PlayStation Development Network

Hah, thanks guys.
I was using DSCaler with a PCI cap card on my old rig, but the new one only has PCIe.
Shame - the cap card reacts more like a real analogue CRT and supported a bunch of video modes.

I still have a PAL60/NTSC crt, but yeah, space concerns.

Is there any real problem with trying a PCIe 1x solution?
(other than price/availability, lol)

No, the requirement is actually a card that DScaler supports

But this is all probably legacy these days.
There must be a 240p low lag supporting Composite / S-Video capture device available.

If you care about a hardware solution with RGB to your PC monitor, try my solution:
https://github.com/ramapcsx2/gbs-control
It requires a $15 upscaler board, $5 ESP8266 microcontroller board and misc cables / adapters.
It converts any RGB / YPbPr source to VGA (HDMI with an additional $5 converter) that your display accepts.

The picture quality is very good, comparable to a Framemeister or OSSC, if you know these devices

But it is a barebones board and some soldering may be required. Not really a nice consumer product.

sicklebrick youre back, YAY.

I have a usb capture device such as that. It has RCA inputs I think. I have never used it and it is buried in my storage unit somewhere.... not sure if it is PAL compatible

Hey guys!
New user here!

I'm waiting on a Xplorer FX to arrive, so I'm doing some prep work in the meantime. Is it possible to boot into the Unirom CD-r using Xplorer FX, or will I need to do the swap trick (with the disc still spinning)?

One last thing, will Xplorer FX be enough for storing the full Unirom "experience", or will I need a device with more memory?

dannyboyswe wrote: August 31st, 2018, 6:25 am Hey guys!
New user here!

I'm waiting on a Xplorer FX to arrive, so I'm doing some prep work in the meantime. Is it possible to boot into the Unirom CD-r using Xplorer FX, or will I need to do the swap trick (with the disc still spinning)?

One last thing, will Xplorer FX be enough for storing the full Unirom "experience", or will I need a device with more memory?

greetings dannyboyswe

I think there was a spring, that held down the lid open sensor / button on the ps1, originally came with xplorer fx, for the purpose of swapping. You will likely not have this spring, maybe you can buy a spring like that on ebay or something...

I used breaker pro to stop and start the disc, but that is irrelevant to you probably as it is no longer for sale. Also still had to use the tape (tape down the sensor) or the unirom disc would not boot.

Yes I do not like hot swapping but if you just do it a couple times its probably fine for your console...

I think if you tape down the sensor you might be able to stop the disc with xplorer fx but you will have to navigate the xplorer fx menu.

It works well if you cut off a couple q-tip heads wrap them in a ball of tape and then tape that over the sensor and make sure the tape is out of the way of the disc.

I believe the xplorer fx has a whopping 256k of memory and works just great with unirom Caetla. BUT I am NOT SURE because I live in america where we have different ones like gameshark. In fact, when I detect my gameshark cartridge it detects it as "xplorer (256k)" so that is a good sign.

masternoxx wrote: August 31st, 2018, 6:43 am greetings dannyboyswe

I think there was a spring, that held down the lid open sensor / button on the ps1, originally came with xplorer fx, for the purpose of swapping. You will likely not have this spring, maybe you can buy a spring like that on ebay or something...

I used breaker pro to stop and start the disc, but that is irrelevant to you probably as it is no longer for sale. Also still had to use the tape (tape down the sensor) or the unirom disc would not boot.

Yes I do not like hot swapping but if you just do it a couple times its probably fine for your console...

I think if you tape down the sensor you might be able to stop the disc with xplorer fx but you will have to navigate the xplorer fx menu.

It works well if you cut off a couple q-tip heads wrap them in a ball of tape and then tape that over the sensor and make sure the tape is out of the way of the disc.

I believe the xplorer fx has a whopping 256k of memory and works just great with unirom Caetla. BUT I am NOT SURE because I live in america where we have different ones like gameshark. In fact, when I detect my gameshark cartridge it detects it as "xplorer (256k)" so that is a good sign.

