Lallafa's Blog » Commodore 64 http://lallafa.de/blog Personal Musings about the Commodore64, Macs and my other Hobby Projects Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:50:59 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Updated OpenCBM and Nibtools Portfiles http://lallafa.de/blog/2011/07/updated-opencbm-and-nibtools-portfiles/ http://lallafa.de/blog/2011/07/updated-opencbm-and-nibtools-portfiles/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:10:36 +0000 lallafa http://lallafa.de/blog/?p=299 If you are using OpenCBM or Nibtools with the MacPort Portfiles I offer here on my site then you can now find an update of both Portfiles on the following pages:

OpenCBM on Mac Nibtools on Mac

What has changed? Until now I had Portfiles that pick the source from a Snapshot tarball I have . . . → Read More: Updated OpenCBM and Nibtools Portfiles]]> If you are using OpenCBM or Nibtools with the MacPort Portfiles I offer here on my site then you can now find an update of both Portfiles on the following pages:

What has changed? Until now I had Portfiles that pick the source from a Snapshot tarball I have stored on my site. This was the release version that made it to the public in January 2011. Now I added Portfiles that directly build the HEAD revision of the associated Source Repositories. With these ports you are always up to date,but they are development snapshots that might not work sometimes…You have been warned ;)

]]> http://lallafa.de/blog/2011/07/updated-opencbm-and-nibtools-portfiles/feed/ 0 What I’ve done lately… http://lallafa.de/blog/2011/06/what-ive-done-lately/ http://lallafa.de/blog/2011/06/what-ive-done-lately/#comments Sun, 05 Jun 2011 17:30:59 +0000 lallafa http://lallafa.de/blog/?p=260 So many month passed by and no update here… I wasn’t lazy (at least not all the time and so I’ll give you a short summary what retro projects I’ve been involved with lately:

DiskFreeezerX – My pet project that aims to build a standalone disk capture device… Should come very handy for partys or . . . → Read More: What I’ve done lately…]]> So many month passed by and no update here… I wasn’t lazy (at least not all the time ;) and so I’ll give you a short summary what retro projects I’ve been involved with lately:

  • DiskFreeezerX – My pet project that aims to build a standalone disk capture device… Should come very handy for partys or meeting people that don’t want to leave their precious disks… Take the device with you, slip in a disk, press a button and some time later you have a shiny exact clone of the disk on your SD card… That’s the goal!
    The current state here is: The device is built and functional as a prototype and as a first Rev A PCB… See my shiny new dfx hardware page for all the glory details and lots of photos…
  • MacVICE – Not much own contribs done here lately. But always following the flow of new features and busy building current snapshots. And before I forget it: With MagerValp’s help I finally fixed the dreaded “black-screen” display problem when the fine blended display is enabled… So enjoy temporal filtering with no more black outs!
  • PUAE – I am really happy that GnoStiC is now bringing together the current WinUAE and the already dated E-UAE code base to create finally a greate Amiga emualator for all *nix, Linux and Mac users… I really appreciate that and help by submitting small patches. I’ve created my own little fork/clone of the repository at GitHub: You can check this out if you want to have a look what I am patching lately: PUAE/cnvogelg
  • amitools – Another little crazy project started by me. Its a python library that allows you to read and parse Amiga’s Hunk-based binary format. With all the memory on the good ol’ times fading away and with UAE refreshing my old desire for the Amiga I wrote this lib to refresh and to store the old knowledge in readable python code. Currently, there is not much docs there. But a real hacker will find his/her way… I wrote a small sample that scans your harddrive for amiga files (even in adf, lha containers) and tries to parse the exe with the lib… The lib got a new push with the introduction of the AROS m68k Port (yay!!).. This port uses a decent gcc compiler to generate m68k-elf binaries. So I added ELF parsing to amitools. The only thing still missing is now the converter elf to hunk and back again in python (similar to elf2hunk)…

