Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- x68000:x68000_faq [2014/08/09 02:16] – eidis
+++ x68000:x68000_faq [2019/08/27 20:45] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 ------------------------------
-  *This FAQ contains undisclosed number of questions, organized and answered by by Mr.Takuma
+  *This FAQ contains undisclosed number of questions, organized and answered by Mr.Takuma
   *Additional information added by Eidis/GameSX
 ------------------------------
+====== !!! WARNING !!! ======
+Every X68000 contains capacitors which are older than 20 years and way past their expected lifetime. They can have no signs of being bulged or leaked but due to age its electrolyte can dry up, its ESR can increase and its capacity can decrease. This happens more faster with systems which generate heat and have more demanding hardware which stresses the capacitor. A super high quality capacitor can last up to 20 years and super cheap ones for up to 5 years. It all depends on how much the hardware is being used, how much heat is near the capacitor and how much current the hardware draws. It is of great importance that all capacitors are replaced or there is a very high probability that something could go wrong and a simple recap could turn into a multi feature repair extravaganza. The best thing to do, when you receive your newly purchased X68000, is to recap the whole system before even attempting to power it on. This includes motherboard, sub-motherboard, floppy drives, I/O slot riser and RGB module. You have been warned !
 ====== 0. Introduction ======
@@ Line 24: / Line 28: @@
   *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:x68000_product_catalog|X68000 Product Catalog]]
   *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:x68000_models|X68000 Models]]
+You will probably need some software to run on your machine too:
+  *[[https://archive.org/details/Sharp_X68000_TOSEC_2012_04_23|TOSEC: Sharp X68000 (2012-04-23)]]
+  *[[http://nfggames.com/x68000/Games/X68000V4.zip|HDD image V4]]
+  *[[http://nfggames.com/x68000/|NFG Games X68000 File Archive]]
 ====== 1. Main memory ======
@@ Line 38: / Line 48: @@
   *SH  - I/O data (newer models)
-) The model number, which should be identical or very similar for both of them.
+) The model number, which most of the times consists of:
+  *6BE - Identifier for RAM expansion board
+  *The amount of RAM
 **Question:** What memory expansions are available for the X68000 ?
@@ Line 54: / Line 66: @@
 |  2/4Mb RAM boards|  [[x68000:pio-6834-2_4m_-_memory_expansion_board|PIO-6834-2/4M-1]]  |  [[x68000:pio-6834-2_4m_-_memory_expansion_board|PIO-6834-2/4M-1]]  |  [[x68000:pio-6834-2_4m_-_memory_expansion_board|PIO-6834-2/4M-1]]  | | | | |
 | |  [[x68000:sh-6be-2_4m_-_memory_expansion_board|SH-6BE-2/4M-1]]  |  [[x68000:sh-6be-2_4m_-_memory_expansion_board|SH-6BE-2/4M-1]]  |  [[x68000:sh-6be-2_4m_-_memory_expansion_board|SH-6BE-2/4M-1]]  | | | | |
+| |  [[x68000:aicz6be2_aicz6be4_-_memory_expansion_board|AICZ6BE2/AICZ6BE4]]  |  [[x68000:aicz6be2_aicz6be4_-_memory_expansion_board|AICZ6BE2/AICZ6BE4]]  |  [[x68000:aicz6be2_aicz6be4_-_memory_expansion_board|AICZ6BE2/AICZ6BE4]]  | | | | |
 |  4Mb RAM boards|  CZ-6BE4  |  CZ-6BE4  |  CZ-6BE4  | |  CZ-6BE4D  |  [[x68000:cz-5be4_-_memory_expansion_board|CZ-5BE4]]  |  [[x68000:cz-5be4_-_memory_expansion_board|CZ-5BE4]]  |
 | | | | | | |  [[x68000:cz-5be4_-_memory_expansion_board|*CZ-5ME4]]  |  [[x68000:cz-5be4_-_memory_expansion_board|*CZ-5ME4]]  |
@@ Line 72: / Line 85: @@
   *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:writing_floppies|Writing 5.25" Floppies]]
   *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:writing_3.5_floppies|Writing 3.5" Floppies]]
+**Question:** How can I write image files on X68000 to its floppy drives ?
+**Answer:** The following article will explain how to achieve it.
+  *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:creating_floppies_from_disk_images_on_x68000|Writing Floppies from Disk Images on X68000]]
 **Question:** How can I use different floppy disk formats ?
@@ Line 89: / Line 108: @@
   *8 - Initialize IPL
-====== 2. Hard Disk ======
+====== 3. Hard Disk ======
 **Question:** How can I connect a hard disk to my X68000 ?
@@ Line 105: / Line 124: @@
   *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:hard_drive_on_sasi_machine|Connecting and preparing a hard drive on SASI machine]]
   *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:internal_scsi_and_cf_card_mod|X68000 Compact XVI internal SCSI and CF card mod]]
+  *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:x68000_xvi_compact_external_scsi_converter|X68000 Compact XVI external SCSI converter]]
+**Question:** How can I edit contents of a hard disk image and restore it to physical media ?
