbg9xt.ini are in C:/SYMBOS directory).
Launch O/S with RUN"SYMG9K (instead of RUN"SYM)

[EDIT]
Check too in Control Panel->System, if Boot drive is set to "C" and System Path to "C:\symbos\"

[Prodatron]

@dodogildo , from which device did you boot it? (at least it's running in G9K mode)
@poulette73 , thanks for the support!

[dodogildo]

Hello,

Check that symbos.ini/symg9k.ini files have to be placed always in root directory (but extended config files symbosxt.ini/symbg9xt.ini are in C:/SYMBOS directory).
Launch O/S with RUN"SYMG9K (instead of RUN"SYM)

[EDIT]
Check too in Control Panel->System, if Boot drive is set to "C" and System Path to "C:\symbos\"

Well, I'm only using below files from (SymbOS-CPC-G9K) folder downloaded from http://www.symbos.de/download.htm
So, no C:/SYMBOS folder etc..

[dodogildo]

dodogildo , from which device did you boot it? (at least it's running in G9K mode)

Both on RSF3 and M4.
Yes it runs but when I click on any application (for example Control Panel) It show error code 26