Sonnet 7200 PCI programming

[Hedeon]

The point in the demo you are describing is the exact end of demo1, just before it loads the next demo. You could try going to the console before demo1 ends and try 'timedemo demo2' or demo3.


Regarding sound, check ahi music unit being Paula 8 bit DMA. This is assuming you start the game with the -ahi option.

[amigoun]

Found out those freezes occured only when -stdout was used, without stdout it now loads all other demos ok.
Still have to use -nosound in wos version, dunno why. AHI is set to Paula 8bit DMA music unit and all other units.

[Hedeon]

Ok, let me be less subtle about it then :-) What are the exact options you are using for the command line?

[amigoun]

And sound figured out too!
Problem was I previously use -AHI with capital letters, but lowecase is required -ahi
Works like a charm now

[spudje]

Originally Posted by Hedeon

Yes. Not sure about buffered or unbuffered, though

Anyone knows a European store where they offer this memory at a decent price?

[Hedeon]

Been toying a bit with the 68k mmu and at the moment I got things running with the memory range being WriteThrough. This actually speeds up heavy 68k depended stuff like fxpaint but slows down GlQuake with approximately 5%. So I'm talking about 68k programs doing runppc versus ppc programs doing run68k. The slow down is due to cache flushing during the 68k interrupt. Maybe I can improve efficiency here.

I guess I could implement this as an option.

Originally Posted by grelbfarlk

Also during the install of MMU.library for the CSPPC it adds the Sonnet memory to the MMU-Configuration in ENVARC: with Copyback switch. Either commenting out this line or changing it to Inhibitcache helps stability as well.

Also it seems that the p5 configuration script sets the Voodoo system memory (2MB for me) to Copyback, this also makes WES not work (error of couldn't start PPC task). Setting it to CacheInhibit seems to help as well.

[spudje]

Sorry to bother you again with more Sonnet n00b questions.

When you fit the card with DIMMs, how much space does it take, will I lose another PCI slot because of the height?
So, these 3,3V DIMMs won't work? http://www.memory4less.com/hyundai-6...a804athg-50-aa That would be a pity as I can get them cheap.

[grelbfarlk]

Originally Posted by spudje

Sorry to bother you again with more Sonnet n00b questions.

When you fit the card with DIMMs, how much space does it take, will I loose another PCI slot because of the height?
So, these 3,3V DIMMs won't work? http://www.memory4less.com/hyundai-6...a804athg-50-aa That would be a pity as I can get them cheap.

Right they have to be 5V DIMMs. 168-pin, 5V, 2k refresh, FPM. I don't know if EDO works or not yet.

Yes the DIMMs extend into the next slot but you can still fit some NICs in the slot above it.

I don't know what's up with that site, you can search for 168-pin 2k 5V 60ns and you get a lot of hits but every one that has 5V in the title under technical specifications says 3.3V.

[jack-3d]

I am testing the new powerpc.library for Sonnet and on my OS3.9 I would like to get 68k datatypes instead of powerpc. As I have wallpaper on the workbench and textures on Amidok, then datatypes tryis to initiate powerpc. When I dont have powerpc.library in the system, datatypes are automatically 68k.

My intention is to run 68k datatypes and only start powerpc when I want on demand (Initppc). Would you have some tips? As I remember in the past I had some WarpOS Termination message during the startup and when I Canceled it then 68k datatypes were used. But I dont know how to do it now.

[grelbfarlk]

Originally Posted by jack-3d

I am testing the new powerpc.library for Sonnet and on my OS3.9 I would like to get 68k datatypes instead of powerpc. As I have wallpaper on the workbench and textures on Amidok, then datatypes tryis to initiate powerpc. When I dont have powerpc.library in the system, datatypes are automatically 68k.

My intention is to run 68k datatypes and only start powerpc when I want on demand (Initppc). Would you have some tips? As I remember in the past I had some WarpOS Termination message during the startup and when I Canceled it then 68k datatypes were used. But I dont know how to do it now.

So the problem I would guess is when you initppc in startup or even if you don't picture.datatype has WarpOS code in it. What you could do is rename libs:powerpc.library to libs:powderpc.library when you want to InitPPC you launch a little batch with the contents like:

rename libs:powderpc.library libs:powerpc.library
Run >NIL: <NIL: C:InitPPC

You could go fancy and make sure that in your startup you have an IF EXISTS Libs:powerpc.library
rename libs:powerpc.library to libs:powderpc.library

Something like that.

[Hedeon]

Like I said. Write a script :-)

Mine is:

copy libsowerpc.library2 libsowerpc.library
C:InitPPC
delete libsowerpc.library

I normally run with the WarpOS datatypes, though. Backgrounds and stuff are a lot faster. I only use the script when I am fiddling with experimental builds.

Edit: Formatting is a bit off...but you know what I mean.

Edit2: Not sure if this works but how about:

Assign LIBS: <yourpath> ADD
C: InitPPC

with powerpc.library installed in <yourpath> and not in libs:

[kev]

i made a irc chan if u guys want to have the brainstorming over there
#amiga-nexus
freenode

[jack-3d]

Finally got time for my Amiga with Sonnet. Because my system was full of patched libraries I decided to make new OS3.9. All installed well and I made also your suggested trick with powerpc.library renaming. Thank you for that

Result is incredibly ultra mega cool, right now everything what was working for me so far is working like charm. This is soooo good when powerpc.library works! I hope for the Shogo to work one day, because its the toughest WOS game ever.

