Commodore CASSIOPEI User Manual
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Commodore CASSIOPEI User Manual

Commodore CASSIOPEI User Manual

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CASSIOPEI
v2.0
USER MANUAL
this manual is intended for
firmware version: V20191027 or higher

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  • Page 1 CASSIOPEI v2.0 USER MANUAL this manual is intended for firmware version: V20191027 or higher...
  • Page 2 Simply because many 8-bit Commodore computers do not have an IEC-bus. That device was the Cassiopei. It was a very successful project, I learned a lot from it, mostly about the history of the technology inside the Commodore computers. Because I needed to program very close to the hardware it forced me to understand why things were done.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    2.3 Computer model (menu item “Comp”)................16 2.4 Operating modes (menu item “Mode”)................16 2.5 File (menu item “File”)......................17 2.6 Settings file........................18 2.7 Determining the IP address of your Cassiopei..............19 3 Configuring the SD-card......................20 3.1 SD-card requirements......................20 3.2 Usage and limitations......................21 3.3 Required folders in the root of the SD-card................21 3.4 Required folders inside computer specific folders..............22...
  • Page 4 13 Upgrading the Cassiopei's firmware..................71 13.1 FW Update through webinterface..................71 13.2 FW Update through SD-card...................73 14 Additional software for the Cassiopei..................74 14.1 PETSCII_player.prg + CBM PETSCII video converter...........74 14.2 BBS_terminal.prg......................75 14.3 To be released in the future: VIC20 full motion video.............76 14.4 To be released in the future: Disk_wizard.prg..............76...

  • Page 5: The Cassiopei

    The Cassiopei is also great for cross development due to it's quick and easy transfer of data to your CBM computer. This functionality is heavily used during the development of the menu programs and other Cassiopei related software.

  • Page 6: Display

    Display The Cassiopei has an OLED display which is small but very practical. As it allows the user to easily configure the device or to see what he/she is doing when loading TAP files. Below is an image of what the screen would look like configured for a C64 computer (PAL version).

  • Page 7: Speaker

    The switch on the front of the Cassiopei has 2 positions, the text next to the switch is a bit difficult to read. Therefore it is easier to refer to the upper or lower position instead of the 'W' or 'R' position.
  • Page 8 Placing the Cassiopei on your internal cassetteport isn't very convinient, as it requires you to constantly lift the top of your PET in order to press a button on the Cassiopei. Also the support feet of the Cassiopei are not suited for placing the Cassiopei inside your PET. Also the wifi functionality of the Cassiopei cannot be guaranteed to work properly, because the PET is significantly obstructing the signal with is heavy metal case.

  • Page 9: Additional Stands

    Cassiopei. In order to attach a stand to the Cassiopei, remove the back cover and slide the stand with the smallest slot gently over the cassetteport connector.

  • Page 10: Frontplate Logo Differences

    Cassiopei V2.0 filled style logo On the left the frontplate has the CASSIOPEI logo in an outline style, on the right the Cassiopei logo is more solid and below it the text V2.0 is printed. From the outline style logo only 10 have been made, therefore these models are to be seen as collectors items.

  • Page 11: Wifi Network Security

    1.6.1 Supported protocols The Cassiopei is based on the ESP8266, this is known to be supporting the WEP or WPA/WPA2 authentication, or open networks. The Cassiopei has been developed using a WPA2 wifi network and it is suggested that the Cassiopei is only to be used in such a network environment.

  • Page 12: Configuring The Cassiopei

    Configuring the Cassiopei When using the Cassiopei there are a few settings that are really important, make sure that these are properly configured before you use the Cassiopei. You may configure the most used settings by pressing the “Sett.”-button on the Cassiopei. Other settings like the IP-address or virtual file mode settings can only be changed by modifying the contents of the settings file.

  • Page 13: Ntp Functionality (Mostly Intended For Geos)

    TI or TI$ at all), is GEOS. So if you are serious GEOS user, then this NTP function might be useful to you. Just use GEOS are you are used to, but make sure that the Cassiopei is plugged in and configured for NTP use.
  • Page 14 GEOS starts the autoexec file that reads the time information from the Cassiopei and the internal clock of your CBM is set to the appropriate time value. If the Cassiopei is for some reason not plugged into your CBM then the autoexec will detect that and handles appropriately and GEOS caries on with it's business.
  • Page 15 So in order to make this happen you must copy it to your GEOS boot disk. And that's all, then remove the disk with the Cassiopei driver on it, do with it whatever you want, you don't need it anymore. Because the next time you start GEOS, it loads the copied driver file automatically and sets your clock based on the time information from the specified NTP server as accessed by the Cassiopei.

