Trying to get ADTPro to work on Linux, without success yet

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Trying to get ADTPro to work on Linux, without success yet

Hi everyone.  I was able to get ADTPro to work earlier with an Apple IIgs, but I no longer have that machine (sold it during the lockdown to help pay bills).  I now have an Apple IIc and I'm not able to get ADTPro to work for me.  I've heard a lot of people say that it can be the cable (since I can't use the same cable as the IIgs), but I did order it from the apple2online store, so I'd assume it's the right cable.  I'm also using the same usb to serial adpter as before.  I had the same Linux distro on there as before, but now ive reinstalled it to troubleshoot, but I'm getting the same results as before:  RXTX errors when trying to connect to serial.

Here is the long version if you want to check it out:  https://github.com/ADTPro/adtpro/issues/102

And the older post that I had to get the IIgs working:  https://github.com/ADTPro/adtpro/issues/97

Note:  I never even touched my Linux netbook from when I stopped using the IIgs to when I got the IIc.  It was supposed to be a dedicated machine.  But now I've reinstalled the OS for troubleshooting purposes.  (it didn't help)

 

It seems like it connects kinda.  The Linux side of ADTPro shows when I make requests on the IIc side, but the IIc show Host Timeout.

I'm also trying to connect MacADT to the IIc with no results.  I've tried every setting I can find in MacADT and both serial ports on my Mac SE.   I've even formatted a Dos 3.3 disk to use for it. 

(Note: I didn't get the chance to test MacADT with the IIgs.  Also I know that both of the serial ports on the Mac SE are good, because I regularly do stuff with them like appletalk, modem, printing etc.   I'm more familiar with Macs, and less familiar with Apple II, or linux for that matter)

(Note 2:  I don't have an avilable windows computer to try this on atm, and my netbook needs a lightweight OS.  I have a windows PC, but I'd prefer not to use it for this, plus it's like 50' away from my Apple II.  The netbook seems like the perfect dedicated ADTPro machine imo)

 

I'm starting to think that I don't have RXTX installed properly, because I read some stuff that said I have to complie it or something.  I'm not sure about how that works tbh.   Don't quote me on that.  I just read it somewhere.  :)  I've installed it using 'sudo apt install librxtx-java'.  It worked with the IIgs but not with the IIc

 

I was using Lubuntu on my netbook, but now I'm trying Linux Lite.  (Both run pretty well.  I kinda thing Linux Lite is a bit faster though)

I tried getting help in some Linux-Help Discord Servers, but they weren't sure about ADTPro.

 

Thanks, I look forward to joining the IRC chat and BBS once I get a disk of MODEM MANAGER running on my Apple IIc!  :)

 

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Perhaps you have a standard

Perhaps you have a standard serial cable and not a NULL Modem cable: Have you tried using a NULL Modem adapter on the cable? 

 

Further, be sure to use the correct port on the //c, as it has two serial ports. One is configured at 300b/s (modem, slot 2), the other at 1200b/s (printer, slot 1). ADTPro may expect one over the other, and they have different internal slot designations. 

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My bad, I forgot to mention: 

My bad, I forgot to mention:  Yes I've tried both serial ports. I have multiple DB9 NULL Modem adapters and converter cables.  I have tried all of them.  

I believe that ADTPro defaults to the Modem port in it's settings on the IIc side.  There is an option in there to use the printer port, but I didn't get that to work either.

The only settings for speed I see in ADTPro (on the Apple II side and the PC side) are 19200 and 115200.  So both those are higher than 1200 or 300.  :/

 

 But I still get RXTX errors on the Linux PC side. When I go to Serial Configuration in ADTPro on the PC side (before I click "Connect") I can see the Port "dev/ttyUSB0", but after I click connect, I get no port showing up in Serial configuration, and the terminal gives me this error:  RXTX fhs_lock() Error: creating lock file: /var/lock/LCK..ttyUSB0: File exsits.

 

(In a few days I'm going to try this again with a windows Laptop that I left at my job.  I'll report back if that "fixed" it.  But idealy I'd like to use my Linux netbook for this.)

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insectorx wrote:My bad, I
insectorx wrote:

My bad, I forgot to mention:  Yes I've tried both serial ports. I have multiple DB9 NULL Modem adapters and converter cables.  I have tried all of them.  

