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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: Philski on January 05, 2012, 07:43:53 PM
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Hi all!
So I finally got around to ordering a Minimig which arrived today (thanks Amigakit!) and it's looking great in it's new case (thanks Lorinano!), however I'm having trouble getting it working.
I downloaded minimig 1.pic from Vesalia and copied it to an SD card along with a kickstart rom and Workbench ADF from Amiga Forever, however on boot up I get a red screen with a message stating incompatible pic firmware.
Could someone help out a noob and let him know what he's doing wrong?
Many thanks,
Phil
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Hi all!
So I finally got around to ordering a Minimig which arrived today (thanks Amigakit!) and it's looking great in it's new case (thanks Lorinano!), however I'm having trouble getting it working.
I downloaded minimig 1.pic from Vesalia and copied it to an SD card along with a kickstart rom and Workbench ADF from Amiga Forever, however on boot up I get a red screen with a message stating incompatible pic firmware.
Could someone help out a noob and let him know what he's doing wrong?
Many thanks,
Phil
you'll need to put newer firmware in your PIC. I think you use this program to do it :
http://www.etc.ugal.ro/cchiculita/software/picbootloader.htm
hopefully somebody knows if this is still the preferred method.
I have an ARM now, so i'm a little outdated on PIC info.
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Thanks for the info. Sorry for my ignorance, but how do I go about using this? Can it be done via SD card or do I need to connect the Minimig to a PC?
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You need a serial cable I believe. And a computer with a COM1 port.
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Here's my old "Upgrading your PIC made easy" guide:
Required:
Minimig
Null Modem serial cable – a normal serial cable will not work unless it has a null modem adapter.
PC with a serial port (USB serial adapters work OK)
Tiny Bootloader – free software downloadable from the Internet
#1: Connect the Minimig to an appropriate serial port on a PC using your NULL MODEM serial cable.
#2: Set jumper on Minimig to from “FPGA” to the “MCU” position.
#3: Switch the Minimig on.
#4: Download and run the Tiny Bootloader program on the PC.
#5: Select the correct COM port and rate (115200)
#6: Press the "CheckPIC" button on the Tiny Boodloader display.
#7. Quickly press “PGM RESET” on the Minimig motherboard within FOUR SECONDS to establish communications between the Minimig and Tiny Bootloader on the PC.
If you succeed you should see something like the following message in a log window:
Connected to \\.\COM1 at 115200
Searching for PIC ...
Found:18F 252o/452o
If you don't you will see:
Connected to \\.\COM1 at 115200
Searching for PIC ...Not found,
ERROR!
If you get the error repeat steps #6 and #7.
#8: On Tiny Bootloader select the hex update file that needs to be written to the PIC.
#9: Select "Write Flash" on Tiny Bootloader and immediately press the reset button on the Minimig motherboard.
If you succeed you will see something like the following message:
Connected to \\.\COM1 at 115200
HEX: 6 days old, INHX8M,18Fcode, total=14552 bytes.
Searching for PIC ...
Found:18F 252o/452o
WRITE OK at 20:55, time:7.173 sec
MAKE SURE YOU LET TINY BOOTLOADER FINISH WRITING TO THE PIC BEFORE YOU UNPLUG THE MINIMIG!!!
#10: With the Minimig switched off, move the “MCU” jumper on the Minimig back to the old position “FPGA”
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Also note that if the ROMs from AmigaForever are encrypted then they might not work with the core. Best to download a KS1.3 or KS3.1 ROM off the internet or ask some nice chap here to email one to you. ;)
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Also note that if the ROMs from AmigaForever are encrypted then they might not work with the core. Best to download a KS1.3 or KS3.1 ROM off the internet or ask some nice chap here to email one to you. ;)
I THINK I read that encrypted ROMS now work... The whole encryption is XOR based anyway... talk about high-tech :)
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Thanks so much for all the great info! Must confess I'm a little surprised it won't boot straight out the box...
