Minimig on v2

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Don't Panic. Please wash hands.
  • Creating configuration files is known to be buggy - but saving over the top of an existing file should be working. Can you describe what happens when you try, please?

    It seems I can change and save settings if I save to the default config file on both my Sandisk cards. So I must be remembering wrong then. I was sure I had problems even saving to the default config on one of my Sandisk cards. If I try to save to any of the numbered slots I just get an error saying it cannot create the config file.

  • It seems I can change and save settings if I save to the default config file on both my Sandisk cards. So I must be remembering wrong then. I was sure I had problems even saving to the default config on one of my Sandisk cards. If I try to save to any of the numbered slots I just get an error saying it cannot create the config file.

    OK great - I will attempt to get file creation working one of these days, but as a workaround you can copy the MINMGAA.CFG file to MINMGAA1.CFG (where the "1" can be any number up to 4) - then you should be able to save to the other slots.

  • OK great - I will attempt to get file creation working one of these days, but as a workaround you can copy the MINMGAA.CFG file to MINMGAA1.CFG (where the "1" can be any number up to 4) - then you should be able to save to the other slots.

    Many thanks for the workaround. Keep up the great work

  • Is the OSD_CA01.sys file mentioned in some other posts still required? it doesnt seem to be included in the newer Minimig TC64-V2 archive. Also i am having issues with my RDB mode HDF's, they are detected in HDToolbox, i can partition them fine, save changes and the drive does show on the workbench for me to format.


    However after a reboot or restart of the TC64 the HDF drives no longer show on workbench, unless i go back into HDToolbox, read the drive config, resave changes then the drive appears for use again, but i have to do this each and every time i start the TC64/Minimig core, the only HD that works properly for me is when i partitioned my SDCard into 2 parts, 1 part for normal FAT32 to keep all the files the TC64 needs, the other partition kept as RAW for use as a "normal" drive in workbench. The "proper" drive also shows in HDToolbox, can be partitioned/formatted/etc and its changes are kept perfectly fine through reboots.


    It's just HDFs for me that arent working the same way, non RDB mode HDF arent shown/arent useable at all and the RDB mode ones vanish and need to be manually detected and saved in HDToolbox or they simply dont show and cant be used.


    Just to eliminate any issues with SFS or PFS i just left the HDF's as regular FFS and still they wont persist after reboots/restarts.. it makes things a bit more difficult for me, but thankfully the "normal" HD is working and i am currently moving files to it via mounting the FAT32 partition and copying files over, but it would be nice to have the RDB Mode HDF's persisting.

  • Is the OSD_CA01.sys file mentioned in some other posts still required? it doesnt seem to be included in the newer Minimig TC64-V2 archive.

    The OSD_CA01.sys file is the firmware for the ECS Minimig core (it's a chunk of 68k code which runs on a second TG68 CPU, handling disk emulation, menus, etc.) - the AGA core uses different firmware running on the much smaller 832 CPU (written specifically for the AGA core, and subsequently used when porting other cores.)


    Your HD problems sound very odd - I just created a very small HDF with two partitions, formatted them both as FFS and zipped the resulting file - does this mount correctly on your setup?


    Which OS / Kickstart version are you using?

  • Your Volumes Empty/Empty2 do show up and after a bit of playing around both with your HDf's and my own, ive narrowed my issue to when i successfully create the RDB HDF's, i then switch off the TC64 and hitched the HDF's to winuae to fill them up as i wanted my Workbench on a "Real" partition with Games/Work/Music/etc as hot swappable HDF's. (Various guides said make the HDFs on the real amiga side and hook them to WinUAE afterwards rather than make them in WinUAE)


    It looks like the HDF's are fine when made/partitioned on the amiga but somehow break/function weirdly as i stated in my previous post once ive filled them up via WinUAE, once i put the filled up HDF's back in the TC64 this is where its currently all going a bit wrong.


    To get around this, I am thinking that i should perhaps create/partition the HDF's, but not hook them up to WinUAE afterwards, i'm thinking now that perhaps i need to leave them be and instead move the stuff i want via the mounted FAT32 partition into the HDF's, all done via the amiga side of things so the HDF's dont break.


    I already mount SD0 specifically to move across my lha files needed to update the system (sorry i forgot to mention its OS3.2.1) so currently i think i'll do it this way to play safe, its a hell of a lot slower copying tons of files over the native way but that seems more preferable than the HDFs semi-breaking.

  • As for my next issue, not MiniMig core related exactly, perhaps..... its a common issue i think, ive had a look around on various forums but i dont want to spend heaps of cash on something like the OSSC hardware project if i can help it.


    Currently when trying native games and the likes my PAL screens are all showing as if they are NTSC with the bottoms cutoff and the top bumped down a bit rather than aligned to the top of the monitor as they should, also when using RTG mode 720x480 256 or 16bit the display works correctly but i see an occasional flickering of what looks like a copy of the top of the screen ghosted briefly on the bottom.


