The **K figure differs depending on MSX type; 48K if CF1200/CF2000, 64K if NMS8255/FS-A1/FS-A1GT
More controls: push SPACE at the first title screen then either MSX BASIC starts (GR8NET is disabled if had been present) or the game in the other slot boots. Copimaru might be gone or residual somewhere after that, but no key evokes anything. Horizontal cursor key causes the menu to flash, but doesn't seem to change anything.
After some experiments ona real NMS 8245I confirm that the cartridge dumps another cartridge inserted in the other slot to different media: tape, floppy disk, into the internal RAM. When the MSX is turned off, the dump is held in the cartridge memory. This suggests the presence of an internal SRAM, but I cannot confirm it as I cannot open the cartridge safely (it is not closed by screws but it is interlocking).
The dumps must be made for personal use, as a backup, because the programs are copyrighted: as a reminder, the cartridge inserts some informative header code before the dump (but that can be easily removed nowadays ...). This header produces a custom format "dump.CPM" but, if you cut off the header, the file becomes a normal BIN file.
At the moment it has not been found the way to launch the dump menu from Basic, and this would be handy for dump programs previously loaded in the main RAM of the MSX.
The Copimaru cartridge structure looks same with Senjyo so I made graphical explanation to open it with thumbs.
Please provide following information:
- What happened when you pushed SPACE at EXPANTION MEMORY menu?
- MAIN BASE and EXPANTION slot numbers at TRANSFER menu when you succeeded to dump other cartridge
- MSX type - Other cartridge's name - **K figure above EXPANTION
On the openmsx NMS 8255/FS-A1GT, Copimaru refuses to save data to disk after dumping another cart, saying "disk offline", "bad file name", "write protected" bla bla. Only success was after TRANSFER -> MAIN:2 (EXT prompt was skipped) without any cart in slot 2.
I wanted to know how real cartridge behaves and not emulator's.
After quitting with SPACE several extended BASICs are available. _CPM _COPIMARU start Copimaru menu. _CPMDEMO starts "demo" that quits by SPACE. _JIS _AIU _WARMON _WARMOFF are unclear.
On a real MSX, the menu changes depending on how it is called up.
For example, thanks to the work of Takamichi, I can do a "CALL CPM" from Basic, and then MSX enters the Copimaru menu.
But now options are a little different from the "SELECT" key menu: I can dump from ANY slot to RAM, and then from RAM to floppy or tape. Also, I can do the vice-versa operations.
Unfortunately my MSX's floppy drive is broken so I didn't make a real test, I will try with another MSX.
I tried to save from RAM to tape: after 20 seconds of "thinking" I heard the motor-on "click", but tape recorder didn't start... very strange.
Unfortunately I cannot open the cart with fingers since plastic parts are strongly joined together, but I will try with a screwdriver.
