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New upload: COMMANDER X16 ROM FLASH UTILITY

Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2022 9:28 am
by svenvandevelde



COMMANDER X16 ROM FLASH UTILITY




View File






Please find below a new ROM flash utility that we ( @Wavicle and myself ) have created in preparation for the CX16 production release.

When you have the CX16 actual hardware, then this utility is to be used to update your CX16 ROM with a newly released ROM.BIN file, once such become available.

However, for those curious to try, you can run this tool on your emulator. Just deploy the PRG file and a newly ROM.BIN file onto an SD card image.

Start the emulator with the SD card image option, and load the CX16-ROM-FLASH.PRG, and run the program.



You'll see the flashing procedure in action, first loading the ROM.BIN completely into the internal memory first, and it will wait for a key press from the user.

Once you press the key, the ROM will be flashed. Once the ROM flashing process is completed, the CX16 will reset.

(Not sure that after reset, the rom will have the latest image then in the emulator, but it's worth to try ...).

This is the first release of this, and further release will be made. Also this tool will like make its way to the official production software stack.

The execution of this program, on official CX16 hardware, confirmed that the ROM upgrade process is feasible and that the ROMs are upgradable.

 






 

New upload: COMMANDER X16 ROM FLASH UTILITY

Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2022 1:15 pm
by Fabio

upgradable ROM ? inside The CX16? ?

How does it work? if you write in the ROM area do you overwrite the flash?


New upload: COMMANDER X16 ROM FLASH UTILITY

Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2022 1:17 pm
by JimmyDansbo


On 10/18/2022 at 3:15 PM, Fabio said:




How does it work? if you write in the ROM area do you overwrite the flash?



You need to write a special unlock sequence before you are actually allowed to overwrite anything in the ROM


New upload: COMMANDER X16 ROM FLASH UTILITY

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2022 7:51 am
by Wavicle

The PCB also has a jumper that must be closed to enable ROM writes - just in case some poorly behaved (hopefully not malicious!) software sends random writes to the ROM that just happen to be an unlock sequence and a byte write.


New upload: COMMANDER X16 ROM FLASH UTILITY

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 5:22 pm
by svenvandevelde

Please find here the first batch of documentation what this utility does. It is still work in progress...

https://flightcontrol-user.github.io/cx16_flash/html/

 

Sven

 

 


New upload: COMMANDER X16 ROM FLASH UTILITY

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2022 4:35 pm
by Fabio


On 10/19/2022 at 9:51 AM, Wavicle said:




The PCB also has a jumper that must be closed to enable ROM writes - just in case some poorly behaved (hopefully not malicious!) software sends random writes to the ROM that just happen to be an unlock sequence and a byte write.



That was exactly what i was about to suggest!?


New upload: COMMANDER X16 ROM FLASH UTILITY

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2022 3:13 am
by Strider


On 10/20/2022 at 12:22 PM, svenvandevelde said:




Please find here the first batch of documentation what this utility does. It is still work in progress...



https://flightcontrol-user.github.io/cx16_flash/html/



 



Sven



Just an FYI, the link returns a 404. ?


New upload: COMMANDER X16 ROM FLASH UTILITY

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2022 4:46 pm
by svenvandevelde


On 10/26/2022 at 5:13 AM, Strider said:




Just an FYI, the link returns a 404. ?



Sorry, I corrected the link here:

Commander X16 ROM Flash Utility: cx16-rom-flash.c (flightcontrol-user.github.io)