ST536 TEST PROGRAMS (9 Nov 2026)
================================

Four test programs for the ST536 68030 accelerator. Run them from the
desktop in medium or high resolution (80 columns). Esc stops the ones that
run until stopped and shows a summary. Each one needs a 68030.

Do a cold boot first (power off for 10 seconds or more).

Kit ST536_KIT.zip, 9 Nov 2026: IDETEST.PRG, BUSTEST.PRG, TTDIAG.PRG,
ROMSOAK.PRG and this README.TXT. If in doubt which version you have, use the
files from the newest kit.


IDETEST.PRG - IDE drive stress test
-----------------------------------
What it does: writes, reads back and checks test files on an IDE partition.
12 small files of awkward sizes plus one large file of up to 200MB, then
random reads from them, then deletes them all. Every long in every file is
different, so a misread can not pass.
How to use: pick the drive (it suggests the IDE partition with the most free
space) and the number of passes (1-9, default 5).
Time: about 25 minutes for 5 passes.
Writes: IDETST00.DAT to IDETST12.DAT on the chosen drive, deleted at the end
of every pass.
Look for: "ALL OK" at the end. Any error is listed with the file, offset and
the data read.


BUSTEST.PRG - ST RAM / TT-RAM copy test
---------------------------------------
What it does: copies data between ST RAM and TT-RAM in both directions
(plus ST to ST and TT to TT as controls) with long, word, byte, movem and
misaligned copies and 10 patterns, and checks every byte. Every pass runs
with the caches as found and then with the 68030 caches off.
How to use: run it and leave it. Runs until Esc.
Time: at least half an hour; longer is better.
Writes: only into memory it allocates for itself.
Look for: one character per copy mode, "." ok, "X" error. If only the
ST->TT and TT->ST copies fail, suspect the changeover between the ST bus and
TT-RAM rather than the RAM itself.


TTDIAG.PRG - TT-RAM diagnostic
------------------------------
What it does: tests TT-RAM and, if something is wrong, works out which
signal it is and gives the PLD pin number and the pins next to it.
  1 bus error scan (reads only)
  2 ST RAM alias check (do TT-RAM writes land in ST RAM? A24/A25/A26)
  3 data lines D0-D31 and the byte lanes
  4 address lines A2-A25
  5 size (only when TOS has not registered TT-RAM)
  6 five memory tests over the whole range
If TOS has TT-RAM registered, only the largest free TT-RAM block is tested
(a warning says so). If not, the whole 60MB is tested.
Time: a few minutes (not yet timed on real hardware).
Writes: only TT-RAM (never at or above $04C00000), plus TTDIAG.TXT, the full
report, in the current folder.
Look for: "RESULT: NO FAULTS FOUND". Otherwise the DIAGNOSIS section names the
line and pin, for example "A<24> (P113, next to P112 A<25> and P114 GND)".
Check for a bridge with a meter between the two neighbouring pins, not end
to end along the track.


ROMSOAK.PRG - TOS ROM copy soak test
------------------------------------
What it does: TOS is copied from the ROM chips into TT-RAM (SDRAM) at boot
and runs from there. This reads the running TOS over and over and checks it
against a reference, through both ways the PLD reaches the copy ($E00000 and
$04F00000), including tests that make the SDRAM switch rows on almost every
read. Each pass runs with the data cache off and then on.
How to use: for the best check, copy TOS.IMG (the 256KB image that is in the
ROM chips) into the same folder first. Without it, the first read of TOS is
used as the reference. Then leave it running; it runs until Esc.
Time: leave it for hours. A pass takes about a second.
Writes: nothing in TOS; only ROMSOAK.TXT, the report, in the current folder.
Look for: "RESULT: NO ERRORS". Errors are listed as they happen. An error that
equals "the value of the read before it" or "ROM data from the address with
A<n> flipped" means data came from the wrong SDRAM row or column, pointing at
the address decode in the PLD rather than the stored copy. Other errors are
counted per data bit and direction (read 0 where 1 was expected, or read 1
where 0 was). If a bit only ever fails low, the line is held low or is too
slow to rise; if it only ever fails high, it is held high or slow to fall.


Reports
-------
TTDIAG and ROMSOAK save their report as a .TXT file in the folder they were
run from. Please post the report or a photo of the summary screen.
