Emulation of bridgeboard 2088XT with WinUAE

[Gilloo]

Hi all,
Is it possible to emulate a 2088XT with WinUAE and the following items :
- janus software in .adf
- 30Mo disk image of the bootable hdd MSDOS 3.30 / windows 1.04 I used with a true 2088XT many years before.

or it miss something ?
Many thanks.

(the disk image of 30Mo works perfectly with PCTask)

[demolition]

So you want to emulate a PC inside an Amiga emulator on a PC?

[Toni Wilen]

Yes, it should work. You also need 2088 BIOS image.

Do you mean janus hardfile image (image is located in Amiga formatted HD) or PC HD image (image is located in PC harddrive connected to HD controller in 2088XT ISA slots)?

[Gilloo]

Hi Toni, it was a simple 30Mo file in a amiga scsi hdd (rip!)

So I need a 2088 BIOS image.
How to extract it ?
I suppose it is with the antique MSDOS debug.com tool ?

@demolition
WINUAE can already make this:
Shapeshifter to get a Macintosh
PCTask to get a PC (into a PC under Windows )

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Originally Posted by demolition

So you want to emulate a PC inside an Amiga emulator on a PC?

As mentioned by Gilloo on PC WInUAE you can do the same things who once were on an Amiga AMiGA real, my watch this video qui:

[ Show youtube player ]

[demolition]

I can understand in relation to PC-Task since it's a software-based emulator so WinUAE doesn't need to do anything special here, but the Bridgeboard is PC hardware which WinUAE would need to emulate directly. But if it can already do that, then no problem.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Ciao demolition I hope my English is understandable, I did not understand what you said, it is clear that they are two different things, My video shows a PC that emulates an Amiga which in turn emulates PC e MAC. In the second case it is different, AMiGA does not use an emulator to start a Windows system, but emulates a PC hardware expansion some models had Amiga,
I attach here some of my video.

[ Show youtube player ]

[AnnaWu]

Originally Posted by Gilloo

Hi Toni, it was a simple 30Mo file in a amiga scsi hdd (rip!)

So I need a 2088 BIOS image.
How to extract it ?
I suppose it is with the antique MSDOS debug.com tool ?
...

Take a look into "The Zone!" and search for expansion_boot_roms.zip.

[Gilloo]

I've downloaded WinUAE 3.2.2 from winuae.net

I expected to see appear 513 / 1 or something similar in the bootmenu "Expansion board diagnostic..." when I set a rom (from expansion_boot_roms.zip thanks AnnaWu ) but there is nothing

How to set the bridgeboard emulation correctly ?

[Arnie]

Choose the X86 setting (XT)
Select the HD setting (XT)
Add the HDF using the XT HD controller.

I've attached a sample XT config, tweak it to your needs.

[Gilloo]

dh1:hdd is the file containing MSDOS3.30 and other things I used with a true Bridgeboard 2088XT.
To obtain an equivalent, use pctask, create hdd, boot with a MSDOS disk and use fdisk to partition c:, format c: /S then xcopy a:\*.* c: /S

In PC/System/ABoot.CTRL I put dh1:hdd with my favourite ed...

and then...

[Toni Wilen]

You probably didn't configure any Bridgeboard floppy drives, connected to bridgeboard floppy connector, not to Amiga mainboard.

WinUAE floppies panel: Set DF2: (Only DF2: and DF3: can become bridgeboard drives and become invisible to Amiga) and configure it to correct model, 40 or 80 track PC drive.

I don't think you can use pctask to create bridgeboard compatible HDF, bridgeboard HDF has extra identifier block at the begining (starts with ABOOT I think) before actual data starts.

I'm trying to do the same thing with a A2286AT bridge board. How would I get a rom image from the board? Does transrom do it? I've been a member for two days and don't have access to The Zone. How do you get access? Donate?

[Arnie]

Originally Posted by pioneer

I'm trying to do the same thing with a A2286AT bridge board. How would I get a rom image from the board? Does transrom do it? I've been a member for two days and don't have access to The Zone. How do you get access? Donate?

http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?...ht=access+zone

[Gilloo]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

I don't think you can use pctask to create bridgeboard compatible HDF, bridgeboard HDF has extra identifier block at the begining (starts with ABOOT I think) before actual data starts.

For info, both pctask hdd and aboot.ctrl file have ABOOT at the start of the file. That's why I kept only this *precious* file from my bridgeboard.

Perhaps there is a way to transform an aboot file into a hdf usable by a emulated PC controller... by cutting this header.

5 1/4 double face single density disk corresponds to what kind of winuae disk type ?
How to make a disk image of 5 1/4 disk ? (I got all msdos 3.30 files borrowed with the bridgeboard but not the exact directory of a 5 1/4 disk boot disk)
The floppy disk image I can create with pctask is 3,5 double face single density (custom MFM 2MBit), and contains msdos+janus utility mixed...
(It can boot pctask with it)

[AnnaWu]

I think something is wrong with last unofficial test version (http://www.winuae.net/files/b/winuae.7z).
I get a Guru Meditation (all x86 Bridgeboards) if I boot a hard disk image.
No problems with the last official WinUAE 3.3.0 Beta (winuae_3300b1.7z).

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by Gilloo

For info, both pctask hdd and aboot.ctrl file have ABOOT at the start of the file. That's why I kept only this *precious* file from my bridgeboard.

Ok, then it should work. It is not easy to debug janus side problems, it does not really mention anything if things go wrong (for example aboot file path can't be found)

Perhaps there is a way to transform an aboot file into a hdf usable by a emulated PC controller... by cutting this header.

Probably

5 1/4 double face single density disk corresponds to what kind of winuae disk type ?
How to make a disk image of 5 1/4 disk ? (I got all msdos 3.30 files borrowed with the bridgeboard but not the exact directory of a 5 1/4 disk boot disk)
The floppy disk image I can create with pctask is 3,5 double face single density (custom MFM 2MBit), and contains msdos+janus utility mixed...
(It can boot pctask with it)

80 tracks is practically always the correct choice. Disk physical size does not matter, emulation autodetects disk type from size of image file. (Sidecar may require 40 tracks, don't remember anymore..)

Note that raw (extended adf, ipf etc..) images are not supported. It must be normal PC image (.img)

Originally Posted by AnnaWu

I think something is wrong with last unofficial test version (http://www.winuae.net/files/b/winuae.7z).
I get a Guru Meditation (all x86 Bridgeboards) if I boot a hard disk image.
No problems with the last official WinUAE 3.3.0 Beta (winuae_3300b1.7z).

Works again now.

Remember again that that file is only meant to be used for specific tests.

[AnnaWu]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Works again now.

Remember again that that file is only meant to be used for specific tests.

Yes, just tested.

[AnnaWu]

I forgot to say thank you.

[amilo3438]

Let's get this straight ... the problem would survive until the next beta version if was not detected by Anna in the unofficial test version, right or wrong?

Ask this cause I usually use only last official or newer beta for testing!