Recent posts

#1

Applications (CPC and CPC-related) / Re: XDDOS guide

Last post by GUNHED - Today at 01:28

Thanks!

I started a French translation (but maybe English is better for sharing...). I need to find time for that :/

Google translate will do 

#2

C

Emulators / Re: ZEsarUX 12

Last post by chernandezba - Today at 00:33

Hi Cesar, what a great changelog, thanks a lot for the updates!

Btw, I wonder if you have any plans about adding ZX eLeMeNt support?

You're welcome

I'm not planning on adding more machines; even if I add new machines, would probably be "old" machines and not new, like ZX eLeMeNt. Modern Speccy clones are difficult to emulate and always changing, too much effort to dedicate

#3

Demos / Re: Collection of pictures for...

Last post by dodogildo - Today at 00:30

This is Good Cat, not bad.

Exactly 

#4

Emulators / Re: ZEsarUX 12

Last post by Prodatron - Today at 00:12

Hi Cesar, what a great changelog, thanks a lot for the updates!

Btw, I wonder if you have any plans about adding ZX eLeMeNt support?

#5

C

Emulators / ZEsarUX 12

Last post by chernandezba - Yesterday at 23:49

New ZEsarUX version! You can download ZEsarUX 12 from:

https://github.com/chernandezba/zesarux/releases/tag/ZEsarUX-12.0

Changelog:

ZEsarUX 12 - Bubble Bobble edition. 16 January 2025

* New things added:

Added ZX Microdrive emulation on ZX Spectrum: that includes:
- Standard MDR emulation. Allow to browse inside MDR files, see file map, fragmentation, rename files, sectors info, chkdsk and emulate bad sectors
- Raw microdrive emulation. Supporting other non-interface1 rom file formats, like extending microdrive space with Multiface 128 or CP/M for LEC memory. Allow to see microdrive raw map (gap zones, sync bytes, data) and have "real problems", like autogenerate bad sectors or stretching the microdrive when it's new.
- Simulate data sound on read and write
- Visual Microdrive: Allow to see a microdrive cartridge in action

Added Visual Cassette Tape window
Added LEC memory extension emulation
Added machines Czerweny CZ 1000, CZ 1500, CZ 1000 Plus, CZ 1500 Plus, CZ 2000, CZ Spectrum, CZ Spectrum Plus
Added Memory Cheat feature: useful to find counters of energy, bombs, ammo or any other cheat in a game
Added Find text string on memory menu
Added Quicksave screen function
Added setting to disable persistent writes on Z88 Cards
Added CPC Additional ROMS emulation
Added setting "--simplemenus" to have a very simple main menu

* Improvements:

Allow save screen to bmp for most machines
Allow hotswap to Pentagon and to Spectrum +3
Allow hotswap from Spectrum 128 to Spectrum +3
Allow to load .SP snapshots of 64kb (like Shadow of Unicorn)
Improve Azimuth warning on External Audio Source Window
Added SDHC cards addressing support
Added Flash Color mode (128 colors)
Allow to not save snapshot when exiting ZEsarUX
Allow to load an additional config file .zesaruxdevrc
Allow to define Left Alt, Left Ctrl, Left Shift or TAB as Joystick Fire action
Allow to change current tape read position on Input Tape Viewer for .tap files
Allow loading a 8kb rom in ZX80 (for example the ZX81 rom, like an upgraded ZX80 to ZX81)
Allow magnify sprites on View Sprites
Added Sphere Meter Type to View Sensors
Improve compilation: settings --enable-memptr --enable-visualmem --enable-cpustats are enabled by default on ./configure
Improved Inves Spectrum+ emulation: alert when a game may crash due to the Inves write-on-interrupt bug
Improved Spectrum Z80 CPU emulation core: add wait state (needed to emulate microdrive)
Improved PCW emulation: add mode 3 (360x256x16), allow videomode changes by i/o port
Improved Sega Master System emulation: allow to swap controls player 1 <-> player 2
Improved ZSF snapshot: save Datagear DMA state
Improved ZX Recreated keyboard support: allow to use it also on menu
Allow saving .Z80 TC2048, TC2068, TS2068 snapshots. Allow loading .Z80 TC2048, TC2068 snapshots

