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RBSC Carnivore2+ User Manual

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Carnivore2+ User Guide
English version
Copyright (C) 2024 RBSC (Russian Bear Service Crew)
Русская версия находится здесь:
About the project
Carnivore2+ is a multi–functional cartridge for the MSX platform that was created by RBSC (Russian Bear Service Crew) in
2024. It is the successor of the well–known Carnivore2 cartridge that is very popular among MSX users. Carnivore2+ is the
new cartridge platform that offers flexibility and extensibility with its unique EFU (Easy Firmware Updating) feature. The
website of RBSC can be found here.
Below you can find the photo of the cartridge from the first batch made by Maxiol (RBSC).
Carnivore2+ features
External storage: CF card (CompactFlash),
Nextor is used as DOS (built–in support for FAT12/16, maximum partition size: 4 GB)
High read and write speeds
Supports SD and MicroSD card adapters
Nextor supports floppy disk emulation with DSK files
Utilities compatible with MSX-DOS versions 1 and 2
The cartridge can be configured as a RAM extension, disk drive, music or SCC/SCC+ sound card, FlashROM cartridge or a
combination of these devices
RAM: 2048 KB (2 MB)
Includes:
1024 KB main RAM with mapper
1024 KB additional RAM with a mapper, similar to MegaRAM
4 KB for the FMPAC SRAM (a backup battery is needed to save data after turning off the power)
Инструкция по эксплуатации Carnivore2+
MicroSD
card
1/38

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Summary of Contents for RBSC Carnivore2+

  • Page 1 About the project Carnivore2+ is a multi–functional cartridge for the MSX platform that was created by RBSC (Russian Bear Service Crew) in 2024. It is the successor of the well–known Carnivore2 cartridge that is very popular among MSX users. Carnivore2+ is the new cartridge platform that offers flexibility and extensibility with its unique EFU (Easy Firmware Updating) feature.
  • Page 2 Repository on GitHub Utilities, BIOSes, firmware, documentation List of authorized distributors The below table contains the list of authorized Carnivore2+ manufacturers and distributors. Order from Maxiol (RBSC) Exclusive distributor from Russia Contact the seller Packaging The first batch of Carnivore2+ comes with the exclusive VIP packaging. A sturdy black box with magnetic locks, black velvet- decorated internals.
  • Page 3 In the future a simpler packaging will be offered, as well as an alternative box and label. Photos of the cartridge board Below you can find photos of the cartridge board produced by Maxiol (RBSC): 3/38...
  • Page 4 The first batch of Carnivore2+ cartridges had to be patched with a wire. The next revisions of the cartridge won't have it. Important information WARNING! To avoid damage to the Carnivore2+ cartridge and your MSX computer hardware never insert or remove the cartridge when a computer is powered on! Always power off...
  • Page 5 removing any cartridges! If any of your SD, CF cards or SD–to–CF adapters don't work with Carnivore2+, try to select the card or the adapter using the below linked compatibility document. CF card and adapter compatibility reference The correct operation of the Carnivore2+ cartridge is not guaranteed in the R800 mode on Panasonic Turbo-R computers.
  • Page 6 But if you want to have SFG or (later) MSX Audio music module, you can update the firmware right away. From time to time RBSC will be releasing newer versions of the firmware with additional features and music modules. There will be also newer versions of the Boot Menu and BIOSes.

