Possible to load new ARP codes via CD?

[jbzcar]

I searched and couldn't find any information on this...

Is there any way to load new codes to my Action Replay (EMS) via a burned CD? Maybe somehow appending the new codes to the .bin on the firmware reflash CD?

Thanks for any help! 🙂

 

[ExCyber]

I could be mistaken, but I think the Datel AR upgrade package has a code compiler/injector program...

edit: here

edit again: it seems that it works by uploading the codes to the AR via commslink. It shouldn't be too hard to find where to paste the generated CODES.BIN into the ROM image, though...

yaedit: it looks like it should be possible to append new codes (instead of replacing the entire list) by cutting off what looks like a sentinel entry:

fefe ffff ffff ffff ffff ffff

from the existing firmware image and cutting off the "---New Game---" entry from the generated CODES.BIN:

2d2d 2d20 4e65 7720 4761 6d65 202d 2d2d 0000 0000

Apparently the AR firmware sorts the list on its own, so you shouldn't need to worry about the order.

NB: arflash sucks; in particular you have to recompile to change the firmware image, and it uses SGL. I'm glad it's useful, but I'm not especially proud of it.

 

[jbzcar]

Originally posted by ExCyber@Thu, 2006-02-23 @ 04:09 PM

I could be mistaken, but I think the Datel AR upgrade package has a code compiler/injector program...

edit: here

edit again: it seems that it works by uploading the codes to the AR via commslink. It shouldn't be too hard to find where to paste the generated CODES.BIN into the ROM image, though...

[post=144623]Quoted post[/post]​

Awesome, I just wish my new PC had a stupid ISA slot. 🙁

I wonder if this would work with a Comms card and PAR...

http://www.arstech.com/usb2isa.htm

Expensive, though. 😱

 

[ExCyber]

FYI: It seems that I edited that post again while you were posting.

 

[jbzcar]

Originally posted by ExCyber@Thu, 2006-02-23 @ 04:38 PM

FYI: It seems that I edited that post again while you were posting.

[post=144626]Quoted post[/post]​

OK, I see what you are saying. 🙂

I don't trust my abilities in this respect to risk killing my Action Replay. :sigh

 

[RockinB]

Been there, done that.

I searched some new game shark codes in the net, wrote them in SATCODES.TXT, used COMPSAT.EXE to generate CODES.BIN, truncated EMS 4M Plus firmware at offset 64 kB, appended CODES.BIN and tried it in yabause 0.6.0.

It works. Flashing the real cart with it didn't work so far, because my cartport is broken. I had to try several times with both, original and patched firmware. I could get the cart running again after a couple of flashs, but it's been the original firmware.

ExCyber, your absolutely right about appending new codes to the ones in the firmware.

I used my Save Game Manager to flash the cart with new firmwares that I put on the CD. It uses ExCyber's arflash. You would have to put the new firmware on CD. Mind that you have to care about the IP.BIN. Using WinISO to insert new files won't work, as it doesn't preserve the IP.BIN.

 

[ExCyber]

Rockin'-B, or anyone else: do you have any interest in a rewrite of arflash that:

- Loads firmware from a file on disc instead of having it compiled in

- Doesn't use braindead timing code (faster flashing)

- Verifies/retries writes

- Can reasonably have support added for new flash chips (I'm not aware of stock AR hardware that has anything other than the 3 currently supported Atmel/SST ones, but maybe someone will find/make one, and besides the current detection code is just ugly)

- Can append codes on an existing firmware

And if so, are you willing to test it?

 

[RockinB]

Originally posted by ExCyber@Mon, 2006-02-27 @ 11:21 PM

Rockin'-B, or anyone else: do you have any interest in a rewrite of arflash that:

- Loads firmware from a file on disc instead of having it compiled in

- Doesn't use braindead timing code (faster flashing)

- Verifies/retries writes

- Can reasonably have support added for new flash chips (I'm not aware of stock AR hardware that has anything other than the 3 currently supported Atmel/SST ones, but maybe someone will find/make one, and besides the current detection code is just ugly)

- Can append codes on an existing firmware

And if so, are you willing to test it?

