29 replies to this topic

[Random Terrain]

When I plugged in the cable that came with the Harmony cart, Windows Vista didn't ask me if I wanted to search my computer for drivers. It basically gave me 2 choices: let it search Microsoft Update for eternity or go screw myself. How do I make Windows Vista use the drivers that are sitting there waiting to be used on the Harmony SD card?


Thanks.

[AtariLeaf]

I think the better question is, why do you have Windows Vista?

[Random Terrain]

AtariLeaf, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 5:31 AM, said:

I think the better question is, why do you have Windows Vista?

That's easy to answer. It what was on my computer when I got it. And there's no way I'm switching to Ubangi Linoleum (the "Look at me, Ma! No viruses!" operating system that won't run most software).

[atarigal]

Uh oh--I have Vista too. Is this a known incompatibility thing? I was about to get my Harmony cart.

[Random Terrain]

atarigal, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 6:38 AM, said:

Uh oh--I have Vista too. Is this a known incompatibility thing? I was about to get my Harmony cart.

There's probably a simple answer. We just have to wait until the right people are awake and online.

[Random Terrain]

OK, I did what it says here and downloaded CDM20814_Setup.exe, then punched Vista in the mouth with it. Now the Harmony Programming Tool can detect the Harmony cart.

The next step is to figure out where the ARM Dir is.

[Random Terrain]

Random Terrain, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 7:19 AM, said:

The next step is to figure out where the ARM Dir is.

Found it:

http://www.atariage....ost__p__1971583

batari, on Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:04 AM, said:

It is located wherever the software is installed. On Windows, that will probably be c:\Program Files\HarmonyCart\arm.

[Random Terrain]

I downloaded two works in progress, but they both had all kinds of fuzzy, semi-see-through lines all over the place. I downloaded a classic game, but it had the same problem.

None of the games I tried on the SD card had that problem, so I'll check the SD card again if I can figure out how to make the menu come up. Does anyone know how to switch from a downloaded game to the SD card?

Edited by Random Terrain, Tue Jun 28, 2011 7:55 AM.

[Random Terrain]

Random Terrain, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 7:46 AM, said:

None of the games I tried on the SD card had that problem, so I'll check the SD card again if I can figure out how to make the menu come up. Does anyone know how to switch from a downloaded game to the SD card?

I found this posts:

batari, on Sat Feb 6, 2010 3:39 PM, said:

If you program a single image to Harmony, it replaces the firmware with the game, so you need to reprogram firmware to get back to multicart mode. It should also work again if you reprogram a single image.

After downloading harmony_105.zip and unzipping it, I downloaded eeloader_104e_NTSC.bin to the Harmony cart, but there was an error and the menu wouldn't come up. Based on what I read in a post somewhere, I renamed eeloader_104e_NTSC.bin to eeloader.bin and downloaded that to the Harmony cartridge and it worked.

So that means I can download a work in progress to the Harmony cartridge and when I want to use the SD card again to play games from the menu, all I have to do is download eeloader.bin. Now I can easily flip back and forth any time I want between my works in progress and the SD card menu.

I also tracked down the cause of the weird fuzzy, semi-see-through lines. It's the Mini-B USB cable. When I unplug it from the Harmony cart, 95 percent or more of the interference pattern goes away. I hoped I'd be able to keep it plugged in. Is there anything I can do to keep the Mini-B USB cable plugged in and not have it cause an interference pattern?

Edited by Random Terrain, Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:46 AM.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Random Terrain, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:39 AM, said:

Is there anything I can do to keep the Mini-B USB cable plugged in and not have it cause an interference pattern?

I suppose the USB cable is pretty badly shielded and works like an antenna now. Maybe there exist shielded USB cables?

[batari]

Random Terrain, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:39 AM, said:

I also tracked down the cause of the weird fuzzy, semi-see-through lines. It's the Mini-B USB cable. When I unplug it from the Harmony cart, 95 percent or more of the interference pattern goes away. I hoped I'd be able to keep it plugged in. Is there anything I can do to keep the Mini-B USB cable plugged in and not have it cause an interference pattern?

You could try to find a ferrite bead to put on your cable, or find a USB cable that already has one.

[Random Terrain]

batari, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 1:39 PM, said:

You could try to find a ferrite bead to put on your cable, or find a USB cable that already has one.

Thanks. Never heard of a ferrite bead, but after reading about it, seems like the easiest thing would be to buy one that clamps on:

http://en.wikipedia....ki/Ferrite_bead

Quote

Ferrite beads are one of the simplest and least expensive types of interference filters to install on preexisting electronic cabling. For a simple ferrite ring, the wire is simply wrapped around the core through the center typically 5 or 7 times. Clamp-on cores are also available, which can be attached without wrapping the wire at all. Although the wire is not coiled around the core for this type of ferrite beads, the introduction of the ferrite core around the wire increases the self-inductance of the wire thus still has the effect of absorbing energy from the noise traveling in the wire. If the fit is not snug enough, the core can be secured with cable ties, or if the center is large enough, have the cabling looped through one or more times.

Does anyone reading this know of the best place to go locally where you can buy a clamp-on ferrite bead? Radio Shack? Best Buy?


Thanks.

Edited by Random Terrain, Tue Jun 28, 2011 2:24 PM.

