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New CPS2 Multigame Firmware with Key Writing!!!!!!

Many thanks. I picked that cheap one up. Came out free with 2-day shipping. Was looking at a bunch of different ones with 2-day shipping, but they were all around $40. The $10 for that one makes it free, which is better.

One last little question. When I go about this, should I update it to any particular firmware first, or can I update it to the latest firmware while connected via the Discovery tool? It looks like the loading of the bootloader is the first thing that takes place, then the firmware itself updates. Just trying to save some steps here if possible. Thanks.
 
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Jdurg said:
Many thanks. I picked that cheap one up. Came out free with 2-day shipping. Was looking at a bunch of different ones with 2-day shipping, but they were all around $40. The $10 for that one makes it free, which is better.

One last little question. When I go about this, should I update it to any particular firmware first, or can I update it to the latest firmware while connected via the Discovery tool? It looks like the loading of the bootloader is the first thing that takes place, then the firmware itself updates. Just trying to save some steps here if possible. Thanks.
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Yeah the Discovery programmers should typically be around $8-9, but most of them end up more expensive when you figure in shipping from a distributor like Digikey.

The Discovery tool will let you update the bootloader only, it's separate from the firmware. Once you update the bootloader you can just drop the latest firmware update on your SD card (doesn't matter which version you were using before).
 
Hey @Jdurg my bad, but I may have been wrong about that device - looks like it has a different MCU. You might want to cancel it pending @Darksoft chiming in. Looks rather like the $40 options on Amazon may be the only direct ones you could use the existing instructions for. Might be a better option to use your Amazon funds for something else and just drop the $8 for the tested device at Digikey that we know is working for sure.
 
Well, it's already left Amazon so too late now. But again, the low cost coupled with my rewards points made it free. The cheaper one is a 32-bit MCU and so I see no reason why it would not work with the process as long as it can connect to the multi-kit which it can. Will let ya know.
 
Worst case scenario Amazon makes it super easy to return stuff and get your money back. Let us know how it goes!
 
@Jdurg I've been loaning out my programmer for just the cost of shipping to anyone that wants to update their CPS2 or STV firmware. If you want to borrow mine, shoot me a PM.
 
ShootTheCore said:
@Jdurg I've been loaning out my programmer for just the cost of shipping to anyone that wants to update their CPS2 or STV firmware. If you want to borrow mine, shoot me a PM.
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Thanks man. If the free one I got doesn't work, I'll hit you up. Again, I'm pretty sure that it will work since it seems like the device is simply acting as a conduit between my PC and the Multi-Board.
 
Okay, I'm going to have to send my multi-kit in for repair/upgrade now. My board does NOT have a J4 connector on there. There are open holes where it should be, but it looks like the connector was never added. In addition, while pulling the main board off of the CPS2 PCB, one of the pins on the bottom got stuck in the ROM Socket and completely snapped off. I just don't have the patience to deal with this, so I'll send this in for repair and upgrading of the firmware.

Time to bug Mistu! :D
 
I think I'm going to need to do the same, I'm just not physically capable of soldering anymore.

@Jdurg Your avatar reminds me that yesterday was Chun Li's 50th birthday!
 
Malenko said:
I think I'm going to need to do the same, I'm just not physically capable of soldering anymore.

@Jdurg Your avatar reminds me that yesterday was Chun Li's 50th birthday!
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Haha. Yeah, that was a capture of the first tube I frankensteined into a working monitor. The neck on that one got busted and it died a violent death.

Just went and worked on a Hantarex Polo 27" USA model chassis. The Polo looks GORGEOUS on the tube (which happened to be a 100% spot on match to what came with Polo Monitors back in the day). Just had to switch the 180 kOhm R170 that someone had put in there (likely to use the chassis on a smaller tube than 25") to the proper 100 kOhm resistor that the schematic indicated.

I figured I'll send my board into Mitsurugi-w for repair since it will take forever for the spare pin to arrive if I order it, and I'd have to pay a butt-ton in shipping just for one tiny 50-cent part. Just makes more sense to send this out, get the firmware updated so I can just use the flash.img method in the future, and perhaps even get some wires soldered onto the tiny spots on the multi-board so I can cut them to length and solder them to the CN2 connector on my board.

