X-MASS, a mass-storage expansion for all CPC.

[Ast]

So first sector is named 00 ?
what is the name of the last sector for an x-Mass 128mb ?

[Prodatron]

Probably something like
128*1024*1024/512=262144 
or if it's only 108MB around 220000

[HAL6128]

Yes.
223.200 Sector exactly.

The reason why it's only 108 MB is that I formatted the DOM from Windows with a tool called "CF Card Recover". It formatted the DOM with a single FAT16 file-system without a MBR, but the application left 8 MB free at the end. I don't know why.

Then I extracted an image with a tool called "Odin File Recovery". So I have an Image which could be attached to WinApe (last version), for testing purposes within the emulator.

At the end you will find txt-files from the different sectors in hex-format (without any delimiter). Anything else on the DOM is filled with &00.

The results from WinApe with an "Identify Device" command show the whole sector size of the DOM but not the true "model number or name" (still "WinApe IDE") of the device: (&3E) 62 x (&10) 16 x (&FF) x 255 = 252.960 (123MB).
The results from a real hardware show only random number at the provided addresses (weird), but the true "model number or name". That's the reason why I'm asking.

The boot sector not always tell you the whole truth of the whole sectors. The "Identify Device" does.

HAL6128

[Prodatron]

Thank you very much!
I will put together a small app for writing these few sectors.

[Ast]

Where Will acmedos have to be put ? Before rom 7 ? Between rom 8-15 ? Etc....
Have you some good News about AcmeDos ?
Is SyX still working on it ?

[TotO]

Where Will acmedos have to be put ? Before rom 7 ? Between rom 8-15 ? Etc....
Have you some good News about AcmeDos ?
Is SyX still working on it ?

Under ROM 7, because it patch AMSDOS to work together. Some peoples with the required skill are beta-testing it.
SyX doesn't have the free time required to do it fast... Else, it will be finished since 6 months.

[Audronic]

@TotO


Some Thoughts about X-Mass.


****The actual format tool is expected to initialise the X-MASS to be used as "unparted FAT".
        But... It not properly work for me, so it was not actually released.

What did you use ?? and can that be released Please.


****The best will be that each OS allow to format their drives.

I Politely disagree. All I want is for an appropriate Rom Or Driver to be installed Regardless of Operating system, so i can use the X-Mass as bulk storage to be used as a Hard Drive (DOM)

In one of your earlier videos you demonstrated the DOM being used as a Hard drive with what looked like Various folders to demonstrate a Game.

Please supply the tools to make my X-Mass work like yours,  Or the Method that was used to make it work.

I have tried BDos, Symbos and cannot get the DOM to respond (the light flashes for a very short time after the commands are sent)

I would like to get a copy of the BETA rom Please

Frustrated ? YES

Politely Thanks   Ray

[TotO]

I Politely disagree. All I want is for an appropriate Rom Or Driver to be installed Regardless of Operating system, so i can use the X-Mass as bulk storage to be used as a Hard Drive (DOM)

It is what BDOS does and ACMEDOS will do. By the way, the X-MASS is a IDE storage and any OS have to be able to initialise it with its own format (like OSX, Linux, Windows... And now SymbOS does).

If you are frustrated, I'm too... And?
We have to wait for a FAT/AMSDOS compatible DOS.

[Prodatron]

We just finished the little formatting tool for the standard X-MASS 128MB DOM storages!
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
I am currently not home, but HAL6128 was able to test it successfully.
Boot SymbOS, start this little tool ("xmass.exe"), press the button and the DOM is formatted in FAT16. You shouldn't use this for other IDE storages devices as it's fixed to the 128MB standard X-MASS DOMs.
After the formatting you should be able to add the X-MASS as a new IDE device (not partitioned) with the "control panel"/"mass storage".
Thanks a lot again to HAL6128 for the idea, sector dumps and testing!

Application is attached (source codes included).

[TotO]

Great tool! 
Thank you for your work. I will not forget.

[Audronic]

We just finished the little formatting tool for the standard X-MASS 128MB DOM storages!
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
I am currently not home, but HAL6128 was able to test it successfully.
Boot SymbOS, start this little tool ("xmass.exe"), press the button and the DOM is formatted in FAT16. You shouldn't use this for other IDE storages devices as it's fixed to the 128MB standard X-MASS DOMs.
After the formatting you should be able to add the X-MASS as a new IDE device (not partitioned) with the "control panel"/"mass storage".
Thanks a lot again to HAL6128 for the idea, sector dumps and testing!

Application is attached (source codes included).

Hi Prodatron


It all goes well up to the point where we write to the drive.and then it just falls back to the top Picture and then locks up .


Ray

[robcfg]

Silly question, does the DOM have a write-protection switch by any chance?


Like the one on SD cards...

