what cart ?
- Thread starter RealMFnG
- Start date
That works for me.Thanks guys, i appreciate that!
Let me propose this: how about a fund in order me to buy an atomiswave cart from that guy, so after figure this out (almost close), we can discover how atomis games he made to work on the cart?
i'll put 25$ in my side of course.
Or if some of you having that cart is willing to "rent" me his cart in order to copy that?
I'll try to remove again proms from ikaruga taking some precautions, i will cover the proms somehow in order to only heat pins properly, i'm confident to have a good result.
I will share dumps of course
If you end up with the desire to figure out how the Cave PGM conversions work, I would be willing to lend you the two I have in order to bring that understanding to the community as well.
When i was searching around for info on this i found a blog with an overview of the conversion, donor carts and chis used. So that info might already be out there.
Yes, i mean naomi cart with atomis games.
About pgm, you can find some online but that is just few info.. we need the dumps anyway.
I'll write you back in a few, i have the dumps and i have found some usefull informations.
About pgm, you can find some online but that is just few info.. we need the dumps anyway.
I'll write you back in a few, i have the dumps and i have found some usefull informations.
Ok, here's the thing.
This poor cart is telling me to let it alone
For another time... i removed everything.
To prevent them getting too much hot (again) i have cutted a piece of wood in the size of the IC and put it on top while heating with my gun
I've dumped the first IC at location 1 and i realize that the first HALF of the main file (the converted rom) was not matching.
After trying to understand why, i realized that the the first row of the code was saying "-IKARUGA- -IKARUGA- -IKARUGA-" many times, and i remember that i already saw that when i was looking at the 27C322 the first time. It was infact, the same. As a member wrote few pages before, there was some bunch of code that has been changed and i did find the same with the compare (those 2 straight yellow lines in the white area on the left)
So basically, the first 4MB of the rom is stored in the 27C322, then the file is splitted to IC1,IC2 and IC3.
When i first thought on that i was 100% sure than when i will dump the other 2 proms i will find the rest of the code, but that did not happen, the files were different..
I've tryed to merge all the files in one, using the prompt (27c322 + 3 dumps), founding this:
As you can see, files are almost identical till the last, my merged dumps are missing mostly the end of the whole converted rom.
I have tryed with ANY rom i could find and the result was the same, all time.
After trying to figure out what the problem was (if there was a problem), i have noticed this in the first IC, after scrolling some rows
It's said right there, GDROM Jue (Sega Katana, that's the dev unit! cool)
So, i'm going to download the ISO of the GD and see if i can find some match (please share me a link)
The thing is that i do not understand if the files are just good like that or they failed to read or they are broken.
The only thing to do was to write new one and try if works but they have not been delivered yet to me... so i'm kind stuck in the question mark.
I'll wait a little bit to release the dums, i want to try burn new one and see if they are good like that, because if i share them and they are bad there's no purpose to do that.
This poor cart is telling me to let it alone
For another time... i removed everything.
To prevent them getting too much hot (again) i have cutted a piece of wood in the size of the IC and put it on top while heating with my gun
I've dumped the first IC at location 1 and i realize that the first HALF of the main file (the converted rom) was not matching.
After trying to understand why, i realized that the the first row of the code was saying "-IKARUGA- -IKARUGA- -IKARUGA-" many times, and i remember that i already saw that when i was looking at the 27C322 the first time. It was infact, the same. As a member wrote few pages before, there was some bunch of code that has been changed and i did find the same with the compare (those 2 straight yellow lines in the white area on the left)
So basically, the first 4MB of the rom is stored in the 27C322, then the file is splitted to IC1,IC2 and IC3.
When i first thought on that i was 100% sure than when i will dump the other 2 proms i will find the rest of the code, but that did not happen, the files were different..
I've tryed to merge all the files in one, using the prompt (27c322 + 3 dumps), founding this:
As you can see, files are almost identical till the last, my merged dumps are missing mostly the end of the whole converted rom.
I have tryed with ANY rom i could find and the result was the same, all time.
After trying to figure out what the problem was (if there was a problem), i have noticed this in the first IC, after scrolling some rows
It's said right there, GDROM Jue (Sega Katana, that's the dev unit! cool)
So, i'm going to download the ISO of the GD and see if i can find some match (please share me a link)
The thing is that i do not understand if the files are just good like that or they failed to read or they are broken.
The only thing to do was to write new one and try if works but they have not been delivered yet to me... so i'm kind stuck in the question mark.
I'll wait a little bit to release the dums, i want to try burn new one and see if they are good like that, because if i share them and they are bad there's no purpose to do that.
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@TheDeath what exactly you are trying to find out ?
if you are looking for rom board address space layout - me and @rtw already documented this a long time ago
https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/machine/naomim2.cpp#L22
iirc this link was posted already in this topic
if you wasn't aware - many games store assets as such format, ISO9660 format chunk in IC1 and all the rest mask roms. while IC22 eeprom hold "game/rom header" structure plus "game mode" and "test mode" exe binaries.
if you are looking for rom board address space layout - me and @rtw already documented this a long time ago
https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/machine/naomim2.cpp#L22
iirc this link was posted already in this topic
its a standard header of ISO image.
if you wasn't aware - many games store assets as such format, ISO9660 format chunk in IC1 and all the rest mask roms. while IC22 eeprom hold "game/rom header" structure plus "game mode" and "test mode" exe binaries.
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uhm.. technically nothing
I just wanted to be sure my dumps are ok.. because they have to match somewhere, and the match should be exact from what i suppose to know by repairing arcade boards..
