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BigO

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Posts posted by BigO

  1. Posted · Edited by BigO

    1 hour ago, Judge Mental said:

    Sadly I don't have a spare console, but the controller is hardwired but not hardwired into the console. It is plugged into the pcb and can be detached from within. I don't know what  you call it. I can send you the dead controller and hope for the best.

     

    Thanks for replying, Mike

    Oh, well, since yours has a broken controller it's totally worthless. I'll take it off your hands for a few bucks. But I promise to let you know if the home brew controller works. 😁

     

    If you were local to me, I might give it a shot at some point. But I've built enough custom controllers and such to know that I always mess up something the first time around. I wouldn't want to try without a test platform at hand. At that, one that I own just in case I do some damage.

     

    Out of curiosity, what does the connector that connects the controller to the board look like? If it's a readily available part it might be worthwhile for somebody to figure out a controller. 

     

    Seeing how the joystick directions are all common to one scan row, it might be possible to adapt an Atari 2600 or other dirt common controller for the joystick portion. 

     

    Lots of 4x3 matrix keypads exist.

     

     

     

  3. Posted · Edited by BigO

    3 hours ago, Judge Mental said:

    If you build it, I may buy it, at least the controllers. 

    If I read the schematic correctly, the controllers themselves just contain a 4x4 matrix of switches. One row is the 4 joystick directions.

     

    The 4 scanning row signals are common to the two controllers. So from a certain technical perspective the hardware really implements a 4x8 matrix. Physically, it just so happens that 16 switches are physically separate from the other 16.

     

    If I had a console, I'm 90+% confident that I could build a working controller. My first proof of concept would be to simply wire up a 4x4 matrix keypad in place of a controller.  So, if you have a spare console you're looking to let go at a reasonable price...🙂

     

     

    • Like 1

  4. Posted

    On 10/6/2020 at 7:42 PM, masschamber said:

    one bright side is everything on the apf is off the shelf and most chips are socketed

    Based on a brief look at the schematic, it doesn't look like it would be too terribly difficult to build a system from scratch. A controller could easily be put together from common, off-the-shelf parts. 

     

    Not sure I'd ever get so desperate as to actually build my own, but since we had one with I was a kid, I would like to have an M/MP1000. Well, at least for a week or two until I figured out how terrible it actually was. :) 

  5. Posted

    I used it to create some pretty solid commercial applications. It was essentially a rapid application development tool. I liked it.

     

    As things changed, there were lots of complaints about it not being fully OOP. I didn't really care about that at the time because it did the job that we needed it to do.

     

    With the transition to the .NET paradigm, I found that the new version of the VB language didn't offer enough familiarity to be of any value to me. I switched to C#.

     

    I kept the VB 4 stuff all this time because it was the last version that could do 16 bit apps. I had thoughts of maybe wanting to write an app for Win 3.x running on an old, low powered machine. I'm mostly over those thoughts. Probably should toss the old Win 3.1, 3.11 on MSDN CD's.😄

  9. Posted

    9 hours ago, BigO said:

    Earlier this evening I was working on cleaning out some stuff I never use. In amongst the reference books is an Intel "Microsystem Components Handbook: Volume I" ca. 1984. Many moons ago, I first heard of the '186 from that book. 

    It's looking for a new home. PM me soon if you're interested in adopting it.

    "1.   INTRODUCTION

     

    As state of the art technology has increased the number of transistors possible on a single integrated circuit, these devices have attained new, higher levels of both performance and functionality. Riding this crest are the Intel 80186 and 80286 microprocessors. While the 80286 has added memory protection and management to the basic 8086 architecture, the 80186 has integrated six separate functional blocks into a single device." 

     

    PM me if you want to read more of this riveting tale. 🙂

    • Like 1

  10. Posted · Edited by BigO

    No longer available.

     

    Well, they're technically probably still in existence in the landfill along with the installer CD, but hardly worth digging for. It's not like these are E.T. cartridges.

     

    $0.00 + shipping.

    Continental US only.

     

     

    Microsoft Press

    Microsoft Visual Basic:

    •      Programmer's Guide
    •      Language Reference
    •      Professional Features

     

    Ventana:

    Visual Basic 4.0 Power Toolkit

    20200930_213533.jpg

  11. Posted

    Earlier this evening I was working on cleaning out some stuff I never use. In amongst the reference books is an Intel "Microsystem Components Handbook: Volume I" ca. 1984. Many moons ago, I first heard of the '186 from that book. 

