missing carts recreated
11 messages · 2011-08-10 → 2011-08-15 · Yahoo Group era · View archive on archive.org
Participants: cheveron, Jack Boatwright, Christopher Blackmon, zxspectrum128
Preserved from the Timex/Sinclair 2068 Yahoo Group (2001–2019), which is no longer online. Text reproduced from the archive.org archive; email addresses masked.
Messages
1. Re: [ts2068] missing carts recreated
Christopher Blackmon · Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:39
Any thoughts to making actual working carts? :-)
christopher.
________________________________
From: "[email]" <[email]>
To: [email]
Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2011 10:54 AM
Subject: [ts2068] missing carts recreated
Hi folks,
In case you missed it in the other thread I've created working Timex cart files for Budgeter and Penetrator. I've now added Swordfight to the list (and uploaded to the archive). There is a slight glitch in that it prints the 'Do you need instructions' line twice, but I haven't found a workaround for that.
Swordfight is so dependent on the original Spectrum ROM that I ended up having to include the first 8K of it, which precluded making this an AROS cart. The original game was for the 16K machine so the way the cart works is as follows:
1) copies the upper 16K of the cart to 32768
2) pages itself out (except for the first 8K of the Speccy ROM)
3) copies the data at 32768 to 16384
4) PAUSEs (so you can see the title screen)
5) calls the code at 24500
Everything works including LOADing and SAVEing (although you'll probably need to switch off tape traps in emulators).
Next up I'll have a go at doing LROS carts for VU-Calc and VU-File.
2. missing carts recreated
cheveron · Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:54
Hi folks,
In case you missed it in the other thread I've created working Timex cart files for Budgeter and Penetrator. I've now added Swordfight to the list (and uploaded to the archive). There is a slight glitch in that it prints the 'Do you need instructions' line twice, but I haven't found a workaround for that.
Swordfight is so dependent on the original Spectrum ROM that I ended up having to include the first 8K of it, which precluded making this an AROS cart. The original game was for the 16K machine so the way the cart works is as follows:
1) copies the upper 16K of the cart to 32768
2) pages itself out (except for the first 8K of the Speccy ROM)
3) copies the data at 32768 to 16384
4) PAUSEs (so you can see the title screen)
5) calls the code at 24500
Everything works including LOADing and SAVEing (although you'll probably need to switch off tape traps in emulators).
Next up I'll have a go at doing LROS carts for VU-Calc and VU-File.
3. Re: missing carts recreated
cheveron · Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:59
I think the ideal solution would be a programmable 64K flash cart. You'd use a PC to write the desired .dck file to it (minus the header) and then plug it in and go. All of the .dck files I've created (including ports of the IF2 carts and Shadow of the Unicorn - the only 64K cart) should work with such a system. But I have no idea what it would cost to produce, or if there would be sufficient demand to make it worth anyone's while. If anyone could do it, RWAP would be the one to try:
http://www.rwapsoftware.co.uk/
-A
--- In [email], Christopher Blackmon <ckblackm@...> wrote:
>
> Any thoughts to making actual working carts? :-)
> christopher.
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: "cheveron@..." <cheveron@...>
> To: [email]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2011 10:54 AM
> Subject: [ts2068] missing carts recreated
>
>
> Â
> Hi folks,
>
> In case you missed it in the other thread I've created working Timex cart files for Budgeter and Penetrator. I've now added Swordfight to the list (and uploaded to the archive). There is a slight glitch in that it prints the 'Do you need instructions' line twice, but I haven't found a workaround for that.
>
> Swordfight is so dependent on the original Spectrum ROM that I ended up having to include the first 8K of it, which precluded making this an AROS cart. The original game was for the 16K machine so the way the cart works is as follows:
>
> 1) copies the upper 16K of the cart to 32768
> 2) pages itself out (except for the first 8K of the Speccy ROM)
> 3) copies the data at 32768 to 16384
> 4) PAUSEs (so you can see the title screen)
> 5) calls the code at 24500
>
> Everything works including LOADing and SAVEing (although you'll probably need to switch off tape traps in emulators).
>
> Next up I'll have a go at doing LROS carts for VU-Calc and VU-File.
>
4. Re: missing carts recreated
cheveron · Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:44
> Next up I'll have a go at doing LROS carts for VU-Calc and VU-File.
As I suspected I would have to, I've gone the route of making a snapshot of the software after it's loaded and creating a cart that restores the snapshot. Not the most elegant way of doing it but it works. I've done VU-File and will have a go at VU-Calc tomorrow.
5. Re: missing carts recreated
cheveron · Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:41
> As I suspected I would have to, I've gone the route of making a snapshot of the software after it's loaded and creating a cart that restores the snapshot. Not the most elegant way of doing it but it works. I've done VU-File and will have a go at VU-Calc tomorrow.
