FPGA Based Videogame System

[sprokets]

I (or rather my parents) bought a huge chunk of these games at $50/$60 a pop back in the 90s. My mother threw them all away, bless her cotton socks, so I feel I'm entitled to download them again and get a nice dose of nostalgia in a convenient package that brings them back to life in vivid HD and colours.

 

I'm super excited for the Super Nt and I thank Kevtris and the other knowledgeable folk around here who are making it possible!

[Tusecsy]

 

Copyright and patent were included in the Constitution just to provide a temporary extra economic incentive to create. They weren't created to be "intellectual property" with the rights being on par with the rights in the Bill of Rights. It was also included in the Constitution that they would be for limited times because after this extra economic incentive the goal was to get them in the public domain(I feel that all content is free to share with all and redistribute. Information is free to everyone). So, when laws fit the letter of the law of the Constitution but not the spirit of it by changing limited times to meaning limited to some far off future after we are all dead then, in my opinion, they are unjust laws.

 

Very well said. Nobody is arguing against publishers deserving money for their hard work, but piracy doesn't really change income for them in the short term as those who would pirate likely weren't going to buy it anyway. And in the long term like with 10-20 year old carts and cds, they don't see any of the money off secondary sales anyway.

 

I remember the most popular PC games in the 90s were Doom, Wolfenstein & Quake. None of which had any copy protection, and all of which sold like gangbusters. If you make a quality, convenient product, you have nothing to worry about as a developer.

 

The Wii, for instance, was cracked very early on, insanely easy to load up every single game for free, and still sold insane numbers software-side. Convenience and quality are everything.

 

I'd gladly pay 100$+ for a smokemonster style pack if it were well organized, DRM-free, and the developers were getting the money, but this option doesn't exist so...sorry?

Edited November 7, 2017 by Tusecsy

[Riptide]

Just out of curiosity, can other people besides kevtris develop cores for the nt mini like they do for the mist? I know kevtris's cores themselves are closed source, but wasn't sure if the FPGA was locked down to only run his/analogue's code.

[retro_fan]

Kevtris, when you will be working on the Genesis/MD core you may want to check this: A Tech Demo for Mega Drive/Genesis made in 1993 can now be used to improve emulation on gamehut.com/roms (BTW, have you got a reddit account? You definitely want to subscribe to /r/emulation for other news like this one).

[TheRedEye]

Since this is like the only place on the internet to check in on NT Mini updates can we maybe move the useless legality arguments somewhere else?

[DadsGlasses]

Since this is like the only place on the internet to check in on NT Mini updates can we maybe move the useless legality arguments somewhere else?

Agreed.

[infinest]

Well, I've since gone ahead, said fuck it, opened up my Nt mini and connected pin 9 to 5V through a 200Ohm (didn't have exact 180) resistor myself and the problem is fixed.

Sadly you cannot do that on the top side of the pcb so you'll see it on the bottom. Used some extremely fine magnet wire and a small smd resistor so it's not that obvious at least.

[Tusecsy]

Since this is like the only place on the internet to check in on NT Mini updates can we maybe move the useless legality arguments somewhere else?

 

Agreed.

 

You guys must not have been around for the computer chair discussion. This thread is all encompassing, all things, all the time. A black hole you must learn to love.

[jamon1567]

So can someone (hopefully Kevtris can weigh in) explain what the issue is with RGB on the mini? From what I've read here it would seem that it shouldn't be working for me (I have one of the initial batch of Mini's), yet I bought one of RGC's original scart cables and it works fine on my BVM. I'm also going through a gscartsw and haven't tried it direct to the monitor. I'm just confused here and also want to make sure there isn't any possibility of damaging anything if I were to continue using it.

 

Posting this again since the thread took a turn there and it may have been missed. Thanks in advance.

[RadikusRLZ]

Well, I've since gone ahead, said fuck it, opened up my Nt mini and connected pin 9 to 5V through a 200Ohm (didn't have exact 180) resistor myself and the problem is fixed.

Sadly you cannot do that on the top side of the pcb so you'll see it on the bottom. Used some extremely fine magnet wire and a small smd resistor so it's not that obvious at least.

Say bye bye to your warranty =)

[cfillak]

Could somebody lend a hand with StarTropics? I'm on a Mac and I can't seem to find a bespoke tool for NES ROM header editing, so I've just been using a hex editor. I changed the submapper to 1 as suggested elsewhere in this thread by changing byte 8 from x00 to x01 and changing byte 7 from x00 to x08 (to designate the header as an NES 2.0 header). I tried loading this and the game runs but i get no music. Here's what i have in the hex editor:

 

 

 

Am I getting my endianness wrong or something?