That’s it! See you soon with more updates…

]]> http://lallafa.de/blog/2011/06/what-ive-done-lately/feed/ 2 Nibtools on Mac added and OpenCBM on Mac updated http://lallafa.de/blog/2011/02/nibtools-on-mac-added-and-opencbm-on-mac-updated/ http://lallafa.de/blog/2011/02/nibtools-on-mac-added-and-opencbm-on-mac-updated/#comments Tue, 01 Feb 2011 18:50:16 +0000 lallafa http://lallafa.de/blog/?p=218 Now with ZoomFloppy device hitting the streets and a growing number of Mac users that own this device its about time to give them decent software packages to work with. I already started the OpenCBM on Mac page quite some time ago when I started to help porting the code for Macs. I reworked the . . . → Read More: Nibtools on Mac added and OpenCBM on Mac updated]]> Now with ZoomFloppy device hitting the streets and a growing number of Mac users that own this device its about time to give them decent software packages to work with. I already started the OpenCBM on Mac page quite some time ago when I started to help porting the code for Macs. I reworked the full page and simplified a lot of things. Here it is the shiny new OpenCBM on Mac page with special attention for easy setup of ZoomFloppy users!

The OpenCBM tools are really useful for day-to-day normal disk transfers. But when it comes to copy-protected disks the only tool there is Nibtools from C64Preservation. These tools use the OpenCBM libraries and I soon got them to compile on my machine. The only thing missing there was writing a Portfile and setting up a page similar to the OpenCBM on Mac one. Here we go: I added a shiny new Portfile for Nibtools and described its installation on the Nibtools on Mac page.

Enjoy installing all the nice tools on your Mac and have lots of fun capturing your old treasures to disk images…

]]> http://lallafa.de/blog/2011/02/nibtools-on-mac-added-and-opencbm-on-mac-updated/feed/ 1 dtv2ser 0.5 released http://lallafa.de/blog/2010/12/dtv2ser-0-5-released/ http://lallafa.de/blog/2010/12/dtv2ser-0-5-released/#comments Sat, 11 Dec 2010 21:20:25 +0000 lallafa http://lallafa.de/blog/?p=200 From time to time I get requests of users who want to buy or build their own dtv2ser device from the schematics I published in previous dtv2ser versions. Unfortunately, I only ordered a small number of prototype boards and those boards are already all sold out. For most users the schematic is too difficult to . . . → Read More: dtv2ser 0.5 released]]> From time to time I get requests of users who want to buy or build their own dtv2ser device from the schematics I published in previous dtv2ser versions. Unfortunately, I only ordered a small number of prototype boards and those boards are already all sold out. For most users the schematic is too difficult to build from scratch and so they couldn’t use dtv2ser at all :(

With the growing popularity of the Arduino platform I soon had the idea to “port” the dtv2ser firmware to this common and easy available boards. I managed to get the firmware running in about a day and the good thing is: only three tiny HW modifications are required to transform a Arduino 2009 board into a fully functional dtv2ser device… So time to pack all the new stuff together and make a new release…

..here it is: dtv2ser 0.5 with Arduino 2009 support is available. The release mainly contains the new board support and some minor bug fixes.

Enjoy and have fun building your own dtv2ser ;)

]]> http://lallafa.de/blog/2010/12/dtv2ser-0-5-released/feed/ 0 MacVICE News: Introducing IO Tree http://lallafa.de/blog/2010/11/macvice-news-introducing-io-tree/ http://lallafa.de/blog/2010/11/macvice-news-introducing-io-tree/#comments Sun, 14 Nov 2010 12:37:44 +0000 lallafa http://lallafa.de/blog/?p=170 While the last added debugging features to MacVICE are all well-known and mostly ported from WinVICE this one is a new and currently mac-only debugging feature: The IO Tree. “What’s this?”, you might ask.

The IO Tree is actually an anotated dump of the memory-mapped IO registers from your beloved cbm platform. All is packed . . . → Read More: MacVICE News: Introducing IO Tree]]> While the last added debugging features to MacVICE are all well-known and mostly ported from WinVICE this one is a new and currently mac-only debugging feature: The IO Tree. “What’s this?”, you might ask.

