EDN8 OS v20-BETA. Large update incoming

[brianvgplayer]

Ok guys, nesos-v20-rc1 already here. Check first post for details

Thanks very much for the update! I'll give it a go!

[NemesisPrime]

Ok guys, nesos-v20-rc1 already here. Check first post for details

Just did a quick test of RC 1 and everything seems to be working fine. I did run into one problem with saving FDS games. Both Doki Doki Panic and Zelda no Densetsu gave me "A B Error 7" and didn't save the game. Everything else runs great, though: FDS sound, reset back to the menu doesn't throw up OS errors like in the beta, and the 12 games I tried booted up without a problem. So far, so good!

[Jdurg]

Ok guys, nesos-v20-rc1 already here. Check first post for details

Just did a quick test of RC 1 and everything seems to be working fine. I did run into one problem with saving FDS games. Both Doki Doki Panic and Zelda no Densetsu gave me "A B Error 7" and didn't save the game. Everything else runs great, though: FDS sound, reset back to the menu doesn't throw up OS errors like in the beta, and the 12 games I tried booted up without a problem. So far, so good!

I can confirm this bug.  Tested it out and if you hold select during FDS boot-up, it will delay the disk swap.  However, if that is done when you enter any dungeon where the side has to be swapped, you get that error.

If you boot up without holding select, the dungeons will load, but when you go to save the A B Error 7 bug happens.  So this appears to be related to the disk swap feature which is unfortunate as I really liked being able to see the full introductions to the FDS games. 

[brianvgplayer]

I got the AB error too, but found that if you wait through it (or sometimes, press a or start when it happens), it will still save. I tried a few games and it's working great so far. FDS sound sounds great. Sweet update!

I still had graphical corruption on a couple mapper 99 games, but there's not much reason to play the Vs. Excitebike AC hack over the FDS version unless you really want to play the game with the same music as the NES version (and no in game music). The only other games that use it are Vs. System games and most of the Vs. System hacks use a different mapper due to mapper 99 being an odd mapper. Most Vs. games won't work as is due to the games being designed to detect a coin being inserted (which has to be remapped to a button with a hack) and the PPU having to match for the correct colors to display.

[James-F]

FDS pitch sounds correct, and with audio balance adjustment it is even better, fantastic job KRIKzz!
I can still hear some not so accurate envelop effect (vibrato/volume) in Ai Senshi Nicol but all other games sound very good with RC1.


edit:
Yes, I get this A B Error 7 when trying to save in zelda 1 FDS after I die.

[Great Hierophant]

Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa is the best game to show inadequacies in FDS audio emulation or simulation.  Off-key notes will be heard by the end of World 1-1 and World 1-2 is is worse.  I believe the issues are similar to those in Ai Senshi Nicol previously mentioned.  However, the pitch of the audio is now correct in the FDS mapper, a great improvement.

I get the A B Error when starting a new game in Zelda 1. 

[Jdurg]

AB Error Resolved! 

Guys, listen to what brianvgplayer up above is saying.  He is 100% absolutely right.  Just wait a little bit.  The error will go away on its own and the game will save and function exactly as it should. 

When playing the game, whether you use the delay disk swap feature or not, just wait for a bit if that error comes up.  It will soon go away and function as expected.  Just consider it a little extra load time. 

[James-F]

@KRIKzz

How are the volume steps arranged, by duty cycle?
Can they be more precise or would it require too much space on the fpga?

I have to say it again, the addition of audio balance menu is absolutely fantastic.

[KRIKzz]

@KRIKzz

How are the volume steps arranged, by duty cycle?
Can they be more precise or would it require too much space on the fpga?

I have to say it again, the addition of audio balance menu is absolutely fantastic.

volume calcs like that: vol = vol * 8 / maste-vol. master-vol is a 8-bit value (range 0-255). It may have more steps than now it is

[James-F]

vol would be input volume? also 0-255?
master volume is what we set in the audio balance menu?
Can you please give an example of calculating volume?
What is the calculation for a volume of 100 for example?

[KRIKzz]

yep, vol is input value, but range varies from mapper to mapper, depending from sound core. smallest range 7 bits (0-127)  biggest 12 bit (0-4095)

example for 160% output vol:
master-vol: 5
calcs: vol*8/5

example for 100% output vol:
master-vol: 8
calcs: vol*8/8

example for 50% output vol:
master-vol: 16
calcs: vol*8/16

[co5oos]

I'm still having Disk IO errors (Error: 62,63 and 51). SD card formatted, copied OS files with roms at the same time, OS16 works without errors.

EDIT: After formatting SD card with 4KB cluster size, there are no more Disk IO errors, seems like the new OS doesn't like 32KB cluster size, at least for me.

[James-F]

@krikzz
Iif I can change the '8' multiplier then I can give you exact numbers for the vol-master to produce 1db volume steps from -10db to +10db

[KRIKzz]

I'm still having Disk IO errors (Error: 62,63 and 51). SD card formatted, copied OS files with roms at the same time OS16 works without errors.

Unfortunately i can't fix it, because new os working fine with all my test system and i can't reproduce the problem, so i don't know where the problem. May be you should try to use another sd card

@krikzz
Iif I can change the '8' multiplier then I can give you exact numbers for the vol-master to produce 1db volume steps from -10db to +10db

It will require bit more fpga resources, but it is possible. You think that current vol control is not enough flexible to tune required levels?
Also you should know that vol gain over 160% is not acceptable for any of audio mappers, even 100%+ values may cause distortion on some mappers. This is because we outs of dac depth and after that we just lose upper bits of volume. Some mappers does not use whole dac range, and they accept vol gain over 100%. Actually VRC6 probably the only mapper which for sure accepts vol over 100%, it can work with 133% vol without dac depth overflow.

[Blitzed78]

Hi krikzz,  thanks for the great update, but is there anyway you can make it so instead of holding the select button for the fds swap holding,  have it on the A or B button being held down instead?  I use the 8bitdo controller as my main controller and hold select down for a few seconds puts it in sync mode,  holding start for few seconds turns the controller off so that won’t work.  Or have a user definable setting for it?  Just suggestions.  Thanks again