FireBee Settings

[fmh]

For those of you following my issues here on the forum with DIP Switch settings, firmware and etc let me explain what I'd like to do with my FireBee. I have tried many suggestions but still am not able to use my Firebee properly as I see it. I guess my biggest problem to date has been that I never stated clearly what I'd like to accomplish so no one could properly point me in the proper direction.

First my current setup :
15" 1024x768 Dell LCD monitor with DVI connector. Works fine though a bit small
Dell USB keyboard
Dell USB mouse
Ethernet cabled via standard 10/100MB Switch
Boot off of a CF card (have multiple CFs handy)

Now here's what I want and expect from the FireBee:

1: Boot into FreeMint and run supported applications. (I can boot into FreeMiNT 1.18 but not run all supported applications like Netsurf 3.4 and EasyMiNT Setup for FireBee).

After that I believe everything else is just my setting things up properly like Network Printing, FTP, command line, etc. Until I get a properly working system I can not continue forward.

So what DIP Switch Settings and versions of Firmware, BaS, etc do I need to get a properly working system and for what I want to accomplish?

I forgot these are my current DIP Switch Settings :

1 : Off
2 : On
3 : Off
4 : Off
5 : On
6 : On

[wongck]

I always keep my Firebee DIP so that it run Firetos (or what ever it is called) as I need to use my USB keyboard / mouse.
Don't change that, else you end up with no input device.

I never updated Bas, FPGA...
I updated emutos 0.95 and boot v2.02 beta15. using the FB flashtool only.

I do not know how to update BaS, FPGA and why it is needed to be updated.
May be some new features like printing ?? (i have no more parallel port printer anyway)
Only when they accelerated the graphics, I will need to update the FPGA.

My FB is on a DELL 1920 x 1080 LCD. It will fill the entire screen. Have you tried it on a larger LCD ?


My advice is.... seems too late now anyway.... not to try to change too many things.
I once tried a new setting on the CPX, how harmful can changing a software setting be, huh?
Answer is a lot...... the entire FB refuse to boot up.
So one small toggle on/off on the CPX can render your FB useless (door stopper... but too light for it).
I had to connect an Atari TT keyboard to fix it (screwed if I did not have an TT or a modified external ST keyboard ).
Thanks to the many Firebee Gurus here for helping me on that one.

Anyway, it seems that the boot v2.02 beta 15 fixed that issue.

[Galvez]

So what DIP Switch Settings and versions of Firmware, BaS, etc do I need to get a properly working system and for what I want to accomplish?

If you want stability and be able to run the most software as possible, I'd put switch 5 down, use BaS(CodeWarrior), and FireTOS (latest version should be OK if you use USB keyboard and mouse). I think latest FPGA wouldn't harm.

[fmh]

If I put #5 down then am I running EMUTOS and not FireTOS? This is how I am reading this http://firebee.org/fb-bin/page?label=fb_pinout&lng=en Also if I understand from another thread by doing this I lose USB support for my keyboard and mouse. I would like to keep my USB support. Also I would like to run FreeMiNT. Again if I understand others correctly by running EMUTOS I can not run FreeMiNT because of not having full Coldfire FreeMiNT binaries.

As far as a larger monitor goes I did test it out on a larger monitor and it worked fine. Currently where I have the FireBee all that is available is the 15" 1024x768. I don't have available larger LCD only a CRT and I just haven't tried the larger CRT yet on the FireBee. It should work at 1280x1024. Right now the 1024x768 is meeting my needs as I am not doing too much serious work on the FireBee. I am still trying to get it setup the way I would like it first.

I've changed quite a bit which has been a great learning experience but also a great head ache at times. As you said wongck try not to change too many things seems like a good idea. I am pretty much where I started after all this. I currently did get the FireBee back running after the DIP Switch fiasco of it not booting properly. Took some thinking to get it to work again without reflashing the Firmware. I'm happy that it is running again normally (or as normal as before in my case). It may not be possible to get what I'd like out of the FireBee like using USB while running EasyMiNT. I don't know at this point which is why I am asking these questions for those who have more experience with the FireBee. When I used the TT Keyboard the Atari Mouse didn't work so that's no fun either. So for me USB input devices seems the only way. I never did try a PS/2 keyboard or mouse as far as I am aware that's not working yet.

[wongck]

Now here's what I want and expect from the FireBee:

1: Boot into FreeMint and run supported applications. (I can boot into FreeMiNT 1.18 but not run all supported applications like Netsurf 3.4 and EasyMiNT Setup for FireBee).

Sorry I cannot comprehend this sentence.

If you can boot to FreeMint 1.18, why are you running EasyMint setup ?
EasyMint setup is run from TOS and will setup FreeMint plus SpareMint distribution.
You mean you want to wipe out your current working FreeMint and re-install EasyMint.
I may be wrong here, IIRC there are some users who failed to install FreeMint plus Sparemint using EasyMint.
Edit: ok I read your other thread


Netsurf 3.4 .... IIRC there were some builds that are not working at all, so may be you picked up the one that did not work.

