MMC3 bankswitching - need to switch back to 0x8000 after the bankswitch.

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The_YongGrand
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2013 9:30 am

MMC3 bankswitching - need to switch back to 0x8000 after the bankswitch.

Post by The_YongGrand »

Hello there,

Recently I'm trying to understand how this MMC3 works, so I wrote up a short code based from the examples provided (Nerdy Nights) and then run it on the emulator (Nintendulator and FCEUX).

On the program:

1.) Assume that PRG 16KB block is one:

Code: Select all

  .inesprg 2   ; 1x 16KB PRG code
  .ineschr 0   ; 1x  8KB CHR data
  .inesmap 4   ; mapper 0 = NROM, no bank swapping
  .inesmir 0   ; background mirroring
2.) Bank 3 has the reset vector that goes to 0x8000:

Code: Select all

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;  

   .bank 3
  .org $FFFA     ;first of the three vectors starts here
  .dw NMI        ;when an NMI happens (once per frame if enabled) the 
                   ;processor will jump to the label NMI:
  .dw RESET      ;when the processor first turns on or is reset, it will jump
                   ;to the label RESET:
  .dw 0          ;external interrupt IRQ is not used in this tutorial
3.) Bank 1 has another short example program:

Code: Select all

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
    .bank 1
    .org $8000
f1:	
    LDA #$01
    LDA #$02
HERE:
    JMP HERE
4.) and finally, Bank 0 has the main part of the program such as setup:

Code: Select all

  .bank 0
  .org $8000 
RESET:
  SEI          ; disable IRQs
  CLD          ; disable decimal mode
  LDX #$40
  STX $4017    ; disable APU frame IRQ
  
  LDA #%00000110
  STA $8000
  LDA #$01
  STA $8001
  JMP f1    
  
;Forever:
;  JMP Forever     ;jump back to Forever, infinite loop
  
NMI:
  RTI
What I wanted this program to actually goes to the Bank 1's 0x8000, but on the emulator it ends up going to Bank 1's 0x8011 instead.

Is there a way I need to make it directly jump to Bank 1's 0x8000 from Bank 0? It looks like right after a bank-switch, it continues where the PC left off.
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olddb
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Re: MMC3 bankswitching - need to switch back to 0x8000 after the bankswitch.

Post by olddb »

You need your bank switching code somewhere in the $c000 fixed bank.
Once the bank is switched you can jump to the 8000-$9FFF area.

Also, does MMC3 guarantee bank0 at $8000 on startup?

EDIT:

Maybe this will help.

Code: Select all

  LDA #%00000110
  STA $8000
  LDA #$01
  STA $8001
  ;you are no longer on this bank, "JMP f1" can't be called
  JMP f1  
These comments are misleading.

Code: Select all

.inesprg 2   ; 1x 16KB PRG code
.ineschr 0   ; 1x  8KB CHR data
.inesmap 4   ; mapper 0 = NROM, no bank swapping
.inesmir 0   ; background mirroring
Last edited by olddb on Sun Nov 22, 2020 12:52 am, edited 4 times in total.
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lidnariq
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Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:12 am

Re: MMC3 bankswitching - need to switch back to 0x8000 after the bankswitch.

Post by lidnariq »

olddb wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 11:19 pm Also, does MMC3 guarantee bank0 at $8000 on startup?
No: you must put your reset vector in the fixed bank.
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olddb
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Re: MMC3 bankswitching - need to switch back to 0x8000 after the bankswitch.

Post by olddb »

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Quietust
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Re: MMC3 bankswitching - need to switch back to 0x8000 after the bankswitch.

Post by Quietust »

olddb wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 11:19 pm You need your bank switching code somewhere in the $c000 fixed bank.
Not even $C000-$DFFF is fixed on the MMC3, because a single write to $8000 can make it selectable (and make $8000-$9FFF fixed).
If you want to be safe, your reset vector must point to a location within $E000-$FFFF.
Quietust, QMT Productions
P.S. If you don't get this note, let me know and I'll write you another.
The_YongGrand
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2013 9:30 am

Re: MMC3 bankswitching - need to switch back to 0x8000 after the bankswitch.

Post by The_YongGrand »

Hello,

I've just fixed that comment over there - should be 2x 16KB PRG code. And also re-arranging the code.

Code: Select all

  .inesprg 2   ; 2x 16KB PRG code
  .ineschr 0   ; 0x  8KB CHR data
  .inesmap 4   ; mapper 0 = NROM, no bank swapping
  .inesmir 0   ; background mirroring
  

   
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
    
  .bank 0
  .org $8000 

Forever:
  JMP Forever     ;jump back to Forever, infinite loop
  

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

  .bank 1
  .org $A000
  LDA #$01
  LDA #$02
HERE:
   JMP HERE    
  
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

  .bank 2
  .org $C000
RESET:
 SEI          ; disable IRQs
 CLD          ; disable decimal mode
 LDX #$40
 STX $4017    ; disable APU frame IRQ
  
BANKSW: 
  LDA #%00000110
  STA $8000
  LDA #$01 ; jump to 0xA000 or jump to 0x1A000?
  STA $8001   

NMI:
  RTI
  
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;  

   .bank 3
  .org $FFFA     ;first of the three vectors starts here
  .dw NMI        ;when an NMI happens (once per frame if enabled) the 
                   ;processor will jump to the label NMI:
  .dw RESET      ;when the processor first turns on or is reset, it will jump
                   ;to the label RESET:
  .dw 0          ;external interrupt IRQ is not used in this tutorial
  
I just moved the init code back to 0xC000 as start, it now jumps to 0xC000 normally on boot, but now that Bank-switch inside that area doesn't do any jumping anymore, skipped that thing to RTI and go nowhere else according to the debugger.

