microM8 Update: Apple II+ emulation and SpiraDisc support [message #375026] |
Sat, 27 October 2018 01:23 |
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Originally posted by: Melody Ayres-Griffiths

Once again, Apple II super-cracker 4am has provided us with a challenge. SpiraDisc was a complicated copy-protection system used with some Apple II games such as Frogger and Jawbreaker to prevent piracy. Every quarter-rotation of the disk the head was moved a quarter of a track! This made it impossible for disk-copying software available at the time to duplicate them.
While it's awesome the WOZ file format was able to reproduce the spiral pattern created by the SpiraDisc system accurately, it meant our emulation of the Apple's Disk II floppy drive system needed a bit of refinement. We needed more accurate control of the 'stepper motor' that moves the read/write 'head' than we had previously.
Also most of these disks additionally checked the computer's ROM (to prevent them from running on clones, for what reason we're not entirely sure) and so they only worked on an Apple II+. We initially didn't see any reason for microM8 to emulate anything other than an enhanced Apple IIe but now there is, and so since we had added profiles for CP/M support we added a profile for the Apple II+ and the unenhanced Apple IIe.
If you want to try out these 'spiradiscs' yourself, you can find them in the microM8 file catalog in /appleii/disk images/woz/spiradisc/ – just remember to change the 'profile' to Apple II+ using the 'burger' menu.
If you already have a copy of microM8, it should self-update on opening, otherwise you can download it from:
https://paleotronic.com/software/microm8/download/
There are builds of microM8 for Windows, macOS / OSX and Windows. And it's free!
https://paleotronic.com/2018/10/27/microm8-update-apple-ii-e mulation-and-spiradisc-support/
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Re: microM8 Update: Apple II+ emulation and SpiraDisc support [message #375042 is a reply to message #375026] |
Sat, 27 October 2018 12:43 |
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Originally posted by: James Davis
Interesting. I wonder if AppleWin can do this? (AppleWin Team, please Answer.)
Melody,
Running the Octalyzer while online (on the internet/www) using Windows 7, my Norton Security Suite blocks it as unproven software with only 5 known users, so it is my advise that you contact Norton about your product, so they can authenticate it as safe to pass. I won't run it (to update itself while online) until I know for sure it is safe to do so.
James Davis
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Re: microM8 Update: Apple II+ emulation and SpiraDisc support [message #379152 is a reply to message #375026] |
Sat, 29 December 2018 01:47 |
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Originally posted by: frank_o_rama
Had some time to check it out tonight. Fun emulator. Found a couple things that didn't seem right though.
-Seems to take too long between the "Apple //" message and disk boot. Happens instantaneously on a real machine.
-Grey 2 on lores mode is too light. Should look like the other grey (on a CRT they are shifted, but still same luminosity).
-No slot clock driver crashes to monitor (NS.CLOCK.SYSTEM)
One big plus I noticed was that hard drive speed seems consistent with actual hardware (CFFA3000). Most emulators get this totally wrong.
f
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