CAETLA, Datels Comms Link Drivers and Windows 98

**H360** · 05-30-2012

Hi. I have a DATEL Comms Link ISA (8-bit hence this topic http://www.assemblergames.com/forums...6-bit-ISA-slot) card.
I plugged it into my 16-bit slot, and it does nothing. I dont know if there are drivers I need to install, or it is already working.

My main goal, is to get a fake action replay to talk with the CAETLA software over comms.
However, I have tried with real action replays, Xplorers, etc...

CAETLA is just not working correctly, and I dont know why.

The parallel port address on my motherboard, is 0x378 on IRQ 7.
The parallel port address on the DATEL Comms Link ISA card is by default 0x320, but again, I think it needs drivers(?).

I can upload executables fine over the standard Xplorer with Xkiller over the address 0x378, so everything works. The cable, port, card, PlayStation, etc...

Whenever I try to talk to the PlayStation (fake action replay, Xplorer, original action replay, etc), the PS1 freezes, and the cards will then not show a picture upon restarting. I have to let them sit there for a few minutes before they work again, fully unplugged...

I am running Windows 98 (SE).

Any ideas, and does the comms link ISA card have a driver?

Thanks.

**Bad_Ad84** · 05-30-2012

Would the USB replacement work?

http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/elec/comms.php

(notice it says PSX wasnt the focus, but says at the top that it was designed for both - so I dunno..)

But yes, it probably does require a driver.

**ASSEMbler** · 05-30-2012

You can get the driver off the web site. They still sell the card.

**H360** · 05-30-2012

@Bad_Ad84, I was going to make the USB version, but I would like to try and get this working.
@ASSEMBler, I must not have been searching to well :S

I was searching in Google for, "psx datel comms link driver" and "datel comms link driver". Nothing.

*lol, if you search for "datel comm link driver" now, assembler comes up in the top.

**H360** · 05-30-2012

Okay, I found this link http://web.archive.org/web/199905080...qcommslink.htm

I changed the jumper settings to 320.

**pool7** · 05-30-2012

Originally Posted by ASSEMbler

You can get the driver off the web site. They still sell the card.

I've been looking for one for quite some time and the only I've seen was on eBay for 150 bucks or so... which of course is out of the question.
Would you mind sharing the link to purchase one?

**H360** · 05-30-2012

Well mine is not working. I have no idea what is going on but I give up.

**H360** · 05-31-2012

Originally Posted by ASSEMbler

You can get the driver off the web site. They still sell the card.

Give us a link please ASSEMbler...

**ASSEMbler** · 05-31-2012

http://www.hkems.com/m_main.htm

**H360** · 06-03-2012

Well I got CAETLA working. The problem was, it did not like the Xplorer FX. So, I used my standard Xplorer, and it worked perfectly. I am not using the Comms Link by the way. Standard parallel comms on the address 0x378 is working perfectly fine... Makes it a hell of a lot quicker now to upload and debug stuff...

**Calpis** · 06-03-2012

1) The Comm Link card doesn't have drivers. It's simple hardware released in the DOS era, the handful of AR programs directly talk to the hardware.

2) The Comm Link is not a parallel port, Xplorer interfaces with a parallel port. DON'T TRY USING THEM TOGETHER!

3) Nobody calls the parallel port "parallel comms", that will get you weird looks..

**H360** · 06-03-2012

1) Understood.
2) So it uses the DB-25 connector, but with different pin settings...
3) Understood.

**Calpis** · 06-03-2012

Yes, the Comm link is vastly different than a parallel port, not only in pinout but in its entire operation. If they were the same or remotely similar what would be the point of making it? The main reason behind the Comm link is cost, knowing that most people wouldn't ever link to their PC it allowed them to add a fast bidirectional interface to every AR for the cost of a 74'245 and DB-25. A parallel port interface would require Comm link card-style logic to be on board every AR, effectively doubling the AR parts cost and that is how the Xplorer and Gameshark works. Comm link is fast because the handshaking is hardware assisted during address-decoding, whereas a LPT must bit-bang strobing and use "nibble-mode" for input.