GameShark, Action Replay & Pro Comms Link pictures

[Type 79]

Few pictures of GameSharks.

[Administrator]

I have a Pro 3.0 thanks to a friend who gave it to me

[Type 79]

Action Replay - Datel Ref 1215
Pro Comms Link - Date Ref 1113

[Gradius]

Just buy a PCie Parallel port and you're good to go.

Or mod it to be USB-ready.

[t0rxe]

Just buy a PCie Parallel port and you're good to go.

Won't work. Those PCI-E parallel ports don't work with SPP mode and cause a lot of issues.

[Gradius]

Just buy a PCie Parallel port and you're good to go.

Won't work. Those PCI-E parallel ports don't work with SPP mode and cause a lot of issues.

Really? Well, I have one here, I still need to test it thought.

[danhans42]

My laptop has a PCI-E LPT port in it which is ECP and it works just fine. Dont think it actually matters what mode you have it set to in Windows 2000/XP/7 etc as the IO driver used by the software talks to it directly. There are some PCI-E printer ports which are designed just for printing which are useless for this.

Only problem with the newer gameshark is that it is unsupported by caetla as far as I know.

[Orion_]

This kind of action replay are not to use with parallel port (even if it looks like)
it can be used only using a ISA comm link card. ISA port is obsolete in today standards.
you can only use the Xplorer action replay with a parallel port.

[Gradius]

My laptop has a PCI-E LPT port in it which is ECP and it works just fine. Dont think it actually matters what mode you have it set to in Windows 2000/XP/7 etc as the IO driver used by the software talks to it directly. There are some PCI-E printer ports which are designed just for printing which are useless for this.

I confirmed you need to have a LPT1 or LPT2 in the ports 0x378 or 0x278 respectively, or it will not works!

The software is way too dumb and limited to "talk" to LPT in other way. So in case of PCIe it will not works, however somes PCI cards allows to be mapped on old default ports (see above), but these are rare today.

Btw, the real default port should be 0x3BC, but I always saw 0x378 since when I started to using 80286 (my 1st PC), back in 80's.

If we had the source code for GSPro tool it wouldn't be hard to readapt to today's standard. Or just to create a new totalio.sys (allowing new mapping).

AR/GS protocol:
http://hitmen.c02.at/files/docs/psx/GS32Comms.htm

Code example:
http://hitmen.c02.at/files/src/psx/GS32Comms.zip

[danhans42]

This kind of action replay are not to use with parallel port (even if it looks like)
it can be used only using a ISA comm link card. ISA port is obsolete in today standards.
you can only use the Xplorer action replay with a parallel port.

Unlike the Older AR/GS version 1 or 2, the Gameshark Pro V3.0 Is for use with a parallel port, not the comms link card.

[nocash]

Here's another PCB (photo taken by Charles MacDonald, some of the below PIC notes and schematics are from Charles, too):


Interestingly, this thing contains an 28pin PIC16C55 microprocessor. The GameShark Pro V3 photo from Type 79 does also seem to have a PIC on it (the small 8pin chip with blue marking, and text 12C50 or so; it's hard to read on the photo) (the other 8pin chips on the various PCBs are probably all 78L05 voltage regulators; though the part number isn't legible on all photos).

Schematics
http://dreamjam.co.uk/emuviews/old2012.php - GameShark and GoldFinger specs/schematics (at bottom of page)
http://dreamjam.co.uk/emuviews/old2011.php - Comms Link specs/schematics (at top of page)
Two cautions:
For the PIC: the schematic showing the connection to the Flash OE# is a mistake; the pin is not connected to anything.
For the Comms Link: There are DIP and SMD versions, official "Datel" versions, and supposedly unlicensed "Kent" versions. As far as I understood, Charles originally used a Datel card with DIP chips, and, after it broke, switched to using a Kent card with SMD chips (mentioning that here because the Comms Link schematic may contain info from the two PCB versions mixed together; though they should be working the same, so that mixing might be no problem at all).

[gwald]

I got two carts, one blue (action replay label) on the left, grey no label... both have caetal v .35

Not sure if any of these are v3.

[Greg]

I think you have two action replay, both are 3 chip config.

[rimsky82]

Why are we taking pictures? I have 8 or 10 cartridges I could share pictures of they would prove useful.

Also, CommsLinkUSB is a thing? I want one.

[DD-Indeed]

Hey, I gotta ask couple questions. I just bought this for 10 bucks:










I already figured out, that it's a japanese made Action Replay-clone, made by Karat. If I did understand correctly, it uses this E.M.S V1.5 ROM in it. And the code list inside it is on txt-format, so it could be edited in PC. What's more, it includes build in modchip (if the information is correct).


Hopefully there would be someone, who knows about these to answer certain question that I have:

1. Since it's japanese device and I live in PAL-region with PAL console, does PAL codes work with that alongside genuine game discs I have ?

2. Is there any way to connect it to PC and tweak it with PC ?

3. Can I install different, better ROM to it ?


This is one page, where I found some good info about these devices:

http://xianaix.net/



Hopefully someone could help me with this, would be much appreciated.

[Administrator]

1) Should do.
2) Yes but you need a FreeWing or a CommsLink ISA Card.
3) You should be able to put CAETLA, but it'll be useless for PC comms.

[DD-Indeed]

1) Should do.
2) Yes but you need a FreeWing or a CommsLink ISA Card.
3) You should be able to put CAETLA, but it'll be useless for PC comms.

Thanks Shadow, much appreciated. So basically, it's useless thing nowadays, I can't just buy CommsLink USB cable or anything like that to be used with that ? Or will this kind of cable work with it ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-2-0-Male- ... 1736470990


I dicussed about this on other forum and one guy over there told me about, that these cheat cartridges can harm your system, they apparrently burn something from the video chipset. I assume, that it could be about, that if you play import games with PAL system, it can harm the video chipset, if you haven't done some modifications to it, right ? He stated specifically about 5500-series consoles.

[Administrator]

Yeah it's useless except for using it as a cheat cartridge really.
No that cable won't work.
Err, that information is false.

[DD-Indeed]

Yeah it's useless except for using it as a cheat cartridge really.
No that cable won't work.
Err, that information is false.

Allright, thanks again, gotta just manually apply the codes to it then and hope that it works. Tried some codes with Medievil, but couldn't get it working. Gotta test out more, but finding PAL codes is difficult task nevertheless.

[Squaresoft74]

Gotta test out more, but finding PAL codes is difficult task nevertheless.

Try BSFree or GameHacking.