Microbotics M1230XA problem, possibly faulty?
 

I read a thread (http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=48953) about Speedball 2 WHDLoad not working, and as I've got the M1230XA myself (50MHz, no FPU, 64MBytes) I decided to try it out. Of course it crashes at the title screen in a similar fashion on my system ;) I tried the usual tooltypes with no success. This got me a bit worried because I've got the impression that Speedball 2 is a very compatible game. So I tried to load the game from floppy instead, and it crashes at the same point with major graphics and sound corruption. Then I took the M1230XA out, booted from floppy and low and behold, the game loads just fine.


Since then, I've:


Tested memory with the included tool from Microbotics – it passes every test.


Tried to load the game with the M1230XA connected, but the SIMM taken out – same result.


Cleaned the connectors on both the M1230XA and the motherboard – didn't make a difference.


Made sure the M1230XA settings are right with SetXA.




System specs: A1200 rev. 1D.1, KS3.1, CF-IDE, Indivision AGA, M1230XA@50MHz, no FPU, 64MBytes, ATX PSU


Any help would be truly appreciated! I've also noticed similar problems (crashes from floppy and WHDLoad) with Turrican 2 and Indianapolis 500. Apart from that, the system works fine, with no signs of the M1230XA being faulty.

I know you tried several tooltypes, but did you try to uncomment (remove the ; ) these in s:WHDLoad.prefs:
NoAutoVec
NoMemReverse
:confused

Those are the ones that are known to fix compatibility issues with M1230XA + WHDLoad...
Also make sure MMU is disabled in WHDLoad.prefs-- MMU is making things worse with M1230XA :mad:scream

And that you run a registered WHDLoad (v16.9) version, and that the Speedball 2 installer is up to date ;)
And and and!! Remember to try a clean dump of the Speedball 2 floppies (SPS?)

@Hall

I think that you will find that this is nothing more than a cache issue with the 030, as you noticed that these games work fine without the 030.

I think you can turn the 030 CPUCache off, theres a program on Aminet. must have a lookie.

An idea to test the above would be to take the RAM out of the CPU card and then try with just the CPU to see what happens.

:nuts

:laughing

The MBX1230 is not very good for WHDLoad. But you should try the tooltypes NoAutoVec and NOMMU if you havn't done so already.

EDIT: noticed that some one already told you.

isn't that what you do with the "NoCache" command in whdload?

Btw. there is one thing i haven't really understood.

When you put a command in the slave, should you write "NoAutoVec" or "NoAutoVec/s" or doesn't it really matter how you write it?

Yes, that's what the "NoCache" option in WHDLoad is for.


The "/s" is only relevant for AmigaDOS (means it is a "switch"), you don't ever have to write it. :)

So meaning if i add it directly into the game icon and run it from OS 3.1 i should just write "NoAutoVec"?

Exactly.

Thanks everyone for taking an interest in this! Feels so much better :)

@8bitbubsy & fryguy
I already did. That's what my WHDLoad.prefs looks like. Anyway, I know the M1230XA isn't the best card for WHDLoad, but I've actually managed to get most stuff to work.

@Zetr0
Like 8bitbubsy pointed out I wrote in my original post that I've already tried taking out the RAM with the same result.

I don't really regard this as a WHDLoad problem, as the games also crash when i boot from the floppies. Clearly it's something to do with the M1230XA. Then again, if there's a way to make WHDLoad work around this issue, I'd be perfectly satisfied :D

Anyway, am I right to be worried about the 030-card? I don't really know where to go from here... :help

Anybody?

What do you mean? It existed long before the first slave or WHDload version existed.

I'd love to know what makes this 68030 CPU so 'especially bad', compared to all the other 68030 cards that WHDload and slaves have been burn-in tested on.

I don't know, i'm not a coder. But i didn't have to mess with tooltypes on my B1230-IV. Everything just worked. And i doubt it's about the cpu but more about the card somehow.

Well, it wasn't really directed at you... I just think 'your card is not compatible with software written 10 years later' is a very strange viewpoint when in fact it's the software that is not written in a way that supports what was (is) a basic and common Amiga accelerator.

Now, WHDload is not some basic piece of software, and also it's a collaboration between the WHDload software and the slave writers, so I'm not saying it's easy to fix it and I understand the complications.

But saying some configuration is 'incompatible with WHDload' won't make WHDload better. Better to try to locate the incompatible code. (And no, I'm not gonna do it - it was just a reaction to FryGuy's statement, that's all :))

The MBX1230 is sending some unwanted vector interrupts which whdload picks up :/
The Apollo and Blizzard cards doesn't do this.

Well, if that statement can be translated into a useful config option or two or a code patch, then a lot more rigs are able to run WHDLoad in style!

Bad wording, I'm tired. But anyway. Good night :)

Hmm... Interesting thread. I have a M1230 XA too (50 mhz, with 16 MB Ram).

I also noticed whdload-games seem to have problems with this card, but the tooltype 'NOAUTOVEC' always solved the problem. I can try it with the games mentioned in this thread.

Ps. The M1230 XA seems to use standard simms (15 years ago :) ), are these still available somewhere?

@Riempie: Amibay, at first glance. I bet you'll find even 32Mb SIMM for free there.;)

From time to time even 64 & 128Mb SIMM pops there. At a price, of course.

I think NOAUTOVEC made a lot more games work, but not all. There's a thread by me somewhere written when had that lovely card. :)

NoCache, NoMMU, NoMemReverse