Can't Download the Software

If you can't download the software, then there is something wrong with the web-site! Please contact me right away so I can fix it.

Can't Get it to Run

When you download the software, you will get a "ZIP" file. Within this file are the programs and other files necessary for the software to run. So the first thing you much do is UN-ZIP the file. Please see the install/running instructions on the PC Software Page for instructions on how to do this.

The Darn Thing Just Crashes!

Yikes! A crash like that is not supposed to happen. The program runs on Windows 98/Me/2000/XP and Linux. If you are seeing an unexplained crash, then something is amiss. Please contact me right away so I can fix it.

There is one reported (actually, I found it myself) crash that I can't fix. If you browse for a file on the Desktop of Windows XP, and the extension of the file is unknown to Windows - which is often the case with image files - the file browser within the SVD CP may completely crash. I'm working with Microsoft to figure out why this occurs.

Can't Get it to Talk to the SVD

This is the most common problem that people experience with the SVD CP software. Here are a few steps to follow to figure out the problem:

1.	Start the SVD Control Program (SVD CP)	Once you have the SVD CP installed, user the browser to navigate to the directory in which you UN-ZIPPED it. Then click on the main program which is called SVD. If you can see the extensions on Windows, it may appear as SVD.exe. On Linux it will not have an extension. Clicking on this program should cause it to come up immediately.
2.	Try the Simple "Check" Button	On the SVD CP interface, there is a little "Check" button at the lower right. Clicking it causes the SVD CP to try to contact the SVD over the serial port. If the connection is successful, a message comes up saying that the SVD is responding just "peachy." Also, you will see the version number of the SVD firmware filled in at the lower left. If the connection is NOT successful, a message saying so will pop-up. The best thing to do at this point, is to Reset the SVD by using the Reset button on the physical SVD. Then try to click on the "Check" button again.
3.	Make sure the serial/RS232 Port is Correct	In both Windows and Linux you must tell the SVD CP what serial/RS232 port you are using. The SVD CP will use this port to talk to the SVD hardware. Setting the port is rather simple, so please see the PC Software Page Instructions for setting this port correctly. However, sometimes it just won't work. The best advice I have here is to try different ports. On Windows, the SVD CP queries the operating system to find out which serial ports are free - this is the "probing" operation that it does. If the serial port looks like it is connected to something else, then it won't be displayed in the SVD CP. Note that if you have TWO SVD CP's running, one of them is unlikely to see the serial port. On Linux it is a bit trickier. The SVD CP doesn't try to query the serial ports. You need to type in the full filename of an appropriate serial port. Linux is often configured with "getty" processes running on serial ports. It may make sense to turn those off, although modern distributions are smart enough to stay out of the way of programs like the SVD CP. Also, you'll want to ensure that your user name has permission to use the serial port.
4.	Set the Speed to a Reasonable Value	Setting the speed of the serial port is just as easy as setting its name...maybe easier. Go back to the PC Software Page Instructions for setting the speed correctly. However, different machines sometimes have problems with the serial port and keeping up with the SVD transmit speed or even working with the SVD. My rule of thumb is to keep the speed set at 19200 or higher. Most machines won't work with the SVD below this speed. In fact, set it to 57600 for best results. Personally, I always use 115200. So try a couple of different speeds.
5.	Check the Cable	Finally, you may have a cable problem. The SVD uses a "straight-through" 9-pin serial cable. By "straight-through" it means that the transmit and receive lines aren't physically flipped. The SVD itself "flips" these signals to communicate with the PC. Also, all pins on the cable must be connected. This is important because the SVD includes "Null-modem" wiring. Null-modem wiring effectively causes the PC to ignore modem control signals that would be used when controlling an old modem. If all pins aren't connected in the cable you are using, then the PC may think it is talking to a real modem. As a last resort, just try another cable.

General Trouble Shooting (non Apple 2)

Can't boot from the SVD

When your vintage computer won't boot from the SVD there is often a simple problem that you can correct. The LEDs on the SVD can help you figure out the problem. Follow these steps to do so.

1. Plug the SVD into the floppy cable.
2. Make sure that the computer is off. Or in in the case of an external floppy controller (as with the TRS-80 Model I Expansion Interface) make sure it is off as well.
3. Looking at the LEDs on the SVD, you should see only the Power LED lit. Here are a few different possibilities for the SVD LEDs:

   Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write This is what you should see. The SVD is getting power and the cable appears to be connected correctly...at least so far so good.	Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write (all LEDs off) The SVD isn't receiving power. Check the power connector and the power supply.
   Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write If the Disk 0 and 1 LEDs are on as well as the Write LED, then you most probably have the floppy cable connected "backwards". Be careful to note where the cable stripe is as well as the plastic key on the connector. Worse come to worse, just try reversing the connector.

