Raven. A homemade Atari-like computer

[agranlund]

And it says:

It looks like some bytes have gone missing, the size should be 512Kb.
This is a stupid question, but just to rule it out. You typed P and then <enter> before sending the file right? :)

The whole thing is extremely simplistic and there are no fancy protocols involved, it's a direct USB connection after all.
After it has gotten the initial block of data it goes like this in an infinite loop:
<program block of data>
<get new block of data>

if at any point <get new block of data> times out it assumes the host had nothing more to send and that the transfer must be complete.
I wonder if that was what happened and perhaps the end-of-transfer timeout should be made longer. It looks like I have it at 2 seconds.
Or maybe other terminal programs assume some kind of echo? I have only tested with CoolTerm but I could give some other ones a go too.

Update: I checked also with the program simply called "Serial" and it worked fine here too. It asked about file transfer protocol when sending the file and I picked "RAW", not XModem, YModem or any of the other WhateverModems :)


This is the output here, and then how it looks at location $0 (start of Raven bios) and $40000 (start of TOS)

Screenshot 2024-07-28 at 16.21.47.png

[agranlund]

I don't know if it's because I'm running Windows in a virtual machine or not but I did not have any luck with neither TeraTerm nor RealTerm, both of them resulted in the wrong amount of bytes sent.
The more probable explanation is that the programmer software is not compatible with some terminal programs.

CoolTerm for Windows did work fine though (on Windows10 running inside a virtual machine)
I had to go into the connection options and change "Enter Key Emulation" to CR instead of CR+LF for the programmer software to recognise any of the commands but after that it worked fine and it transmitted the correct number of bytes.

When you have a progress bar, you should see slowish progress for the first few percent when there is actual data to flash (the small raven bios part).
Then a pretty quick burst where the host is now just sending as fast as it can - this part is "empty" in the file, just filled with $FF which the programmer does not spend time flashing to rom ($FF is already the default state of all bytes after an erase)
At around the halfway point, where TOS data starts in the file, the speed goes down again because it is again being limited by rom flashing speeds and this continues until the end.

Screenshot 2024-07-28 at 18.10.42.png

[Oldskool]

OK thanks.
Indeed seems that some terminal programs are not compatible.
Tried it again with cooltherm:

Press p:

Select file:

Schermafbeelding 2024-07-28 190954.png

And:

Schermafbeelding 2024-07-28 190907.png

Although the values are a bit different compared with your picture… Or is the example based on another version.
Tried with win 10 and 11. Same results

[agranlund]

Although the values are a bit different compared with your picture… Or is the example based on another version.
Tried with win 10 and 11. Same results

Probably just different versions of things, mine where from rom compiled recently and I probably have local changes.
At at glance, the screenshots you posted does look correct :)

[Atarian Computing]

Very kind, thank you! I'm fairly comfortable around software that speaks to hardware, but when it comes to making the hardware side I'm just a happy amateur.

There is a way to become immortal, btw. A M68K series of computers, that went all the way to 68040 have never been able to upgrade to 68060. I'm referring to my second love, the Apple Macintosh lineup. There have been light-hearted efforts, but none successful. Apparently, it's a matter of tweaking the ROMs but none have made any meaningful attempt afaik. So, if you're bored and need a M68K challenge... :D I can provide a 68040 machine free-of-charge.

Speaking of Macs, I really do love the quirkiness of the Raven's RAM, reminds me of the Mac II FX.

[agranlund]

There is a way to become immortal, btw. A M68K series of computers, that went all the way to 68040 have never been able to upgrade to 68060. I'm referring to my second love, the Apple Macintosh lineup. There have been light-hearted efforts, but none successful. Apparently, it's a matter of tweaking the ROMs but none have made any meaningful attempt afaik. So, if you're bored and need a M68K challenge... :D I can provide a 68040 machine free-of-charge.

I’m guessing one could likely use an existing Amiga 040-060 adapter, or some modification of one to achieve a different cpu/bus clock ratio.

Then somehow modify the ROM to put the Motorola 060 support package in place for emulating the removed instructions.
Probably much easier said than done, and maybe more smaller things needs to be fixed too? Perhaps no-one thought it was worth the effort with PPC things being available and much faster anyway?

I don’t have enough of a nostalgic connection to older Macs for the time investment needed but I won’t deny a Quadra700 with 060 @ 100mhz and quarter-speed bus would be quite neat.
Heck, even a stock one but so thinks everyone else too who saw Jurrasic Park :)

[mikro]

Probably much easier said than done, and maybe more smaller things needs to be fixed too?

Considering how (relatively) easy was to adapt TOS/MagiC/FreeMiNT from 030 to 060, a transition from OS which already supports 040 must be much, much easier. You can even start 060 in some sort of 040-compatible mode.

Perhaps the Mac community isn't so big / hardware oriented.

[Steve]

Perhaps the Mac community isn't so big / hardware oriented.

I think what the Mac community became was exactly Steve Jobs vision. A bunch of users who don't know what's under the hood.

Reminds me of the time I owned an 840AV. I got rid of it really quickly (even though it's the more sought after Motorola Mac) because I quickly found out that nobody, in all the years that computer had existed, had written anything to take advantage of its duel DSPs. Not even an MP3 player.

Anyway I quickly realised it had no intrinsic value above any other kind of 040 Mac (besides being the quicker by a hairs margin) and got rid of it. I'm not a 'collector' in that sense. I only want useful things.

[Oldskool]

All these talk on 060 and Mac…
Does BasiliskII work on Raven?

[coonsgm]

I have a fair number of 68k and PPC Mac's (but am not really into tweaking them like Atari's) and my guess is that the upgrade path are PPC cards for the latter end of the 68k computers.

It could also be that the Amiga's and Atari's reached their dead-ends with crazy people like us trying to extend life further while Mac's had a natural and commercial extension.