Search found 35 matches

by ChrisZx
Thu Mar 05, 2020 11:24 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Tasword 3 microdrive image.
Replies: 12
Views: 2283

Re: Tasword 3 microdrive image.

jpnz wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2020 11:22 pm
Odd - I get the same behaviour with my vDrive setup and that image. Did you get any feedback?
He said there are a number of badly formatted images out there. They have several empty sectors at the start and he's going to see if he can update the firmware to be able to deal with them.
by ChrisZx
Thu Feb 27, 2020 10:38 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Tasword 3 microdrive image.
Replies: 12
Views: 2283

Re: Tasword 3 microdrive image.

I hadn't sent it to him yet! Feel free to do so.
by ChrisZx
Tue Feb 25, 2020 4:59 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Tasword 3 microdrive image.
Replies: 12
Views: 2283

Re: Tasword 3 microdrive image.

Seven.FFF wrote: Tue Feb 25, 2020 4:34 pm I’m guessing Charlie might be interested in seeing the duff MDR file, to make sure it’s not a firmware bug.
Ok, I'll send it to him.
by ChrisZx
Tue Feb 25, 2020 4:16 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Tasword 3 microdrive image.
Replies: 12
Views: 2283

Re: Tasword 3 microdrive image.

Yes, it worked by creating a new mdr image, copying the contents to that and then running it from the vDrive on a 48K Spectrum (not actually tried on the grey +2 yet, but I'm sure it will be fine). It would seem that the vDrive didn't like that particular mdr image.
by ChrisZx
Tue Feb 25, 2020 12:06 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Tasword 3 microdrive image.
Replies: 12
Views: 2283

Re: Tasword 3 microdrive image.

Ah yes, I should have checked that. It does indeed work in emulated 48k mode. On the real hardware and vDrive I've put the mdr file on the SD card in usual way, then assigned it to a virtual drive and it shows as blank, then Microdrive not present when I attempt to CAT. As the original hardware is a...
by ChrisZx
Mon Feb 24, 2020 3:57 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Tasword 3 microdrive image.
Replies: 12
Views: 2283

Re: Tasword 3 microdrive image.

Sorry, just found your fixed version in the 'here' link! Will check that out now. Result: In Spectaculator it doesn't load. It shows a splash screen 'LOADING TASWORD' etc, then fails reporting a Hook error, whatever that is (which is the same error that I encountered on the Tasword 3 version widely ...
by ChrisZx
Mon Feb 24, 2020 3:11 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Tasword 3 microdrive image.
Replies: 12
Views: 2283

Re: Tasword 3 microdrive image.

Sorry, just found your fixed version in the 'here' link! Will check that out now.
by ChrisZx
Mon Feb 24, 2020 9:51 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Tasword 3 microdrive image.
Replies: 12
Views: 2283

Re: Tasword 3 microdrive image.

Thanks very much. Unfortunately I've well and truly mangled my original Tasword 3 cart by attempting to write images to it many times.

The link from Andrew Barker is no longer online:

http://newton.sunderland.ac.uk/~specfre ... 0Three.zip

Is he on here do you know?
by ChrisZx
Sun Feb 23, 2020 8:30 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Tasword 3 microdrive image.
Replies: 12
Views: 2283

Tasword 3 microdrive image.

Me again. This time I'm after a working image of Tasword 3 for Microdrive. I do have the original cartridge, but it's not willing to cooperate.

The ones I have found in the usual places don't seem to work... perhaps some kind of copy protection.
by ChrisZx
Sat Feb 22, 2020 8:48 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Working Games cartridge, anyone got one?
Replies: 2
Views: 594

Re: Working Games cartridge, anyone got one?

Yes, that one is perfect, thanks very much. I tried googling various related phrases but could only find the faulty ones!
by ChrisZx
Sat Feb 22, 2020 7:44 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Working Games cartridge, anyone got one?
Replies: 2
Views: 594

Working Games cartridge, anyone got one?

I'm looking for a working 'Games' Microdrive cartridge, or an image of it. The one that came with the ZX Expansion pack (Interface 1 with a Microdrive). All of the versions I've found online don't seem to work - there is a problem with the 'Games Designer' software, specifically the file 'gd2'. Unle...
by ChrisZx
Wed May 15, 2019 3:30 pm
Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
Topic: QL BASIC progs to manually type in
Replies: 8
Views: 1791

Re: QL BASIC progs to manually type in

Good tip, thanks.
by ChrisZx
Tue May 14, 2019 10:34 pm
Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
Topic: QL BASIC progs to manually type in
Replies: 8
Views: 1791

Re: QL BASIC progs to manually type in

Yes, but I've joined so many (well 2) forums lately so was putting it off until absolutely necessary - it's just too many passwords and usernames for my head.
by ChrisZx
Tue May 14, 2019 6:53 pm
Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
Topic: QL BASIC progs to manually type in
Replies: 8
Views: 1791

Re: QL BASIC progs to manually type in

I got a new keyboard membrane. And discovered (der) that the QL bas files can be read pretty easily in notepad on windows, you just have to find the line numbers, do carriage returns all the way through, print and then manually type in to a real QL! Hours of time doing it, then about 2 mins of actua...
by ChrisZx
Thu May 09, 2019 7:56 pm
Forum: Hardware
Topic: Microdrive PCB removal, how?
Replies: 0
Views: 524

Microdrive PCB removal, how?