All went well!!! I got the hang of hot swapping after a while. Maybe it's still in my muscle memory (I had to use hot swapping way back when I was a kid in 1995 when I wanted to play NHL Face Off, which was a US Import).

Is there a way to add cheats to Caetla without having to put them in manually? I was hoping to just burn a cheat database to a CDr and import them that way, but something tells me that's not possible, but wishfull thinking has never hurt anybody

@kHn Thanks for the reply, they mentioned they burned the .exe to cd. Whats the proper method of doing so?

dannyboyswe wrote: September 9th, 2018, 8:52 am Is there a way to add cheats to Caetla without having to put them in manually? I was hoping to just burn a cheat database to a CDr and import them that way, but something tells me that's not possible, but wishfull thinking has never hurt anybody

Probably, but I wouldnt attempt it since there is so little leftover storage space on the cart. The cart is 256k and unirom caetla uses probably 240k

You could just burn a cheat cd, best one is xploder cd 9000 v4. It has the most codes. Just boot it with normal unirom

the more cheat codes you use at once can make problems, slowdown and jittering, crashes, corrupt saves. I recommend only use one or two at a time

Ive gotten pretty good at entering codes in caetla anyways you can get really fast at it, and also, no cheat device has anywhere near ALL the codes anyways. The current game I am playing I think has 1500 different codes for it, only 3 or so which are listed on a cheat disc.

Usually what I do is make a new entry and start it with the number 0 and then a space and then the game name and then you can start it really fast from caetla since it will be at the top of the list.

Would there be a future update to support Pro Action Replay 1.95 (Japanese) cheat cartridge? (It has the SST 29EE010 chip)
Tried it with UniROM v6 but it's detected as "Unknown 08 01"

Thanks!

Hi. I have an issue in final fantasy 7 where if in combat you only get the attack option. This does not happen if I load the disc in an emulator. My saves are from when I had a legit copy of the game. Steps I use to start the game: x to get past welcome to unirom, then nocash, then fast boot (fast bios boot hangs). Using unirom standalone flashed to a game shark. Everything works except the combat menu.

I have a few questions about UniROM if Sicklebrick or anyone can answer.

I'm using:

• PS1 SCPH-7501
• GameShark Enhancer v2.2 256k with UniROM v6
• Verbatim AZO DataLifePlus CD-R's
• GT70N Burner at 10x
• ImgBurn
• CloneCD

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I could only install UniROM Standalone (Caetla NTSC failed) and can only use FastBoot, while Fast BIOS Boot hangs.

Questions

1. What is the Difference between FastBoot and Fast BIOS Boot?
2. Does FastBoot skip loading the BIOS and miss instructions to run the game properly?
3. Will Fast BIOS Boot make backup games with problems run better?
4. Can you make Fast BIOS Boot work with UniROM Standalone?
5. What does the on/off switch on the GameShark do with UniROM?
6. Why won't UniROM + Caetla NTSC install to my 256k cart?

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Problems

Here's a list of games that did not work with FastBoot. Is there a way to get them working?

• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Freezes on UniROM FastBoot loading screen
• Chrono Cross - Freezes after pressing Start on Start Menu
• Crash Team Racing - Some levels freeze on Loading screen
• Einhander (US & JP) - Black Screen on boot
• Final Fantasy 7 - Text intro gets stuck in a loop
• Legend of Mana - Black Screen after Title Screen
• Mega Man Legends 2 - No audio on cutscenes
• Metal Gear Solid 1 - Freezes during first FMV scene transition
• Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions - Black Screen on boot
• Raycrisis (JP) - Freezes when pressing O for special attack
• Resident Evil 2 - Black screen after intro cutscene
• The Next Tetris - Freezes on loading level
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 - Freezes on loading level (Even with GameShark fix)
• Valkyrie Profile - Black Screen on boot
• Wild Arms 2 - Text intro gets stuck in a loop

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Temporary Fix

I came across this post which says to first boot a GameShark Lite CD using UniROM FastBoot, then load the game from the GameShark menu. Xploder CD also works.