>
Or in fact later today. The cut and paste method I used for VU-File didn't work, so I ended up using compression. I used Bitbuster extreme so the full snapshot is depacked and then resumed with the cart paged out. This means you can even stop the program and look at the listing. The upshot of this is I now have a generic SNA to LROS-cart tool that will work for any program where the packed file is around 16,000 bytes or less.
6. Re: missing carts recreated
zxspectrum128 · Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:17
Hello. :)
First of all, thank you for your work.
Reading your message reminded me I had something to ask. When looking at the archive, is there anything to distinguish official Timex carts from the custom-made ones you've been creating? Please don't point me to lmgtfy or let-me-search-that-on-wos-for-you. :p If the answer is "no", maybe such distinction should be added. I'm talking about adding a field in the Timex archive which shows details about how it was created and by whom (either your name or an alias). The same would be true for anything that was made by 3rd parties but not really "launched" commercially. I've seen three Zebra emulator carts that were simply regular Timex carts that had been opened, its contents changed and a piece of paper glued to it to cover the hole...
Speaking of the flash cart, the idea has not been abandoned. First we need to take care of the second batch of twister boards, for which people have been holding their breath for a long time. Ever since I saw Paul Farrow's cart and learned that the contents could be changed using a PC or the Spectrum itself, I knew it could be done on the TS2068. A Flash cart for the TS2068 might be the next thing on the to-do list. ;)
--- In [email], "cheveron@..." <cheveron@...> wrote:
>
> > As I suspected I would have to, I've gone the route of making a snapshot of the software after it's loaded and creating a cart that restores the snapshot. Not the most elegant way of doing it but it works. I've done VU-File and will have a go at VU-Calc tomorrow.
> >
>
> Or in fact later today. The cut and paste method I used for VU-File didn't work, so I ended up using compression. I used Bitbuster extreme so the full snapshot is depacked and then resumed with the cart paged out. This means you can even stop the program and look at the listing. The upshot of this is I now have a generic SNA to LROS-cart tool that will work for any program where the packed file is around 16,000 bytes or less.
>
7. Re: [ts2068] Re: missing carts recreated
Jack Boatwright · Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:14
Hello,
A minor correction here...Budgeter was released on cartridge by Timex. Here is a scan of the cartridge box ... http://www.worldofspectrum.org/timex/budgcart.jpg I can also provied a scan or photo of the cart and instructions, if necessary.
Jack
----- Original Message -----
From: [email]
To: [email]
Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 3:55 PM
Subject: [ts2068] Re: missing carts recreated
Hi,
> First of all, thank you for your work.
You're welcome.
> Reading your message reminded me I had something to ask. When looking at the archive, is there anything to distinguish official Timex carts from the custom-made ones you've been creating?
In the group archive, the recreated files have my email address against them and are not in ZIP files. That's it. I probably should have added a note to them. Having said that, there's solid evidence that Swordfight, Penetrator, Budgeter, VU-File and VU-Calc were never released, so the chance of my versions being mistaken for the originals by those in the know is slim. Not perfect I know, but I was having Z80 withdrawal and it seemed like a nice simple challenge (which in fact it wasn't).
>Please don't point me to lmgtfy or let-me-search-that-on-wos-for-you. :p If the answer is "no", maybe such distinction should be added. I'm talking about adding a field in the Timex archive which shows details about how it was created and by whom (either your name or an alias).
I'd rather not have my name attached to software I didn't write if it's all the same.
>The same would be true for anything that was made by 3rd parties but not really "launched" commercially. I've seen three Zebra emulator carts that were simply regular Timex carts that had been opened, its contents changed and a piece of paper glued to it to cover the hole...
Those were commercial releases from Zebra.
> Speaking of the flash cart, the idea has not been abandoned. First we need to take care of the second batch of twister boards, for which people have been holding their breath for a long time. Ever since I saw Paul Farrow's cart and learned that the contents could be changed using a PC or the Spectrum itself, I knew it could be done on the TS2068. A Flash cart for the TS2068 might be the next thing on the to-do list. ;)
Programming a 64K cart from a 48K machine would probably be impractical, but I hope the programable Timex cart does see the light of day as I'd love to see the Shadow of the Unicorn cart running on real hardware.
8. Re: missing carts recreated
cheveron · Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:55
Hi,
> First of all, thank you for your work.
You're welcome.
> Reading your message reminded me I had something to ask. When looking at the archive, is there anything to distinguish official Timex carts from the custom-made ones you've been creating?
