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CBM prg Studio v3.11.0 released

September 18th, 2017 No comments

CBM prg Studio Version 3.11.0 is released. There are a lot of new features in this version. I’d really appreciate it if you report any bugs you find or have any suggestions/comments.

CBM prg Studio allows you to type a BASIC or Machine Code program in using a nice Windows environment and convert it to a ‘.prg’ file which you can run on an emulator, or even a real C64 / VIC20 or PET if you’re feeling brave and have the right kit.

CBM prg Studio is the result of merging C64PrgGen and VIC20PrgGen. Adding new features and fixing bugs in two apps which were 95% similar was a bit of a nightmare so merging them made sense.

It was also a good opportunity for a face lift and to add some new features, such as:

  • Programs are project based, meaning all related source files, sprite files etc. are kept in one place and multiple source files can be linked more easily.
  • Tabbed MDI.
  • Syntax highlighting.

What CBM prg Studio isn’t is a front-end for tok64, cbmcnvrt, bastext or any other tokeniser / detokeniser / assembler. It’s all been written completely from scratch.

New features in v3.11.0:

  • Assembler:
    • CTRL+Double click on label or variable will take you to its definition.
    • Mouse over a directive to get a tooltip of its usage.
    • Control/screen codes can be embedded in text strings.
  • Debugger:
    • Default watch list.
  • Sprite Editor:
    • Number keys for quick colour change.
  • Screen Editor:
    • Quick colour change.
    • Screen editor can generate data to basic string array.
  • BASIC:
    • Super Expander basic extension for VIC 20 projects.

Bugs Fixed:

  • Assembler:
    • Having ‘*=’ in a comment causes an error
    • Macros weren’t appearing in the macro viewer
    • Multiple macro parameters in the same line were being ignored.
  • BASIC:
    • Incorrect line warning length for VIC20 projects.
  • Screen designer:
    • Crash when exporting C128 screens.
  • Sprite Editor:
    • Fail when importing from listing when the target line number was also in another part of the listing.
  • Character Editor:
    • Fail when importing from listing when the target line number was also in another part of the listing.

See the help for a complete list of new features and fixed bugs.

Note In this version, each target machine can have its own default project directory. If you are upgrading from a previous version (before version 2.5.1) of CBM prg Studio you may be asked to set up your project directories again. Your current projects will not be affected.

Download: CBM prg Studio v3.11.0 (760)

source: ajordison.co.uk

Datastorm 2017 Summer: C64 – Official demo party results

September 9th, 2017 No comments

This is the official demo party results from Datastorm 2017. See also the CSDB Datastorm 2017 Summer section for more informations.

C64 Demo:

  • 1 – K9 V Orange Main Sequence by Fairlight
  • 2 – Beats by Atlantis
  • 3 – Pandemoniac Part 2 of 5 Swirler by Panoramic Designs, Prosonix
  • 4 – Witchcraft by Logicoma, Pegboard Nerds

C64 4K Intro:

  • 1 – Datafresh by Darklite, Loonies

C64 Music:

  • 1 – Solskyddstraktor by Fegolhuzz
  • 2 – File Deleted by Magnar Harestad
  • 3 – The Final Toke by Radiant
  • 4 – Force Of Habit by Stinsen
  • 5 – Glyptodont by Lft
  • 6 – Pale Blue Dot by ZZAP69

C64 Graphics:

  • 1 – Redback Razorcrabs by Razorback/redcrab
  • 2 – Darkness by Hobbit

Mixed Graphics:

  • 1 – Gimmie Affisch by Genesis Project

Productions released outside compos:

  • C=Rex Offline by Genesis Project (Game)
  • C=Rex Offline by Atlantis (Crack)
  • C=Rex Offline +H by Onslaught (Crack)
  • Mega Demo 2 by Hack n’ Trade (Demo)
  • The Sentinel by Artstate (Music Collection)
  • Tribute 2 TRIAD 2 (4K Intro)

Download: Datastorm 2017 Summer Full Party Stuff (1029)

source: datastorm.party

Dragon32/Coco2 Multi-Cartridge with Extensions (Odyssey 2/Vectrex)

September 6th, 2017 3 comments
Dragon32-Coco2 Multi-Cartridge with Extensions (VideoPac-Vectrex)

The Multi-cart by Rolo was designed to to hold a variety of Dragon 32-64/CoCo 2 rom cartridge based programs, which are running directly from the eprom at address range $c000 to $ff00.

