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Issues with the driveWire interface
Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2016 4:57 pm
by Yoruk
Hello,
I have some issues when trying to use the DriveWire interface with my Dragon 32.
I can't upload the small DW-DOS quickloader with the tape interface : I have immediately a "?FM error" on the dragon. (I use an homemade cable between the dragon and my modern computer.) Other WAV files are working fine with the same hardware. I tried lightly different sounds level, but doesn't work. The program name ("dw3dgnhdb") is correctly detected, but immediately after I have the "FM" error message.
I didn't made the wav file by myself, I just downloaded it
here, from the "HDB-DOS for Dragon 32 and 64/Tano"
thread.
I am doing something wrong ? Thanks.
Re: Issues with the driveWire interface
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 12:44 am
by Alastair
Bonjour Yoruk, and welcome to the site.
"?FM error" usually means that you either tried to load a BASIC program with CLOADM or a machine code program with CLOAD, so it may be that you used the wrong command to load the program. In fact the instructions in README.DWHDBDOS state that you have to do a little more than just load the program, namely you must type the following:
CLEAR 200,&H5DFF
CLOADM
EXEC
I hope this helps.
Re: Issues with the driveWire interface
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 4:30 pm
by Yoruk
I think it's clearly this... I don't remember typing the "CLOADM" command. Didn't know that there is two different loading commands for basic and machine formats.
I don't have my Dragon with me right now (I'm in holidays for Christmas). I'll try next year.
Many thanks !! I'll let you know.
Re: Issues with the driveWire interface
Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 11:07 am
by Yoruk
Ok, I tried again the DW interface but I still have some issues.
First, I connected everything (DW adapter and sound tape cables on the Dragon).
On DriveWire4, I created the server (Coco 2, 57600 speed and defaults values.), then I inserted the "hdbboot.dsk" into the server disk 0 (see screenshot).
Booting up the Dragon.
I typed :
Played the WAV (works better with CLOADM
)
Then typed EXEC when the loading was done ("Ok"). Looks great, I have the "DW3 CC1 BOOT" display.
But on the DriveWire log, I have some errors messages :
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:32.171 ERROR DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 Port 11 is not open (but coco sent us a byte: 255 'ÿ')
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:32.171 WARN DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 UNKNOWN OPCODE: 251 û
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:32.171 WARN DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 UNKNOWN OPCODE: 55 7
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:33.578 ERROR DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 Port 11 is not open (but coco sent us a byte: 255 'ÿ')
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:33.578 WARN DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 UNKNOWN OPCODE: 251 û
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:33.593 WARN DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 UNKNOWN OPCODE: 53 5
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:35.000 ERROR DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 Port 11 is not open (but coco sent us a byte: 255 'ÿ')
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:35.000 WARN DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 UNKNOWN OPCODE: 251 û
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:35.000 WARN DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 UNKNOWN OPCODE: 51 3
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:36.421 ERROR DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 Port 11 is not open (but coco sent us a byte: 255 'ÿ')
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:36.421 WARN DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 UNKNOWN OPCODE: 251 û
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:36.421 WARN DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 UNKNOWN OPCODE: 49 1
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:37.828 ERROR DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 Port 11 is not open (but coco sent us a byte: 255 'ÿ')
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:37.828 WARN DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 UNKNOWN OPCODE: 251 û
mar. janv. 03 2017 13:40:37.828 WARN DWProtocolHandler dwproto-0-9 UNKNOWN OPCODE: 47 /
Then everything stops.
On the dragon, I still have :
Followed by a serie of "M" (about one per second)........ to finish with a "?"
It looks that there is a transmission, but something doesn't looks good. I don't see what is the "Port 11" ? My serial port is 18 (usb-ttl adapter).
Any ideas ??? Am I doing something wrong ? Thanks !
Re: Issues with the driveWire interface
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 8:50 am
by Yoruk
I think I discovered the problem here, it was a problem with my nand gate circuit. After installing a new one, I tried again to initiate the drive wire link. The initial sequence boot now looks ok, but the drive wire software asks me to insert a disk into the drive #1 (the #0 is loaded with the "dos" program).
I tried here to insert a disc file previously downloaded, as a VDK file. Unfortunately the VDK file format is not recognized by the server software :-S. The software can only read DSK, OS9 or VHD files. And all the floppy images that I have are in VDK format...?
So I don't really understand what should I do now - try to convert my VDK files, or try to find VHD files. I don't know if an emulator can help.
But maybe I am completely wrong, and the drive wire doesn't works this way...
Any suggestions ? Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks in advance!
Re: Issues with the driveWire interface
Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 10:00 am
by Yoruk
So I tried again yesterday. I loaded in drive 0 the hdbboot.dsk file, and in slot 1 the file Arcad01a.dsk, file found in
this forum thread.
Launching the dragon, typed the usual commands (CLEAR 200,&H5DFF , CLOADM , EXEC).
I have some activity on the drive wire "reads" and "LSN" values, when the dragon screen is loading with dots. But the last point is replaced by a "!" and everything stops :
- message.jpg (62.98 KiB) Viewed 4589 times
- DSC_3040.jpg (113.5 KiB) Viewed 4589 times
I don't really get what is wrong... It looks like the link is working, but the DOS program is not correctly loaded.
I tried an other file in drive 1, "games_01.dsk", also found on the same forum thread, but same thing...
I tried also to insert a "blank" disc (new file). The loading process is done (no "!" at the end), and I have activity on both drives, but the dragon doesn't do anything.
I am doing something wrong ??? The result should be to have the RS-Dos shell ???
Re: Issues with the driveWire interface
Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 10:19 am
by robcfg
Wasn't there the need to have the disk images multiple of 256 bytes?
Re: Issues with the driveWire interface
Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 11:36 am
by pser1
Hello,
Robert is absolutely right!
All files need to be multiple of 256 in order to be read by the drivewire server.
We had this problem in the past and I uploaded a small Java tool that changed the header of
any VDK to make it be 256 bytes long, so that the file becomes DW compatible.
You could download it from this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5363
Here you will find some info about my DosPlus5.0 extender which allows the user to
work with VDK as if they were normal floppy disquettes (under std DOS).
It is greater than 8k and 'needs' to be burned on a 16k ROM or loaded into RAM if you
are the owner of a Dragon-Tano 64
regards
pere
Re: Issues with the driveWire interface
Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 12:53 pm
by Yoruk
I'm sorry but all these DOS versions and these files formats are a bit confusing for me...
My plan is to run a VDK file on the Dragon. So, what DOS version should I use and what tools should I use to convert the VDK file ? I didn't know is I have to change only the VDK header or more...?
In my mind, I understood that I first have to load a DOS environment then load my floopy image. Is this right ?
Thanks for your advices...!
(I'll take a look at the small java tools...)
Re: Issues with the driveWire interface
Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 2:58 pm
by pser1
Hello Yoruk,
drivewire is a server (on PC/Mac) sector oriented, not oriented to FILES.
This means that you need a special DOS version to use files from inside any VDK
that resides on the PC side.
Probably OS-9 or NitrOs-9 will work because they ask for sectors to the server
you'd just need to ensure that your disks (VDK) are multiple of 256, easy to do
with the java tool I told you in previous message.
If you want to use the VDKs on the PC side to play games or program, so using
LOAD, SAVE etc then you need a modified DOS that converts these commands
into a sequence of sectors commands.
My DOS-Plus5.0 extended does this without problems.
Anyway, if you can afford a CoCo-SDC module, then you will be able to work
with any VDK in the SD inside that module (that comes with my DP50 for free)
without worrying about a DW server on a PC (standalone working!)
regards
pere