 

Edit: I'm a dum dum. Just realized byte 8 should be x10 not x01. Hope this post helps somebody else

Edited November 7, 2017 by cfillak

[kevtris]

 

Posting this again since the thread took a turn there and it may have been missed. Thanks in advance.

I have no clue. I have never used scart, seen a cart cable in real life or ever seen a TV with it. Sorry 'bout that.

 

Since this is like the only place on the internet to check in on NT Mini updates can we maybe move the useless legality arguments somewhere else?

Yes this would be a good thing.

[infinest]

 

Posting this again since the thread took a turn there and it may have been missed. Thanks in advance.

Why do you think it shouldn't work?

The only thing people were talking about is the missing 5v on the vga pin.

 

You only need the 5v on the scart blanking pin if you have a device (like european consumer tvs) that can display several signal types trough that one scart port.

By the voltage applied the device can detect the type of signal.

 

You probably connect to your BVM through a scart to bnc connector or have a cable that goes directly to bnc into it's RGB ports.

In both cases you do not need the 5v blanking signal

 

/Edit: Just reread your post and read you're using a gscart switch. That should't make a difference since all it probably does is forward the exact same signals i'd expect.

 

Say bye bye to your warranty =)

You can be damn sure i double and triple checked everything when doing it but in case something unrelated breaks:

-remove single wire

-???

-profit

Edited November 7, 2017 by infinest

[retro_fan]

I have no clue. I have never used scart, seen a cart cable in real life or ever seen a TV with it. Sorry 'bout that.

 

[...]

 

Maybe it's high time to get a (very) small European TV to test all the PAL stuff? Probably Analogue or the community could help you with this?

[Andromeda Stardust]

.... who has not downloaded (ever) a rom (or in the Nt Mini JB fw case a SmokeMonster pack or equivalent) please keep the discussion.

 

For the rest of us (and I mean YOU really), yes it is illegal to download, but the Nt mini itself is not as it is supposed to be used to play originals (like any other NOAC no matter what the underlying tech), the JB fw is not advertised nor endorsed by Analogue (even if we all know it is what makes it sell by the boatload, or so I believe). The JB fw itself does not break any laws (cores and all), its capability to circumvent copy protection is a different matter (but I don't care or want to discuss it).

 

Nothing new, already discussed 1000 times .... the result doesn't change. It's illegal in the US/Can and most of EU to have or keep ROMz of stuff you didn't pay for (or no longer posses because of resale).

 

And yeah I presume most of YOU (I am innocent until proven guilty) downloaded SmokeMonster rom packs ... be ashamed of yourself .... somewhere in there, in the thousands of games there's a few (quite more than that to be fair) you should not be playing (given 90% is garbage is not that you'll take more than one passing look at most of them anyway ... that's what I do ... ooops ... no I don't as I am innocent, did I say that already?).

 

So told, I am waiting in trepidation for the Super Nt JB fw .... I so want to get rid of all old clunkers .... and still play all of the good romz I found around just by chance without any intent or research by me (as I said I am innocent until proven guilty .... who's SmokeMonster anyway?).

We are all hypocrites. I have several "fully loaded" flash carts across multiple systems. Sure, I have the capacity to dump my own games using a CopyNES or Retrode, but it is easier to just download the ROM, and no, I'm not paying $1000+ for the privledge to play Little Samson. Yes, I've broken the law! I've purchased illegal multicarts on Aliexpress. I also regularly drive 75 (and higher) in a 70mph zone on my daily commute to work. I've been a bad boy and should be spanked. Please come arrest my ass. I am so irresponsible! You'll have to find me first though...

[+remowilliams]

Since this is like the only place on the internet to check in on NT Mini updates can we maybe move the useless legality arguments somewhere else?

 

 

Yes this would be a good thing.

 

 

Yes, can we please leave this nonsense out of a thread where it really doesn't need to be...

[Andromeda Stardust]

You can be damn sure i double and triple checked everything when doing it but in case something unrelated breaks:

-remove single wire

-???

