Setting up BVision PPC & CyberGraphX

[Castellen]

Any experts out there for configuring a Blizzard Vision graphics card?

I'm trying to help out someone who has bought a 2nd hand BVision and BlizzardPPC card for their towered A1200.
I have the BlizzardPPC + SCSI working fine with the lastest version of WarpOS from H&P and the PowerUp emulation libs, but I can't get the BVision card working properly.

Having only used P96 before, I'm a bit in the dark.
As per various instructions, the Blizzard now has the latest firmware from http://phase5.a1k.org
I've installed CyberGraphX ver 4.0 and applied the 4.1 update from Aminet, required for the BVision.

The monitor is a C= 1942, so I've set up the BVPPC monitor settings for 1940 listed on Aminet.

What currently works with the BVision:
- AGA video passthrough works before Devs:Monitors are executed
- ShowGFXconfig detects the BVisionPPC board

The problems are:
- There is no boot image when Devs:Monitors are executed (I presume there is supposed to be with the tooltype set?)
- The video modes configured using CGXmode don't show up in the WB Screenmode prefs (they're not flagged as hidden)
- Using CGXmode and selecting "test" on any existing screenmode always gives the error "Can't open test screen!"


Do I have a faulty BVision or is it likely to be a CGFX setup issue?
I've spent ages trying different tooltypes, etc, but always the same result.

Is there a comprehensive guide of "here's what versions you need of everything to make the BVision work" type of thing?


Any help/suggestions appreciated.

[doctorq]

Do I have a faulty BVision or is it likely to be a CGFX setup issue?

Most likely a CyberGraphX setup issue. I have tried the same as you many times before, and it is a pain to get it up and running. Using the update on the CD or the one from Aminet doesn't give much; it seems like the BVision installation procedure have bugs.

Try downloading the newest file from here and update again. The last time I installed a BVision I used the update just before this one IIRC, and it was just a matter of installing first the CyberGraphX v4 from CD (without the update) and then install the update afterwards. All things should have been installed then, and the problems you mentioned will most likely have disappeared.

[PPC]

My bvision with CGX 4 always worked like a charm.

if you have os3.9 bb2 installed be sure that you have the newest 68040 or 68060 libs installed (version 46.7 if i remember correctly)or else you do get the problem of screenmodes not showing up in prefs,cgx boot picture doesn't work etc..
i had the same problem when os3.9 bb2 came out with my bvision ppc.

[Castellen]

Thanks for the suggestions.
I've tried installing WarpOS and CGFX4.1 again, but actually gone backwards.
CGraphX mode now says "The specified card is not installed or there is no driver available", yet ShowGFXconfig detects the BVision correctly and things are configured as default with the CyberGraphX prefs.

Also tried latest CPU libs, etc, same results.

I can't believe how difficult and time consuming it is to get this even close to working :madashell: give me Picasso96 any day!

I think I need to copy the various libs, etc, from a working BVisionPPC setup which is also operating under OS3.9+BB2, at the moment I'm just clutching at straws and getting nowhere fast.

Would anyone be willing to send me an archive of their tooltypes & environment variables for WarpOS and CGFX, 680#? libs, PPC#? libs, warp#? libs, cgx#? libs, Devs:Monitors

Also list any other patches, which are run at startup, e.g. BPPCfix, CyberPatcher.

If I copy a working config, I can at least get an idea if it's a software setup problem or hardware fault.

Thanks in advance.

[Karlos]

OS3.9 you say?

Sounds like you might have a problem discussed here.

Check Piru's posts...

[Castellen]

Thanks Karlos, I didn't see that thread when I searched for it.

The description there sounds like exactly the problems I'm having under OS3.9+BB2.
To cut a long story short, upgrading CGFX to ver 4.2 rc6 should make it all magically work, in theory.

The problem now is that the provided install script doesn't work, the patching always fails.
I've spent most of the day working through the overcomplicated installer script.

Looks like spatch is no longer used since ver 4.1 (where the install did work), they've decided use a new utility called "patch" which according to the installer script, is supposed to work like this:
patch -p<.pch file> -o

It's reading the source files from the CD with no problems from what I can tell, as well as the .pch files, but "patch" always returns with an error code translating to "invalid object lock"

The author of patch has made a minimal effort job of it, the executable has no embedded help, and the information it returns is next to nothing.

I've got no way of knowing if the installer script is not written correctly, patch has a problem, or it has a problem with the original file read from the CD, or there is a problem with the /pch file.

