Back to (the future) RiscOS

It has been quite some time since I powered up my RiscPC600, but after buying an RPi4 and loading 5.28, and watching the stream of the virtual London show, I am keen to get back into the swing of using the old desktop again… Even have an old version of the DDE, so who knows…

Hardware:
- 4.02 Select ROMs
- 5×86 co-processor
- 2nd slice with 8Gb HD
- Ant II network
- Atomwide 3-port podule

I am sure the answer is here in the forums somewhere, but I can never find the right keywords…
- Are the 5.28 ROMs plug-n-play on the RPC600?

Thank you and good to see so many keeping the faith.
Chris (another one)

Are the 5.28 ROMs plug-n-play on the RPC600?

You can softload the latest ROM – available here – but you’ll have to install the latest HardDisc4 and System Resources as well. RISC OS 5 doesn’t run all that fast on a Risc PC (and is even slower when using an ARM610 processor) so you will probably be disappointed at the performance. Oh, and nearly all of your old software won’t work. But apart from that, yes it will run.

My advice would be to leave the Risc PC running RISC OS 4.02 and use the Pi for RISC OS 5.

RISC OS 5.28 will put your Risc PC into 32bit mode. This will have various consequences for both the software and the hardware you try to run. Depending on the podules you still want to use (Ant II network? I don’t recognize that one, only ANT Ether3 and EtherM and EtherB), it might be a no-go from the start.

Not sure if the PC card software is compatible with RISC OS 5.28. There was an open source release, but did someone bother to recompile it (and possibly patch up various ASM parts)?

The Atomwide 3 port podule is the “serial” one? There are softloadable 32bit drivers available here, but I know they were done for the IYONIX, not sure if they also work on the Risc PC: http://www.tankstage.co.uk/software.html

BTW, RISC OS 4.02 is not Select. The first RISC OS Select release version was 4.29 aka Release 1i9.

Bottom line: unless you know exactly what you want and do, keep 4.02 in your Risc PC and use it happily alongside your 5.28 Pi 4.

“BTW, RISC OS 4.02 is not Select. The first RISC OS Select release version was 4.29 aka Release 1i9.”

Aha! Like I said, it’s been a while since I powered it on…
And since I now have it in pieces [to replace the furry battery], I can’t tell you right at this moment what softloaded version I last installed [but i did subscribe to Select for a while].

Yes, it is the High-Speed Serial card – Issue 2 from 1995.
…and I found a Baildon 32-bit EIDE board from 1999 underneath it in slot 0.

And now I have it out, the network card has “ANT LTD 1995 Issue II” silk-screened on the back.
The label on the ROM says “AUN | Access | TCP/IP” and has both the ANT and Acorn names from 1994.
It has a co-axial and an ether connection.

Looks like I really went to town (I’d forgotten), sound card and VRAM installed too LOL.

Sounds like I’ll be sticking with what I have then – Thank you for the quick responses.

Different questions:
- Can I upgrade to a 7xx CPU?
- Was true parallel processing ever a thing??
- Apart from ebay, any sources of new hardware, slices, etc.?

Cheers from Bavaria!
Chris

My advice would be to leave the Risc PC running RISC OS 4.02 and use the Pi for RISC OS 5.

I used to have RISC OS running side by side on a A410, a RiscPC600 and a Raspberry Pi.

My advice would be to put the Risc PC back in the loft and stick with the Pi. My simple comparison software shows that a Rasberry Pi 4 is over 200 times faster.

Apart from anything else, The RiscPC uses too much desk space.

You can softload the latest ROM – available here – but you’ll have to install the latest HardDisc4 and System Resources as well.

You forgot¹ to mention the wiki page that covers the upgrade procedure for the Boot.

But then there was probably a reason for that – like all those 26bit only programmes that are sitting on that RO4.02 install.

Like:

The network card – pretty sure there’s no 32 bit driver

Not sure if the PC card software is compatible with RISC OS 5.28.

