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Post by andygarton on Jan 20, 2015 17:52:08 GMT -5
Hi all, is there a way I can edit and assemble code on my PC, and then run it directly on the target via a serial/USB connection of some kind? I understand the VecMulti allows this in "dev mode", but I don't have one of those and there are none available to buy currently.
I have ordered one of Mateos's MVBD devices so I will soon be able to test my code on the real machine at least (I've got everything building on my PC now, testing in ParaJVE), but it would clearly be far more convenient, and less wearing on the cartridge port, if I could do it via a direct cable connection.
Thanks,
Andy
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Post by gauze on Jan 20, 2015 19:25:23 GMT -5
no there isn't anything currently available to do this but there is suppose to be a new multi/ramcart with USB upload in the near future.
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Post by fmml on Jan 21, 2015 1:36:18 GMT -5
Did you contact Richard H regarding a Vecmulti already? His site is down but afaik he still builds them.
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Post by andygarton on Jan 21, 2015 2:19:32 GMT -5
Thanks yes I did, he said he doesn't have any and isn't currently building them.
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Post by 2q45htrey on Feb 3, 2015 18:02:36 GMT -5
Hey! I've made this thing that plugs into an Arduino MEGA and the vectrex cartridge port. One of my reasons for designing it was to facilitate exactly that. I'll make sure to keep it on my to do list.
BTW - all schematics etc are in the thread.
- Andy
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Post by 2q45htrey on Feb 5, 2015 12:07:23 GMT -5
Just made my board load .bin files... piece of cake! I'll upload a video, just uploaded vec-fu  - Andy |
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Post by andygarton on Feb 5, 2015 13:58:42 GMT -5
Sounds great! I don't really understand this Arduino board stuff, but if it's likely to result in a cleaner dev cycle I'm all for it |
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Post by 2q45htrey on Feb 5, 2015 14:32:59 GMT -5
As the arduino is programmed now, it's just set up to load into cartridge memory via the virtual serial port. You can use any terminal emulator or even the command line to send the raw file to the vectrex. I'll make a video but it can't be easier. No arduino programming required!
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Post by garryg on Apr 23, 2015 15:36:42 GMT -5
Can you show pictures or video of this?
It may be worth getting an Arduino if it can allow me to load a game directly into the Vectrex!
And it would be something new to play with along with my raspberry PI... Hmm...
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Post by vectrexrc on Apr 23, 2015 17:04:58 GMT -5
vectmulti has devmode that does this. need usb-ttl cable and add header pins to the pcb.
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Post by garryg on May 8, 2015 15:43:03 GMT -5
I have a vecmulti. So how exactly do I do this... Preferably without frying my vecmulti!
Are there tutorials? And will the adafruit usb to ttl converter cable work?
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Post by vectrexrc on May 11, 2015 16:36:53 GMT -5
re: vecmulti dev mode when you remove the sdcard from the vecmulti and turn on the vectrex it will start in development mode. you will not get the regular game menu. it will just wait there for you to send it a bin file from the pc. once you transfer the file it will be run. on the vecmulti pcb there are is a row of 4 plated holes between the sdcard slot and the resistors. this is where a pin header needs to be soldered to allow you to plug the USB-TTL cable. i got a strip of suitable pin headers from local electronic component shop (eg. maplins if you are in the uk) not exactly sure what it the pitch size was. here is the USB-TTL cable i used: www.avitresearch.co.uk/usb2ttl_silab.htmto send the files from the pc you need setup the USB drivers so it has a COM port and then run the utils\vecmulti.exe program that was provided on the vecmulti sdcard. the VecMulti.ini file will need the path of the bin file to be uploaded from the pc. see this for a demo: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CICJ5ChUQrowarning its in dutch but you can figure out what he is talking about! obviously if you have a vecmulti you could just copy the bin file to the sdcard and run it from the regular menu system but this is not quite so convenient and also could cause wear and tear on the sdcard slot over time when being used for game development/debugging. the only thing you need to take care is plugging in the TTL connector into the vecmulti the correct way round - which is with the yellow wire towards the vectrex (as shown in screenshot in the video). you should connect the cable with vectrex powered off. unfortunately it seems details of this is no longer available on richard hutchinson's website www.vectrex.biz/ which has been down for a long time now. anyway hope you find this useful! |
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Post by vectrexrc on May 11, 2015 16:45:43 GMT -5
i am sure this will work with other USB-TTL cables but the setup on the PC side might be different. also the colors of the wires might be different but i think the TTL side should be a standard layout?
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Post by garryg on Jun 29, 2015 17:15:27 GMT -5
re: vecmulti dev mode when you remove the sdcard from the vecmulti and turn on the vectrex it will start in development mode. Ah, I don't have one of those. I have the one before the SD card version, with the flash rom. Would this still work? On the other hand I do have a cheep Arduino Uno clone, that I bought for another project, so how does the Arduino solution work? What do I need? I did se one working on youtube, but the video told you nothing about how to do it. |
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Post by garryg on Jun 29, 2015 17:35:14 GMT -5
Hey! I've made this thing that plugs into an Arduino MEGA and the vectrex cartridge port. One of my reasons for designing it was to facilitate exactly that. I'll make sure to keep it on my to do list. BTW - all schematics etc are in the thread. - Andy Umm, am I being thick again... But the schematics are in what thread? |
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