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@github-actions github-actions released this 30 Aug 22:45
v1.0.0
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Release Notes:

  • Build Date: 2026-08-30 22:45:45 UTC
  • Version: v1.0.0

Changelog

v1.0.0 (2026-08-20) - first release

First public build of the Cubase Dongle Emulator, a SidecarTridge
MultiDevice microfirmware that emulates Steinberg's Cubase copy-protection
dongles, so you can run Cubase on a real Atari ST / STE / MegaST(E) / TT / Falcon
without the original hardware key.

Dongle emulation

  • Emulates two dongles, picked from the boot menu:
    • Cubase 3 "red dongle" (Intel 5C060 registered PLD): a 16-bit state
      machine, answered on ROM3 ($FB0000) exactly like the real silicon. Covers
      the Cubase V3 family: Cubase 3.0, 3.01, 3.10 and Cubase Score 2.x.
    • Cubase 2 "black dongle": an 8-bit state machine that advances on every
      68000 bus cycle (clocked on /UDS). Covers the Cubase V2 family: Cubase
      2.0, 2.01 and 2.2x.
  • Neither is a stored key. Each state machine is compressed to a lookup table
    derived from cross-checked hardware descriptions and verified exhaustively: the
    red over all 131072 transitions (JEDEC fuse map, de-fused equations, and an
    m68k reference model), the black (2 KB table) over all 65536.
  • Verified on hardware: Cubase 3.10 and Cubase Score 2.0 (red) and Cubase 2.01
    (black) all accept the emulated dongle and run.

Response engines

  • Red (V3): served entirely by PIO + DMA. The FSM state lives in a PIO
    register and two chained DMA channels do the LUT lookup and next-state feedback,
    with no CPU on the response path. This removes the cartridge-bus timing race
    under Cubase's fast read bursts.
  • Black (V2): one PIO plus a dedicated core continuously track the machine on
    every bus cycle; a second PIO drives the response on each ROM3 read via the same
    DMA fetch trick.

Boot menu

  • A boot menu is shown on every power-on: choose the dongle family, and an
    auto-boot countdown launches straight into GEM. Any key stops the countdown.
    • [E] enter GEM with the selected dongle · [X] back to Booster · [D]
      change dongle (shown once more than one family is available).
    • The physical SELECT button returns to the menu (short press) or to Booster
      (long press), and keeps working while Cubase is running.
  • The catalogue is structured for the whole Cubase line: Cubase V1, V2 (black),
    V3, and Cubase Audio Falcon, with the not-yet-developed families hidden.
    Cubase V2 (black) and Cubase V3 ship in this release; Cubase V1 and
    Cubase Audio Falcon are groundwork.

Slim firmware

  • Stripped to the essentials for a dongle emulator: no Wi-Fi, no microSD, no
    USB, no status LED.
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