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Re: Stumped on a Cartridge Repair
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 11:49 am
by Martin_Head
t0nyt wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 11:44 am
Martin_Head wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 11:29 am
t0nyt wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 3:13 pm
explain the Q-emuLator device drives being constantly lit but the game working ok?
I've seen this in Qemulator when trying to break copy protections. Don't know why, but it seems to be connected with microdrive direct sector access, where the motors have to be started by writing the microdrive control register.
If you've still got my email address, send me a copy of West that works in Qemulator, and I will see if I can work out and bypass the copy protection.
PM me if you don't have my email address.
Hi Martin, thanks for the offer but I already have an unprotected version. What I’m trying to do is restore West onto original carts with the copy protection intact & working
Many thanks
Tony
If I can figure out how the copy protection works, Then I may be able to figure out how to created a copy protected version.
Re: Stumped on a Cartridge Repair
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 4:33 pm
by XorA
Martin_Head wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 11:49 am
t0nyt wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 11:44 am
Martin_Head wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 11:29 am
I've seen this in Qemulator when trying to break copy protections. Don't know why, but it seems to be connected with microdrive direct sector access, where the motors have to be started by writing the microdrive control register.
If you've still got my email address, send me a copy of West that works in Qemulator, and I will see if I can work out and bypass the copy protection.
PM me if you don't have my email address.
Hi Martin, thanks for the offer but I already have an unprotected version. What I’m trying to do is restore West onto original carts with the copy protection intact & working
Many thanks
Tony
If I can figure out how the copy protection works, Then I may be able to figure out how to created a copy protected version.
I would love that info to work out why sqlay3 cannot play a copy protected MDV!
Re: Stumped on a Cartridge Repair
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 7:11 pm
by XorA
Code: Select all
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select 3
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 2
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select 7
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 3
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select f
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 4
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select 1f
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 5
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select 3f
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 6
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select 7f
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 7
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:19 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select ff
19:07:22 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 8
It looks like after the Copyright scroller Zkul turns on all the MDVs at the same time!
Re: Stumped on a Cartridge Repair
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 8:14 pm
by tofro
XorA wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 7:11 pm
Code: Select all
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:478: MDV Select 3
19:07:16 DEBUG /src/qlay_io.c:519: MDV MOTOR ON 2
It looks like after the Copyright scroller Zkul turns on all the MDVs at the same time!
Must have been a heavy concert when someone really happened to have 8 drives
Re: Stumped on a Cartridge Repair
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 8:33 pm
by XorA
So finding that it was being weird on the MDV select was the key, my "protected" image is now working.
So it does seem to be only based on the RAND!
Re: Stumped on a Cartridge Repair
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 8:42 pm
by t0nyt
With some PM discussions I’m having it does seem to be the case that it’s just a magic number and for some reason the magic number is getting changed when I try to image a cart
But I’ve just bent an expansion port pin so can’t continue the tests until I’ve fixed that. Hope I haven’t binned a 3rd QL!
Re: Stumped on a Cartridge Repair
Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2025 8:30 am
by t0nyt
Have straightened the pin and fitted SGC back in
I won’t be using this QL for any more testing (e.g. Mdump/mcopy/etc don’t work with SGC fitted for me) as don’t want to risk bending/breaking pins
Will fit a spare vMap in spare QL and finish the test on that instead
Re: Stumped on a Cartridge Repair
Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2025 11:52 am
by t0nyt
My problem with re-creating a protected West cartridge is now resolved
Many thanks to the forum member who gave me a crash course in magic numbers over PM
Also, many thanks to everyone else who has been helping
All greatly appreciated
The one thing that clinched it in the end was to remove vMap from my QL, no idea why
Many thanks
Re: Stumped on a Cartridge Repair
Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2025 12:20 pm
by t0nyt
Just to be clear, once I’ve sorted out my last few recoveries I’ll be putting vMap back in as it’s one of my favourite pieces of QL equipment
Re: Stumped on a Cartridge Repair
Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2025 1:16 pm
by XorA
Someone needs to write a toolkit with format_rand command that takes a random from arguments
