File transfer between Windows PCs and X68000 machines using a null modem cable

[Magic Knight]

Last year I had a problem. I wanted to transfer files which I had downloaded from the Internet onto my Windows PC over to my X68000. I didn't have a 5.25" drive on my PC, and even if I were to get one, I was running Windows XP so a program like xfloppy wasn't going to work anyway. I do have a laptop, running Windows 98, but with no way to connect a 5.25" drive.

My main priority was to get a hold of SCSI drivers so that I could use a CD-ROM drive, and thereafter transfer files by simply writing CDs on my Windows machine.

I therefore contacted Makoto Kamada, whose website is here:
http://homepage2.nifty.com/m_kamada/

He suggested that I should try connecting the two machines (Window 98 laptop and X68000) using a null modem cable and then transfering the files that way. At the time he had not yet publicly released the BASIC program he wrote to start the process, but recently he did release it with details of how to use it on his website (in Japanese), along with the program itself.
http://homepage2.nifty.com/m_kamada/di200908.htm#D20090815_WIN68KTRANSFER

I will go through all of the steps necessary to carry out the transfer.

First, let's look at the requirements:
Your Windows PC will probably have to be Windows 95/98 or similar, I haven't tried it with other operating systems. You could try it and see if it works on your own system.
Your X68000 probably needs Human68k 3.02, it may well work with earlier versions, I really don't know.
A null modem cable. The one I got to work is the Sanwa KR-MD1http://www.sanwa.co.jp/product/syohin.asp?code=KR-MD1&cate=1&keyword=kr-md1]
[url]http://www.sanwa.co.jp/product/syohin.asp?code=KR-MD1&cate=1&keyword=kr-md1[/url]

If you look at the website you can see how the pins from each end are connected, so you can probably find a similar cable in your own country. You may also have to connect two cables together before you get the right connection.

Ensure that both machines are turned OFF when connecting the cable.

Now, the procedure:

1.  Download and install Tera Term Pro ver. 2.3 for Windows on your PC
Download ttermp23.zip from:
http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA002416/teraterm.html

This is an older version of Tera Term Pro, which works fine on Windows 95/98. I don't know if the newer versions work well or not.


2.  Download ZM.X for X68000

Download ZMX68K4.LZH from:
http://retropc.net/x68000/software/tools/zmodem/zm/
This is a ZMODEM transfer tool for the X68000.


3.  Extract sxmr.zip onto the Windows PC

http://homepage2.nifty.com/m_kamada/sxmr.lzh
When extracted, you will see a simple text file, sxmr.bas.
This is a simple XMODEM receiver tool written by Makoto.
You use it only once, when transferring ZM.X from the Windows PC to the X68000.


4.  Setup the serial port of the Windows PC

Start Tera Term Pro.

Tera Term Pro
       -Setup
               -Serial port
                       Baud rate:    4800
                       Data:           8 bit
                       Parity:         none
                       Stop:           1 bit
                       Flow control:   hardware <---- Don't use Xon/Xoff
                       Transmit delay
                               0 msec/char     0 msec/line
               -Save setup


5.  Setup the RS-232C port of the X68000

Using Human68k version 3.02:

You need to use RSDRV.SYS, so edit your CONFIG.SYS to include the following line:
DEVICE    = \SYS\RSDRV.SYS

Now reset the X68000 so that the driver loads while booting.

At the X68000 Command line type
A:\>SPEED 4800 b8 pn s1 rts
The SPEED program will set up the communications port to use the following settings:
       Baud rate:   4800
       Data:           8 bit
       Parity:         none
       Stop:           1 bit
       Flow control:   hardware <---- Don't use Xon/Xoff

The SPEED command both sets up the port and clears the buffer, so you can re-enter this command if it seems that the buffer is corrupted in any way.


6.  Transfer sxmr.bas from the Windows PC to the X68000

At the X68000 Command line type
A:\>copy aux sxmr.bas

From Tera Term Pro
       -File
               -Send file
                       -File name: sxmr.bas
                       -Option Binary ON <---- Important.

This is an easy method to transfer text files from Windows PC to X68000.

CAUTION: The copy command of X68000 does not stop until 0x1a is received.
You might have to use the INTERRUPT switch or the RESET button to abort the copy command if you have a problem.

sxmr.bas already ends with 0x1a.

