Incoming new core: Amstrad PCW

[steddyman]

I'm happy to report that the first release of the Amstrad PCW core is now available on the main MiSTer site.

If you run the update script on your MiSTer, then it should automatically download and install.

Alternatively you can download it from the 'releases' folder.

https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Amstrad-PCW_MiSTer

I hope you like it. Let me know any problems you find.

Thanks

[NML32]

Thank you.
So far every game I loaded worked. I wasn't really able to play many games as it appears most require a Numpad that my Keyboard doesn't have.

Great job on the Core!!

[WolfgangBlack]

Booted it up and ran a text adventure game.
Thanks! Great core!

[bazza_12]

Not had chance to test all these yet, but thought this looked like an invaluable reference
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/nc100-nc200 ... s-archive/

many thanks for a incredible core

[kathleen]

Thank you so much @steddyman, I'm so happy to see this new core on the Mister. You did an incredible job. I've ran it and what a good surprise to see Locoscript on the Mister. Have tried also several games and they worked like a charm, I just got a black screen when I launched the LOGO application but it is probably my .DSK which is corrupted. Will play with it this evening and will try more disks. It is really amazing to see how this core runs for the 1st release. Big big thanks for your hard work.

[breiztiger]

hi

very good to retrieve this computer, ahhh bob winner, batman ...

http://www.habisoft.com/pcwwiki/doku.ph ... st_program
seem to crash the core

[tontonkaloun]

@Steddyman
Thank you so much !!!

[skywalky]

Thank you @Steddyman
Very good core.

[Nat]

@steddyman

Many thanks for this new core very much appreciated!

[kathleen]

hi

very good to retrieve this computer, ahhh bob winner, batman ...

http://www.habisoft.com/pcwwiki/doku.ph ... st_program
seem to crash the core

@Breiztiger, thank you anyway for this link where a lot of applications can be found. I've even seen a French book to learn the Basic on PCW. Very nice.

[breiztiger]

you're welcome

[steddyman]

I'm glad you all like it.

Batman shouldn't crash the core. I play Batman on mine and it works fine. Might be worth getting a fresh DSK image.

Might also be worth checking that the disks you have tried like Locoscript, are on CF2 disks (about 180k). I'm adding support for CF2DD (720k) and two drives now. It is a bit tricky because the second drive is usually seen as a CF2DD drive, with a CF2 disk, which causes issues. Working on a fix.

[kathleen]

@steddyman,

You're right, Batman works perfectly but Breiztiger was talking about RAMTEST program V1.4.
I did try it also on my side and it freezes the screen with strange lines at the bottom of the screen.

Will check which version of Locoscript I used and will let you know but I'm pretty sure they were the 180K on 2 disks.
Will be great to have 2 disks working, especially for the "productivity' programs more than for games.

[steddyman]

Oh great. Thanks for that, I'll see if I can find a copy to test, and thanks breiztiger for surfacing the issue.

Is there a PCW Diag program I can download for fully testing the keyboard layout? I've been struggling to find that kind of program to test.

[kathleen]

The archive of it is in the link provided by breiztiger just scroll down to the end you'll see a .rar file containing it.

If I can add something that I've just tested which does not work..., But I do not want you to think that I'm complaining, because it is not the case at all, I just want to report issues to help improving the core.

The SymbOS Z80 does not work neither, it starts than hang to the desktop, I guess it is the desktop. The mouse is not responding neither but maybe because the software crashed.

http://www.symbos.de/download.htm

At 2/3 of the 1st page there is the PCW version available.

[ron]

Congratulations for steddyman and his core.-
I love it-.
Have you thought about the possibility of adding a switch in the OSD to change the ratio from 4:3 to 16:9?
Having a deep test now!
Cheers

[steddyman]

Yes, I've tried SymbOS and it didn't work for me either. I need to troubleshoot that some more. I wasn't sure if that was compatible with only 256K of memory. I tried Find that Mine which runs on top of the Samurac GUI and that worked fine.

No, not considered a 16:9 switch. I'm not sure why you would need that, the original machine is 4:3 only. You can just use the scaler built into MiSTer and a widescreen mode to scale it to 16:9.

[steddyman]

Just tested Locoscript and it is working fine for me. I suspect it isn't a version for the 8256 you are trying?

The version I tested has the following disk name: PCW 8256 [A] LOCO SCRIPT [MAXIT][SamDISK][Original]

[owlnonymous]

Do you need a full-size keyboard with a numpad for this core? I could not find the controls in a lot of games, or the controls listed (azop etc) did not work.

[kathleen]

Just tested Locoscript and it is working fine for me. I suspect it isn't a version for the 8256 you are trying?

The version I tested has the following disk name: PCW 8256 [A] LOCO SCRIPT [MAXIT][SamDISK][Original]

Yes yes, this is what I said. Locoscript works and I do confirm with the 180k disks. The issue I had was with the LoGo application. (The well known program with a small turtle to draw by using basics commands) but did not had time yet to check for another version as I suspect my disk image.

