File Loader Firmware v1.1.0 (USB file upgrade) and above
Oct 9, 2018 17:09:28 GMT
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Post by spannernick on Oct 9, 2018 17:09:28 GMT
File Loader
Firmware v1.1.0 (USB file upgrade) and above
You can auto-load programs from various C64 file formats on THEC64 Mini if the files are stored on a FAT32 formatted USB memory stick. Supported file formats include:
Disk images: D64, G64, D81, D82
Tape images:T64, TAP
Program Files: PRG, P00
Cartridge image: CRT
There is currently a display limit of 256 items (files and/or folders) on USB memory sticks per folder, including the root. Files take priority over folders, so if you go over that item limit, files are always displayed in preference to folders.
To get past this problem use FIBR,copy it to the root of your USB stick and run it from the File Loader and you will see all your files and Folders.
You can control how THEC64 Mini configures a program loaded from a USB memory stick in two ways:
Add specific flags to the filename, or
Create a CJM text configuration file for each file
Either method gives THEC64 Mini information used to load and run a program correctly from USB. Note that some programs will load and run correctly just using the default settings, explained below.
Default settings
In the absence of flags in filenames or CJM text configuration files, THEC64 Mini applies default settings to any supported file it finds on a USB memory stick:
THEC64 Mini uses a fast loader to speed up loading times
It uses faster disk access (but only for disk image files)
The primary joystick is set to port 2. The secondary joystick is set to port 1 only if a second joystick is connected before loading the program from USB
The machine type is automatically based upon whether THEC64 Mini firmware is North American (NTSC) or Europe (PAL)
No program functions are mapped to the joystick other than the standard directions and the FIRE and MENU buttons.
If your program loads and runs fine using the default settings then you don’t need to do anything else. If it does not, or you wish to change the configuration, please refer to Appendix A.
The File Loader
Whilst on the HOME screen, insert a USB memory stick that contains supported C64 files into an available USB port on THEC64 Mini. After a few seconds, an icon appears beneath the GAMES CAROUSEL to confirm the USB memory stick is connected.
Highlight the USB icon and press FIRE. The FILE LOADER screen now lists any supported files and folders stored in the root of the USB memory stick.
Highlight a file and press FIRE. The selected file loads and runs. How long it takes to load will vary based upon the type of file and the settings used by THEC64 Mini to load it.
Select a folder from the list by moving the highlight over it and pressing FIRE. You are now shown the contents of the sub-folder. You cannot enter a folder that is empty or does not contain any other folders or supported C64 files.
When inside a folder on the USB memory stick, press button A on the joystick to move back out of the current folder. Under some circumstances you can also push LEFT to come out of a folder when on the far left-side of the File Loader list.
The C64 Fast Loader is switched on by default, speeding up loading times considerably. For those files that don’t load if the fast loader is on, press button C on the joystick (a red X appears over the icon) before you press FIRE to load the file. This turns the fast loader off.
Note that the faster disk access function remains on unless you specifically turn it off via filename flags or a CJM file. See Appendix A below for full details.
Save/Load from USB
If you load a program from a USB memory stick, THEC64 Mini’s Save/Load function (see CHAPTER 5 of the User Guide), saves and loads on the USB memory stick. You have four slots to save to per program.
Save files are stored inside a folder on the USB memory stick called .THEC64SAVE. Inside that folder are the saves you have created from files loaded from the USB stick, stored in appropriately named sub-folders.
e.g. \.THEC64SAVES\c64-disk\
BASIC and accessing a USB memory stick
Please note that the only file stored on a USB stick that can be loaded directly when running BASIC on THEC64 Mini is a disk image with the filename THEC64-drive8.d64. Please visit thec64.com/basic and thec64.com/faq for further details on BASIC and THEC64-drive8.d64 file.
APPENDIX A – CONFIGURING C64 PROGRAMS
Add flags to each filename
By adding flags to the end of the filename, you define which joystick port(s) are used, specify the machine type, set a disk to be read-only, turn on accurate disk loading (for troublesome disk image files that won’t load quickly), and disable the on-screen disk icon.
