[Coco] Nitros9 boot fails with HDB DOS in rompak

Thu Oct 10 09:43:25 EDT 2013

Hi Ken.

Can you tell me how would I check if CART line is disabled?
I remember something from Rainbow magazine about putting tape over a trace 
on the carts to save them to tape. :)

Thanks!

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Ken H." <dragon.atv at gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2013 9:06 AM
To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Subject: Re: [Coco] Nitros9 boot fails with HDB DOS in rompak

> I had a similar problem on my SuperIDE when I accidentally switched off 
> the
> auto-start dip switch.
> Check if your rom pak has the CART line disabled.
>
>
> On Thu, Oct 10, 2013 at 4:01 PM, Charlie Pelosi 
> <chaspelosi at outlook.com>wrote:
>
>> Thanks for the reply.
>> You can use your HDB-DOS rompak (no MPI) and boot The King's Quest 1 disk
>> image? (Any Nitros9 image really)
>> Mine seems to work fine too, until I try to boot a Nitros9 image.
>>
>> 27C64 is what I am using. Typing tutor is an older rompak? The ones I'm
>> using are coco 3 specific. All the older rompaks I open have a black blob
>> on the PCB and not a 28 pin chip. I'm not sure of any other roms paks
>> besides the later ones that have a 28 pin chip.
>>
>> I am not using an MPI or the disk controller and rompak together. I 
>> remove
>> the rom from the rompak place it in the fd502 rom socket and then use the
>> fd502 controller with the coco. Then it works. When I say works, I mean
>> does not fail when booting Nitros9. Like KQ1 and arcadepack. Otherwise 
>> the
>> rompak does work using rsdos.
>>
>> maybe something about the way these particular rompaks (later coco3 ones)
>> are that keep Nitros9 from booting.
>> After the C on the boot screen, the screen should switch to the "Welcome
>> to Nitros9...." screen but that never happens. Something about the rompak
>> is preventing that from happening.
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------**--------------------
>> From: "Retro Canada" <retrocanada76 at gmail.com>
>> Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2013 8:32 AM
>>
>> To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>> Cc: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Coco] Nitros9 boot fails with HDB DOS in rompak
>>
>>
>>  i do have a rompak with hdbdos and it works fine. it uses a 27C64 and 
>> was
>>> the typing tutor.
>>>
>>> do you have an mpi? how do you put the fd502 and the rompak together ?
>>>
>>> you can replace the fd502 rom as well to hdbdos.
>>>
>>> using a mpi the fdc must be on the selected slot. so if you boot from
>>> rompak slot you later either switch the button to the slot 4 or perform 
>>> a
>>> poke &hff7f,51
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 2013-10-10, at 8:09 AM, Charlie Pelosi <chaspelosi at outlook.com> 
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> When I LOADM RSDOS games they are DSK images. DW4 has HDBDOS translation
>>> enabled. (It turns that off automatically when the Nitros9 DSK images 
>>> are
>>> mounted).
>>>
>>> I found my cassette cable with my MC-10 so I'm going to try to cloadm 
>>> the
>>> HDBDW3CC3.WAV from my ipod after work today.
>>> I am guessing this will work because everything points to the physical
>>> rompaks.
>>>
>>> When I installed the sockets in the game rompaks (one was Football II 
>>> the
>>> other was Super Pitfall) I checked continuity from the socket to the 
>>> card
>>> edge for every pin.
>>> I will recheck them again tonight, maybe I broke a solder joint or
>>> something.
>>>
>>> I wonder if anyone has done the same and can confirm it working? Anyone
>>> else use a game rompak PCB the same way?
>>> Or are they using a different board in a rompak? Didn't cloud-9 used to
>>> sell a HDB-DOS rompak? Was that as simple as this PCB?
>>>
>>> The game PCB is very simple. There are no parts to it. Just a board with
>>> traces and one resistor (I think) next to the game rom.
>>> I wonder if something on the PCB needs to be modified because the rompak
>>> itself can only be whats causing it...
>>> I shouldn't say that until I try to tape load HDB-DOS tonight. :)
>>>
>>> Still, three 512K coco3's, Rom, Drivewire,  works with a FD502 disk
>>> controller in place of the rompak. It only doesn't work when the rompak 
>>> is
>>> inserted.
>>> Maybe the way the games pcb is "wired" maybe a trace or 2 needs to be
>>> cut.... hoping someone knows...
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------**--------------------
>>> From: "Bill Pierce" <ooogalapasooo at aol.com>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2013 11:58 PM
>>> To: <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [Coco] Sierra games and DW
>>>
>>>
>>>> Charlie,
>>>> When you run RSDOS games, do you load them from a dsk image indw or a
>>>> vhd image in dw?
>>>>
>>>> Bill Pierce
>>>> My Music from the Tandy/Radio Shack Color Computer 2 & 3
>>>> https://sites.google.com/site/**dabarnstudio/<https://sites.google.com/site/dabarnstudio/>
>>>> Co-Webmaster of The TRS-80 Color Computer Archive
>>>> http://www.**colorcomputerarchive.com/<http://www.colorcomputerarchive.com/>
>>>> Co-Contributor, Co-Editor for CocoPedia
>>>> http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/**index.php/Main_Page<http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page>
>>>> E-Mail: ooogalapasooo at aol.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Charlie Pelosi <chazbeenhad at hotmail.com>