If you can boot to Mint (or FreeMint) and your USB keyboard / mouse are working.... then it means your DIP switches are OK.
( you selected 1 from the 1,2, or 3 menu at startup)
Then work on your current Mint setup to the level you want.

After that I believe everything else is just my setting things up properly like Network Printing, FTP, command line, etc. Until I get a properly working system I can not continue forward.

[Galvez]

If I put #5 down then am I running EMUTOS and not FireTOS? This is how I am reading this http://firebee.org/fb-bin/page?label=fb_pinout&lng=en .

Sorry! I meant UP

[fmh]

I discuss my failed attempts here : viewtopic.php?f=92&t=28518

From memory when I went to install EasyMiNT I did the following :

1: Copied the expanded EasyMiNT Zip file to a blank 1GB SD Card.
2: Prepared a blank 16GB CF card
C: 990MB FAT16 (bootable)
D: 4GB EXT2
E: 10GB FAT32

3: Cold booted and I believe selected TOS #1 TOS404 for MiNT.
4: Ran the EasyMiNT installer for FireBee and about 20% of the way into the install it failed.

I did not try to install EasyMiNT over the existing FreeMiNT and never thought to try. I always tried from plain TOS like I did under Aranym and it worked there.

As far as Netsurf 3.4 goes I have not tried a newer build in about 6 weeks. I can try the latest and see if it works now.

[Mathias]

If I put #5 down then am I running EMUTOS and not FireTOS? This is how I am reading this http://firebee.org/fb-bin/page?label=fb_pinout&lng=en

Exactly!

Also if I understand from another thread by doing this I lose USB support for my keyboard and mouse. I would like to keep my USB support.

Thats right as well. There is no USB for EmuTOS. If you use the FireTOS boot meneu and select EMuTOs from there EmuTOS gets the input from FireTOS USB implementation (uboot), while the Atari TOS 4.04 is not loaded but EmuTOS. If you use the switches there is just the clean EmuTOS only and you have to use Atari keyboard and mice.

Also I would like to run FreeMiNT. Again if I understand others correctly by running EMUTOS I can not run FreeMiNT because of not having full Coldfire FreeMiNT binaries.

Thats correct. The official FreeMiNT Setup for the FireBee (by Jo Even) as EasyMiNT do not work over EmuTOS. Motivated users can use Vincents MiNT binaries that are 100% clean and use MiNT over EmuTOS. But I would reconnend to iron out your problems before we go to some further experiments in this direction

I currently did get the FireBee back running after the DIP Switch fiasco of it not booting properly. Took some thinking to get it to work again without reflashing the Firmware. I'm happy that it is running again normally (or as normal as before in my case).

I still didn get what the problem with the switches was. And what have you done subsequently? What was the needed thinking? Because usually everything you have to do is to make clear there is no (68k) FreeMiNT - means mainly to pull out the CF card, and if there is a problem just move back the switch Nr. 5.

It may not be possible to get what I'd like out of the FireBee like using USB while running EasyMiNT.

? Why not? EasyMiNT will run over FireTOS and FireTO provides USB. So there is no problem to run EasyMiNT with USB!

When I used the TT Keyboard the Atari Mouse didn't work so that's no fun either.

OK, that is as well absolutely new. Never heard about such problems. Are you sure your Atari Mouse is ok, and attached correctly? Bacause it should work in any case!

I never did try a PS/2 keyboard or mouse as far as I am aware that's not working yet.

Thats right PS/2 is not done yet. There is no impelmentation at all for it, the port is unkown to the system recently. You will need to update the PIC microcontroller one day when the software is ready, to be able to use the PS/2 port.

[Galvez]

I discuss my failed attempts here : viewtopic.php?f=92&t=28518

From memory when I went to install EasyMiNT I did the following :

1: Copied the expanded EasyMiNT Zip file to a blank 1GB SD Card.
2: Prepared a blank 16GB CF card
C: 990MB FAT16 (bootable)
D: 4GB EXT2
E: 10GB FAT32as 990MB

Some people have reported problems with boot partitions bigger than 500 MB, may be you could try again with a C: partition of this size.

[Galvez]

Again if I understand others correctly by running EMUTOS I can not run FreeMiNT because of not having full Coldfire FreeMiNT binaries.

No this is false, there are 100% ColdFire FreeMiNT's binaries, so it's possible to run FreeMiNT over EmuTOS.

When I used the TT Keyboard the Atari Mouse didn't work so that's no fun either. .

What kind of problem exactly did you have?

[wongck]

I have not used EasyMint for Firebee before, as I build my own MINT / SpareMint by hand.
I only read from the forum that there was some issues using EasyMint on Firebee, and it may jolly well been resolved now.

I see you are in good hands of David and Mathias.
Good Luck and may the force be with you.

[fmh]

I will try EasyMiNT again in the near future with a smaller C: Partition. I would rather prefer to use the EasyMiNT installer instead of attempting to piece together MiNT and SpareMiNT by hand. I also plan on staying with FireTOS instead of the running EMUTOS. For me I believe that more software that I want to run will run under FireTOS.

