ZX-Uno General discussion

[Pegaz]

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

In the meantime, I managed to find a bug-fixed Atic Atac version and put it on the BEEB.MMB file, instead of the previous one!
Thank you for your help, it was very useful.
The hardest part was replacing the game in the main menu, to avoid manual booting with the *DBOOT command, but I eventually found a way.
Not everything went smoothly, but I learned a lot and now Atic Atac is working as it should, no messed up screens, I hope.
Now, I would like to find a way, how to add more games within the main menu.
It currently has 67 pages with 20 games each, which is over 1300 titles, but I don't know how to edit the Menu file within the boot menu.ssd disk image so that it accepts new titles, not just replacing existing ones.
I will try to check more games and see if another buggy versions can be find and replaced, but until then here is the BEEB.MMB file with Atic Atac fix, if anyone wants to try it.
Overal, exploring this Beeb collection is really fun!
http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?fi ... 0851131726

[Pegaz]

This latest esxdos v.0.8.9 has interesting improvements, but now I have one problem with it.
kyp48/128 and azesmbog Spectrum cores require esxdos v.0.8.8 and now they don't work.
Other cores work normally, so I wonder if its possible to do something, that these cores do not depend on the esxdos version ?
I would like to use the new esxdos version, but I don't want to lose this very important cores...

[Pegaz]

Meanwhile, Kyp has released esxdos v.0.8.9 versions for both of its Spectrum cores.
If [mention]azesmbog[/mention] is around here, I hope it will update its unified Spectrum kernel, too...

[azesmbog]

He is here )
And it will not make it difficult to recompile it under 0.8.9 at all. He is too lazy to double-check this and install the latest version on the SD card) He is busy with the entire ZX DOS +
I'll do it later today.

[azesmbog]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q4vV0G ... sp=sharing
Try it.
By default, probably VGA
For TV ScrollLock

[Pegaz]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q4vV0G ... sp=sharing
Try it.
By default, probably VGA
For TV ScrollLock

Thanks azesmbog, really appreciate it, just tested and it works well.
Can you please make an alternative TV version as the default one, instead of VGA ?
It's a little frustrating that I have to quickly press the scroll lock after each restart, before I lose the picture on the TV.

[PeterJ]

If anyone in the UK wants a keyboard for their ZXDOS+ or ZX-UNO then these are only £3.24 at the moment, fully support PS/2 and work great. They plug into the USB port.

https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/wire ... t-keyboard

[PeterJ]

I've a spare one of these if anyone wants it free of charge. Just cover postage. PM me.

https://www.antoniovillena.es/store/pro ... t-adapter/

[PeterJ]

Has anyone managed to load C64 disks with the C64 core? I've followed the instructions below, and insert the SD card, boot up, press shift and Escape and no disk is found.

https://github.com/zxdos/zxuno/blob/mas ... mmodore-64

Unrelated, it's a pity the CPC6128 emulator doesn't support RGB.

[XoRRoX]

[mention]PeterJ[/mention]

Did you try these?

[PeterJ]

Thanks [mention]XoRRoX[/mention],

I forgot to post that I managed to load a disk but the graphics were corrupted on the game I tried (Addams Family), did try and get support by the Telegram group, then gave up and used VICE on a Pi instead.

Not sure if you can see this, but the graphics are the skeletons are corrupted. The thing with the ZX-UNO and related systems is the Spectrum core is excellent, but the other cores are officially thought of as an extra and therefore often not maintained.

[Pegaz]

C64 core pushed zx-uno to the limits and requires special treatment and preparation of the sd card.
I haven’t dealt with it much, because we already have a fantastic BMC64 bare metal emulator on Pi.
Other cores like BBC/Electron/Atom, MSX, Atari 800XL, Oric, Amstrad, Sam Coupe, Jupiter Ace, ZX80, ZX81, etc, are very good and worth a try.
I've tested the BBC B core a lot and I can say that it's my favorite.
Spectrum cores are of course the greatest value on Uno, there are plenty of them, with the support of a bunch of different roms, more than any other fpga device...

[XoRRoX]

Glad you got the disk loading at least working.

I agree with your observation. My expectations were higher but found it disappointing. All understandable, of course. For everyone, it's just a hobby in their free time.

Quest was one of the main drivers of new core implementation and when he left, there were not enough skilled people willing to pick things up.
For these kinds of projects to become and stay successful, a lot of effort, persistence, and some magic has to occur.

[PeterJ]

C64 core pushed zx-uno to the limits and requires special treatment and preparation of the sd card.

True on the ZX-UNO core as you say, but on the ZXDOS+ you don't need special preparation of the card.

Sadly for me the CPC emulation is VGA only. As mentioned previously I've gone back to RetroPie, but do use BCM64 as well which is excellent.

