Jump to content
IGNORED

Atari Flashback X Custom Firmware for USB roms and boxart


Recommended Posts

9 hours ago, Draxxon said:

Atari Flashback 9s and Xs got new official firmware yesterday, it says. But the version numbers are the same???

I don't think they changed anything, just that the website for some reason says "(released on Jun 24, 2020)" on every firmware on the page.  The Release Notes are not new.

Edited by Greg2600
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/26/2020 at 1:35 AM, Draxxon said:

Kevin's Wood Themes have gotten the update treatment. Main thing here is the page numbers at the bottom are now visible. A lot of things were aligned to show up in the right space.

 

Kevin's Wood v1

 

bkg_launcher.png

emulator.rar 6.25 MB · 14 downloads

 

 

 

Kevin's Wood v2

 

bkg_launcher.png

emulator.rar 5.41 MB · 15 downloads

Do all these new wallpapers require the usb permanently attached with otg cable? Thanks for all your work

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/26/2020 at 1:35 AM, Draxxon said:

Kevin's Wood Themes have gotten the update treatment. Main thing here is the page numbers at the bottom are now visible. A lot of things were aligned to show up in the right space.

 

Kevin's Wood v1

 

bkg_launcher.png

emulator.rar 6.25 MB · 14 downloads

 

 

 

Kevin's Wood v2

 

bkg_launcher.png

emulator.rar 5.41 MB · 15 downloads

Do all these wallpapers require usb stick permanently attached to otg cable to be displayed? Thanks for all your work

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I got my Atari Flashback X Deluxe Special Edition but when I try to flash the Official Firmware it says "Prepare IDB Fail". Some Google Searching says the "Mars Board is Bricked" looking at the unbricking seems to be shorting 2 pins but the chip shown isn't the one I see. How do I identify Pin 1 on the chip in the AFX?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, beavisx said:

Thanks Draxxon for all you work. I wanted to try Galagon from youR zip but it doesn’t work is it working for you?

Galagon also not working for me either, then again I am trying to standard ROM from the forum thread as opposed to a "fixed" version. Is the one in the zip "fixed" to work on the Flashback X?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

galagon, mappy, wizard of war arcade, etc aren't supported by this version of stella. they were removed in the ATARIv1.0 update.
The Stella emulator was never swapped for a newer version.

Edited by Draxxon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I created an account to help Windows 10 users understand the issue with the failed initial firmware update: Digital Driver Signatures.

To resolve, in Windows 10:
Hold shift while clicking the reset button.
Click Troubleshoot.
Click 7 - Disable Digitial Signature Enforcement.

This allows you to run the driver install program successfully.  While there, run the Android tool and follow instructions for the initial firmware install.
When you restart, driver signatures will be enabled again.

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/25/2020 at 4:07 AM, mamebr said:

Onde eu acho os jogos pra baixar!? E como faço para colocar em ordem alfabética no pendrive! Comrpei agora e estou apanhando do sistema !

 

The following content is in Portuguese, proceed only if you understand what is next..

 

Atualização final ou até surgirem lançamentos.

1290 jogos com arquivo all-games.ini em português.

 

Arquivos para facilitar a criação do seu all-games.ini personalisado.
all-games(Full_1290_jogos).ini - Todos os 1290 jogos disponíveis.
Official(462_jogos).ini - 462 jogos considerados de lançamento oficial para o Atari 2600.
Flashback(24_jogos).ini - 24 jogos entre homebrew, prototype e exclusivos lançados nas versões do Atari Flashback.
Prototype(92_jogos).ini - 92 jogos que não foram oficialmente lançados pelas empresas desenvolvedoras. Estes jogos podem ter sido terminados ou estarem em fase inicial de desenvolvimento.
Homebrew(139_jogos).ini - 139 jogos desenvolvidos por fãs do Atari 2600.
Hack(13_jogos).ini - 13 jogos hack.
Dispensable(60_jogos).ini - 60 jogos entre Homebrew e Hack que provavelmente não lhe farão falta.
Clones(76_jogos).ini - 76 jogos que foram lançados com nomes diferentes, provavelmente não lhe farão falta.
For_Stella_6(4_jogos) - 4 jogos que requerem Stella 6 ou superior, lembrando que a versão do Stella utilizada no Flashback é a 3.9.
Trash(390_jogos) - 390 jogos entre Homebrew e Hack que não lhe farão falta, muitos nem foram finalizados e outros tantos Hacks de Adventure, DK...
XXX(20_jogos).ini - 20 jogos adulto com conteúdo erótico.
Utility_Misc(10_jogos).ini - 10 diversos como programas utilitários. Não fazem sentido em emulador.

