ZX-Uno General discussion

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Pegaz
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ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by Pegaz »

azesmbog wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 7:17 pm
Pegaz wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 6:45 pm Does it support 128k models and can it be installed as a base Spectrum core, through the SPECTRUM.ZX1 file ?
Kyp made two versions of its kernel - only zx48 and only zx128 and only for TV video.
Look on the forum, there should be my version zx48tv \ vga + zx128tv \ vga + pentagon (unfinished :) + SAA1099
.ZX1 file link attached)
I would like to continue this interesting discussion, about the very accurate Spectrum cores, Kyp48k and Kyp128k.
Coincidentally, I sent a message to [mention]azesmbog[/mention] regarding his version of this core, at the same time, when this new section is open, so we better continue here.
The thing is, I don't manage to make this timing test work without a single error.
In fact, I'm not sure what the latest version of these cores is and how to properly install and use them on my ZX-Uno+ via RGB connection.
I'm currently using the [mention]desUBIKado[/mention] 4Gb package and after flashing, I got kyp48KB and Kyp128KB separately, which work really good.
However, I wanted to try the latest versions of this cores from kyp and azesmbog, but always got it work only in 48k mode, I can't change to 128k or Pentagon mode and the bob browser doesn't even notify the timing model in the lower right corner.
I'm probably making a newby's mistakes and need some advice on how to properly install and use these latest versions.
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by azesmbog »

By default - zx128 model
Additional control keys:
F10 - Reset Pentagon
F11 - Reset zx48
F12 - Reset zx128
ScrolLock - switch TV / VGA

The Pentagon screen timings are not very accurate, this is "someday", but checking the SAA1099 is enough.
"Snow" in zx48 mode, I hope I didn't break :)
This core has nothing to do with the 0.27 core - therefore, the modes are not switched in the browser, only with the buttons F10, F11, F12.
This core is made for FPGA devboards, which do not have flash memory, and there are quite a few of them.
But another core came out with the conditional name "SmartROM" - also quite interesting, but rather "raw")
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by Pegaz »

azesmbog wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 6:08 pm By default - zx128 model
Additional control keys:
F10 - Reset Pentagon
F11 - Reset zx48
F12 - Reset zx128
ScrolLock - switch TV / VGA

The Pentagon screen timings are not very accurate, this is "someday", but checking the SAA1099 is enough.
"Snow" in zx48 mode, I hope I didn't break :)
This core has nothing to do with the 0.27 core - therefore, the modes are not switched in the browser, only with the buttons F10, F11, F12.
This core is made for FPGA devboards, which do not have flash memory, and there are quite a few of them.
But another core came out with the conditional name "SmartROM" - also quite interesting, but rather "raw")
Thanks for the clarification.
Just to ask, is it possible for your core to start in RGB PAL mode by default ?
I have some troubles with my MCSaite keyboard keys shortcuts, but for now it's the only one I have that works with zxuno+.
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by azesmbog »

Pegaz wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 6:28 pm core to start in RGB PAL mode by default ?
it is not difficult for me to recompile.
It's more problematic for me to double-check this, because I only use VGA.
Try it.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12QxJRm ... sp=sharing
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by Pegaz »

azesmbog wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 8:04 pm
Pegaz wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 6:28 pm core to start in RGB PAL mode by default ?
it is not difficult for me to recompile.
It's more problematic for me to double-check this, because I only use VGA.
Try it.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12QxJRm ... sp=sharing
Thanks.
I just tried this core, but I see it was prepared for esxdos v0.8.7 and it won't work because I have the latest v0.8.8.
Can you make this rgb version for the latest esxdos ?
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by Pegaz »

In the meantime I tried your standard core88.ZX1 and it works with esxdos v0.8.8, without issues.
What happened, wrong version maybe ?
btw, the core itself is just what I expected, I tested the MDA Demo, IR_Contention, snow.tap etc, everything works properly, I haven't tested the Pentagon mode too much, but the .ETC music files plays wonderfully. :)
Well done!
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by azesmbog »

