The subject gets back here from time to time.
But on Xagon's Board they wrote about some problems with Sprinter/Spectrum compatibility.
So here is my question - what is Sprinters' compatibility with old Speccy? Less than 98%?
I think every demo from Pentagon should work and look on Sprinter's Pentagon-Mode exactly like on original machine.
Factor6 wrote that it's not true.
What is true then?

Best regards.

i was curious about this. i tried many different demos and they all work good (speaking about pentagon demos). demos for original speccy can have bad multicolours sometime.

what demos doesn't work?

Someone asked about it on the Board. I will wait for answers.

Someone asked about it on the Board. I will wait for answers.

Yeah, i heard one demo that was hard to run was "power up/extreme"

It has a part with trackloaded animation that freezes the demo when i tried it on Sprinter with pentagon128. Maybe though you need to format the disk in some special way??

Also "Condomed/E-Mage" now bugs at the multicolour parts, in that the screen is just black but demo continues. But i _WAS_ able to see the multicolour parts once! i think it was in pent128 mode. However the same part had wrongly timed multicolour, but still better than black screen..
Does anyone know which model this demo is timed for? i tried it on emulators on pc that usually give good multicolor, but this demo didn't work for either scorpion nor pentagon...

So for now we know only this:

">Which of demos? Which mode of Spectrum Configuration did you use?
Uff, this was about one year ago. I don't remember exact demos.
What I can remember, one demo didn't run at all, second demo had
distorted gfx and the third demo freezed after 2 minutes of running.
I'm sure that I used Pentagon 128k configuration."

Yeah, i heard one demo that was hard to run was "power up/extreme"
It has a part with trackloaded animation that freezes the demo when i tried it on Sprinter with pentagon128. Maybe though you need to format the disk in some special way??

Yes, this demo works on Sprinter not perfectly. Near the end of the demonstration it freezes during the loading from diskette.
Demo is available in TRD file which include TR-DOS disk with not standard format. Spectrum Navigator warns us about it, for example.
All Spectrum modes of Sprinter works with FDD through #3D13 only. We should copy all files of the demo to the TR-DOS diskette, which has a standard format, certainly. May be, it is cause of the problem.

Also "Condomed/E-Mage" now bugs at the multicolour parts, in that the screen is just black but demo continues. But i _WAS_ able to see the multicolour parts once!

Yes, this demo runs not stably in multicolour parts. We will try to test it on the "real" Pentagon 128.

Thank you very much for the information. We need it always.



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So for now we know only this:

Not so right, we have a problem (probably) which can be solved if anything needs it.
Quoted opinion not so informed, for example. It's a pity.

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>Quoted opinion not so informed

yes, I didn't notice Lai's statement.
Ok then, now you know much more informations thanks to him.

<about POWER UP>
>We should copy all files of the demo to the TR-DOS diskette,
>which has a standard format, certainly.
>May be, it is cause of the problem.

Well, I will check it out, but it it's a *real* trackmo, which reads
disk-sectors, it will not work on
any Speccy after the operation you mentioned. :(

Well! Real track-mo needs real FLOPPY! Use AMD copy or SN 1.14(beta(because it has unique tr-dos writng system)) to copy TRD to real floppy. Secondly the word real pentagon computer was produced only by one firm in russian called solon, and only the smallest part of all pentagons were produced by Solon. In the west of ex-USSR they used some other clones, which were upraded to Pentagon. For example rst7^Code_Busters used ZXS+2 which was upgraded to Pentagon.In the middle of the 90s the number of pentagon clones incresed(Tashkent(Pentagon clone which was produced in the south of ex-Ussr),Doneck (Pentagon clone which is still producedin the east of Ukraine), there were even remakes of Scorpion to make them morelike pentagon(like X-trade group used pents which were like scorps))! My friend Lenin(the author of pent emulator for Linux(glukalka.sf.net) had three different "Pentagon like machines" and multicolor did not work on them! HEck even on CC demoparty Copper_Feet brought his pent and allmost all demos did not wrok from the first time. Even original Pentagon could have three different interrupt formiration blocks! Remmember pentagon is not oly Pentagin specific API! It also have special ports like #7FFD! And last but not least there is machine called pentagon+2 and some progs did not work on it!

Additional can found here:http://zrm.chat.ru/!
And here:http://zrm.chat.ru/int.htm (three different in formiration blocks)

Cr0acker:
>Use AMD copy or SN 1.14(beta(because it has
>unique tr-dos writng system)) to copy TRD to real floppy.

Which of them works with 3,5" disks? AMD or SN?
Can I format 3,5" disk on PC to TR-DOS? And then copy TRD
image to the disk (all operations on PC)?

Like I understood, floppy-disk of Sprinter can read
TR-DOS diskettes without any problems..?????????

May I answer?

