Sinclair ZX80 / ZX81 / Z88 Forums

Hello,

I'm restoring the Microdrive cartridges that came with the Interface 1 expansion pack, namely: 'Introduction', 'Business' and 'Games'. I'm using my vDrive to write the good mdr images onto the original real (and formatted/checked etc) cartridges. It's fiddly, but I'm making progress!

I've stumbled on a problem though. The 'Games' cartridge mdr image available online is faulty. In fact there are 2 versions and both seem to be faulty, here:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... id=0014815

Even in Spectaculator they fail when you attempt to load the Games Designer option. (the other option 'Ant Attack' works, but only in 48k mode if using a 128k Spectrum)

Anyone got or know where I can find a known good mdr image of the 'Games' cartridge?

Thanks.

Hi I am also trying to recreate the Games Cartridge. Using my vDrive ZX all I need to do is copy the virtual .mdr to my physical drive, but the downloadable .mdr is faulty as you said. Have you been able to resolve the problem? I am not knowlegable enough to understand what the fault is. My guess is either the load menu has the wrong syntax, so does not find the file, or the gd2 file on the .mdr is faulty. If the former then someone who knows about microdrive syntax could resolve? If the latter, then the correct piece of code could be recopied from the .tzx version using trans-express tape to cartridge onto the microdrive to replace the faulty gd2 code, but of course the program naming and syntax would need to be correct to work with the menu loader on the cartridge. If you have resolved already, please could you send me you revised .mdr?

thanks

Paul

I strongly suspect it is a home -made compilation rather than an official release.
Is it worth to put time on it rather than converting the games yourself?

The 'Games Cartridge' is certainly an official release, it came with the Interface 1 pack that Sinclair sold, which included 2 other carts with content, a blank one, an actual microdrive, cable, manual etc.

The actual Games designer BASIC file is corrupted and it never actually loads the m/c part.

Did you get anywhere with this? I have a Games cartridge that will not CAT. I'd like to reformat it and load a working mdr from a VDriveZX to it.....

redgatemodels wrote: ↑Sun Mar 24, 2024 7:36 pm Did you get anywhere with this? I have a Games cartridge that will not CAT. I'd like to reformat it and load a working mdr from a VDriveZX to it.....

Hi, I have just built a couple of Tom's excellent ZX PICO Microdrive's (see https://github.com/TomDDG/ZXPicoMD for more info), he has links to the Games demo image, I have tested Ant Attack, and Games Designer and both load and work.

Hope this helps.

One question, how do you copy the mdr image from the VDriveZX to a real microdrive?

DR400 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 07, 2024 10:19 am

redgatemodels wrote: ↑Sun Mar 24, 2024 7:36 pm Did you get anywhere with this? I have a Games cartridge that will not CAT. I'd like to reformat it and load a working mdr from a VDriveZX to it.....

Hi, I have just built a couple of Tom's excellent ZX PICO Microdrive's (see https://github.com/TomDDG/ZXPicoMD for more info), he has links to the Games demo image, I have tested Ant Attack, and Games Designer and both load and work.

Hope this helps.

Eventually found the mdr and downloaded it, copied to a blank formatted sd card named msgames.mdr, did a.mkcfg and then.ld1"msgames"
All worked but doing a CAT 1 all I get is 3 files, "c", "gd2" and "runaa"

Nothing will run........

OK success this eveming. Not sure where I got it from, but I've got a working games cartridge image if anyone wants it.

It's also worth noting that the business cart image from the link above also does not work for me, menu runs but tasword fails to load

Now to fire up Trans Express and see if I can copy the GAMES image to the original md cart

And now it does not work agsin. This is doing my head in lol

EDIT:

Doh! was using one of the duff mdr's The one I have now works