Rememotech MTX ported to MiSTer by retrovader [Yo_Me]

[ron]

retrovader [Yo_Me] has ported Andy.Z's Rememotech to MiSTer.

Andy.Z Rememotech Site: http://www.nyangau.org/rememotech/rememotech.htm

RetroWiki's thread: http://www.retrowiki.es/viewtopic.php?f=106&t=200035781
More info of the port: http://www.retrowiki.es/viewtopic.php?f=107&t=200035774

There are still small details to polish but the core is fully operational and is very promising.
Another mythical micro, another holy grail rescued from ostracism and preserved in a modern fpga.

They are already working on the ports to MiST, MiSTica and SiDi.
Tonight they will release an alpha version on retrowiki, stay tuned.

Regards

[Vic20-Ian]

Great news. Look forward to trying this one out after Pezz82 gets to it

[JUNKER Seed]

Here’s a RetroManCave video on the original Memotech MTX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSA-5gS58qg

Beautiful micro computer and I can’t wait to dig into the core.

[ron]

The alpha release of the core has been released for testing

Rememotech_MiSTer_alpha01a.rbf.zip

(1.81 MiB) Downloaded 344 times

Please read instructions on : http://www.nyangau.org/rememotech/rememotech.htm
Download needed files to create the external SD: http://www.nyangau.org/rememotech/rememotech.zip
Usage: http://www.nyangau.org/rememotech/usage.htm

Please, if you try the Memotech on MiSTer, we would like to know your opinion in case anything of the core needs to be improved or corrected.

Hope to enjoy it. Regards. RetroWiki Team !

[tontonkaloun]

Hello,

I tried your core on the Mister.
It starts ....

[NML32]

I booted the core on MiSTer but didn't attempt to create the second SD card.
Besides creating the 8mb partitions I'm not sure how to prepare each partition.

[ron]

Update Alpha02B

Rememotech_alpha02B.rbf.zip

(1.81 MiB) Downloaded 334 times

To make the External SD: You can download the source package (ZIP) from the author's website: http://www.nyangau.org/rememotech/rememotech.zip

Once unzipped in the firmware directory you will find two 8 MB files. sddisc.bin and sddisc2.bin
You have to concatenate them into one, from Linux for example: # cat sddisc.bin sddisc2.bin> MTXSD.img and the resulting file is the one that you will have to save on the SDCard with dd command or with a software to record images on SD.
On the author's website, it is ALL EVERYTHING necessary.

Use for secondary SD microSD as small as possible an old one should OK.

Yo_Me is working with the VHD support. !!!

[ron]

Please, follow instructions from here : http://www.nyangau.org/rememotech/usage.htm

Press OSD F12 to change video modes ( 1st option )

cpmtomtx.png (484.07 KiB) Viewed 17701 times

changedvfpF12.png (352 KiB) Viewed 17701 times

Regards

[NML32]

@RON Thank you that helped.

Here is a short video of me trying out the core. Playing Pac-Man.
https://youtu.be/jDNdzK2SNRI

[tontonkaloun]

Hello
I concatenated the two files and tried writing the SD card without success
Initially from windows with win32diskimager
Then with the dd command, don'tt work

I must have missed something

[NML32]

Hello
I concatenated the two files and tried writing the SD card without success
Initially from windows with win32diskimager
Then with the dd command, don'tt work

I must have missed something

A few posts up Ron said, "Use for secondary SD microSD as small as possible an old one should OK." The smallest sd card I have is a 2GB and it worked. Maybe try a 1-2 GB SD and see if it works.

[tontonkaloun]

mine is 8 gb, I have no smaller

you did nothing more?

[tontonkaloun]

can you make a disk image of your sd i just rewrite it

[NML32]

mine is 8 gb, I have no smaller

you did nothing more?

See if the image I created works. I concatenated the files in Windows and burned the image to my SD card using Win32DiskImager.
https://mega.nz/folder/mHgE0Y6Q#X_UV7GPPllDmMFGfnDS_Ew

[tontonkaloun]

Thanks but I meant to create a disk image of your SD card.
Here it is the same file that I created and which is not worth working


it might be the same, there is no partition table

[ron]

Core Beta 0.3C has been released.

- VHD at all CPU speeds
- Reset restarts at 80Col

Enjoy and feedback if anything goes wrong.

