CHAMELEON V2 - red button

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Don't Panic. Please wash hands.
  • This looks like a Memory corruption... please do the following:


    - update to the latest Firmware if you have not already done so: http://wiki.icomp.de/wiki/Chameleon#Updates

    - now try if the Chameleon boots in standalone mode

    - try if the button works in standalone mode


    If all of these is fine, try again in Cartridge mode. You may also want to clean the expansion port of the C64 with alcohol (IPA).


    Also, please describe your C64 setup, what kind of C64 is it, and what kind of expansions are in it (if any).


    pwsoft: I remember we had some problem with reset on C64R a while ago (that still needs fixing) - perhaps this is related?

  • Hello Tobias,




    I already updated the Cameleon. I unziped everything at the root of the SD Cards, and let the Chamelon auto-update. Now I can see "Beta-9i" in the system info menu. (But the boot loader remains v0.4)


    What do I need to test the cartridge in standalone mode ? A power cable ?


    I tried this with two C64 : a "classic", old C64 breadbin, but also my brand new C64 reloaded :). (I'm pretty sure that the C64R does not need to be cleared with alcohol)


    Both are working fine, but I have the same problem with both of them when I want to use the right, red button.


    Best regards,


    Marc


    PS : maybe this is normal behavior, but when I start the Chameleon, the screen is on a yellow background for a few seconds (despite I changed the background color to blue) before switching to blue.

  • Quote

    What do I need to test the cartridge in standalone mode ? A power cable ?

    For Chameleon v2 just a second USB cable, For v1 you need the breakout cable.


    If you get the same behaviour in standalone mode, please update via USB using the update program

  • PS : maybe this is normal behavior, but when I start the Chameleon, the screen is on a yellow background for a few seconds (despite I changed the background color to blue) before switching to blue.

    That's expected behaviour, as the colours need to be loaded from the flashed settings - before that's done, the bootloader needs to chose "some" colours, and that's the default ones.

  • That's expected behaviour, as the colours need to be loaded from the flashed settings - before that's done, the bootloader needs to chose "some" colours, and that's the default ones.

    OK; so yellow is the default color; you should update the documentation, and recommend sunglasses for first use :)

  • For Chameleon v2 just a second USB cable, For v1 you need the breakout cable.


    If you get the same behaviour in standalone mode, please update via USB using the update program

    I do not want to make a mistake - So I need two cable ?


    - One for "power" - mini USB connector at the bottom/left

    - One for "data" - mini connector at uper/left ?


    I have a V2 Chameleon, but currently I'm at work, and cannot examine it :)


    Best regards


    Marc

  • Bad news, I'm afraid.


    As the problem persisted even in stand-alone mode, I proceeded with the update, which went well, as far as I can tell (using flasher.exe)


    But the problem remains, whether on the C64R, the C64 breadbin or even in stand-alone mode: A long-press of the read button causes a system crash. The Chameleon starts to reboot, but freezes before the end (see image).

  • If it doesnt even work in standalone mode, my guess would be either the Flash or the RAM is broken.


    It does start up normally after a powercycle though? If yes, what happens if you press "A" in the menu? (that should also reload the first core, just like long press on the right button)

  • Yes it work normally after a powercycle, but I need to power-off the C64R (power switch down).


    Yes, when I press A, it works.



    A note: when I try a reboot with the red button, I first have a blue screen / yellow writing, then the usual yellow background writing blue.

    Then the system crash.

    This is the only time I see this "blue background", which never appears at startup.

  • And thats reproducable, not just coincedence? (Try a dozen times or so, please) - because that doesnt make a lot of sense, the two ways do pretty much the same thing.


    Just to make sure: this still happens also in standalone mode? If so, you should probably return the chameleon and have it replaced :)


    Edit: i tried on my C64RMK2 and it behaves normal - so likely not related to the reset problem we observed before

  • Update : Without the SDCard, the red button reset well !

    And the F8 + A works too.


    So perharps the SD card is defective ? Do you have any prerequisites for the SD card?


    I have to find another one and make some more tests.

  • Wow, that is strange.


    Most SD cards should work fine, but if it draws excessive power.... maybe strange things can happen. Try another, perhaps a "small" one (like 2gb or sth like that).


    could you tell what kind of card it is (if you can, make a photo from front and backside, the backside usually has extra info)

  • Just tried this morning with another SD card.


    Good news - the reset with red button is ok, and so is F8+A.

    I need to do more tests, but I think everything will be ok.


    Many thanks for this personalized assistance !


    Best regards,


    Marc

  • It may be as simple as a timeout striking when the card has been initialized already. SD-card initialization is tricky in itself, and SDHC is even more tricky. I remember Tobias did *lots* of testing, but we certainly can't test each and everyone of them. Lexar is a good name brand, though, so it might be worth adding that to the test-loop.

  • My guess would be that the card keeps responding to SPI commands somehow, and then messes up the transfer from flash to ram... there is very little we can do about this.

  • The last reply was more than 365 days ago, this thread is most likely obsolete. It is recommended to create a new thread instead.