The cart holds up to 64 8k-roms. It can play roms with a size of 1k to 16k. You simply select a memory slot from 00 to 63, press RESET on your Dragon, and the program launches.

This enables you, to use your Dragon simply without further hardware setup: no cables, no drives, no extra PSUs, no controller-carts.

The Dragon/CoCo 2 Multi-cartridge now can also be used for other systems.

Currently there are three Extension Cartridges (adapters) available:

  • VECTREX.
  • Odyssey 2/PHILIPS G7000/G7200/G7400.
  • INTERTON ELECTRONIC VC 4000.

A compilation of rom-files for all four systems can be burned on a single eprom (27C4001), adding versatility to the device.

Gallery:

source: archive.worldofdragon.org atariage.com

Commodore Amiga 500+ Replace Keyboard Membrane

August 31st, 2017 No comments
Commodore Amiga 500+ Replace Keyboard Membrane

Commodore Amiga 500+ Replace Keyboard Membrane

Defect:

  • 50% of the keyboard keys are totally dead.

Replaced parts:

  • 1 x Keyboard Membrane.

Gallery of work that was done:

Conversion Amiga 500 (8A) (512k Chip RAM) to 500+ (1MB CHIP Ram)

August 31st, 2017 5 comments
Conversion Amiga 500 REV 8A (512k Chip RAM) to 500+ (1MB CHIP Ram)

Conversion Amiga 500 REV 8A (512k Chip RAM) to 500+ (1MB CHIP Ram)

Some Amiga 500 sold at the end of 1991/beginning of 1992 have a motherboard of an Amiga 500+ but limited to the capabilities of a regular Amiga 500 with 512k of Chip RAM.

These motherboards can be converted to 500+ simply installing the missing pieces; RAM section and REALTIME CLOCK.

What i did is add a 512K to have 1MB of Chip RAM like the amiga 500+.

Gallery of work that was done:

Chinon FB-354 ReCAP (Amiga Floppy Drive)

August 31st, 2017 2 comments
Chinon FB-354 ReCAP (Amiga Floppy Drive)

Chinon FB-354 ReCAP (Amiga Floppy Drive)

Defect:

  • Don’t read anything – Dead.

Replaced parts:

  • 3 x Electrolytic Capacitors of 22uF.
  • 1 x Electrolytic Capacitor of 1uF.

Gallery of work that was done:

Panasonic JU-253-043P ReCAP/MicroSwitch (Amiga Floppy Drive)

August 31st, 2017 3 comments
Panasonic JU-253-043P ReCAP (Amiga Floppy Drive)

Panasonic JU-253-043P ReCAP (Amiga Floppy Drive) #1

Defect:

  • Don’t read anything – Dead.

Replaced parts:

  • 1 x Electrolytic Capacitor of 10uF.

Gallery of work that was done:

—————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Panasonic JU-253-043P ReCAP (Amiga Floppy Drive) #2

Panasonic JU-253-043P Replace Micro Switch (Amiga Floppy Drive) #2

Defect:

  • The Floppy Disk is not recognized.

Replaced parts:

  • 1 x Micro Switch.

Gallery of work that was done:

Teac FD-235F ReCAP (Amiga Floppy Drive)

August 31st, 2017 15 comments
Teac FD-235F ReCAP (Amiga Floppy Drive)

Teac FD-235F ReCAP (Amiga Floppy Drive)

Defect:

  • Don’t read anything – Dead.

Replaced parts:

  • 3 x Electrolytic Capacitors of 22uF.
  • 1 x Electrolytic Capacitor of 4.7uF.

Gallery of work that was done:

Commodore 16 Repair

August 29th, 2017 No comments
Commodore 16 Repair

Commodore 16 Repair

Defect:

  • Black Screen / No Voltage.

Replaced parts:

  • Replaced the Power Switch with a “new” original one.

Texas Instruments TI-99/4A Empty PCB

August 29th, 2017 No comments
Texas Instruments TI-99-4A Empty PCB

Texas Instruments TI-99-/4A Empty PCB

This is what remained after the recovery. Some components (all TTL) are not been recovered, others were are already recovered some times ago for spare parts.

