AO486: BBS Connection How-to please

[douglasamcintosh]

Hello,

Loving the Mister FPGA, but having a wee problem with this core.

I've managed to connect to Abbas (mono.org) using the C64 core once I set up my connection in the OSD correctly.

Thought I would try the same using the AO486 core. I've done a fresh install of DOS and installed procomm revival software, which looks like it has all the features you could want.

Setting the OSD to the same settings as the C64 core results in it not working, it's labelled as offline.

If I set the UART option to PPP I have no more joy.

Could done kind person please tell me the settings I need to use, what baud, direct or modern, does it matter what type, com1? Etc

I would be ever so grateful

Douglas

[NML32]

Take a look at the MiSTer Wiki

Internet and console connection from supported cores
https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Main_Mi ... rted-cores

[douglasamcintosh]

Hi NML,

I have, which is how I eventually got the C64 connection to work.

I've tried with the midi link - TCP, ppp connection and more.

I'm getting something wrong somewhere but I don't know what. I've tried multiple osd settings, nothing helps.

Even just getting one part of the settings locked down would at least let me work on tweaking the rest of it.

I'll reread the wiki page again though. It did take me multiple attempts with the C64.

Thanks for the reply.

[rhester72]

I don't think there is a virtual 'modem' with ao486, just Internet SLiRP-style connectivity.

[douglasamcintosh]

Actually I eventually got it working.

I think the problem was that the C64 setup actually did a bit for me automatically.

On AO486 I set up the OSD stuff as for the C64 (MIDI -> Remote -> TCP). Then when trying to setup a BBS entry I expected it to type the ATDT bbs.com:23 for me automagically.

All I had to do was type it in by hand like a person from the olden days .

Ayyway problem solved.

It was so much easier when I could just use a telnet command from a unix terminal

Thanks for your help.

Douglas

[rhester72]

OK - I'm where you were. MIDI/Remote/TCP, 2400 baud, Hayes 2400 baud compatible in Procomm Plus 2.01...and nothing. Can't even type at in terminal mode. Ugh. :/

Looked around a bit for 'Procomm Revival' using as much Google cleverness as I could muster but couldn't find a thing - any pointers there?

[ericgus09]

I don't think there is a virtual 'modem' with ao486, just Internet SLiRP-style connectivity.

Nope there is . its part of midilink ..

[douglasamcintosh]

OK - I'm where you were. MIDI/Remote/TCP, 2400 baud, Hayes 2400 baud compatible in Procomm Plus 2.01...and nothing. Can't even type at in terminal mode. Ugh. :/

Looked around a bit for 'Procomm Revival' using as much Google cleverness as I could muster but couldn't find a thing - any pointers there?

Hello,

To save time here is a photo album of everything I have set and what I have done.

I'll explain as well (with what I think is happening).

Pictures 1 -3: The setup from the Mister side of things.

• UART Mode -> MIDI

  • Connection: MIDI

  • Midilink: Remote

  • TYPE: TCP

  • UART Baud: 115200

Pictures 3-4: Hello DOS!

Notice it says down the bottom right ON-LINE, I presume this means the system can detect a COM1 port doing whatever it is meant to be doing.

Picture 5-6: My BBS address entry

This is how I set it up, there may be other ways of getting it right as well.

In summary:

• NUMBER: Your BBS name here

• NUMBER: I thought you just had to put in the address and port of the BBS

• BAUD: 115200

• PARITY: None

• DATA BITS: 8

• STOP BITS: 1

• DUPLEX: FULL

• PORT: COM1

• SCRIPT: Nothing here. I presume I can add a script to automate the next step

• PROTOCOL: ZMODEM (no idea what this even means

• TERMINAL: ANSI

• MODE: Direct

• PASSWORD: Blank

• META FILE: Blank

• KBD FILE: Blank

• NOTE FILE: Blank

Pressing return from the address screen (Alt-D) got me to:

Picture 7: Blank Screen!

I expected the program to automatically call mono.org:23, as it sems to for the C64 / Striketerm tutorial. It doesn't.

