TF536 with CDTV

[utri007]

Stephen said that TF536 would work just fine with CDTV.

So what is needed? KS 3.1 and Extended roms 2.7 or 2.30

He said that CD-drive would work after OS load if buffer memory type is changed to chip ram only (3 or 4)

Seem easy but -

Would it work with extended roms or would they need to be disabled?

It is proven that TF536 doesn't work out of the box. Boot will cause software failure CD0

Would loadmodule remove do the trick? After that mount CD0 with cdtv.device as SCSI driver and cdfs.library as CD filesystem?

[utri007]

Would this http://aminet.net/package/util/misc/memblocker allow block TF536 memory are for a CD drive?

Problem is that CD drive tries to write DMA to any available memory. Chip ram would be only possible / available to it.

[Pyromania]

Are you able to close the CDTV case with it installed.

[utri007]

Originally Posted by Pyromania

Are you able to close the CDTV case with it installed.

It is matter of right kind of relocator. So yes.

[fgh]

Originally Posted by Stephen (TF) on exxos forum;

The summary version is that with a special firmware it will boot to the desktop and you can use the CD drive. But it will not boot to the CD.

This is what he wrote in back in may, I didn’t think anything changed since then?
(= you still need to patch the roms)

It’s too bad they didn’t figure out how to add fast ram while avoiding the DMA conflict/bug.
It seems Adrian who makes the diag port RAM figured it out long ago, his first version needed the addmem command, later versions work fine with extended rom active. (It’s Z2 RAM though, not sure it makes a difference)

I have a CDTV with dead cdrom, so I’d be happy with one of those relocators. Where can I get one?

[bartekmalysz]

go0se designed it, yes the lid closes: https://www.exxoshost.co.uk/forum/vi...it=cdtv#p45359

I tried changing scsi.device to cdtv.device in cd0, there was no icon on WB for cd0, when tried to access from shell I had Not a DOS Disk in CD0,

I tried replacing cdrom-handler with a590-handler (renamed to cdrom-handler), but I only destroyed my system and it doesn't boot anymore and I get the same error as with enabled extended rom:

CD0
Program Failed (error 8000000B).
Wait for disk activity to finish.

Is there a way to make cdtv boot fro sd2ide on tf536, replace drivers/libs to have access to CDRom with disabled extended rom, even if you cannot boot from CD? I think there was a hint on something like this being done already. Good enough for me.

P.S. I don't know what I'm doing.

[jotd]

@bartekmalysz you found your way to EAB. several retrocomputing members here

I'm pretty sure you'll get it solved here. Have you tried to set bufmemtype to 2 or 3 instead of 4?

[Pyromania]

What about using a ROM switcher? Maybe when booting from 1.3 it can be a default CDTV system but when booting from 3.1 it could be a bootable 030 Amiga system. Would something like this work?

[utri007]

You need to use CDTV's own drivers and CD filesystem. Others wount' work, Im' 100% sure for that.

Problem wich needs to be solved : CD drive needs to use only CHIP ram

Have you tried this :

Use loadmodule command to remove CD-drive drivers on startup


Would CDTV start?

If so - >

Edit CD0 file storage/dosdrivers so that device is cdtv.device and filesystem is cdfs.library

And

BufMemType = 2 or 3

Of course you need to copy those files to HD and edit correct path to them. Copy cdtv.device to DH0:devs and cdfs.library to dh0:l

save and double click it. That should mount CD0

[bartekmalysz]

Originally Posted by Pyromania

What about using a ROM switcher? Maybe when booting from 1.3 it can be a default CDTV system but when booting from 3.1 it could be a bootable 030 Amiga system. Would something like this work?

That would be my dream come true, as a matter of fact I do have it installed already, I have a flip switch at the back (1.3, 3.1) and upgraded CDTV Extended ROMs to 2.7.

I tried with bufmemtype, all settings between 2 and 5. Same thing, 8000000B.

However I looked into AMICDRom, and when you install it, firstly you can pass your own *.DEVICE driver and in settings you can choose to rename lower case except CDTV (still don't know what I'm doing, but got me brain cells running).

I was hoping you can simply trick the system to load CDTV.DEVICE instead of SCSI.DEVICE and point it there instead. But then, you need a handler for it, so I figured you can just brutally replace and rename the file with this A590cdtv (damn you!) and this is where the system started throwing GURU meditation errors and what not.

If I need to learn assembler from scratch to patch these ROMs I will do so, just help me with some resources and support please.

I owned this machine in 90s, I want to give it a new life.

[bartekmalysz]

Originally Posted by utri007

You need to use CDTV's own drivers and CD filesystem. Others wount' work, Im' 100% sure for that.

Problem wich needs to be solved : CD drive needs to use only CHIP ram

You can change it in settings when installing AMICDRom, it actually asks you which memory to use.

