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v4.1.1 - Stable modern compiler compatible version
v4.1.1 - Stable modern compiler compatible version
Released and updated September 28, 2026. The owner confirmed the corrected generated BASIC program runs successfully in Virtual Aquarius.
Download the ZIP again if you obtained v4.1.1 before this DATA-output correction. The updated package is revision 3 in BUILD-INFO.txt. At the owner's explicit request, this fix updates the existing v4.1.1 release and tag rather than creating a new version.
Corrected BASIC output
The earlier build ended DATA lines after individual value/count pairs, leaving most of the data on unnumbered lines that Aquarius BASIC could not load correctly. The writer now assembles each complete numbered DATA statement before writing its newline.
The same fix keeps line numbers increasing across the character and color sections, handles the final run without reusing a previous value, and writes each section's 999,999 terminator on a numbered DATA line. The character-matching and dithering algorithms are unchanged.
Verification
- Fresh Windows executable built with FreeBASIC 1.10.0 (2023-05-14), Win32, using
-s guiand the source'sdeprecateddialect. - Five automated regression cases compile the production writer with runtime checks, then independently decode its output and compare all 2,880 screen-data cells. Cases cover constant data, changing values, a different final cell, full-line boundaries and mixed data.
- An Ariel conversion with Full Set and no dithering produces 127 numbered BASIC lines. Its character, foreground and background sections each decode to exactly 960 cells.
- The owner ran the corrected output in Virtual Aquarius and reported that it worked perfectly on September 28, 2026.
- The existing compiler warning 47 for the legacy
cssymbol remains; it does not prevent linking.
Download and run
Download Aquarius-Image-Converter-v4.1.1-win32.zip, extract all files into a writable folder, and run run.cmd. No compiler is required to run the executable. Keep customchar.txt beside it. Select a 320x192 BMP; its .AQ output is written beside the input and may replace an existing listing of the same name.
The ZIP includes the corrected executable, matching BMP2AQV41.bas and aq_output.bi, customchar.txt, build scripts, regression tests, documentation, BUILD-INFO.txt, and SHA256SUMS.txt. A separate SHA-256 file identifies the ZIP itself.
Four original 320x192 test BMPs are included in samples/: ariel.bmp, bart.bmp, sqtitle.bmp (Space Quest), and sonic3.bmp. Ariel was specifically requested; the other three were randomly selected from suitable images in the owner's test collection. No compiler distribution or historical executable is bundled.
To rebuild, keep aq_output.bi beside the main source and run build_converter.cmd, supplying the path to a compatible fbc32.exe if necessary. Close any converter running from the build output path first. run_rebuilt_converter.cmd rebuilds and launches the program. With Python installed, python tests/test_aq_output.py runs the DATA-writer regressions; an optional compiler path is accepted.
Release history and remaining scope
The same v4.1.1 release was first published as a modern compiler compatibility snapshot, then refreshed to add four sample images. This third package revision replaces the faulty output writer with the emulator-confirmed fix. Its source tag now points to the corrected commit, and BUILD-INFO.txt records the matching commit and file hashes. Historical archive-* tags and original release ZIPs remain unchanged.
The emulator result confirms the owner's tested output. It is not a claim that every conversion mode has had a complete regression pass or that a new physical Aquarius test has been performed. Other compiler versions, 64-bit builds, legacy input-error handling and pixel-array bounds remain outside this fix.
The original project announcement credits a GW-BASIC bitmap reader linked through VOGONS. Detailed historical attribution and redistribution terms remain under review; this release does not introduce a new license.
V4.1 — latest recovered converter (archival release)
Recovered historical release of the static-image converter for the original Mattel Aquarius. The later flicker converter is a separate project.
V4.1 is the latest identified local release candidate. The original ZIP contains BMP2AQV41.bas, BMP2AQV41.exe, customchar.txt and sample bitmaps. Source and executable match the preserved local V4.1 copies. Package entries are dated January 23, 2011; the exact original publication date remains unconfirmed. A September 28, 2026 interface capture shows the preserved executable completing a Bugs conversion. No fresh source build or comprehensive hardware validation is claimed.
Downloads
Download the original ZIP attachment(s) below. Each ZIP is unchanged, including its original sample files. These are historical binaries and source packages, not newly rebuilt software.
The automatic “Source code” downloads are the present-day recovered source collection, not an exact historical version snapshot. The archive tag records this republication; it does not backdate development history.
