MSXPi is a hardware interface and software solution to allow MSX computers to control and use Raspberry Pi resources. The interface exposes I/O ports that can be read and written by MSX, and in turn the data will be accessible on the Raspberry Pi. Many resources are implemented, such as access to network drives, internet, disk images, and the Raspberry Pi itself.
It's not really quick - it may take some time, depending on your experience with Raspberry Pi.
This Quick Start Guide is updated to V1.0.1 Rev. 3 of the Software and Interface.
Please refer to the full documentation under "documents" folder in github for detailed setup procedure and other information.
There are two main steps to setup MSXPi, once you choose the correct branch for your interface:
- Setup Rapsberry Pi with the server-side software (Raspberry Pi SD Card)
- Setup MSX with the client side software (MSX SD Card or disk)
Also recommended in this step: configure your Raspberry Pi wifi. I recommend to use Raspberry Pi Imager utility to create the SD Card image:
https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-imager-imaging-utility/
mkdir /home/pi/msxpi
cd /home/pi/msxpi
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/costarc/MSXPi/master/software/Server/Shell/msxpi-setup.sh or use the Tiny URL: https://tinyurl.com/MSXPi-Setup
chmod 755 msxpi-setup.sh
sudo ./msxpi-setup.sh
In your favorite PC computer, copy all MSXPi commands from https://github.com/costarc/MSXPi/tree/master/software/target to your MSX SD card.
After this basic setup, you should be able to use the MSXPi ".com" commands from your MSX.
Just rebbot Raspberry Pi and it should have msxpi-server running and responding to commands.
- Redesigned the interface in Kicad format, both schematic and PCB
- Replaced the 27C256 by AT28C256 to allow MSX to program the EEPROM from the MSX-DOS
- Added the EEPROM programmer AT28C256.COM to available commands - resuing it from my other project https://github.com/costarc/msxcart_flash32k
- Updated the msxpi-seerver.py to run in Python3, which is the default on newer versions of Raspbian
This version allows:
- Set MSX data & time from Raspberry Pi
- Copy programs from Internet to MSX disk (ftp, http, smb)
- Run 8KB/16KB/32KB ROMS directly from Pi or from the network (ftp, http, smb)
- Run commands on Pi directly from MSX-DOS command line
- Configure Pi wifi from MSX-DOS
- MSXPI-DOS1 is not booting - it's not actually important, because the best way to use MSXPi is along with a MSX-DOS2 system, usually running with a SDCard cartridge
- pplay.sh notworking
This release has some major changes to the hardware and software components.
On the hardware side:
- Implemented the /wait signal on the PCB (CPLD does not drives at this time, it is always tai-state, therefore this signal is for future use)
- Schematics was updated to support the /wait signal
- CPLD logic update to drive /wait to tri-state (to avoid MSX to freeze)
- LED is driven by the SPI_CS signal (needed that CPLD pin for the /wait signal)
- Removed the jumper for the BUSDIR signal (since it is always driven by CPLD internal logic)
- Added pull-up resistors for all Raspbery Pins used in the design
- Added by-pass capacitors for all CIs.
On the software side:
- The server component was mostly rewritten to be more modular
- Every command now can be implemented in a self-contained function inside msxpi-server.py
- No changes are needed in the main loop of the program when new featuers or commandss are added
- Main data transfer routine (senddatablock / receivedatablock) rewritten to allow retries and block size configuration
- Many functions removed (deprecated) resulting in a less complex and easier to maintain and expand solution
- All clients rewritten based on a simple and better communication logic
- Many improvements and bug fixes
- More stable softwre architecture
Other non functional changes includes a new design using KiCad 5 instead of Eagle, some more jumpers to support new EEPROM features.
Limitations and bugs
- When booting from MSXPI-DOS, pcopy cannot copy file to the msxpiboot.dsk
- The CPLD logic and softwares are not benefiting of the /wait signal (future improvement)
MSXPi has two main branches:
master - current working stable release. This contains code for the branch under development, in a more mature state, but may not contain most current tools.
dev - current devlopment branch. This is where latest tools are developed and tested. Code here might change overnight, and even several times a day. Things may nor work properly, so if you want something more usable, go to the master branch or dev_0.7.
dev_0.7 - Contain ealier development code. Uses an old single-byte protocol, and only support BASIC client (no MSX_DOS).
Other branches might appear and dissapear. I recommend you not to use them.
MSXPi project is structured around three directories:
/software - all software goes here
/hardware - electric schematics, cpld design files
/documents - documentation
The /software branch has this structure:
MSXPi
|-------/software
| |----
| | |
| | /asm-common
| | |----
| | | |
| | | /include
| | |
| | |
| | /ROM
| | |----
| | | |
| | | /src
| | | |----
| | | |
| | | /MSX-DOS
| | | |
| | | /BIOS
| | |
| | |
| | /Client
| | |----
| | | |
| | | /src
| | |
| | /Server
| | |----
| | |
| | /Python
| | |----
| | | |
| | | /src
| | |
| | /Shell
| | |
| | /systemd
| | |
| | /C (deprecated)
| | |----
| | |
| | /src
| |
|-------/hardware
| |----
| | |
| | /CPLD_Project
| | |
| | /Schematic
| | |----
| | |
| | /Fabrication
| |
|-------/Documentation