I believe that ADTPro defaults to the Modem port in it's settings on the IIc side.  There is an optio

 

Is that the same hardware, installation, OS, and configuration that you used to boot with ADTPro, on the //gs?

 

It's a serial connection, so, you can send data packets at 19.2Kb/s, but the //c will only read them and handshake at its native serial port's capabilities. 

I am unsure if ADTP sends a command to adjust the serial speed on the //c, bou can adjust the speed of the //c serial connection manually:

 

http://c64retr.blogspot.com/2013/11/serial-port-communication-on-apple-iic.html

 

Did you order the cable for the //c direct from the ADTPro website?

 

Please read the //c specific informaion here:

https://www.adtpro.com/connectionsserial.html

 

You may need to buy a cable set up for this from them, depending on how your cable is wired; or try the Imagewriter cable toggle. 

 

Excerpt:

 

Within the DIN-5 shell, tie together pins: 1&5

If using DE-9: Within the DE-9 shell, tie together pins: 1&4&6 and 7&8

Or, if using DB-25: Within the DB-25 shell, tie together pins: 6&8&20 and 4&5

This null modem cable ties all the handshaking lines together at the host end and at the Apple end. This effectively disables hardware handshaking.

There are two pinouts for a single-cable null-modem that will work with ADTPro: an "Imagewriter I" cable (one that does some amount of "hardware handshaking") and one without. The Apple IIc's hardware handshaking tends to be problematic and non-standard, so we're only discussing the non-hardware handshaking cable here. If you happen to have an Imagewriter I cable, you will need to tick the "Apple IIc w/Imagewrite Cable" checkbox in the serial config dialog box, brought up from the File->Serial Configuration menu item:

 

 

 

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Well, I just installed ADTPro

Well, I just installed ADTPro in Windows 10 and I'm getting the same exact results.  

HOST TIMEOUT

The Windows side of ADTPro shows a request for directory contents being made, but the Apple II doesn't see anyting besides host timeout

(Please keep in mind that MacADT isn't working for me either)

 

EDIT:  Well, my situation just got 10 times worse.  I tried to run the ADTPro floppy with the settings saved as slot 1 (printer port) instead of slot 2 (modem port) and now the ADTPro floppy won't even open up "serial" mode.  It just greets me with a screen that says "HOST TIMEOUT - Waiting on replay from Host" or something like that.  :(   So I've effectivly bricked my ADTPro floppy now, and I'm back to square one :(

And Yes, I've tried to plug into the printer port.  That doesn't work.  And my printer does print btw.  I have an Imagewriter II that uses the printer port regularly.

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I just tried to make a New

I just tried to make a New ADTPro floppy using speediboot and the Apple II wouldn't receive anything.  I'm starting to think that there's either something wrong with my cable, or my Apple IIc is broken somehow.  I don't know how to find out if that's the case though.   (I know I can print through my printer port with my Imagwriter II, but that's a different port and a different cable)

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insectorx wrote:I just tried
insectorx wrote:

I just tried to make a New ADTPro floppy using speediboot and the Apple II wouldn't receive anything.  I'm starting to think that there's either something wrong with my cable, or my Apple IIc is broken somehow.  I don't know how to find out if that's the case though.   (I know I can print through my printer port with my Imagwriter II, but that's a different port and a differ

 

If you have the Imagewriter cable, you still use that on the modem port with ADTPro, using the Imagewriter cable setting. THat setting, as far as I am aware, tries to use the handshake that the //c expects, across that cable, on the modem port.

 

Again:

 

 The Apple IIc's hardware handshaking tends to be problematic and non-standard

 

You can try ordering the cable from the ADTPro site if you have issues, as that at least, is known to work properly.

 

You can test the actual serial port. I posted appropriate information on how to do that, in my prior reply. 

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Timelord wrote:
Timelord wrote:
Is that the same hardware, installation, OS, and configuration that you used to boot with ADTPro, on the //gs?
 
Yes it was the exact same system, but since then I've reinstalled a different Linux Distro to try something different and got the same results.
After I had the IIgs working, I hadn't changed anything on the Linux system, or even touched the computer at all, before I tried the IIc.
 
Timelord wrote:
Did you order the cable for the //c direct from the ADTPro website?
 
No. I ordered it from The Apple2Online Store.  It helps pay for costs running Apple2Online.com, where you can download software for the Apple II.
I messaged them and they said that they've never had a cable returned before.  :/
 
Timelord wrote (something like):
I posted how to test your serial connection in my last post.
 