BMPAQV41.zip— SHA-256:bd34e93ff4bbab1f5f931c227ae4bca27700d7f4f1c6268f3913691229f35f5b
V4 — preserved combined package (archival release)
Recovered historical release of the static-image converter for the original Mattel Aquarius. The later flicker converter is a separate project.
This original combined ZIP contains both V4 and V4.1 executables and source files. The source files named V4 and V4.1 have identical bytes, but the two executables differ. Package entries are dated January 23, 2011; this is archive metadata, not a verified publication date. The overlap with the separate V4.1 release is intentional.
Downloads
Download the original ZIP attachment(s) below. Each ZIP is unchanged, including its original sample files. These are historical binaries and source packages, not newly rebuilt software.
The automatic “Source code” downloads are the present-day recovered source collection, not an exact historical version snapshot. The archive tag records this republication; it does not backdate development history.
BMPAQV4.zip— SHA-256:5da19ff87bb0d7a8a4668e36dc9522ac27959c37d95ca127626eff9c20995e16
V3 — Aquariatizer (archival release)
Recovered historical release of the static-image converter for the original Mattel Aquarius. The later flicker converter is a separate project.
Version 3 was announced on December 17, 2010 under the name Aquariatizer. The preserved package contains a binary timestamped December 18, 2010. The second ZIP contains the separately preserved V3 BASIC source. Source-to-binary build correspondence has not been verified.
Downloads
Download the original ZIP attachment(s) below. Each ZIP is unchanged, including its original sample files. These are historical binaries and source packages, not newly rebuilt software.
The automatic “Source code” downloads are the present-day recovered source collection, not an exact historical version snapshot. The archive tag records this republication; it does not backdate development history.
BMPAQV3.zip— SHA-256:9ca5883dc3b6412c5e3a069b5344980bfa163be9d42988c3f7d793c7d3f7dac6BMP2AQV3.zip— SHA-256:8f3972027479b13f6a710430a63adf8f624690828380770e917e85074071493c
V2 — Windows converter (archival release)
Recovered historical release of the static-image converter for the original Mattel Aquarius. The later flicker converter is a separate project.
The Windows release was announced on December 12, 2010. This ZIP contains the original binary, README and examples. The separate recovered local source has not been proven to rebuild this binary.
Downloads
Download the original ZIP attachment(s) below. Each ZIP is unchanged, including its original sample files. These are historical binaries and source packages, not newly rebuilt software.
The automatic “Source code” downloads are the present-day recovered source collection, not an exact historical version snapshot. The archive tag records this republication; it does not backdate development history.
BMPAQV2.zip— SHA-256:a29d5e483db48be0483c8bcc1c8262008ad3bbb89d6a2b88af6097165680ea41
V1 — Windows converter (archival release)
Recovered historical release of the static-image converter for the original Mattel Aquarius. The later flicker converter is a separate project.
Two original package layouts are preserved. Their converter source and executable hashes match; their accompanying contents differ. Archive metadata places the source in December 2010. An exact original publication date for these particular ZIPs is not asserted.
Downloads
Download the original ZIP attachment(s) below. Each ZIP is unchanged, including its original sample files. These are historical binaries and source packages, not newly rebuilt software.
The automatic “Source code” downloads are the present-day recovered source collection, not an exact historical version snapshot. The archive tag records this republication; it does not backdate development history.
BMPAQV1.zip— SHA-256:af0b1444be51274dc8e93b4ff7d08f0d6d15e292d70f424b31b84226daf765d9BMP2AQV1.zip— SHA-256:8d0a1477304f93895f45e8b303f99f67b65e8e8bae72f13f74fb294a4797717c
AQGraph — original DOS converter (archival release)
Recovered historical release of the static-image converter for the original Mattel Aquarius. The later flicker converter is a separate project.
The original project announcement is dated November 27, 2010. This package preserves the DOS BASIC converter and its generated examples.
Downloads
Download the original ZIP attachment(s) below. Each ZIP is unchanged, including its original sample files. These are historical binaries and source packages, not newly rebuilt software.
The automatic “Source code” downloads are the present-day recovered source collection, not an exact historical version snapshot. The archive tag records this republication; it does not backdate development history.
AQGraph.zip— SHA-256:2444c7a82e8b6df750d0e5463c8ff0b179b9a7b9d6e0a1b32f579de04e78a788