Subject:
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Re: ROM image using USB tower
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics.rcx
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Date:
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Wed, 12 Nov 2003 02:59:06 GMT
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Viewed:
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3936 times
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In lugnet.robotics.rcx, Andrew Bayliss wrote:
> I'm doing a project at University involving developing some example
> programs running on a Lego RCX in order to demonstrate/teach OS
> concepts. I'd really like to get hold of a ROM image from the RCX, but I
> only have a USB tower available, and Kekoa's instructions seem only to
> apply to a serial tower (and the original 0309 firmware?).
>
> Has anyone managed to grab a copy of the ROM using a USB tower under any
> environment (win32/cygwin, linux)? Failing this, does anyone know
> anywhere that might still stock serial towers (preferably in the UK),
> they don't seem to be available from Lego anymore.
Andrew,
I grabbed a ROM image awhile back using a serial tower and an RCX 1.0. I
haven't tried this on a 2.0 brick, but I think the ROMware is identical in all
RCX versions.
Although Kekoa's SEND.C uses the serial tower, it is not too hard to substitute
a USB tower for a serial tower on WIN32. There are two "secrets" to doing this:
1. Open the tower using the WIN32 CreateFile() API function as if it were a COM
port, but instead of a device name of "\\.\COM1", use a device name of
"\\.\LEGOTOWER1" to open the USB tower. (Additional USB towers presumably can
be accessed by incrementing the number, but I've never tried this.)
2. The USB tower driver automatically "eats" the echo characters that are
received by the tower as it transmits, so there is no need to read and discard
your output bytes as you transmit.
Of course, SEND.C was written to use fileio-style device access, so there are a
few other steps to convert this program to work under WIN32. If you are not
able to get this working on your own, drop me an e-mail and I'll see if I can
post a version of SEND.C that has been converted to work with the USB tower.
You also need the original FIRM0309.LGO file, as Kekoa's firmware patch will not
work with the newer FIRM0328.LGO. I am not sure of a way for you to get a
legitimate copy of the older firmware file if you don't already have it.
I've had an idea kicking around for a way to update this procedure to work more
automatically (without a specific firmware file or even a PERL interpreter) but
I will not be able to do anything with it until sometime next week at the
earliest. Again, drop me an e-mail if you are desperate for an immediate
solution.
You could also search BrickLink to see if anyone there is selling a serial IR
tower and/or an old RIS 1.0 CD-ROM. For example, I see two IR towers for sale
there, (cable sold separately!) one of which will ship internationally:
http://www.bricklink.com/search.asp?q=x87&searchSort=Q&sz=100&sellerUsername=&t=&c=&u=&i=&uR=&invNew=&itemType=P&invType=
This might be the easiest way for you to get what you need to make Kekoa's
procedure work.
For those of you just joining tonight's broadcast, you can find the ROMware
upload instructions on the following page:
http://www.crynwr.com/lego-robotics/rom-image.html
I hope this helps!
- Chris.
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: ROM image using USB tower
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| Okay, I gave in and bought one of the serial towers listed on bricklink. I now have a ROM image, but am unable to disassemble it. Whatever options I pass to h8300-hitachi-hms-objdump I get: BFD: rom.srec:12: Unexpected character `0' in S-record file (...) (21 years ago, 11-Dec-03, to lugnet.robotics.rcx)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | ROM image using USB tower
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| Hi, I'm doing a project at University involving developing some example programs running on a Lego RCX in order to demonstrate/teach OS concepts. I'd really like to get hold of a ROM image from the RCX, but I only have a USB tower available, and (...) (21 years ago, 12-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.rcx)
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