  • Page 7: Usage Instructions

    C2MAN.COM C2MAN40.COM C2EDIT.COM C2EDIT40.COM C2RAMLDR.COM Special versions of utilities for Korean and Arabic Special utilities folder C2SRAM.COM Util\Special MSX computers C2BACKUP.COM C2CFGBCK.COM C2DSKTST.COM C2FINDER.COM C2FWUPD.COM C2FWUPD.COM FW_FMPAC.BIN FW_FMPAC.CRC Firmware update for FPGA; currently FMPAC or Firmware + music folder FW_FMPAC.ROM SFG music module support + corresponding Firmware module's BIOS...
  • Page 8 On MSX1 computers the title screen looks like that: Pressing at the title screen will result in going to the main menu without having to wait for a few seconds. Space If the cartridge is inserted into slot 3, the system will be halted immediately. In this case please power down the system and insert the cartridge into another free slot.
  • Page 9 If there's a network module from KYBT or KYBT2 system (Yamaha–based computer classes that were distributed in USSR), the following warning message will be shown and the system will be halted. In this case please remove the network module from the computer's side or front slots.
  • Page 10 Navigating the menu is very easy. Here are the key assignments: boot MSX using the default configuration: all enabled previous/next page ← → select ROM/CFG entry ↑ ↓ start selected entry (single slot configuration) Space start an entry directly reboot MSX and start selected entry Dual-Slot setup page Enter ⏎...
  • Page 11 exit from Boot Menu (same as on keyboard) All other joystick directions are ignored. The following data is displayed on the status line of the screen: VDP Frequency CPU mode volume: MUSIC Directory page numbers, in the following format: CP•TP —...
  • Page 12 When the auto–start is set for any entry, after reboot a message will be shown and there will be a delay before this entry is activated. During the delay a user can abort the auto–start with keys. If any of these keys are pressed during the countdown, the auto–start will be skipped and the main menu will be shown.
  • Page 13 R8x — R800 mode for Panasonic Turbo-R Sound and Music module's settings This screen is accessible with the key. It has controls for changing the volume of SCC and Music module, as well as controls to enable SN7 emulation and to control its volume. The settings are stored in the configuration EEPROM.
  • Page 14 It is also possible to disable the default stereo mode of the music module using the setting in the Configuration screen. This will enable the mono mode for music module's sound output through the Carnivore2+'s audio socket. With Carnivore2+ it's possible to enable the Dual-PSG mode in the cartridge. In this mode Carnivore2+ starts to emulate PSG on alternative ports (#10 и...

  • Page 15: Configuration Settings

    Configuration settings The Boot Menu can be customized and these custom settings will be stored in the configuration EEPROM. To customize the configuration please use the key from the main menu. Beside the cursor keys, that are used to navigate through the settings, the following keys can be used in the configuration screen: save &...
  • Page 16 The directory sorting is a complex operation, so if there are many entries in the Boot Menu's directory, then it may take a few seconds to completely sort all of them. The sorting only happens at the Boot Menu's startup and when the sorting gets enabled in the configuration screen.
  • Page 17 This setup screen allows to run dual–slot configuration with flexible option selection for the master slot (you can choose what Carnivore2+ built–in devices to enable). You can select 2 ROMs to run simultaneously. The only restriction for the slave slot is that it can run games with mappers as well as small games up to 32kb without mapper.
  • Page 18 After enabling the “Slave Slot as Master's Subslot” option, you need to select what subslot of the main slot should be used to emulate the slave slot. This can be done by putting the cursor onto one of the Carnivore2+'s devices — RAM, DISK or MUSIC and pressing .

  • Page 19: Help Screens

    same as cursor keys ↑ ↓ apply selected configuration and restart ← → change or toggle setting, select ROM or SCC+ mode, enable or disable device, assign subslot for slave emulation (same as on keyboard) Space exit to the main menu (same as on keyboard) Help screens This screen pair can be called with...
  • Page 20 Also the help scroller can be enabled in the main menu by pressing the button. Notes for SCC+ mode The Carnivore2+ cartridge supports both SCC and SCC+ modes. Certain games started from the cartridge's DISK device may not accept the SCC+ being in the expanded slot, so there will be no sound. In this case such games can be started from a different disk device and the Carnivore2+ cartridge can be configured as the SCC+ sound cartridge.
  • Page 21 Utilities Please note that utilities for Carnivore2 cartridge are not compatible with Carnivore2+ despite having the same naming. The Carnivore2+ cartridge uses its own unique set of utilities. The only 2 exceptions are utilities that came with Carnivore2+. They work with both cartridges. C2FINDER C2TESTER For the Carnivore2+ cartridge there is a set of special programs-utilities for loading ROM images, directory editing, cartridge...
  • Page 22 line options are used. The utility supports the following command line options: C2MAN [filename.rom] [/h] [/v] [/a] [/r] [/su] — help screen — verbose mode (show detailed information) — automatically detect and write ROM image (no user interaction needed) — automatically restart MSX after flashing ROM image —...
  • Page 23 C2MAN file.rom /a The utility will try to automatically detect the ROM's mapper, check whether any free space is available and then it will write the selected ROM into the FlashROM chip. If you add the option, the utility will show additional information about the chip and the ROM that is being added as well as the map of the free chip's blocks.
  • Page 24 Press any key to continue SD/CF card configuration mode By default the cartridge works with SD or CF card, depending on which one is present in the cartridge. However, it's possible to use both cards at the same time, for example for copying data from CF to SD card when migrating from Carnivore2 to Carnivore2+.
  • Page 25 Optimize directory entries Optimization of directory entries updates the default configuration entry “DefConfig: RAM+DISK+MUSIC+SCC” so that the cartridge could be detected by the utilities. This also removes the gaps between the entries. This operation should be performed, for example, after deleting a few directory entries. Optimizing the directory removes the old “RAM:” entries that were created by the utility.
  • Page 26 Write Nextor SD BIOS This service menu option writes the ROM of the SD disk controller into the cartridge. The SD card as a disk drive will not be available without this component. Updating Nextor SD BIOS requires the file. SDSCCMFC.BIN Fully erase FlashROM chip This option allows the contents of the FlashROM chip to be completely erased! After this operation, the cartridge will be...
  • Page 27 The RCP stands for “Register Configuration Preset”. It is a small data file with the settings for certain non–standard games or configurations. The RBSC provides many RCP files for the most popular games and software in the repository, in the Presets subfolder.
  • Page 28 the RCP file and it will be saved for future use. The latest versions of utilities try to automatically find the matching RCP file C2MAN C2MAN40 C2EDIT C2EDIT40 C2RAMLDR when a ROM is being loaded. For example if a user writes the file into the cartridge, the utilities will try to locate the TEST.ROM file and ask a user whether he/she wants to load and use the data from that RCP file.
  • Page 29 into the FlashROM chip. The utility also allows you to copy the contents of the FlashROM image back to the chip. After filling the FlashROM image into the chip, you need to restart your computer. It is possible that after restoring data from a backup you will need to update: IDE BIOS SD BIOS MUSIC BIOS...
  • Page 30 where — number of iterations, from 2 to 99 — drive letter, A–Z Drive — show help Examples: C2DSKTST /25 A run 25 iterations of test for drive A C2DSKTST /? show help When the program is launched without parameters, 10 read/write tests are performed for the current disk. To stop the test it's necessary to hold the key.

