nfg.forums

Hi,

Just to say I managed to test Version 2 of BlueSCSI (now Raspberry Pi Pico based) and it worked.

They are available from here and other places:

https://bluescsi.flamelily.co.uk/

I nice cheap solution that uses minimal power. PiSCSI/RaSCSI is really good but too many features for my basic SASI needs.

UPDATE: I have no problems but other members have. I think at this time it is best to recommend the V1 and flash it with X68K specific firmware. It is also cheaper including the programmer. It will also sit inside the towers and you can see the 'Read' LED flash.

Quote from: HIggy on February 20, 2023, 06:51:15 AMHi,

Just to say I managed to test Version 2 of BlueSCSI (now Raspberry Pi Pico based) and it worked.

They are available from here and other places:

https://bluescsi.flamelily.co.uk/

I nice cheap solution that uses minimal power. PiSCSI/RaSCSI is really good but too many features for my basic SASI needs.

I tested this on my Pro and it has a few quirks but overall works more reliably than the bluescsi v1. Termination needs to be off.

I haven't been able to get things like Dracula or Cameltry to load correctly. Let me know if anyone else has one of these and done some testing/has settings to share.

Quote from: kanjiology on March 17, 2023, 04:31:26 PM

Quote from: HIggy on February 20, 2023, 06:51:15 AMHi,

Just to say I managed to test Version 2 of BlueSCSI (now Raspberry Pi Pico based) and it worked.

They are available from here and other places:

https://bluescsi.flamelily.co.uk/

I nice cheap solution that uses minimal power. PiSCSI/RaSCSI is really good but too many features for my basic SASI needs.

I tested this on my Pro and it has a few quirks but overall works more reliably than the bluescsi v1. Termination needs to be off.

I haven't been able to get things like Dracula or Cameltry to load correctly. Let me know if anyone else has one of these and done some testing/has settings to share.

i am trying to get working the bluescsi2 with gamesv4 hds image, but probably i'm missing something...
if i use the original filename, i get an error:

"Driver wih ID0 status: Not operating "

and scsi driver does'nt register.
I a rename the image's name as requested from new fw version, as "HD00512.hds" (id0 and lun0, 512bytes sectors), i get the error:

"Driver wih ID0 status: Not recognized"

termination on or off seems not change the error.
Any help?

My file (V4 image) is called HD20_512.sda maybe I have not updated to a new BlueSCSI V2 firmware?

I think in the config file i just have a non-Apple option.

What model X68000 are you using it on?

Quote from: HIggy on March 27, 2023, 07:09:59 AMMy file (V4 image) is called HD20_512.sda maybe I have not updated to a new BlueSCSI V2 firmware?

I think in the config file i just have a non-Apple option.

What model X68000 are you using it on?

Thank you, i got it working naming the V4 as HD30_512.HDA, shorting the cable to few centimeters and with terminator set to open.
I use the last 2023 firmware.
I also added the powertrm 5v to pin 38 wiring the 5v from the rear of the port s pcb, so i can use the Bluescsi with only one cable connected (my setup is an original X68000 with a desktop Bluescsi as external drive).
It works fine!

These are my ini settings if anyone else needs them.
I've noticed the games load more reliably if the SD card is less than 32gb and formatted in FAT32.
Although I still get loading issues on some games, this ini works better for me than not having one at all.

[SCSI]
# Settings that apply to all devices
Debug = 0  # Same effect as DIPSW2, enables verbose log messages
SelectionDelay = 0  # Millisecond delay after selection, 255 = automatic, 0 = no delay
PhyMode = 0  # 0: Best available  1: PIO  2: DMA_TIMER  3: GREENPAK_PIO  4: GREENPAK_DMA
#Dir = "/"  # Optionally look for image files in subdirectory
#Dir2 = "/images"  # Multiple directories can be specified Dir1...Dir9
#DisableStatusLED 1 # 0: Use status LED, 1: Disable status LED

# Settings that can be needed for compatibility with some hosts
Quirks = 0  # 0: Standard, 1: Apple, 2: OMTI, 4: Xebec, 8: VMS
EnableUnitAttention = 0 # Post UNIT_ATTENTION status on power-on or SD card hotplug
EnableSCSI2 = 0 # Enable faster speeds of SCSI2
EnableSelLatch = 0 # For Philips P2000C and other devices that release SEL signal before BSY
MapLunsToIDs = 0 # For Philips P2000C simulate multiple LUNs
MaxSyncSpeed = 5 # Set to 5 or 10 to enable synchronous SCSI mode, 0 to disable

# ROM settings
#DisableROMDrive = 1 # Disable the ROM drive if it has been loaded to flash
#ROMDriveSCSIID = 7 # Override ROM drive's SCSI ID

# Settings that can be specified either per-device or for all devices.
#Vendor = "QUANTUM"
#Product = "FIREBALL1"
#Version = "1.0"
#Serial = "0123456789ABCDEF"
#Type = 0    # 0: Fixed, 1: Removable, 2: Optical, 3: Floppy, 4: Mag-optical, 5: Tape
#TypeModifier = 0  # Affects only INQUIRY response
#SectorsPerTrack = 63
#HeadsPerCylinder = 255
#RightAlignStrings = 0 # Right-align SCSI vendor / product strings, defaults on if Quirks = 1
#PrefetchBytes = 8192 # Maximum number of bytes to prefetch after a read request, 0 to disable
#ReinsertCDOnInquiry = 1 # Reinsert any ejected CD-ROM image on Inquiry command, 1 to enable

# Settings can be overridden for individual devices.
[SCSI5]
Product = "Disk with ID5"

[SCSI5]
Product = "CD-ROM Drive"
Type = 2
# If IMG0..IMG9 are specified, they are cycled after each CD eject command.
#IMG0 = FirstCD.iso
#IMG1 = SecondCD.iso

# Raw sector range from SD card can be passed through
# Format is RAW:first_sector:last_sector where sector numbers can be decimal or hex.
# If end sector is beyond end of SD card, it will be adjusted automatically.
# [SCSI4]
# IMG0 = RAW:0x00000000:0xFFFFFFFF # Whole SD card



Nice hack on the Powerterm, I will have to do that also!

Quote from: HIggy on March 28, 2023, 07:25:02 AMNice hack on the Powerterm, I will have to do that also!

Thanks, but both pin 1 and 2 in FC (which i used) seem are 5vsb (drive power on with rear switch, not the frot one). I was too lazy to search in schematics, if you find a better 5v pickup, please share it!

Quote from: aotta on March 27, 2023, 11:08:22 PMI also added the powertrm 5v to pin 38 wiring the 5v from the rear of the port s pcb, so i can use the Bluescsi with only one cable connected (my setup is an original X68000 with a desktop Bluescsi as external drive).
It works fine!

Hey @aotta thanks for trying that, I thought it would be REALLY simples as that to add 5V Termination power to the SASI/SCSI Connector, but I was too chicken to try it AHHAHAHAHHA Thank you VERY MUCH for that, I'll do it to my machines.

Cheers

Quote from: HIggy on February 20, 2023, 06:51:15 AMHi,

Just to say I managed to test Version 2 of BlueSCSI (now Raspberry Pi Pico based) and it worked.