Gallery:

C64 Big Game Pack: Rescuing Orc +5D / Iridis Alpha +6DH …

August 29th, 2017 1 comment

Some new games or tools (Cracked / Trained or Unrealeased) for Commodore 64 have been released from your favorites groups.

Titles:

  • Rockit +
  • Pentagram V1.30
  • The Legend of Sinbad +5PDH
  • Rockit +1H
  • Bacillus Preview 2 +3
  • Cross Chase Preview
  • Zatacka
  • Grillieren! Preview
  • Tour de Europe +1T
  • Hyper Blitz +H
  • Give That Dog A Bone Preview +
  • 3D Skramble +2DGH
  • Zatacka +F
  • Beer Belly Bill – Grillieren Prv. +D
  • Zamzara +5HD
  • Jumpin Jack +2DGH
  • FIST – First International Singalong Tournament
  • Adventure of the Bunker [german]
  • Partygames
  • Alpha 5 [german]
  • Trigon +D
  • Wizard of Wor
  • B.C. Bill +3DGH
  • A Change in the Weather – Release 6
  • Alpha 5 +1H
  • Partygames +
  • Shoot Em Up Destruction Set (Edition 2008) +2 [seuck]
  • Iridis Alpha +6DH
  • Beholder +4
  • Beholder
  • Cross Chase (Beta version Aug 2017)
  • Cross Chase Preview 2
  • Escape from New York +3T
  • Cross Chase Preview 2 +3
  • Rescuing Orc V1.0.2
  • Rescuing Orc V1.0.1
  • Beholder II
  • Beholder II +5
  • Rescuing Orc +5D
  • Summer Games I & II +D

Download: All Games in One Archive (4233)

source: csdb.dk

Hyperkin Supaboy S – RGB Svideo Hack

August 24th, 2017 10 comments
Hyperkin Supaboy S RGB-Svideo HACK

Hyperkin Supaboy S – RGB/Svideo HACK

I have decided to make this hack because the native video output of the Hyperkin Supaboy S is really bad, uses the composite video.

The photos with the LCD monitor use the SVIDEO output while the photos with the Sony CRT monitor use the RGB output.

The photos and the schematic describe very well the work that needs to be done, the hack is not complex but you always have to be makes particularly attention to the SMD (CXA 1645M) side welds.

RGB/Svideo Schematics:

Hyperkin Supaboy S RGB-Svideo HACK

Gallery of the work that was done:

durexForth v1.6.2 (Forth language for Commodore 64)

August 12th, 2017 No comments

Forth, the Language.

Forth is a different language. It’s aged and a little weird.
What’s cool about it? It’s a very low-level and minimal language without any automatic memory management. At the same time, it easily scales to become a very high-level and domain-specific language, much like Lisp. Compared to C64 Basic, Forth is more attractive in almost every way.

It is a lot more fast, memory effective and powerful. Compared to C, specifically cc65, the story is a little different. It’s hard to make a fair comparison. Theoretically Forth code can be very memory efficient, and it’s possible to make Forth code that is leaner than C code. But it is also true that cc65 code is generally much faster than Forth code.

Download: durexForth v1.6.2 (D64/CRT) + Manual (721)

source: csdb.dk

USB Stick STM32 (Gotek) HxC Floppy Emulator: Firmware v3.0.20.1a

August 8th, 2017 No comments

Jean-François DEL NERO (who’s behind the HxC SD Floppy Emulator) recently has released a version of the HxC emulator firmware that is compatible with the STM32 chip used in the Gotek floppy emulators.

This means that the great functionality of the HxC SD emulator is now available on cheaper and more widely available hardware.

The bootloader to convert the Gotek floppy drive in HxC compatible must be purchased on the website HXC 2001 by sending an email to Jean-François DEL NERO. The price of the bootloader is one-off 10 Euro per Gotek that you want to update. Future updates of the software are free and can be made from a USB stick

The HXC Usb (Gotek) firmware supports: + many more….

Release notes Firmware USB HxCFloppyEmulator v3.0.20.1a:

  • Low level I2C & LCD IO redesigned and optimized.
  • Long names are now scrolling on the LCD during floppy emulation.
  • Short name image type identification issue fixed.
  • USB “Hot plug” support fixed in autoboot/”file selector” mode.
  • Fix the config file access error when the file haven’t the archive flag set.

