Using ChaCo on Mac

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Don't Panic. Please wash hands.
  • I am trying to flash the new V2 Amigacore but have two questions:


    1) I connected the TC64_v2 to my computer using the mini-usb cable on the chaco-connector on the back of the cartridge (left of the vga port). Do I have to supply power to the cartridge as well via the other USB port ?


    2) How do I go about and get Chaco running on OSX ? Do I have to compile it myself ? Is there a pre-compiled binary out there I can download ?

  • Both USB cables have to be connected, one for power, the other for data.


    As for chaco - there is an older precompiled binary of the commandline tool (chacocmd) in the public repository. You can of course also try to compile it from source. I cant really help with any problems that arise however, none of us runs macOS. i vaguely remember that you may have to install libusb to run that binary :)

  • I am gonna try to compile it, unless someone else more experienced does it first and publishes it, and test. Thanks for the quick reply. I was of course hoping that the chaco-usb connector also would take power from the connected host. I think I have to go and dig out a 2nd mini usb cable :-)

  • I was of course hoping that the chaco-usb connector also would take power from the connected host.

    The power pin of the data-USB port is only connected for detection reasonst, but not for powering the Chameleon. Reason is that the port must be accessible at any time and in both operating modes, but that bears the danger of having two power supplies connected that feed each other, and maybe even get the regulation going wild - that's not what you want to happen to a 200-EUR-device.


    So power is separate on a connector that's only accessible if the Chameleon is in standalone mode. If it's connected to a C64, power comes from the host computer, and the USB power connector is hidden inside the cartridge slot of the C64. Can't think of anything safer :-)

  • I have connected my V2 to my Mac with both MiniUSB connectors connected. I installed LibUSB using Brew and I have tried to test the connection with chusb but it just says this:


    MacBook-Pro:chameleon-tools-osx espskog$ ./chusb 0

    Chameleon USB Client v1.8

    No Chameleon found on Bus

    initialization failed.




    Any hints ?

  • Progress is made after a system reboot :) I now see the Chameleon as a USB device:


    MacBook-Pro:chameleon-tools-osx espskog$ ioreg -p IOUSB

    +-o Root <class IORegistryEntry, id 0x100000100, retain 15>

    +-o AppleUSBXHCI Root Hub Simulation@14000000 <class AppleUSBRootHubDevice, id 0x10000030f, registered, matched, act$

    +-o Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad@14400000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x100000311, registered, matched, active$

    +-o BRCM20702 Hub@14300000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x10000034f, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (5 ms), reta$

    | +-o Bluetooth USB Host Controller@14330000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x100000381, registered, matched, active, b$

    +-o Chameleon@14200000 <class AppleUSBDevice, id 0x1000005fd, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (2 ms), retain 1$



    ..But it is still not "there" for chacocmd or chusb tools:


    MacBook-Pro:chameleon-tools-osx espskog$ ./chusb 0

    Chameleon USB Client v1.8

    could not claim interface.

    initialization failed.

  • i cant really help with this... i vaguely remember that there were problems with libusb and thus christian made the libhid version.


    that said, did you use the binary? perhaps you have to run it as root. you might also want to look in system log if the chameleon is detected at all (i have no idea how to do that in osx...)

  • I am afraid I have tried every trick in the book which I could think of (yep -- root included). I believe I might have to get hold of a windows laptop (even though it does against every fiber in my body to have a MicroSoft OS in the house. I get the shivers by just thinking about it) :-D

  • I gor slax64 with virtualbox to work...I think. I could see the cham now with chameleon--status


    But I flashed core0,1,2,3,4,5 with different cores and now it's no longer booting. I am installing windows so I can do a clean flash of the whole V2 and see if I might have overwritten the C64 core somehow by accident :)


    BUT: chacocmd works with virtualbox + usbenabled + chacocmd. I can confirm that.

  • slot 0 is the chameleon core, you shouldnt update that with anything but the original core from the update :) you can revive it by flashing just that to slot 0 (--flashrbf 0 chameleon_beta9h_v2.rbf rom-menu.bin)

  • slot 0 is the chameleon core, you shouldnt update that with anything but the original core from the update :) you can revive it by flashing just that to slot 0 (--flashrbf 0 chameleon_beta9h_v2.rbf rom-menu.bin)

    Hehe...I learned the hard way :) All is well -- I reflashed with 9hcore and got it back on track. Then i put the minimig core on slot 1.

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