MiSTer PCXT

[suww37]

I would appreciate it if you could upload the hdd.img file that can only be booting.

[kitune-san]

I seem to be getting an indeterminate status signal from hps_io right after system startup.
I would like to delay the timing of when the pcxt core starts working.

Also, I would like to increase the output time of the reset pulse.

[jordi]

I would appreciate it if you could upload the hdd.img file that can only be booting.

I think it's not allowed in this forum to post software.
I recommend you creating a raw image in PCem/86Box, write down the cylinders, heads, ... and format is with a valid DOS FDD.

[suww37]

What is the maximum recognizable capacity of hdd.img in the Juko ST BIOS? I tried to install ms-dos 5.0 and 3.0 by creating a 30mb IDE harddisk (hdd.img) from 86box to Juko ST bios, but it failed. I can't install because the format command can't be run and the partition is not made. Who can tell me how to create a partition in a hard disk image and install it. PCXT core is not possible to emulate the FDD drive, so is it correct to create hdd.img in 86box and put it in PCXT core and run

[suww37]

I would appreciate it if you could upload the hdd.img file that can only be booting.

I think it's not allowed in this forum to post software.
I recommend you creating a raw image in PCem/86Box, write down the cylinders, heads, ... and format is with a valid DOS FDD.

What is the maximum recognizable capacity of hdd.img in the Juko ST BIOS? 360kb?

[wark91]

You need to install dos to make it bootable.
You can use PCEM (or other emulator) to build your hdd.img by installing DOS.
40 Mb is a good size

[breiztiger]

You have to launch fdisk before format

[suww37]

I would appreciate it if you could upload the hdd.img file that can only be booting.

I think it's not allowed in this forum to post software.
I recommend you creating a raw image in PCem/86Box, write down the cylinders, heads, ... and format is with a valid DOS FDD.

I would like to know the cylinders, heads, and maximum size hdd.img figures that are recognizable in the Juko ST BIOS.

[wark91]

example of cylinders working for 40mb

Screenshot from 2022-06-29 10-41-24.png (60.03 KiB) Viewed 4864 times

Also it is important to keep this space because the dir is already quite long for this space.
If your disk is larger, the dir command will take a very long time.

And it is working on Juko ST bios.

[kitune-san]

I am modifying part of the RAM.sv and the reset signal.
I will report back if it seems to be effective.

[jca]

Another way to make a bootable image is to do it on MISTer.
Rename hdd.img to hdd.vhd.
Start AO486, mount a bootable DOS image as 1st HDD and PCXT/hdd.vhd as the second HDD.
Use FDISK, FORMAT /S and copy all relevant files on the 2nd HDD.
When done unmount both HDD just to be sure.
Rename hdd.vhd to hdd.img.
Run the script to mount hdd.img on serial and start the PCXT core.

[kitune-san]

I am modifying part of the RAM.sv and the reset signal.
I will report back if it seems to be effective.

This time for sure!
If no RAM problems occur in your environment, I will send the pull request to @spark2k06.
If you have time, please give it a try!

[Mills]

I am modifying part of the RAM.sv and the reset signal.
I will report back if it seems to be effective.

This time for sure!
If no RAM problems occur in your environment, I will send the pull request to @spark2k06.
If you have time, please give it a try!

Thanks a lot! I'm going to test it right now .

EDIT: I mainly tested games and demos, and it seems very stable, no ram or keyboard errors.

Some games with errors or showing only black screens, are working now (lemmings, titus the fox, magiduck). Adlib music is still a bit off, like in the previous versions, (note frequency is lower than normal).

[breiztiger]

work better but ...

when i type ALTGR + 8 to have back slash it freeze

[spark2k06]

I am modifying part of the RAM.sv and the reset signal.
I will report back if it seems to be effective.

This time for sure!
If no RAM problems occur in your environment, I will send the pull request to @spark2k06.
If you have time, please give it a try!

One word defines this version: Stability

As far as I've been able to test, both keyboard and memory work perfectly, also in Sergey's 8088 BIOS. The IBM 5160 kernel still shows error 101, but it's not very relevant right now, it happened before... it will be fixed.