The IO Tree is actually an anotated dump of the memory-mapped IO registers from your beloved cbm platform. All is packed into a GUI Tree to make it hierarchical and let you control the vast amount of information that is kept there. But IO Tree is not only a register dump with descriptions, it also allows to combine and format the register values to make most sense and to reflect the actual function they represent. So the IO Tree can combine LO-/HI-Addr registers to show a 16 Bit address, can mask out a bit flag and show its state, maps a masked value set to a set of string descriptions or even do very special things like decoding VIC II color values…

The nice thing about the IO Tree is, that it is actually not stored in the MacVICE binary but in a text PList called IOTree.plist. This allows to extend the tree with new custom registers for every user. Currently, I have typed in all VIC II, SID, CIA 1, CIA 2 and 6510 On-Chip registers right out of AYY64 (Thanks Ninja/The Dreams for this great resource!). If you find errors or have something to add then drop me a comment… Currently the syntax of the plist is not documented but simply have a look at the existing tree and you’ll find out how it works…

If you want to try out IO Tree then have a look at the latest MacVICE snapshot (at least revision 23154 is required). While waiting for its upload/download enjoy a screenshot:

]]> http://lallafa.de/blog/2010/11/macvice-news-introducing-io-tree/feed/ 2 MacVICE News: New Debug Windows http://lallafa.de/blog/2010/11/macvice-news-new-debug-windows/ http://lallafa.de/blog/2010/11/macvice-news-new-debug-windows/#comments Sun, 14 Nov 2010 12:03:50 +0000 lallafa http://lallafa.de/blog/?p=162 I am currently working on extending MacVICE with some fancy debugging features. Users of WinVICE already know the memory, register and disassemlby windows that exist besides the monitor view.

I adopted all of these window types with a slight make-it-the-mac-way style attached My debug windows are tied to the main or drive CPU and need . . . → Read More: MacVICE News: New Debug Windows]]> I am currently working on extending MacVICE with some fancy debugging features. Users of WinVICE already know the memory, register and disassemlby windows that exist besides the monitor view.

I adopted all of these window types with a slight make-it-the-mac-way style attached ;) My debug windows are tied to the main or drive CPU and need no switching. Currently, only the CPU windows are available.

The windows are available in the current MacVICE snapshots:

I hope you like them…

BTW: If you don’t find this feature have a look in the “Window/Debugger Windows” menu ;)

]]> http://lallafa.de/blog/2010/11/macvice-news-new-debug-windows/feed/ 0 XUM1541 and OpenCBM for Mac http://lallafa.de/blog/2009/12/xum1541-and-opencbm-for-mac/ http://lallafa.de/blog/2009/12/xum1541-and-opencbm-for-mac/#comments Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:18:33 +0000 lallafa http://lallafa.de/blog/?p=128 With christmas time the presents arrive… Nate Lawson presented the beta of his incredible XUM1541 USB to IEC/parallel adapter for OpenCBM. I was immediately amazed by this project and built my own version of the XUM1541. I had the chance to help out testing the software on Macs even in its early stages, so everything . . . → Read More: XUM1541 and OpenCBM for Mac]]> With christmas time the presents arrive… Nate Lawson presented the beta of his incredible XUM1541 USB to IEC/parallel adapter for OpenCBM. I was immediately amazed by this project and built my own version of the XUM1541. I had the chance to help out testing the software on Macs even in its early stages, so everything will work smoothly on our favorite platform…

Lallafa's XUM1541 Prototype

Now with the beta of XUM1541 online, I have another present for you: The OpenCBM on Mac page on my site. This page describes how to compile and set up the OpenCBM software yourself and how to get your device running on your Mac. Have fun!

]]> http://lallafa.de/blog/2009/12/xum1541-and-opencbm-for-mac/feed/ 0 dtv2ser 0.4 released! http://lallafa.de/blog/2008/09/dtv2ser-04-released/ http://lallafa.de/blog/2008/09/dtv2ser-04-released/#comments Sun, 28 Sep 2008 16:58:41 +0000 lallafa http://lallafa.de/blog/?p=88 LTNS! Yes, indeed… it took quite a while to finish this new version, but its really worth the wait!

dtv2ser 0.4 now supports all new features of dtvtrans 1.0 including init after reset, BASIC loading, saving and RUN. Furthermore, full flash support was added!

If you are impatient then just head over to the dtv2ser . . . → Read More: dtv2ser 0.4 released!]]> LTNS! Yes, indeed… it took quite a while to finish this new version, but its really worth the wait!

dtv2ser 0.4 now supports all new features of dtvtrans 1.0 including init after reset, BASIC loading, saving and RUN. Furthermore, full flash support was added!