Do I recall that you can use an Amiga to update the PIC? I'm looking at Mac compatible USB serial adapters and bootloader software but it's looking like a fair bit of confusion as to what works. I'm wondering if it might be easier to use my A600. Is there any bootloader that will work with the Amiga by any chance?
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I THINK I read that encrypted ROMS now work... The whole encryption is XOR based anyway... talk about high-tech :)
LOL. Considering they're easily available online I'm surprised they bother at all. :)
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Thanks so much for all the great info! Must confess I'm a little surprised it won't boot straight out the box...
Do I recall that you can use an Amiga to update the PIC? I'm looking at Mac compatible USB serial adapters and bootloader software but it's looking like a fair bit of confusion as to what works. I'm wondering if it might be easier to use my A600. Is there any bootloader that will work with the Amiga by any chance?
That I couldn't tell you I'm afraid.
Do you have a friend or family member with a PC? It only takes a few minutes. Don't forget: NULL MODEM SERIAL CABLE. ;)
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No one that lives close unfortunately. I might be able to get a spare 5 minutes at work though ;) just need to remember that NULL MODEM SERIAL CABLE :D
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Thanks so much for all the great info! Must confess I'm a little surprised it won't boot straight out the box...
Do I recall that you can use an Amiga to update the PIC? I'm looking at Mac compatible USB serial adapters and bootloader software but it's looking like a fair bit of confusion as to what works. I'm wondering if it might be easier to use my A600. Is there any bootloader that will work with the Amiga by any chance?
http://aminet.net/package/comm/misc/tinyulMUI on aminet should allow you to update the PIC fimware to the latest version with an Amiga, I have not tried it as I just used my Thinkpads docking station with a real serial port under Windows XP.
You can find links to the lasted PIC fimware here http://www.minimig.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=336
and the latest FPGA fimeware for use with that firmware linked here http://www.minimig.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=397
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Please do not change the firmware on the Minimig - we have already updated it to the most appropriate new version. Please wait for our Technician response to your inquiry.
We do not ship the Minimig with old firmware on it. We test every Minimig before sending to customers.
You need to use the appropriate files on the SD card to match the firmware we have flashed it with. You get these if you buy an SD card with the Minimig.
Our Technician can point you in the right direction to which files to use.
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Please do not change the firmware on the Minimig - we have already updated it to the most appropriate new version. Please wait for our Technician response to your inquiry.
We do not ship anything with old firmware on it. We test every Minimig before sending to customers.
You need to use the appropriate files on the SD card to match the firmware we have flashed it with. You get these if you buy an SD card with the Minimig.
That's a nice touch updating the PIC before you ship. :)
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Please do not change the firmware on the Minimig - we have already updated it to the most appropriate new version. Please wait for our Technician response to your inquiry.
We do not ship the Minimig with old firmware on it. We test every Minimig before sending to customers.
You need to use the appropriate files on the SD card to match the firmware we have flashed it with. You get these if you buy an SD card with the Minimig.
Our Technician can point you in the right direction to which files to use.
I'll hold back on that! Thanks, I figured it was more than likely a fault at my end. :)
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I'll hold back on that! Thanks, I figured it was more than likely a fault at my end. :)
Chances are Vesalia has the wrong BIN.
I would use this BIN
http://www.minimig.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=397
If it does not work with that then I would upgrade the firmware regardless of what Anybody said.
If my minimig was still running the original PIC software it came with (which its not, also I have an ARM now) then it would stuck with 8 character filenames, fat16 and 2GB SD card, not to mention being incompatible with all the latest cores.
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@Darrin, What to do if your computer doesn't run Microsoft windows regarding the "Tiny Bootloader" program?
I suppose so.... is there enough room left in the FPGA to do MP3 decoding?
Ask mikej, he has the source. And knows the statistics that is show on every synthesis run. My guess is that it might be tight.
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@Darrin, What to do if your computer doesn't run Microsoft windows regarding the "Tiny Bootloader" program?.
you could try and run that program under wine.
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you could try and run that program under wine.