They are available from here and other places:

https://bluescsi.flamelily.co.uk/

I nice cheap solution that uses minimal power. PiSCSI/RaSCSI is really good but too many features for my basic SASI needs.

Hey HIggy and others.

I also bought a BlueSCSI V2 (DB25, external) and I'd like you to edit the title to "sort of works with SASI".

Let me explain. I have a BlueSCSI v1, internal, that never worked on any of my X68000s (several Pro-1, Ace and XVI Compact). I haven't tried reverting it back to ArdSCSIno, though.

Now, insisting on the mistake, I got the BlueSCSI V2, this time, an external unit, and although it gets recognized by the Pro/Ace with SxSI, it's too inconstant.

Sometimes it gets detected, sometimes it does not.
Sometimes I get a "So low SCSI level".
Sometimes it boots fine.
Sometimes it boots but crashes before it gets to LHES.
Sometimes it boots all the way, but crashes when loading a game.
Sometimes it loads a game, but when it accesses the HDD to load another stage, it crashes again.
And what's infuriating is that if you reset and try again the same thing you were doing before, it might work. You can't trust something unreliable as this.

So all in all, it's inconsistent. You cannot rely on it. I've replaced it with my old Aztec Monster (more on that later) and it works every. single. time. 100%, no hiccups. No delays, never fails to get detected, never fails to boot, never fails to load a game. Never. Works 100% reliably.

I've tried @kanjiology 's bluescsi.ini settings, tried BlueSCSI's own recommended  (https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/wiki/Compatibility#x68000)settings, nothing changed.

I've tried using the HDD_V4 image, tried creating my own. Tried using a max sized virtual HDD (1017MB, as per XM6G's recommendation), tried a 40MB one. Nothing has made any difference, I insisted quite a lot with different sized HDD images, but nothing made any difference, it's not related to HDD size.

I also played around with the SCSI ID for the virtual HDD, and it seems to be more reliable when used ID from 4 to 6 (HD40_512_XXX.hds, HD50_, HD60_) than using lower IDs (10, 20, 30. Note that HD00 can't be used, although in the XM6G emulator, you can).

I don't have a SCSI card on my SASI machines, nor I have a Super with it's native SCSI interface to test it. I could then say that "the SASI interface, with the SxSI driver isn't 100% compatible with the SCSI implementation on BlueSCSI V2" or "BlueSCSI V2 can't accept any quirks that may exist on SASI machines using the SxSI drivers".

However, I decided to try the BlueSCSI V2 DB25 on my XVI Compact, and boy oh boy, what a contrast.

It works PERFECTLY, it works RELIABLY, it boots every time, it loads everything right, all the time, it's fast, it's brilliant, absolutely no complaints whatsoever.

I did two things, however:

- Used SCSI ID 0 (HD00_512_XYZ.hds) for the Virtual HDD
- Changed parameter EnableSCSI2=1 to enable SCSI2 (although I don't think the SCSI on the XVI Compact is SCSI 2)
- Having the terminator jumper closed (termination on) or open (termination off) made no difference

By doing those changed, I could get it to work, and it's working absolutely GREAT.

BlueSCSI_v2.jpg

Quote from: amazin on May 12, 2023, 12:22:46 AM

Quote from: HIggy on February 20, 2023, 06:51:15 AMHi,

Just to say I managed to test Version 2 of BlueSCSI (now Raspberry Pi Pico based) and it worked.

They are available from here and other places:

https://bluescsi.flamelily.co.uk/

I nice cheap solution that uses minimal power. PiSCSI/RaSCSI is really good but too many features for my basic SASI needs.

Hey HIggy and others.

I also bought a BlueSCSI V2 (DB25, external) and I'd like you to edit the title to "sort of works with SASI".

Let me explain. I have a BlueSCSI v1, internal, that never worked on any of my X68000s (several Pro-1, Ace and XVI Compact). I haven't tried reverting it back to ArdSCSIno, though.

Now, insisting on the mistake, I got the BlueSCSI V2, this time, an external unit, and although it gets recognized by the Pro/Ace with SxSI, it's too inconstant.

Sometimes it gets detected, sometimes it does not.
Sometimes I get a "So low SCSI level".
Sometimes it boots fine.
Sometimes it boots but crashes before it gets to LHES.
Sometimes it boots all the way, but crashes when loading a game.
Sometimes it loads a game, but when it accesses the HDD to load another stage, it crashes again.
And what's infuriating is that if you reset and try again the same thing you were doing before, it might work. You can't trust something unreliable as this.

So all in all, it's inconsistent. You cannot rely on it. I've replaced it with my old Aztec Monster (more on that later) and it works every. single. time. 100%, no hiccups. No delays, never fails to get detected, never fails to boot, never fails to load a game. Never. Works 100% reliably.

I've tried @kanjiology 's bluescsi.ini settings, tried BlueSCSI's own recommended  (https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/wiki/Compatibility#x68000)settings, nothing changed.

I've tried using the HDD_V4 image, tried creating my own. Tried using a max sized virtual HDD (1017MB, as per XM6G's recommendation), tried a 40MB one. Nothing has made any difference, I insisted quite a lot with different sized HDD images, but nothing made any difference, it's not related to HDD size.

I also played around with the SCSI ID for the virtual HDD, and it seems to be more reliable when used ID from 4 to 6 (HD40_512_XXX.hds, HD50_, HD60_) than using lower IDs (10, 20, 30. Note that HD00 can't be used, although in the XM6G emulator, you can).

I don't have a SCSI card on my SASI machines, nor I have a Super with it's native SCSI interface to test it. I could then say that "the SASI interface, with the SxSI driver isn't 100% compatible with the SCSI implementation on BlueSCSI V2" or "BlueSCSI V2 can't accept any quirks that may exist on SASI machines using the SxSI drivers".

However, I decided to try the BlueSCSI V2 DB25 on my XVI Compact, and boy oh boy, what a contrast.

It works PERFECTLY, it works RELIABLY, it boots every time, it loads everything right, all the time, it's fast, it's brilliant, absolutely no complaints whatsoever.

I did two things, however:

- Used SCSI ID 0 (HD00_512_XYZ.hds) for the Virtual HDD
- Changed parameter EnableSCSI2=1 to enable SCSI2 (although I don't think the SCSI on the XVI Compact is SCSI 2)
- Having the terminator jumper closed (termination on) or open (termination off) made no difference

By doing those changed, I could get it to work, and it's working absolutely GREAT.

BlueSCSI_v2.jpg

Congratulations on getting it to work!

I have only tried the BlueSCSI V2 internally on the X68000 Pro.

I used to have the V1 installed but it stopped working, tried two different units. It now always gives the error "So low scsi level", and only launches upon a cold boot and stops working after. V2 still has a few quirks but is a lot more rock solid. I'll be trying PiSCSI as well to see if that gives anymore favorable results.

@amazin glad you had some progress.
I was getting 'So Low SCSI level' etc, but when I changed the Termination header it has been working fine on the CZ600-CE.

It is always detected and boots. Maybe look at the Termination header on the BlueSCSI?

