A tool to program the Kickstart and Extended ROM flash of the CIDER board for the Commodore CDTV. This tool allows you to program the flash in-system even while it is currently in use.

What is CFLASH?

CFLASH is a tool that lets you update the firmware (ROM files) on your CIDER expansion board for the Commodore CDTV. It can update two types of firmware:

Kickstart ROM: The main system firmware that boots your Amiga
Extended ROM: Additional firmware for CDTV functionality

Before You Start

Getting Started

CFLASH only programs the flash memory - it never touches your original system ROMs
Make sure your CDTV has stable power during flashing
If you want to go back: Simply switch off the kickflash DIP switch and reboot

What You'll Need

Your CIDER-equipped CDTV
ROM files you want to flash (.rom files)
The cflash program (available in CIDER-Software.adf)
A CLI/terminal or Workbench to run commands

Prerequisites

CIDER expansion board must be properly installed
ROM overlay should be switched off
Bonus RAM must be disabled during flashing

Common Tasks

1. Copy Your Current ROMs to Flash

To preserve what you currently have running:

cflash -c -C

This copies your current Kickstart and Extended ROMs from the system to flash.

2. Flash a New Kickstart ROM

To install a new Kickstart ROM file:

cflash -k kick31.rom

Replace kick31.rom with the actual filename of your Kickstart ROM.

For dual Kickstart setups:

Flash to slot 0 (default): cflash -s 0 -k kick31.rom
Flash to slot 1: cflash -s 1 -k kick13.rom

3. Flash an Extended ROM

To install a new Extended ROM file:

cflash -x cdtv-ext.rom

Replace cdtv-ext.rom with your Extended ROM filename.

4. Copy Current System ROMs to Flash

If you want to preserve your currently running ROMs to flash:

Copy current Kickstart:

cflash -c

Copy current Extended ROM:

cflash -C

Copy both:

cflash -c -C

5. Verify Flash Contents

To check if your flash matches a ROM file:

cflash -v -k kick31.rom

To verify against currently running ROMs:

cflash -v -c -C

6. Check Flash Device Information

To see what flash chip you have:

cflash -i

This displays the manufacturer and device ID of your flash chip.

Advanced Operations

Erasing Flash

Erase Kickstart bank:

cflash -e k

Erase Extended ROM bank:

cflash -e x

Erase entire chip:

cflash -E

Skip Verification

cflash -V -k kick31.rom

The -V flag skips verification after programming (not recommended).

Understanding Slots

The CIDER has dual Kickstart slots, allowing you to have two different Kickstart ROMs:

Slot 0: Default slot
Slot 1: Alternative slot

You can switch between them using CIDER's controls. Use -s 0 or -s 1 to specify which slot to program.

ROM File Sizes

CFLASH supports these ROM sizes:

Kickstart: 256KB, 512KB, or 1MB
Extended ROM: 256KB or 512KB

Troubleshooting

"Flash is enabled" Message

If you see this message, cflash will automatically:

Copy ROMs to RAM
Switch to RAM mode
Proceed with flashing

This is normal - just wait for it to complete.

"Bonus RAM must be disabled"

Restart your system
Make sure Bonus RAM is not activated before running cflash

"Unknown Flash device"

Check that your CIDER board is properly installed
Verify you're using compatible flash chips

Verification Failed

Try flashing again
Check that your ROM file isn't corrupted
Ensure stable power during flashing

Want to Use Original ROMs Again

Switch off the kickflash DIP switch on your CIDER board
Reboot your system (it will use the original ROMs)
Your original ROMs are always safe and untouched

Example Workflows

Upgrading to Kickstart 3.1

# 1. Copy current setup to flash (optional)
cflash -c -C

# 2. Flash new Kickstart
cflash -k kick31.rom

# 3. Verify it worked
cflash -v -k kick31.rom

Setting up Dual Kickstart

# Flash Kickstart 3.1 to slot 0
cflash -s 0 -k kick31.rom

# Flash Kickstart 1.3 to slot 1
cflash -s 1 -k kick13.rom

# Now you can switch between them using CIDER controls

Complete ROM Update

# Update both ROM components
cflash -k kick31.rom
cflash -x cdtv-ext.rom

Getting Help

If cflash won't run or you get errors, try running it without parameters to see the usage information:

cflash

This will show you all available options and their syntax.

Command-line options

Usage: cflash [-iEvV] [-e k|x] [-c|-k <kickstart rom>] [-C|-x <extended rom>] -s [0|1]
       -c                  -  Copy ROM to Flash.
       -C                  -  Copy Extended ROM to Flash.
       -k <kickstart file> -  Kickstart to Flash or verify.
       -x <ext rom file>   -  Extended ROM to Flash or verify.
       -i                  -  Print Flash device id.
       -e [k|x]            -  Erase [k]ickstart or e[x]t rom bank.
       -E                  -  Erase chip.
       -v                  -  Verify bank against file or ROM
       -V                  -  Skip verification after programming.
       -s [0|1]            -  Select kickstart slot to work on.

Final Tips

Start simple: Begin with copying your current ROMs to flash
Keep ROM files: Save copies of useful ROM files for future use
Easy recovery: If something doesn't work, just switch off the kickflash DIP switch and reboot

License

cflash is licensed under the GPL-2.0 only license