-profit

Can they really know if some guy opened their NT Mini? My understanding is with a Phillips, Torx, whatever screwdriver is required, remove screws, open case, stare at it, reassemble, how are they to know? Did they put locktite on the threads, infused with magical dust prepared from ground unicorn horns, such that a kitten dies somewhere whenever it's disturbed? (and they have bean counters hired to count said dead kittens). Do they dust the inner chamber of the NT Mini for fingerprints or DNA not belonging to Analogue employees? Do they install hidden cameras in the homes of customers who bought the NT Mini, with the implicit purpose of catching them in the act when they reach for the tool drawer?

[bikerspade]

Could somebody lend a hand with StarTropics? I'm on a Mac and I can't seem to find a bespoke tool for NES ROM header editing, so I've just been using a hex editor. I changed the submapper to 1 as suggested elsewhere in this thread by changing byte 8 from x00 to x01 and changing byte 7 from x00 to x08 (to designate the header as an NES 2.0 header). I tried loading this and the game runs but i get no music. Here's what i have in the hex editor:

 

 

 

Am I getting my endianness wrong or something?

 

Edit: I'm a dum dum. Just realized byte 8 should be x10 not x01. Hope this post helps somebody else

Does the smokemonster Analogue NT Mini pack contain the ROM with the submapper already changed?

[jamon1567]

Why do you think it shouldn't work?

The only thing people were talking about is the missing 5v on the vga pin.

 

You only need the 5v on the scart blanking pin if you have a device (like european consumer tvs) that can display several signal types trough that one scart port.

By the voltage applied the device can detect the type of signal.

 

You probably connect to your BVM through a scart to bnc connector or have a cable that goes directly to bnc into it's RGB ports.

In both cases you do not need the 5v blanking signal

 

/Edit: Just reread your post and read you're using a gscart switch. That should't make a difference since all it probably does is forward the exact same signals i'd expect.

 

Ok, thanks for the clarification. I must have misunderstood what others were talking about then. I was under the impression that you needed the 5v to run RGB through scart, so I didn't understand why it was working for me.

[Schizophretard]

Yes, can we please leave this nonsense out of a thread where it really doesn't need to be...

 

It could be argued that talking about anything other than the Zimba 3000 should be in other threads. I mean, let's say that the Zimba 3000 is 5 years away and someone is only subscribing to this thread for updates on that with no interest in Analogue products. That would be 5 years of reading about Analogue products through hundreds of posts just to find the few hidden gem posts that are updates on what this thread is about.

[+remowilliams]

It could be argued that talking about anything other than the Zimba 3000 should be in other threads

 

Perhaps, but that specific tangent of discussion doesn't need to be here and/or turn into a heated war. For reasons. And attention.

[cfillak]

Does the smokemonster Analogue NT Mini pack contain the ROM with the submapper already changed?

No it does not. I was editing the StarTropics ROM from the smokemonster pack. The Dooly Bravo Land ROM in the pack also needed a header fix.

[kevtris]

 

Maybe it's high time to get a (very) small European TV to test all the PAL stuff? Probably Analogue or the community could help you with this?

I have been using my PVM for that :-)

[Newsdee]

Just out of curiosity, can other people besides kevtris develop cores for the nt mini like they do for the mist? I know kevtris's cores themselves are closed source, but wasn't sure if the FPGA was locked down to only run his/analogue's code.

If I'm not mistaken, there isn't a lock per se but the details of the firmware/jailbreak mechanics aren't public so it would take some reverse engineering. The cores would also need to plug into upscaler code for HDMI out (which isn't public) and guess the FPGA pinout on the hardware (which can be done by trial an error or following traces on PCB)

 

So it is doable, but why bother when there are fully open and documented alternatives? The Terasic DE10 Nano board is cheaper ($130), has a bigger FPGA (110K LE), and runs all MiSTer cores if you throw in an SDRAM add-on board. It still runs a subset of the cores without it:

 

https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Main_MiSTer/wiki/SDRAM-Requirement-by-cores

 

That said, sooner or later I suppose some details will be available for the NT. Then cores from the MiST can probably be ported to it. The power of Open Source

Edited November 8, 2017 by Newsdee

[NE146]

No it does not. I was editing the StarTropics ROM from the smokemonster pack. T

 

Which one? As you know the same game can appear multiple times in the Smokemonster packs, depending on the folder intention (e.g. alphabetical, "top 100", "collections", "by date", etc.) e.g. I forget what game it was exactly, but if I chose the one from one of the "top 100" collections, it crashed. But if I chose it by the straight alphabetical folder it worked fine. I suspected it wasn't the same rom file or maybe a different dump.. but didn't give it much thought after that.