  • Page 31: Cartridge Maintenance

    Carnivore2+ support in openMSX The openMSX emulator supports Carnivore2 and Carnivore2+ emulation from version 0_14_0-200. To configure the emulation, you will need special files that can be downloaded from the link below. To add Carnivore2+ device into openMSX please do the following: Put files into the Сarnivore2+.xml Сarnivore2+.rom...

  • Page 32: Updating The Firmware

    device and power cables. However, there could be situations, when the use of USB Blaster is inevitable. Also, below you can find information on how to update the Boot Menu and BIOSes. Updating the firmware The EFU (Easy Firmware Updating) was one of the main planned features for Carnivore2+, it allows to update the FPGA's firmware without the need to use the USB Blaster programmer.
  • Page 33 To identify which music module is currently available in the firmware, look for the name of this module under the firmware's version in the startup screen of Carnivore2+ cartridge. In case the firmware update fails and the cartridge no longer works, it's still possible to restore it without USB Blaster. You can use Carnivore2 or another cartridge that boots to MSX-DOS2, run the utility and try to update the firmware once C2FWUPD...
  • Page 34 Byte Blaster or USB Blaster programmer (can be purchased on Ebay or AliExpress) From the tab please download and install the following software: Individual Files Quartus II Software (includes Nios II EDS) Cyclone IV device support The following actions need to be performed: Connect the USB Blaster programmer to the PC Run the program Quartus II Web Edition...
  • Page 35 Then the programmer’s connector must be inserted into the connector of the cartridge and slightly tilted to ensure good contact between the pins and the board: Click and follow the programming and verification process while firmly holding the connector. After successful Start completion of the firmware uploading you should get this message: When the operation is complete, disconnect the cables from the cartridge in the following order:...

  • Page 36: Troubleshooting

    Producing a small amount of bare boards for personal projects and selling the rest of the batch is allowed without the permission of RBSC. Projects developed by RBSC must not be used to harm any individuals, groups of people or countries.

  • Page 37: Contact Information

    We would like to thank the creators of the MSX platform for their wonderful invention that brings joy to many people for more than 40 years already. Contact information The members of RBSC group Tnt23, Wierzbowsky, Pyhesty, Ptero, GreyWolf, SuperMax, VWarlock and DJS3000 can be contacted via the group's e-mail address: info@rbsc.su The group's coordinator could be reached via this e-mail address: admin@rbsc.su...
  • Page 38 https://sysadminmosaic.ru/en/msx/carnivore2p/carnivore2p 2024-04-10 08:59 38/38...