[post=144746]Quoted post[/post]​

Of course. I already made the loading from CD in SGM.

What is really, really a very good idea is the verification. Because of the errorprone cart connector, you never know if it's correct, even if it might work.

- I got an addition from SGM: depending on the size of the file, let the user select if to overwrite codes or/and save games.

- Also, it would be cool if you could check the file and see if it's a firmware, cheat codes or save games, because SGM allows to dump them (e.g. memory regions) as a backup.

- Use SYS_Exit(0) to return to multiplayer/boot disc menu.

Actually I think arflash and SGM is a good combination, because you can't beat it's flexibility in file handling. So I would like to see features, that can't be done in SGM like verification, partial flashing, code appending and speedup (I almost thought it has crashed, because "writing..." stays there for a long time).

I would test it of course.

 

[RockinB]

I just don't want to open a new topic just for that one question:

Can these carts be updated with a newer firmware: Satellite 4in1

I've never had such a cart and I don't know if they feature a PC connector on top. Anybody knows?

????

 

[ExCyber]

The important thing is the type of memory used rather than the presence/absence of a comms connector. If it uses OTP EPROM like the Datel "Pro Universal Adapter" on your cart page then you'd have to replace the chips to upgrade it. It's unlikely that the memory is very large anyway... in the very likely case that EMS just yoinked the Datel code and changed a splashscreen or similar, it would probably be the same capacity as the Pro Universal Adapter (didn't look at the datasheet but from the PN I'm guessing the capacity is 64KByte).

BTW: speaking of your cart page, I think the description of address signals is somewhat wrong, as the signal connected to A0 in an AR is actually system A1 (see the ADDR_5555 / ADDR_AAAA #defines in arflash).

Also, on the schematic site you linked to, the guy mixed up the SCU and VDP2. That's why you see so many signals going to the cart port from "VDP2" - it's actually the A-Bus coming from the SCU...

 

[RockinB]

Originally posted by ExCyber@Thu, 2006-03-02 @ 07:28 PM

The important thing is the type of memory used rather than the presence/absence of a comms connector. If it uses OTP EPROM like the Datel "Pro Universal Adapter" on your cart page then you'd have to replace the chips to upgrade it. It's unlikely that the memory is very large anyway... in the very likely case that EMS just yoinked the Datel code and changed a splashscreen or similar, it would probably be the same capacity as the Pro Universal Adapter (didn't look at the datasheet but from the PN I'm guessing the capacity is 64KByte).

[post=144825]Quoted post[/post]​

Yes, I've already looked into the Pro Universal Adapter. However the Satellite 4in1 must have a memory cart feature, a cheat code feature and so on, so there must be some flashrom on the cart. The question is if the firmware itself is inside flashrom, too.

Anybody got a Satellite 4in1 and is willing to look inside?

About the pinout, I'll add a comment later. Thanks.

 

[ExCyber]

D'oh, I was thinking of the regular Satellite, not the 4-in-1.

 

[RockinB]

Originally posted by Rockin'-B@Mon, 2006-02-27 @ 05:50 PM

I searched some new game shark codes in the net, wrote them in SATCODES.TXT, used COMPSAT.EXE to generate CODES.BIN, truncated EMS 4M Plus firmware at offset 64 kB, appended CODES.BIN and tried it in yabause 0.6.0.

It works. Flashing the real cart with it didn't work so far, because my cartport is broken. I had to try several times with both, original and patched firmware. I could get the cart running again after a couple of flashs, but it's been the original firmware.

[post=144735]Quoted post[/post]​

I tried it again and I could not get it working on real hardware, only in yabause. I did nothing else but just replacing the codes with new codes, but on real hardware it stays at the PAR title screen. Could it be that there needs to be some modification done in the firmware elsewhere, too? Anyone disassembled the PAR code update function to find out what it does when updating the codes?