The Big MegaFlashROM SCC+ SD Topic

Paladin (747)

22-02-2016, 22:10

Guillian wrote:

Yes, MFR SD can be configured with 1 or 2 SD card slots, and with or without 512K RAM.
The cartridge works as a slot expander with different devices connected (recovery, MFR SCC+, 512K RAM, Nextor/SD interface)

Thanks for replying and kudos for this great product!

Por giuseve

Paladin (813)

05-03-2016, 14:21

@Guillian

is possible to DUMP all the megaflashromsccSD512K and the content of the SD ?
My problem is that most of times I can't take out my MSX from the box, but I would keep on work on it.
I 'd like to
- DUMP all my MFRSCCSD to get the same configuration on blue msx
- Make a R/W Image or folder of My SD but usable with bluemsx
- Use BLUEMSX and keeping to work on both of them as it is my real MSX (an NMS8245 with V9958)

Finally, when baby Sofia will let me in the future the freetime to unbox my real MSX again, an easy way to update my real MFRSCCSD and the Sd with all the updates I made with BlueMSX
For SD I would use SyncBack to keep a PC folder syncronized with the SD, but I don't know how to use this FOLDER as an HDD on bluemsx, for example.

Any suggestion?
Regards !!

Por Wild_Penguin

Hero (644)

05-03-2016, 15:20

(I'm answering although I'm not Guillian )

I think the MFRSCC+SD configuration can be divided into two parts:

Contents of the ROM
Contents of the SD-card.

I have never emulated an MFRSCC+SD - and actually never used BlueMSX. But:

1) All the ROM images on the MFRSCC+SD can be downloaded from msxcartridgeshop. I'd just make sure I'm using the same versions on both (the emulated and real MFRSCC+SD). You need to do this (reflashing) only once, and update only if you ever upgrade the firmware on the MFRSCC+SD.
1.2) For Games and other disk(s) and / or ROMs installed on the flash part, I'd make notes of what I have flashed, and just reflash whichever one (emulated or real) is outdated.

You probably don't want to dump the ROMs out of your real MSX, since the above approach is easier IMO. *But* saverom.com or some of the similar tools might be able to read them flashROM portions back (but, I'm not sure it will be in a format that is usable in BlueMSX - or via opfxsd utility). I think opfxsd has no way of dumping the contents ATM (the author might want to comment) built in. I was able to dump the rom disk, however - with savedsk.com.

2. The contents of the SD card might be tricker. Since I use Linux, I know how I would go about this: First I'd find out what image format my emulator uses (OpenMSX in my case) for the emulated SD card of the emulated MFRSCC+SD. Then I'd make the required images of the real SD card (dd if=/dev/sdX or /dev/sdX[ABCD], depending on if it wants a partition or a whole SD card image). After figuring how to make the images, the same process can be used to write them back to the SDcard - and read back, whhenever needed.

Something like Daemon Tools can help with doing the image writing stuff on Windows.

The above approach somehow seems more simpler and less error prone than using a dir-as-adisk, so I'd forget the latter approach, but YMMV. Dir-as-a-disk can work, but probably the MFRSCC+SD emulation doesn't even know how to use that (IDE emulation can, but then you are not having the same configuration on your real MSX and the emulated MSX). In case it doesn't really matter if you have the exact same configuration, the dir-as-a-disk might work fine (or, if it can somehow be mapped to an emulated MFRSCC+SDs SDcard partition). And - in this configuration - you do not need to write the whole image of the SD card (partition) every time something has changed - only the changed files. It's just that with the huge HDs these days on PCs, writing an image file should not take more than a few minutes (even with a few gigabytes of stuff on the MSX). Also with the image approach, you can be 100% sure the systems are "in sync".

Note: I have no experience with BlueMSX. But hope this helps in any case =)

Por mars2000you

Enlighted (6556)

05-03-2016, 15:32

MegaFlashROM SCC+ SD is not emulated in blueMSX (only MegaFlashROM SCC+ without SD is emulated in some betas).

So, the question of guiseve is actually in 3 parts:

a) how to save the contents of a real MegaFlashROM SCC+ SD ?
b) how to transfert that on a hdd image (that can be used in blueMSX with the Sunrise IDE) ?
c) how to transfert the contents of this hdd image to the real MegaFlashROM SCC+ SD ?

Besides, the dir-as-dsk feature in blueMSX is only in reading mode and emulates only a virtual DOS1 formatted disk (maximum 720 kb without not forgetting the space required for the boot and fat sectors).

