Posts by robinsonb5

OK I think I have an idea of what's going on here - I'll give some thought to the neatest way to solve it.

Quote from grianaig

2) the AGA version runs well and WILL save hi scores and Workbench changes on the same SD card (Sandisk Ultra 16 GB 10 A1). However the screen is 2 cm lower than normal and I lose the bottom of the screen. I haven't installed the RTG driver as this was a new install. I'm using a VGA to HDMI converter on a Sony Bravia TV which works normally on other cores. Unfortunately the TV doesn't allow a vertical adjustment on the PC setting

Can you try forcing the screenmode of the core by holding down F1, F2, F3 or F4 while starting the core?

I forget exactly which key does what, but they force NTSC or PAL mode, with and without the scandoubler.

Could you tell me which cores, specifically, look OK on the TV?

Quote from Jens

I can currently only see it for V1 hardware. Are there any problems compiling it for V2, or did you just not get around to it yet?

It's there for both versions of the hardware - but it appears that (yet again!) I've missed a heading when using a previous core's page as a template, so the heading says "VIC20". I'll edit it when I get home this evening.

If you're hungry for a new core to play with, here's a port of the BBC Micro / Master core from MiST!

http://retroramblings.net/?page_id=1841

As usual, you'll need the ROM file from the MiST version of the core - linked from the project page.

The MiST core's download page also links to a nice VHD file with a bunch of software pre-installed.

The C64 keyboard is supported, with the all-important break key mapped to run/stop + delete.

Have fun!

Not updated yet - though I do plan to.

I withdrew the PACE cores because they contain embedded ROMs. I will at some point replace them with versions that load the ROMs from SD card, but that will take a bit of work.

Quote from Tobias

hence use the source luke or you can try qchaco, which is basically a gui fronted for the cmdline tool

I didn't realise the source was available! I've just downloaded it and built a version that works on Mint20 (based on Ubuntu 20.04). No idea if it works on 18.04, but I can confirm that it doesn't on 14.04 (wrong C++ ABI version.)

I downloaded the chameleon-tools-src zipfile from the Wiki page, and the Makefile needs a bit of a helping hand:

Firstly, I had to create the build-linux directory.

Secondly, I had to copy the include directory from the core release archive's Developer subdirectory to the tools directory.

The makefile stops, complaining that 64tass can't be found - but I can build Chaco itself by typing

make -C wxchaco

The result is attached - as I say, it works on Ubuntu 20.04, but whether it'll work on 18.04 is anyone's guess...

Quote from dbugster

I've tried to install every package under the sun for GTK3 tonight but I just cant seem to find just that dependency !
I'm struggling onwards but I thought I'd toss in a message here too incase you know already !

I'm on Linux Mint 19.3 (Ubuntu Bionic 18.04 based)

Cheers and greets ! DAG !

This, I'm afraid, is another symptom of the complete mess that is binary software distribution under Linux.

If you install the libwxgtk3.0-gtk3-0v5 package on a recent Ubuntu derivative, you get, for example, "/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libwx_gtk3u_xrc-3.0.so.0"

"ldd Chaco" gives you "...libwx_gtk3u_xrc-3.0-gtk3.so.0..." - note the extra gtk3 in the library name.

Symlinks won't save you either - I tried that and just got an error message regarding library versions for my trouble.

The actual command line version of chaco works fine, however. It needs root privileges of course, but:

"sudo ./chacocmd --flashrbf 0 <rbffile> <binfile>" will update the Chameleon core in slot 0 - or just user the flasher-linux64 utility.

I've just uploaded a new version of the NES core, which brings in a couple of upstream enhancements:

Firstly, save RAM images are now supported.

Secondly, there's now a whole bunch of different palettes to choose from.

I've also updated the supporters list in the autoboot.nes demo ROM.

http://retroramblings.net/?page_id=1527

Have fun!

There's a quirk with Amiga string gadgets which means after changing the name from uaegfx to minimig, you have to press the enter key before clicking Save, otherwise the program won't notice that you've edited the string. Maybe that's the problem?

Quote from captain

Thanks for the info how do you install the driver? A quick rundown of how to install the whole core would be appreciated as said I think I have got it, but after reading your post I am not so sure I can 100% say I really understand what your saying. I have brought the TC as I am a musician so having a couple of cores for retro music software is really appling. I already use a couple of C64 just like to add some more options, but more of a player then a tech.

Thanks

There's a readme file on the MinimigUtils ADF disk image, which explains the process. Until you're up and running you should probably ignore that disk, though - it only contains enhancements, nothing that's absolutely vital.

I made a video some time ago about the process of actually flashing a core onto the Chameleon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac6As-TqmG4 - it's fairly self-explanatory, just don't flash anything other than the Chameleon C64 core into flash slot 0.

You'll need an image of the Amiga Kickstart ROM on the SD card - which must be called kick.rom

You'll also need to copy the 832OSD01.bin file onto the SD card. (This file is the firmware for the core's embedded CPU which runs the menu system and provides SD-card-based disk emulation.)

That much should give you the Amiga "insert disk" screen.

You'll also want some .ADF disk images of the software you want to run.

Once you're comfortable with running disk-based software under Minimig, then you can think about setting up an Amiga hard disk image (.hdf file) - but that process is way beyond the scope of a forum post.

Espen Skog has put some tutorials on his blog - https://espenskogblog.wordpress.com - which you might find useful, and he also Admins a facebook group dedicated to the TC64.

A slightly-belated Christmas gift for Megacart fans:

Support for the Megacart ROM, and also for NVRAM files.

