Upgrading to v4.0.0

v4.0.0

Firmware v4.0.0 runs on the SidecarTridge Kickstart board you already have. The upgrade keeps your ROM images and settings, and takes a few minutes. This page explains what changes and how to upgrade.

Table of contents
  1. What v4.0.0 brings
  2. Before you start
  3. Keep your images or start fresh
  4. Upgrading with the update file
    1. 1. Install the firmware
    2. 2. Open the ROMEMUL drive
    3. 3. Replace the SWITCHER
    4. 4. Install the new rescue switcher
    5. 5. Optional: the new settings and INFO.TXT
    6. 6. Eject the drive
    7. Check that it worked
  5. Upgrading with the full file
  6. If something goes wrong

What v4.0.0 brings

v4.0.0 is three programs released together: the board’s firmware, the SWITCHER for the Amiga, and the rescue switcher.

  • A self-test of the board. Press T in the rescue switcher: it checks every address and data line between the Amiga and the board, thousands of random reads, that the board answers commands, and that its flash reads back the same every time, then names your Amiga’s chipset and its RAM. See ROM Rescue Switcher.
  • The Amiga always gets something to start. If the default ROM image cannot be used, the board starts the rescue image instead of stopping.
  • SWITCHER 4.0.0: a page with the board’s settings (C), clear messages when the versions do not match, and many fixes. On AmigaOS it runs on its own stack, so a long session on Kickstart 1.3 no longer runs out of it, and volume names with spaces now open in the upload browser.
  • REBOOT returns to the Amiga. After an eject with a REBOOT file, the board starts the default ROM image with the USB cable still connected.
  • ACCELERATED_BUS, for Amiga computers with an accelerator board.
  • A more robust ROMEMUL drive, with many fixes, including volumes with many images copied from a Mac.
  • A safety check: the firmware refuses to run on a board it was not made for.

The Changelog lists every change.

Before you start

  • Download the three programs from the downloads page:
    • the update file, sidecartridge-kickstart-rp2350a-update-v4.0.0.uf2;
    • the SWITCHER 4.0.0 for the Amiga: SWITCHER.ADF, SWITCHER and SWITCHER.ST;
    • the rescue switcher 4.0.0 for the Amiga, RESCUE_SWITCHER_v4.0.0_512KB.img.
  • Copy everything on the ROMEMUL drive to a folder on your computer. The update keeps it, but a copy costs nothing.

The three programs go together: firmware v4.0.0 works only with SWITCHER 4.0.0 and the rescue switcher 4.0.0. The SWITCHER 3.x and the rescue switcher 3.1.0 already on your drive stop with a “not compatible” message once the firmware is updated, so replace them as described below.

Which versions work together

Keep your images or start fresh

There are two ways to upgrade:

  • The update file replaces the firmware only. Your ROM images, your default and rescue choices and your settings stay. Most people want this one: follow the six steps below.
  • The full file erases the board and installs everything new: DiagROM 1.3, the rescue switcher, the SWITCHER and the default settings. Use it to start from a clean board; see Upgrading with the full file.

Upgrading to v4.0.0

Upgrading with the update file

1. Install the firmware

Put the board in BOOTSEL mode and copy sidecartridge-kickstart-rp2350a-update-v4.0.0.uf2 onto the RP2350 drive that appears, or install it from webflash.sidecartridge.com. Firmware installation explains both ways.

The board restarts with firmware v4.0.0. It still starts your default ROM image as before.

2. Open the ROMEMUL drive

With the Amiga switched off, connect the board to your computer. The ROMEMUL drive opens with all your files.

3. Replace the SWITCHER

Copy the new SWITCHER.ADF, SWITCHER and SWITCHER.ST into the AMIGA folder, over the old ones. If the files you downloaded have the version in their names, rename them to these names.

Replace it too wherever you run it from: write the new SWITCHER.ADF to your SWITCHER floppy or your Gotek, copy the new SWITCHER to your hard disk, and, if you boot EmuTOS from the board, use the new SWITCHER.ST.

4. Install the new rescue switcher

  1. Copy RESCUE_SWITCHER_v4.0.0_512KB.img onto the drive.

  2. Open RESCUE.TXT and replace the name in it with the new one, exactly as the file is called:

    RESCUE_SWITCHER_v4.0.0_512KB.img
  3. Delete the old RESCUE_SWITCHER_v3.1.0_512KB.img, unless you want to keep it in your list.

5. Optional: the new settings and INFO.TXT

  • CONFIG.TXT keeps your v3 settings, READ_BUS_TICKS and USE_OE, and they work as before. The Amiga setting added in v4.0.0, ACCELERATED_BUS, stays off until it is in the file. To have it, add these lines at the end of your CONFIG.TXT:

    ; 1 for an accelerated Amiga whose ROMs crash or do not start.
ACCELERATED_BUS = 0

    Advanced Settings shows the whole v4.0.0 file and explains every setting.

  • INFO.TXT still shows the old version: the board writes it only when the drive has none. Delete it; the board writes a new one the next time you connect it.

6. Eject the drive

Eject the ROMEMUL drive. The board rebuilds its list of ROM images with the new rescue switcher and reads CONFIG.TXT. Then unplug it, and switch the Amiga on: it starts your default ROM image.

Until this first eject, the board runs with the settings firmware v3.x left, which work as before. Nothing is lost if the upgrade stops halfway: start again from step 2.

Check that it worked

  • Connect the board to your computer again: INFO.TXT says Version: v4.0.0 and Board variant: RP2350A.
  • Boot the new SWITCHER.ADF on the Amiga: it lists your images, with the A (default) and R (rescue) marks. Press C to see the board’s settings.
  • Hold the RESCUE button and switch the Amiga on: the rescue switcher 4.0.0 starts. Press T to test the board.

Upgrading with the full file

  1. Copy everything on the ROMEMUL drive to a folder on your computer. The full file erases it.
  2. Install sidecartridge-kickstart-rp2350a-diagrom-full-v4.0.0.uf2 the same way as in step 1 above.
  3. Open the ROMEMUL drive. It has DiagROM 1.3, the rescue switcher 4.0.0, the SWITCHER 4.0.0 in the AMIGA folder and the v4.0.0 CONFIG.TXT.
  4. Copy your ROM images back, and your CONFIG.TXT values if you had changed them.
  5. Eject the drive. Then choose your default ROM image with the SWITCHER, or in DEFAULT.TXT.

If something goes wrong

  • The SWITCHER says it is not compatible with the firmware of the device. It is the old SWITCHER: replace it (step 3), on the drive and wherever you run it from.
  • The rescue switcher says the same. RESCUE.TXT still names the old rescue switcher: repeat step 4.
  • The green and orange LEDs blink together and the Amiga does not start. A firmware for another board was installed: install the rp2350a update file again.

The Troubleshooting page covers the rest.

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