Por giuseve

Paladin (813)

05-03-2016, 15:49

Oh my gosh !!!
And what about using OPENMSX ??? Does it emulate MFRSCCSD512K good?

My questions are:

0) Is there an emulator that emulates COMPLETELY MFRSCCSD512K? MaybeOpenMSX?
a) how to DUMP the contents of a real MegaFlashROM SCC+ SD CART to keep on using it as-it-is-now on an emulator? (for example I unistalled the romdisk, for example my CART has the readback Patch. I'd like to emulate all these without loosing something or starting again all the configuration)
b) how to transfert THE SD CONTENTS on a hdd image/folder (that can be used in emulator AS THE SD of MFRSCCSD and not as an IDE device) ?
c) how to transfert the contents of this hdd image/folder BACK TO THE SD of the real MegaFlashROM SCC+ SD ?

Por Wild_Penguin

Hero (644)

05-03-2016, 17:16

giuseve wrote:

0) Is there an emulator that emulates COMPLETELY MFRSCCSD512K? MaybeOpenMSX?

Haven't tested yet (all the features) - but it seems it does! (I've been thinking about doing something similar as you are, just because sometimes it can be easier to test things on an emulator than on the real thing). I'm not sure the shipped hardwareconfig.xml does not enable 512kb memory mapper, but I think that can be easily added, if it is not enabled.

giuseve wrote:

a) how to DUMP the contents of a real MegaFlashROM SCC+ SD CART to keep on using it as-it-is-now on an emulator? (for example I unistalled the romdisk, for example my CART has the readback Patch. I'd like to emulate all these without loosing something or starting again all the configuration)

I think I already explained this on my previous post. Just re-flash it (on the emulator). There are instructions on how to do this - and it has been asked before. Exact instructions depend on the emulator you are using, but you need some other emulated mass storage drive to store the files to flash the emulated MFRSCC+SD.

giuseve wrote:

b) how to transfert THE SD CONTENTS on a hdd image/folder (that can be used in emulator AS THE SD of MFRSCCSD and not as an IDE device) ?

I tried to answer to this, too. It seems OpenMSX is expecting whole imagese of the SD cards. EDIT: Removed the xml quote, since the code blocks of this forum don't like XML. (also, this is the only sensible way I can think of how this could be emulated).

So, for OpenMSX it would be as simple as:

dd if=/dev/sdX of=SDcard1.sdc

It seems. On Windows, there's bound to be a lot of utilites that can do this. I think DaemonTools? EDIT:Quick Google Search brings up this tool which, I believe, will fill your needs (I'm assuming you are using Windows).

Haven't tried this on OpenMSX, yet.

giuseve wrote:

c) how to transfert the contents of this hdd image/folder BACK TO THE SD of the real MegaFlashROM SCC+ SD ?

You do whatever you did for the previous question, in reverse. First set up your emulated MegaFlashRomSCC+SD - or an IDE drive + a plain MFRSCC+, if you want to use an emulator that can not emulate MFRSCC+SD. Only after that can this be answered, since it depends on your setup.

Por Wild_Penguin

Hero (644)

05-03-2016, 22:40

I have a question myself, too: How to detect from msx-dos, which slot the MFRSCC+SD is insterted in?

I have created a batch file that will map my drives according to the partitions on the SD card. But I think my 1st slot has some slight problems. Sometimes I want to use the other, and the mapdrv command needs to be changed according to the slot...

So this is just for automation / writing a batch file, I know how to map the drives manually...

Cheers!

p.s. I may need to re-solder a new slot for my NMS-8255

Por meits

Scribe (6571)

05-03-2016, 23:00

I've run into the same problem quite long ago. Therefore I made myself a batchfile which takes care of it for me...
However I've to take a side step to basic for that.

This might give you some help... It takes care of the mapping and lots of other things...

Por meits

Scribe (6571)

05-03-2016, 23:11

Oh, might I add that this turned out to only work if you have two µSD cards inserted...
Having "just" one will generate errors... Haven't investigated it...
But I'm sure you'll find your way with this little piece of text

Por Wild_Penguin

Hero (644)

06-03-2016, 00:21

Thanks Meits! I took a look of your page and I will try it on my MFRSCC+SD. Automation is always better than this code snippet I came up after posting my question:

inkey AnnaSlotti %%M
echo you input %M%

mapdrv C: 2 2 %M%-3
mapdrv D: 3 2 %M%-3
mapdrv E: 4 2 %M%-3