  • Page 16: Computer Model (Menu Item "Comp")

    PAL computer, then choose this model from the list of available models. This computer model setting is also used to allow the Cassiopei to hide all the files intended for other computer models. So when you are working with a C64, you might not want to see the files intended for your VIC20.

  • Page 17: File (Menu Item "File")

    The Cassiopei DOES NOT alphabetically sort the file entries. The files entries are shown in the same order as they are stored on the filesystem of the SD-card. Folders (a.k.a. sub-directories) are supported by the Cassiopei therefore you can store your files in a convenient way, making it easier to find your files.

  • Page 18: Settings File

    “Wordpad” on MS Windows is very useful. Everything after the character ';' will not be interpreted by the Cassiopei and can be effectively used for comments. Please be aware that there are some size limitations, these are indicated close to the relevant entry.

  • Page 19: Determining The Ip Address Of Your Cassiopei

    You can connect to your Cassiopei by typing in your devices hostname followed by a / into the URL of your browser. So for the default hostname of CASSIOPEI this would mean that the URL CASSIOPEI/ must be entered in the browser.

  • Page 20: Configuring The Sd-Card

    Configuring the SD-card In order for the Cassiopei to be functional there has to be an SD-card inserted into the device. The SD-card is to be inserted on the backside of the Cassiopei. The SD-card slot is accessible by removing the back cover. Gently insert the card as shown in the picture, the label is facing upwards and (just like the pictures below) cannot been seen from the rear.

  • Page 21: Usage And Limitations

    80 characters, and the filename will be truncated to a length of that size. So when the user selects such a file the Cassiopei will eventually not be able to find that file, because it's name is truncated and therefore cannot be loaded, because it will search for the truncated name, which does not exist, so there never will be a filename match.

  • Page 22: Required Folders Inside Computer Specific Folders

    PACMAN.PRG file in the PRG folder of the required computer model. Because if you store a .TAP file in the PRG folder then Cassiopei will not be able to find this file when it is operating in the TAP-file mode.

  • Page 23: Sd-Card Removal Tips

    SD-card removal tips The SD-card is located inside the Cassiopei and removing it can be difficult when you have really short fingernails or relatively thick fingers. Now if you are going to remove the card once or twice a year this is not really a problem. But sometimes, you just need to remove the card more often then you expected at first and for those cases the tips below could be of help.

  • Page 24: The Web-Interface

    The web-interface When your Cassiopei has the wifi SSID and KEY settings in the settings file properly set and wifi is enabled, then it will attempt to login onto your wifi network every time it is switched on (or reset). When this is successful the Cassiopei will show the IP-address on the display. Go to the IP- address by typing it into the URL location of your browser.

  • Page 25: File Manager

    File manager The easiest way to add files to the Cassiopei filesystem is by removing the card and inserting it into your PC using an USB SD-card adapter. Another way would be by using the web interface. When the menu is shown, click onto the “File manager” button and wait a few seconds for it to load.

  • Page 26: Settings

    The settings page allows you to change the settings in the same way as you could do using the buttons and the OLED display directly on the Cassiopei. Or via the menu program on your CBM computer. Using the web interface allows for easier reading but is slower and therefore not the preferred method for quickly changing the current file or computer model.

  • Page 27: Info

    This web page shows you some info about the Cassiopei, it tells you nothing you didn't know, but all the way down the screen is a link that allows you to upload new firmware into the Cassiopei. This is a feature that might come in handy when there is a new firmware version available (firmware binaries can be found on the Cassiopei website).

  • Page 28: Cassiopei Menu Program

    Cassiopei menu program (linked to the MENU button of the Cassiopei). This program can be used to select the game or program that you want to run. Although this program can do the same as the OLED display, it is much more convenient because the screen is much larger (easier readable) and much more fun then fiddling with these tiny buttons.
  • Page 29 Example: if you have you Cassiopei connected to the C64 and you choose a C16 computermodel, then the Cassiopei no longer is able to communicate to the C64, because you have told it should be working with a C16. And the electrical connections are not compatible therefore communication isn't possible.