Back to SymbOS, it seems according to their website that 128kb is enough to run it. But I've just noticed is that for the PCW the remarks applied for the CPC are also valid which is this case, deleting the file SYMBOS.INI could help for starting with the minimal configuration.
Will try later on.

Anyway, what a great core, it is one of my favorite one. Being more interested by running, applications than games on vintage computers, this core is really a perfect choice, I'll never thank you enough for it.

[breiztiger]

Lol it’s my dump for Loco script (maxit is my nickname on cpc-power)

I have some dump i have just sent to pcw wiki (pcw paint and an assembler)

[steddyman]

Do you need a full-size keyboard with a numpad for this core? I could not find the controls in a lot of games, or the controls listed (azop etc) did not work.

Currently for some applications, yes. For example I have found some games that will only take the Enter on the numpad rather than the one on the main keyboard. Also, some games support the arrow keys and others need you to use the numpad. The PCW has a full sized keyboard very similar to an IBM PC. I will find ways to map them across shortly.

[steddyman]

Lol it’s my dump for Loco script (maxit is my nickname on cpc-power)

I have some dump i have just sent to cpc wiki (pcw paint and an assembler)

Well I really appreciate you sharing it PCW software hasn't been easy to come across for testing.

[steddyman]

Just tested Locoscript and it is working fine for me. I suspect it isn't a version for the 8256 you are trying?

The version I tested has the following disk name: PCW 8256 [A] LOCO SCRIPT [MAXIT][SamDISK][Original]

Yes yes, this is what I said. Locoscript works and I do confirm with the 180k disks. The issue I had was with the LoGo application. (The well known program with a small turtle to draw by using basics commands) but did not had time yet to check for another version as I suspect my disk image.

Back to SymbOS, it seems according to their website that 128kb is enough to run it. But I've just noticed is that for the PCW the remarks applied for the CPC are also valid which is this case, deleting the file SYMBOS.INI could help for starting with the minimal configuration.
Will try later on.

Anyway, what a great core, it is one of my favorite one. Being more interested by running, applications than games on vintage computers, this core is really a perfect choice, I'll never thank you enough for it.

Thanks. I 'm not really good at reading your messages am I. I keep mixing up little details that matter

I'll try and work out what is going on with SymbOS then now you've confirmed 256k should be enough. Just fixing up the 2nd disk support.

PS the core doesn't and probably never will support formatting new disks, not without a major rewrite. I am using a modified version of the Spectrum and CPC cores u765 controller with added Interrupt, NMI and TC handling. Neither of those cores support formatting due to how complex it would be manipulating DSK files on the FPGA logic.

[steddyman]

I just tried Logo on the PCW9512CPM Master disk in drive B (720k) and it worked fine. Sorry, I'm not trying to tease

[kathleen]

I tried also another disk version of the logo and I confirm that it works as it should. My thoughts were true, my previous disk image of logo was corrupted.
Yesterday, I also, went back to my PC to run Symbos on the CP/M 86box emulator just to be sure that my disks were ok and they were (really amazing OS for such a computer).

By doing this exercise, I realized that the CP/M 86box emulator has an interesting add-on that I'm wondering if this could be implemented to your core.
This add-on is the share folder, it is very useful, I used PIP to copy the 3 Symbos disks to the share folder and started it from there, ran fine but still need to figure out how to tell the OS to go to the drive M: and not the A: for loading the additional files but that's another story.

It will help also to transfer files created by Locosript for instance to the PC (as there is an application converting them to Word)
Etc etc...
Do you see @steddyman a possibility to have this share folder option added to your core as already implemented for the AO486 & Minimig cores ?
Thanks. Kathleen.

[steddyman]

Not quite sure what you mean by Share Folder. MiSTer itself is network enabled, so you can copy new files to the Games folder at any time using FTP or SMB.

Are you talking about the External drive option under the Emulator / Mapping setting?

[kathleen]

What I mean by having a share folder it is more to use the benefit of having a folder created on the SD of the mister which could be mapped as drive M: for instance, like it is the case with CP/M86 box on PC (or as it works with the core Minimig and AO486). So, the core could access to it like if it was a storage device. you'll have a the end A:, B: (when the 2nd drive will be implemented) and M:

This for sure will help to transfer files directly from the PC to the Mister (I say files, not .DSK images) and also to save your work directly on this folder without the need of saving it on a .DSK or even copy software in it to get rid of the .DSK

I'm pretty sure that there is other benefits of having it implemented but is this possible ? It is my question

PS: Very sorry if I'm not always clear but the English being not my native language, it doesn't help .

[akeley]

I've just tried it on a 15Khz CRT TV via Direct Video (VGA DAC-SCART). Got highly unstable, rolling image. Any ideas?

[steddyman]

Ok, I see what you mean. Yes, I'll add that to the backlog of features I am building. That would be useful. PS you English is perfect.