    This is probably because i'm using a VGA to hdmi adapter as when i plugged the TC64 into a borrowed VGA monitor there was no such issue, but using my portable HDMI monitor i get those occasional flickers as well as PAL modes looking like their forced into NTSC.


    Does anyone know of a VGA > HDMI adapter that has no such issues, there seems to be a hefty gap between cheapo adapters you see all over amazon and then a massive jump in price to the likes of the OSSC, I'd rather avoid having to buy heaps of adapters hoping 1 works well with my HDMI monitor.

  • Hello


    i know this is a bit OOR, but since i read throug this whole thread and i'm just a layman i have a small question to the minimig and minimig aga core.


    Since i managed to get a 1084s-p1 Monitor to run with the Chameleon (at least with aga core but not the chameleon core) i wonder if there is a possibility arround to have a flickerfixer sollution so i can run hires interlaced without getting headaches.


    it's just a idea but since i'm really only a layman i wanted to ask the professionals here.


    regards


    Patrick

  • Since i managed to get a 1084s-p1 Monitor to run with the Chameleon (at least with aga core but not the chameleon core) i wonder if there is a possibility arround to have a flickerfixer sollution so i can run hires interlaced without getting headaches.

    It already has a flicker fixer, that's what the default VGA 31khz video mode is. But you can't use those modes with a standard definition 1084 monitor. If you want to avoid flicker in hi res then you need to use a VGA monitor.

  • Ah i see, well then i stay with the lower res, i hoped that there is maybe a easy sollution to get rid of the flickering in max res you can set on 1084s since it can display it but well , thnx for your answer

  • Actually the Minimig core doesn't have a flicker fixer - what it has is a scandoubler. A scandoubler stores each line of video, and outputs it at twice the speed, turning a 15.6KHz videomode into a 31.2KHz video mode. That's enough to make the PAL / NTSC video displayable by some PC monitors. However it doesn't remove the flicker in interlaced PAL / NTSC modes.


    Removing interlace flicker requires buffering two entire frames of video, then merging them and outputting them as a single frame at twice the speed. While the SDRAM in the Chameleon is just about fast enough to pull off that feat, it's not fast enough to do much else at the same time, so it's not something that can realistically be integrated into a core.


    Also, as Paul correctly points out, the 1084 can only handle 15KHz video modes, so even if the Chameleon had a flicker fixer, you wouldn't be able to use it with the 1084.


    The Minimig core does support ECS/AGA Multiscan / DblPAL / DblNTSC modes, and also RTG modes, all of which can provide a flicker-free high res display - but again these aren't usable with the 1084.

  • I see, thank you for this explanation. It was just a idea while i could double the space of my workbench screen on the 1084s this way but the flickering in interlaced is just to eyeburning, haha :)

    Thanks alot for your efforts to explain it for us!

    much appreciated.


    Patrick

  • Probably the wrong thread but, is it possible that the dock didn't work with a cd32 controller ? I can use it only as a two button controller but not fully fledged with all buttons, f.e with whdload Turrican 2 Aga: it has option to set to cd32 controller, but only two buttons work. Also Pinball Illusions Aga / Cd32 only two buttons works unlike on my cd32 where all button where used for this game. (but no whdload game there)


    I'm going tomorrow to a Amiga User Meeting, there will be a A1200 Whdload machine, i will test if it has the same issue. I asked also in a1k.org forum about it (for whdload A1200 users) gonna look forward for the answer/sollutions

  • Ok sorry for doublepost i could not edit my last post anymore, i just got confirmation of a a1k.org user that the cd32 controller will work just like supposed to on a cd32 with a amiga 1200 with the games i suggested.


    So here my question, is this now a bug/issue with the minimig AGA core or is this a issue with the chameleon + dock (only two button controller support) would be nice if it is "only" a bug in the aga core wich i asume would be easy to fix, because i think if we are stuck to two buttons with the dock its sad

  • Unfortunately the DB9 joystick ports on the TC64's dock are strictly unidirectional, so it's not possible to read more than two buttons on a CD32 pad connected to the docking station.


    (The mention of CD32 gamepads in the on-screen menu is something I should probably hide on TC64 - though in theory I could emulate a CD32 pad using either the keyboard or the CDTV controller. The gamepad emulation is implemented on MiST when using USB gamepads - but real pads on the DB9 ports aren't supported there either.)

  • Oh. okay, thank you for the Answer. At least i can use them as two button controller, there are not soo much games using more than 2 buttons, but all the cd32 games - well i'm a lucky owner of the realdeal so it's ok :)


    regards


    Patrick

  • The Minimig core can only output a fixed pixel clock - it is not a flicker fixer, but a line doubler. You are therefore stuck with the vertical frame rate of the emulated computer.


    Jens