  • Page 30: Using Prg Files

    GAMES. This means that you can organize you games making them easier to find if you have more then one PRG file on your SD-card. The path then would be: C64/PRG/GAMES/PACMAN.PRG Configure the Cassiopei for the use of PRG files. You can do this using the menu program on your CBM computer.

  • Page 31: Using Tap Files

    GAMES. This means that you can organize you games making them easier to find if you have more then one TAP file on your SD-card. The path then would be: C64/TAP/GAMES/PACMAN.TAP Configure the Cassiopei for the use of TAP files. You can do this using the menu program on your CBM computer.

  • Page 32: Swapping/Flipping The Tape (Change Tap File During Playback)

    Since the game has already been selected in the menu program, there is no need to select it again and therefore you can just type LOAD on your CBM and then press PLAY on the Cassiopei. The game will now load directly and without the menu program.

  • Page 33: Supported Computer Models

    How to use: Configure the Cassiopei to be used on a VIC-20 computer, this is required in order to define all timings of the Cassiopei for this type of computer, see the chapter “Configuring the Cassiopei”. Do not attempt to use the Cassiopei while it is not configured.
  • Page 34 This is possible because the Cassiopei can detect if the file to be loaded is a BASIC program or not. When the Cassiopei detects that the file to be loaded is a BASIC file, it will load the file to the current BASIC start location.

  • Page 35: What To Do When A Vic-20 Program Does Not Run

    Now this has nothing to do with the Cassiopei, it was a problem ever since the VIC-20 came out and the only way to solve it is to load these kind of games/programs to the intended loading address as specified in the file. Therefore the Cassiopei menu shows this information, so you can get an idea of the game/program will load or not before you select it in your current VIC-20 memory configuration.

  • Page 36: Vic20 Basic Start Address Due To Memory Configuration

    BASIC: $0401, Screen:$1E00, Color:$9600 (can be disabled by typing: POKE642,16:POKE644,30:SYS64818) VIC-20: 3K super expander VIC-20: 8K expanded BASIC: $0401, Screen:$1E00, Color:$9600 BASIC:$1201, Screen:$1000, Color:$9400 VIC-20: 16K expanded VIC-20: 24K expanded BASIC:$1201, Screen:$1000, Color:$9400 BASIC:$1201, Screen:$1000, Color:$9400 2019-10-27 Page 36 of 76 CASSIOPEI v2.0...

  • Page 37: Writing A Program That Works On All Vic-20 Configurations

    When loading a file with the Cassiopei's fastloader, you cannot choose how to load the file. But this is not required. The Cassiopei will detect if the file will start at $0401, $1001 or $1201 and if so, it must be a BASIC program and so it will be relocated to the current basic start address. If the program is a machine language program it will not start at one of these 3 locations.
  • Page 38 ;Main program (the code that will be relocated), it may not exceed $1DFF ;This means that your own program may be bigger then approximately 3Kbyte ;======================================================================== MAIN ;;;write your own program here;;; END_OF_PROGRAM ;this label indicates the absolute end of the program 2019-10-27 Page 38 of 76 CASSIOPEI v2.0...

  • Page 39: Commodore 64

    Commodore 64 The C64 is the computer that inspired the design of the Cassiopei. As you can see it is easily connected to the cassetteport of both C64 models. It cannot be connected to the C64 games system (as this is a cartridge based game console version of the C64) and it cannot be connected to the SX- 64 or DX64, which also has no cassetteport.

  • Page 40: Commodore C16/Plus4

    Plus 4 How to use: Configure the Cassiopei to be used on a C16/Plus4 computer, this is required in order to define all timings of the Cassiopei for this type of computer, see the chapter “Configuring the Cassiopei”. Do not attempt to use the Cassiopei while it is not configured.

  • Page 41: Commodore 128

    As the image above demonstrates, the C128D plastic version require the use of an additional stand. You can attach this by removing the back cover of the Cassiopei and then slide the stand gently over the cassetteport connector, then replace the back cover.
  • Page 42 How to use: Configure the Cassiopei to be used on a C128 computer, this is required in order to define all timings and load addresses of the Cassiopei for this type of computer. The Cassiopei's requires the following sequence of commands independent of it's operating mode.

  • Page 43: Commodore Pet/Cbm 20Xx Series (Build-In Tape Drive)

    RUN to start the loaded program – Note: If the cassiopei was to be connected to cassetteport #1 then replace '2' by '1' in the examples above. Or simply type LOAD<return> 2019-10-27 Page 43 of 76...
  • Page 44 BASIC version, BASIC 2. It is preferred that machines with BASIC 1 are upgraded to BASIC 2. Therefore the use of the Cassiopei in combination with a computer using BASIC 1 might result in unexpected messages after loading and running.