In the group archive, the recreated files have my email address against them and are not in ZIP files. That's it. I probably should have added a note to them. Having said that, there's solid evidence that Swordfight, Penetrator, Budgeter, VU-File and VU-Calc were never released, so the chance of my versions being mistaken for the originals by those in the know is slim. Not perfect I know, but I was having Z80 withdrawal and it seemed like a nice simple challenge (which in fact it wasn't).
>Please don't point me to lmgtfy or let-me-search-that-on-wos-for-you. :p If the answer is "no", maybe such distinction should be added. I'm talking about adding a field in the Timex archive which shows details about how it was created and by whom (either your name or an alias).
I'd rather not have my name attached to software I didn't write if it's all the same.
>The same would be true for anything that was made by 3rd parties but not really "launched" commercially. I've seen three Zebra emulator carts that were simply regular Timex carts that had been opened, its contents changed and a piece of paper glued to it to cover the hole...
Those were commercial releases from Zebra.
> Speaking of the flash cart, the idea has not been abandoned. First we need to take care of the second batch of twister boards, for which people have been holding their breath for a long time. Ever since I saw Paul Farrow's cart and learned that the contents could be changed using a PC or the Spectrum itself, I knew it could be done on the TS2068. A Flash cart for the TS2068 might be the next thing on the to-do list. ;)
Programming a 64K cart from a 48K machine would probably be impractical, but I hope the programable Timex cart does see the light of day as I'd love to see the Shadow of the Unicorn cart running on real hardware.
9. Re: missing carts recreated
cheveron · Fri, 12 Aug 2011 07:21
Hi Jack,
> A minor correction here...Budgeter was released on cartridge by Timex. Here is a scan of the cartridge box ... http://www.worldofspectrum.org/timex/budgcart.jpg I can also provied a scan or photo of the cart and instructions, if necessary.
Given that Budgeter is a BASIC program (and therefore presumably an AROS cart like my reconstructed version, could you BREAK into it, and dump the contents of the cart?
This should work:
CLEAR 32767: OUT 244, 240: SAVE "budgetDCK" CODE 32768, 32768
In fact it's probably only a 16K cart, but might as well grab the lot. It will be possible to figure the rest out from the header.
Cheers!
-Andrew
10. Re: [ts2068] Re: missing carts recreated
Jack Boatwright · Fri, 12 Aug 2011 22:58
Andrew,
I would be happy to do this when I have the time. I have all my gear presently packed away and will not be able to set up in the near future. My goal is to retire in 2 - 6 years and plan to be more active in a hands-on way at that time.
Jack
----- Original Message -----
From: [email]
To: [email]
Sent: Friday, August 12, 2011 12:21 AM
Subject: [ts2068] Re: missing carts recreated
Hi Jack,
> A minor correction here...Budgeter was released on cartridge by Timex. Here is a scan of the cartridge box ... http://www.worldofspectrum.org/timex/budgcart.jpg I can also provied a scan or photo of the cart and instructions, if necessary.
Given that Budgeter is a BASIC program (and therefore presumably an AROS cart like my reconstructed version, could you BREAK into it, and dump the contents of the cart?
This should work:
CLEAR 32767: OUT 244, 240: SAVE "budgetDCK" CODE 32768, 32768
In fact it's probably only a 16K cart, but might as well grab the lot. It will be possible to figure the rest out from the header.
Cheers!
-Andrew
11. Re: missing carts recreated
cheveron · Mon, 15 Aug 2011 07:02
Jack,
No rush. There's my version until you get around to it. Although if you remember it I'd be interested to know what, if any, the differences are between the real version and my reconstruction.
Cheers!
-A
--- In [email], "Jack Boatwright" <jboatno4@...> wrote:
>
> Andrew,
> I would be happy to do this when I have the time. I have all my gear presently packed away and will not be able to set up in the near future. My goal is to retire in 2 - 6 years and plan to be more active in a hands-on way at that time.
>
> Jack
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: cheveron@...
> To: [email]
> Sent: Friday, August 12, 2011 12:21 AM
> Subject: [ts2068] Re: missing carts recreated
>
>
>
> Hi Jack,
>
> > A minor correction here...Budgeter was released on cartridge by Timex. Here is a scan of the cartridge box ... http://www.worldofspectrum.org/timex/budgcart.jpg I can also provied a scan or photo of the cart and instructions, if necessary.
>
> Given that Budgeter is a BASIC program (and therefore presumably an AROS cart like my reconstructed version, could you BREAK into it, and dump the contents of the cart?
>
> This should work:
>
> CLEAR 32767: OUT 244, 240: SAVE "budgetDCK" CODE 32768, 32768
>
> In fact it's probably only a 16K cart, but might as well grab the lot. It will be possible to figure the rest out from the header.
>
> Cheers!
>
> -Andrew
>
Indexed under
Cartridges, EPROM & dumping · Tape & library archiving (TAP/TZX)