uIEC/SD fo Dummies

Post by **Jeff-20** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 6:47 pm

Ok, I just got my uIEC/SD and a 2GB card. I put a few PRGs on the card. Now I have it hooked up to the VIC. I tried a few times to LOAD"$",(every device number from 8 to 16). All result in a brief flicker of the left LED and a ?DEVICE NOT PRESENT error.

Can anyone talk me through using this item?

Kweepa · Post by **Kweepa** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:29 pm

You could try reducing the possible complications. Put a single PRG with a simple file name, and then LOAD it directly, using device #10 (which is the device number it defaults to). If that doesn't work there could be a problem with the hardware.

gklinger · Post by **gklinger** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:39 pm

Jeff-20 wrote:I put a few PRGs on the card.

Okay, that means the card reader worked. I was a little concerned that it wouldn't. I didn't get a chance to prep the card properly so it's showing as a 1GB card even though it's a 2GB so I would start by creating a single large partition and reformatting with FAT32. Then I'd go with Kweepa's advice and put a single program file on the card AND a single d64 disk image which contains the same program file and we'll begin experimenting from there.

Post by **Jeff-20** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 12:24 am

Yes, also strange; the card can only be formatted for 1GB.

gklinger · Post by **gklinger** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 12:46 am

It's only partitioned for 1GB right now. You'll have to repartition to get the full 2GB. I should have taken care of it and sent it the following Monday.

carlsson · Post by **carlsson** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:31 am

But would uIEC get confused because the memory card is partitioned? There is a command @CP used to select partition. If Jeff is unsure how to repartition the card, he could try something like this:

OPEN1,10,15,"CP1":CLOSE1

Try CP2 etc if it still wouldn't find any directory. Actually I haven't tried this myself, so I don't know if it would be a solution.

gklinger · Post by **gklinger** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:35 am

I meant that there was a single 1GB partition on the card when I sent it. I'm advising a repartition and format of the newly created partition from Windows or whatever OS Jeff runs on his PC so he can enjoy the full 2GB capacity of the card.

Post by **Jeff-20** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 3:54 am

Maybe the partition is the problem? Anyone want to recommend freeware to repartition this disk? The only programs I've found work on harddrives only.

carlsson · Post by **carlsson** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 4:12 am

Panasonic seems to have some software, as linked from the sd2iec wiki page:

http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/s ... atter.html

I don't know how (well) it works though.

Edit: Err.. maybe it just formats memory cards, not creating partitions.

Unseen · Post by **Unseen** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 5:31 am

carlsson wrote:But would uIEC get confused because the memory card is partitioned?

No.

Edit: Err.. maybe it just formats memory cards, not creating partitions.

The Panasonic tool creates exactly one partition spanning the whole card and formats that - SD cards are not supposed to be partitioned in any other way or formatted without a partition according to the specs, although uIEC doesn't care and should handle whatever you throw at it.

A ?DEVICE NOT PRESENT error indicates other problems though, uIEC should still respond even if it can't read the card at all or there is no card inserted. Just to make sure it isn't stuck in an infinite loop during initialisation, please try to power it up without a card and read the directory - if you hit the correct address (should be 10) you should get ?FILE NOT FOUND instead. If that doesn't work on any address playing around with the SD card is useless, the problem is somewhere else.

Bacon · Post by **Bacon** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 8:14 am

My VIC showed the same error when I tried to load programs or show a directory from my 1541 Ultimate, which is device 9. It had no problem reading from a device 8 1541-II disk drive. It turned out to be both VIA (6522) chips that were partly broken. Once I replaced them the VIC could load from either drive.

rhurst · Post by **rhurst** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 4:45 pm

I got mine this past weekend, but alas, I am still waiting for SD and a USB reader to arrive. I am hopeful this is even better than using the Linux OpenCBM driver to write to a real 1581 diskette -- which works like a charm, BTW.

OPEN1,10,15,"CP1":CLOSE1

Er, okay, just WHERE do you find useful commands like that? Is there web site / page that I am not seeing?

carlsson · Post by **carlsson** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 5:48 pm

The best and currently only (?) place for documentation:
http://www.c64-wiki.com/index.php/uIEC

Check out "sd2iec Read Me" since the uIEC/SD comes with sd2iec firmware.

Post by **Jeff-20** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 3:40 am

My Vic had been previously modded. I flipped the switch in the back and everything now works as drive 10. Hooray!

Thanks

65535 Blocks Free? How would the vic ever store all of the file names in a listing?

carlsson · Post by **carlsson** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:22 am

Previously modded? Do you care to explain what your VIC can do that most of the others can't?

Denial

uIEC/SD fo Dummies

uIEC/SD fo Dummies

Re: uIEC/SD fo Dummies