Author
| Is there any way to test a .rom file in a true HW?
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ARTRAG
msx master
Posts: 1752 |  Posted: September 17 2006, 11:28 |
I would like to have something to test is what is being developed works on a real MSX
Is there any magic and exotic MSX HW able to emulate an ASCII8K mapped megarom starting from a .ROM file ?
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BodyHammeR
msx addict
Posts: 489 | Posted: September 17 2006, 11:54 |
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ARTRAG
msx master
Posts: 1752 | Posted: September 17 2006, 14:02 |
Which of them can be programmed directly by a PC and is the most suitable for crossdevelopment?
LPE-FLASHG-V2 seems quite complex to be programmed. I understand that you need an EPROM programmer apart.
Mega Flash ROM seems easy go, but it requires an MSX with disk dirive (that actually I don't have)
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Guillian
msx professional
Posts: 649 | Posted: September 17 2006, 15:15 |
I built a cartridge reader/writer for PC that can read and flash MegaFlashROMs cartridges in a few seconds. It should be possible to do the same with the game reader.
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BodyHammeR
msx addict
Posts: 489 | Posted: September 17 2006, 18:38 |
Both LPE-FLASHG-V2 and MegaFlashROM are to be programmed using a MSX2 machine with diskdrive. I am interested in Guillan's cartridge reader/writer fo PC.
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djh1697
msx professional
Posts: 551 | Posted: September 17 2006, 20:23 |
A DDX MegaRAM will also work, made in Brazil!  |
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Huey
msx professional
Posts: 637 | Posted: September 17 2006, 21:56 |
How did the people from MSXdev (Infinity, XLS, karoshi etc. etc.) test their ROM's ????
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BodyHammeR
msx addict
Posts: 489 | Posted: September 17 2006, 22:22 |
I think most of them used emulators - since a handful MSXdev games refuse to work (correctly) from either LPE-FLASHG-V2 or MegaFlashROM.
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Edwin
msx professional
Posts: 626 | Posted: September 18 2006, 00:01 |
After we switched to 48k, we made the rom file loadable as .com (an idea shamelessly stolen from The Cure  ) and tested with that to get it tested on disk capable systems. For the rest of the MSX1 testing, Bifi used his eprom cart to test it an a real msx1 a couple of hundred times (easier said that done as the cart didn't support 48k roms). MSX1 compatibility turned out to be a bit more difficult than first expected.
I'm guessing that some may have used cassette input to load the rom. |
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pitpan
msx master
Posts: 1390 | Posted: September 18 2006, 00:05 |
Indeed, Edwin, I have. I converted both THE CURE and UNIVERSE: UNKNOWN to WAV format, so that it can be loaded using the cassette interface in real MSX computers.
I use this technique too to test my programs in the real hardware because they were not megaROMs. I did some tests too using megaFlashSCC, megaRAM and SCC+ cartridges. These also support megaROMs. It is a lot of fun uploading games to this devices using only the cassete interface! |
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Guillian
msx professional
Posts: 649 | Posted: September 18 2006, 12:39 |
Quote:
| I am interested in Guillan's cartridge reader/writer fo PC.
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It is a not too complex device. Here is an image of two prototypes I built.
The first one was fast reading cartridges, but slow flashing them.
The second was enough fast doing both things.
The third is the fastest. I need to fix the CS signals yet.
I made a program for reading a flashing cartidges. It also calculates the CRC32 of the ROM and compares it with the BlueMSX ROM database, to show the name of the game, company, etc. It is a fast way of looking for unkown ROMs in you MSX collection 
Nerlaska helped me to port the program from java to C++, so there are two versions available.
Perhaps I'll publish the schemes in the next CALL MSX, but I need time to write an small article and make a decent board design ^^! |
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jltursan
msx professional
Posts: 887 | Posted: September 18 2006, 18:14 |
If you don't have any flash hardware to work with, you can test your ROM easily using a 720Kb diskette and ExecROM. In case you don't have an external diskdrive to plug, the easiest way is the one pointed by Pitpan, you must convert to WAV (or even a HQ MP3 ) and load it as usual from BASIC.
Quote:
| I think most of them used emulators - since a handful MSXdev games refuse to work (correctly) from either LPE-FLASHG-V2 or MegaFlashROM.
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But IMHO to be MSX compatible is one thing and to be compatible with this kind of devices is another one. Most of the compatibility issues arises due the loading software used to write the flash...  |
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SaebaMSX
msx freak
Posts: 255 | Posted: September 18 2006, 20:28 |
Quote:
| Perhaps I'll publish the schemes in the next CALL MSX, but I need time to write an small article and make a decent board design ^^!
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Are you going to get the original Time Pilot? Is Oscar giving you it?
Ehrm... we are still thinking if the next issue is the good one to "start" with English language... but if it is not the next one it will be call MSX 8th for sure. 
Manuel, you do *nothing* so you have the time. (puuuuuuut0 Manuel!)
By the way, I do want to test asap that megaflash writer from my laptop... (but firstly the HW, of course) |
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ARTRAG
msx master
Posts: 1752 | Posted: September 18 2006, 22:15 |
my drive is still out of order...
ExecROM seems a nice solution (BTW not for ascii8K), where to find it ?
how does it works?
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Huey
msx professional
Posts: 637 | Posted: September 18 2006, 22:43 |
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