Pegaz wrote: Sun Feb 21, 2021 12:53 pm Can you make this rgb version for the latest esxdos ?
Sorry, there really was version 0.8.7.
This is when I'm angry and nothing works - I roll back to the previous version. It seems to me more stable.
Recompiled again for 0.8.8
try it.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rw8bc7 ... sp=sharing
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by Pegaz »

azesmbog wrote: Sun Feb 21, 2021 3:41 pm
Pegaz wrote: Sun Feb 21, 2021 12:53 pm Can you make this rgb version for the latest esxdos ?
Sorry, there really was version 0.8.7.
This is when I'm angry and nothing works - I roll back to the previous version. It seems to me more stable.
Recompiled again for 0.8.8
try it.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rw8bc7 ... sp=sharing
Thanks man, you're a real ace.
Now everything works properly, I flashed both versions just in case. :)
I mostly tested the 48k model and it is really the most accurate of all I have tried with the Uno.
When I have more time, I will test the 128/Pentagon models and 0.8.7 version, but for now it looks really good.
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by Pegaz »

[mention]azesmbog[/mention]

Today I reviewed some other Uno cores and among them the one for Galaxy, the first (DIY) computer from my former homeland Yugoslavia.
This computer brings back some very nice memories from the early 80's and I am very grateful to you for all the effort, to adapt this wonderful computer for zx-uno. :)
Can't try it right now, because it looks like VGA only, but when I manage to test it, I will give my impressions.
I am currently preparing to make an RJ45 to Scart cable myself, as a total beginner with a soldering iron. ;)
It's just amazing that I can't find it anywhere.
This brings me to another important question, is such RGB SCART signal (taken from the RJ45 connector) compatible with these and other VGA cores or using monitor is a mandatory in this case ?

btw, your unified Spectrum core works just fine, epsecially 48/128 models and I use him now as default.
I miss pzx support a bit, but still, the level of accuracy is much more important to me. :)
Pentagon core seems still in early stage, but its nice to have it all in one place.
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by azesmbog »

Pegaz wrote: Tue Feb 23, 2021 8:48 pm Pentagon core seems still in early stage, but its nice to have it all in one place.
well, in the Pentagon, basically the border does not work correctly :)
In zx 48 \ 128, the border is 4 tacts, and in the pentagon - one-clock.
Of course, I tried to redo the signal selection, and it almost works, but it turns out that the attributes are shifted by one cell :)
Therefore, for now, I left it as it is) The main thing is that there are as many cycles per interruption as necessary and there is no slowdown. Someday.

Galaksija - yes, in itself an interesting computer, probably level zx80/81, but there are very, very few programs for it, with the author of SDDOS PVV they even wrote a couple of new programs for him :)) and attached AY -chip and made a file player ... It was interesting.
Only works with VGA.
Yes, for Galaksija PVV I also put together a pretty good emulator. We debugged programs in it and tested the core)

with RJ-45, of course, an interesting solution :))))), but there is - that is, I think there is only a video signal for TV, there is not even sound.
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by Pegaz »

azesmbog wrote: Tue Feb 23, 2021 9:16 pm with RJ-45, of course, an interesting solution :))))), but there is - that is, I think there is only a video signal for TV, there is not even sound.
Are you sure about that?
I use this RJ45 pinout and I thought L-VGA and R-VGA, are left and right audio output.
I remember [mention]PeterJ[/mention] selling his Uno with such a Scart cable, so he could confirm, did the sound go directly through the Scart or did he have to take it externally from the audio jack?
Image

My real doubt is, should I connect VSync to SCART pin 20 and do I need to connect CSync at all ?
I'm also not sure, do I need to connect GND only to pin 18 on the SCART connector or also to these others, as in this picture from the original Uno rgb connector:
Image
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by PeterJ »

Hi [mention]Pegaz[/mention],

I'm 99% sure I had sound through the TV.

