A-Max disks?

[prowler]

Originally Posted by cosmicfrog

could`t remember if you already got it or not, you know how it is

Where did you think that CrossMAC manual PDF I sent you came from, then?

[cosmicfrog]

I`ve slept since then

[cosmicfrog]

http://crossconnect.tripod.com/AMAXTEST.HTML

found this page today, don`t know if youve` seen it

[prowler]

Yep, I've seen it, but it didn't help much!

[cosmicfrog]

thought you might the crossconnect.tripod.com sounds very familar

[prowler]

Yep, just follow the second green link down on The Official A-Max Home Page.

[cosmicfrog]

needles to say thats not the way I got there

[Supamax]

This thread needs some fresh posts...
Unfortunately, life gets in the way!

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Supamax

This thread needs some fresh posts...

Hi Supamax,

You're right, of course.

Originally Posted by Supamax

Unfortunately, life gets in the way!

And right again.

I've noticed that the Macintosh Emulator folder on the EAB File Server (App/Disk/Macintosh Emulator subfolder) needs some tidying up. Some of those files, particularly the Disk Converter archives from the Emplant software, were uploaded to the Zone before we knew for sure which files were necessary for a standalone installation and are therefore incomplete.

I'll try to find time to check those archives, replacing them where necessary, and upload some missing files which were Zoned but not later copied to the server.

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

I've noticed that the Macintosh Emulator folder on the EAB File Server (App/Disk/Macintosh Emulator subfolder) needs some tidying up. Some of those files, particularly the Disk Converter archives from the Emplant software, were uploaded to the Zone before we knew for sure which files were necessary for a standalone installation and are therefore incomplete.

I'll try to find time to check those archives, replacing them where necessary, and upload some missing files which were Zoned but not later copied to the server.

Thanks, it will be useful .
I'll try to find the time to find out if there's something I could try to discover (wow, what a intricated sentence, hope it's correct!) something more about the A-Max IV format and those disk images you dumped... I remember having some ideas but too much months have passed

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Supamax

Thanks, it will be useful .
I'll try to find the time to find out if there's something I could try to discover (wow, what a intricated sentence, hope it's correct!) something more about the A-Max IV format and those disk images you dumped... I remember having some ideas but too much months have passed

Be careful with those disk images, they're riddled with viruses. I'm now certain that all four of cosmicfrog's A-Max disks - both those and the other two which I failed to make images of because of read errors - are infected.

Anything you can discover about the format will be very useful, but the files on the disks should be regarded as useless and potentially harmful.

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

Be careful with those disk images, they're riddled with viruses. I'm now certain that all four of cosmicfrog's A-Max disks - both those and the other two which I failed to make images of because of read errors - are infected.

Anything you can discover about the format will be very useful, but the files on the disks should be regarded as useless and potentially harmful.

Yes, I remember the virus problem... I'll be careful

[Supamax]

Peter,
on the "usual" website (http://crossconnect.tripod.com/AMAXHELP.HTML) I saw this:

"5. Are A-Max and Shapeshifter Floppies compatible?
I have noticed my Shapeshifter Floppies format 705K free
(720K disk - check if your 720K floppies is ticked in SS options)
this may vary with your mfm.device driver & settings.
Both A-Max IV and SS use it. A-Max pre 4.0 Formats 800K, leaving 779K
free to the Mac....A-Max IV / SS depend on your MFM.DEVICE driver.
You should be able to read either A-Max or Shapeshifter disks on both
emulators in DF0: if you have the drivers & settings right. (I can)"

"it depends on mfm.device driver & settings" ??
Perhaps this info can be useful for us...

[prowler]

The short-lived Macintosh 720K MFM disk format - obtainable only by running the '720K Floppy Formatter' under Macintosh System 7.1.x - was introduced to make file interchange between real Macintoshes and Macintosh emulators running on PCs more straightforward. (A longer lasting solution was the 'PC Exchange' extension, which enabled real Macintosh machines to read, write and format 720K DOS disks.)

The Macintosh 720K disk format seems to be very similar to the 720K DOS format, in that it produces a 720K MFM-formatted disk, but with a Macintosh file system instead of a DOS file system.

I uploaded a blank Macintosh 720K formatted disk image to the Zone a while ago and Boo Boo confimed that it could be mounted in ShapeShifter, and I have found that it is also compatible with the Mini vMac emulator for the PC.

Following this, I thought that the 720K Macintosh, ShapeShifter and A-Max formats must be identical.

However, A real Macintosh should be able to read A-Max 720K disks, but I have not been able to read cosmicfrog's 720K A-Max disk with my Macintoshes, whereas they can all read Macintosh 720K formatted disks with no problems.

I have no clue what is required of the Amiga's MFM.device driver and settings to achieve compatibility with these 720K disks for use with Macintosh emulation. Perhaps Toni could enlighten us.

[Supamax]

Peter, do you think this could be useful for us?

http://cgi.ebay.de/Amiga-Emplant-Boa...item3f063e8c00

I don't think so, but I'm asking just in case you remember better than me what we discovered throughout the thread...

[cosmicfrog]

http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showha...cgi?HARDID=345

don`t rate it too highly

I`ve just bought an amaxII+ board

[prowler]

Originally Posted by cosmicfrog

http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showha...cgi?HARDID=345

don`t rate it too highly

I agree with that verdict (as an A4000 owner).

Originally Posted by cosmicfrog

I`ve just bought an amaxII+ board

Well done, mate! Does it have the A-Max IV GAL chip?

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

Well done, mate! Does it have the A-Max IV GAL chip?

I'm asking that too!
Let's hope it has the newest chip!!

[cosmicfrog]

which is latest gal chip ??
mine says
ic8:
gal16v8a-15p
b144d17 msf amax4-g

[prowler]

Originally Posted by cosmicfrog

which is latest gal chip ??
mine says
ic8:
gal16v8a-15p
b144d17 msf amax4-g

Hi Cosmic,

Unfortunately, your chip is the same as mine:

Originally Posted by prowler

My card's IC5 is a G revision chip, the same as the other 5 GAL chips, i.e. A-Max II.

The full marking is:
LATTICE
GAL16V8A-15LP
B144D17 M5F AMAX1-G

The updated one included with A-Max II+ cards shipped weith the A-Max IV emulators is an H revision chip.

Unluckily for us, I think that the elusive H revision IC5 is the key to making any sense of the 720K A-Max IV formatted floppies.

I would gladly buy another A-Max II+ card just to get my hands on an H revision chip.