Go ahead with the pull request

I still have to investigate why the DOSMAX application crashes, it's a vital application to move almost all of MS/Dos 6.22 to the UMB area, which will allow us to have 630Kb of conventional memory available.

Another mystery to be solved in relation to the keyboard is why this happens to the following games, which has always happened:

• Centipede: The ship moves by itself to the top left, and is continuously firing... however, you can start the game correctly with F1
• Solomon's Key: The character doesn't move, however, you can start the game perfectly with the spacebar, and during the game you can deactivate and activate the music with the 'M' key.

It's possible that it's nothing to do with the keyboard itself, but somehow it's affected.

[spark2k06]

I just updated the pre_beta_1_2 branch sources with kitune-san's pull request.

From now on I will always proceed like this, there will be a new prebeta branch every time I release a beta, that will be with the stable improvements made during the week of the corresponding prebeta branch, as long as there are new features the beta will be released "officially" every Sunday or Monday.

[Malor]

Your hdd.img is not correct. How did you make it?

I found and downloaded the ms-dos img file that booted from google and renamed to hdd.img.

With your limited knowledge base, you're wasting the time of the devs. At this point in development, if you can't make your own image file from the info that's already been posted in this thread, your testing and potential bug reports won't be useful.

Wait until it's further along. If you want an XT right now, use 86Box.

[suww37]

Are you running the "prince of persia 1" game on pcxt core? When I press the spacebar in the initial title screen, a message like "please insert prince of persia play disk into drive c:" appears and the game does not proceed. pop1 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 all. Does anyone know how to run it?

[suww37]

The "North & South" game is not running. This game doesn't even have a title screen. Which of the others has succeeded in running it?

[suww37]

Your hdd.img is not correct. How did you make it?

I found and downloaded the ms-dos img file that booted from google and renamed to hdd.img.

With your limited knowledge base, you're wasting the time of the devs. At this point in development, if you can't make your own image file from the info that's already been posted in this thread, your testing and potential bug reports won't be useful.

Wait until it's further along. If you want an XT right now, use 86Box.

Sorry. I solve it.

[suww37]

Another way to make a bootable image is to do it on MISTer.
Rename hdd.img to hdd.vhd.
Start AO486, mount a bootable DOS image as 1st HDD and PCXT/hdd.vhd as the second HDD.
Use FDISK, FORMAT /S and copy all relevant files on the 2nd HDD.
When done unmount both HDD just to be sure.
Rename hdd.vhd to hdd.img.
Run the script to mount hdd.img on serial and start the PCXT core.

Thank you. I solved it.

[suww37]

example of cylinders working for 40mb
Screenshot from 2022-06-29 10-41-24.png

Also it is important to keep this space because the dir is already quite long for this space.
If your disk is larger, the dir command will take a very long time.

And it is working on Juko ST bios.

Thank you. I solve it.

[pgimeno]

• Centipede: The ship moves by itself to the top left, and is continuously firing... however, you can start the game correctly with F1

Could it be a joystick issue? Maybe it requires a joystick.

[Mills]

Windows 3.0 is working on the core, but I don't really know how useful would be on an 8088 (MiSTer screenshots are very blurry ):

20220630_111505-screen.png (979.18 KiB) Viewed 4256 times

Also this is a comparison of an 8088mph effect, the top part shows how it should look, and the bottom one shows this core, it is getting close :

timming.png (749.27 KiB) Viewed 4256 times

[spark2k06]

• Centipede: The ship moves by itself to the top left, and is continuously firing... however, you can start the game correctly with F1

Could it be a joystick issue? Maybe it requires a joystick.

Thank you very much @pgimeno for noticing this detail. I added the joystick port in prebeta 1.2, returning FFh by default, now Solomon's Key and Centipede work perfectly!:

https://github.com/spark2k06/PCXT_MiSTe ... e239cbe3bd

I attach the RBF file with this improvement.