Like I understood, floppy-disk of Sprinter can read
TR-DOS diskettes without any problems..?????????

Yes, Sprinter read 5,25' (720K) and 3,5" (720K) diskettes without any problems.


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Thx.
And what PC program can handle 3,5" diskettes? (a:/ drive)

????

First you have to take a clean diskette reboot to MS-DOS, and formnat if(dikette) using hobeta format. Then you must take a sticiki tape and cover the hole id the disketee(by this operation you will tell your PC floppy drive that this disk would be used as 1.2Mb floppy). Then use Spectrum Navigator to upload *.trd image to real floppy!

Format it to 720Kb? On normal PC?

Well 1.44Mb drive can read and write 1.2Mb disks and 720Kb disks( which are 800Kb disks under TR-DOS). You have to tel the floppy drive the of the disk! You can do this by putin sticky tape over the hole in the disk!

You have to do that in MS DOS mode as I don't think the latest Windows versions still support formating of 720 kb disks... the command line is "format a: /n:9/t:80" if I remember correctly.
If you want to format HD disks in 720kb, you have to cover the right hole with adhesive tape as Croaker said...

ok, let's recapitulate.

I format PC disk on PC comp. I formate it as 720Kb. That's not a problem for me.

Later I use AMD or SN to copy TR-DOS disk (as TRD image) to second one TR-DOS disk (which is my 720 disk).

And the result-disk will work with beta-disk-drive?

You should format disk not with formay command in ms-dos! You should format it with Hobeta Format!

And what PC program can handle 3,5" diskettes? (a:/ drive)

AMD Copier by Paul Pavlov

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All this things are possible to make without a PC ? Only with Sprinter is possible ?Then is possible execute all this problematics things with a Sprinter computer ?And only using the Sprinter computer ?Is possible execute programs such as pentagon demos without problems on Spinter without need a PC ?Sprinter can read and write floppy sectors, no ?on amiga exist dms, raw... dic ( whdload ) and moreand on Sprinter ? raw ? trd ? standard spectrum emulators ? ( z80? tzx tap...)Is possible make the spectrum compatibility mode such as the very good whdload ((a program for amiga for use old games and install it on hd, and programs... ) is necesary reboot the sprinter computer for change the mode ? with whdload isnt necesary, you execute the game, you exit, and... all are equal !! your windows, icons, programs... are equal...Please make Sprinter a independient computer, without need a pc for use it... could be very good add things such as... (s)vga, internet ( ethernet, internet prorams suite...), MSX compatibility... TurboR compatibility could be added with a card on Sprinter with a processor emulating a R800 or a R800 ( is possible get the r800 or a compatible if it in the market ? )Sprinter... the next generation computers... get a computer, get all !!Sprinter is a rare computer... yes... the better computer on the galaxy !!!SPRINTER RULEZ

All this things are possible to make without a PC ? Only with Sprinter is possible ?Then is possible execute all this problematics things with a Sprinter computer ?And only using the Sprinter computer ?

Yes, Sprinter can work as real Spectrum if you ask about it.

Is possible execute programs such as pentagon demos without problems on Spinter without need a PC ?

Yes, certainly. We discussed a problem with launching some demos from RAM-Disks. Sprinter's RAM-Disks not support direct control of FDD controller. You should copy such demos to real TR-DOS disks.

Sprinter can read and write floppy sectors, no ?

Sectors of floppy disk? Yes.

on amiga exist dms, raw... dic ( whdload ) and moreand on Sprinter ? raw ? trd ? standard spectrum emulators ? ( z80? tzx tap...)

Sprinter computer not need any Spectrum emulators. Sprinter in the Spectrum Configuration is a real Spectrum.
Sprinter has full Z80 compatible CPU (Z84C15) and a real FDD controller (VG93) chip. Other hardware are changing every time when you use Spectrum software. By two ways. You can switch Sprinter to the any possible Spectrum mode of Spectrum Configuration and use Sprinter as friendly Spectrum. Also you can launch any TRD file from Sprinter Configuration. Other formats (SCL and TAP) can be supported in the not far future.

Is possible make the spectrum compatibility mode such as the very good whdload ((a program for amiga for use old games and install it on hd, and programs... )

Sprinter has Spectrum Launcher for launching spectrum software in TRD files and for creation of user's Spectrum modes.

is necesary reboot the sprinter computer for change the mode ?

No.

Please make Sprinter a independient computer, without need a pc for use it... could be very good add things such as... (s)vga, internet ( ethernet, internet prorams suite...), MSX compatibility...

Yes, and flexibility of Sprinter's hardware allow to create powerful support for helpful software.
What else?
VGA convertor will be available next month.
Developer tools are creating so active as it is possible.
Operating system is progressing every month.
Capability of the Accelerator will be extended next version.
So, we need more programmers for business cooperation.







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