[TotO]

No. It is an IDE flash drive, not a removable card.
If his X-MASS work with BDOS and can't be formated with SymbOS, that mean something may goes wrong about the software.
Because all the DOM don't have exactly the same "128MB" size, depending the flash used, it sould be interresting to test with a bit lower capacity?

EDIT:
Reading the other topic, it look that you can't access it from BDOS too.
Your board worked fine for me. May be, a power supply issue? Or something goes wrong with the DOM...
I should replace your full board and do extra-test if you want.

[HAL6128]

Hi Prodatron


It all goes well up to the point where we write to the drive.and then it just falls back to the top Picture and then locks up .


Ray

It's a little bit misleading that the window pop up again or stays, but it's ok. Your DOM should be formatted and you should have access via SymCommander.
Just a little question: Have configured your XMASS with ControlPanel before formatting?

[Audronic]

It's a little bit misleading that the window pop up again or stays, but it's ok. Your DOM should be formatted and you should have access via SymCommander.
Just a little question: Have configured your XMASS with ControlPanel before formatting?

Hi Hal 6128

I have only the SymbOS Roms fitted,  I have removed The FW3.15 Roms as well, I have tried with another Working DOM that was used in an Other Project (TRS-80).
I am beginning to believe that the X-Mass card is Unwell.

Yes I have tried to configure the XMASS with the control panel.


Have started SymbOS with |sym  from Rom and Run"sym" from Floppy

And the problem still persists.

I will keep on trying


Thanks   Ray

[Prodatron]

Hi Ray, it's probably a hardware issue, if BDOS fails as well.
The formatting tool should be finished after about 5 seconds, and then you should see the confirmation message. But in your case the whole system is hanging or only the tool itself isn't responding anymore? (which means that it's waiting for "data request" forever)

[Audronic]

Hi Prodaton


A complete lockup.
It locks up as soon as i hit the button.


Drats.


Thanks   Ray

[Ast]

Just to understand, what is precisely :

-cylinder low
-cylinder high
-sector count (number of sector we want to count?)
-sector number (1st sector ?)

How many cylinders ? How many sectors (256 ?)

where can we find the directory (sector/cylinder?)

Thanks to reply these questions very important for a lot of people (like me!)

[Prodatron]

When using CHS (cylinder/head/sector) addressing you have still sectors, tracks (=cylinders) and heads (for a floppy this would be disc side 1 and side 2). The track number (cylinder) is 16bit, the sector number is 8bit and the head number is 4bit (so a hard disc could have 16 different "sides").
It depends on the harddisc how many sectors, tracks and heads are available, there is a special command for reading these information.

Today CHS isn't used anymore and had been replaced by LBA (logical block addressing). Here you only have sectors 0-xxxxx, and they can have 28 (128GB) or even 48bit (128PB) addresses, which makes it easier and faster to address a cluster/sector. LBA "misuses" the sector (bit 0-7), cylinder (bit8-23) and head (bit24-27) bits of the IDE registers for setting the LBA28 address.

[HAL6128]

Just to understand, what is precisely :
...
How many cylinders ? How many sectors (256 ?)

where can we find the directory (sector/cylinder?)

Thanks to reply these questions very important for a lot of people (like me!)

You will find any information in the FAT16/32 Specification from Microsoft.
For example: if there is no partition then the first physical sector (LBA 0 or CHS 0/0/1) provide a standard boot sector with 512 Bytes of information.
Here you can read:
at Byte 11&12 the number of Bytes per Sector (default=512 Bytes with FAT16/32), so Byte 11 holds &00 and Byte 12 hold &02.
at Byte 13 there's the number of Sectors per Cluster. If you format a harddrive from Windows you can change the cluster size (e.g. 2K = 4 Sectors / 4K = 8 Sectors and so on.)
at Byte 16 the number of FAT table (default = 2)
and so on.
FAT16 and FAT32 differs from Byte 32 where they have different standards until the boot code.
With all the information you can calculate the Filesystem, FAT table and the Start Sector of the Root-Directory.
If you are in the Root Directory you are able to seek after filenames, attributes, starting cluster ("almost" similar to the CP/M ) in a 32 Byte information block. Ok CP/M has no FAT table, but it is in principle integrated in the 32 Byte block or split into more then one entry.

Look for Spec. of MS. It's very clear, but you will need to read it more than one times before understanding...(ok, this counts only for me).

[Ast]

For those who are interested... Just click Here to download Microsft's fat 12/16/32's doc.

[Audronic]

FirmWare 3.16 (Unofficial Installer ) Caveat Emptor.

A Copy of the Disc that i used to Install Firmware 3.16.
As SyX said Use it to test your system it is NOT an Official release.


Ray

[Ast]

and what about x-Mass ? I don't really understand why you post fw316 here ?

[Audronic]

@ast


Because it was used in my testing of the X-Mass.
SyX referred to it earlier in this thread.Reply #322

Ray

[Kris]

@Ast: The Fw 3.16 disabled the RAM disk at boot so as to launch the X-Mass