Something I've been working on.

mastamuzz · May 19, 2014

KalessinDB said:
To be fair, this wouldn't be the first system we've gotten an optical drive replacement for. There's the SD card loading GDEMU for DC and the USB replacement for 3DO, plus I know others are in the works. One of the biggest downfalls of optical drive based systems is eventually those optical drives fail, and the replacement isn't always easy to do for the average user (or even possible to find sometimes)

there is a GD drive replace for HDD on dreamcast look around, SD card is too slow, on the subject of optical drives they are all available right now for any cd based system is just a matter of getting the best price, most of them are quite easy to swap, the hardest I've done is the CDX cause you take the whole thing apart, any other are pretty straight forward. that is no excuse really. unless you were born inside a fallout game and you have a 0 repair skills and 0 technology then it will just take time but not impossible for the average user.

mikew said:
>>

>>When uploading MVS games, are you doing the graphics bit swap in real time?

Yes, the required 68K patching and V-ROM/C-ROM demultiplexing is also done in realtime. You can basically point it at an MVS rom and it will figure out how translate that to NGCD code on the fly.

wow just wow I am very impressed I can't wait to get my hands on that bios and everyone knows why I am called Eager Beaver here! just can't wait!!

mikew · May 20, 2014

mastamuzz said:
wow just wow I am very impressed I can't wait to get my hands on that bios and everyone knows why I am called Eager Beaver here! just can't wait!!

Hi Mastamuzz,

There's a couple of BIOS, which one are you interested in? The development bios is more or less complete, it's the one that allows you to upload/execute CD games, MVS games ( if they fit in NGCD memory ), and homebrew code. The NGCD Universebios is a work in progress, it will also have the aforementioned features built in.

Mike

TeamShake · May 21, 2014

deleted off topic post

mastamuzz · May 21, 2014

ahhhh since dreamshell haves support for HDD there are different projects going on search the net before jumping to conclusions and please don't post more on this thread about any other topic but the NGCD project from RAZ any further comments send me a PM or start a new thread and invite me by PM period

cdoty · May 22, 2014

mikew said:
The USB dev system is $150 but you also need a NeoBiosMasta ($15) from NeoTurfMasta.

Is there an option to boot the dev system for CD for homebrew? I though it was shown in one video. I have absolutely no soldering skills, so I wouldn't want to risk damaging a Neo Geo CD.

mikew said:
>>Could a similar concept work on systems such as the 3DO?

Maybe? I'm not familiar with the technical aspects of that console. You would need a replacement bios for the transfer/debug routines at the very least.

I was thinking more along the lines mentioned above, where you would boot a CD, and then be able to load homebrew through USB.

As far as specs go, the 3DO is an ARM based system with 2MB of ram available.

mikew · May 22, 2014

cdoty said:
Is there an option to boot the dev system for CD for homebrew?

It's a development tool which will run homebrew or any neo code.

cdoty said:
Is there an option to boot the dev system for CD for homebrew? I though it was shown in one video. I have absolutely no soldering skills, so I wouldn't want to risk damaging a Neo Geo CD.

Yes, there is an optional boot cd which will run without the replacement bios internally installed. It's not as full featured as the bios but it will let you upload/download 68k code/sprites/pcm/z80/fix data, peek/poke 8/16/32 bit values, and execute code.

mikew · Jun 23, 2014

I just finished testing my latest version of the PC2NEO hardware, now with wireless controller support!

This version is much smaller than the original with all the electronics fitting in the same 5cmx5cm form factor I used for my wireless supergun joysticks. It's also a bit faster than the previous version. Below are two videos, one showing an MVS load of Andro Dunos and the other is KOF99 for NGCD. My NGCD has its cover removed but the BIOS mod required for this code does not require this. In both videos I'm running Raz's latest Universe Bios 3.2 for NGCD. Alternatively there's a non-universe NGCD bios which also has the same usb data transfer code built in.

Since these are very much a niche product I build them to order. Each unit is hand assembled/tested then shipped out with a wireless transmitter, Neobiosmasta, an Eprom preloaded with the PC2NEO bios, and a CD containing all required drivers and firmware. I can also include an extension cable for an additional $13. Price shipped to any destination is $210.

kuze · Jun 23, 2014

That's awesome mikew! So you can load up any MVS ROM over the pc2neo and play it on neo CD hardware?

mikew · Jun 23, 2014

kuze said:
That's awesome mikew! So you can load up any MVS ROM over the pc2neo and play it on neo CD hardware?

Hi Kuze,

Unfortunately no, not every MVS game can load completely, only those that can fit entirely in the NGCD's onboard ram will work. CD games don't have this limitation since game data is loaded as needed.

Xian Xi · Jun 23, 2014

mikew said:
Hi Kuze,

Unfortunately no, not every MVS game can load completely, only those that can fit entirely in the NGCD's onboard ram will work. CD games don't have this limitation since game data is loaded as needed.

If someone can make a list of games that will fit/work then I'm sure it will help move the product a lot faster.

mikew · Jun 23, 2014

Xian Xi said:
If someone can make a list of games that will fit/work then I'm sure it will help move the product a lot faster.

Hi Xian Xi,

One of the reasons why there isn't a compatibility list is the fact that this was designed to upload homebrew code. It certainly can run small MVS games but the list is small. I normally test Andro Dunos, Puzzle Bobble, Bang Bang Busters and Twinkle Star Sprites. Any ROMs which are around the same size should work but its much more interesting seeing it upload cd games since its much faster than reading from disc. Sometime soon I'll do a video uploading some homebrew titles that are floating around online, it's ridiculous how fast those load

Razoola · Jun 23, 2014

Great videos mike, love the picture also.

xsq · Jun 24, 2014

wow, great progress on this. Any chance of a side by side comparison on how much fast the load times are compared between a CD game loading via PC2NEO vs. from disc?

mikew · Jun 24, 2014

xsq said:
wow, great progress on this. Any chance of a side by side comparison on how much fast the load times are compared between a CD game loading via PC2NEO vs. from disc?