I am also running @aotta PwrTwrm mod so no extra power wires!

i had only a strange issue left: if i use 2 or more HDA's images in the SDCard, when booting with Help pressed i got only the partitions on FIRST ID DISK on the SDcard to choose for booting, other drive are not even checked.
I mean, when IPL scans drive, it starts as soon as it get the first drive available and boot.
When booted, i see all the tre drives, but i can't boot from the second or third one in this way.
I flagged as bootable the first partition of each drive, it's that wrong?
Any hints will be appreciated, thanks!

Hey @aotta

I did some developments on this subject, and not really for BlueSCSI V2, but rather for V1. I've bought a ST-LINK V2 programmer and re-programmed the BlueSCSI V1 firmware with the original ArdSCSIno-stm32 firmware.

MAAAANNNNNNN it's insane. Now it works ABSOLUTELY PERFECT on my X68000 Pro and the Ace with the SxSI driver.

PERFECT, absolutely perfect.

However another thing I found out is that you have to check two things if you're using a SASI computer:

1) Of course you have to set on switch.x, parameter BOOT to ROM ED$0100
2) Parameter HD_MAX should be **ZERO**, not 1 as it comes by default.

HD_MAX is the max number of **SASI** devices. Since we are not using ANY SASI devices, it should be zero. Since I did that change from whatever number to zero, my computer boots every single time, perfect, no problems whatsoever.

Now coming back to BlueSCSI V2: it won't work on my X68000 Pro and Ace with SxSI, no matter what I do. It won't work. I cannot recommend it to anyone. Your mileage may vary using an internal/desktop unit, perhaps, but for me, my DB25 external unit only works PERFECT on my SCSI-native XVI Compact.

So please have a look at the parameter HD_MAX on your switch.x.

IMG_20230518_134942.jpg

Let me know.

Cheers

Quote from: aotta on May 20, 2023, 03:12:56 AMi had only a strange issue left: if i use 2 or more HDA's images in the SDCard, when booting with Help pressed i got only the partitions on FIRST ID DISK on the SDcard to choose for booting, other drive are not even checked.
I mean, when IPL scans drive, it starts as soon as it get the first drive available and boot.
When booted, i see all the tre drives, but i can't boot from the second or third one in this way.

Oh I see what you mean, this seem to be a limitation of SxSI as it'll boot from the lowest bootable ID, always.

It can boot from another partition on the first bootable drive, apparently.

Cheers

Quote from: amazin on May 20, 2023, 05:03:55 AMOh I see what you mean, this seem to be a limitation of SxSI as it'll boot from the lowest bootable ID, always.

It can boot from another partition on the first bootable drive, apparently.

Cheers

Yes, that's the question!
And i confirm it works for selecting different partitions on first drive. But It's a pity  with Sasi couldn't have a real drive boot selector, but at least i understood it's not for my mistake. Thank

@amazin - I will be looking to get some more devices for my growing family 😄

The smaller size of BlueSCSI V1 is a benefit. Could you program BlueSCSI V1 via:

https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle/wiki/Firmware-Update

The Greaseweazle and BlueScSI V1 both use STM32 'Bluepill' boards.
I don't have the ST Link programmer.

@aotta - So if my SDcard has more than 1 image on it I can select it and boot from it? If so what are the instructions.

Thanks

Quote from: HIggy on May 22, 2023, 07:55:03 PMThe smaller size of BlueSCSI V1 is a benefit. Could you program BlueSCSI V1 via:

Hey Higgy, welp, this is for upgrading the BlueSCSI firmware to a newer BlueSCSI firmware. I tried it to replace the firmware with the ArdSCSIno, and it did not work.

Then I bought the ST-Link V2 and it went smoothly. I had bought one previously from Amazon, lots of complaints there, but this one worked fine:

https://kunkune.co.uk/shop/arduino-compatible-boards/st-link-v2-emulator-debugger-and-programming-unit-stm8-stm32-compatible-with-arduino/

And the BlueSCSI V1 with ArdSCSIno is **PERFECT** works PERFECT.

-Amazin

Quote from: HIggy on May 22, 2023, 07:55:03 PM@aotta - So if my SDcard has more than 1 image on it I can select it and boot from it? If so what are the instructions.

Thanks

No, if your sistem is SASI you can select at boot only different partition if your .HDA file contains more than one partition, but only the first image (the one with the lower ID) is used as boot drive.
Other images (with higher IDs) are anyway seen by system as drive b:, c:, and so on.

To make easy the renaming and update of the files in the SDCard, i used an "SDCard extender" for my internal BlueSCSIv2 installed in the Expert HD:
(https://u.cubeupload.com/aotta69/SDExtender.jpg)
(https://u.cubeupload.com/aotta69/SDExtender1.jpg)
may be this would be useful for someone else too! ;)

Cheers for info guys

@amazin - I have ordered a V1 BlueSCSI and a programmer. Did you follow a guide to write the other Firmware to the BlueSCSI?

@aotta - you come up with some cool mods! Do you have the normal Sharp HD cable inside your Expert?

@HIggy Had to follow a guide on youtube on how to connect the ST Link V2 to the STM32 BluePill, install the drivers, and after that it was just the matter of uploading the firmware.bin file to the STM32.

It's pretty much straight forward, the only problem is that on some crappy ST Link V2 programmers, the pins on the outer case label do not match what's actually the pin order inside, so you have to remove the cover on the programmer to make sure.

Then what I did was to connect the pins:

SWDIO
GND
SWCLK
3.3V

to the following pins on the STM32 Bluepill:

GND
SWCLK
SWO
3V3

To program it I used the "STM32 ST-Link Utility"  with the following settings:

Connection Settings
SWD
Frequency 4,0MHz

Mode
Hot Plug
Disable [ ] Enable hot debug in low power mode

Reset mode
Software system reset

You might need to update the firmware on the ST Link V2 before attempting to replace the firmware on the Bluepill.

I had better luck connecting all together, the BlueSCSI and the ST Link V2 to the USB port. You don't need to press reset on the BlueSCSI nor change any of the jumpers.

Ping me if you need help.

Cheers

@HIggy a picture to help:

IMG_20230524_090848.jpg

Quote from: amazin on May 20, 2023, 04:40:48 AMHey @aotta

I did some developments on this subject, and not really for BlueSCSI V2, but rather for V1. I've bought a ST-LINK V2 programmer and re-programmed the BlueSCSI V1 firmware with the original ArdSCSIno-stm32 firmware.

MAAAANNNNNNN it's insane. Now it works ABSOLUTELY PERFECT on my X68000 Pro and the Ace with the SxSI driver.

PERFECT, absolutely perfect.

However another thing I found out is that you have to check two things if you're using a SASI computer:

1) Of course you have to set on switch.x, parameter BOOT to ROM ED$0100
2) Parameter HD_MAX should be **ZERO**, not 1 as it comes by default.

HD_MAX is the max number of **SASI** devices. Since we are not using ANY SASI devices, it should be zero. Since I did that change from whatever number to zero, my computer boots every single time, perfect, no problems whatsoever.

Now coming back to BlueSCSI V2: it won't work on my X68000 Pro and Ace with SxSI, no matter what I do. It won't work. I cannot recommend it to anyone. Your mileage may vary using an internal/desktop unit, perhaps, but for me, my DB25 external unit only works PERFECT on my SCSI-native XVI Compact.