After selling my Uno, I purchased the ZX-DOS+ which I love. I can transfer files via FTP from my desktop. The Next emulation is also fine for my needs.

This is what I use for SCART now.

Image

Image
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by Pegaz »

Thanks [mention]PeterJ[/mention].
It is an interesting adapter, where can it be bought?
I also ordered an RJ45 to VGA adapter, and then this one could easily connect to it, but I still prefer a plain and simple scart cable like the one you had.
You probably don't have an exact connection scheme, to solve a couple of doubts I have.
There is also alternative solution, to get a VGA to HDMI adapter, but I don't know how such an exhibition would work with Uno.
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by PeterJ »

HI [mention]Pegaz[/mention],

You can find it here:

https://www.antoniovillena.es/store/pro ... ry/zx-uno/
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by azesmbog »

Pegaz wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:20 pm I use this RJ45 pinout and I thought L-VGA and R-VGA, are left and right audio output.
Yes, you are probably right - this is still probably a sound output to SCART.
I would do it in two steps - first solder the video signals, and check the video, if everything is fine - then solder these two signals to audio.
I was confused by the illogical name of these signals. Very illogical :)
My real doubt is, should I connect VSync to SCART pin 20 and do I need to connect CSync at all?
One of these signals (CSync?) Definitely needs to be connected for synchronization. As for the second - I find it difficult to answer, I always connected one signal :)
I'm also not sure, do I need to connect GND only to pin 18 on the SCART connector or also to these others, as in this picture from the original Uno rgb connector:
The common wire of the GND in any case from the side of the scart should be connected to the contacts anyway, so usually one wire is enough to any contact of the GND.
Well, an abstract question - in modern LCD TVs, there is usually a VGA input. Or is it a very old TV?)))
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by Pegaz »

[mention]azesmbog[/mention]

Thanks.
I think you are right and I should connect CSync (aka HSync) from RJ45 to Scart pin 20, as it says on the original Uno pinout.
Then, the question remains what is the purpose of a separate VSync pin on Rj45 and should I connect it to the Scart connector on pin 16, maybe?
On the original Uno RGB scheme, it says that 3.3V pin 4 should be connected to SCART pin 16, but I'm not sure that's necessary.
I read somewhere that its enough to connect SCART pin 20 with pin 16 and thats enough for the connector to work in RGB instead of Composite mode.

btw, my LCD TV has no VGA connector, only HDMI, Composite, Component, SCART and RF.
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by azesmbog »

Pegaz wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:06 pm I think you are right and I should connect CSync (aka HSync) from RJ45 to Scart pin 20, as it says on the original Uno pinout.
Then, the question remains what is the purpose of a separate VSync pin on Rj45 and should I connect it to the Scart connector on pin 16, maybe?
I think I decided for myself with this RJ-45 connector
In previous versions of the board 4.1-4.2, this was a flat single-row 9-pin connector, and the circuit was complete.
In this version, apparently instead of it they made an RJ-45 connector for 8 pins, and there is no complete scheme ??
This connector is used to connect to both VGA and to connect to TV - universal, as it were.
The VGA needs two separate ones! sync signal - frame Vsync and line Hsync, and for TV you need a single signal CSync = Vsync + Hsync.
therefore, in general, for TV SCART, one signal must be connected to CSync for synchronization, and the second signal is optional :)
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by Pegaz »

A few days ago I tried BBC B v1.3 core and I have a problem with corrupted graphics in some rooms with Atic Atac.
Is there a possibility that this is just a bad version of the game or is it some issue with the core ?
I wouldn't want to bother [mention]azesmbog[/mention] with every little thing, but since he worked on this latest version, he may know what it's all about. ;)
This issue also happens with v1.2, so I'm really not sure where the problem is.
BBC B is one of my favorite cores, it's a real pleasure to play Elite or Arcadians like on real Beeb. :)
Also, It would be great to have a BBC Master core as well, but that’s probably too much for Uno...
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by azesmbog »