  • Page 45: Commodore Pet/Cbm 20Xx And 30Xx Series

    As the image above demonstrates, the PET/CBM 2000 and 3000 series require the use of an additional stand. You can attach this by removing the back cover of the Cassiopei and then slide the stand gently over the cassetteport connector, then replace the back cover.
  • Page 46 Cassiopei. As it uses tape buffer#1 (which starts at $027A). However it is still possible to load this game using the Cassiopei, but it requires the kernal loader. By loading the game using the standard kernal loader (also known as the slowest method of loading) the game is as it was designed.

  • Page 47: Commodore Pet/Cbm 40Xx Series

    As the image above demonstrates, the PET/CBM 4000 series require the use of an additional stand. You can attach this by removing the back cover of the Cassiopei and then slide the stand gently over the cassetteport connector, then replace the back cover.
  • Page 48 In some occasions when the RUN command is entered, the Cassiopei loads the program, but the computer responds with an error message. Most of the times entering the RUN command again will start the loaded program without any problems. In those occasions it would have been better to use a SYS command to start the fastloader routines.

  • Page 49: Commodore Pet/Cbm 80Xx Series

    Commodore PET/CBM 80XX series Commodore has build many variations of the PET, one of them is the PET 8032. Commodore made this model in different memory configurations (8008, 8016, 8032). Despite from memory differences, these models all work the same and are therefore referred to as the 80XX series in this manual.
  • Page 50 As the image above demonstrates, the PET/CBM 8000 series require the use of an additional stand. You can attach this by removing the back cover of the Cassiopei and then slide the stand gently over the cassiopei's cassette port connector, then replace the back cover.

  • Page 51: Commodore Cbm 500 Series (Not Supported)

    So although technically it is possible to use the Cassiopei in combination with the CBM 600 series, it does requires a disk- drive or cartridge as well. With this in mind I (Jan Derogee, inventor of the Cassiopei) decided that support for this computer model is not really that useful.

  • Page 52: Backup/Restore Tapes

    TAP creator. You can enter this mode by attaching a datasette to the datasette port of your Cassiopei and pressing play/wind or rewind during power-on (or reset). When the Cassiopei starts it will detect that a datasette button is pressed and the backup/restore mode is entered.

  • Page 53: Which Tapes Should You Use

    Now there is no need to buy the most expensive tape you can find, because that was never the intention of the good people of Commodore, they designed the datasette in a time where tapes where most likely to be very noisy, the high end audio tapes with super low noise and high dynamic range were designed many years later.

  • Page 54: Condition Of Source Tapes

    It may be a good idea, to break out the write-protect notch of the tape you want to backup. Because this way you can't accidentally record onto the tape and destroy it BEFORE you were able to make a backup of it. 2019-10-27 Page 54 of 76 CASSIOPEI v2.0...

  • Page 55: Datasette Maintenance And Repair

    .TAP file to real tapes. Therefore make sure you are using tapes that are in top condition. 2019-10-27 Page 55 of 76 CASSIOPEI v2.0...

  • Page 56: Belt Replacement

    BEEEEP tone at the beginning of each game/program on the tape. Place the speaker switch of the Cassiopei in the playback position and playback your tape. When the leader sounds like PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP, your probably OK.
  • Page 57 10%), this may not seem like much… but it's more then enough to cause problems. Another way could be by using a simple ruler and two ballpoint pens, a method shown below: 2019-10-27 Page 57 of 76 CASSIOPEI v2.0...

  • Page 58: Pinch Roller Problems

    The only option is to replace the pinch roller as it is permanently damaged by the constant pressure of the capstan. 2019-10-27 Page 58 of 76 CASSIOPEI v2.0...

  • Page 59: Tapehead Cleaning

    When cleaning of both heads is done, make sure to let it dry for 15 minutes before using it, you don't want your tapes to get wet OR to stick to your wet tape head while playing. 2019-10-27 Page 59 of 76 CASSIOPEI v2.0...