I don't suppose anyone is familiar with how to remove the PCB from the Microdrive (actually on a QL but they are very similar to the ZX Speccy external unit). I've removed all the screws and extracted it from the computer. It comes out with motor at the bottom and a PCB at the back containing a logi...
by ChrisZx
Wed May 08, 2019 10:23 pm
Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
Topic: QL BASIC progs to manually type in
Replies: 8
Views: 1791

Re: QL BASIC progs to manually type in

Couldn't see anything. I'm not after a .bas file to transfer to the QL (I'm not setup for that yet), I want something to print out and manually type in.... but not in the next couple of days as my keyboard membrane has just given up completely and only about 3 keys work!
by ChrisZx
Wed May 08, 2019 5:22 pm
Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
Topic: QL BASIC progs to manually type in
Replies: 8
Views: 1791

QL BASIC progs to manually type in

Just for a laugh and to test my wonderful microdrive's ability to save and load things, does anyone know of any simple Basic games for the QL that I can find online and manually type in to original hardware? I don't know, breakout or some kind of simple early 80s delight.
by ChrisZx
Wed May 08, 2019 9:12 am
Forum: Hardware
Topic: My Novice experience with +3e ROMs in a +3
Replies: 5
Views: 1368

Re: My Novice experience with +3e ROMs in a +3

I did it! Got there in the end with transferring to/from a +3 formatted SD card using Windows. It took quite a bit of playing around to get this right. Both Drive Imager and StrowSaw are excellent, but there are a few confusing things due to unconventional names of certain features. This is what wor...
by ChrisZx
Mon May 06, 2019 8:08 pm
Forum: Hardware
Topic: My Novice experience with +3e ROMs in a +3
Replies: 5
Views: 1368

Re: My Novice experience with +3e ROMs in a +3

I can't get on with .hdf images! I attempted to create an hdf of a +3e formatted SD card using Drive Image (v1.35). Setting as 32 sectors, 8 heads, HDF256 mode then 'Create Image'. With the resultant file I tried to open it in StrowSaw but get a 'Fatal Error: Error getting partition table'. I also t...
by ChrisZx
Sun May 05, 2019 10:44 pm
Forum: Hardware
Topic: My Novice experience with +3e ROMs in a +3
Replies: 5
Views: 1368

Re: My Novice experience with +3e ROMs in a +3

Thanks Guesser. I couldn't get on with StrowSaw it kept mis-behaving for me, but I shall persevere.
by ChrisZx
Sun May 05, 2019 6:42 pm
Forum: Hardware
Topic: My Novice experience with +3e ROMs in a +3
Replies: 5
Views: 1368

My Novice experience with +3e ROMs in a +3

Thoughts/musings on using +3e ROMs. These days, ZX Spectrum use for gaming on original hardware has been made very easy with DivMMC devices, which allow for the storage of thousands of games and instant loading using arrow keys from a menu! All very well for the vast majority of people (and no doubt...
by ChrisZx
Wed Mar 27, 2019 8:47 pm
Forum: Hardware
Topic: Problem with +3e ROMs
Replies: 7
Views: 2050

Re: Problem with +3e ROMs

I found that 2nd page after posting the above. It seems there are copyright issues with almost all of them apart from the +3e by Garry Lancaster, and I suspect the added benefits of the other ROMs may be very few for actual modern usage, especially if fitting them requires de-soldering or other modi...
by ChrisZx
Wed Mar 27, 2019 5:45 pm
Forum: Hardware
Topic: Problem with +3e ROMs
Replies: 7
Views: 2050

Re: Problem with +3e ROMs

I was thinking of having a play with a programmer and/or offering the results to Speccy peeps, but I don't think there is a huge demand for +3 stuff in general. Are there alternate ROMs available for other Spectrum models do you know? And if so, are the originals even socketed!?
by ChrisZx
Wed Mar 27, 2019 11:18 am
Forum: Hardware
Topic: Problem with +3e ROMs
Replies: 7
Views: 2050

Re: Problem with +3e ROMs

I found someone else who can supply the ROMs flashed with the publicly available correct 3e ROMs. Hopefully they'll work this time. In case anyone reads this in the future and would like pairs of A and B type 3e ROMs, I can probably supply them and I'd make sure they were tested on a real +3 before ...
by ChrisZx
Tue Mar 26, 2019 4:35 pm
Forum: Hardware
Topic: Problem with +3e ROMs
Replies: 7
Views: 2050

Re: Problem with +3e ROMs

I tried swapping them and the result was even more garbled. I also checked continuity between the tops of the legs to the solder points under the board - all ok. The supplier says they must be faulty and will refund me (not send replacements, annoyingly). I was really looking forward to running a Di...