RWAP Software

[RWAP]

[list=]Frequently Asked Questions
I have heard that the DivIDE Plus is not as compatible as the original DivIDE - is this true?
How do I get software onto the Spectrum?
Do I need an external power supply?
Which Firmware should I use?
When will I receive my order?
Do you supply suitable hard disk drives?
What Compact Flash Memory Cards are compatible?
Will DivIDE Plus work with my Spectrum? [/list]



I have heard that the DivIDE Plus is not as compatible as the original DivIDE - is this true?
We have worked hard to ensure that the DivIDE Plus is compatible with the original DivIDE, whilst adding extra facilities. The main problems were linked to disagreement over how to implement the extra RAM / ROM, although as we are the first to offer this, we would suggest our method to be the one to use in future. The other problem is that some 128K snapshots will not work with 128K Mode enabled on the DivIDE Plus - however, this mode is disabled by default, and can be switched on specifically by software, once firmware supports it.

DivIDE Plus will also support some new firmwares which are currently being developed, and is the only version of the hard disk interface to support ResiDOS by Garry Lancaster. At the moment, we support FATware, DEMFIR, MDOS3, +DivIDE and TBIOS. We are working on releases of CP/M and ZXVGS, with hopefully ESXDOS and an enhanced version of MDOS3 at a later stage.

How do I get software onto the Spectrum?
This is now made easier with both ResiDOS and FATware being able to read Compact Flash Memory Cards and Hard disks formatted on the PC (in FAT-16). Simply copy programs onto the compact flash memory and use one of these two firmwares, and you can load .TAP, .z80 and .SNA files directly on the ZX Spectrum.

Do I need an external power supply?
We have heard that some Compact Flash cards needed external power when plugged into the IDE connector of the original DivIDE. However, whether this is true, or the changes we have made to the design have overcome this, we are not sure - we just have not found a Compact Flash memory card which requires external power on the DivIDE Plus. If you use a hard disk with the interface, this will need a PC power supply as the one supplied with the humble Speccy is not up to powering hard disks.

Which Firmware should I use?
This depends on your needs for the interface - see our separate page on DivIDE Plus Firmware

When will I receive my order?
Orders are being dealt with on a first come, first served basis. There have been delays, but we hope to clear the backlog soon - we are concentrating on quality issues and looking to bring the manufacture to the UK - see our separate page on DivIDE Order Tracking

Do you supply suitable hard disk drives?
No - DivIDE Plus users tend to prefer to use low cost Compact Flash memory cards for storage. You can use any standard PC hard disk (not SATA, Firewire or USB) - although it must support LBA mode (which most drives you can find nowadays will be). The main problem is that you will need a power supply for the hard disk. Due to the weight of power supplies and hard disks, plus the expense of obtaining custom made external hard disk cases, we made the decision not to produce these.

When looking at a hard disk you also need to consider the size of hard disk you need - the maximum size which can be supported is down to the firmware.

FATware and ResiDOS will be able to access Windows partitions on the disk although you are limited to 2GB per partition, as they must be formatted with FAT-16 (not FAT-32 or NTFS which is currently the norm). This means that only 8.3 filenames can be used - FATware will address up to 8 such partitions, compared to ResiDOS which will support up to 26.

ResiDOS can also support a partition formatted with IDEDOS (which is a format devised for the Spectrum +3e ROM), with a maximum partition size of 16MB.

+divIDE uses virtual floppy disks on the hard disk, each up to 780K - you can access 2 of these virtual floppy disks at a time. It is however limited to 50GB overall.

DEMFIR is currently the only firmware which can read from a CD-ROM.

What Compact Flash Memory Cards are compatible?
This is dealt with in the Compact Flash Cards forums

Will DivIDE Plus work with my Spectrum?
We (and some others) found a timing issue with the original DivIDE which meant that it may not always work with some Spectrums. We have however worked hard on the design to overcome these timing issues, and successfully used the DivIDE Plus on the original Sinclair ZX Spectrums, the Spectrum +2, +2A, +2B and +3 and even some Timex clones (such as the 2068). Please also note that we do of course offer a full refund (excluding postage costs), if the DivIDE Plus proves not to work with your particular Spectrum or clone.

[BloodBaz]

Crashes after 15 minutes: I've been finding that my divIDE works solid on all my spectrums (all rubber 48Ks) for 10-20 minutes and then it starts to spontaneously crash and stop booting again. I can't figure out if it is thermal changes affecting the edge connector.

Keyboard shorting after 30 minutes: Another problem, a few months back, which could be related was that I was experiencing the keyboard membrane "shorting" around the M K L ENTER P keys so pressing (say) L or P kept triggering the ENTER key. Again, this occured on most machines and again, only after its been on for a while and the keyboard starts to heat up quite a bit.
Is this something I should be worried about or something that I can eliminate?

Passive cooler: Finally, most of my spectrums are those with the passive cooler running over the top of the head of the spectrum and it partially cuts across the edge connector making divIDE difficult to insert. Is there anything modifications that I can do to eliminate this? (shave a bit of plastive of the edge connector or bend the cooler somehow?

Does anyone have any ideas?
Any feedback would be appreciated.

Cheers

[BloodBaz]

Bump!

I am still having the above problems. Anyone got any suggestions?
Thanks.
(And sorry for the bump!)

[gtsamour]

Are you using the Divide+ together with a kempston interface (turbo or interface II compatible)?
If thats the case try it without a kempston interface. If this solves the problem, get a simple kempston interface without the cart slot.

[BloodBaz]

No Kempston (or other) Joystick interface.
It just feels to run the Spectrum hotter when not connected and after 15 minutes, becomes very unstable (reboots, random pixels appear on screen/in memory leading to crashes and the keyboard staring to stick as specturm gets hot (tried 2-3 different 48K speccys)

[bladerunner]

Keyboard shorting after 30 minutes: Another problem, a few months back, which could be related was that I was experiencing the keyboard membrane "shorting" around the M K L ENTER P keys so pressing (say) L or P kept triggering the ENTER key. Again, this occured on most machines and again, only after its been on for a while and the keyboard starts to heat up quite a bit.
Is this something I should be worried about or something that I can eliminate?

The other day I booted up a 48K Spectrum (1982 ROM) with a Sinclair Interface 1 connected. I left it on for 15 minutes and I noticed that each time I pressed the J key for LOAD I got K for LIST. Just pressing down the metal case next to the K key also produced multiple K's. I also noticed the Spectrum was hot around those keys. I had recently changed the keyboard membrane.

I have a variac ( variable mains transformer ) so I reduced the mains voltage from roughly 240v to 200v. Lowering the input voltage to the Spectrum will result in the Spectrum's regulated power supply doing less work so reduces the heat output from the heat sink. The issue seemed to go away. I suspect with an edge connector in use no cool air is getting inside the case. With a reduction in input voltage you need to be careful because high power devices like the Microdrive will not work.

Anyway, I suspect your Spectrum is overheating.