4. Download a bootable image to floppy #0 on the SVD from the PC Software.
5. Turn on the external floppy controller if there is one, then turn on the main computer. This should cause it to try to boot from the SVD. When you turn the main unit on, watch the LEDs on the SVD, and compare to the following:

   Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write When trying to boot from the SVD, the SVD Disk 0 LED along with the Track 0 LED should come on. This indicates that the computer is trying to boot from Disk 0 and that the SVD is responding with data from the first track of the downloaded floppy image (Track 0). Note, however, that the Track 0 light will only come on for a short time. As soon as the boot process gets going, the computer will "seek" the virtual drive to a different track, causing the Track 0 LED to go out.
   Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write BE CAREFUL - the Track 0 LED may have come on for a short time right after you try to boot. Watch the LED while turning on the unit. However, if the Track 0 LED doesn't come on but the Disk 0 LED comes on, that indicates that the floppy controller is working and that it is trying to boot from Disk 0. The fact that that Track 0 light doesn't come on indicates that the diskette image wasn't downloaded to Disk #0 in the PC Software or that it wasn't downloaded to the SVD.
   Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write If the Write LED is on, there isn't termination on the cable. You should use the terminated connector on the SVD or use a terminated real floppy on the same floppy cable. (see here for more info on termination).	Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write If the Disk 0 LED doesn't come on, the computer isn't trying to boot from the SVD. This indicates that the cable to the SVD (and other floppy drives) isn't connected correctly.

6. If the Drive 0 and Track 0 lights both come on, then after a very short time, the Track 0 light should go out.
7. If this all worked correctly, but the computer didn't boot, it probably means that you downloaded an incorrect floppy image. Try a different one.

Can't boot from the SVD

• Whenever the TRS-80 won't boot from the SVD the first thing to check is the Expansion Interface connection. I have seen three different types of connections between the TRS-80 Model 1 and it's expansion interface: simple flat cable, buffered interface cable, and a flat cable with an extra home-brew DIN cable connector. Unfortunately, I can't cover all of the different types of connections and troubleshooting for all of them. If you are having problems, the best thing to do is to get the TRS-80 to boot from a real diskette before trying the SVD. If you don't have a real diskette, first try the general trouble shooting tips above.

  Even if you don't have a real diskette for a floppy drive, it can still be useful to connect the "real" floppy drive along with or instead of the SVD. For example, connect the real drive to the drive #0 connector (with the pulled pins) and the SVD to the drive #1 connector. When you boot the TRS-80, if BOTH the real floppy drive light comes on as well as the drive #1 light on the SVD, then the expansion/connection cable isn't working correctly. The TRS-80, in this case, isn't signaling the floppy interface correctly.

  Another way to check this problem is to connect the SVD as the ONLY drive (remember to use the terminated connector) but use a connector WITHOUT pulled pins - like the one included with the SVD. If the expansion cable isn't working properly when booting you may see:

  Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write This indicates that the TRS-80 is signalling both floppy lines at the same time. Again, this is probably an expansion cable issue.

  Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write This indicates that you either there is NO signal going to the floppy (i.e. the expansion interface isn't working at all) or that the cable isn't terminated.

• Regarding termination - don't forget that you must have either a terminated floppy drive or a terminated SVD connected to the end of the floppy cable. There are two types of early Model I drives: 26-1161 which is the un-terminated drive, and the 26-1160 (and the later 1164) is the terminated drive. So you must have a 1160 or a terminated SVD at the end of the floppy chain. You can also have 1161's on the chain along, too, if you like.

• Sometimes you get ahold of a bad floppy image. You really can't do anything about this. But to make sure that it isn't another problem, try loading an image that you know works. Or download one of the included OS images...these are known to work.

• You may have downloaded the wrong virtual floppy drive from the PC software. For example, if you downloaded an image to virtual floppy 0, but you have the SVD connected to the second floppy connector, the TRS-80 won't see the SVD. Check out the section above for more information about getting the SVD hooked up right. My advice is to use the non-keyed connector that comes with the SVD so you can safely ignore most of these problems.

• Don't forget to download your floppy images! After you load them to the virtual drives please hit the Download All button.

Can't boot from the SVD

The Model 3/4 with the normal "stock" floppy controller only knows how to boot from drive #0. Unfortunately, one of the internal drives is always drive #0. Further, the external floppy connector is always drives #2 or #3 (although it looks like #0 and #1 to the SVD). So this means, without some work, you can't natively boot from the SVD.

I have personally connected the SVD to the internal floppy connector - disconnecting the interal drive #0 and it booted just fine. Most of the time, however, I don't open up the machine. Instead, I just create a real floppy of the boot image from the SVD. You can do this with a simple sector-by-sector copy of the image on the SVD. See above for how to do this copy. Note that operating system boot images are normally not copy protected. This means that a sector-by-sector copy works just great. Trying to copy bootable games, however, sometimes creates problems because copy-protection causes sector-by-sector copies not to work right. In this case you should use something like CopyCat to do a track-by-track copy from the SVD.

Can't read from the SVD

This problem is normally caused by a bad cable. And when I say "bad" I mean that a cable that is either mis-connected or has features that may work for real drives and not for the SVD. Take a look at the following:

• Pin 1 (the stripe) - make sure that pin #1 (the one with the stripe) is aligned correctly. See above for a lot of detail on this.
• Pulled Pins - make sure that the cable you are using either DOES NOT have pulled pins, or you are using the connector that matches the drive you the SVD is emulating.