I now have a cabinet for the MK2 board I bought here, so I can spend my time playing that, or my CPS3-multi, or my SF2:Hyper Fighting board. :D

Edit: You know, it was only that one pin that got borked, and I have a bunch of pins with which to install the J4 connector. I'm going to give a repair a try myself. If that doesn't work, then I'll ship this along for the pros.
 
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Winner, winner, chicken dinner!!! SUCCESS! I was able to repair the broken pin using some solder and a spare capacitor lead in my possession. Got my programmer (ended up getting the proper one. The cheap $10 one would have worked, but it needed to have it's own bootloader and firmware programmed on it in order for it to work. Heh) and did the deed.

Once the bootloader was added, I simply put the new key-writing firmware flash.img file on the card, powered down the board, powered back up, watched the LEDs blink away, and done. Everything went back together nicely for me and it all looks great. I did add a 4.7 kOhm resistor between A32 and C32 since I have a Revision 4 board and didn't want to pull this all apart again once I got it in there.

Thank you so much Darksoft and Mitsurugi-w. You guys put out awesome products with incredible support!
 
Sorry if the question has been asked before but I didn't feel like reading the 18 pages to find it out.

Can't it be an issue to rewrite keys every time the game is changed regarding the number of write cycles the Capcom custom chip can endure?
It was probably designed to be written only few times in its lifetime.
 
Apocalypse said:
Can't it be an issue to rewrite keys every time the game is changed regarding the number of write cycles the Capcom custom chip can endure?
It was probably designed to be written only few times in its lifetime.
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My understanding is the key is held in volatile (battery backed) memory... Meaning (like RAM) it has no theoretical write limit?
 
jassin000 said:
My understanding is the key is held in volatile (battery backed) memory... Meaning (like RAM) it has no theoretical write limit?
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Yes it's RAM but even RAM has a limit (10^xx cycles). And what about the "mechanic" around this RAM (buffers, etc.)?
Maybe I shouldn't worry.
 
According to @l_oliveira and I trust his knowledge, this is stored in ram, so should be safe, and that includes everything the logical, etc. which are used like any other normal component.
 
SRAM and DRAM have absolutely no limits on how many times it can be written or read. The cache memory inside the processor of every single computer each of you are using is based on SRAM and you never hear about processors failing due to their cache memory being worn out, right?

Memory physical degradation is only a issue with non volatile memory which doesn't require power to maintain the data stored. NOR Flash, NAND Flash, EEPROM, EPROM, FERAM and similar technologies.
 
l_oliveira said:
SRAM and DRAM have absolutely no limits on how many times it can be written or read. The cache memory inside the processor of every single computer each of you are using is based on SRAM and you never hear about processors failing due to their cache memory being worn out, right?

Memory physical degradation is only a issue with non volatile memory which doesn't require power to maintain the data stored. NOR Flash, NAND Flash, EEPROM, EPROM, FERAM and similar technologies.
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This is good to know, thanks for the explanation.
 
l_oliveira said:
NOR Flash, NAND Flash, EEPROM, EPROM, FERAM and similar technologies.
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When I was with IBM (2011) we made the F-RAM wafers under contract for Ramtron.
At the time it boasted having the lowest power, fastest write and most writes of any non-volatile memory made.

"F-RAM memory cells inherently feature 10 trillion cycle endurance"
 
Well, FERAM is a odd animal, because reading one address destroys the data stored in it. (you have to apply a magnetic field to read the bit stored at the ferromagnetic substance, which in turn destroys what is stored)

So the chip has to refresh whatever data it had at the byte that was read, every time. (that happens automatically) So, FERAM wears out by being read.

That's why SONIC The Hedgehog 3 carts fail after a couple of years in use even if the owner doesn't write much in it. Current gen FERAM chips are much better than 1993 chips that we can be sure of, though. lol
 
I just got around to updating my CPS2 Multi, and wow!

Sincere thanks and congratulations to Darksoft and everyone else who contributed. This is an extraordinary achievement! The ability to play every revision of every game is remarkable. I once had one of the rare Megaman 1 CPSII boards and also a US-region Progear. To think that I'm able to play these games again on my arcade cab is a dream come true. :thumbup:
 
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