This has fixed almost all problems, black screens, freezing, even the missing audio in Mega Man Legends 2.

What is the GameShark CD doing to load the games properly?

I'm using a GameShark 2 CD. You can burn one from an iso/bin or buy the real CD, you don't need the card that comes with it.

1. FastBoot the GameShark CD with UniROM
2. Select Language
3. Go to Main Menu
4. Open Disc Tray, Remove GameShark CD
5. Insert your game CD
6. Press Start Game
7. Launch game with or without cheats

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Answers

UniROM Version

I downgraded from v6 to v4.4 so I could use BIOS Boot, however this seems to only be for booting original games, and will not boot backups. I get the Please insert PlayStation CD-ROM screen.

To boot a backup with v6 I choose FastBoot.

To boot a backup with v4.4 I have to press R1 (NoCash Unlock) then R2 (FastBoot), which is faster than navigating through the menu in v6.

CD Burning

I found using CloneCD + ccd/sub/img instead of ImgBurn + cue/bin fixed some disc problems.

Information:

The main difference between a cue/bin and ccd/sub/img is the extra .sub file, which contains subchannel data from CD. The sub file is for emulating libcrypt copy protection present in some games. Check redump.org to see if your game is with copy protection, if it's not, there is no reason to keep the .sub file.

Hi guys,
If i buy Dragon Hacker i can use it for UniRom? I searched on google but it seems almost zero information about it.
Do you have some information? Should i buy it to test "for the community"?

[BBvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC6MjGFtfCE[/BBvideo]

Maaan sickle your work is truly splendid for us hardware freaks! Buuut

a 60hz force feature would be absolutely splendid so I don't chew up no more of my spindle boot discing!

EDIT: Also thanks to ye I got to Vib-Ribbon and the swap for music disc WORKS! Thank you so much!

epsx wrote: January 25th, 2019, 11:50 pm Hi guys,
If i buy Dragon Hacker i can use it for UniRom? I searched on google but it seems almost zero information about it.
Do you have some information? Should i buy it to test "for the community"?

Doesnt matter about the cart - its the flash part that it contains that needs to be supported. Look at the list of supported flash types and make sure the cart has the same part. I have gameshark clones that have incompatible flash parts and some that are compatible.

@dannyboyswe

Hmm, I can't remember how the swap trick works with XFX stock, but yeah, essentially jam the sensor down, start with a black disk, enter the file explorer, back out, put in the CDR, start the game. That should do it. Might have to put the switch to the off position right before hitting play though.

XFX is the biggest and baddest of the carts, it's best time you can have
(512kb writable, 384 accessable vs like 128 with other carts, there's stuff in the middle with like 256, etc)


There is a way to send cheats via the parallel port, but I've not had a working parallel port for ages (hampering development right now, trying to switch to serial), so I can't remember what to use. Probably CatFlap and some kinda LPT driver for NT.

@Kailen
There's a .bin file in the download .zip, ram that into IMGburn, then use the swap trick above or another swap trick

@bitcrush
The XFlash part of the code is not mine, I've just bundled it as it's convenient as all hell to install Unirom. Unfortunately I think tim doesn't have the source any more, but some work has been done to decompile it, so *maybe* at some point in the future, more chips could be patched in, but I mean out of 40 or so test carts I got (local shop had them in the attic, lmao) I've had that problem maybe one time? Literally any other cart should work. Or solder on a new EEProm, lol!


@xmutantson
Wow, that's pretty specific. The various boot options are right now very problematic - every approach seems to break a different set of games. I need to really sit down and see how XPlorer, etc does it, but first I need a PSX with a *really* reliable laser, and a less shit capture card. It'll get around to it!

