*********************************************************************** *** *** *** R o m W B W *** *** *** *** Z80/Z180 System Software *** *** *** *********************************************************************** This directory ("Binary") is part of the RomWBW System Software distribution archive. It contains the completed binary outputs of the build process. As described below, these files are used to assemble a working RetroBrew Computers system. The files in this directory are created by the build process that is documented in the ReadMe.txt file in the Source directory. When released the directory is populated with the default output files. However, the output of custom builds will be placed in this directory as well. If you only see a few files in this directory, then you downloaded just the source from GitHub. To retrieve the full release download package, go to https://github.com/wwarthen/RomWBW. On this page, look for the text "XX releases" where XX is a number. Click on this text to go to the releases page. On this page, you will see the latest releases listed. For each release, you will see a package file called something like "RomWBW-2.9.0-Package.zip". Click on the package file for the release you want to download. ROM Firmware Images (_.rom) ------------------------------------- The files with a ".rom" extension are binary images ready to program into an appropriate PROM. These files are named with the format _.rom. refers to the primary platform such as Zeta, N8, Mark IV, etc. refers to the specific configuration. In general, there will be a standard configuration ("std") for each platform. So, for example, the file called MK4_std.rom is a ROM image for the Mark IV with the standard configuration. If a custom configuration called "custom" is created and built, a new file called MK4_custom.rom will be added to this directory. Documentation of the pre-built ROM Images is contained in the RomList.txt file in this directory. ROM Executable Images (_.com) --------------------------------------- When a ROM image (".rom") is created, an executable version of the ROM is also created. These files have the same naming convention as the ROM Image files, but have the extension ".com". These files can be copied to a working system and run like a normal CP/M application. When run on the target system, they install in RAM just like they had been loaded from ROM. This allows a new ROM build to be tested without reprogramming the actual ROM. WARNING: In a few cases the .com file is too big to load. If you get a message like "Full" or "BAD LOAD" when trying to load one of the .com files, it is too big. In these cases, you will not be able to test the ROM prior to programming it. VDU ROM Image (vdu.rom) ----------------------- The VDU video board requires a dedicated onboard ROM containing the font data. The "vdu.rom" file contains the binary data to program onto that chip. Disk Images (fd_*.img, hd_*.img) ------------------------------ RomWBW includes a mechanism for generating floppy disk and hard disk binary images that are ready to copy directly to a floppy, hard disk, CF Card, or SD Card which will then be ready for use in any RomWBW-based system. Essentially, these files contain prepared floppy and hard disk images with a large set of programs and related files. By copying the contents of these files to appropriate media as described below, you can quickly create ready-to-use media. Win32DiskImager or RawWriteWin can be used to copy images directly to media. These programs are included in the RomWBW Tools directory. The fd_*.img files are floppy disk images. They are sized for 1.44MB floppy media and can be copied to actual floppy disks using RawWriteWin (as long as you have access to a floppy drive on your Windows computer). The resulting floppy disks will be usable on any RomWBW-based system with floppy drive(s). Likewise, the hd_*.img files are hard disk images. Each file is intended to be copied to the start of any type of hard disk media (typically a CF Card or SD Card). The resulting media will be usable on any RomWBW-based system that accepts the corresponding media type. Documentation of the pre-built disk images is contained in the DiskList.txt file in this directory. The contents of the floppy/hard disk images are created by the BuildImages.cmd script in the Source directory. Additional information on how to generate custom disk images is found in the Source\Images ReadMe.txt file. Propeller ROM Images (*.eeprom) ------------------------------- The files with and extension of ".eeprom" contain the binary images to be programmed into the Propeller-based boards. The list below indicates which file targets each of the Propeller board variants: ParPortProp ParPortProp.eeprom PropIO V1 PropIO.eeprom PropIO V2 PropIO2.eeprom Refer to the board documentation of the boards for more information on how to program the EEPROMs on these boards. Apps Directory -------------- The Apps subdirectory contains the executable application files that are specific to RomWBW. The source for these applications is found in the Source\Apps directory of the distribution.