A-Max disks?

[prowler]

Originally Posted by cosmicfrog

well Ive got amax4 to boot now, make sure you add a screen mode you can actualy see or have attached hehhehe

Thanks for the tip, Cosmic, but how exactly do you set that screen mode?

Originally Posted by cosmicfrog

how many more posts before we make it an epic & wonder what Supamax is upto ???

Isn't it *already* an epic?

Oh, and Supamax doesn't usually join the action until the midnight hour!

[cosmicfrog]

you`ll see how to add a screen mode when you run it hehehehhe
but what it actual dose is beyond me

hum 10 mins or so till 12 he might join the party yet or I`ll read all about it tomorrow

[Supamax]

I have just read all the posts I missed .

Sorry mates, don't count on me for a few days... I'm very busy .
However I'll do the image tests (DiskDup/ADC/A-Max/etc.) ASAP, count on it.
Just don't count on it too soon
I/we started this thread like a train, but now I had to slow down a little...

P.S. of course I can also provide my modest help on A-Max IV if needed...

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Supamax

Sorry mates, don't count on me for a few days... I'm very busy .
However I'll do the image tests (DiskDup/ADC/A-Max/etc.) ASAP, count on it.
Just don't count on it too soon

P.S. of course I can also provide my modest help on A-Max IV if needed...

Hi Supamax,

It's good to have you back with us, even if only for a quick visit.

Don't worry about the timescale, mate. We've all got plenty to keep us busy, but I'm sure we'll all be doing the best we can.

prowler

[cosmicfrog]

hi ya Supamax glad to hear from ya

theres no rush, after all ya gota do other stuff as well

but if you could get the file imager thingy in amax4 to work then

[prowler]

Hi Cosmic/Supamax,

I've just completed moving the files relating to this thread which have dropped out of the Zone from "The Zone!" folder on Magix's FTP to the "Emulators/Amiga Macintosh" folder.

I have deleted my original Emplant Disk Converter uploads - the ones with the libraries and font files missing.

We now have a dedicated area on Magix's FTP where we can look for files we may have missed earlier.

I have also included the Cygnus File Editor for Windows, which is extremely useful for manipulating ROMs and disk images.

prowler

[cosmicfrog]

[prowler]

Hi Cosmic/Supamax,

This evening, I started my evaluation of A-Max IV, making use of the disk images, files and documentation from the official A-Max website:
http://crossconnect.tripod.com/AMAXHOME.HTML

I decided to look at each disk image in WinUAE to begin with, just to see which versions are likely to run and which are not, when I try them on my A1200.

AMAX4_.DMS

This version requires the A-Max Plus card with ROMs to run the emulation. Attempting to load the emulator gives the error message:

Error: 12
Could not read ROMs.
Check the Plus card and ROM installation.

The included A-Max IV 800K Disk Transfer utility *will* load. It features support for up to 4 floppy drives, Disk to File and File to Disk transfers, two Copy Modes: Full Disk or Only Allocated Blocks, and two Error Modes: Skip Errors or Abort on Disk Error. Any attempt to run a disk transfer or quit the program causes a hard reset.

Here is a copy of the Installation Log:

******* Installation Log *******
User Level: EXPERT
Pretend: No


>Where would like A-Max Version 4.0 installed?

Ask Drawer: Result was "Hard Disk:".
Copy file "A-MaxDiskTransfer" to "Hard Disk:".
Copy file "A-MaxDiskTransfer.info" to "Hard Disk:".
Copy file "A-MaxStartup" to "Hard Disk:".
Copy file "A-MaxStartup.info" to "Hard Disk:".
Copy file "ReadMe" to "Hard Disk:".
Copy file "ReadMe.info" to "Hard Disk:".

>Where is your usual system DEVS: directory?

Ask Drawer: Result was "Hard Disk: Devs".
Copy file "GfxBase" to "Hard Disk: Devs/A-MaxVCtrls".
Copy file "Picasso" to "Hard Disk: Devs/A-MaxVCtrls".
Copy file "Retina" to "Hard Disk: Devs/A-MaxVCtrls".
Copy file "A-MaxUtilities" to "Hard Disk: Devs/A-MaxFileDevices".
Copy file "A-MaxInit" to "Hard Disk: Devs//c".
Run Program: "c:copy "Hard Disk: Devs//S/Startup-Sequence" "Hard Disk: D
evs//S/Startup-Sequence.B4A-MaxInit""
Run Program: "c: protect "Hard Disk: Devs//S/Startup-Sequence.B4A-MaxIni
t" -d"
Run Program: "c:join "A-MaxIV:A-MaxIV/SeqFrag" "Hard Disk: Devs//S/Star
tup-Sequence.B4A-MaxInit" to "Hard Disk: Devs//S/Startup-Sequence""

And here is an extract from the ReadMe file:

                          A-Max IV User's Guide
                        Addendum for Version 4.00
 
                             12 December 1993
 
Apple System Versions:
 
     Version 4.0 has been tested with Apple System versions up to and 
including version 7.1.1 (Pro).
 