Hedeons Sonnet hacking project is so cool and now also easy to install. Expect some new blog article about it ;o)

[DarrenHD]

Originally Posted by jack-3d

Finally got time for my Amiga with Sonnet. Because my system was full of patched libraries I decided to make new OS3.9. All installed well and I made also your suggested trick with powerpc.library renaming. Thank you for that

Result is incredibly ultra mega cool, right now everything what was working for me so far is working like charm. This is soooo good when powerpc.library works! I hope for the Shogo to work one day, because its the toughest WOS game ever.

Hedeons Sonnet hacking project is so cool and now also easy to install. Expect some new blog article about it ;o)

OK, so I'm back also. I now have a Cyberstorm MK2 060-66MHz in my a4000 along with the Sonnet, Mediator 4000Di 3.3V, Sonnet G3 500Mhz with 64MB ram, RTL8029 Network, Voodoo 4 32MB.

I am using the new powerpc.library replacement option, so far it's mostly working. AmigaAMP can play back using the PPC, although the AmigaAMP drawtask even with visualizations turned off uses rather high 16-18% of the 060 cpu...maybe it's because it's an older version of AmigaAMP? It is AmigaAMP 2.25. Flashmandel works, and it's incredibly fast with the 500Mhz G3, Scout, WhichAmiga, and SysSpeed both report a 500Mhz PPC. IdleWOS cpu meter works.

Warp 3D (gears_ppc_window) didn't work, crashed, but maybe because I"m using a voodoo4 or I didn't set it up correct yet?

PPCMemTest gives an error in German: "AllocMem Fehler" which I think means allocating memory failed.

Thanks to all invovled in this project!

Darren

[grelbfarlk]

PPCMemtest the last time I tried it needed to be started from a basic startup-sequence, setpatch, loadmondrvs and initppc.

Originally Posted by DarrenHD

OK, so I'm back also. I now have a Cyberstorm MK2 060-66MHz in my a4000 along with the Sonnet, Mediator 4000Di 3.3V, Sonnet G3 500Mhz with 64MB ram, RTL8029 Network, Voodoo 4 32MB.

I am using the new powerpc.library replacement option, so far it's mostly working. AmigaAMP can play back using the PPC, although the AmigaAMP drawtask even with visualizations turned off uses rather high 16-18% of the 060 cpu...maybe it's because it's an older version of AmigaAMP? It is AmigaAMP 2.25. Flashmandel works, and it's incredibly fast with the 500Mhz G3, Scout, WhichAmiga, and SysSpeed both report a 500Mhz PPC. IdleWOS cpu meter works.

Warp 3D (gears_ppc_window) didn't work, crashed, but maybe because I"m using a voodoo4 or I didn't set it up correct yet?

PPCMemTest gives an error in German: "AllocMem Fehler" which I think means allocating memory failed.

Thanks to all invovled in this project!

Darren

[DarrenHD]

Originally Posted by DarrenHD

OK, so I'm back also. I now have a Cyberstorm MK2 060-66MHz in my a4000 along with the Sonnet, Mediator 4000Di 3.3V, Sonnet G3 500Mhz with 64MB ram, RTL8029 Network, Voodoo 4 32MB.

I am using the new powerpc.library replacement option, so far it's mostly working. AmigaAMP can play back using the PPC, although the AmigaAMP drawtask even with visualizations turned off uses rather high 16-18% of the 060 cpu...maybe it's because it's an older version of AmigaAMP? It is AmigaAMP 2.25. Flashmandel works, and it's incredibly fast with the 500Mhz G3, Scout, WhichAmiga, and SysSpeed both report a 500Mhz PPC. IdleWOS cpu meter works.

Warp 3D (gears_ppc_window) didn't work, crashed, but maybe because I"m using a voodoo4 or I didn't set it up correct yet?

PPCMemTest gives an error in German: "AllocMem Fehler" which I think means allocating memory failed.

Thanks to all invovled in this project!

Darren

UPDATE: I got Warp3D to work..changed Workbench to 1024x786 16-bit..for some reason I was at 32-bit....now Warp3D works! Wow!

Darren

[wXR]

Whichever one of you bought up all the Sonnet cards from all sources online, are you planning to sell them back to the community at some point? I am completely unable to find one.

[alexh]

Erm? I don't think anyone did that. They didn't make very many and Sonnet stopped selling them around the time this project started. The only ones available today are second hand ones from old Macs. However in the Mac community they are practically worthless and so are not kept or resold. The vast majority have almost certainly been thrown away. But demand is high in the Amiga community. If any do become available they sell quick and for a high price

[wXR]

Are you sure? I thought I read somewhere that one of these fellows bought up a lot of the remaining stock. Feels like it would be easier to find a Mac with the upgrade card already installed, than a Sonnet.

[grelbfarlk]

Yes one of the dirtbags bought up all the remaining stock from a single vendor for $40 a piece and is selling them on Amibay for 500 EUR. Also everyone who hoarded one over the years is coming out of the woodwork to sell them on Amibay for a similar price.

There weren't many out there that were still in webshops that you could drop into your cart and it would show up in a week or two anyway.

There are a couple people looking into reproducing the card though, hopefully better than before.