DSTB1 - official firmware tests

Discussion and support for the DSTB1 & DFB1 boosters by BadWolf..
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exxos
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DSTB1 - official firmware tests

Post by exxos »

I started this new thread because all my tests were using experimental firmware previously.

My test setup is with a H5 motherboard (no blitter) and using flashyclock for the TOS206 decoding.

Firmware as released.

IMG_0539.JPG
IMG_0539.JPG (355.79 KiB) Viewed 1950 times

Tests done with GB6 with altram.prg (ran from AUTO) .

IMG_0540.JPG
IMG_0540.JPG (343.93 KiB) Viewed 1950 times

I repeated this test with altram.prg run from desktop as @Badwolf pointed out, TOS seems to allocate *something* in alt-ram as the LED is flashing. I never heard TOS by default loading anything into alt-ram. So not sure if anyone else knows any more about this?

Looks like there are no change in GB6 tests.

IMG_0542.JPG
IMG_0542.JPG (251.47 KiB) Viewed 1950 times

I tried running altrom.prg after altram.prg but no change. I thought then to just run altrom.prg but then the floppy goes nuts..

IMG_0541.JPG
IMG_0541.JPG (205.42 KiB) Viewed 1950 times

But not sure if it's going to help with a external ROM decoder in the mix ?


YAARTTT seems ok ...

IMG_0543.JPG
IMG_0543.JPG (86.79 KiB) Viewed 1940 times
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Re: DSTB1 - official firmware tests

Post by Badwolf »

exxos wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 11:30 am I tried running altrom.prg after altram.prg but no change. I thought then to just run altrom.prg but then the floppy goes nuts..

But not sure if it's going to help with a external ROM decoder in the mix ?
Yep AltROM.PRG replaces AltRAM.PRG -- it'll simply refuse to run if run when AltRAM already active.

Not sure what's going on with the floppy, though. External decoder shouldn't make a difference as once AltROM has done its thing it takes over decoding for the CPU.

Interesting, though. That's the first time I've seen that. Run from AUTO again?

BW
DFB1 Open source 50MHz 030 and TT-RAM accelerator for the Falcon
DSTB1 Open source 16Mhz 68k and AltRAM accelerator for the ST
Smalliermouse ST-optimised USB mouse adapter based on SmallyMouse2
FrontBench The Frontier: Elite 2 intro as a benchmark
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Re: DSTB1 - official firmware tests

Post by exxos »

Badwolf wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 12:29 pm Interesting, though. That's the first time I've seen that. Run from AUTO again?
Yep.

Something is amiss somewhere even before loading anything. I clean booted into TOS104 earlier and when I opened from floppy GB6.PRG icon was not correct. Though it only did that once and I have not been able to replicate that again yet :roll:

EDIT:

Actually same problem it seems as this post https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewt ... =30#p84405
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viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585 Have you done the Mandatory Fixes ?
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Re: DSTB1 - official firmware tests

Post by Badwolf »

exxos wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 12:38 pm Something is amiss somewhere even before loading anything. I clean booted into TOS104 earlier and when I opened from floppy GB6.PRG icon was not correct. Though it only did that once and I have not been able to replicate that again yet :roll:

EDIT:

Actually same problem it seems as this post https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/forum/viewt ... =30#p84405
In TOS 1.04!?

WTF? :o

BW
DFB1 Open source 50MHz 030 and TT-RAM accelerator for the Falcon
DSTB1 Open source 16Mhz 68k and AltRAM accelerator for the ST
Smalliermouse ST-optimised USB mouse adapter based on SmallyMouse2
FrontBench The Frontier: Elite 2 intro as a benchmark
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Re: DSTB1 - official firmware tests

Post by exxos »

Badwolf wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 12:44 pm In TOS 1.04!?

WTF? :o
WTF indeed. There must be something with the RAM tripping up as I have similar problems in the other thread with the experimental firmware :shrug:
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viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585 Have you done the Mandatory Fixes ?
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Re: DSTB1 - official firmware tests

Post by Badwolf »

exxos wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 12:50 pm WTF indeed. There must be something with the RAM tripping up as I have similar problems in the other thread with the experimental firmware :shrug:
So this is in 'stock' configuration under TOS1.04? That means doing 16MHz switching, but no AltRAM as, well it's TOS1.

Perhaps it's 'coming back' too quickly from DMA?

