R47 Update Guide

Acquiring

Start by obtaining all the update materials. You will need the ROM image, the SMC firmware, the VERA bitstream.

• Emulator (optional): R47 Release
  • The emulator is not required in order to update your X16, but you’ll want the latest emulator, anyway, since it has the same changes as the ROM, SMC, and VERA that are on the official hardware.
• ROM: R47 Release
  • Download x16-rom-R47.zip
  • Extract rom.bin from the zip file. Save it as ROM.BIN all CAPS.
• VERA: R47 Release
  • Download FLASHVERA.PRG and VERA_47.0.2.BIN
• SMC: (see note below) https://github.com/X16Community/x16-smc/releases
  • Download SMC-47.0.0.BIN
• Updater: V3 Release
  • Download CX16-UPDATE-R3.0.0.PRG

The SMC update is optional. We recommend not updating the SMC at this time, if you are not having problems with your PS/2 keyboard or mouse. To skip the SMC update, simply do not include SMC.BIN in the steps below. The update tool will skip the SMC update if the file is not present.

We recommend applying the update to a spare ATTINY Microcontroller and swapping that out. We are working on a manual update process. In the meantime, see This Discord channel for the information we have collected.

Installing

1. Power off the X16.
2. Remove your SD card from the X16 and insert it in the SD card slot of a PC or Mac.
3. Create a new directory on your SD Card named UPDATE (all caps) and copy all of the files into that directory.
4. Rename the SMC file to SMC.BIN
5. Rename the VERA file to VERA.BIN
6. Rename the update program to UPDATE.PRG
7. Your UPDATE folder should have these files on it:

    ROM.BIN
    SMC.BIN (optional)
    VERA.BIN
    UPDATE.PRG
   

8. Safely eject the card from your computer and re-install it in the X16.

Updating

1. Look for the J1 Write Protect jumper on your motherboard. The jumper cap must be installed to enable writing to the system flash ROMs.
   • This may be labeled “Remove J1 to write protect system ROM”.
2. Start your X16 and type DOS"CD:/UPDATE" and press RETURN
3. type LOAD UPDATE.PRG and press RETURN
4. Type RUN and press RETURN
5. You’ll get some warning screens about compatibility. These are normal.
   • You will need to press SPACE and Y quite a few times before you get to the point where flashing will begin.
   • The Updater application does provide quite detailed instructions. Read everything carefully.
6. The ROM will update first. Once that’s done, you’ll be told to close the JP1 pin on VERA. Don’t actually close the pin until after the program has read VERA.BIN (the bottom portion of the screen will be filled with dots) and the middle portion says CLOSE the JP1 jumper header on the VERA board!
7. Place the jumper cap on JP1 on the VERA board and press the SPACE bar.
   • This disables the SD card, so you’ll need to remove the cap once the VERA flash is complete.
8. The next step will be to update the SMC. When the program asks, hold the power button down and tap the RESET button. You must do so before the timer runs out.
9. You will then see the same SMC update progress.
10. If the SMC was updated, the power button on the front panel won’t actually turn off the computer, because the SMC runs on the +5V Standby rail. So you need to unplug your X16 from the wall to de-power the SMC, then plug it back in.
    • DO NOT unplug the 12V barrel connector to de-power the Pico PSU (if you are using one.) Unplug the 120/240V to 12V adapter from the wall, instead.
11. After restarting your X16, confirm the version of the ROM, VERA, and SMC firmware by typing HELP and pressing RETURN.
    • After the full R47 release, the version numbers will be:
    • COMMANDER X16 ROM RELEASE R47
    • VERA: V47.0.2
    • SMC: 47.0.0
12. At this point, if you have purchased a 65C816 processor, you can power the system down (unplug it) and install the new CPU.