+**Answer:** The following articles will explain how.
+  *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:creating_and_restoring_hard_disk_images_to_and_from_physical_media|Creating and restoring hard disk images to and from physical media]]
+  *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:editing_and_adding_files_to_hard_disk_images|Editing and adding files to hard disk images]]
 ====== 4. Display ======
 **Question:** What monitors are compatible with X68000 ?
-**Answer:** The original X68000 monitor supports 15kHz/24kHz/31kHz display modes. 15kHz is used by TV's and 31kHz by PC monitors. The 24kHz mode is very rarely used and is not important. Approximately 80% of all software uses 31kHz mode, however some of the most desired games run in 15kHz. CRT monitor will provide you with the best possible picture quality. It is possible to use a LCD monitor with upscaler and scanline generator to make the picture look sharp as on CRT and not pixelated/blurred. However, be warned that LCD monitor and upscaler will introduce a small input lag. You have several options:
+**Answer:** The original X68000 monitor supports 15kHz/24kHz/31kHz display modes. 15kHz is used by TV's and 31kHz by PC monitors. The 24kHz mode is very rarely used and is not important. Approximately 80% of all software uses 31kHz mode, however some of the most desired games run in 15kHz. CRT monitor will provide you with the best possible picture quality. It is possible to use a LCD monitor with upscaler and scanline generator to make the picture look sharp as on CRT and not pixelated/blurred. However, be warned that LCD monitor and upscaler will introduce a small input lag. You will also need a [[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:x68000_to_pc_monitor_cable|SANWA AD-D15NE]] adapter or make your own if you want to use the X68000 with anything other than its original monitor. There are several options:
-  *A standard PC monitor which will allow you to use only 31kHz software
   *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:x68000_monitors|Original X68000 monitor]]
+  *A standard PC monitor which will allow you to use only 31kHz software.
   *Microvitec M1438 which was very popular with Amiga enthusiasts and supports all X68000 display modes.
   *[[http://nfggames.com/X68000/Documentation/Video/NEC%20XM29%20Plus%20Monitor%20Manual.pdf|NEC XM29]] (24kHz not supported) or any other PVM CRT monitor which supports 15kHz and 31kHz modes.
@@ Line 158: / Line 184: @@
 **Question:** What MIDI boards and configurations are available for the X68000, how do I set it all up and make it work ?
-**Answer:**
+**Answer:** You will need a MIDI board and a dedicated external MIDI synthesizer module. There are two MIDI boards produced by SHARP and two by SYSTEM SACOM. CZ-6BM1, CZ-6BM1A and SX-68M II have a Mini DIN connector so you will need to make a custom cable. The following links will explain it in more detail:
+  *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:cz-6bm1_-_midi_board|SHARP CZ-6BM1]]
+  *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:cz-6bm1a_-_midi_board|SHARP CZ-6BM1A]]
+  *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:sx-68m_-_midi_board|SYSTEM SACOM SX-68M]]
+  *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:sx-68m_ii_-_midi_board|SYSTEM SACOM SX-68M II]]
+  *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:midi_synthesizer_modules|MIDI synthesizer modules]]
+  *[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:midi_cable|Mini DIN 5pin to DIN 5pin MIDI cable]]
 ====== 9. Troubleshooting ======
@@ Line 166: / Line 199: @@
 **Answer:**  The most important problem is the capacitors. High quality capacitors usually last up to 20 years however it is way past it so they need to be replaced as soon as possible or a simple recaping can turn into a multi feature repair extravaganza. Recap everything you can, especially PSU, floppy drives, main motherboard and sub-motherboard. This will ensure that your X68000 will work for a long time to come. Here is a list of articles which deal with the most common problems and their solutions:
+  -[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:x68000&#schematics|Schematics]]
+  -[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:how_to_open_x68000|How to open X68000]]
+  -[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:how_to_open_x68000_compact|How to open X68000 Compact]]
   -[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:sram_issues|SRAM Issues]]
   -[[http://nfggames.com/X68000/Schematics/PSU/|Power Supply Schematics]]
+  -[[http://nfggames.com/forum2/index.php?topic=4877.0|X68000 Compact XVI + X68030 Compact Repair / Restoration]]
   -[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:advanced_floppy_driver_repair|Advanced Floppy Drive repair]]
   -[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:soft_power_switch_troubleshooting_and_repair|Soft-power troubleshooting and repair]]
   -[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:x68000_xvi_compact_audio_troubleshooting_and_repair|X68000 XVI Compact audio troubleshooting and repair]]
+  -[[http://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:fixing_rgb_output|Fixing RGB output]]