I'm not sure if I see that.  I see where you said to solder some pins together, but I'm not sure if that applies to anything outside of making my own NULL cable from scratch?  I'm not sure.
 
PS- The Imagewriter cable I have is for the Imagewriter II.  It has a DIN5 (IIc connector) on one side and a mini-DIN8 (macintosh style serial connector) on the other.  I've tried hooking that up from my Macintosh SE to my Apple IIc, but I couldn't get it to work with MacADT.
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I have an old Keyspan Mini

I have an old Keyspan Mini-DIN8 to USB converter.  I'm gonna go try that with my setup, and if that doesn't work, I'll go buy the real retrofloppy.com cable.    I'm going to spend like $100 on cables when this is all said and done.  LOL

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That is an Imagewriter II

That is an Imagewriter II cable, not the Imagewriter cable.

Serial tests: http://c64retr.blogspot.com/2013/11/serial-port-communication-on-apple-iic.html

 

 More information:

https://macgui.com/usenet/?group=2&id=11304

https://mirrors.apple2.org.za/ground.icaen.uiowa.edu/Docs/SerialPortFirmwareInterfaceCommands.txt

 

 

You can control the serial port in AppleSoft BASIC. 

 

You will need to write something to receive signals in the terminal, or otherwise use some software to read the serial output on the *nix side 

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Thanks for all the help

Thanks for all the help Timelord.   I tried my Imagewriter II cable with my "Mac Only" mini-DIN8 to USB converter, and somehow it worked (in Linux).  I really didn't expect that to work, but it did.  So I guess that means that I have a problem with my main cable, at least as far as the IIc is concerned.  I'm blown away that that actually worked though.  haha.  It'll get me through waiting on the new cable to arrive.

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insectorx wrote:Thanks for
insectorx wrote:

Thanks for all the help Timelord.   I tried my Imagewriter II cable with my "Mac Only" mini-DIN8 to USB converter, and somehow it worked (in Linux).  I really didn't expect that to work, but it did.  So I guess that means that I have a problem with my main cable, at least as far as the IIc is concerned.  I'm blown away that that actually worked though.  haha. 

 

Did it work as-is, or did you enable 'Imagewriter Cable' in ADT Pro on the Linux side? I would expect it to require the latter, but it's good to hear that you hae it working.

 

Your other cable is likely not wired properly for //c handshake. You may want to write to who sold it to you about it, and link them to this thread.

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Timelord wrote:Did it work as
Timelord wrote:
Did it work as-is, or did you enable 'Imagewriter Cable' in ADT Pro on the Linux side? I would expect it to require the latter, but it's good to hear that you hae it working.

 It worked as-is, without the Imagewriter cable checkbox checked.  Weird.

 

That adapter isn't just considered "mac only".  I've seen posts that say to only use the Mac OS 9 version Driver for this particular model, because the OSX drivers aren't any good. I'm not sure if that's true, but that contributed to my amazment when it was recognized in Linux Lite (based on Ubuntu 18) and then worked without a hickup (shows what I know about Linux, LOL).   It looks exactly the same as the Keyspan adapter in the photo on the ADTPro website that you linked earlier.  It has a clear case (G3/G4 iMac era styled), and 2 serial ports labeled "1" and "2".

 

EDIT:  I guess I'm still having some problems though.  I'm still getting "RXTX fhs_lock() Error: creating lock file: /var/lock/LCK..ttyUSB0: File exsits" more than half the time.  But if I keep trying, or reset both computers, it helps (so far).

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EDIT 2 :  My bad, I aparently

EDIT 2 :  My bad, I aparently was experimenting with turning on and off the "Imagewriter II cable" setting and forgot to turn it back off.  Once I turned it back off, it stopped giving me the RXTX lock file error.   At least so far.  Hopefully I'm not speaking too soon

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insectorx wrote:Timelord
insectorx wrote:
Timelord wrote:
Did it work as-is, or did you enable 'Imagewriter Cable' in ADT Pro on the Linux side? I would expect it to require the latter, but it's good to hear that you hae it working.

 It worked as-is, without the Imagewriter cable checkbox checked.  Weird.

 

That adapter isn't just considered "mac only".

It is likely a generic serial to usb conversion PIC with a Mini-DIN in place of the normal DE-9, sold as 'Mac Only' to inflate the price.
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