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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: LoadWB on September 22, 2007, 05:55:59 AM

Title: MegaMidget Racer RAM (RESOLVED)
Post by: LoadWB on September 22, 2007, 05:55:59 AM

I have dug up a working MegaMidget Racer with what appears to be 4MB of RAM on the board.  The boot floppy for the device I got from Installer's Heaven does not config the RAM, and I believe there is a program missing.

Does anyone have any experience with this device?

Also -- and this is going to sound dumb as hell but I've never had to do this in all the years I've used the Amiga -- isn't there a command to write a boot block to the floppy to make it bootable?  I thought it was "relabel" but I'm apparently wrong.  And my books are still packed, and Google is NOT my friend in this case.

Title: Re: MegaMidget Racer RAM (and a dumb question)
Post by: doctorq on September 22, 2007, 06:01:10 AM

I can only help you with the bootable disk... the command you are looking for is called Install. Install df0: will make the disk in df0: a bootable disk.

Title: Re: MegaMidget Racer RAM (and a dumb question)
Post by: LoadWB on September 22, 2007, 06:05:22 AM

Quote

doctorq wrote:
I can only help you with the bootable disk... the command you are looking for is called Install. Install df0: will make the disk in df0: a bootable disk.

BINGO!  Thank you.

(poor Johnny Dangerously quote)

You know, my father used the Install command once.  ONCE.

 :crazy:

Title: Re: MegaMidget Racer RAM (and a dumb question)
Post by: Amiduffer on September 22, 2007, 06:27:59 AM

Its been a long time since I used an A500 and a MMR.

The program was D3, it went in C: directory, and you added the line "D3" to the startup-sequence.

Title: Re: MegaMidget Racer RAM (and a dumb question)
Post by: LoadWB on September 22, 2007, 08:11:35 AM

Quote

Amiduffer wrote:
Its been a long time since I used an A500 and a MMR.

The program was D3, it went in C: directory, and you added the line "D3" to the startup-sequence.

Excellent.  In that case, I'll try the Derringer floppy which does have "D3" on it.  This MMR floppy does not.  I've already put everything back together tonight, so I'll try again tomorrow night.  My big project right now is trying to figure out why my formerly-working-before-it-went-into-storage A530 is no longer working...

Title: Re: MegaMidget Racer RAM (and a dumb question)
Post by: LoadWB on September 23, 2007, 01:45:40 AM

The Derringer version of D3 locks the MMR up tight.  I don't suppose anyone out there has a working MegaMidget boot floppy that actually configures its RAM?

Title: Re: MegaMidget Racer RAM (and a dumb question)
Post by: Amiduffer on September 23, 2007, 01:51:53 AM

 :oops: Oooooooo! I was afraid of that. Sorry. How embarrasing.

Let me look in my desk 'o disks. I think I have a copy leftover from the old days.

Title: Re: MegaMidget Racer RAM (and a dumb question)
Post by: LoadWB on September 23, 2007, 04:31:34 AM

GOT IT!

While I was napping tonight I had a stroke of brilliance.  It occurred to me that CSA are/were sharp fellas and would probably have produced a program for the MMR just as good as for the Derringer.

The Derringer's D3 program has a specific option to install system RAM: DRAM.  So it stood to reason in my half-asleep mind that so would the MMR's configuration program.

Sure enough, I ran the "csa-mmr" program and received a listing of options:

SRAM  -  Install 512k Static Memory
SROM  -  Copy system ROM to 512k Static Memory
DRAM  -  Configure and install RAM to system

The boot disk only uses the SRAM and SROM options.  Added DRAM, and voila!  4MB of FastRAM.

Thanks for the jolt, guys!