So please have a look at the parameter HD_MAX on your switch.x.

IMG_20230518_134942.jpg

Let me know.

Cheers

I just had 4 BlueSCSI v2's made up (2 desktop and 2 of the new Centronic 50 pin) and the 50 pin connectors arrived today so I had a play around with it this afternoon.
Test system is a Expert HD which has a old working 40 MB drive installed.

Plugging the desktop 50 pin into the internal SASI cable the machine booted straight up into LHES however like everybody else on a SASI system it's very unreliable.
I spent a few hours changing setting and file names to what others have suggested with no real improvement what so ever.
I'm using SP2 of the v4 HDS image and using Gradius 2 as my test game as it seems to have constant issues.
My ini settings are as follows. I'm also running the Pico from USB power for now.
[SCSI]
SelectionDelay = 0
Quirks = 0
EnableSCSI2 = 0
MaxSyncSpeed = 5

Change the file to use a higher drive number made no difference what so ever so I left it as HD10_512.HDS.
Boot is set to STD
SRAM is set to program.
Regardless if you have Boot set to the Ram position or SRAM set to No_use these essentially do the same thing in regards to booting the SxSI bootloader from NVRAM, in fact my OG SASI drive would only be detected and run normally with the SRAM set to Program and Boot set to STD.
HD_MAX 1. Again doesn't matter if set to 0 or 1. If it's set to 0 it will just skip the SASI drive to the next drive down the line. I found the system booted faster with it set to 1 and didn't effect reliability any worse than it already was.

Anyway regardless of the settings I used, Gradius 2 would get errors pop up as soon as executing the !Start.bat. Hitting Retry several times I'd get to the Konami screen and that was about as far as it got.

The only way I could get the system to run more reliably was using the latest nightly firmware, I even got Gradius 2 booting to the game. While far better than the old firmware the game loading was still inconsistent although at least it was loading into the game before I got errors. Only once did the game boot normally.

Thought I'd share my experiences with my Expert HD. Hopefully a future firmware update will sort the issues for us SASI users.
I might have to try source an alternative like an older version of the SCSI2SD which is known to work with SASI.

I think I want to branch out and try PiSCSI and Bancho eventually.

V2 isn't 100% reliable but it actually works versus V1 that would not boot for me. But I will see if changing some values in Switch.X gets that working for me. I'll try a nightly build and see if that gets it to run a little better.

My dudes, BlueSCSI V1 converted back to ArdSCSIno is **absolutely** reliable on my machines, all SASI with SXSI.

ABSOLUTELY PERFECT, no boot failures, no loading failures, absolutely NOTHING.

@kanjiology if you need any help with it, let me know. For me it's a no brainer, V1 all the way to the bank.

-Amazin
PS: the only thing I've changed on the photo above was setting the boot to STD instead of ROM.

Thanks @amazin I'll probably open it up this weekend and try giving it another shot with your settings.

Quote from: kanjiology on June 10, 2023, 12:52:15 AMI think I want to branch out and try PiSCSI and Bancho eventually.

V2 isn't 100% reliable but it actually works versus V1 that would not boot for me. But I will see if changing some values in Switch.X gets that working for me. I'll try a nightly build and see if that gets it to run a little better.

Yeah I'm going to get a PiSCSI made up next. I should have done more research into the differences in X68000 models and when people were saying they had BlueSCSI v2 working it was on SCSI models like Super and above.
Hopefully a solution is found in the future, would be a shame to waste these ones I had made up.

I had a few PiSCSI's v2.7 made up via JLCPCB and after a bit of a learning curving installing the software I can say it works 100% with a SASI X68000 in my case Expert HD and OG model. All the games I had issues with on Blue v2 like Gradius 2, Final Fight, Street Fighter 2 etc loaded flawlessly on the PiSCSI.

It can take a bit of time setting up if you're like me and not familiar with the Pi but once done and wifi set up you can use the web interface to upload your hard drive images in this case the v4 HDD image and away you go.
I haven't dabbled with any of the extra features like Ethernet support but for now I'm just happy having a working hard drive emulator.

Pro's
Easy to use once set up and can remotely add/remove hard drive images via the web interface. Perfect for any model of the X68k and those of us with SASI machines. A Pi with WIFI is a must! very convenient if you want to install the HDD internally, no need to keep pulling the SD card in and out when you want to change the HDD image!
Speed was fantastic.

Con's
Unlike the BlueSCSI v2 you have to wait for the Pi to boot up and load before using the drive.
Unless installing internally using the 50 pin flat ribbon connector you'll need an adapter to use externally via the 50 pin Centronics connector. I did really have high hopes for the BlueSCSI v2 Centronics version I had made up.
I'm thinking about making a simple compact Centronics to 25 pin D adapter Via Kicad for the OG models.

I didn't have to touch any of the settings in SWITCH I had previously set up for the BlueSCSI however the termination dip switches on the PiSCSI must be set to on (both of them) otherwise you'll get the connection issue popping up on the X68k boot.
I used the recommended firmware version 22.12.1.
Earlier versions say they have SASI drive support but I'm not really worried about it as from what I've read SASI drives are limited to 40 megs anyway.

Hopefully some clever peeps can make the BlueSCSI v2 work on the older SASI X68000's but very happy with the PiSCSI.

Just a follow up tip for PiSCSI on SASI. On the PiSCSI pcb, run a wire from pin 34 on J3 to the ACT pin on J2. This gets the HD Busy light working on your machine :) (Should also work on later models with SCSI built in)
I'll eventually add pictures of the simple mod to my repair log on AA.

Just a bump for this thread.
I recently acquired a 1mb upgrade card for one of my OG x68000's and noticed a few days back a new firmware release (v2023.07.03) for the BlueSCSI v2 so I thought I'd give it a go using my BlueSCSI 50 Pin Centronics version.

So far everything works flawlessly. I've been able to consistently load the games I was previously having issues with listed in my previous post.

I didn't do anything special, installed my ram card, did a coin battery mod, loaded the Sxsi bootloader into ram and went into SWITCH and changed the ram from 1mb to 2mb..that's it, no voodoo magic or throwing poop at the wall in settings to see what sticks for 30 mins.

Further reading it seems we have erichelgeson to thanks for this and looks like a preset has been added to the bluescsi.ini
https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/releases/tag/v2023.07.03 (https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/releases/tag/v2023.07.03)

My bluescsi.ini file simply looks like this
[SCSI]
System="X68000"

Hard drive file is named HD10.HDS
it automatically detects the rest.

The ONLY quirk so far is if you power cycle the machine you need to reset the power on the BlueSCSI V2/Pico otherwise you get the Chk.Conn error. Simply hitting the reset button works fine.
I don't think this would be an issue if the machine was modded to power the Bluescsi v2 from the internal x68000 psu.

The Centronics 50 Pin version is SO convenient! especially for the older SASI machines.

I'd still recommend the PiSCSI if mounting internally due to the convenient web interface which means not having to modify or open your machine every time you need to access the SD card.

Exciting times.