This has seriously got to be some of the worst Amiga software I've ever seen.  Aside from being overcomplicated and unintuitave, it really just doesn't work :madashell:

Is there any secret tricks to making the installer script or patch work?  Perhaps I missed out the hidden step of sacrificing a goat or something.

Failing that, is someone willing to send me the various CGFX and BVision libraries and executables which they've somehow managed to patch to 4.2 rc6 or higher?

Thanks again.

[Karlos]

This has seriously got to be some of the worst Amiga software I've ever seen. Aside from being overcomplicated and unintuitave, it really just doesn't work

Well, at least the problem is limited to installation. Ever configured picasso96?

[Castellen]

Sure, I've installed P96 on countless different systems as well as been using it myself for the past 7 years.
It works really well, easy to use, installation and configuration is a breeze compared to this major battle I'm having between OS3.9, CGFX and BVision.

Admittedly it takes some getting used to the P96Mode GUI, but it only takes a matter of minutes to do.  You still seem to get there in the end.

I hope the problems of CGFX are only limited to installation.  It seems that even once you've installed it, you need the right versions of various other things, which is understandable.  The trouble is, there doesn't seem to be a guide or anything saying "for this hardware configuration, here's what versions you need of stuff to make it work".
I guess to be fair, the problem isn't mainly with CGFX itself, more of a lack of documentation from the developers.  I don't expect a manuscript autographed by the Queen, but a simple definition of requirements and prerequisites would make it a whole lot easier by taking out a majority of the guesswork.

Also, it's not like I have some bizzare hardware arrangement.  Just a standard A1200T with a Blizzard PPC and the BVision card attached running OS3.9+BB2
You'd think such a setup would be fairly common?

[StormLord]

maybe you have flashed your blizzardppc with a flash that support grex? if yes then this might be the problem..
try to flash with latest firmware that supports ONLY bvision.
I had the same problems when I got grex and voodoo3 and after I couldn't make it work tried to go again with bvision..
flashing back to bvision only firmware solved my half problem (the other half, that was to have the voodoo3 working is until know not solved)

[Castellen]

@StormLord
Thanks, that's a very good suggestion and possible answer to some of these problems.
The Blizzard firmware I'm using could well be the one for Grex support.
Under some other advice, I updated the Blizzard firmware from this page, with the file dated 12.10.2001
PCI options are now added to the Blizzard early boot menu.

Can you please tell me which version of firmware you've used in your working setup and where to get it?

Cheers.

[x56h34]

Here is the last official Phase 5 released firmware, before DCE started writing firmware with Grex support instead of Bvision:

edit: link removed by x56h34

So far none of the Phase 5 support sites seem to have it, and are using the slightly older version.

blizzppc.device will be V44.33 after this update
cybppc.device will be V44.69 after this update

This is the firmware to use, as it's the latest one with BVision support in it, otherwise for Grex support obviously the newer one should be used.

[nasty]

it took me hours going through all my amiga black bags of cd's and floppys in the loft, but i finally found my cgx v4 it was in the box my bvision and ppc came in lol. anyway I installed it then tryed to install the cgxv42_r6 update but it kept failing, cause there was'nt an installer in the tools section of the disk, so I added the installer from the v4 cd in ram:cgxv42_r6/../tools and then it worked fine. i still get the makedir error message before wb loads but i'm happy enough with the way its running.

Thanks to all the guys that helped my getting this bvision running :-D

[djbase]

Here is the last official Phase 5 released firmware, before DCE started writing firmware with Grex support instead of Bvision...

This is a privat release, no Phase5 release. Check readme.

[patrik]

@Castellen:

This is the last Flash Update by Phase5.

I have a CSPPC + CVPPC which should be more or less when equal to your setup, but I have never had any problems with installing nor upgrading CGX v4 under OS3.9.

Right now I am using CGX v4 with the V4.3 rc5 upgrade, so I dont know how well the latest MorphOS-adapted rc6 update works.

Btw, CGXMode is really nice, you can create new screenmodes by just selecting from a list of predefined modes with timings per the VESA specs, which makes it very easy and quick to create good screenmodes.


/Patrik

[x56h34]

DJBase wrote:

This is a privat release, no Phase5 release. Check readme.

Hmmm...indeed it says a private release. But what does that mean? Did someone from Phase 5 release it after the company closed, or was the firmware upgraded by some individual/amiga user and released as a "private/optional/no guarantee" upgrade? I'm just curious. :-)