Download: USB Stick STM32 (Gotek) HxC Firmware v3.0.20.1a (1167)

source: hxc2001.com

USB Stick STM32 (Gotek) HxC Floppy Emulator: Firmware v3.0.19.2a

August 5th, 2017 No comments

Jean-François DEL NERO (who’s behind the HxC SD Floppy Emulator) recently has released a version of the HxC emulator firmware that is compatible with the STM32 chip used in the Gotek floppy emulators.

This means that the great functionality of the HxC SD emulator is now available on cheaper and more widely available hardware.

The bootloader to convert the Gotek floppy drive in HxC compatible must be purchased on the website HXC 2001 by sending an email to Jean-François DEL NERO. The price of the bootloader is one-off 10 Euro per Gotek that you want to update. Future updates of the software are free and can be made from a USB stick

The HXC Usb (Gotek) firmware supports: + many more….

Release notes Firmware USB HxCFloppyEmulator v3.0.19.2a:

  • New buttons behaviour and better debouncing filter. Navigation user-experience should be better now.
  • Disk Eject function : Press both buttons to eject the disk. Working in indexed, autoboot mode, and normal mode.
  • “Eject at power up” option added.
  • Support up to 999 Images in autoboot mode (with the File selector) (Use the new CFG file and selector to use this feature)
  • LCD : Display refresh improvements.
  • New CFG file format : Some new flags and no more slots/disk drive limitation.
  • Some critical parts rewritten in assembly. Huge code speed improvement -> Better HD density reliability. ED density to be tested ;).
  • Code size reduced.
  • Advanced USB mass storage cache implemented to improve read/write reliability.   (Btw : Now when track size can be stored into the SRAM, the emulator will not read forever the data from the stick but use the cached data instead).
  • IMG/ST file write support done.
  • Huge RAW (*.ADF/*.ST/*.IMG) Write performance enhancement (Write 2 tracks at once !)
  • RAW *.IMG files can be used in indexed mode : Name the files DSKA0000.IMG,DSKA0001.IMG,DSKA0002.IMG,…
  • HFE write performance enhancement.
  • “Autoboot.hfe not found” message added.
  • 7 segments display “dots” glitch fixed.
  • 128 & 256 bytes sectors support added in raw mode.
  • FM support : Write to HFE file fixed.
  • FM support : Raw (*.dsk) read/write support.
  • New File format support (WIP) : HFEv3. Can now support copy protected images converted from IPF and others similar formats !  Variable bitrate supported (CopyLock & SpeedLock). Weak/Flakey bits support to be added !
  • Fix IPF support for these games: Jim Power, Z-Out,Xenon 2,Ghosts’n Goblins,Rainbow Islands,B.A.T II  and probably some others !
  • Slot number printed on the second line during slot search with an LCD.
  • XCopy write issue fixed.
  • Sound buzzer output on the “JB” jumper position. You can connect a piezo or a magnetic buzzer (transistor needed for the magnetic version).  The sound output can be disabled or enabled into the selector settings.  (Note : Please remove these old sound mod using directly the step signal, they are producing reliability problems…)
  • Mixed track format/density write support fixed (To be tested!).

Current direct images support:

  • *.HFE (RW),*.HFE V3 (RW) (early write support), *.ADF (RW), *.ST (RW), *.IMG (RW).
      Note : HFE files is a multiplatorms floppy image format supporting many systems and disk formats.

Selector software:

  • New Bootblock for the Amiga version : The file selector is now “trackloaded” and start faster.
  • Speed up the sub-directory change/browsing.
  • Can start an image from the slot page with the F7 key.
  • The File selector is now available under Windows and Linux ! : You can now edit the list from a PC !. (Compatible with all SD/USB HxC drives !)  To launch it : HXCFEMNG -disk:[SD/USB drive letter:]  See the selector readme file for more details.  This is a new selection solution for all others machines without native file selector available.
  • Linux/Windows version : You can now import from txt file / export to txt file / auto populate / check / fix and clear your slots configuration.  Very useful for fast populating and compilations duplication ;)
  • Windows version : Fix big size (>8GB) usb stick/sd access issue.
  • populateslots option : autoboot.hfe filtered.

Converter / HxC Software:

  • WIP : HFEv3 Import/export support added. This format support copy protections (variable bitrate protections and soon weakbits protections).

Download: USB Stick STM32 (Gotek) HxC Firmware v3.0.19.2a (1318)

source: hxc2001.com