Now I have my Expert 2 working I thought I would try my BlueSCSI V2.
Initially it did not work (worked fine on X68000 OG). I updated the firmware and added System="X68000" to config and it booted the new 1.07 HD image, but I was getting read errors quite a bit in the short test I did.

So I as mentioned by others, the cheapest solution has to be BlueSCSI V1 reprogrammed with ArdSCSIno firmware.

Externally on a short 50pin IDC cable it will sit nicely out the way between the twin towers, and you can even see the access light flickering.

I create a new firmware of Bluescsi v2 that solved many read error i got with official version.
Asked for a pull to the original github repository ( https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/pull/102 ) , but in the meanwhile you could try it, loading the attached update firmware.
Please feel free to try and use this bluescsi.ini:

[SCSI]
System = "X68000"
EnableParity = 0

Now i can load StarWars and Dracula without error, i tried others game and all fine, but please report any issue to check if i could improve the patch.

@aotta thanks for this, I've updated my V2 and hope to test it.
I have the cables to mount my V2 inside my Expert 2 but I've been using a V1 externally because of issues.

Quote from: HIggy on December 27, 2023, 03:09:12 AM@aotta thanks for this, I've updated my V2 and hope to test it.
I have the cables to mount my V2 inside my Expert 2 but I've been using a V1 externally because of issues.

I tested the patch with V2 connected externally to my cz-600, I'll test it in next days in my expert with internal V2 so waiting for your feedback if you'll be quicker!

I finally tested the new firwmare with my other X68K, an Expert HD with BlueSCSI V2, and it works fine too, with no more "sector not found" error (at least, since now) ;) !

Please report if you get any error on some program / game loading!

Quote from: Golga on July 06, 2023, 05:12:19 PMJust a bump for this thread.
I recently acquired a 1mb upgrade card for one of my OG x68000's and noticed a few days back a new firmware release (v2023.07.03) for the BlueSCSI v2 so I thought I'd give it a go using my BlueSCSI 50 Pin Centronics version.

So far everything works flawlessly. I've been able to consistently load the games I was previously having issues with listed in my previous post.

I didn't do anything special, installed my ram card, did a coin battery mod, loaded the Sxsi bootloader into ram and went into SWITCH and changed the ram from 1mb to 2mb..that's it, no voodoo magic or throwing poop at the wall in settings to see what sticks for 30 mins.

Further reading it seems we have erichelgeson to thanks for this and looks like a preset has been added to the bluescsi.ini
https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/releases/tag/v2023.07.03 (https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/releases/tag/v2023.07.03)

My bluescsi.ini file simply looks like this
[SCSI]
System="X68000"

Hard drive file is named HD10.HDS
it automatically detects the rest.

Hi All,

Just to confirm that BlueSCSI v2 works just fine on my OG as well as my Expert, it's plug n Play!

I updated to the latest firmware and v2 is working excellent on my Pro.

I tried Street Fighter 2 and Fatal Fury and wasn't able to play, they both error. Was using FW Version: 2024.04.02-release Apr  3 2024 02:22:50, the pull request with the x68000 quirks should already be in by that release.

@kanjiology, did the recent update fix any of your problems?

Also, does anyone know how to get the HDD led to work with X68000 and the BlueSCSI desktop version?

Quote from: incrediblehark on June 02, 2024, 09:51:56 AM@kanjiology, did the recent update fix any of your problems?

Also, does anyone know how to get the HDD led to work with X68000 and the BlueSCSI desktop version?

Is the flat cable you purchased a rainbow colored 20 PIN, with a red wire sticking out?

If so, you must connect the red wire that protrudes out to the positive LED pin (+) found in the center of the three pins at the top on your left.

Thank you, I'll try that

Quote from: incrediblehark on June 02, 2024, 08:41:01 PMThank you, I'll try that

In case the flat cable you have has no external wire disconnected already prepared for HDD LED:

The 50 PIN side flat cable is divided into two groups of wires, one group of 11 and another of 9, disconnect the innermost wire by starting to count from the outside of the connector towards the center until 9, that wire corresponds to the HDD LED (usually red).
Remove it and extend it with a piece of wire to reach the top center pin on your left, the positive pin is in the center between the three (+) of your BlueSCSI V2.

Guide valid only for OG, ACE, EXPERT models.

This is the cable I have:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115869753264

Quote from: incrediblehark on June 04, 2024, 08:07:00 AMThis is the cable I have:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115869753264

Sorry, I forgot you have a PRO.
In this case the situation changes.

If you want, you can disconnect the HDD's original LED wires, and connect the BlueSCSI V2 wires directly to it, so you can use the original LED, paying attention to the polarity.

I think it's the most practical solution.

Quote from: incrediblehark on June 02, 2024, 09:51:56 AM@kanjiology, did the recent update fix any of your problems?

Also, does anyone know how to get the HDD led to work with X68000 and the BlueSCSI desktop version?

Unfortunately BlueSCSI V2 has a bug right now where it can't be updated via SD card so I'll have to open the entire computer to update it.

Have used the SD Card Formatter.

The ini file looks like this:
[SCSI]
System=X68000
EnableParity=0 ; Off

Just wanted to add that after testing a bit more, I am also having the too low error message on the sxsi loader, testing both internally and externally with different ini settings. Seems it will have more luck working with on a cold boot but fails 99% of the time when i do a reset either with button or key combo.

@incrediblehark Some power supplies may not provide enough power to the Raspberry Pico.
Pico requires a 5V/1A power supply.

Can you report any errors contained in the log.txt file?

Did you buy the version with WIFI?

Check following points:
For X68000 with SCSI interface

Turn termination off on the board.
Use the following bluescsi.ini file settings:

[SCSI]
System="X68000"

For X68000 SASI ( OG/ACE/PRO II ) external centronics 50 pin connector marked "HARD DISK"

https://shop.onegeekarmy.eu/index.php/product/bluescsi-v2-centronics-2/

Turn termination off on the board.
Install the SxSI bootloader (include in master disk V3).
Use external power.
Use the following bluescsi.ini file settings:

[SCSI]
System="X68000"
EnableParity = 0

https://bluescsi.com/docs/Compatibility

The BlueSCSI v2 Centronics ( external connector ) version without WIFI is suitable for those with X68000 PRO II.

https://shop.onegeekarmy.eu/index.php/product/bluescsi-v2-centronics-2/

BlueSCSI v2 Desktop and BlueSCSI v2 DB25 will not work properly.

I have *JUST* tested a BlueSCSI V2 external DB25 on a X68000 Pro last night, updated the firmware to the latest release (2024-05-21) and it won't work. Still have a plethora of "Chk.Conn" and "So Low SCSI level".

Mine is a DB25 unit made by Flamelilly in the UK.

The thing is:

If you power the X68000 first THEN the BlueSCSI V2 second, it gets recognized and it works. You may reset the X68000 afterwards and it'll work fine. Until you do that, it won't get recognized.

If you power off the X68000 but not the BlueSCSI V2, when you power the X68000 up, it won't recognize the BlueSCSI V2 anymore, until  you power it off then back on.

Another thing I noticed is that it sometimes fails to load Akumajo Dracula, and sometimes the music plays slow while the game is loading. Both things do not occur on the BlueSCSI V1 with the ArdSCSIno-STM32 firmware.

