[Coco] Nitros9 boot fails with HDB DOS in rompak

Thu Oct 10 09:24:55 EDT 2013


On Thu 10/10/13  8:01 AM , Charlie Pelosi chaspelosi at outlook.com sent:
> Thanks for the reply.
> You can use your HDB-DOS rompak (no MPI) and boot The King's Quest 1 disk
> image? (Any Nitros9 image really)
> Mine seems to work fine too, until I try to boot a Nitros9 image.
> 
> 27C64 is what I am using. Typing tutor is an older rompak? The ones I'm
> using are coco 3 specific. All the older rompaks I open have a black blob
> on the PCB and not a 28 pin chip. I'm not sure of any other roms paks besides
> the later ones that have a 28 pin chip.

    That's a good trick! The only ROMs I've seen in an official Tandy/RS ROMPAK
are _24_ pin!
(and so are ALL the disk controllers) See the "Color Computer Technical Reference
Manual".
 Are you using an adapter or jumper wires (or a 24 pin 4k ROM)??


> I am not using an MPI or the disk controller and rompak together. I remove
> the rom from the rompak place it in the fd502 rom socket and then use the
> fd502 controller with the coco. Then it works. When I say works, I mean
> does not fail when booting Nitros9. Like KQ1 and arcadepack. Otherwise the
> rompak does work using rsdos.
> 
> maybe something about the way these particular rompaks (later coco3 ones)
> are that keep Nitros9 from booting.
> After the C on the boot screen, the screen should switch to the
> "Welcome to Nitros9...." screen but that never happens. Something about the rompak
> is preventing that from happening.
> 
> 
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Retro Canada"  canada76 at gmail.com>Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2013 8:32 AM
> To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts"  tedmedia.com>Cc: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts"  tedmedia.com>Subject: Re: [Coco] Nitros9 boot fails with HDB DOS in rompak
> 
> > i do have a rompak with hdbdos and it works
> fine. it uses a 27C64 and was > the typing tutor.
> >
> > do you have an mpi? how do you put the fd502 and
> the rompak together ?>
> > you can replace the fd502 rom as well to
> hdbdos.>
> > using a mpi the fdc must be on the selected
> slot. so if you boot from > rompak slot you later either switch the button
> to the slot 4 or perform a > poke &hff7f,51
> >
> >
> >
> > On 2013-10-10, at 8:09 AM, Charlie Pelosi  losi at outlook.com> wrote:>
> > When I LOADM RSDOS games they are DSK images.
> DW4 has HDBDOS translation > enabled. (It turns that off automatically when
> the Nitros9 DSK images are > mounted).
> >
> > I found my cassette cable with my MC-10 so I'm
> going to try to cloadm the > HDBDW3CC3.WAV from my ipod after work
> today.> I am guessing this will work because everything
> points to the physical > rompaks.
> >
> > When I installed the sockets in the game rompaks
> (one was Football II the > other was Super Pitfall) I checked continuity
> from the socket to the card > edge for every pin.
> > I will recheck them again tonight, maybe I broke
> a solder joint or > something.
> >
> > I wonder if anyone has done the same and can
> confirm it working? Anyone > else use a game rompak PCB the same
> way?> Or are they using a different board in a rompak?
> Didn't cloud-9 used to > sell a HDB-DOS rompak? Was that as simple as
> this PCB?>
> > The game PCB is very simple. There are no parts
> to it. Just a board with > traces and one resistor (I think) next to the
> game rom.> I wonder if something on the PCB needs to be
> modified because the rompak > itself can only be whats causing
> it...> I shouldn't say that until I try to tape load
> HDB-DOS tonight. :)>
> > Still, three 512K coco3's, Rom, Drivewire, 
> works with a FD502 disk > controller in place of the rompak. It only
> doesn't work when the rompak is > inserted.
> > Maybe the way the games pcb is "wired"
> maybe a trace or 2 needs to be > cut.... hoping someone knows...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------> From: "Bill Pierce"  pasooo at aol.com>> Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2013 11:58
> PM> To:  tedmedia.com>> Subject: Re: [Coco] Sierra games and
> DW>
> >>
> >> Charlie,
> >> When you run RSDOS games, do you load them
> from a dsk image indw or a vhd >> image in dw?
> >>
> >> Bill Pierce
> >> My Music from the Tandy/Radio Shack Color
> Computer 2 & 3>> https://sites.google.com/site/dabarnstudio/>> Co-Webmaster of
The TRS-80 Color Computer
> Archive>> http://www.colorcomputerarchive.com/>> Co-Contributor, Co-Editor for
> CocoPedia>> http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page>> E-Mail: ooogala
> pasooo at aol.com>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Charlie Pelosi  eenhad at hotmail.com>>> To: coco list  tedmedia.com>>> Sent: Wed, Oct 9, 2013 11:55 pm
> >> Subject: Re: [Coco] Sierra games and
> DW>>
> >>
> >> Yes, newest version of dw4. Downloaded it
> today and checked update. All >> good.
> >>
> >> Also remember, the rom and DW work fine when
> its in a disk controller.>>
> >> Wouldn'tthat rule out DW?
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Sent from Windows Mail
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> From: Aaron Wolfe
> >> Sent: ‎Wednesday‎, ‎October‎
> ‎9‎, ‎2013 ‎11‎:‎52‎ ‎PM>> To: CoCoList for Color Computer