  • Page 60: Tapehead (Azimuth) Alignment

    There was even a special datasette clone, called “LOAD IT”, this model had an LED bar display, indicating the audio level, allowing you to visualize what you otherwise can't hear. But chances are that you don't have any of the items shown here. 2019-10-27 Page 60 of 76 CASSIOPEI v2.0...
  • Page 61 Mark this position, now turn your screwdriver to the position exactly in the middle of the two marked points. This should be the most optimal position. Remove the screwdriver and stop the tape, you are ready to load. 2019-10-27 Page 61 of 76 CASSIOPEI v2.0...
  • Page 63 It can be helpful to move the Cassiopei's speaker switch in the lower or 'R' position, this way you hear the sounds from the tape, which could be of help as the lines only appear when the tape produces sounds.

  • Page 64: Backup A Tape

    Start the backup/restore mode as described in the beginning of this chapter (connect datasette and press the play/wind/rewind button when the Cassiopei is switched on or reset). As described a few pages back… make sure that your datasette is in perfect working order.

  • Page 65: Voltmeter Function

    It is not uncommon that the Commodore computer dies because of a failing power supply, now the Cassiopei cannot avoid that, but it can monitor the main (5V) voltage. Using the build in Voltmeter, the Cassiopei measures the 5V power rail of your precious CBM computer. And shows that value on it's display, if the voltage of the CBM raises above 5.4V (which is more then 8% higher then the...
  • Page 66 Then you have a different problem, because in order for the Cassiopei to produce sound through the speaker, it has to generate signals on the read-line (the data that holds the tape signals). Meaning that normal data trafic AND cassiopei functionality is no longer possible.

  • Page 67: Virtual File Mode

    HTTP webserver application like “mongoose”. When the cassiopei (configured for the virtual file mode) has loaded it's fastloader routines it will go to the ip-address of the computer and requests the file virtual.prg. Which is then loaded through HTTP into the CBM.
  • Page 68 1234 you need to type the following URL into your browser: 192.168.2.8:1234/virtual.prg In order to make this work on your CBM you also need to setup the Cassiopei with 3 settings (as stored in the settings file, this needs to be edited manually using a text-editor because these settings cannot be made through the menu.

  • Page 70: Compatibility Of The Cassiopei

    For the PET the fastloader stores itself into the cassettebuffer (Cassette buffer#1 and a small portion of the stack). The Cassiopei uses a portion of the stack because the fastloader needs to be stored somewhere and Cassettebuffer#2 would be a nice place BUT this is exactly what the earlier programmers thought as well, so therefore cassette buffer #2 can not be used by the Cassiopei fastloader code, fortunately the stack is large enough to store a part of the fastloader code.

  • Page 71: Upgrading The Cassiopei's Firmware

    There are three methods to program new firmware into the Cassiopei, the first is over the serial port, which is available through the expansion connector), however this method requires additional cables in order to connect to your PC, but it also requires special software.
  • Page 72 When configuring the Cassiopei wifi settings it is very important is the same network is selected as is being used by the computer that will be used to upload the new firmware image. The Cassiopei's display will show you the IP-address of the Cassiopei. For instance 192.168.002.024 For example: 192.168.2.24\fwupdate...

  • Page 73: Fw Update Through Sd-Card

    Cassiopei. When the CASSIOPEI is back onto the network the webpage will be refreshed and you will see the page hosted by the new firmware inside the Cassiopei. The Cassiopei is now upgraded with new firmware and ready for use. To confirm if the firmware indeed has been upgraded, reset the Cassiopei and watch the screen, the firmware version shown now must reflect the version of the file you've selected during the upgrade procedure.

  • Page 74: Additional Software For The Cassiopei

    14.1 PETSCII_player.prg + CBM PETSCII video converter The PETSCII player program, which can be used on all Cassiopei supported computer models, is a player that can play highly compressed PETSCII images quickly after each other. You could call it animation, you could call it an extremely fast slide show. These animations files did not exist yet, therefore a special program to generate these kind of files has been written for use with MS Windows.

  • Page 75: Bbs_Terminal.prg

    BBS's are mostly replaced by telnet versions, things become interesting. Because the Cassiopei can connect to a telnet server through it wifi connections. Meaning that you can experience the BBS's the way the were in the past but without the use of additional hardware. A Cassiopei and the BBS_terminal.prg program is all you need.

  • Page 76: To Be Released In The Future: Vic20 Full Motion Video

    1541 disk drive. The intention of the program is to convert D64 files to a real disk and real disks into D64 files. Allowing you to expand the usability of your Cassiopei. This because, simply said, some programs require disks, therefore wouldn't it be nice to have a simple tool that allows you to create real disks based on D64 files you grabbed from the internet.

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