Port request: mz800em

[ptitSeb]

It emulates an old computer based on a Z80 processor.


About Direct3D, it's all done in software, so basically you get 2 to 5 fps max. Not usable, but it works.


I have added some more emus to the collection (more Sharp MZ type for now). I will try to upload them, but younmay have to wait to the end the week, I in travel and have only limited bandwith...

 

[ptitSeb]

So b_o_b, have you tried Takaeda's MZ800 ? Slow but accurate I think.


I had received some hint from a wine dev about haw to optimize sound perf, I'll try to look at it soon...

 

[b_o_b]

So b_o_b, have you tried Takaeda's MZ800 ? Slow but accurate I think.


I had received some hint from a wine dev about haw to optimize sound perf, I'll try to look at it soon...

Not yet, busy at work and study. Just checking the latest news here, but I am certainly going to spend some time this weekend to play around with the emulator and report back


Hint from a wine dev to optimize sound? Nice, starting at 5 fps that seems to be a real challenge but it would be amazing if you could make it at least a bit playable with sound.

 

[b_o_b]

1st tried the original emulator on my Ubuntu desktop with the "Willy's monitor" romset. Converted a mzf to wav with mzf2waf. Worked on Ubuntu. 

Then tried on my Pandora. Rom is accepted and runs, can start looking for a tape with "C" (IPL is looking for a program). After that you should be able to add a tape with Tape - play. But the emulator crashes at that point. 

Tried it with and without sound. 

 

[ptitSeb]

Oh ? I didn't try that (you are speaking of the Takaeda emulator, right ?). The mzf can be load directly with QDisc, so I didn't convert anything. I add that to my todo.

 

[b_o_b]

I needed to do that because it was the only 8 kb ROM I could find at that time. Did some more searching and found another rom that also had the QDisk interface 

So tested on Ubuntu and it worked (also your method with selecting mzf and then Q) 

Then on Pandora and the same problem. Trying to open a file in the menu crashes the program (it hangs). Pretty sure the ROMs I chose are now ok, because I tested on Ubuntu and it works fine with Wine. 

 

[ptitSeb]

Ah, yes. I reproduce the problem ! It seems something winlib doesn't like. Some file on readonly that it want to write :wacko:  I have to debug and repackage.

 

[b_o_b]

I am glad you can reproduce it. Was already thinking about re-installing zaxxon and the emulator to be sure I didn't mess up some setting or ini file. 
Tried the emulator with a couple of programs. Working pretty good on Ubuntu so whatever the result on the Pandora it is nice to have the emulator working on my desktop  

 

[ptitSeb]

New package in the repo. I am learning how to package winelib software. They are not really PND-friendly.

Also, I added more emulators. I have to change names of roms, because they have all the same names, I assume you are supposed to put them in defferents folders.

Maybe it should be better to left the orginal name but put each of them in a subfolder inside roms ?

Here find the names roms each one expect:

Spoiler

MZ800
=====

* MZ700IPL.ROM    - 4ko
* MZ800IPL.ROM    - 8ko
* FONT.ROM    - 4ko

MZ700
=====

* MZ700.ROM    - 4ko
* FONT700.ROM    - 4ko

MZ1500
======

* MZ1500IPL.ROM    -
* MZ1500EXT.ROM    -
* FONT1500.ROM    -

MZ1200
======

* MZ1200IPL.ROM    - 2ko
* MZ1200EXT.ROM    - 2ko

MZ80K
=====

* MZ80KIPL.ROM    -

and here is the change log:

v1.0.0.02
------------

• Corrected a pacakge bug that prevent the Emulator to show OpenFile Dialog
• Added some other emulator: MZ700, MZ1200, MZ1500, MZ80K
• Had to change rom naming from original emulator as all roms goes into same folder   (.txt in the PND to have names)

 

[b_o_b]

Tried it and indeed pretty slow and unplayable with sound, without sound it is a lot better and playable. Still not as good as gmz800em though but you already warned me about that. It has some more options, so could still be useful. And it is a technical achievement that can be used for more Windows software that is not very demanding I guess.

Is it a lot of work to PND gmz800em? If not I would appreciate a PND of gmz800em too (I think I need a PND to be able to use it with pandafe, that is now my UI). 

Whatever you decide to do next, I think you already (more than) deserved the GP2X. So a big thanks for all the hard work and PM me your details and I will send it to you. 

 

[ptitSeb]

Glad it finally worked. As you said, it's an experiment, and I hope more "windows only" software would be ported on the Pandora. I still hope more optim can be put in wine, as the sound clearly is to much resources  hungry.

About gmz800em, no problem, I'll create a PND. I may have to tweak the sources a bit, to be sure it doesn't want to write inside, get an icon (I have one already), a screenshot, and you'll have it. You will have-it soon (a day or 2) and I PM you my coordinates.

 

[ptitSeb]

Here it is. I PND'd gmz800em, and it's in the repo !

Grab-it here : http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=detail&app=gmz800em_ptitseb

It shoul be callable by pandafe, I haven't tried. tell me if it works.

 

[b_o_b]

Works with Pandafe for 800 programs thanks! Doesn't seem to work with 700 sound though...  Tried -7 -s. The sound I hear is a kind of cracking sound. 

Without sound most programs work fine though. 

 

[b_o_b]

I also tried directly from command line instead of Pandafe to be sure Pandafe wasn't the problem. Nearly the same result only can't reproduce the cracking sound. It just doesn't have any sound at all for 700 games (i.e. Nakamoto)

Tried with -s -7, -7 -s, only -s and only -7. None of them worked. 

 

[ptitSeb]

Hum... I think the modification I have done to add MZ800 sounds have broken the mz700 sound. I will alter sources, and create a gmz700em, and add that to PND if I can't get sound of mz700 back...

 

[b_o_b]

Nice. A separate gmz700em PND would even be better for me. I was already wondering how to create different arguments in Pandafe per program. Not sure if that is even possible in Pandafe. 

A different program for MZ700 programs solves that. 

 

[ptitSeb]

Ok, I'll do a separate gmz700em PND ! Easier for me to. I start again with a fresh copy of mz800, then add back the modifications for disc loading and things like that, but not adding the PSG sound emul.

 

[ptitSeb]

It's done, there is now a gmz700em PND.

It is not gmz800em with forced mz700 mode, it is a new binary. In fact, it is the original mz800em (so without the PSG on mz800 mode), that is forced on mz700 mode (and I changed, ther is a -8 command line switch to goin mz800 mode).

There is sound now, I tested in Nakamura (hum, you are sure you really want sound   , remind my of earlier PC games with buzzer, as it looks like it's kind of same capabilities).

Also, I tried to tweak gmz800em to improve Dizzy6, but no luck. This particular game as a good soundtrack on mz800, and look like a good game, but it randomly reset itself on gmz800em. It seems it plays fine (but without sound),on gmz700em. That puzzle me.

 

[b_o_b]

Just tried it and works like a charm. Can start the MZ700 and MZ800 programs from Pandafe now. Sound of Nakamoto is just like the original amazing(ly bad)  

Thanks again!

Bounty well deserved, hope you will enjoy the modded GP2X. Bacteria was the main person doing hardware mods in that time. This one is basically a piece of GP2X history. 

 

[ptitSeb]

Hey !

I received the GP2x !!!

Here is a (bad) picture of it.

It's a nice console, thank you again !