If you are impatient then just head over to the dtv2ser homepage and download your copy.

What’s new in this version? Let me explain it with a short walk through:

Basics

After flashing the new 0.4 firmware, you launch the dtv2sertrans client as usual. On Macs you can see some kind of auto-detection of the serial port:

> dtv2sertrans
dtv2sertrans version 0.4, dtv2ser device version 0.4
dtvtrans server NOT responding!!

Ah… no dtvtrans server is running on my DTV. So let’s reset the DTV (and enter dtvtrans via dtvboot):

> dtv2sertrans reset
dtv2sertrans version 0.4, dtv2ser device version 0.4
  resetting dtv... enter dtvtrans
  initializing full BASIC

That’s new: BASIC and KERNAL is fully initialized after a reset, so BASIC commands like load, save, run will work. Querying dtv2sertrans again:

> dtv2sertrans
dtv2sertrans version 0.4, dtv2ser device version 0.4
dtvtrans server version 1.0 (DTVBOOT 1.2 via joy2 in ROM)

Now the server is detected and reports the version, the port and if it resides in RAM or ROM.
You can query more info with:

> dtv2sertrans server info
  dtvtrans revision: 1.0
    implementation:  DTVBOOT 1.2
    port:            joy2
    mode:            ROM
    range:           0x1f8000-0x1fb3db

dtvtrans 1.0 Features

Let’s check out the new dtvtrans 1.0 features that support BASIC commands and simplify loading, running programs:

> dtv2sertrans reset + load mygame.prg + run

Reset + init BASIC, load a program via dtv2ser and run it… That’s easy!

> dtv2sertrans save myprog.prg

This call saves the current program like the BASIC SAVE does only via dtv2ser…

Whats quite handy is a fill commando to simple write a value (e.g. 0) to a range of memory:

> dtv2sertrans fill 0x18000-0x20000 0

Flash Commands

And now flashing! But first a Warning: Flashing operation can destroy your DTV. So you have to be sure what you are doing. In this guide I’ll warn you, if something dangerous will happen. So you can decide if you dare it ;)

First let’s see if your dtv2ser device can handle sys calls:

> dtv2sertrans diag sys
dtv2sertrans version 0.4, dtv2ser device version 0.4
  loading servlet '/Users/chris/Projects/svn/dtv2ser/servlet/diag_srv.prg'
  testing 25 sys calls with wait and return value fetch
  * 0/25: testing sys call with 84 frames duration
  duration: 00:01.823
...
  * 24/25: testing sys call with 51 frames duration
  duration: 00:01.219
  * 25/25: all calls passed OK!

Ok, sys call test passed without errors… So the flash commands that are called via sys should work.
Now let’s ensure that the dtvtrans server program is runnning from RAM and not from ROM!

> dtv2sertrans server ram
dtv2sertrans version 0.4, dtv2ser device version 0.4
  resetting...
  is alive?
  initializing BASIC
  query dtvtrans server
  dtvtrans running in ROM. loading RAM version
  loading prg file '/Users/chris/Projects/svn/dtv2ser/contrib/dtvtrans_joy2.prg': 2548/0x0009f4 bytes, start: 0x0801
  sending program to DTV
    speed:  client=16.48 server=16.59 (kbyte/s)
    time:   00:00.191 for 2548/0x0009f4 bytes
  run program
  query dtvtrans server
  dtvtrans is now in RAM. Good!
    implementation: DTVTRANS 1.0

Fine, server now running from RAM… We are ready for flashing!
Let’s check the type of the flash ROM found in the DTV:

> dtv2sertrans flash id
dtv2sertrans version 0.4, dtv2ser device version 0.4
  flash type: SST39VF1681

Now let’s have a look a the flash usage:

> dtv2sertrans flash map
dtv2sertrans version 0.4, dtv2ser device version 0.4
  generating flash map on DTV
  duration: 00:04.731
          flash ROM map ('.'=empty '*'=filled)
          0xxx 1xxx 2xxx 3xxx 4xxx 5xxx 6xxx 7xxx 8xxx 9xxx Axxx Bxxx Cxxx Dxxx Exxx Fxxx
  000000: .... **** .... .... .... .... .... .... .... **** **** **** .... **** **** ****
  010000: **** ***. .... .... **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  020000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  030000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  040000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  050000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  060000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  070000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  080000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  090000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  0a0000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  0b0000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  0c0000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  0d0000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  0e0000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  0f0000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  100000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  110000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  120000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  130000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  140000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  150000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  160000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  170000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  180000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  190000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  1a0000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  1b0000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
  1c0000: **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **.. .... ....
  1d0000: .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
  1e0000: .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
  1f0000: .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****