Is that Bank-Switch to "Bank 1" (lda #$01, sta $8001) means:
- switch to Bank 1 (second 8KB, 0xA000 to 0xBFFF) on the first physical 64K memory space (0x0000-0xffff) or
- switch to Bank 1 (second 8KB, 0xA000 to 0xBFFF) on the second physical 64K memory space (0x10000-0x1ffff) ?
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Quietust
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Re: MMC3 bankswitching - need to switch back to 0x8000 after the bankswitch.

Post by Quietust »

The_YongGrand wrote: Sun Nov 22, 2020 7:30 am Hello,

I've just fixed that comment over there - should be 2x 16KB PRG code. And also re-arranging the code.

Code: Select all

...
  LDA #%00000110
  STA $8000
  LDA #$01 ; jump to 0xA000 or jump to 0x1A000?
  STA $8001   
...
I just moved the init code back to 0xC000 as start, it now jumps to 0xC000 normally on boot, but now that Bank-switch inside that area doesn't do any jumping anymore, skipped that thing to RTI and go nowhere else according to the debugger.

Is that Bank-Switch to "Bank 1" (lda #$01, sta $8001) means:
- switch to Bank 1 (second 8KB, 0xA000 to 0xBFFF) on the first physical 64K memory space (0x0000-0xffff) or
- switch to Bank 1 (second 8KB, 0xA000 to 0xBFFF) on the second physical 64K memory space (0x10000-0x1ffff) ?
The answer here is neither - since you wrote #$06 (#%00000110) to $8000, writing #$01 to $8001 will map the 2nd 8KB PRG ROM bank (technically, the address range $002000-$003FFF within the ROM chip itself) to $8000-$9FFF within the CPU's address space.

Also, as I noted above, your RESET and bank-switching code really should be in bank 3 in this particular program, because if you happened to write #%x1xxxxxx (e.g. #$46) to $8000, then $C000-$DFFF would be replaced with the first swappable bank (i.e. what would be selected if you then wrote to $8001) and $8000-$9FFF would switch to being hardwired to the 2nd-last bank.
Quietust, QMT Productions
P.S. If you don't get this note, let me know and I'll write you another.
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olddb
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Re: MMC3 bankswitching - need to switch back to 0x8000 after the bankswitch.

Post by olddb »

Haven't tested this, but try:

Code: Select all

  .inesprg 2   ; 2x 16KB PRG code
  .ineschr 0   ; 0x  8KB CHR data
  .inesmap 4   ; mapper 0 = NROM, no bank swapping
  .inesmir 0   ; background mirroring
  

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
    
  .bank 0
  .org $8000 

start0:
Forever:
  JMP Forever     ;jump back to Forever, infinite loop
  

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

  .bank 1
  .org $8000
start1:
  LDA #$01
  LDA #$02
HERE:
   JMP HERE    
  
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

  .bank 2
  .org $8000
start2:
  jmp start2
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;  

 .bank 3
 .org $e000
 RESET:
 SEI          ; disable IRQs
 CLD          ; disable decimal mode
 LDX #$40
 STX $4017    ; disable APU frame IRQ
  
BANKSW: 
  LDA #%00000110
  STA $8000
  LDA #$01 
  STA $8001   
  ;now cpu "window $8000-$9fff" holds rom section $2000-$3fff (bank1).
  ;it's "safe" to jump to label "start1"
  jmp start1
  
  ;if you wanted to jump to label "start0"
  LDA #%00000110
  STA $8000
  LDA #$00 ; <- change here 
  STA $8001   
  ;now cpu "window $8000-$9fff" holds rom section $0000-$1fff (bank0). 
  ;it's "safe" to jump to label "start0"
  jmp start0
  
NMI:
  RTI
   
   
  .org $FFFA     ;first of the three vectors starts here
  .dw NMI        ;when an NMI happens (once per frame if enabled) the 
                   ;processor will jump to the label NMI:
  .dw RESET      ;when the processor first turns on or is reset, it will jump
                   ;to the label RESET:
  .dw 0          ;external interrupt IRQ is not used in this tutorial
 
Last edited by olddb on Sun Nov 22, 2020 3:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Quietust
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Re: MMC3 bankswitching - need to switch back to 0x8000 after the bankswitch.

Post by Quietust »

That's close, but not quite right - there are only two "windows" that can hold any bank, along with one "window" that always points at "section 6" (and the window at $E000-$FFFF that always points at "section 7").

The trick is that those windows can "change place" depending on the last value you wrote to the register at $8000 - if bit 6 is clear, then $8000-$9FFF is the first window and $C000-$DFFF is fixed at section 6, but if bit 6 is set, then $C000-$DFFF is the first window and $8000-$9FFF is fixed at section 6.

This actually changes the instant you write to $8000, not when you write to $8001, so you can't just write $06->$8000 + $xx->$8001 followed by $46->$8000 + $xx -> $8001 to put custom banks at both $8000 and $C000 (like some older emulators will let you do).
Quietust, QMT Productions
P.S. If you don't get this note, let me know and I'll write you another.
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olddb
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Re: MMC3 bankswitching - need to switch back to 0x8000 after the bankswitch.

Post by olddb »

I see. Took out link.
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