Can't boot from the SVD

• The CoCo is a very easy platform for using with the SVD. If you are experiencing problems, the first thing to do is to isolate the problem. If you have a real floppy drive, try using it without having the SVD connected.

• If you don't have a real diskette, first try the general trouble shooting tips above.

• Don't forget that you must have either a terminated floppy drive or a terminated SVD connected to the end of the floppy cable. If you are using a standard CoCo floppy drive along with the SVD, it is most probably terminated already.

• Sometimes you get ahold of a bad floppy image. You really can't do anything about this. But to make sure that it isn't another problem, try loading an image that you know works.

• You may have downloaded the wrong virtual floppy drive from the PC software. For example, if you downloaded an image to virtual floppy 0, but you have the SVD connected to the second floppy connector, the CoCo won't see the SVD. Check out the section above for more information about getting the SVD hooked up right. My advice is to use the non-keyed connector that comes with the SVD so you can safely ignore most of these problems.

• Don't forget to download your floppy images! After you load them to the virtual drives please hit the Download All button.

Can't boot from the SVD

The above general trouble-shooting instructions should help quite a bit to get booting from the SVD.

Note, though, that the drive number indicator lights are reversed for the SVD when working with the H89 or H8.

Booting Drive 0	Booting Drive 1	Booting Drive 2
Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write Note that it LOOKS like the SVD is booting from Disk 2.	Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write It's nice that drive 1 is STILL drive 1 even though the wires are different in the floppy controller.	Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write Note that it LOOKS like the SVD is booting from Disk 0.

Problems Getting Running - Whoa is Memory

Many people have experienced trouble with getting programs to run on the H8 after booting from the SVD or a real diskette for that matter. The problem has almost universally turned out to be a memory issue. With the numerous memory boards and age of them, it is common for a chunk of memory, or a whole board to be out of commission.

What I have done was to use a special H8 prototyping bread-board and wired up 64K of memory using a "more modern" low-power SRAM. The circuit is easy, and it works very well.

Can't boot from the SVD

The above general trouble-shooting instructions should help quite a bit to get booting from the SVD.

Note, though, that the drive number indicator lights are reversed for the SVD when working with the H89 or H8. So if you still have an internal drive installed in the H89, and you have the SVD connected as both drives 1 and 2, this is what you should see:

Booting Drive 1 (SVD)	Booting Drive 2 (SVD)	Booting Drive 0 (Internal)
Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write It's nice that drive 1 is STILL drive 1 even though the wires are different in the floppy controller.	Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write Note that it LOOKS like the SVD is booting from Disk 0.	Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write Note that it LOOKS like the SVD is booting from Disk 2.

The Apple is quite nice in that not much can go wrong with the SVD support for it! However, the following procedure should be used to check-out the SVD when it doesn't appear to be working with the Apple.

Basic Hardware Interface

Follow these steps to check-out the SVD connection to the Apple.

1.	With the Apple ][ OFF, plug in the Apple dongle to the SVD, and turn on the power to the SVD.	Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write This is what you should see. The SVD is getting power and the dongle appears to be connected correctly...at least so far so good. Don't worry about the write light. It is on because the the Apple dongle is lighting it up when the Apple itself isn't turned on.
2.	Connect the Apple to the dongle, and turn on the power to the Apple.	For information about connecting the Apple to the SVD/dongle, see here. The first thing you should notice is that the 4 LEDs on the dongle start to flash moving from left to right like this: . This flashing indicates that the Apple is cycling the phase pulses, trying to seek the floppy drive to track 0. After a few seconds of flashing like this, you will see the right-most LED hold on: .
3.	Turn off the Apple, and download an image to drive 0 in the SVD.	Note that for things to work right from here on, you need to connect the Apple 20-pin floppy cable that came with the SVD from the first Apple connector on the floppy controller to the first one on the SVD as described above. For information on using the PC Software to download an image to the SVD, see here.
4.	Turn on the Apple again.	You should see the flashing as described in step 2 above. The moment you see the right-most LED stop "on", look at the SVD LEDs. You should see: Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write This light pattern indicates that the SVD noticed that the Apple is trying to boot from drive 0, and the SVD is generating track 0 data. Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write The connection to the Apple appears to be correct. However, it appears that you did not successfully download an image file to virtual floppy 0. Remember that you have to click on "Download All" in the PC software after you have selected an appropriate image. Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write The 20-pin floppy cable is connected to the right connector on the Apple controller, but the wrong connector on the dongle. Power Disk 0 Disk 1 Track 0 Write The 20-pin floppy cable is connected to the wrong connector on the Apple controller.
5.	Try another floppy image.	If all of the steps above produce the indicated correct results, but the Apple still won't boot from the SVD, then you probably have a bad image. There are many reasons why you could have a bad image. The one most common is that your Apple is trying to boot a 13-sector floppy and you downloaded a 16-sector image (or vice-versa). Try another image.