    It's looking for a new home. PM me soon if you're interested in adopting it.

  12. Posted · Edited by BigO

    1 hour ago, eightbit said:

    And, if I can ever find a decently priced 32X and Genesis 2 style loopback cable I will attempt the 32X mod. That is going to require a few more wires.

    Sorry, too late. I sold off my 32x a few years ago. ;-)

     

    I think I may have kept the really odd cable I found that worked with the 32x. It's several feet long, gray, molded 90 degree connectors on each end.

     

    Now that I'm thinking of it, I don't recall it being in the box of Genesis stuff. I did find my custom hacked A/V cable. But, now you've got me wondering where I put that goofy cable...maybe I did send it with the 32x...

  13. Posted

    11 hours ago, nickle241 said:

    not quite but that is most of the way there, i wouldnt have found that since its in the russian domains, but regardless that does appear to handle most of the hard steps to making a proper flash cart, mv is one of the few retro consoles not to have something like that in circulation, though with the maintenance issues its not surprising.  i guess since all the hard research has been done its just a matter of someone with the technical savy getting all the details put together into a final product

    The cartridges are not just a game rom. Each one has a processor. There were two different processors used so a multicart to play all original games would have to deal with that.

     

    I built the beginnings of a game using an 8 bit PIC microcontroller so it doesn't take a ton of horsepower. So it may be possible to put is something that can emulate the original processors. Or the games could be ported to a single processor.

    • Like 1

  14. Posted

    4 hours ago, Turbo-Torch said:

     

    That's an awesome idea, but I'm laughing my ass off at the thought of it getting caught in airport security.

    Think of this large white capped off tube with a stem sticking out of it...and then they x-ray it and see electronics inside. 💣 :lol:

    I am certain that they would immediately recognize that it's just a harmless old Microvision; nothing to worry about.

     

    Really, I kinda pictured it being in a box. But in my scenario, hilarity might not ensue.

    • Haha 1

  16. Posted · Edited by BigO

    3 hours ago, eightbit said:

     

     

    A flash cart (to play roms), or a power base mini (to play real carts). As for mod scene, I doubt there are many people trying to mod a model 3 for master system support ;) Maybe me and two other guys on the net...lol.

     

     

     

    That's about 1.9 more people than are interested in my house. 🙂

     

    Looks like it could be worth somewhere in the vicinity of lunch +/- tip.

     

    I don't need 3 or 4 different Genesis consoles since I don't play any of them.

  19. Posted · Edited by BigO

    21 hours ago, eightbit said:

     

    Yeah, VA1 only. And there's no easy way to tell other than to open the console. Someone said open the cart flaps and you can tell. That is BS. The shielding covers any visible sign of any trace. You just have to get one and be lucky. I gave up and just scored a model 2....where everything works and no mods are needed at all. And, it is not all that much larger. The situation I had was space. I wanted a Genesis and an SMS to fit in a small spot. The Genesis 3 would have been perfect but it turns out the model 2 fits in the same spot I was planning on placing it.

     

    Still, one day (whenever I actually find a VA1) I am going to try this. I am not going to actively hunt down a VA1 unit, but if I find one in the wild I will certainly revisit this.

     

    And by the way, they are all MK-1461. You have to open it to find out if it is a VA1 or VA2 unit. There are tell tale signs, but most evidently it will say VA1 or VA2 in the upper right hand corner of the PCB ;)

    Nope, no such marking on mine. I took it apart and looked for a number like that before I made my previous post. There's an A32 up near the right corner, indicating the pin number of the cartridge slot. The upper left says A1. Near-ish to the A1 was what might be a date code: 98.22.

     

    What are the other tell tale signs?

     

    Lack of any upper right hand corner VAx marking makes this the exceedingly rare and extraordinarily valuable version, no doubt. Early retirement, here I come!

     

    The only other marking that seemed possibly relevant was 171-7545C near the lower left corner (B1) of the cart slot. There was a marking that said CSPD CAD-TEAM.