To get the FireBee to boot back into FireTOS and stop the endless rebooting I did the following :
1: Checked all the DIP Switch settings and made sure all were set back to factory settings and made sure that #5+#6 were on. System still did not start up properly.
2: Shut down and pulled the CF Card out. Booted and still not working properly.
3: Shut down and removed USB keyboard and mouse and used TT keyboard and mouse. Booted and still not working properly. TT Keyboard did not work at the TOS Selection Menu. Strange thing I noticed was that with no CF, USB, or SD card the system was still booting into something and would say "Starting Auto Folder" and then crash. Since the TT Keyboard was not recognized I could not select what TOS to run.
4: Shut down and put a blank SD card in and started up. TT keyboard did not work so I attached a USB keyboard and mouse and selected EMUTOS. System started up into EMUTOS Desktop and was stable. I shut down and removed the TT keyboard and mouse. Booted up into TOS404 full and got the Desktop and it seemed stable. Shut down and put my normal SD and CF cards back in and booted up normally like I would and selected #1 at the TOS menu for TOS404 for MiNT and the system seems to be working now.

Now that the FireBee seems stable I can test the TT keyboard and mouse again. The TT keyboard did work in the past but never an Atari mouse attached to the TT keyboard. I had to do the ALT Arrow Keys to move around and the ALT INSERT for Enter. The TT keyboard and mouse came right off my TT and are working on the TT.

[wongck]

yes fmh, i know you want to use easyMint to build your system. That's why I did not mention my step-by-step manual Installation "How-to".
I merely stating that I have not use EasyMint and by that I mean that I will not be able to help further.

Great that you have a clean stable system now.

[fmh]

yes fmh, i know you want to use easyMint to build your system. That's why I did not mention my step-by-step manual Installation "How-to".
I merely stating that I have not use EasyMint and by that I mean that I will not be able to help further.

Great that you have a clean stable system now.

I understood that. I just don't think I can successfully build a system myself. But I won't know unless I try to be sure. My goal right now is to maintain a stable system. Then continue adding functionality that I want to use. I believe I have it stable right now. Time to backup and start adding new functionality.

[Galvez]

4: Shut down and put a blank SD card in and started up. TT keyboard did not work so I attached a USB keyboard and mouse and selected EMUTOS. System started up into EMUTOS Desktop and was stable. I shut down and removed the TT keyboard and mouse. Booted up into TOS404 full and got the Desktop and it seemed stable. Shut down and put my normal SD and CF cards back in and booted up normally like I would and selected #1 at the TOS menu for TOS404 for MiNT and the system seems to be working now.

This is some of the weirdest things that FireTOS does, the reboot/crash issue while trying to read AUTO folder and the solution is to load EmuTOS and trying again with FireTOS. I've seen this in my FireBee, and Orion did the same as you can read in this post:
viewtopic.php?f=92&t=28873&start=25#p283740

[fmh]

Strange indeed. I wasn't aware of his issues and mine didn't start until I moved the DIP Switch #5 to down. Switch #5 is back up but the problem is still around. At least now it's a documented repeatable bug. I've had this three times now in two days and I don't know how many times Orion has had this.

As a side note I did a full backup of my CF Card last night. Now I have to test my backup by taking a spare CF and copying it back to the fresh CF and see if all works as expected. A backup isn't a backup unless you can restore it and it works.

[fmh]

As a followup I did restore my backup to a blank properly formatted CF Card and it appears to be working!!!

[Galvez]

As a followup I did restore my backup to a blank properly formatted CF Card and it appears to be working!!!

Out of curiosity, which brand and size is the CF card showing the problem? and the working one?

[fmh]

As a followup I did restore my backup to a blank properly formatted CF Card and it appears to be working!!!

Out of curiosity, which brand and size is the CF card showing the problem? and the working one?

I meant the Backup/Restored worked (as far as I can tell). The issue with having to boot into EMUTOS when you turn it on is still going on. I don't believe the CF has anything to do with it as with no media (SD, CF, or USB) in the drives the system still exhibits the same behavior.

[Galvez]

As a followup I did restore my backup to a blank properly formatted CF Card and it appears to be working!!!

Out of curiosity, which brand and size is the CF card showing the problem? and the working one?

I meant the Backup/Restored worked (as far as I can tell). The issue with having to boot into EMUTOS when you turn it on is still going on.

OK, I understood it wrong.

I don't believe the CF has anything to do with it as with no media (SD, CF, or USB) in the drives the system still exhibits the same behavior.

Me neither, I think it has something to do with the latest published BaS (gcc version). Did you flash back the BaS (CodeWarrior version) as I recommend you in a previous post?. I think if you use this BaS those reboot/crash problems will go away.

[fmh]

No I did not. I will do that in the next week.

[oehansen]

I don't know about you, but I have a crash screen in my EMUTOS when I start it. Which can be bypassed, by pressing CTRL key at the EMUTOS screen. As it appears to be related to the coldboot program.

At least, that's how it works for me.