Rememotech_MiSTer_Beta03c.zip

(1.83 MiB) Downloaded 417 times

[tontonkaloun]

Great

a big thank-you


in addition it works

[jca]

Good to see a new core!
I tested the Beta02 on a 4GB SD card and it worked. Alas, at this time it seems to be useless when using a US keyboard: where is the : key?
From the original Rememotech site:
: is mapped to #
It uses the UK keyboard layout.

UK keyboard layout info:
The # symbol is replaced by the £ symbol and a 102nd key is added next to the Enter key to accommodate the displaced #.
Where in the world is the : key on a US Keyboard?

[NML32]

@ron thank you!! Loading from VHD is working great.

[NML32]

Good to see a new core!
I tested the Beta02 on a 4GB SD card and it worked. Alas, at this time it seems to be useless when using a US keyboard: where is the : key?
From the original Rememotech site:
: is mapped to #
It uses the UK keyboard layout.

UK keyboard layout info:
The # symbol is replaced by the £ symbol and a 102nd key is added next to the Enter key to accommodate the displaced #.
Where in the world is the : key on a US Keyboard?

Try the key above the Enter Key "|"

[ron]

Hi, in order to use SDX Basic, the first drive (VHD o SD Card partition 0) must contain a 59K CP/M system, else you will not be able to use ROM 5 from MTX BASIC and the USER commands to load .MTX, .RUN or .BAS.

[jca]

Try the key above the Enter Key "|"

Thanks, that's the correct key. But not much progress made:
I get bad sector error on the B drive. I suppose it is due to the fact I am using a 4GB SD card.
As there is a new version of the core supporting VHD I did not check the SD card problem.
First thing I noticed when using the new core is that the Rememotech directory is not created by the core which is inconsistent with all other cores.
For the VHD I took your boot.VHD as you already tested it. No luck: nothing happens when I load the VHD and reset the core, just a black screen. I will have to investigate later today. I also tried the sd card image by renaming it .VHD instead of .IMG with the same results.

PS: just by coincidence I just this recommendation from Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BktIY7VbrUs

[NML32]

Hi, in order to use SDX Basic, the first drive (VHD o SD Card partition 0) must contain a 59K CP/M system, else you will not be able to use ROM 5 from MTX BASIC and the USER commands to load .MTX, .RUN or .BAS.

What else needs to be done other than concatenating ddisc.bin and sddisc2.bin? I understand how to burn the image to a second SD and VHD. I'm not sure about the 59K CP/M system part.
Sorry, I'm still trying to learn how to use this system.

[jca]

MISTer mystery: Beta 3 is suddenly working. The only thing I did was to power on my MISTer and now it boots from the VHD. On my first attempt I only did a cold reboot of MISTer but did not power it off/on.
Now time to learn how to use it.

[tontonkaloun]

MISTer mystery: Beta 3 is suddenly working. The only thing I did was to power on my MISTer and now it boots from the VHD. On my first attempt I only did a cold reboot of MISTer but did not power it off/on.
Now time to learn how to use it.

hello

I think you have to restart the core a second time to have a display. It's like that on my mister

[TheCorfiot]

I cant thank you enough for this port...
I have a Rememotech so I couldnt wait to get this setup on my MiSTer

Works great, 2 issues I have found so far
1. Reset does not reset the VDP
2. VHD access rarely works in 4MHz mode.

Looking forward to see how this matures

[ron]

may be you are not using the last release....with the last one all of those issues are solved..

[suverman]

Any plans to get it on the official github? IF yes I will wait and use the update script. Else will download manually. Cheers.

[TheCorfiot]

may be you are not using the last release....with the last one all of those issues are solved..

I'm using Beta03C

[danielb]

Hi all,

Thanks for this core - the Memotech is a computer I remember being curious about, but I've never actually seen a real one
After trying this core for a while, my main issue is that I can very seldom switch to drive B:. I've tried a second SD card, and a couple of VHD files (one downloaded, one made by me) and the results are always the same; the system boots fine but I mostly get the two cursor error thing and the core hangs. I followed the Youtube video of loading Pacman, and I got different results from the video. I did manage to load the game once or twice, but I was not able to replicate it reliably.

Tks,

Daniel