     

    The ASIC(assumed) is square to the board as opposed to the 45 degree rotated one shown in this linked picture, which also has VA2 printed on it. So, maybe it is a VA1.

    g3mb2.jpg?w=848

    Linked from online source. This is not my board.

     

  20. Posted

    21 hours ago, [email protected] said:

    They can't replicate the LCD unless they have a working unit to test.

    I wonder why that is. They have a working device, other than the display, so can imperically determine all of the attributes of the signals being applied to the LCD: voltage, frequency of state changes, polarity reversal, etc. Other than current draw, I'd think everything is right there. But, I'm not an LCD engineer.

     

    I've connected up LCD's out of other toys (not suitable for putting in the console) and they seemed to work fine, so I doubt there's any super-magical-secret-sauce involved. It may just be that the technology has changed so much that nobody knows how to duplicate the old methods.

     

    In China, surely the necessary reverse engineering skills could be found. That level of work might be prohibitively expensive though.

    • Like 2

  22. Posted · Edited by BigO

    So you would need a VA1? I somehow thought the ambiguously worded text was excluding a VA1 from the mod.
    I'm pretty sure I know where mine is. Maybe it's a VA1.

     

    Edit: Mine's model MK-1461, which is apparently a VA2. Back into the closet it goes. :)

  23. Posted · Edited by BigO

    16 hours ago, [email protected] said:

    There's been a huge setback. 😡 The 2 units sent to the supplier were "rainbowed" on arrival. 🌈  One unit was barely working when it left and the other unit had a very clear LCD with no sign of leaks.  Both were DOA upon opening.

     

    They can't replicate the LCD unless they have a working unit to test.   I've confirmed that with 3 different suppliers, unless you can completely spec it out for them to build.  They all require at least 2 samples and the device if possible.

     

    The next step is to send the last working LCD by itself somehow protected from not only temperature but pressure changes.  Cargo holds have extremes of both.   I'll talk with a DHL rep to see if they have packing suggestions. 👍 🍻

    😢

     

    I wonder if a suitable pressure vessel could be made from PVC pipe and fittings, and maybe a schrader valve designed to be fit into an alloy wheel. Though, it might not even require much, if any additional pressurization beyond the captured atmosphere. 4"(?) PVC could surely withstand an atmosphere of differential air pressure. Just a thought.

    • Like 2

  24. Posted · Edited by BigO

    Interesting, how many references can be found saying "I did it" without citing the actual source where they learned what to do. Must be totally, intuitively obvious...

     

    This page referenced below has one clue that might yield useful search terms, or might just be the answer. I don't know enough about the Genesis 3 (other than having one somewhere that hasn't seen daylight for at least 5 years) to understand exactly what the context is and what's being said. I think this page is actually saying that these pins are missing from one model's ASIC chip making it impossible for that model. :ponder:

     

    It may be bad information, but it's information. :)

     

    http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?10687-genesis-3-incompatible-fix

     

    Quote

    the genesis 3 va1 model here is the missing asic pins to the cart pins and there ops
    ___________________________________________________________________
    | B1 |Audio circuit | 32X audio left
    |------|--------------------|---------------|--------------------------------
    | B3 | Audio circuit | 32X audio right
    |------|--------------------|---------------|--------------------------------
    | B12 | ASIC pin 24 | YS (32X)
    |------|--------------------|---------------|--------------------------------
    | B13 | ASIC pin 25 | Vertical sync (32X)
    |------|--------------------|---------------|--------------------------------
    | B14 | ASIC pin 26 | Horizontal sync (32X)
    |------|--------------------|---------------|--------------------------------
    | B15 | ASIC pin 152 | EDCLK (32X)
    |------|--------------------|---------------|--------------------------------
    | B19 | ASIC pin 151 | CLK (Game Genie/Virtua Racing/32X)
    |------|--------------------|---------------|--------------------------------
    | B21 | ASIC pin 158 | CAS (32X)
    |------|--------------------|---------------|--------------------------------
    | B26 | Connected | !CE_H (Virtua Racing/32X)
    |------|--------------------|---------------|--------------------------------
    | B30 | ASIC pin 43 | !S_RES (MD/G<->SMS mode)
    |------|--------------------|---------------|--------------------------------
    | B32 | ASIC pin 42 | !CART_IN (Sega CD connector)

     

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