You have to manually type in your modem command ATDT BBSADDRESS.COM:PORTNO.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_a ... s_(modem)
Except there will be no space between the words. Like:

Picture 8: Type this!

Type!

Picture 9: Connected!

Enjoy the recreated sounds of a dial up modem!

Picture 10: The Internet As I Remember It!

There you go.

Hope that helps. I'm not sure about the etiquette of embedding big pictures in the post so I'm not going to.

[rhester72]

Interesting - it appears 115200 is the only baud rate that works (I was trying 2400 like with the C64 - both in MIDI and the terminal, of course, but no joy).

I'm having the same issue with the dialer you are - not sure why. I thought it was the (invalid for the UART 'modem') init string, so I cleared that, but it made no difference. I don't think it's a CTD/DTD issue either, because hangup works normally and the status indicator seems to correctly follow state...not quite sure what's going on here (it may just be that PCPLUS doesn't know what to do with letters in a dial string, not sure).

The protocol is the transfer protocol - ZMODEM was a very popular (and reliable and fast) protocol during the waning years of BBSing and was FAR better than its predecessors X/YMODEM. If you aren't sure what it is or how it's used, no need to mess with it - I doubt you're going to be doing a lot of file transfers via PCPLUS these days.

Thank you very much!

[douglasamcintosh]

I set it up to use the Crosstalk terminal emulator. It did the dialling OK once I got it set up. I prefer the interface for Procomm though

Next to see if I can use the Win 3.1 terminal, just because

I may see if it will let me login to a MUD somewhere ...

[bbond007]

Interesting - it appears 115200 is the only baud rate that works (I was trying 2400 like with the C64 - both in MIDI and the terminal, of course, but no joy).

115200 is the default for ao486 and 2400 is the default for C=64. There is easy way for MidiLink to auto-detect the BAUD rate of the core.

If you would like the default changed, then you can change:

/media/fat/linux/MidiLink.INI

Code: Select all

[ao486]
TCP_BAUD = 2400 

You can also change the baud at any time using the OSD....

I expected the program to automatically call mono.org:23, as it sems to for the C64 / Striketerm tutorial. It doesn't.

The term program may reject trying to dial something that is not a # or contains ":"

You can create/edit:

/media/fat/linux/Mikilink.DIR

Code: Select all

001 = mono.org:23

This file acts as both a dialing directory and dialing alias. List with command "ATDIR"

Then dial with ATDT 001

Also, the default port is 23 so ":23" is really unnecessary.

"*" can also be used in place of ":"

mono.org*23 ( "*" works for Ncomm directory on Amiga where ":" does not)

It would also be advisable to change the modem init string to "ATZ." (or "ATZ/r" or however the terminal software interprets carnage return)

Hope that helps...

[rhester72]

You can also change the baud at any time using the OSD....

That was the first thing I did - it has no effect and appeared 'locked' at 115200 no matter what I did with the OSD. I'm using the updated MidiLink, so I too thought the OSD should work, but no joy.

EDIT: Can't reproduce the problem, though - OSD is working as expected.

[douglasamcintosh]

Hello,

Things in DOS land are working generally pretty well. The BBS stuff is working fine and as expected. I can connect to MUDS, with some problems (see here https://photos.app.goo.gl/FsVbbRrB3uLqyrqU6)but I suspect that is due to my terminal settings. Or maybe the mud sending formatting strings to me that my ancient terminal can't understand.

Tried to set up a connection on Windows 3.1 and it is not working. I can get Trump Winsock to do something, but I'm not sure what.

Just trying to use the terminal program as I did in DOS does not work at all. Not sure why, I've tried to match baud settings throughout. The COM1 is accessible (unless I'm using winsock).

I'll keep struggling on

[rhester72]

How's the gopher client in Trumpet? <G>

[bbond007]

Tried to set up a connection on Windows 3.1 and it is not working. I can get Trump Winsock to do something, but I'm not sure what.

I have Trumpet 3.0 working... I really did not have do do much of anything configuration wise other than set BAUD, seems to connect soon as it loads. If its working properly it will say "My IP address= 192.168..."