EXT. port on back??

[Tindo@heart]

I have a model 1 genesis, Model No. 1601 to be exact.

On the back there is a port labeled "EXT."

It is beside of the "CH3-CH4" switch.

It is a 9-pin port identical to the front joystick ports, but it is female.

I searched the forums here but it fussed at me for using less than 4 characters when I searched for "EXT."

I also did a quick on google and found a little information, I'll look more later.

From what I've learned so far is that it was used for a "Telemodem" that was only released in Japan. ...

they get all the good things!

I also read that

"the port can be used to commuicate with the mega drive directly and who knows what hardware will come out in the future that will use it"

Wow!

I want to learn the "pin-outs" of this port and find out all I can. I would love to hook this puppy up to the ol' PC. Even if all I can do is run simple BASIC programs, it sounds fun to toy with.

Does anyony know any information about this "EXT." port?

 

[antime]

Hardware-wise it's identical to the joypad ports, it's just labelled differently.

 

[Tindo@heart]

which joypad port? 1 or 2? or a possible 3rd player??

Do you know of any accessory that used it?

 

[antime]

Both joypad ports are identical, hardware-wise, and the EXT port is identical to those (except for the gender difference). The only accessory I know of that used the port is the modem you mentioned, and since the port was removed in later hardware revisions I doubt many accessories existed or were planned.

 

[Jeffrey]

no. That's a serial port for connecting your palm pilot.

 

[Tindo@heart]

 

[AntiPasta]

well, technically that could be done... I believe no RS232 protocol has been implemented but it could be done as all wires can be controlled separately... you could even upload your own programs to run from RAM thru it

 

[Gallstaff]

Hm that last statement got me thinking about something completely different but still sega related. I know that when the dreamcast came out, it was 1999 and soon after people started their own homebrew projects and could modify it. Since I was pretty young when the genesis was reaching it's peak popularity i was wondering if people had their own homebrew projects and such back then. I know the internet wasn't as popuar at the time so it woul probably be harder to get information on how to do such things but did people?

 

[racketboy]

Originally posted by Gallstaff@Apr 14, 2003 @ 07:59 PM

Hm that last statement got me thinking about something completely different but still sega related. I know that when the dreamcast came out, it was 1999 and soon after people started their own homebrew projects and could modify it. Since I was pretty young when the genesis was reaching it's peak popularity i was wondering if people had their own homebrew projects and such back then. I know the internet wasn't as popuar at the time so it woul probably be harder to get information on how to do such things but did people?

you'd have to have more equipment like a cart writer.

DC allows you to do homebrew stuff on a standard CDR

However, you can find numerous homebrew ROMS for the Genesis and many other systems

 

[Tindo@heart]

could these homebrew roms be loaded from the EXT. port?

 

[racketboy]

I really REALLY doubt it

 

[antime]

Of course they could, but there has to be a program running on the Megadrive listening to the port which has to be loaded either from cartridge or from CD, if you have a MegaCD. You'd also be restricted to running from RAM, so most existing programs would not work.

FYI, Charles MacDonald managed to connect a Commlink to one of the joypad ports, see the details on his homepage.

 

[SAG26]

Originally posted by Tindo@heart@Apr 9, 2003 @ 03:05 AM

I have a model 1 genesis, Model No. 1601 to be exact.

On the back there is a port labeled "EXT."

It is beside of the "CH3-CH4" switch.

It is a 9-pin port identical to the front joystick ports, but it is female.

I searched the forums here but it fussed at me for using less than 4 characters when I searched for "EXT."

I also did a quick on google and found a little information, I'll look more later.

From what I've learned so far is that it was used for a "Telemodem" that was only released in Japan. ...

they get all the good things!

I also read that

"the port can be used to commuicate with the mega drive directly and who knows what hardware will come out in the future that will use it"

Wow!

I want to learn the "pin-outs" of this port and find out all I can. I would love to hook this puppy up to the ol' PC. Even if all I can do is run simple BASIC programs, it sounds fun to toy with.

Does anyony know any information about this "EXT." port?

This is weird, because I also have the Genesis model 1 model number 1601, but there is no EXT port. What's up with that?