Have fun!

http://retroramblings.net/?page_id=1765

Quote from captain

Hi Just got a TC and am looking to use this core. The only thing I do not understand is This "You MUST install the updated RTG driver from the MinimigUtils.adf disk before upgrading to this new core" Is this on the "MinimigUtils.adf" file in the download? If so how do I go about loading it as well as the core.

Thanks

If you're completely new to the Minimig core you can ignore that instruction, because you won't have RTG graphics set up yet.

As well as being a pretty good replica of a real Amiga, the Minimig core can also, optionally, emulate an extra graphics card so you can use a workbench with a higher resolution and more colours than is possible with the regular Amiga chipset. The RTG driver is indeed on the MinimigUtils.adf disk image - and is used in conjunction with P96, the ReTargettable Graphics system for Amiga. (An old version of P96 is on Aminet, while the latest version is for sale in the icomp store.)

The warning about updating the driver is for existing users - the newest version of the core isn't compatible with the previous version of the driver. So if you had a virtual hard disk image set up with an RTG Workbench, updating the core without first updating the driver would mean you'd get a blank screen when booting from that hard disk image.

Quote from turrican9

Is it a fact that there are caps installed in the RGB output circuitry to dampen the output signals in order to pass the CE requirements? If so, wouldn't it be possible to bypass these caps to get a stronger signal?

I think the conversation I was remembering from years ago (on the mailing list from probably 2011/12 or so) was about the characteristic softness of the TC's video output, rather than the ghosting / ringing effect - it was specifically about V1 hardware, though.

But to answer your question, re-read Jens's first reply in your other thread - the one Dr.OG linked to above.

Quote from Tobias

https://sourceforge.net/p/vice…src/vic20/cart/megacart.c

that should be straightforward to implement... the hardest thing is probably implementing the RAM on the cartridge

The hardest thing might actually turn out to be tracking down the MegaCart ROM image!

Thanks for the reference implementation, anyway - very useful. (NVRAM in MiST cores is usually set up like a disk image, so you mount a file on the SD card which fills the NVRAM, but you have to save the updated contents back to the SD card with a menu option. I have it working in the NES core - just need to do an updated release.)

Quote from SID-6581

With the Mist-Vic20-Core the romfile has to be called vic20.rom, otherwise it doesn't work. I'm testing a bit right now. Can I also start the MEGACART.ROM with the Core? The game "Realms of Quest 5" also offers a .d81 file. Will it be possible to load .d81 files?

https://doublesidedgames.com/s…vic-20/realms-of-quest-v/

Indeed yes - I've fixed the ROM filename typo now.

I don't know how the Megacart works, but I guess there'll be some kind of bank mapping hardware in cartridge, which isn't replicated in the core - so for now the answer's "no" - but for the future.... maybe?

Likewise with .d81 support - no promises, but there's plenty of room left in the core, so again... maybe..

Quote from Tobias

"The core requires a ROM file in the root of the SD card, called C16.ROM"

Thank you - I'll fix that! (The readme in the zip file should be correct.)

I know we already have a VIC20 core for the TC64, but someone on the Facebook group specifically requested that I look at porting the VIC20 core from MiST, so I've done just that.

And since a few people have asked in the past how I go about porting cores, I've put a series of videos on my Patreon page (not paywalled) where I talk about the process.

The core can be found here: http://retroramblings.net/?page_id=1765

Have fun!

(Please note: unlike the official VIC20 core, this one makes no attempt to do any kind of video framerate conversion, so you will need a 50Hz capable monitor. It does have a scandoubler, like the other cores I've ported - and this can be toggled by holding down the menu button / key for a second or two.

For C64 and Amiga emulation the most compelling features of the MiSTer are HDMI video (with optional upscaling and frame-rate conversion) and USB keyboard / mouse / joypad input. However, those features all make the resulting experience slightly less like "real" hardware, and more like software emulation - at which point, why not just use a PC or Pi? some of us prefer the immediacy of VGA output and PS/2 keyboard / mouse (or even a real Amiga keyboard and mouse!)

The absolute killer feature of the Turbo Chameleon 64 is the ability to plug it into a real C64 and use the keyboard and joysticks - even with the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 16 and VIC20 cores. Also the infra-red input for CDTV controller is nice.

On TC64 the Amiga core (and most other cores) outputs a video signal which matches the original hardware (with an optional scandoubler, but no framerate conversion) - this means that you do need a monitor which can cope with a 50Hz signal if you want to use the various cores in PAL mode. (Nearly all monitors can cope with scandoubled NTSC.)

The Chameleon's C64 core, in contrast, can (and by default, does) do frame-rate conversion.

The Chameleon's video output is quite "soft" - it's intended to give an authentic looking rendition of low-resolution systems like the C64 on a VGA monitor. It was never intended to display a 1440x900 Amiga RTG screen - so while it can in fact display that resolution, it looks much better at, say, 800x600.

(I can't comment on how good the MiSTer C64 core is, since I haven't really played with it. I did borrow its SID emulation for the C16 core, though.)

Quote from billybicep

So my cable has arrived and it works great on the Philips, the picture quality is fantastic. however the Minimig core doesnt seem to retain the F4 setting on boot to enable the 15khz mode, am i missing something?

That setting *should* be retained as part of a configuration file. So if you save a default config file from the OSD it should stay put.

Having said that, the config file creation is known to be buggy, especially with a crowded SD card. If you still have trouble I can send you a "blank" configuration file which has the scandoubler disabled.

I'll take another look at this soon, and see if I can see what's going on.

I have also tinkered a bit with the audio. I was easy to arrange for the middle channel to be the same volume as the other two - but now I want to add a volume boost to all three channels, since stereo mode is now quieter than the lookup-table-based mono mode! (Note that sample playback will still be noisy in stereo mode - that's correct behaviour and matches real hardware.)