Originally Posted by utri007

Have you tried this :

Use loadmodule command to remove CD-drive drivers on startup


Would CDTV start?

If so - >

Edit CD0 file storage/dosdrivers so that device is cdtv.device and filesystem is cdfs.library

And

BufMemType = 2 or 3

Of course you need to copy those files to HD and edit correct path to them. Copy cdtv.device to DH0:devs and cdfs.library to dh0:l

save and double click it. That should mount CD0

is CDTV.DEVICE the to replace just renamed cdtv.device_35.12(CDTV) extracted from rom and cdfs.library renamed cdfs.library_24.9(CDTV)?

Will try, but like I said, I don't know what I'm doing.

[utri007]

First, if we get this work it will happen with files extracted from extended roms. If I'm wrong please correct me?

AmiCDrom or any other similar woun't work! They require IDE or SCSI standard.

BufMemType is 2 or 3, no point to test other values!

BUFFMEMTYPE = 0 OR 1 (ANYMEM)
BUFFMEMTYPE = 2 OR 3 (CHIPMEM)
BUFFMEMTYPE = 4 OR 5 (FASTMEM)

Amiga mount automatically CD-rom if CD0 file is in DHO:devs/dosdrivers AND it is edited correctly. It should be in DH0:storage/dosdrivers, copy it to DHO:devs/dosdrivers and edit it like a picture. It is CacheCDFS version of it, but no matter, all the same settings will found any CD0 file.

Use LoadModule with Remove switch to unload these two files.

Copy cdtv.device to DHo:devs and cdfs.library to dh0:libs or L (filesystems are usually L drawer)

With extened roms enabled you would need to get unload these with loadmodule remove?

[bartekmalysz]

Originally Posted by utri007

Copy cdtv.device to DHo:devs and cdfs.library to dh0:libs or L (filesystems are usually L drawer)

is the CDTV.DEVICE just renamed cdtv.device_35.12(CDTV) extracted from rom and cdfs.library renamed cdfs.library_24.9(CDTV)?

[utri007]

Originally Posted by bartekmalysz

is the CDTV.DEVICE just renamed cdtv.device_35.12(CDTV) extracted from rom and cdfs.library renamed cdfs.library_24.9(CDTV)?

it is.

cdtv.device is driver and cdfs.library is cd filesystem.

[bartekmalysz]

Used the settings and files above, after reboot the WB doesn't start. It just hangs on black screen. How to speed up boot BTW. It takes a while to load, but I have another image for WB1.3 and it boots in few seconds?

Will continue tomorrow

[utri007]

Originally Posted by bartekmalysz

Used the settings and files above, after reboot the WB doesn't start.

What you mean? Did you use loadmodule command?

[alexh]

In the original CDTV thread on the exxos forum TF lists the addresses of places in the ROMs to be patched.

I believe it is this single location in cdfs.device which when pactched allows the system to boot from HDD and the CD drive to be used in Workbench

https://www.exxoshost.co.uk/forum/vi...tart=30#p23329

And *possibly* this location in cdtv.device but I am not sure

https://www.exxoshost.co.uk/forum/vi...tart=20#p23293

I don't have a TF536 so I have never tried any of this. I think TF released a 536 FW which patched the address in cdfs.device to allow booting. But I don't know if it was widely distributed (if at all).

TF then went on to try to find all the locations with a memory allocation without a memtype in hope that it would allow booting from CD drive

https://www.exxoshost.co.uk/forum/vi...tart=30#p23375

With no luck.

[bartekmalysz]

Originally Posted by alexh

I think TF released a 536 FW which patched the address in cdfs.device to allow booting. But I don't know if it was widely distributed (if at all).

He did and it was working for him, this is all I need because the rest you can do with KS and extended rom switchers. The problem is he doesn't respond to anything relating to CDTV and it was not published...

[alexh]

Surely you just hand edit the ROM in hex edit and burn into a 27c1000 EPROM to try it out?

[utri007]

Originally Posted by alexh

TF then went on to try to find all the locations with a memory allocation without a memtype in hope that it would allow booting from CD drive

https://www.exxoshost.co.uk/forum/vi...tart=30#p23375

With no luck.

No need to boot from CD drive, I would be happy if we could get it work with OS. Thats why I'm suggesting removing CD driver and FS on boot and load them after boot with correctly edited CD0 file.

Almost two monts ago I asked this from Stephen :

Me

You said that TF536 works just fine with CDTV and CD drive is useable if driver is loaded manually after boot.

Stephen

Just put the TF536 in the CDTV with no CDROm in the drive and it boots.. Then just make sure LoadResident a CDTV.DEVICE and have the BufMemType setup correctly in your dos drivers. It works then. But no booting to CD drive ... but alot of cd games dont like 030 anyways.

It seems NOT be like that.