BW
DFB1 Open source 50MHz 030 and TT-RAM accelerator for the Falcon
DSTB1 Open source 16Mhz 68k and AltRAM accelerator for the ST
Smalliermouse ST-optimised USB mouse adapter based on SmallyMouse2
FrontBench The Frontier: Elite 2 intro as a benchmark
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Re: DSTB1 - official firmware tests

Post by exxos »

Badwolf wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 12:57 pm So this is in 'stock' configuration under TOS1.04? That means doing 16MHz switching, but no AltRAM as, well it's TOS1.
Yep.
Badwolf wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 12:57 pm Perhaps it's 'coming back' too quickly from DMA?
Not sure. I'll take a look at your code and see if I can see anything. It is somewhat difficult to follow someone else's program in a language you are not very familiar with tho :lol: :roll:

Though I may look at the firmware build I did a few days back aswell as that one seemed to basically "work".
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https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/ - All my hardware mods for sale - Please help support by making a purchase.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585 Have you done the Mandatory Fixes ?
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Re: DSTB1 - official firmware tests

Post by Badwolf »

exxos wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 1:02 pm
Badwolf wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 12:57 pm Perhaps it's 'coming back' too quickly from DMA?
Not sure. I'll take a look at your code and see if I can see anything. It is somewhat difficult to follow someone else's program in a language you are not very familiar with tho :lol: :roll:

Though I may look at the firmware build I did a few days back aswell as that one seemed to basically "work".
Cool. If you ignore all the SDRAM stuff, it's not that much logic.

We could perhaps add an AS_HOLDOFF term that blocks AS asserting until (say) two clock cycles after BGK goes high?

Something like

Code: Select all

wire [1:0] AS_HOLDOFF;
FDCP ff_asholdoff0( .D( ~BGK ), .C( ~CLK8 ), .CLR(1'b0), .PRE( ~BGK ), .Q( AS_HOLDOFF[0] ) );
FDCP ff_asholdoff1( .D( AS_HOLDOFF[0]  ), .C( ~CLK8 ), .CLR(1'b0), .PRE( ~BGK ), .Q( AS_HOLDOFF[1] ) );
...
assign AS = AS_HOLDOFF[1] | ( ... the other terms ... );
Only obvious thing I can think of.

BW
DFB1 Open source 50MHz 030 and TT-RAM accelerator for the Falcon
DSTB1 Open source 16Mhz 68k and AltRAM accelerator for the ST
Smalliermouse ST-optimised USB mouse adapter based on SmallyMouse2
FrontBench The Frontier: Elite 2 intro as a benchmark
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Re: DSTB1 - official firmware tests

Post by Badwolf »

exxos wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 12:50 pm
Badwolf wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 12:44 pm In TOS 1.04!?

WTF? :o
WTF indeed. There must be something with the RAM tripping up as I have similar problems in the other thread with the experimental firmware :shrug:
Had another idea. I think I've set up the FRB cookie incorrectly. I don't remember exactly, but I don't think I'm TSRing -- the FRB memory is probably being returned to the OS & subject to being overwritten.

I may have been lucky that nothing critical happened, but I think altram.prg is fundamentally wrong in that regard & needs repair work.

I'll bet that's the problem you're seeing.

BW
DFB1 Open source 50MHz 030 and TT-RAM accelerator for the Falcon
DSTB1 Open source 16Mhz 68k and AltRAM accelerator for the ST
Smalliermouse ST-optimised USB mouse adapter based on SmallyMouse2
FrontBench The Frontier: Elite 2 intro as a benchmark
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Re: DSTB1 - official firmware tests

Post by exxos »

Badwolf wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 5:01 pm Had another idea. I think I've set up the FRB cookie incorrectly. I don't remember exactly, but I don't think I'm TSRing -- the FRB memory is probably being returned to the OS & subject to being overwritten.

I may have been lucky that nothing critical happened, but I think altram.prg is fundamentally wrong in that regard & needs repair work.

I'll bet that's the problem you're seeing.
Maybe but that died without even loading anything. I have tried EMUTOS a few times in the mix as well.. I will try EMUTOS on my current build just to rule that out.
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/ All my hardware guides - mods - games - STOS
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/ - All my hardware mods for sale - Please help support by making a purchase.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585 Have you done the Mandatory Fixes ?
Just because a lot of people agree on something, doesn't make it a fact. ~exxos ~
People should find solutions to problems, not find problems with solutions.
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