 
Mouse and Keyboard Control:
 
     Although it is mentioned in the manual, it is worth repeating 
here - the sequence
 
                        left Amiga key - right Mouse button
 
switches the mouse and keyboard between Mac and Amiga modes, and also 
makes the correct screen visible.
 
 
New Keyboard Mapping:
 
     There was one key on the Apple extended keyboard that was 
previously not emulated - the "=" key on the numeric keypad. The sequence
 
     shift - 5 (on the numeric keypad)
 
is now equivalent to typing this key.
 
 
Video Refresh Modes:
 
     There are gadgets on the Video Preferences window that are not 
explained in the User's Guide, controlling how A-Max IV refreshes color 
screens. These refresh modes will only rarely be useful and the default 
"Accurate" mode should be used normally.
     The "Optimised" mode can speed drawing operations but will have 
some effect on visual results while the drawing is taking place, so this 
mode is not recommended for animations. The "Timeout" parameter controls 
this mode - larger values will increase the effect.
     The "Paranoid" mode is useful for programs, usually games, that 
may directly access screen memory, bypassing the Mac operating system. 
If a program seems to produce no visuals, with just a blank screen, this 
mode may allow you to run the program. "Paranoid" mode is definitely not 
recommended for everyday use, as it will slow down the emulation. The 
"Timeout" parameter controls how quickly the screen is refreshed - 
smaller values speed the screen changes at the expense of overall 
performance.
 
     There is no harm in trying these modes, so if you think they may 
be necessary, try enabling them.
 
 
Cache Settings:
 
     If you have a 68040 equipped Amiga you may sometimes find it 
necessary to disable the copyback cache mode of this processor to 
run some older Mac titles, or System 7.0.  Use the Commodore CPU command 
to control the cache settings of your processor, or any utility that came 
with an accelerator board.  A-Max IV will use the same cache settings as 
the Amiga system.
 
 
Retina Video Controller:
 
     The Retina video driver uses the default screen sizes set with 
the "RetinaScreenMode" tool that is part of the Retina software.  The 
"Configure" button on the A-Max Video Preferences window does not control 
this board.
 
 
Text Cut & Paste:
 
     As mentioned in the guide, you should make sure the Mac Finder 
is the frontmost process on the Mac side before cutting or pasting.

@Cosmic:
It looks like the unhacked versions of A-Max IV require the A-Max Plus card and ROMs. The A-MaxUtilsV1.1 disk contains two utilities, Fast A-Max 1.3 and Fast A-Max 2.5 which will dump the Apple ROMs to a ROM file to speed up the emulation, but they work only with A-Max 2.5 w/Cartridge and A-Max 1.0 or 2.0 w/Cartridge, respectively.
The answer to your question about where to put the A-Max IV ROM file is that only the hacked version (AMAX4_HACK.DMS) will boot from a ROM file, and this is included. There is no installer, but the floppy disk is structured to simplify copying the files to your hard disk manually. The ROM file 'ROM.IMG' is in the root of the floppy disk together with the A-MaxDiskTransfer and A-MaxStartup tools, ReadMe and configuration files. The ROM is from a Macintosh Plus. I have not got around to installing the hacked version yet.

I shall continue with this as time allows.

prowler

[cosmicfrog]

I concur with all that a it matches my results exactly
there is a file in the c folder called 128k I suspect its a rom but i don`t know

now may you have less gurus/soft resets than i had with the disk imager

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

The included A-Max IV 800K Disk Transfer utility *will* load. It features support for up to 4 floppy drives, Disk to File and File to Disk transfers, two Copy Modes: Full Disk or Only Allocated Blocks, and two Error Modes: Skip Errors or Abort on Disk Error. Any attempt to run a disk transfer or quit the program causes a hard reset.

I got the same results. I suspect this is due to hardware protection (it checks for the original A-Max hardware to be present), but I'm not 100% sure.
The strange thing is that it crashes without giving out some messages like "A-Max card not found" or similar .
I'm sure it's not a WinUAE issue, though, because I got the same result on my real A600.

[Toni Wilen]

(I haven't really been following this thread. tldr.)

but there is some kind of a-max rom adapter support in winuae, need manual configuration editing..

amax_rom_file=<path to rom image>

very unofficial, not perfect blahblah etc..

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

there is some kind of a-max rom adapter support in winuae, need manual configuration editing..

amax_rom_file=<path to rom image>

very unofficial, not perfect blahblah etc..

Hi Toni,

Hey, I didn't know that!

Would this actually emulate the ROM adapter feature of the A-Max cartridge and A-Max Plus board, enabling us to use the hardware-dependent (i.e. unhacked) versions of the A-Max software, provided we have the Mac Plus (or, for the early versions, the Mac 128K/512K) ROM image file?

