UniROM 8.0.K - GDB Debugging, install/backup to/from memory card, homebrew from memcard, etc

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Post by sickle » June 17th, 2020, 1:44 am

Haker120 wrote: June 16th, 2020, 6:13 pm tag
Lol this really sent me down the rabbit hole...

Just so we're clear
- What region is the console (Exact model number)?
- What region is the game disc?
- Is it a real or burned disc?

Integral did trigger the mod detection with the chip turned on ( but was fine with just nocash unlock ) on my 5552.
But Medievil is a weird one. It's the only protected game I know of that triggers the anti-mod for the nocash unlock

I'm honestly not sure dude, could be just that console/drive or a few specific models, but in the mean time the USA version is perfectly playable (NTSC->PAL)!

As far as the Xplorer FX goes, I think it'll be fine (no guarantees).
There have been a few upgrades in terms of supported chips & dual-chip models. (And the one you've ordered might not even be dual chip, lol) I use a single-chip XFX every day for example.

Squaresoft74 pointed out that if it's some weird unknown model then *Caetla* might not be able to save its settings, but I've patched caetla in later releases to auto detect region, so there's no need to manually set your video mode.
Pippy wrote: June 16th, 2020, 11:55 am tag

Lol, wtf, does everyone just have Free MCBoot'd PS2s kicking around.
Memcard support is next on the list, so we'll see, but no guarantees!

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Post by Haker120 » June 17th, 2020, 2:13 am

Ok, model 5502 PAL, no modchip - modchip detected screen, 7502 - everything is fine, discs, original Japanese copy and backup made by me. Region of MGS Integral is only one: NTSC-J. USA version of normal MGS works great for me.


As for MediEvil, I returned original PAL copy to my friend, my own NTSC-U/C, original and backup, work perfect. And doesn't seem I need NTSC -> PAL fixes with RGB cable but I tested for MGS: Integral with no luck.


Ok, probably I'll get my XFX tomorrow, hopefully no bricks and obviously I'll let you know. ;)


And video modes of what? Console? Cartridge? And original PAL CTR gives me problems but it might be disc because without UniROM it has problems to load as well.


And I bet only for UniROM support to flash from MC because size, righty? :) (make sure to give support for crappy non-genuine MCs xD Just kidding:) )


Edit: Odd, my good acquaintance desoldered ground plate and we found color fix or something, he removed that and 5502 doesn't have problem with MGS: Integral anymore! Still waiting for XFX as I write this. :)

Image

Well... at least it didn't brick it and I don't want UniROM alone, for this I have GameShark. xD

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Post by sickle » June 25th, 2020, 1:34 pm

Cool, cheers for getting back to me.

I actually went on a little binge after your last post trying to figure out what was going on (and having a wee play of Medievil :D). There are certain games you can't just rip without patches.... "LibCrypt" which hides bits n bytes on the disc which aren't easy to replicate. (So ripping your own ISO won't work). Another thing is that the NTSC version won't (generally) trigger mod chip detection on a PAL console, and vice versa. (E.g. only PAL on PAL, or NTSC on NTSC).

Good you found the chip though, that was properly confusing me!

As for the cart... could you do me a huge solid and see if like b3 or something flashes properly? I changed a few things, and if that works I can easily patch it back into the next update. Thanks!

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Post by Haker120 » June 25th, 2020, 7:36 pm

Sure thing but I see B1 and B2 next B4 so? ;)

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Post by sickle » June 26th, 2020, 10:26 am

Try B2 even, thanks again.
If that works I can have a fix for Saturday!
(otherwise I have to order that part to test)

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Post by Haker120 » June 26th, 2020, 8:21 pm

UNIROM_RELEASE_8.0b2_R2 stucks on CHECKING CART... so I guess I'm out of luck. ;)

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Post by sickle » June 27th, 2020, 5:16 am

Aww booo! I'll try to order that part then and get it tested.
You up for taking a high res picture of the board/chip? :)

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Post by Haker120 » June 27th, 2020, 8:23 pm

I hope these are good enough. :)

I got transparent-green gameshark, it had german menu, case and plug to parallel port in rough shape but works with UniROM as intended. :)

So, how these pics help ya, @sickle? :)

Image
Image
Image
Image

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Post by sickle » June 30th, 2020, 10:06 am

Thanks so much for that.
Does it work with the standalone version?

Unfortunately (lucky! been trying to find one) it's a double-eeprom cart and I've not been able to add support for the 2nd 12k8 yet.

