REV 3 - REV 5 - The beginning (ST536)

Post by **exxos** » Thu Dec 04, 2025 8:49 pm

Experimented with enabling ST RAM cache (whether or not this is a good idea or not I don't know, but I did it anyway

)

Before and after.

: IMG_4113.JPG (426.86 KiB) Viewed 133 times

: IMG_4112.JPG (369.14 KiB) Viewed 133 times

Frontbench gives 2992 frames without cache, with cache gives 3039 frames.

Post by **PhilC** » Thu Dec 04, 2025 9:01 pm

@exxos @Badwolf I didn't reformat the card. I wrote a backup image on yo a new card. One from China buy a different brand. Same IDE driver, partition sizes etc, just a different CF card.

Post by **exxos** » Thu Dec 04, 2025 9:07 pm

PhilC wrote: Thu Dec 04, 2025 9:01 pm @exxos @Badwolf I didn't reformat the card. I wrote a backup image on yo a new card. One from China buy a different brand. Same IDE driver, partition sizes etc, just a different CF card.

What CF card was malfunctioning exactly then ?

Can you verify the backup image you took against the bad CF card ?

coonsgm · Post by **coonsgm** » Thu Dec 04, 2025 9:45 pm

I'm running a slightly different version of the Beta5 firmware, but it's working fantastic so far. YAART TT Ram test made it through 7 passes before I stopped to run Gembench here. Now just running Frontbench on loop.

: IMG_3918.jpeg (278.2 KiB) Viewed 120 times

Post by **exxos** » Thu Dec 04, 2025 9:47 pm

coonsgm wrote: Thu Dec 04, 2025 9:45 pm I'm running a slightly different version of the Beta5 firmware, but it's working fantastic so far. YAART TT Ram test made it through 7 passes before I stopped to run Gembench here. Now just running Frontbench on loop.

I put the Alliance SDRAM firmware on the website as well, seems to need slightly slower timings than the winbond I have been using. So your scores are slightly less than expected but not a huge difference than norm

being stable is the key thing at this point anyway

coonsgm · Post by **coonsgm** » Thu Dec 04, 2025 9:50 pm

Working in both my newest H5 and a Mega ST.

Post by **exxos** » Thu Dec 04, 2025 9:52 pm

coonsgm wrote: Thu Dec 04, 2025 9:50 pm Working in both my newest H5 and a Mega ST.

coonsgm · Post by **coonsgm** » Fri Dec 05, 2025 2:52 am

Copied over 1gb of files from an ultrasatan connected to the ACSI to the internal IDE. No issues.

Day of the Tentacle runs great

: IMG_3925.jpeg (280.53 KiB) Viewed 93 times

Grind / Dread runs wonderfully

: IMG_3926.jpeg (291.87 KiB) Viewed 93 times

STDoom also runs just fine as well - at a playable framerate

: IMG_3927.jpeg (330.86 KiB) Viewed 93 times

Badwolf · Post by **Badwolf** » Fri Dec 05, 2025 9:37 am

PhilC wrote: Thu Dec 04, 2025 9:01 pm @exxos @Badwolf I didn't reformat the card. I wrote a backup image on yo a new card. One from China buy a different brand. Same IDE driver, partition sizes etc, just a different CF card.

Aha! So possibly incompatiblity with the card. That ties in with what @exxos found with one of mine.

BW

Post by **exxos** » Fri Dec 05, 2025 11:33 am

coonsgm wrote: Fri Dec 05, 2025 2:52 am Copied over 1gb of files from an ultrasatan connected to the ACSI to the internal IDE. No issues.

Good to know. I haven't even tested a ultrasatan yet..

Day of the Tentacle runs great
Grind / Dread runs wonderfully
STDoom also runs just fine as well - at a playable framerate

Nice!

I'm doing a little patch board.. Just as a tapped delay line, so I can fiddle with that clock a little bit more..
I'm tempted to put a buffer on the CPU clock as well.. its not helping matters exactly either.

: IMG_4060.JPG (68.59 KiB) Viewed 72 times

REV 3 - REV 5 - The beginning (ST536)

Re: REV 3 - REV 5 - The beginning (ST536)

Re: REV 3 - REV 5 - The beginning (ST536)

Re: REV 3 - REV 5 - The beginning (ST536)

Re: REV 3 - REV 5 - The beginning (ST536)

Re: REV 3 - REV 5 - The beginning (ST536)

Re: REV 3 - REV 5 - The beginning (ST536)

Re: REV 3 - REV 5 - The beginning (ST536)

Re: REV 3 - REV 5 - The beginning (ST536)

Re: REV 3 - REV 5 - The beginning (ST536)

Re: REV 3 - REV 5 - The beginning (ST536)