If the answer is yes, can you tell us when (i.e. in which version of WinUAE) was this support added?

And if the answer is no, what support does it offer and what are the limitations, please?

Thanks,

prowler

PS. I'm sorry, I haven't noticed it in the recent changelogs.

[cosmicfrog]

wow Toni pays us a vist I feel like bowing down and saying I`m not worthy I`m not worthy hahah

anyhow thanks for the tip Toni, spose its about time I looked in to manual config in the emulator, who would have thought Winuae is only a short click or 2 away from being a mac emulator 2

[prowler]

Originally Posted by cosmicfrog

there is a file in the c folder called 128k I suspect its a rom but i don`t know

Hi Cosmic,

Yes, I noticed that on the hacked version floppy image. I wouldn't have thought it was a ROM file, because commands are usually found in that drawer and there is the 'ROM.IMG' file in the root of that disk. When I saw the 128k file, I thought it might be some sort of RsrvMem program to reserve memory for the ROM image in RAM, but I'm not at all sure. Did you notice the filesize? That would give it away.

Originally Posted by Supamax

I got the same results. I suspect this is due to hardware protection (it checks for the original A-Max hardware to be present), but I'm not 100% sure.
The strange thing is that it crashes without giving out some messages like "A-Max card not found" or similar .

Hi Supamax,

Yes, that "feature" (lack of error messages) sure does make these Mac Disk Converter/Transfer utilities difficult to troubleshoot.

On the other hand, the A-Max emulator itself is quick to point out the problem with the Plus Card and ROMs.

However, if it turns out that WinUAE *does* emulate the ROM adapter feature of the A-Max Cartridge and Plus board, it might solve this problem, at least under emulation. It's still going to be impossible to use the Disk Transfer utility effectively in WinUAE, unless .ADF support also extends to A-Max formatted floppy disks, but at least it will confirm why the utility is not working on real hardware.

prowler

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

(I haven't really been following this thread. tldr.)

but there is some kind of a-max rom adapter support in winuae, need manual configuration editing..

amax_rom_file=<path to rom image>

very unofficial, not perfect blahblah etc..

Whaaaaaaat?????
This looks incredible!
I wonder where could be found this "A-Max rom"

[prowler]

Originally Posted by Supamax

Whaaaaaaat?????
This looks incredible!
I wonder where could be found this "A-Max rom"

Hi Supamax,

Surely this is the Mac Rom image, No?

I was not aware that the A-Max Cartridge or Plus board had embedded firmware.

prowler

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

Would this actually emulate the ROM adapter feature of the A-Max cartridge and A-Max Plus board, enabling us to use the hardware-dependent (i.e. unhacked) versions of the A-Max software, provided we have the Mac Plus (or, for the early versions, the Mac 128K/512K) ROM image file?

If the answer is yes, can you tell us when (i.e. in which version of WinUAE) was this support added?

And if the answer is no, what support does it offer and what are the limitations, please?

Thanks,

prowler

I second this 100%... 1.000%!!

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

Hi Supamax,

Surely this is the Mac Rom image, No?

prowler

Ah, sorry, this is probably true!
I thought he was talking about some type of A-Max card's ROM (I thought the card had a firmware or something similar).

So... what Toni is meaning is that WinUAE does contain all the necessary A-Max card emulation components, and it only needs a Mac ROM to be operative? This would be reeeeeeeeeaaaally great!

Originally Posted by prowler

It's still going to be impossible to use the Disk Transfer utility effectively in WinUAE, unless .ADF support also extends to A-Max formatted floppy disks, but at least it will confirm why the utility is not working on real hardware.

prowler

Hmmm, no, you're wrong!
The extended adf format ("Create Custom Disk" in WinUAE) does support the A-Max format!
I dumped my real floppies with Powercopy, and I was then able to "write" them (with Powercopy in WinUAE) on extended adfs.

[prowler]

Hi SupaMax/Cosmic,

I would like to change track while we're waiting for Toni to confirm the details of the WinUAE emulation of the A-Max hardware ROM feature.

I would like to concentrate on trying to recombine the Macintosh data and resource forks salvaged from Cosmic's A-Max disks for the next day or so. It shouldn't take any longer than that to confirm whether or not it is possible using ARDI's Executor for Windows or Mac OS's PC-Exchange.

If this fails, then I think the best option we have is to get the A-Max IV emulation or 800K Disk Transfer utility working properly.

Originally Posted by Supamax

The extended adf format ("Create Custom Disk" in WinUAE) does support the A-Max format!
I dumped my real floppies with Powercopy, and I was then able to "write" them (with Powercopy in WinUAE) on extended adfs.

Well, that's going to help considerably if the WinUAE emulation of the A-Max hardware ROM feature enables the Disk Transfer utility to run without crashing!

prowler

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by prowler

I was not aware that the A-Max Cartridge or Plus board had embedded firmware.

I'm not, too .
Just guessing. Does it have embedded firmware?