Thanks for the detailed explanation, the power situation with the bluescsi v2 is what I noticed with the centronics 50 model on an ace.

Quote from: incrediblehark on July 07, 2024, 10:50:43 PMThanks for the detailed explanation, the power situation with the bluescsi v2 is what I noticed with the centronics 50 model on an ace.

You can find any power errors and more in the log.txt file which is automatically created and updated at each startup on the SD memory.

Brief insight:

SCSI2SD (Recommended version 5.1, later versions not compatible, successor ZuluSCSI V6.4):

it is a device that requires firmware updates, the use of programs to copy the HDD image into the SD memory, and a careful evaluation of the X68000 model on which to mount it, as they are not specifically designed for this system.

BlueSCSI:

BlueSCSI V1 with the firmware dedicated to X68000 ArdSCSIno-STM32 works correctly, with the right configuration.

BlueSCSI V2, uses Raspberry Pico which requires firmware updates and a 5V/1A power supply.
The version with WIFI (with greater electricity consumption) is ONLY useful for older Apple computers and users who intend to use the DaynaPORT function.
HDD images can be copied directly to SD memory by naming it correctly.

Typical power problem is Low SCSI level error.
By consulting the log.txt file in the SD memory you can make sure of this.

https://bluescsi.com/

Cable diagram:
https://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:don_t_have_a_sasi_scsi_cable

HENKAN BANCHO PRO or V4:

The best choice in my opinion, designed for X68000, Fujitsu FM Towns and NEC PC-98.
a ready to use device does not require you to do anything beyond simple installation.
HDD images can be copied directly to CF memory.
The mounting kit for both SASI and SCSI is sold separately.
For X68000 PRO, the external model is recommended.

The only flaw is the price, but losing money on poorly functioning devices turns out to be more expensive.

Internal model:
https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/p1150049472

Installation kit:
https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/k1153915262
https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/j1150050988

External model:
https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/n1142753050

Additional Information:

Unfortunately it seems that some products are not available for all territories, for example the BlueSCSI V2 Centronics model ( recommended for X68000 OG/ACE/PRO II ), only available from the official seller in Belgium at the moment.

https://shop.onegeekarmy.eu/index.php/product/bluescsi-v2-centronics-2/

Something weird happened to me, I started getting "So low SCSI level" all of a sudden on all my SCSI emulator devices, BlueSCSI v1/v2 and even Henkan Banchou, this is internally on the PRO. I tried the external centronics port and it works fine... go figure. BlueSCSI V2 works really well now for me, every game loads fine.

@kanjiology The SCSI low level message appears when the device is not receiving enough power.

You can check if the voltage is correct in the log file on the SD of your BlueSCSI.

It looks like this:
INFO: Pico Voltage: 3.254 V.

Quote from: spectreman on July 29, 2024, 03:21:56 AM@kanjiology The SCSI low level message appears when the device is not receiving enough power.

You can check if the voltage is correct in the log file on the SD of your BlueSCSI.

It looks like this:
INFO: Pico Voltage: 3.254 V.

I see, I am using this PSU https://github.com/leaded-solder/x68000-pro-picopsu and it had been working fine. Maybe the PhantomX is consuming too much juice? Maybe I should upgrade the PicoPSU inside.

@kanjiology Check the BlueSCSI operating voltage in the Log file, It is updated at every system startup.

The hardware acceleration offered by the PhantomX, consumes significantly more energy.

When I had it internally it was something close to 3.3v, but it makes sense with the PhantomX causing issues now. My PicoPSU is only 80W, maybe I'll upgrade it to 160W.

Quote from: kanjiology on July 29, 2024, 08:48:01 AMWhen I had it internally it was something close to 3.3v, but it makes sense with the PhantomX causing issues now. My PicoPSU is only 80W, maybe I'll upgrade it to 160W.

Please note that the X68000 is not designed to support these modifications, and over time you may experience instability issues.

Quote from: kanjiology on July 29, 2024, 08:30:19 AMMaybe the PhantomX is consuming too much juice?

Using a PhantomX makes the other SCSI emulators useless as it already offers a VDBOOT (that I modified by adding some tools like LHES and drivers like SUSIE) and a 4GB VDISK (well a little less than 4GB) which contains the same contents of a 3GB HDD image that seems to be published somewhere in that forum. But, yeah, I didn't check all the games are running fine though.
 

Using a PhantomX makes the other SCSI emulators useless as it already offers a VDBOOT (that I modified by adding some tools like LHES and drivers like SUSIE) and a 4GB VDISK (well a little less than 4GB) which contains the same contents of a 3GB HDD image that seems to be published somewhere in that forum. But, yeah, I didn't check all the games are running fine though.
 
[/quote]

Care to share it somewhere?

Cheers

New firmware for BlueSCSI supports X68000-SCSI and X68000-SASI

see: firmware v2024.10.26 https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/releases/tag/v2024.10.26
commit: https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/commit/fd296c9512f5ce3e9936920ca7548965f05a1fa2

For SASI users, add this to the bluescsi.ini text file on the root of the SD card


[SCSI]
System="X68000-SASI"

Set the termination jumper on the bluescsi PCB to "off"
Format SD card to FAT32 and name your image file: HD30_512.HDA


However I tested it and it unfortunately gives the error: "So low SCSI level"
Does the new firmware work for anyone else with SASI? ({If it works for you then it must be my SD card)

Quote from: TinaTurner on November 17, 2024, 09:31:08 AMNew firmware for BlueSCSI supports X68000-SCSI and X68000-SASI

see: firmware v2024.10.26 https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/releases/tag/v2024.10.26
commit: https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/commit/fd296c9512f5ce3e9936920ca7548965f05a1fa2

For SASI users, add this to the bluescsi.ini text file on the root of the SD card


[SCSI]
System="X68000-SASI"

Set the termination jumper on the bluescsi PCB to "off"
Format SD card to FAT32 and name your image file: HD30_512.HDA


However I tested it and it unfortunately gives the error: "So low SCSI level"
Does the new firmware work for anyone else with SASI? ({If it works for you then it must be my SD card)

Well, as confirmed by the commit, last version didn't add the X68000 support, it was already added in previous releases with my pull 112 on december 2023.
The difference for SCSI is that in bluescsi.ini the right "parity" parameter needs to be:
EnableParity = 0 ; for SASI
EnableParity = 1 ; (default) for SCSI

With last FW update, you can simply use directly the quirks X68000-SASI or X68000-SCSI without the need of specifiying the parity option.

Yes great work on the mod. It seems the newer firmware is just a shortcut to set EnableParity = 0 and do the rest of the X68000 quirks (selectionDelay = 0; enableSCSI2 = false; maxSyncSpeed = 5;)

I still cant get this "bluescsi centronics" working though on this new firmware.
Error is always:
Check ID X: So low SCSI level 
(Where X is the SCSI ID set on the file name. Usually 3)


-The machine is a X68000 Expert 2 AC
-Has an Etarikashikoshi 8MB + MIDI expansion card installed.
-blueSCSI is a centronics version that plugs directly into the back of the X68000 into the Hard Drive expansion port. Needs external 5v power via the micro USB port on the pi.