The first step in flashing is to store the current contents of the flash ROM in a file:

> dtv2sertrans flash dump orig_rom.bin
dtv2sertrans version 0.4, dtv2ser device version 0.4
  dumping flash ROM to file 'orig_rom.bin'
    speed:  client=17.95 server=17.96 (kbyte/s)
    time:   01:54.116 for 2097152/0x200000 bytes
  saving raw file 'orig_rom.bin': 2097152/0x200000 bytes

Now, create or alter the ROM file (e.g. use tools like DTVFSEdit).
If the new ROM is ready, you can flash it back to your DTV with (first in dummy mode w/o flashing):

> dtv2sertrans flash sync new_rom.bin
dtv2sertrans version 0.4, dtv2ser device version 0.4
  loading raw file 'new_rom.bin': 2097152/0x200000 bytes
  syncing flash ROM
          flash ROM map ('*'=flash '#'=erase+flash)
          0xxx 1xxx 2xxx 3xxx 4xxx 5xxx 6xxx 7xxx 8xxx 9xxx Axxx Bxxx Cxxx Dxxx Exxx Fxxx
  010000: #... ..#. .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
  020000: .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
...

If you add the -f switch then a real flash operation is performed. This will alter your DTV! So make sure the image is correct:

> dtv2sertrans flash sync -f new_rom.img
...

Ok, that’s it! This was a short walk through for all the new dtv2ser 0.4 features. But there are many more things to discover. Just run dtv2sertrans -h to see more options…

Have Fun,
-chris

]]> http://lallafa.de/blog/2008/09/dtv2ser-04-released/feed/ 1 Finished my DIY 1541U Cartridge Case http://lallafa.de/blog/2008/06/finished-my-diy-1541u-cartridge-case/ http://lallafa.de/blog/2008/06/finished-my-diy-1541u-cartridge-case/#comments Sun, 01 Jun 2008 10:34:23 +0000 lallafa http://lallafa.de/blog/index.php/2008/06/01/finished-my-diy-1541u-cartridge-case/ Puh, finally my 1541U cartridge has a decent case! I created one myself starting with a generic case at the price of about one EUR…

Have a look at my Lallafa’s 1541U DIY Cartridge Case Page for more details!

]]> 1541UCart1

Puh, finally my 1541U cartridge has a decent case!
I created one myself starting with a generic case at the price of about one EUR…

Have a look at my Lallafa’s 1541U DIY Cartridge Case Page for more details!

]]> http://lallafa.de/blog/2008/06/finished-my-diy-1541u-cartridge-case/feed/ 1 sd2iec in DTV Joystick http://lallafa.de/blog/2008/04/sd2iec-in-dtv-joystick/ http://lallafa.de/blog/2008/04/sd2iec-in-dtv-joystick/#comments Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:25:44 +0000 admin http://lallafa.de/blog/index.php/2008/04/06/sd2iec-in-dtv-joystick/ I just built my sd2iec device board from Shadowolf. Its really small and compact so I thought why not integrate it into my modded DTV with the original joystick case. I don’t wanted to sacrificy the battery case so I knew there is not much place left…

With a lot of cramming and fiddling . . . → Read More: sd2iec in DTV Joystick]]> dtvmod02

I just built my sd2iec device board from Shadowolf. Its really small and compact so I thought why not integrate it into my modded DTV with the original joystick case. I don’t wanted to sacrificy the battery case so I knew there is not much place left…

With a lot of cramming and fiddling around I finally managed to insert the sd2iec inside my DTV Mod. Phew! Now the case is filled up to the limit – but its cool to have a sd2iec right inside the joystick;)

dtvjoy07

Have a look here at my gallery for more pictures!

]]> http://lallafa.de/blog/2008/04/sd2iec-in-dtv-joystick/feed/ 4