[MicroCoreLabs]

Also this is a comparison of an 8088mph effect, the top part shows how it should look, and the bottom one shows this core, it is getting close :

Yeah, the Kefrens Bars part of 8088 MPH are one of the more timing sensitive parts of the demo. It's interesting then when I run the MCL86 in a real IBM PC the bars only reach about 70% of the screen while they seem to reach the top of the screen on the MiSTer PCXT whole-machine emulation.

Part of the reason it looks that way is due to my multiplier having fixed instruction timing while the real 8088 is variable over a wide range.

Can I ask, does the song at the end of the demo work correctly? I believe this self-modifying code relies on the prefetch queue and BIU to have the same timing and wait-states as the original 8088 and motherboard.

[Mills]

Also this is a comparison of an 8088mph effect, the top part shows how it should look, and the bottom one shows this core, it is getting close :

Yeah, the Kefrens Bars part of 8088 MPH are one of the more timing sensitive parts of the demo. It's interesting then when I run the MCL86 in a real IBM PC the bars only reach about 70% of the screen while they seem to reach the top of the screen on the MiSTer PCXT whole-machine emulation.

Part of the reason it looks that way is due to my multiplier having fixed instruction timing while the real 8088 is variable over a wide range.

Can I ask, does the song at the end of the demo work correctly? I believe this self-modifying code relies on the prefetch queue and BIU to have the same timing and wait-states as the original 8088 and motherboard.

Most of the time, the core gets stuck at random parts of the demo. It only reached the end once, and I did not hear anything.

[spark2k06]

• Centipede: The ship moves by itself to the top left, and is continuously firing... however, you can start the game correctly with F1

Could it be a joystick issue? Maybe it requires a joystick.

Thank you very much @pgimeno for noticing this detail. I added the joystick port in prebeta 1.2, returning FFh by default, now Solomon's Key and Centipede work perfectly!:

https://github.com/spark2k06/PCXT_MiSTe ... e239cbe3bd

I attach the RBF file with this improvement.

Testing, both on an emulator and on a real PCXT (a Micro8088), I have observed that not only does the joystick port return FFh when it does not exist, but any I/O port returns that value when there is no hardware behind it to respond.

Therefore, I have removed the previous implementation and replaced it with this one:

https://github.com/spark2k06/PCXT_MiSTe ... 2e00bb1671

@kitune-san, I have made a pull request for your KFPC-XT project.

[kitune-san]

@kitune-san, I have made a pull request for your KFPC-XT project.

Thank you for sending your pull request. However, this pull request will not be accepted.
This change would disable bus inputs external to the chipset.
The KFPC-XT is designed to terminate an external bus with a pull-up.
If you do not use an external bus with KFPC-XT, do the following:

Code: Select all

CHIPSET u_CHIPSET (
	…
        .address_ext                 (20'hFFFFF),
	.data_bus_ext　　　　(8'hFFFF),
        .io_read_n_ext              (1'b1),
        .io_write_n_ext             (1'b1),
        .memory_read_n_ext    (1'b1),
        .memory_write_n_ext   (1'b1),
	…
);

This change is not required for MiSTerPCXT.

[spark2k06]

@kitune-san, I have made a pull request for your KFPC-XT project.

Thank you for sending your pull request. However, this pull request will not be accepted.
This change would disable bus inputs external to the chipset.
The KFPC-XT is designed to terminate an external bus with a pull-up.
If you do not use an external bus with KFPC-XT, do the following:

Code: Select all

CHIPSET u_CHIPSET (
	…
        .address_ext                 (20'hFFFFF),
	.data_bus_ext　　　　(8'hFFFF),
        .io_read_n_ext              (1'b1),
        .io_write_n_ext             (1'b1),
        .memory_read_n_ext    (1'b1),
        .memory_write_n_ext   (1'b1),
	…
);

This change is not required for MiSTerPCXT.

I just redid the commit of the pre_beta_1_2 branch:

https://github.com/spark2k06/PCXT_MiSTe ... 5d09821e3b

Thank you very much for your advice and wisdom.