@wyzrd
As above, the boot options are kinda screwey!
1- BIOS boot unlocks the CD unit, then attemps to remove various secondary checks build into the normal GUI boot sequence. Touch & go.
2- Completely new boot routine... stolen from caetla, but badly implemented. Something's fucky with this, and I really need to work at it (see above, lol but yeah, on-cd xplorer, gameshark, etc does a much better job of booting)
3- It's hit & miss
4- It's supposed to!
5- Depends on which version you install. If it's Unirom+Caetla, one is for unirom, one is for caetla. If it's standalone, IIRC, it skips init, or allows you to init later in the boot sequence, e.g. if you're having trouble with a broken rom.
6- What happens when you try?

Thanks for the list btw, and that info about the LibCrypt games - I've never had the time to look into that but wow, I'll definitely have a shot with CloneCD instead!


@mistamontiel
Omg, send me that disc... I've been implementing that feature in the background and struggling with a few games.
Let's get that built in!


Looking forward to getting some more work in on this soon, Cheers!

A 60Hz patcher would be so awesome.
PAL users usually have much better access to those titles, but no one really wants to endure 50Hz gameplay ...

I think one of the best working patchers is actually Import Player Light (a further developed Import Player CD):

ImportPlayer Light is an utility that allows you to play PlayStation games from all regions, even protected games or games in a different video mode than the one your TV uses.

This version fixes some bugs in the older versions and adds some features such as in-game screen positioning (press L1+L2+R1+R2 & use the directional buttons) and support for PSX games on PS2 (in PSOne mode only).

It does not include Game Cheats but it includes an Anti-Mod & Anti-AR killer to bypass Mod-Chip Protections & Action-Replay checks.

https://consolecopyworld.com/psx/psx_utils_bootcd.shtml
The routine probably runs in vblank and it must be really efficient. I noticed very few compatibility issues.
This is why this 60Hz patcher is so great!

Regarding the compatibility list wyzrd posted, I think all those issues were only present in earlier UniROM builds and have long been fixed. At least I know that Chrono Cross had that issue at first, and it got fixed at around v6 or so.

rama3 wrote: April 5th, 2019, 12:36 am boot cd!

That is fucking fantastic! Been working on this from scratch (hooking vblank, and using a secondary hook to reissue the first hook when some games overwrite it), and it's fairly easy to make something that works nicely for one group of games, but then things will start to break in another random group. Really itching to go over the code for this one and see what tricks they're up to! In either case, the Eu/Jap/US versions of it use an identical .EXE so I think it'll be worth replacing the custom boot sequence on UniROM with this.

Dan also pointed out in PMs that the source for XFlash is available now, and tbh that's kinda awesome.

UniROM's pretty much all assembly - which is fun, but I'm already hitting addressing limitations, the code's kinda messy and cobbled together from so many sources. That and I don't have a ton of time to maintain much code (plus C is just waaay faster).

I'm thinking, going forward it'll be better to:
-Add serial support to XFlash, and keep using that
-Replace the custom boot sequence (very picky) with the import player .exe

Probs the best way to improve UniROM given my limited time and to eventually clean it up enough to the point where I can start sharing the source without having to support and document the assembly. (and all the weird tricks used to combine caetla, no$unlock caetla, etc lol)

First things first though, gotta get me some working PSX lasers and convert cruncher to C#!

Also, sorry for the double post, but I was laughin my ass off at this a few mins ago:

Fuckin sorry man!!! I idled in shit mIRC for like a half-month, no idear that this thread was going to pick back up

PM in progress

EDIT: I see libcrypt was mentioned! Like to say again I've played authentic black/purple w/e Metal Gear Integral discs FastBoot stock PS1 just to bypass region-check! And it becomes riddled with missing effects!

I even tried my burnt ones with xdelta patches that removes libcrypt and the same lots of missing effects sounds

She's still great though over PS-X-Change keep the hood up er via Bleem!cast

Yes making the PAL titles accessible in 60hz without swapping would be delicious!

sicklebrick wrote: April 5th, 2019, 10:47 pm Also, sorry for the double post, but I was laughin my ass off at this a few mins ago:

Gotta' honour the pros buddy