For example, if the program on a disk image file called ‘c64-disk.d64’ requires a joystick connected to port 1 on the original C64 computer, rename your d64 file ‘c64-disk_J1.d64’.
Below is a list of all the available flags:
These flags can be added to the end of the filename in any order. For example, ‘c64-disk_TNROJ1.d64’ or ‘c64-disk_ROJ1TN.d64’ or ‘c64-disk_J1TNRO.d64’.
Create a CJM file for each file
Using another computer, create a text file that includes joystick port requirements, machine type (PAL or NTSC), accurate disk loading, additional joystick button mappings, drive icon on-screen during loading and other settings.
Save the CJM text file in the same folder as the program file on your USB stick. For example, ‘c64-disk.d64’ has a corresponding file ‘c64-disk.cjm’.If a C64 file has a corresponding CJM file, the CJM file will always be used in preference to any filename flags or default settings.An example CJM file can look like this:
X:pal,accuratedisk,driveicon
J:2*:JU,JD,JL,JR,JF,JF,SP,1,SP,2,3,4,JF
J:1:JU,JD,JL,JR,JF,JF,JF,JF,JF,,,,JF
V:12
As you can see from the example given, each line in a CJM text file complies with the following:
type: value [,value]
Joystick configuration consists of 13 values that define how the joystick is to operate in the program.The first value (after the J: entity) defines the primary port (1 or 2, and then indicated by an *), followed by what happens when the joystick is pushed UP, DOWN, LEFT or RIGHT. The next two values define what happens when the LEFT FIRE and RIGHT FIRE buttons are pressed. The next two values define what happens when the TL and TR triangle buttons are pressed. The next value is an extra button (not available on THEC64 Mini Joystick) but it usually assigned the same value as the TR button. The next three values are buttons A, B and C on THEC64 Joystick. The final value is another button not available on THEC64 Joystick, but is usually assigned the same value as the TL button.
Joystick parameters are the port assignments first, then the joystick standard functions, then the button mapping:
Firmware v1.1.0 (USB file upgrade) and above
You can auto-load programs from various C64 file formats on THEC64 Mini if the files are stored on a FAT32 formatted USB memory stick. Supported file formats include:
Disk images: D64, G64, D81, D82
Tape images:T64, TAP
Program Files: PRG, P00
Cartridge image: CRT
There is currently a display limit of 256 items (files and/or folders) on USB memory sticks per folder, including the root. Files take priority over folders, so if you go over that item limit, files are always displayed in preference to folders.
To get past this problem use FIBR,copy it to the root of your USB stick and run it from the File Loader and you will see all your files and Folders.
You can control how THEC64 Mini configures a program loaded from a USB memory stick in two ways:
Add specific flags to the filename, or
Create a CJM text configuration file for each file
Either method gives THEC64 Mini information used to load and run a program correctly from USB. Note that some programs will load and run correctly just using the default settings, explained below.
Default settings
In the absence of flags in filenames or CJM text configuration files, THEC64 Mini applies default settings to any supported file it finds on a USB memory stick:
THEC64 Mini uses a fast loader to speed up loading times
It uses faster disk access (but only for disk image files)
The primary joystick is set to port 2. The secondary joystick is set to port 1 only if a second joystick is connected before loading the program from USB
The machine type is automatically based upon whether THEC64 Mini firmware is North American (NTSC) or Europe (PAL)
No program functions are mapped to the joystick other than the standard directions and the FIRE and MENU buttons.
If your program loads and runs fine using the default settings then you don’t need to do anything else. If it does not, or you wish to change the configuration, please refer to Appendix A.
The File Loader
Whilst on the HOME screen, insert a USB memory stick that contains supported C64 files into an available USB port on THEC64 Mini. After a few seconds, an icon appears beneath the GAMES CAROUSEL to confirm the USB memory stick is connected.
