ASCII-X flash tool

Copyright 2024 Laurens Holst

Project information

• Author: Laurens Holst laurens@grauw.nl
• Site: https://www.grauw.nl/projects/ascii-x-flash/
• Source: https://hg.sr.ht/~grauw/ascii-x-flash
• Support: https://www.msx.org/forum/msx-talk/development/ascii-x-flashrom-cartridge
• License: MIT

Flash tool for ASCII-X FlashROM cartridges.

Downloads

• ASCII-X flash tool 1.2.2
• ASCII-X flash tool 1.2.1
• ASCII-X flash tool 1.2
• ASCII-X flash tool 1.1
• ASCII-X flash tool 1.0

System requirements

• MSX, MSX2, MSX2+ or MSX turboR
• 128K main RAM
• 16K video RAM
• MSX-DOS 2

Usage instructions

Run ASCIIXF from MSX-DOS 2, specifying the ROM file to flash on the command line.

Warning: Make sure to have a means to bypass booting the ROM so you can get back to MSX-DOS2 to erase the cartridge. E.g. by implementing a boot bypass key in your ROM, by using a slot expander with slot disable switches, or using Nyyrikki’s Boot Manager.

Usage:

asciixf [options] <file.rom>

Options:

• /s Slot number (required). Format: p or p-s.
• /p Program flash ROM from file. Erase first.
• /v Verify flash ROM with file.
• /h Show advanced options.

Example:

asciixf /s2 /p /v example.rom

This erases, programs and verifies a ROM to the ASCII-X cartridge in slot 2.

Advanced options:

• /s Slot number (required). Format: p or p-s. Specify up to 8 for bulk flashing.
• /e Erase flash ROM.
• /ec Erase flash ROM (chip erase).
• /p Program flash ROM from file. Erase first.
• /p! Program flash ROM from file. No erase.
• /v Verify flash ROM with file.
• /d Dump flash ROM to file.
• /i Display flash ROM information.
• /h Show advanced options.
• /fs File start offset.
• /as Address range start.
• /ae Address range end (exclusive).

Addresses are hex bytes aligned to 1000H. They can contain a ' as digit separator.

Release notes

• Version 1.2.2 — 2025-09-11
  • Added checks for disk system and RAM slots.
• Version 1.2.1 — 2025-06-14
  • Worked around Nextor 2.1.2 bug when dumping.
• Version 1.2 — 2025-05-25
  • Changed /p option to erase prior to programming.
  • Added /p! option to program without erase.
  • Changed /e option to use sector erase and show progress.
  • Added /ec option for chip erase.
  • Added /as and /ae options to specify address range.
  • Added /fs option to specify file offset.
  • Added /h option for advanced help information.
  • Improved FlashROM information.
  • Improved handling of oversized ROM files.
  • Added slot expansion check.
  • Added manufacturer ID parity check.
  • Added Micron M29W640G buffer programming support.
  • Sped up dumping by pre-allocating file.
• Version 1.1 — 2025-05-12
  • Support for bulk flashing multiple slots.
  • Implemented dump function.
  • Improved flash error handling.
  • Warning when file exceeds FlashROM capacity.
  • Reduced progress dot frequency (every 64K).
  • Fixed programming files whose size is not multiple of 256.
• Version 1.0 — 2025-03-09
  • Initial release