If someone wouldn't mind double checking my steps please for where I am going wrong:



1. Set up SASI drivers:

Set switch.x options by booting from master v3 floppy and type these commands:

switch.x

memory: highlight, enter. Use arrow up/down and set the memory you have (in my case 2MB onboard and 8MB with the Etarikashikoshi card so set it to 10MB 10240)
Boot: highlight, enter. Use arrow up/down to select STD. Enter again.
HD_MAX: highlight, enter, Use up/down arrow to selelct 0. Enter again,
Quit: Highlight the very last option (translates to "End"). Press Enter then Y to save.


Now set to boot to SASI. At the command prompt enter these commands:

cd sxsi
bootset.x
ED0100
1



2. BlueSCSI prep

Update firmware:
connect the bluescsi pi to your Windows laptop over USB holding the bootsel button on the pi. When the new drive letter appears in File Explorer, copy the latest uf2 firmware file to the root of the new drive. Wait a minute it will automatically disconnect. Firmware is now updated.

SD Card:
Format the SD card to Fat 32 using the "fat32 formatter" utility.
Create a file on the root of the SD card called bluescsi.txt with the following text:

[SCSI]
System="X68000-SASI"



Copy in a disk image. In my case I used the 2.20 3GB disk image.
Name the file:
HD30_512.hds

This tells bluescsi it's a Hard drive image on scsi ID 3 in 512 bytes

Safely remove SD from Windows then physically remove the card.


-Plug in the SD card to the pi/bluescsi
-Set the Termination jumper to OFF on the bluescsi pcb.
-With the X68000 powered off, plug the bluescsi it into the centronics port at the back of the X68000
-Connect up a micro USB cable from the 5v plug to the pi and confirm a blue light.


3. Boot from bluescsi

Power on the X68000 and start praying.


Welcome Personal Workstation X68000

SxSI Booter version 1.00  IOCS version 1.00

Check ID 0 Not Conn. (should this not say "SASI UNIT"?)
Check ID 1 Not Conn.
Check ID 2 Not Conn.
Check ID 3 Chk.Conn. (for 2 seconds) then: So low SCSI level (NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!)
Check ID 4 Not Conn.
Check ID 5 Not Conn.
Check ID 6 Not Conn.
Check ID 7 Not Conn.
Standard boot because no unit can start
Then a message in Japanese about insert bootable disk with icon of a hand inserting a floppy.


It was fun getting this far but not so much fun now after seeing low SCSI level error around 100 times.




Troubleshoot steps:

1. Tried another SD cart formatted to FAT 32,
2. tried different 5v power supply to the BlueSCSI
3. Tried various combinations of resetting/powering up the x68000 and delaying power to the bluescsi.
4. Even tried another bluescsi v2 (my BlueSCSI Desktop v2 edition that I use on a Capcom CPS3 arcade PCB). Same low SCSI level error.


One thing I noticed that could be related: many forum posts say to use SCSI ID3 for the HD image file as ID0 is used by the SASI controller. My X68000 Expert, there is nothing on ID0 at all (it says "Check ID 0 Not Conn." but images online imply this should actually say "Check ID 0 SASI UNIT" When I boot the master floppy disk it says: "Device with ID0 status: Does not operate YSXSIYSCSIHD.SYS could not register".


Open to any suggestions!

Try setting a longer delay for the SxSI boot loader (I use 4 personally). I'll see if I can upload my .ini - I'm on a fw before the SASI - SCSI flags were added for X68000 so I'm using the standard SCSI config for x68k with parity off and hdd image named HD10_512.hda

My 3.00 set to release soon will have an archive specific for BlueSCSI so it should (hopefully) be a quick drag and drop onto your sd card to get up and running.

By the way, we should put this "you must use ID3" to rest, this is not true.

What happens is that in a SASI machine, you have that option HD_MAX by default set to 1.

This "HD_MAX" according to the manual is the "max number of physical SASI HDDs", so if you don't have a physical SASI HDD connected to your X68000, this should be set to 0. Then you get SCSI ID0 available on SxSI. That might be one of the reasons people recommend setting the SCSI device to ID3.

The other reason is that there was an early version of SCSI2SD that was hardcoded to use SCSI ID3, but all devices available will let you assign any SCSI ID you want to the emulated SCSI device.

There's absolutely NO REASON for any one to use SCSI ID3 today.

What I firmly believe it's the issue with BlueSCSI V2 on SASI machines is because SASI machines cannot power the BlueSCSI as there is no equivalent to the SCSI "TermPWR".

The "So Low SCSI device" is a SCSI Termination error.
The "Check IDx Not Conn" is an issue with BlueSCSI V2 "freezing" and not getting reset. If you remove the power, reconnect the power and press reset on the X68000, this will go away.

@aotta has devised a quick and simple solution to power it by grabbing 5V from somewhere and adding to a specific pin.

I believe that this might fix the issues related to powering BlueSCSI V2 **AND** fixing the Termination Power.

Here's a photo of what he did:
Aotta_TermPWR.jpg

Although he done this on a Shodai (CZ-600) I'll try to apply this to an Ace probably tomorrow, just need to find 5V there somewhere. I know a way of doing this by getting 5V from the back joystick connector on the I/O (bottom) board, but it's not practical.

Cheers

@incrediblehark I saw your PM, haven't got time to test it yet, life is a nightmare right now :-D

@amazin no worries!

Attached is my .ini which is very bare bones but works well for me, I tend to agree with amazin's comments about the power cycling / so low errors.

about the 5v grabbed from pcb for external SASI, i confirmed i did it also in my ACE HD but the input point is different of course... i didn't take any photo of that mod but i got power from the solder side of the 20pin floppy connector

@incrediblehark Thanks I tried your ini file but it's the same issue.
your one:
[SCSI]
System=X68000
EnableParity=0 ; Off

my one was:
[SCSI]
System="X68000-SASI"

my one is really the same as yours just using the new firmware includes the EnableParity=0 by default.

I also tried adding a 4 second delay as suggested but sadly no change:

cd sxsi
bootset.x
ED0100
4


@amazin Is that soldering wire picture the same for an Expert model?
The docs say to set the bluescsi SCSI termination jumper to "off" but I tried the "on" position too and same error.
The log.txt file in the sd card has no errors about power and I used 2x separate 5v 1amp psu's with micro usb cables. Is the 5v tapping from the X68000 only for convenience or does it help with the "termination power"?

I also tried setting the hard drive image scsi ID to 0 (and 1) by renaming the image on the sd card but it just moved the "So low SCSI level" error to the new ID.

Could this termination power issue be addressed in a firmware update?

@TinaTurner I think the real question is: does anyone besides me have a bluescsi2 "centronics"?
My internal version (both mounted internal and external with adapter cable) works like a charme, so i'm afraid of an hardware incompatibility for the centronics version with our X68000. I suggest you to check with other flavour of BlueScsi2!

I've tried all 3x types of bluescsi I have here and sadly all are the same:

1. BlueSCSI v2 Centronics
2. BlueSCSI v2 DB25
3. BlueSCSI v2 Desktop


So either
a) I've made a mistake in the steps (see post #64 above)


b) The new bluescsi firmware v2024.10.26 has a bug (has anyone else tried it?)


c) My X68000 has faulty hardware.