The author of the BBC core is the hoglet
https://github.com/hoglet67/BeebFpga
I ported its core, to the best of my strength and abilities :)
As far as I know, it also has a Master core, and it seems like I started it too, but I still didn't understand any special differences, but probably they are.
Are there programs that work exclusively in the Master, and do not work in other varieties ??

https://github.com/hoglet67/BeebFpga/wiki
how the support for master128 is declared
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by Pegaz »

azesmbog wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 11:51 am The author of the BBC core is the hoglet
https://github.com/hoglet67/BeebFpga
I ported its core, to the best of my strength and abilities :)
As far as I know, it also has a Master core, and it seems like I started it too, but I still didn't understand any special differences, but probably they are.
Are there programs that work exclusively in the Master, and do not work in other varieties ??

https://github.com/hoglet67/BeebFpga/wiki
how the support for master128 is declared
Thanks, actually you did a great job with the BBC core. :)
Does that mean that Master implementation is possible on Uno ?
btw, the most famous Master exclusive game is Elite in color and without screen flickering.
Also, there are several new homebrew games, for example the great Prince of Persia and Stunt Car Racer port...
About BBC core, when I saw that Elite works great I was quite pleased.
Later, I noticed that something was wrong with Atic Atac, so I was just wondering if that problem had been noticed before...
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by desUBIKado »

Pegaz wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 12:25 pm Later, I noticed that something was wrong with Atic Atac, so I was just wondering if that problem had been noticed before...
I have seen badly drawn screens, the ones where the character climbed stairs. But I think the problem is the game recorded inside the BEEB.MMC file. I have used the BBC MIcro / BBC Master core of the Mistica FPGA16, and the badly drawn screens also keep getting.
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by Pegaz »

desUBIKado wrote: Tue Mar 02, 2021 9:26 pm
Pegaz wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 12:25 pm Later, I noticed that something was wrong with Atic Atac, so I was just wondering if that problem had been noticed before...
I have seen badly drawn screens, the ones where the character climbed stairs. But I think the problem is the game recorded inside the BEEB.MMC file. I have used the BBC MIcro / BBC Master core of the Mistica FPGA16, and the badly drawn screens also keep getting.
Thanks, I assumed that but I wasn't sure.
This is actually good news, because it means that its not a issue with the BBC B core.
Is it possible to fix this problem with BEEB.MMC somehow or using image files in the usual way in folders ?
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by desUBIKado »

Pegaz wrote: Tue Mar 02, 2021 10:25 pm Is it possible to fix this problem with BEEB.MMC somehow or using image files in the usual way in folders ?
On ZX-Uno only way to run BBC Micro software is with BEEB.MMC file or to load by audio in. Look at this to change BEEB.MMC file: https://stardot.org.uk/forums/viewtopic ... 30#p287130
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by Pegaz »

desUBIKado wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 11:53 am
Pegaz wrote: Tue Mar 02, 2021 10:25 pm Is it possible to fix this problem with BEEB.MMC somehow or using image files in the usual way in folders ?
On ZX-Uno only way to run BBC Micro software is with BEEB.MMC file or to load by audio in. Look at this to change BEEB.MMC file: https://stardot.org.uk/forums/viewtopic ... 30#p287130
You're right, this is really interesting.
I tested the BEEB.MMB file with the latest BeBeem emulator and the exact same artifacts appear.
But, if I mount the game as a single .ssd file, this problem does not happen.
Following your advice, I inserted another version of Atic Atac in the BEEB.MMB file at position 259, but I only see the original one in the menu.
I will have to review all the discussions on stardot, related to Atic Atac, maybe there has already been a discussion about this...
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Re: ZX-Uno General discussion

Post by desUBIKado »

Pegaz wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 8:33 pm Following your advice, I inserted another version of Atic Atac in the BEEB.MMB file at position 259, but I only see the original one in the menu.
Try this command:

*DBOOT 259
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