Improved Spectrum Next emulation (the following allows, for example, run Atic Atac version for Next):
- Added Layer modes 6 and 7 (blend modes)
- Added stackless NMI
- Added DAC Channels A,B,C,D
- Allow tiles on RAM 7
- Improve display render when only ula enabled (6% less cpu on my computer)
- Fixed 128k/+2a/Pentagon timings
- Fixed DIVMMC mapping after RETN
- Fixed Copper timings
- Fixed esxdos handler call DISK_FILEMAP
- Fixed esxdos handler changing local directory when a .nex snapshot is loaded
- Fixed palette offset for layer 2
- Fixed ULA layer horizontal scroll
- Fixed sprite clipping on left and top border
- Fixed Tile wrapping at 16k/8k
- Fixed DMA burst mode when prescaler=0
- Fixed DMA Transfer restarting the byte count at the end of a transfer
- Fixed cpu speed when opening tape file

Improved Hilow Datadrive emulation:
- Added Raw emulation, like the real device
- Allow ddh variable size (from 3 up to 256 sectors)
- Allow to format only one side on ddh files
- Allow to clear contents when formatting ("c/borrado" or "s/borrado") on ddh files

Improved Debug:
- CPU history: allow to change memory pointer to the PC register show in history
- CPU history: allow to see full history
- Show when CPU is in wait state
- Dissassemble numeric parameters on Z80N (Z80 Spectrum Next) opcodes (NEXTREG NN,A, TEST N, etc)
- Added breakpoint action save-binary
- Allow to enable/disable breakpoint at an adress (not just enable/remove), using key 'L' uppercase. Disabled state is saved on configuration
- Added Symbol Table loading

Improved Hexadecimal editor:
- Now the data is refreshed when the window has the focus too
- Now the memory pointer can follow an expression (CPU register for example)

Improved ZX Vision:
- More GUI improvements following more guidelines from the (retro)-specification IBM CUA
- Menus show previous menus when selecting submenus
- When selecting ZX Vision Style, it is applied on moving cursor
- Improve cursor movement on menus when pressing PgDn/PgUp
- Allow keys Home/End on windows
- Added setting to allow use speccy keys for menu interaction: use keys 5678 as cursors, caps shift+space for ESC, caps shift+ctrl for TAB, caps shift+ctrl+m for Open Menu (F5)
- Video layers window can now be backgrounded
- Debug DMA window can now be backgrounded
- Warn on the resize mark when a window has to be enlarged (because there is text beyond current size)
- Allow a window to disable scroll actions
- Process switcher is located at bottom-left part of the display by default
- Now rainbow bars on windows title are visible on all GUI Styles when an error or splash message appears
- Added a direct function to open Breakpoints window

Improved ZX Desktop:
- Allow to enable/disable upper and lower buttons independently
- Allow right click on the device icons located on the lower part of the ZX Desktop

* Fixes:

Fixed ZX Vision:
- Fixed right click on upper buttons when menu closed and no windows open
- Fixed alt key pressed when changing to another window by using alt-tab on xwindow, cocoa, sdl1 and sdl2 drivers
- Fixed recovering window position after restore/unminimize
- Fixed bug reopening menu when executing run command on debug cpu and --allow-background-windows setting was disabled
- Fixed text-to-speech on menu (bugs reading text on submenus and windows)
- Fixed left clicking on an icon when menu was open