Highlight the USB icon and press FIRE. The FILE LOADER screen now lists any supported files and folders stored in the root of the USB memory stick.
Highlight a file and press FIRE. The selected file loads and runs. How long it takes to load will vary based upon the type of file and the settings used by THEC64 Mini to load it.
Select a folder from the list by moving the highlight over it and pressing FIRE. You are now shown the contents of the sub-folder. You cannot enter a folder that is empty or does not contain any other folders or supported C64 files.
When inside a folder on the USB memory stick, press button A on the joystick to move back out of the current folder. Under some circumstances you can also push LEFT to come out of a folder when on the far left-side of the File Loader list.
The C64 Fast Loader is switched on by default, speeding up loading times considerably. For those files that don’t load if the fast loader is on, press button C on the joystick (a red X appears over the icon) before you press FIRE to load the file. This turns the fast loader off.
Note that the faster disk access function remains on unless you specifically turn it off via filename flags or a CJM file. See Appendix A below for full details.
Save/Load from USB
If you load a program from a USB memory stick, THEC64 Mini’s Save/Load function (see CHAPTER 5 of the User Guide), saves and loads on the USB memory stick. You have four slots to save to per program.
Save files are stored inside a folder on the USB memory stick called .THEC64SAVE. Inside that folder are the saves you have created from files loaded from the USB stick, stored in appropriately named sub-folders.
e.g. \.THEC64SAVES\c64-disk\
BASIC and accessing a USB memory stick
Please note that the only file stored on a USB stick that can be loaded directly when running BASIC on THEC64 Mini is a disk image with the filename THEC64-drive8.d64. Please visit thec64.com/basic and thec64.com/faq for further details on BASIC and THEC64-drive8.d64 file.
APPENDIX A – CONFIGURING C64 PROGRAMS
Add flags to each filename
By adding flags to the end of the filename, you define which joystick port(s) are used, specify the machine type, set a disk to be read-only, turn on accurate disk loading (for troublesome disk image files that won’t load quickly), and disable the on-screen disk icon.
For example, if the program on a disk image file called ‘c64-disk.d64’ requires a joystick connected to port 1 on the original C64 computer, rename your d64 file ‘c64-disk_J1.d64’.
Below is a list of all the available flags:
These flags can be added to the end of the filename in any order. For example, ‘c64-disk_TNROJ1.d64’ or ‘c64-disk_ROJ1TN.d64’ or ‘c64-disk_J1TNRO.d64’.
Create a CJM file for each file
Using another computer, create a text file that includes joystick port requirements, machine type (PAL or NTSC), accurate disk loading, additional joystick button mappings, drive icon on-screen during loading and other settings.
Save the CJM text file in the same folder as the program file on your USB stick. For example, ‘c64-disk.d64’ has a corresponding file ‘c64-disk.cjm’.If a C64 file has a corresponding CJM file, the CJM file will always be used in preference to any filename flags or default settings.An example CJM file can look like this:
X:pal,accuratedisk,driveicon
J:2*:JU,JD,JL,JR,JF,JF,SP,1,SP,2,3,4,JF
J:1:JU,JD,JL,JR,JF,JF,JF,JF,JF,,,,JF
V:12
As you can see from the example given, each line in a CJM text file complies with the following:
type: value [,value]
Joystick configuration consists of 13 values that define how the joystick is to operate in the program.The first value (after the J: entity) defines the primary port (1 or 2, and then indicated by an *), followed by what happens when the joystick is pushed UP, DOWN, LEFT or RIGHT. The next two values define what happens when the LEFT FIRE and RIGHT FIRE buttons are pressed. The next two values define what happens when the TL and TR triangle buttons are pressed. The next value is an extra button (not available on THEC64 Mini Joystick) but it usually assigned the same value as the TR button. The next three values are buttons A, B and C on THEC64 Joystick. The final value is another button not available on THEC64 Joystick, but is usually assigned the same value as the TL button.