I've never been into naomi this far.. i just know about multibios and thats it
I'd like to know how this works in order to try put another game, but its all new for me here...
nice, thanks mate. As i said, i've never been into naomi this far.
So i musted have supposed the right thing, the first data, the header, is stored on the 27c322 and then all the rest in proms.
So do you think i will be able to do the same for other games?
Because i do not understand why the first ic match, but the second and the third one does not
I know what blog you're referring to, and it tells what's needed from a hardware perspective, but from the rom side of things it just suggests that you can figure out how to edit the roms by using the information within the MAME drivers. So either someone would have to work from the ground up and fix them to work on PGM carts, or someone could dump them. I'm sure among the community we have all three titles and could manage to dump them for everyone's benefit.
That blog poster with all the knowledge also criticizes the sloppiness of the work and suggests all the super-glued resistors should be replaced with proper 3.3v regulators.
J
jassin000
IF Darksoft will pledge to accept the Naomi multicart project, I pledge to donate my Jorge 2-in-1 cart for destruction/dumping.
I believe some of this information gained could be of use?
I believe some of this information gained could be of use?
Nothing new 
I'll leave the dumps here guys, i hope some of you can help me find out where the roms have been taken from and if they are dumped properly.
I could not find the GD-rom iso to be downloaded.
Now is your move, please share
http://www.mediafire.com/file/i76g03qilgcrnbt/IKA.zip
I'll leave the dumps here guys, i hope some of you can help me find out where the roms have been taken from and if they are dumped properly.
I could not find the GD-rom iso to be downloaded.
Now is your move, please share
http://www.mediafire.com/file/i76g03qilgcrnbt/IKA.zip
not sure how these dumps can help, but thanks
IC1 dump is good (and exact match corresponding area in GD binary), 2 and 3 is bad - have few "stick bits". anyway, it not worth to waste time on this - data expected to be exact match GD binary.
why not share IC22 dump ? there may be some differences.
IC1 dump is good (and exact match corresponding area in GD binary), 2 and 3 is bad - have few "stick bits". anyway, it not worth to waste time on this - data expected to be exact match GD binary.
why not share IC22 dump ? there may be some differences.
So 841-0004B was converted to Ikaruga, the only reference I can find is for 841-0004C = Dengen Tenshi Taisen Janshi Shangri-La
What other cart codes are being converted?
if 841-0002C or 840-0007 are being used they're dead cheap.
What other cart codes are being converted?
if 841-0002C or 840-0007 are being used they're dead cheap.
in game code only numbers is significant, last character is just B=board(PCB) or C=case
Pandora's (kind) opened.
First i wanna say thanks to all of you guys helping me out better understanding this cart conversion, i appreciate it.
What we came up with was basically the main rom-bin splitted, with little code editing in the IC22, the main header that any naomi(atomis converted) games have.
On this particular board (171-7919A) the "test mode" on IC22 was re-allocated in order to "jump" the unmapped area going from offset 0040000 to 0080000. That's the only difference.
Rest of the work was just based on splitting roms and burn them to the respective locations, that's it, no other code has been changed from the main rom.
To be simple, to make one, you just have to match the memory mapping from what the header is telling to, and that's the last thing i'm trying (we are) to came up with.
I'm making some trial and error with Dolphin Blue right now. I have successfully created the header with an hex editor but i have to reallocate the code for the test mode (just like ikaruga do). The naomi reconize the code but it's just stuck there cause i've not "telling" him were to look for the proms. I hope i can find this last and finally have an atomis game converted to a cart among with Ikaruga and maybe other naomi games like cvs2.
First i wanna say thanks to all of you guys helping me out better understanding this cart conversion, i appreciate it.
What we came up with was basically the main rom-bin splitted, with little code editing in the IC22, the main header that any naomi(atomis converted) games have.
On this particular board (171-7919A) the "test mode" on IC22 was re-allocated in order to "jump" the unmapped area going from offset 0040000 to 0080000. That's the only difference.
Rest of the work was just based on splitting roms and burn them to the respective locations, that's it, no other code has been changed from the main rom.
To be simple, to make one, you just have to match the memory mapping from what the header is telling to, and that's the last thing i'm trying (we are) to came up with.
I'm making some trial and error with Dolphin Blue right now. I have successfully created the header with an hex editor but i have to reallocate the code for the test mode (just like ikaruga do). The naomi reconize the code but it's just stuck there cause i've not "telling" him were to look for the proms. I hope i can find this last and finally have an atomis game converted to a cart among with Ikaruga and maybe other naomi games like cvs2.
Thanks man. Where do I donate?
I don't think you are understand what you are actually doing. there is no need to edit any headers in this case, especially when you have no idea that's in there
basically to convert ANY GD game decrypted binary to cartridge roms you have to:
- split big game BIN into 8MB chunks and name them IC0.BIN, IC1.BIN, IC2.BIN and so on
- split IC0.BIN into 4MB chunks and name them IC22.BIN and Leftover.BIN
- check if Leftover.BIN empty / constant filled, (*) if its not - there will be needed advanced game modification, and this is above of your skills.
- program IC22, IC1, IC2 etc to ROM ICs and solder them to respective ROM board locations.
that's all.
yes, it is that simple (but require some number of boring soldering work).
here is nothing new, this process is known for many many years.
(*) as for Dolphin Blue case - Leftover.BIN will be not "empty", but you can ignore it, there is just garbage unused data.
also IC1 will be empty zero filled (same as in all AW conversions), so you can skip and ignore IC1 programming. IC12 - IC15 also not used and contain just garbage (btw, @Darksoft why there was added 32MB of trash ?)
here is cut in parts DolphinBlue roms for example - https://www.sendspace.com/file/zc4v72
