uip-tool for USB2LAN adapters

[czietz]

There already was MiNTNet support for cheap USB2LAN adapters based on the Asix AX88772 chip. However, these weren't usable under plain TOS because there is no driver (e.g. for STinG) for them. This is why I ported uip-tool to work with these USB2LAN adapters. You probably already know that uip-tool allows you to upload and download files to/from your Atari via a web interface or an API.

A suitable USB addon card supported by the USB stack for TOS is required. Of course, I recommend the Lightning VME for MegaSTEs and TTs.

You can find my port of uip-tool here: https://bitbucket.org/czietz/uip-tools/downloads/. Source code is also available on Bitbucket. I tested it with the Lightning VME on an Atari TT, achieving ca. 130 kB/s download rate. Please read the thread about uip-tool to learn how to use it: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=27365. Also questions not related to the USB support (but e.g. to the web interface) are probably best posted there.

While this ran stable during my tests, I still consider it "proof of concept" or beta. If you want to develop it further, I'm happy to accept any patches.

PS: Only the USB.PRG driver (USB stack) and the driver for your USB card (BLITZ*.PRG in case of the Lightning VME) are required in the AUTO folder. My port of uip-tool brings loads its own internal Ethernet driver; so please don't use ETH.PRG from the USB4TOS distribution.

[troed]

Sounds great! - I recall there was a list of suitable adapters using those chips somewhere?

Also, while I'll get one for my Lightning, do you believe this should work with AlanH's Unicorn as well?

[czietz]

Sounds great! - I recall there was a list of suitable adapters using those chips somewhere?

Problem is that there are dozens of these cheap Chinese adapters, sometimes with not very unique names such as "USB 2.0 to Ethernet", so it's hard to compile a list. If someone has an extensive list however, we'd like to put a link to it in our Lightning VME wiki.
While testing, we found out that it's best to look whether the photo of the actual adapter has AX88772 (or something like that) on it. Some eBay listings claim that an Asix chip is used, but it isn't. E.g. adapters with 8152 or 81RY52 printed on them use the Realtek 8152 chip instead.

Also, while I'll get one for my Lightning, do you believe this should work with AlanH's Unicorn as well?

I don't have a Unicorn to test, but in theory it should. The API is the same.

[troed]

Alright, thanks, found it carried by well known Swedish store chain Clas Ohlson:

"The network card will be shown as ASIX
AX8877A USB 2.0 to Fast Ethernet Adapter
in Device Manager."

https://www.clasohlson.com/se/Externt-n ... rt/38-3732

... omw there now.

[frank.lukas]

I buy two different Asix USB2LAN Adapter from China and one was right and the other was a Realtek ...

[troed]

I'm currently stuck at blinking DHCP cursor - it seems it doesn't understand my Airport Extreme. Will debug. Also I'm using a year old Unicorn drivers, so will test with newer ones* as well as with the MSTE Lightning.

The chip was as indicated though and detects properly. Swedes go ahead and visit your local Clas Ohlson

*) new drivers didn't change anything with the Unicorn

[troed]

Alright, I have it working with the Lightning VME-adapter on my Mega STE.

edit: And now with my Unicorn (on both MSTE and STE) as well.

It turns out it's not enough to use USB.PRG from the USB4TOS distrib at freemint - I had to use the USB.PRG from the Lightning VME driver download also for the Unicorn. If this was supposed to be obvious then sorry, didn't get it

http://www.newtosworld.de/downloads/tre ... htning-vme

All good now - many many thanks for this Christian!

/Troed

edit2: For Unicorn users I'd recommend the 99 SEK USB 2.0 4 port USB hub that Clas Ohlson also carries. Works well with both USB flashdrive and the network adapter connected.

[DoG]

Sweet. Have to get me one of those from Clas Ohlson then. Not often you can get hold of working hardware for the Atari 10 min walk from your apartment these days.

[czietz]

It turns out it's not enough to use USB.PRG from the USB4TOS distrib at freemint - I had to use the USB.PRG from the Lightning VME driver download also for the Unicorn. If this was supposed to be obvious then sorry, didn't get it

Interesting. I would NOT have expected this. Looks like I'll have to find out what I changed with regards to USB.PRG so that it maybe can be contributed back into upstream FreeMiNT.

[czietz]

I have just uploaded an updated binary to https://bitbucket.org/czietz/uip-tools/downloads/ where I increased the TCP receive window size. At least together with the Lightning VME this considerably speeds up uploads (i.e. PC => Atari).

Also, regarding my last post: I don't see that I made any (relevant) changes to USB.PRG that would explain why it didn't run with the version from the USB4TOS distribution. Strange...

[sqward]

Good job. Would be nice at some point to consolidate all the ports into a single source tree.

[czietz]

I've integrated the huge improvements that sqward and saulot recently made to the original (see https://nokturnal.pl/2019/04/uiptool-new-version for details) into the port for USB2LAN adapters. Grab the latest beta version from: https://bitbucket.org/czietz/uip-tools/downloads/

[sqward]

What sort of speeds you're getting with this hardware?

[czietz]

Slightly less than 200 kB/s up and down on my TT with Lightning VME. It's OK, but I would have expected a bit more, considering that for example reading from a USB drive achieves over 550 kB/s on the same hardware. I don't have time right now, though, to go searching for performance bottlenecks.