You can easily add a 0x1a to the end of a file by the following command at the Windows Command Prompt.
> copy OLDFILE+nul NEWFILE


7.  Transfer ZM.X from Windows PC to X68000

If you already have an LZH extractor on your X68000, transfer the file ZMX68K4.LZH.
Otherwise, transfer ZM.X extracted from ZMX68K4.LZH by using your favourite tool.

At the X68000 Command line type
A:\>basic sxmr.bas
X-BASIC starts.

Filename=? ZMX68K4.LZH or ZM.X

From Tera Term Pro
      -File
               -Transfer
                       -XMODEM
                               -Send
                                       -Filename: ZMX68K4.LZH or ZM.X
                                       -Option Checksum ON <---- Important

Hit any key on X68000 to start transferring.

When the transfer is finished, use "SYSTEM" command to return to the command line.


8.  Transfer any files from Windows PC to X68000

At the X68000 Command line type
A:\> zm -r

From Tera Term Pro
       -File
               -Transfer
                       -ZMODEM
                               -Send
                                       -Filename: any file

If you had transferred not ZMX68K4.LZH but ZM.X, you should transfer
a LZH extractor, e.g. lx.r, and ZMX68K4.LZH first and replace ZM.X.
lx.r is here:
http://retropc.net/x68000/software/tools/archiver/lx/


9.  Transfer any files from X68000 to Windows PC

From Tera Term Pro
       -File
               -Transfer
                       -ZMODEM
                               -Receive

At the X68000 Command line type
A:\> zm -s FILENAME


Note that the baud rate when transferring initially is 4800, this is probably the highest speed possible when transfering using the BASIC program, due to the speed of the BASIC interpreter. When using ZM.X, you can probably go higher, I transfer files at 9600 baud when using ZM.X.

[NeWmAn]

Windows PCs (before vista) come with HyperTerminal, why not use that on the PC side?
Have you tried Muterm on the X68K side?  I used it together with HyperTerminal to do the same thing you did, transfer disk images,  but transfer speed was faster than 9600bps (maybe because I had an additional driver installed in the config.sys).

[motorola73]

Hi. The sxmr.bas file is no longer available to copy zm.x to x68x. Where can I download it?

[NFG]

The wiki page is basically a duplicate of the first post, but it's updated with a working link to SXMR.LZH:

GameSX Wiki

[motorola73]

The wiki page is basically a duplicate of the first post, but it's updated with a working link to SXMR.LZH:

GameSX Wiki

Thank you very much!

[motorola73]

Hi.

The ZMX68K4.LZH files, and the LXR120FS.LZH file, seem to be corrupt, in fact the sxmr.bas file extracted it without problems and also transferred it to the Sharp x68k. The first written files give compression errors and in lzh format does not transfer them (or something escapes me).

http://retropc.net/x68000/software/tools/zmodem/ZMX68K4.LZH

http://retropc.net/x68000/software/tools/archiver/lx/LXR120FS.LZH

[motorola73]

File extraction error solved with online app. Teraterm doesn't transfer the zm.x file because I can't do anything. But I feel compelled to share the repaired ZMX68K4.LZH and LXRT20FS.LZH files to thank you for your answers.
If I can also send the zn.x file and make copies of the .dim image files, I will share the "X68000 Master disk" image file already compiled for the transfer operations!!

LINK 1 HERE!
LINK 2 HERE!

[motorola73]

Hello.
Now with TeraTerm I can transfer files and on the X68K and the app.X work on Human. But games don't start on the Sharp X68000 because it doesn't recognize the .XDF extension.
Basically I need to clone the image.XDF on 5.25 physic floppy and make it bootable.
For example, when doing the same job with the Amiga's ADF image files, the tool extracts all the image files on a physical 5.25 floppy and the tool makes it bootable.
Can this be done for X68K with Teraterm? Do I need another tool to do it?
My Sharp X68k is a 2mb ram Expert, without hard disk and without SCSI2SD.

[motorola73]

Ok. Solved the problem of games that do not start: the procedure is done manually: first format the destination floppy (B) with the Human68k dos tool, and then from the PC select all the game files and transfer them with zmodem way of Teraterm (basically you make a copy and paste from one computer to another). But if exist a less crazy method it would be better.
So the same thing is done from x68000 to pc.
Is useless that I share the "X68000 master disk" because it is nothing but the latest version of Human68k with some translated tools. Just add the sxmr.bas and zm.x files to the Human68k floppy. Thank you all.