World of Commodore Toronto, December 1, 2007

carlsson · Post by **carlsson** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:27 am

If you find it, someone else could assist you in archiving it. The easiest method still is to own a switchable cartridge expander, which lets you start the computer with a cartridge diabled, then enable it while running (shouldn't do any damage). Once there, a few POKEs and SYS as per Mike's instructions is all you need to dump to floppy or tape, and from there transfer the file to a PC.

Mikam73 · Post by **Mikam73** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:34 am

carlsson wrote:If you find it, someone else could assist you in archiving it. The easiest method still is to own a switchable cartridge expander, which lets you start the computer with a cartridge diabled, then enable it while running (shouldn't do any damage). Once there, a few POKEs and SYS as per Mike's instructions is all you need to dump to floppy or tape, and from there transfer the file to a PC.

I still cant believe that its not somewere at internet or Mayhem doesnt have it..

With this leg, I cant go and dig my collection..

Or maybe I have NTSC version or does it work at all PAL machine?

Damn..

carlsson · Post by **carlsson** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 4:15 am

Tooth Invaders is both misaligned on screen and tied to raster lines in some rather intricate way. It means just changing screen position in the code would make raster effects take place on the wrong position, and if I recall correctly, a lot of odd things occur. The original NTSC game should be somewhat playable if you are satisfied with the screen being positioned to the upper left and some of it outside of the visible area. This is true for most VIC-20 games.

What me and NBLA000 did with a few games was to both reposition the screen and change the lines at which raster effects happen. Sometimes it is very simple (for some value of simple), but often the line count doesn't match which can lead to unwanted results and a more thorough rewrite would be in order. I suppose this is what once has been done to some Imagic games like Atlantis, which to my knowledge nobody on this forum can confirm exists as a PAL cartridge, but we have a perfectly playable PAL version as a ROM dump. Being one of the most advanced games technically, I doubt I could've fixed it just as well.

eslapion · Post by **eslapion** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 6:52 am

carlsson wrote:Add a SD card interface on your cartridge, and I'm on the bandwagon again. It can't be rocket science, a lot of other 8-bit computers already have such and other interfaces, running at various speeds and technologies.

Adding an SD card to the VIC or any full microprocessor bus system is incredibly difficult for me because it requires a lot of programming.

Using a standard flash memory chip designed for a microprocessor bus is very easy. Essentially, its a ROM chip that you can rewrite to using certain specific series of codes.

An SD card uses flash type of memory but the standard communication protocol to read/write it is SPI. On a VIC, spi would require a dedicated communication chip as well as programmed IO communication. Also, the normal file system used on SD cards is FAT16 or FAT32. Its very likely that would would have to come up with some sort of new version of Commodore DOS to store files and that format would be completely ureadable to a PC.

I can do the hardware no problem but will help me with the programming or wait until the design is being implemented to tell me that you don't like to work with me?

BTW, I flamed at you because you said a multicart was not important to the VIC community. The MegaCart proves I was right and you were wrong.

carlsson · Post by **carlsson** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 5:43 pm

Yes, it is mostly a software affair. When it comes to the hardware side, I've seen several low-cost SD interfaces for 6502 computers (BBC, C64) recently. These interfaces have no custom chips, and thus are dog slow, using bit-banging techniques but correctly manufactured supposedly work, even though software is a bit limited.

I still don't think a multicart is the #1 most important addition to the VIC community. The main reason why I stepped up to help 6502dude was because he was alone against all the others: you, Schema and a few more. He even nick-named his design the "renegade" cartridge. As I wrote elsewhere, due to a combination of his driving will in the hardware development and the software collaboration between me and NBLA000, tables have turned quite dramatically since April-May this year. At one point I'm sorry the original project was let behind, but on the other hand so many people are now anxiously waiting for the MegaCart, that I feel it was the right decision to get something done even if it was for a lonely stranger walking into the saloon, disturbing the general order.

KilrPilr · Post by **KilrPilr** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 6:41 pm

Here Here! I am glad the megacart was started by Brian. francois' multicart would have had multiple games on it but thats all it would have had. I could see the direction francois wanted to take it. He wanted a single purpose cart that he could sell and then he would develop something after that with a little more features and then after that sold he would make something else and so on and so on. Instead of the capitalists dream we will have a product with many features,options and functionality. Not only this but if it wasnt for eslapion's desire to clone, replicate, reproduce, copy , imitate, counterfeit, twin, forge, trace, simulate, mirror, impersonate, mimic, facsimilate and xerox the megacart, we all would have a cart that would have socketed eprom chips that some of us could rewrite to have other files and stuff on. Thank eslapion for his greed and pettyness. Thank you eslapion

eslapion · Post by **eslapion** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:02 pm

KilrPilr wrote:I could see the direction francois wanted to take it. He wanted a single purpose cart that he could sell and then he would develop something after that with a little more features and then after that sold he would make something else and so on and so on. Instead of the capitalists dream we will have a product with many features,options and functionality. Not only this but if it wasnt for eslapion's desire to clone, replicate, reproduce, copy , imitate, counterfeit, twin, forge, trace, simulate, mirror, impersonate, mimic, facsimilate and xerox the megacart, we all would have a cart that would have socketed eprom chips that some of us could rewrite to have other files and stuff on. Thank eslapion for his greed and pettyness. Thank you eslapion

Well, thank you for your recognition of the Flashcart that actually has more features than the Megacart.

And thank you very much for strongly encouraging me to make new products for the VIC-20...

I suppose the Ultimate Expander is a counterfeit reduced version of the Megacart too...

As I indicated in other posts, I have only a limited amount of energy and time I can allow myself to invest in a given project but of course, who am I to assume I should ever allow myself some rest with you to oversee everything I do. You sign my paycheck after all.

And, you have proven time and time again that you can do so much better electronics than I ever could.

Also, BTW, I offered more than once to Brian to allow me to alter his Megacart design to use a single 16Mbit EPROM instead of two 8Mbit one to reduce cost and size but he said he believes that would cause software compatibility problems. When I said I was convinced it would not, he said it was presomptuous of me...

Hey... I love you too Leo... go on deserving your last name!

KilrPilr · Post by **KilrPilr** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:18 pm

yeah who altered my post? Ill thank you ***holes to stay out of the editing business please. You have no right to alter my posts! You want to play that game then **** you , this is the last you will hear from me muther ****ker

eslapion · Post by **eslapion** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:45 pm

KilrPilr wrote:yeah who altered my post? Ill thank you ***holes to stay out of the editing business please. You have no right to alter my posts! You want to play that game then **** you , this is the last you will hear from me muther ****er

Keep up the good work!

gklinger · Post by **gklinger** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:47 pm

KilrPilr: I edited your post. Name calling wasn't necessary to make your point nor is swearing. You're both acting like idiots.

The World of Commodore 2007 is over and so is this thread.