Hi Xsq,

I shot some video to illustrate this. I picked 3 games, KOF99 , Metal Slug, and Puzzle Bobble. The speedup is quite significant with Puzzle Bobble showing a 3:1 improvement in load time and the other 2 are easily 2:1.

KOF99 PC2NEO V3: 40 seconds
(This video is in my previous post and there is a 5 video per post limit so please see above if you care to view this one)

KOF99 NGCD (TL): 98 seconds

Metal Slug PC2NEO V3: 29 seconds

Metal Slug NGCD (TL): 67 seconds

Puzzle Bobble PC2NEO V3: 8 seconds

Puzzle Bobble NGCD (TL): 24 seconds

Valt C · Jun 24, 2014

Bravissimo!

Can't wait to see some homebrew footage too!!! :glee:

Great work Raz! :buttrock:

mikew · Jun 24, 2014

Valt C said:
Bravissimo!

Can't wait to see some homebrew footage too!!!

Hi Valt,

I found 4 homebrew titles online and shot video of them loading:

SantaBall

Neo Thunder

Neo Pong

Frog Feast

xsq · Jun 25, 2014

mikew said:
I shot some video to illustrate this. I picked 3 games, KOF99 , Metal Slug, and Puzzle Bobble. The speedup is quite significant with Puzzle Bobble showing a 3:1 improvement in load time and the other 2 are easily 2:1.

astounding!

thanks for the vids.

mikew · Aug 3, 2014

I just posted a quick demo of a new pc2neo client which runs on the Raspberry Pi:

It's more or less a proof of concept since I really didn't know how well it would hold up on the device. It turns out it works perfect but I will still need to tweak the gui to make better use of the small space provided on the 2.8" 320x240 TFT. Mouse and keyboard support is also built in but that defeats the purpose of the touch screen so I chose not to show that.

The standard pc2neo command line tools also work equally as well for development oriented tasks but for those you either need to ssh to the device or attach a keyboard and a mouse.

At some point I'll run some tests to see if the Pi is capable of driving the pc2neo protocol by itself without the need for my usb device. I know it has the CPU to do it, I'm just not sure about the GPIO timing.

I'd like to extend a special thanks to Jasen Hicks for providing the Pi/TFT and the encouragement to create the port. I likely would never have touched a Pi had he not overnighted me one.

Mike

Jasen Hicks · Aug 4, 2014

Mike, amazing job, glad I could help! Sometimes a small idea goes a long way! Looking forward to seeing it in person next week :-)

Ninjainspandex · Aug 4, 2014

Wow fantastic stuff! would this sort of technology be possible on the Sega Saturn?

mikew · Aug 4, 2014

Ninjainspandex said:
Wow fantastic stuff! would this sort of technology be possible on the Sega Saturn?

Thanks. I'm not sure about the Saturn, unfortunately I've never worked with one. At the very least it's safe to say you would need a modchip to run a loader from CD or a heavily modified bios like Raz did with the NGCD.

Ninjainspandex · Aug 4, 2014

mikew said:
Thanks. I'm not sure about the Saturn, unfortunately I've never worked with one. At the very least it's safe to say you would need a modchip to run a loader from CD or a heavily modified bios like Raz did with the NGCD.

I got a couple Jap Saturns who's lasers seem to be dying it would be amazing to be able to just load up the entire Saturn Library on an SD or Hard Drive, would perhaps make translating games alot easier as well. I know there are rumors of a supposed Saturn flash cart being devolped by a Chinese gent http://www.retrogamenetwork.com/201...o-aka-saturn-master-currently-in-development/ but I'm not sure of the status or the compatibility.

mikew · Aug 4, 2014

Here's an example of PC2NEO for Pi running a CD game from the Pi's SD card.

blotter12 · Aug 11, 2014

Very nice work!

CD consoles tend to die before cart based ones because of all the moving parts. I've had a few PCE CD's die on me. Projects like this really help to preserve hardware for future generations.

mikew · Aug 12, 2014

blotter12 said:
Very nice work!

CD consoles tend to die before cart based ones because of all the moving parts. I've had a few PCE CD's die on me. Projects like this really help to preserve hardware for future generations.

Thanks blotter12. Please keep in mind though that my most recent videos are a bit out of scope for the true purpose of the device and that's to be used as a development platform for homebrew code. The ability to support CD loading over USB is simply a demonstration of its ability to support CD development. I made the Pi tools as a proof of concept and had received a Pi to test its ability to replace a development dedicated PC. Since it had a LCD display and I had a weekend to kill I went overboard and made the touch screen graphical interface. Hopefully the framework I put together will be used for other tools perhaps in the same vein as PC2NEO but with a focus on game loading on other platforms where PC uploading is possible.

Something I've been working on.

Eager Beaver

Krauser's Shoe Shiner

Kuroko's Training Dummy

Eager Beaver

n00b

Krauser's Shoe Shiner

Krauser's Shoe Shiner

Sultan of Slugs

Krauser's Shoe Shiner

JammaNationX,

Krauser's Shoe Shiner

Divine Hand of the UniBIOS,

Thou Shalt Not, Question Rot.,

Krauser's Shoe Shiner

n00b

Krauser's Shoe Shiner

Thou Shalt Not, Question Rot.,

Krauser's Shoe Shiner

Hardened Shock Trooper

Sakura's Bank Manager

Krauser's Shoe Shiner

Sakura's Bank Manager

Krauser's Shoe Shiner

Kabuki Klasher

Krauser's Shoe Shiner