> Enthusiasts>>
> >>
> >> On Wed, Oct 9, 2013 at 11:08 PM, Charlie
> Pelosi  losi at outlook.com> >> wrote:
> >>> Hi Aaron. I have three 512K coco3's here
> all act the same. So it can't >>> be
> >>> the computer. And DW works fine if the
> disk controller is in.>>> So it must be something with the ROMPAK
> and or the ROM I am using. Can>>> someone point me at the exactly .rom
> file I should burn ?>>
> >> It really should not matter what ROM you are
> using as long as its a>> "standard" one..  any DW3 ROM sold
> by Cloud 9 or provided on their>> website is fine.  You could also use the
> open source version from the>> Toolshed project, but it has to be one of
> the "hdbdw3ccX" flavors,>> *not* the ones labeled "hdbdw4ccX"
> (assuming the sierra disks are>> still using the stock os9 drivers and not
> the "turbo" flavors, which>> should be true).
> >>
> >>> I think the versions I've tried where
> HDB-DOS 1.4 DW3 coco 3 and the >>> same
> >>> 1.2 that I got years ago from
> Boisy.>>
> >> As long as the bootup message says
> "DW3" I think you are fine.  All>> the ROM does is load the boot track, after
> all.  It is not used at all>> once OS9 starts booting.
> >>
> >>>
> >>> When I soldered in the socket, it was a
> Football II cart, I simply>>> unsoldered the game chip and soldered in
> the socket.>>> Nothing else. I don't think any
> soldering is bad because I have two of >>> these
> >>> and they both do the same.
> >>
> >> You're probably right, I can't imagine it
> being a soldering or socket >> issue.
> >>
> >> One question, are you sure you're using the
> latest DW4 server?  It>> should report "4.3.3p" when you
> enter 'dw server status' in the>> command box at the bottom of the gui.  If it
> does not, please select>> "Check for new version" from the
> tools menu and update.>>
> >>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> -------------------------------------------------->>> From: "Aaron Wolfe"
 il.com>>>> Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2013 10:01
> PM>>>
> >>> To: "CoCoList for Color Computer
> Enthusiasts"  tedmedia.com>>>> Subject: Re: [Coco] Sierra games and
> DW>>>
> >>>> On Wed, Oct 9, 2013 at 7:28 PM,
> Charlie Pelosi  losi at outlook.com>>>>> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I'm having trouble emailing the
> list I think because my reply address >>>>> for
> >>>>> my Microsoft account is a
> different alias than the primary I have >>>>> subscribed
> >>>>> to the list...
> >>>>> Hello.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I am trying to play The King's
> Quest games with a coco3 and >>>>> drivewire4.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I downloaded KingsQuest1_dw.dsk
> from http://www.nitros9.org/latest/>>>>> I have a rompak in a COCO3 that
> has HDB-DOS 1.4 DW3 COCO 3 (Ive tried >>>>> 1.2
> >>>>> also)
> >>>>> I am using the very latest DW4
> in Windows.>>>>>
> >>>>> When I mount the
> KingsQuest1_dw.dsk in drive 0 and type DOS to start>>>>> Nitros9 starts to
> boot.>>>>> When it gets to i2xoC and then
> the coco just hangs sitting there >>>>> forever
> >>>>> doing nothing.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Any ideas on what is wrong or
> how to get this to work?>>>>>
> >>>>> I tried to send the above
> earlier and it didn't work. But that worked >>>>> out
> >>>>> because in the meantime I
> discovered something.>>>>>
> >>>>> If I move the rom chip to an
> actual FD502 controller the boot gets >>>>> past
> >>>>> i2xoC and the game
> starts.>>>>> So I would guess because Nitros9
> is loading a driver or looking for >>>>> the
> >>>>> disk hardware.
> >>>>> So is there a version that
> doesn't do that so that people loading from >>>>> a
> >>>>> simple rompak or even tape can
> boot these games with DW and enjoy >>>>> them?
> >>>>
> >>>> The version you have is not intended
> to require a disk controller.>>>> Last time I played it, it worked
> here with just a CoCo 3 and DW3 rom>>>> in a rompak, no additional hardware.
>  That was a while back, it is>>>> possible some bug has been
> introduced.  However, Bill is not seeing a>>>> problem currently.  I don't have
> things set up to test at the moment>>>> but I think it is possible the need
> for a disk controller on your>>>> system is a side effect of some
> other problem.  It is definitely not>>>> by design.
> >>>>
> >>>> --
> >>>> Coco mailing list
> >>>> Coco at mal
> tedmedia.com>>>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco>>>
> >>> --
> >>> Coco mailing list
> >>> Coco at mal
> tedmedia.com>>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco>>
> >> --
> >> Coco mailing list
> >> Coco at mal
> tedmedia.com>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco>>
> >> --
> >> Coco mailing list
> >> Coco at mal
> tedmedia.com>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Coco mailing list
> >> Coco at mal
> tedmedia.com>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco>
> > --
> > Coco mailing list
> > Coco at mal
> tedmedia.com> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco>
> > --
> > Coco mailing list
> > Coco at mal
> tedmedia.com> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco> 
> 
> --
> Coco mailing list
> Coco at mal
> tedmedia.comhttp://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> 
>