Difference between revisions of "Concerto"

Revision as of 10:09, 6 March 2023

Firmware Updating

If your Concerto is working, using firmware version 0.96 build 21423 (i.e., 2/14/23) or newer, you may be able to perform a ==menu-based firmware update==.

Otherwise, you should use a USB cable. Concerto uses a standard micro-USB cable.

Step 1

Download the software on your operating system. Because Concerto is reverse-compatible with Harmony, the Harmony software is used.
Linux: https://github.com/sa666666/harmonycart/releases/download/release-1.3/harmonycart_1.3-1_amd64.deb
Mac: https://github.com/sa666666/harmonycart/releases/download/release-1.3/HarmonyCart-1.3-macosx.dmg
Windows: https://github.com/sa666666/harmonycart/releases/download/release-1.3/HarmonyCart-1.3-win32.exe

Plug in the Concerto with your micro-USB cable, then start the software. Generally, your OS will automatically find and install drivers. If the OS does not automatically install the drivers when the Concerto is plugged in with a micro-USB cable, download and install one of the following drivers:
Green or Gold PCB (2020 and newer) Concertos use CH341 drivers:
Linux: http://www.wch-ic.com/downloads/CH341SER_LINUX_ZIP.html
Mac: http://www.wch-ic.com/downloads/CH341SER_MAC_ZIP.html
Windows: http://www.wch-ic.com/downloads/CH341SER_ZIP.html

Purple PCB (older) Concertos use the FTDI drivers: https://ftdichip.com/drivers/vcp-drivers/

After installing the Harmony programming software, a reboot may be necessary for the cart to be recognized.

Step 2

In the Harmony programming software, go to the EEPROM loader section and select the included eeloader_NTSC.bin (or similar) file, and click "download EEPROM". Make sure the download goes to 100%, and fully completes (text on the bottom of the window should indicate a successful download). Retry if it does not fully complete.

If the eeloader_NTSC.bin file is missing, obtain it from this post or directly here: https://forums.atariage.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=873612 

Step 3

Copy the firmware file to the root directory of your SD card (firmware files are generally of the format hbios_Concerto_XXXXX.bin where XXXX is the version.) Visit Firmware for the latest firmware files if you need one. Make sure there are no other files starting with "hbios" on the card, or it may load that one instead.

Step 4

Insert the SD card into your Concerto, and insert the Concerto into your Atari 7800, power on and wait for the confirmation message. The message may say "press fire to continue" but do not press fire, just reboot the console.

Troubleshooting

If your cart has a genuine POKEY chip installed, this may interfere with communication. You may need to remove the POKEY chip and repeat steps 2-4. Alternatively, you can try the newer beta version of the software (2.0 beta 3) which has an option to work around communication issues such as those caused by POKEY. To enable the POKEY communication workarounds, run the software and select Options -> Continue on fatal errors.

The beta3 software may be downloaded here:

Linux: Will be available soon
Mac OS X: https://forums.atariage.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=1005593&key=b9a1415e449d8c5b0f0305b65660fb2a
Windows: Will be available soon

This beta software is not heavily tested and may have dependencies. Particularly, the Windows version might require downloading and installing the Microsoft VC++ Redistributables for Windows, or QT6 for Mac, for instance.

menu-based firmware update

If your Concerto firmware version is 0.96 build 21423 or newer, you can update firmware through the menu.

To perform the update, first copy two files to the root directory of your SD card:

- The Concerto BIOS update tool: https://forums.atariage.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=1004894&key=539933bdf8e55fe995e0fbaee9063875 - The firmware file. Firmware files are generally of the format hbios_Concerto_XXXXX.bin where XXXX is the version. Make sure there are no other files starting with "hbios" on the card, or it may load that one instead. Visit Firmware for the latest firmware files.

Insert the SD card into your Concerto, and insert the Concerto into your Atari 7800, power on and wait for the menu. Select "Concerto BIOS Updater.cu" (or similar) from the menu as if were a game. Wait for the confirmation message (this may take 10 seconds.)