Or do the update with an Amiga, OS4.x or MorphOS computer with the program on Aminet I linked to earlier :-)
http://aminet.net/package/comm/misc/tinyulMUI
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Microsoft suck. Wine is cumbersome and often incompatible. Amiga unreachable atm. Unix plz ;)
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You might want to have a look here:
http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=60249
;)
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Sorry to hijack this minimig thread.
Does my hardfile need to be started from a boot.adf disk? I've got the hardfile enabled in the settings but it just sits at the kickstart screen on boot.
I've tried my Cloanto hardfiles and AmigaSYS.
Thanks!
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Sorry to hijack this minimig thread.
Does my hardfile need to be started from a boot.adf disk? I've got the hardfile enabled in the settings but it just sits at the kickstart screen on boot.
I've tried my Cloanto hardfiles and AmigaSYS.
Thanks!
No, as long as you're using the recommended 3.1 Kickstart (for the IDE driver) your HDF file should boot. Make sure that when you created the HDF file in UAE that you did it in RDB mode. You should then have partitioned it in HDToolbox like a real Amiga drive and then done a quick format on it.
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No, as long as you're using the recommended 3.1 Kickstart (for the IDE driver) your HDF file should boot. Make sure that when you created the HDF file in UAE that you did it in RDB mode. You should then have partitioned it in HDToolbox like a real Amiga drive and then done a quick format on it.
Just trying to use the hard files that come with Amiga Forever, not sure how they're setup. I'll try a new one as per above, thanks.
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Not possible to boot from harddisc in Kickstart 1.3 ?
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Not possible to boot from harddisc in Kickstart 1.3 ?
Think thats a boot adf job for 1.3 with all the mount DH0:'s etc in the startup
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Just trying to use the hard files that come with Amiga Forever, not sure how they're setup. I'll try a new one as per above, thanks.
I have only been able to make working hardfiles by using dummy file creator to make the hardfile, then use hdtoolbox to partitionn the "drive" on the actual minimig. None of the HDFs that came with Amiga Forever worked for me.
You can mount both under UAE and just "copy dh0: dh1: all" to convert.
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A500 + KS1.3 + Trumpcard works.. I know. So I hope it works with the FPGA implementations too.
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Not possible to boot from harddisc in Kickstart 1.3 ?
Booting A minimig from HD like an A600 needs the version of scsi.device found in kickstart 2.05 or higher to boot of the internal HD controller.
It is possible to create a patched version of kickstart 1.3 that contains the newer version of the scsi.device found in kickstart 2.05 and higher but its much easier to just boot of an ADF image that mounts the harddisk partition and makes the required assigns before execute ing the startup sequence found on the mounted HD partition.
IDE adapters for the A500 that add an A600/A1200 style IDE port also have the same kickstart version restrictions.
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How come an Amiga 500 with Kickstart 1.3 will boot from an Z-II Trumpcard 500 (http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showhardware.cgi?HARDID=1213) (SCSI) then ..?
It ought to be possible to accomplish the same unmodified operation with Minimig/Arcade..
AmigaOS versions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AmigaOS_versions#Kickstart.2FWorkbench_1.0.2C_1.1.2C_1.2.2C_1.3):
"Kickstart Version 1.3 improved little on its predecessor, the most notable change being auto booting from hard drives."
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How come an Amiga 500 with Kickstart 1.3 will boot from an Z-II Trumpcard 500 (http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showhardware.cgi?HARDID=1213) (SCSI) then ..?
It ought to be possible to accomplish the same unmodified operation with Minimig/Arcade..
AmigaOS versions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AmigaOS_versions#Kickstart.2FWorkbench_1.0.2C_1.1.2C_1.2.2C_1.3):
"Kickstart Version 1.3 improved little on its predecessor, the most notable change being auto booting from hard drives."
Yes its quite simple you just need to create your own AUTOCONFIG (tm) boot rom like all the other KS1.3 compatible autobooting HD's like the one you linked and include the scsi.device as found in the kickstart 2.05 rom or right your own replacement ;-)
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So does Minimig support AUTOCONFIG (tm) ? :)
Shouldn't be too hard to implement otoh.
The ROM itself can be "duplicated" :p