Fixed cpu+memory leak bug using Linux and Xwindow driver. This is a bug that has always existed (a "long life bug" XD)
Fixed ZX81 Online browser
Remove buffer full indicator when pressing shift+e on External Audio Source window
Fixed TZX autoload as Real Tape on Spectrum +3
Fixed inserting TZX file with invalid header type
Fixed saving .scr screen when located on RAM 7
Fixed esxdos handler call F_GETCWD when root directory (/)
Fixed esxdos handler call F_GETCWD when directory does not exist
Fixed hotswap ZX80 to ZX81, ZX81 to ZX80
Fixed Amstrad CPC Scroll
Fixed Cassette out sound: allow to hear it on computers: Jupiter Ace, CPC, MSX, Spectravideo
Fixed memory map and behaviour on Jupiter Ace: now it's perfect and better than any other emulator
Fixed loading .nex snapshots and Layer 2 not being initialized (fixes errors on Head Over Heels for Next, for example)
Fixed loading .nex snapshots and MMU not managed correctly
Fixed Search menu feature. Now it's enabled by default
Fixed bug saving .ZSF Z88 snapshot when RAM or Memory Card block is not compressed
Fixed showing footer message F5/Button menu
Fixed MSX keyclick sound
Fixed ZX-Uno write on addresses 0000h-3fffh when using Chloe MMU and segment is not ROM


Enjoy!

#6

Demos / Re: Collection of pictures for...

Last post by ZorrO - Yesterday at 21:15

This is Good Cat, not bad.

Some pictures are so pretty that it's not worth starting the game after looking at them.

[all]

#7

Technical support - Hardware related / Re: CPC 6128 - white screen, b...

Last post by eto - Yesterday at 20:03

Unfortunately step 1) still resulted in the same white screen with black border.

Not really a surprise but it was important to test that, so you don't exchange the ICs of bank 1 - and then it's one of the ICs in bank 0.

Could you describe that process in more detail? Reading up on it, I understand the principle that there should be high resistance between neighbouring traces/pads,

1) download the schematics, and have a look at the part with the RAM

2) check that all pins that should be connected indeed are connected. See attached one example: Pin 10 of all RAM ICs should be connected. With your multimeter you can put one probe to any IC and then check if all other ICs have a connection on pin 10. Finally also check if there is a connection to pin 7 of IC104 (resistance should show 47 Ohms). If any connection fails, there must be fault somewhere. Just an example what happened to me: When removing a RAM IC I accidentally removed a solder pad - and once I inserted the IC socket and didn't recognize that one leg was bent - and then it had no connection.

3) check that there is no connection between pins that should not be connected. As you already checked the correct connections in step 2 it should be sufficient to test
a) on each RAM IC: check all pins - start with one probe on pin 1, then check Pin 2-16 with the other probe, move on to pin 2, check pin 3-16 ... and so on
b) on one bank: check all D-Out pins. start on Bank 0, RAM IC 1, put probe on Pin 14 and check Pin 14 on all RAM IC 2-8 of bank 0 with the other probe, move on to IC 2 and check PIN 14 on RAM IC 3-8
If there is any connection where no connection should be, then a short was introduced. E.g. I once had a tiny piece of wire that was stuck under an IC socket and connected two pins with each other.

#8

M

Technical support - Hardware related / Re: CPC 6128 - white screen, b...

Last post by mmldrm - Yesterday at 19:12

Unfortunately step 1) still resulted in the same white screen with black border.

2) check for any shorts introduced by the repair guy - you never know if it's done well or not

Could you describe that process in more detail? Reading up on it, I understand the principle that there should be high resistance between neighbouring traces/pads, but not sure where is best to measure across in this scenario (checking the new RAM/sockets).

#9

E

Demos / Re: Collection of pictures for...

Last post by Egg Master - Yesterday at 19:00

Yes, I prefer to have the original screens too. I don't think the goal is to replace them, but a tribute?

#10

Demos / Re: Collection of pictures for...

Last post by norecess464 - Yesterday at 15:40

I have a great admiration for the outstanding work done by TITAN -- truly exceptional pixel art.

Personally, I have a strong preference for preserving the original screens in games. While I recognize that they are visually less advanced, they hold a nostalgic value for me, as they reflect how the games were originally experienced.

Of course, this is just my personal opinion, and I fully understand and respect that many players might prefer the new screens, which undeniably bring a fresh and vibrant touch to the games.