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CD32X Test App

Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:50 am
by Chilly Willy
Okay! Here's my first REAL test app for CD32X programming. This is a MOD Player based on my MOD playing code and mic's 32xcolor demo for the screen effect. It boots from a CD, allows you to navigate anywhere on the CD and select subdirectories and files. The largest size you can load is currently 128KBytes since that's the largest amount you can move in a single operation with my current code (I use the word ram in two 128KB banks mode). It will tell you if the file is too big. If it's not too big, it will load it and then check if it's a valid MOD file (most four, six, and eight channel MODs should work fine). Press A to enter subdirectories or load files. MODs play endlessly until you press a key. While you can press any key to stop, I recommend NOT pressing A since that also starts the MOD and I've seen it hang up on occasion. Pressing C never seems to fail. I've seen a few MODs where the CD resets while the MOD is playing... I'm not sure why. I've had a MOD playing now for the last hour, so it's not how long the CD has been sitting.

You can get the archive and source here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?dn069tm1504dnd6

If you wish to build it yourself, you'll need my boot loader:
http://www.mediafire.com/?2ngcxlsomjeejac

You can find mic's demo here:
http://jiggawatt.org/badc0de/console.htm

EDIT: Oh, forgot to mention - DMA from the 68K side is still flaky, so I currently transfer data from the 68K side through the communications registers. It's slower (duh), but works fine on real hardware 100%.

Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:14 am
by mic_
Is there any emulator that runs this well? I don't have a MegaCD so I can't run it on the real thing.

Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:48 pm
by Chilly Willy
The only emulator with CD32X support that I'm aware of is Fusion. You need the very latest, 3.64, to get half-way decent PWM sound. I used 3.63x in linux for testing, and although it runs the program correctly, the PWM sound is awful. After it's working in Fusion, I then burn a CD to try it on real hardware.

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 3:19 pm
by mic_
Hmm.. I don't remember the effect being that slow. But maybe it was - after all it's running on 1 CPU, and VRAM writes are dog slow.

There were too few "chippy" tunes for my taste in the pre-compiled version (4-channel arpeggiofests). :P But still a cool CD32X firsty.

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 7:32 pm
by Chilly Willy
mic_ wrote:Hmm.. I don't remember the effect being that slow. But maybe it was - after all it's running on 1 CPU, and VRAM writes are dog slow.

There were too few "chippy" tunes for my taste in the pre-compiled version (4-channel arpeggiofests). :P But still a cool CD32X firsty.
This is the C version, not the asm version... maybe that's what you remember - the asm version.

The music was just some test files I keep on hand... the usual. If you have some music you'd rather have, you can compile it yourself with your own music, or send me an arc of the mods and I can compile it for you. I did that for some folks back when I did the rom-based player. :D

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 8:53 pm
by Stef
Well done Chilly ! Getting something running and using 32XCD combo capabilities is really impressive by itself :)

Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:08 am
by Chilly Willy
Well, I've been working towards it for a while. I want to help get the most out of the 32X, and CD32X had a LOT of promise, but only got a few FMV games.

Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 9:34 am
by Stef
Yeah the CD32X can indeed do much ! Many CPU horse power with the 32X, about unlimited data storage with CD, and many RAM when you take them together :) Still, pretty difficult to program for, which explain why we add so few games for this system :-/