The software for the 5×86 coprocessor won’t work under RO5.x (lots of 26bit assembler use in the various support components) Even the PC “disc image” protection against deletion has a few 26bit-isms. Fixed version for that is the easiest item.

There was an open source release, but did someone bother to recompile it (and possibly patch up various ASM parts)?

Yes open sourced. Rebuild – Only bits.

As Stuart and Steffan say – leave it as 4.02, use the old software on that and use the Pi with RO5.
You could fit the Pi into a slot in the RPC and power it from the RPC PSU – that reduces clutter.

- Can I upgrade to a 7xx CPU?

Yes, or a StrongARM.

- Was true parallel processing ever a thing??

There was the Simtec Hydra board, that takes 5 ARM CPU cards. It was (it recently emerges) was commissioned as development hardware for Acorn’s Galileo multiprocessor OS. That never happened. There’s some support for Hydra in NetBSD (Ben Harris was bored) but otherwise nothing else to use it (although there is an SDK). All thoughts of multiprocessing were killed by StrongARM which ate all the memory bandwidth such that there was no point running multiple CPUs.

- Apart from ebay, any sources of new hardware, slices, etc.?

CJE Micros. The StarDot forums has a trading section. Charity stand at shows (whenever they happen in person again).

Thank you everyone for your replies – I still think the RiscPC is sexy. I saw that Pi podule somewhere…

I saw that Pi podule somewhere…

The RISCOSBits PiPod perhaps?
Waved around a little during the RISCOSBits presentation in the London Virtual Show

Cheers from Bavaria!

There might now be four active RISC OS users in Bavaria! Stop it before it gets two-digits!

:-)

We (R-Comp) can usually do quite competative prices on things like StrongARMs, PC cards, RPC RAM, VRAM, some ROMs and so on. I don’t see it as a main chunk of our business, so don’t advertise heavily, but it is usually worth emailing me before dropping money on ebay. Some of those prices can be outrageous (IMHO). I’m not saying my price will be bargain basement (many of these items are only one/two left), but I can usually do something.

Charity stands remain the best option though, or other people getting rid. I would say, though, that if you’re willing to pay 100ukp for an item on ebay, and it is available for a fiver on the charity stand, consider donating a touch more to make it respectable – it’s in a good cause.

Hi Christopher, welcome back. RISC OS still has its own magazine, Archive, now on a bimonthly schedule. I’ll send you a complementary copy, if you like. It might help you get up to speed with the scene. Send me an email to gavin@archivemag.co.uk and I’ll put one in the post for you (no obligation etc etc).

There might now be four active RISC OS users in Bavaria! Stop it before it gets two-digits!

I haven’t checked regarding Bavaria specifically, but there are still a good number of German Archive subscribers. Actually, there are many more European subscribers generally than I expected there would be.

The RISCOSBits PiPod perhaps?

Thank you – order placed!

There might now be four active RISC OS users in Bavaria!

I’m an ex-pat of 31 years. Brexit has driven me to get dual citizenship if I pass the German B1 at the end of this month. I am quietly confident…

We (R-Comp)

Thank you Andrew

Sent you an email Gavin – Thank you

Thank you to the others for your valuable inputs too.
Chris

Well this is extremely disappointing…

After pulling everything apart, giving it a good dusting, removing the fuzzy battery (no replacement as yet), putting it all back together again, the darn thing won’t boot… not even the power LED comes on.
The keyboard LEDs light briefly, but screen (AFK85 & LCD) is a solid primary colour.

Pulled out everything bit-by-bit including the ARM6 CPU and all memory, and not a dicky bird.

Read B Clark’s experiences and hopefully someone can tell me it has to do with removing the battery and not that it is now a dodo… :(

Cheers
Chris

Read B Clark’s experiences and hopefully someone can tell me it has to do with removing the battery and not that it is now a dodo… :(

Could be corrupt CMOS value – try a power up with the delete key held down.

try a power up with the delete key held down

Unfortunately that doesn’t seem to do anything 90% of the time.
The other 10%, the screen starts in cyan and then goes blank.