@TinaTurner

This is the model you have, right?

https://shop.onegeekarmy.eu/index.php/product/bluescsi-v2-centronics-2/

https://jcm-1.com/product/bluescsi-v2-centronics-50/

These two apparently similar models have different hardware revisions.

The first one is: 2023_10a ( Belgium )

The second one is: 2024_03a ( USA/Canada )

Did you assemble it yourself or did you order it already assembled?

Model with WIFi or without?

Meanwhile try to set on switch.x:

BOOT: ROM $ED0100
HD_MAX: 0

Regarding the external power supply, use a 5V 2A (tablet charger)

Turn on X68000, and then connect the USB cable (remember that USB cables are NOT all the same), and reboot.

Try this.

@TinaTurner i think your cables are too long, i had errors similar to yours before shorting my 50 pin cables to about 10-15cm!
And, i named my two .hda files from 00, not from 03, i agree with amazin in this!

Hi all,

Thanks for the guidance!

1. BlueSCSI v2 Centronics
This is 2023_10a, preassembled, no wifi (from one geek army)
No cable, directly connected in to x68000.


2. BlueSCSI v2 DB25
Preassembled, wifi, (from flamelily). This one 100% works as it's used on a capcom CPS3 arcade pcb to load up new games.
Using a 1m scsi cable.

3. BlueSCSI v2 Desktop
Preassembled, wifi, (from flamelily). This one 100% works as it's used on a capcom CPS3 arcade pcb to load up new games.
Using a 1m scsi cable.


BOOT: ROM $ED0100
HD_MAX: 0
Tried that and same issue.


Regarding the external power supply, use a 5V 2A (tablet charger)
Will try that! Can't find one around the house. Inly have 5v 1a.


shorting my 50 pin cables to about 10-15cm!
Thanks, will order one. Note that the Centronics one has no cable and also has the issue.


named my two .hda files from 00, not from 03

Is this my problem? I only have 1x image: incrediblehark's image and I've tried naming it
HD00_512.hds
HD10_512.hds
HD30_512.hds
HD00_512.hda
HD10_512.hda
HD30_512.hda

Quote from: TinaTurner on November 18, 2024, 04:28:42 AMshorting my 50 pin cables to about 10-15cm!
Thanks, will order one. Note that the Centronics one has no cable and also has the issue.

I know Centronics has direct connection, but noone has successfully tested that version.
Keep in mind that i built myself cables using a 50 pin idc cable, cutting it and cramping a centronics connector. I had issue "low voltage detected" with 25cm lenght (not always indeed, but most time) and good result with 10-15 cm.
But, did you try connecting it internally? i built an adaptor if you're interested: https://nfggames.com/forum2/index.php?topic=7445.0

Guys... I have an issue with my BlueSCSI V1, and I decided to try again with the V2 on my X68000 Ace. And result is...



I'm running it for about 4 hours now, 110% PERFECT. Not a single time it dropped the connection, or froze, or crashed, NOTHING, no BUS Errors, NOTHING. Absolutely perfect.

Here's what I did:

1) First of all I followed Maestro @aotta  's idea of ADDING the TRMPWR (Termination Power) to the external "Hard Drive" connector on the X68000 with SASI. He done that on the Shodai (X68000 CZ-600 First Generation), and he was able to find 5V somewhere on the external connectors board. I had no such luck on the Ace. So what did was to solder two wires to the Power Supply's +5V and GND, and the on pins 38 (+5V) and 39 (GND) I soldered another two wires. Both have connectors for easy disconnection, and that was that. Now the BlueSCSI can be powered by the +5V provided by the TRMPWR pin.

2) I noticed that there was a very recent update to the BlueSCSI V2, in fact, today's the 9th of December, and the upgrade came out yesterday. But the previous one, from late October/24 already had a huge update, one specific for adding support to the X68000, both SCSI and SASI. This one from yesterday was quite substantial as well, by glancing at the code, so it was probably good to have it on the most recent version:

https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/releases

3) On the Ace, I changed the jumper on the BlueSCSI V2 board to TERM=ON

4) My BlueSCSI file, as suggested by our mate @incrediblehark is as simple as:

[SCSI]
System=X68000
EnableParity=0 ; Off
5) Formatted my SD card to ext3, blocks of 32K and that's it.

It's been booting FLAWLESSLY for about 4, 5 hours now, it didn't failed a single time. No failures when booting, no in-game failures, nothing, 100% perfect.

Let me know if you (or anyone) need any help.

For me, I see no reason to use BlueSCSI V1 anymore, with BlueSCSI firmware, or with ArdSCSIno-STM32 firmware. BlueSCSI V2 all the way.

@amazin fantastic news! Good to hear its working well. One question... would you say the latest update is required for this to be successful? I ask because I've built an updated install guide with a section for BlueSCSI and may need to change the wording before publishing if its required.

I'm not sure the very latest firmware is required, but perhaps the previous one (24th of October) is, as it's the one that adds X68000-specific support.

I would say the key is the adding the Termination Power as several people in the thread have mentioned that.

Any firmware post December 2023 with aotta's changes appied should work. The only differences in the newer firmware is the simplified config file syntax e.g. System="X68000-SASI"


At least on my x68000 expert system nothing else worked. 3x different bluescsi v2 models (Centronics/DB25/Desktop), short cables, more powerful 5v 2amp PSU's all failed with So low SCSI Level

Have yet to try the Termination Power soldering mod and am hopeful of that.

But why keep insisting on such an old firmware? Updating is trivial:

1) you download the file
2) grab a USB micro cable
3) push the button on the raspberry pi pico, and keep it pressed while you...
4) ... connect the USB micro cable
5) the raspberryPi Pico will be detected on your computer as a pen/flash drive, release the button
6) open this drive, copy the firmware fire from step 1
7) Raspberry Pi Pico will restart, that's it.

Connect it back to the X68000 and that's it. No pain, won't mess with the SD card.

A 3 minutes job.

-Amazin

Thanks for the info both! I have it reading as making sure your bluescsi is updated to the latest, but minmum fw the dec 2023 version. I'll add info for the term power mod as well.

I honestly think this is wrong advice, and wrong information.

If you read the 2024/10/26 release information, that's where Eric has added support to the X68000:

https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/releases/tag/v2024.10.26

There's an earlier one from February/2024 where he added initial X68000 specific support:

https://github.com/BlueSCSI/BlueSCSI-v2/releases/tag/v2024.02.22

So that being said, and considering how easy it is to upgrade *any* BlueSCSI V2, should be recommended to use the latest.

Yes 100% be on latest firmware. There is full step by step info on post #64 of this thread. End result for me was a failure but I believe it's due to the x68000 expert requiring the "termpwr" mod.

Maybe add in to the guide to use short scsi cables and a PSU with 5v 2amp for the bluescsi as others have had success with that alone.

Will do! I'll remove the line about minimum fw (already have link to latest on GitHub) and I'll link to the relevant info for the termpower mod. May be time to add some of this info to the wiki...

I totally agree with @TinaTurner comment, latest sw version didn't change the bus handling but only changed the config parsing.
Anyway, using last version is always preferable, so the wiki cold suggest it, in my opinion.