My overall feeling on FPGA is disappointing (with the exception of MiSTer). As with all opensource projects you rely on the the generous time of developers, and it seems that as the technology is quite new that if a developer moves on (which of course is their right), nobody has the skill to take it on. At least with software emulation, the programming languages are known by far more people and as long as the code is opensource there is a chance it will be taken on. Antonio has always been very clear with the ZX-UNO and ZXDOS+ that their prime usage is for the ZX Spectrum

The ZXDOS is a retro computer clone based on FPGA. The main machine is ZX Spectrum that is perfectly cloned. In the other computers and consoles of 8 bits, the cloning is quite trustworthy

Sadly some people think free software of services are free in terms of money and the thought of giving these people money is alien to them. Maybe if developers accepted payment for their work (and we were willing to pay) then they would be more likely to maintain and update (look what happened when a bounty was offered to update lr-fuse - suddenly it got updated). It's like people who use all of Google services for free, then complain that their data is sold. They have to pay for their work somehow. Anyway, I'm going off topic.

The Next emulation on the ZXDOS+ is strong though which is a positive, and you can attach a Raspberry Pi Zero too.

[desUBIKado]

C64 core pushed zx-uno to the limits and requires special treatment and preparation of the sd card.

There is a workaround for this problem using audio-in conector: https://www.zxuno.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=4116

[PeterJ]

Thanks [mention]desUBIKado[/mention],

I think this will be of interest to [mention]Pegaz[/mention] as he has the ZX-UNO. Mine is the ZXDOS+ so can just copy files over. I've stopped using the C64 core though because of the poor emulation.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Hi. I just got a ZXUNO+ from Antonio Villena. I have some questions I'll post here in the next days.

I've seen some options in the last weeks: Uno+, N-Go, Dos+, Sidi, ... so I ended up buying Uno+ for some reasons. It's half the price of Dos+ so it seems a good option for a start in FPGA and I'm not interested in other cores than Spectrum only (unfortunately I haven't got much free time, so I prefer to focus on the Spectrum).

Well, I have a question about the power cable. I'd like a power switch, as someone suggested me some time ago. According to the uno+ manual, any cable with '500 mA' is enough. I've found this, often used by Raspberry Pi users:

https://www.tiendatec.es/raspberry-pi/r ... 15080.html

It's got 5V - 3A, I suppose they're maximun levels, so it should be ok for Uno+ and it won't damage it. Am I right?

Thanks in advance!

[azesmbog]

5V - 3A is a normal power supply.
As far as I remember, I measured the consumption in UNO - it turned out about 300 mA, but the current reserve never hurts.
DOS + is certainly the best option, but UNO is also a good one.

[bob_fossil]

Well, I have a question about the power cable. I'd like a power switch, as someone suggested me some time ago. According to the uno+ manual, any cable with '500 mA' is enough. I've found this, often used by Raspberry Pi users:

https://www.tiendatec.es/raspberry-pi/r ... 15080.html

It's got 5V - 3A, I suppose they're maximun levels, so it should be ok for Uno+ and it won't damage it. Am I right?

Thanks in advance!

For my ZX-UNO, I got this as I had a spare USB wall plug to connect it up with:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162023693785 ... SwwpdW~GCI

[PeterJ]

If you are willing to waiting for delivery [mention]Juan F. Ramirez[/mention] you can save yourself a couple of quid.

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32506209791.html

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Thanks for your answers. I see things clear now, I'll order the one I posted.

If you are willing to waiting for delivery @Juan F. Ramirez you can save yourself a couple of quid.

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32506209791.html

That's the problem of ordering stuff from China, it says I would got it in aug 17th!!! As if it were the very Marco Polo who deliver it!

[PeterJ]

Yes, [mention]Juan F. Ramirez[/mention] it takes between two and four weeks. If you are not desperate for stuff it works just fine.

[Pegaz]

Currenty, consider buying a monitor, suitable for ZX-UNO, with support for all spectrum cores and models, including Pentagon.
I have a good offer for the BenQ FP93GX, but I do not know if it meets all the conditions for ZX-UNO support.
These are specs, if someone can clarify its worth buying or not ?
http://specsan.com/monitors-benq/benq-fp93gx/

[Pegaz]

Currenty, consider buying a monitor, suitable for ZX-UNO, with support for all spectrum cores and models, including Pentagon.
I have a good offer for the BenQ FP93GX, but I do not know if it meets all the conditions for ZX-UNO support.
These are specs, if someone can clarify its worth buying or not ?
http://specsan.com/monitors-benq/benq-fp93gx/

This russian page indicates, that it works well with zx-evo, but specs says it support only 60-76 Hz vertical referesh rate.
http://nedopc.com/zxevo/zxevo_supported_monitors.pdf
It's kind of urgent, so any advice would be very useful...

[desUBIKado]

A 19" TV / Monitor that works well is the LG Flatron M1917A. It has RF, composite video, SCART, S-Video and VGA inputs. It supports 50Hz vertical frequency via VGA. I have two and use it with my FPGA and real computers (Spectrum +3 and Atari 800XL).

https://www.cnet.com/products/lg-m1917a ... 19-lcd-tv/