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Post by Squaresoft74 » June 30th, 2020, 12:31 pm

Ah the infamous dual banked FX model.
The one you don't want to pick up when buying an FX and also the one you never pick up when you deliberately want one ! :lol:

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Post by Haker120 » June 30th, 2020, 7:49 pm

Well, I have no idea why double bank thingy is problematic, however I don't mind to wait. Plus I don't see a reason to use standalone UniROM, I use it as a cheat device and I have these:
Image

A little story about these. XD GameShark, nice condition, spent few years in box (yes, all papers boxed), I planned to sell it but I found it can be usefull. Green one to be spare one in rough shape, bought as dead, IPA bath revived it, one pin to parallel port bent but it had no problem to be flashed and works, and finally XFX, bought to be a cheat device (I have no problem which menu as long as works as UniROM + cheat device), First GameShark was bundled in second ps1 I bought, second bought for $2.5 but with shipping $36 (ebay), and XFX (bought locally), around $54,45, 216PLN. Sorry but I felt to describe it. :)

So, @sickle, do you want me to risk to flash standalone UniROM? As krHACKen said, standalone UniROM will be no problem. :D

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Post by sickle » July 1st, 2020, 12:26 am

I just wondered if it would work! In the mean time, I'm sorry - you'll have to hang on while I get ahold of double-chip carts :(

Lol nah, it was cool to see your collection. $2.5 dollars is a steal :D

I think standalone will be no problem... but you won't be able to flash the original thing back... so it's okay if you don't.
Thanks for letting me know though!

Squaresoft74 wrote: June 30th, 2020, 12:31 pm Ah the infamous dual banked FX model.
The one you don't want to pick up when buying an FX and also the one you never pick up when you deliberately want one ! :lol:
So true!

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Post by Haker120 » July 1st, 2020, 3:34 am

Then I'm waiting, would be nice if XFX will be my main UniROM cartridge plus cheat thingy, 2in1. :) And having 2 with standalone UniROM is enough for now. :D

$2.5 plus $33.5 shipping to Poland. xD

I really would but I don't wanna lose cheating possibility plus hassle with turning back one of GameShark risking brick is a no-no for me. :( Then I wait paaaaaaaatiently. :P

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Post by Squaresoft74 » July 1st, 2020, 4:44 am

Assuming you have a way to run PS exe, you can recover your dual banked FX using files i posted here.

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Post by Haker120 » July 1st, 2020, 5:57 am

I have Pentium 1, 386, 486 and Pentium 4 with win98SE PCs with parallel ports but I don't have a cable to connect these and no idea how to do this anyway. xD

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Post by Apache Thunder » July 1st, 2020, 6:21 pm

I think a normal cable used for things like ZIP drives and scanners should work. BUT some carts required a special ISA card installed in the PC and have the parallel cable going to that instead from what I've read? I've been wanting to dump my Code Card cart too (rom menu goes by Gold Finger).

I happen to end up with two of these things due to first one with damaged connector (likely from poor packaging in shipping). I was able to repair it. Took out bent pin and pulled another unused pin to replace it. Fun fact with this cart almost half the pins aren't connected to anything on the PCB so I pulled a bunch to replace suspect pins that weren't in good shape.

Cart works reliably now. I hot glued the plastic connector in place to make sure it doesn't come off anytime I pull the cart off the back of the PS1 as the reduced number of pins in the connector means it's not held in as well as it used to be.

The second cart I got to replace it was in much better shape (and came with original packaging unlike the first one) so that was the one I flashed Unirom standalone to.

I too want to dump it's rom but currently have no means of doing it. I have a couple old Win95/Win98 machines but X-Killer doesn't detect them (and interestingly enough whenever I try to detect/dump rom, the cart's rom will freeze. Even the one with Unirom on it does this).

Maybe it actually requires the special networking LPT cable commonly used to network 2 computers together. I got one of those many years back. I stll have it, but it's buried in my closet somewhere and I haven't been able to find it. :P

(but chances are I need a special ISA card?)

Hard to find the info I need to attempt using LPT port and what software I needed. I tried both x-flash and just having the cart booted from it's normal rom instead of booting into x-flash off CD and in both cases X-Killer can't dump it. Does the LPT port need to be in a specific mode? I had it in ECP mode in all cases but maybe it needs one of the older modes like Bi-directional....

I guess I need a serial cable instead but don't have the money/time to "build" one at the moment. :(

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Post by Haker120 » July 2nd, 2020, 12:25 am

What cable? I never bothered to plug that old printer or scaner to DOS/Win95/98 PCs. ;)

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Post by sickle » July 5th, 2020, 5:51 am

Right, so yeah some carts do need the adapter isa.
Simple rule of thumb though:

Xplorer (any), Action Replay 3, Gameshark 3 = no adapter needed
Anything else = adapter needed.

The V3 carts are very identifiable because they have a weird curved shape unlike basically every other card.

As for the cable, I think they all generally work. I never encountered one that didn't!
It's a "DB25 male to female" you're after.
No special BIOS settings as far as I remember (I might be wrong!)
Os wise, i think all the 64-bit windows ones are a nono, 32bit win7 is doable.

Quick note:

Unirom 8 does *not* support parallel IO any more.
There's been a gradual shift away from it for obvious reasons to those cheap kinda 2 dolla USB serial dongle things.



Take a link cable, splice it in half, sellotape (lol) 3 of the wires, and you're good!

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Post by Haker120 » July 5th, 2020, 11:50 pm

Soldering is a no-no for me and I don't feel need to reverse my cartridges back to stock. ;)

Keep waiting for UniROM for my XFX. :D

@sickle, issue detected, green GameShark:
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Post by mistamontiel » July 6th, 2020, 9:01 am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5838pr793v0

@ 5:50 just discovered that "title", forgot the SCUS-xxxxx identifier, did Discord you it!

v8b5 it hangs on the UniROM screen when reads it up

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