[batari]

If you have some old cables lying around, I'd see if any have ferrite beads you can steal (even temporarily to see if this clears up the interference.)

[Random Terrain]

batari, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 2:46 PM, said:

If you have some old cables lying around, I'd see if any have ferrite beads you can steal (even temporarily to see if this clears up the interference.)

Thanks. I already went looking, but most of them seem to have no seams. I found one with seams and tried to crack it apart with a small, flat, thin screwdriver and a hammer, but that was useless. All it did was make marks all over the side of it, instead of splitting the thing open.

Looks like I'll have to wait until Friday and go to a place that sells ferrite beads.

[atarigal]

Looks like they have some on Amazon... http://www.amazon.co...creative=390957

[Random Terrain]

atarigal, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 3:31 PM, said:

Looks like they have some on Amazon... http://www.amazon.co...creative=390957

Thanks. Looks like I'll have to buy one for sure. I ripped up two old cables with special scissors that are so strong they could cut off your fingers and found out that both cables have a tube of metal. The only way I could get one on the Mini-B USB cable would be to cut off the end of the cable, but then the cable wouldn't work anymore.

[Schizophretard]

Have you tried other USB ports? Some may have less interference than others.

[Random Terrain]

Schizophretard, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 4:19 PM, said:

Have you tried other USB ports? Some may have less interference than others.

If I plug it into the USB port on the front of the computer, the interference pattern isn't as bad, but it's still pretty horrible.

If a snap-on ferrite bead will fix this problem, seems like it would also fix the the interference patterns that many people get from the cable that goes from the Atari 2600 to the TV.

[ScumSoft]

Random Terrain, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:39 AM, said:

So that means I can download a work in progress to the Harmony cartridge and when I want to use the SD card again to play games from the menu, all I have to do is download eeloader.bin. Now I can easily flip back and forth any time I want between my works in progress and the SD card menu.

Do you have an SD card reader on your PC? You might find it easier to simply copy your WIP like I do straight to the SD card and leave it on the multi-loader firmware.

[bomberpunk]

i also have Vista. it auto-detected / installed the driver on its own when i first hooked up the Harmony Cart. hmm..

[Random Terrain]

ScumSoft, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 4:46 PM, said:

Do you have an SD card reader on your PC? You might find it easier to simply copy your WIP like I do straight to the SD card and leave it on the multi-loader firmware.

Yep, my computer has various holes on the front that can accept different types of cards and things. Using an SD card was the old plan before I found a way to have an Atari 2600 and a TV near my computer.

My main reason for getting a Harmony cart is that you can safely leave the Harmony cart in the Atari 2600 and quickly download works in progress to it. Since my computer is hard to reach, using the the Mini-B USB cable will save a lot of time and energy. If a snap-on ferrite bead will work, the whole setup will be perfect.

[Schizophretard]

Random Terrain, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 4:40 PM, said:

Schizophretard, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 4:19 PM, said:

Have you tried other USB ports? Some may have less interference than others.

If I plug it into the USB port on the front of the computer, the interference pattern isn't as bad, but it's still pretty horrible.

If a snap-on ferrite bead will fix this problem, seems like it would also fix the the interference patterns that many people get from the cable that goes from the Atari 2600 to the TV.

I believe the RF cord I use and the switch box I have basically use ferrite beads. The RF cord has a box on it to eliminate RF interference. Inside the switch box the wires are looped through what appears to be ferrite beads. So, yes ferrite beads should work between the VCS and TV.

[Random Terrain]

Thomas Jentzsch, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 10:31 AM, said:

I suppose the USB cable is pretty badly shielded and works like an antenna now. Maybe there exist shielded USB cables?

batari, on Tue Jun 28, 2011 1:39 PM, said:

You could try to find a ferrite bead to put on your cable, or find a USB cable that already has one.

I was able to get two things from Radio Shack today, but they don't work that great.

These little ones don't seem to work much at all:

Snap Choke Core


This larger one works better, but it only takes away about half of the interference pattern:

Snap-Together Ferrite Choke Core

Maybe if the hole wasn't so big, it would work better. I even put all three on the cable at the same time, but nothing changed. It seems the big one is doing all of the work. The small ones probably don't even have ferrite in them.


Looks like I'll have to go hunting online for a shielded USB cable. Has anyone reading this purchased a really good ultra-shielded USB 5-Pin Mini-B Cable that is 6 feet long? If so, can you post a link to where you bought it?


Thanks.

[Random Terrain]

I returned the small Snap Choke Cores and got another Snap-Together Ferrite Choke Core that has a larger hole and is more expensive.

I tried various things, including folding over the USB cable two, then three times and carefully snapping on the ferrite choke core. The interference actually got worse. After unsnapping the thing, I noticed that having the USB cable folded over three times got rid of a lot of the interference patten all by itself. No ferrite needed.

So now I have the folded USB cable (using a twist tie), a Snap-Together Ferrite Choke Core on the cable right behind the TV, and the other Snap-Together Ferrite Choke Core on the short RCA cable I have coming out of the Atari 2600, just before it reaches the Coaxial (F-type) to Female RCA Adapter. Most of the interference pastern is gone or so faded that you can barely see it.

[Schizophretard]

I bet the reason the interference got worse when wrapping the cord around it three times was because it was blocking the signal. In other words, you weren't getting more outside interference but less signal.