>>>> To: coco list <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>>>> Sent: Wed, Oct 9, 2013 11:55 pm
>>>> Subject: Re: [Coco] Sierra games and DW
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Yes, newest version of dw4. Downloaded it today and checked update. All
>>>> good.
>>>>
>>>> Also remember, the rom and DW work fine when its in a disk controller.
>>>>
>>>> Wouldn'tthat rule out DW?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sent from Windows Mail
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> From: Aaron Wolfe
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 11:52 PM
>>>> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Oct 9, 2013 at 11:08 PM, Charlie Pelosi 
>>>> <chaspelosi at outlook.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi Aaron. I have three 512K coco3's here all act the same. So it can't
>>>>> be
>>>>> the computer. And DW works fine if the disk controller is in.
>>>>> So it must be something with the ROMPAK and or the ROM I am using. Can
>>>>> someone point me at the exactly .rom file I should burn ?
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> It really should not matter what ROM you are using as long as its a
>>>> "standard" one..  any DW3 ROM sold by Cloud 9 or provided on their
>>>> website is fine.  You could also use the open source version from the
>>>> Toolshed project, but it has to be one of the "hdbdw3ccX" flavors,
>>>> *not* the ones labeled "hdbdw4ccX" (assuming the sierra disks are
>>>> still using the stock os9 drivers and not the "turbo" flavors, which
>>>> should be true).
>>>>
>>>>  I think the versions I've tried where HDB-DOS 1.4 DW3 coco 3 and the
>>>>> same
>>>>> 1.2 that I got years ago from Boisy.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> As long as the bootup message says "DW3" I think you are fine.  All
>>>> the ROM does is load the boot track, after all.  It is not used at all
>>>> once OS9 starts booting.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> When I soldered in the socket, it was a Football II cart, I simply
>>>>> unsoldered the game chip and soldered in the socket.
>>>>> Nothing else. I don't think any soldering is bad because I have two of
>>>>> these
>>>>> and they both do the same.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> You're probably right, I can't imagine it being a soldering or socket
>>>> issue.
>>>>
>>>> One question, are you sure you're using the latest DW4 server?  It
>>>> should report "4.3.3p" when you enter 'dw server status' in the
>>>> command box at the bottom of the gui.  If it does not, please select
>>>> "Check for new version" from the tools menu and update.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ------------------------------**--------------------
>>>>> From: "Aaron Wolfe" <aawolfe at gmail.com>
>>>>> Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2013 10:01 PM
>>>>>
>>>>> To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>>>>> Subject: Re: [Coco] Sierra games and DW
>>>>>
>>>>>  On Wed, Oct 9, 2013 at 7:28 PM, Charlie Pelosi 
>>>>> <chaspelosi at outlook.com
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'm having trouble emailing the list I think because my reply 
>>>>>>> address
>>>>>>> for
>>>>>>> my Microsoft account is a different alias than the primary I have
>>>>>>> subscribed
>>>>>>> to the list...
>>>>>>> Hello.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I am trying to play The King's Quest games with a coco3 and
>>>>>>> drivewire4.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I downloaded KingsQuest1_dw.dsk from http://www.nitros9.org/latest/
>>>>>>> I have a rompak in a COCO3 that has HDB-DOS 1.4 DW3 COCO 3 (Ive 
>>>>>>> tried
>>>>>>> 1.2
>>>>>>> also)
>>>>>>> I am using the very latest DW4 in Windows.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> When I mount the KingsQuest1_dw.dsk in drive 0 and type DOS to start
>>>>>>> Nitros9 starts to boot.
>>>>>>> When it gets to i2xoC and then the coco just hangs sitting there
>>>>>>> forever
>>>>>>> doing nothing.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Any ideas on what is wrong or how to get this to work?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I tried to send the above earlier and it didn't work. But that 
>>>>>>> worked
>>>>>>> out
>>>>>>> because in the meantime I discovered something.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> If I move the rom chip to an actual FD502 controller the boot gets
>>>>>>> past
>>>>>>> i2xoC and the game starts.
>>>>>>> So I would guess because Nitros9 is loading a driver or looking for
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> disk hardware.
>>>>>>> So is there a version that doesn't do that so that people loading
>>>>>>> from a
>>>>>>> simple rompak or even tape can boot these games with DW and enjoy
>>>>>>> them?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The version you have is not intended to require a disk controller.
>>>>>> Last time I played it, it worked here with just a CoCo 3 and DW3 rom
>>>>>> in a rompak, no additional hardware.  That was a while back, it is
>>>>>> possible some bug has been introduced.  However, Bill is not seeing a
>>>>>> problem currently.  I don't have things set up to test at the moment
>>>>>> but I think it is possible the need for a disk controller on your
>>>>>> system is a side effect of some other problem.  It is definitely not
>>>>>> by design.
>>>>>>
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