 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CabNLr6jYoxz-c2n23H4EJoZhR9HyE2v?usp=sharing

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

thank you, new, one post guy for regurgitating MameBr's password locked stuff. seems strangely familiar. like its happened once before.

here is his 1310 pack, if you like jacked up box art.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/133-744kDu7S9Ju_UAPEwaI16eQnY3hSS/view?usp=sharing

Edited by Draxxon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
2 hours ago, martin00000000001 said:

Hello, I followed the instructions of Brad and Draxxon at atariage.com to upgrade my Atari flashback X with a Star Wars theme and over a thousand games and the box art. They were working on the project for a while. I followed the instructions and wow, it works! Thank you Draxxon, and Brad for all the help!!!

 

THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS! Seriously man my head was spinning reading all these instructions and comments back and forth and I was too scared to try doing this. Your steps are excellent and I love the fact you also got worried when things looked like they went wrong cuz that definitely woulda been me!

 

Much appreciated! I think I might give this a try (finally).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

some tips:

 

there are two versions of the custom firmware for the two different flashback X units. regular and deluxe. you don't necessarily want the larger file, but the proper one for your unit. they are labeled if you scroll over on the folder names. if you flash the wrong one, no big deal, just flash the proper one in the end.


You didn't wait long enough to dump the rom folder, if you launch a game and play a bit it helps to trigger the process. the second time it started with no games and art because they never got completely dumped. if you look in the newly created rom folder you can see if indeed all the games and art dumped, or if they are missing or corrupted art. You can just delete the rom folder and try again.

when you restarted the startup file is telling the system to read the flashdrive. the unfinshed dump of the rom folder is now there so that's what it displays. but the system is fine. if you remove the flashdrive it boots as normal. again, its all on the flash drive.

you can dump the rom and emulator folders at the same time. you don't have to dump them separate.

 

after you update with the custom firmware, you can just put the control files and folders you want on the flashdrive. you don't have to dump anything at all. I put it in the instructions so people would learn how to do it and how it all works. if we skip that part and just put my files on the drive, you miss how its working.

You did a great job. and your video will help a lot of people. you can only explain so much in text. it was hard to figure out and I wanted to be able to help others out. thanks for making the video!

 

also nothing to be scared of, everything is on the flashdrive as far as custom stuff. the real hard part is the initial atgames update to get the otg support. if you mess up any of the steps for my files, just try again. nothing is put on the system after the 2 firmware updates.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I just wanna say this is hard, but its not neo geo mini hard. Its tedious, not complicated. once you get past the initial otg update, its the same stuff we've been doing with the AFB9, LFB, etc. The best part is, its all on the flash drive. youre not fucking with the system at all. the custom firmware is just the official firmware with a tiny tweak to let you load from USB. that's it. if you jack up all your usb files, start over. no big deal. want to go to stock? remove the flash drive. no biggie. I feel like HackChi, and project lunar, autobleem type of stuff are more obtrusive and easier to fuck something up. with the atgames stuff, just reflash the unit, they are never really bricked by software updates. Trust me, ive hacked them all. this is no C64 mini custom carousel. lol. This IS the safest shit to tinker with. And least stressful too, if you jack up youre files, you can download the pack and move the files fast. these are smile files. just start over with my shit as a base. or dump a new rom folder as a base. whichever way you want to go. 1000 games or the stock games + a handful you add (pull them from the pack).

want some REAL advice on this unit... be careful opening up the shell, don't fuck up your ribbon cable. If youre not a computer expert, use windows 7 machine to do the initial update.

Edited by Draxxon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

watching it back I also noticed...

I always have "error with the drive" errors. even when I always eject them properly. Ive had issues rarely when I try to scan and fix the drive with the psx classic and the game list it generates, but never with the atgames units. but, I ignore it and I don't scan and fix it. best bet to avoid it, is start a fresh flash drive, put all the stuff you want to run on it, plug it in your flashback x, and don't plug it back into the computer. lol.

You can probably just flash the custom firmware image from jump street and skip the official update. its virtually the same thing.
 

the official firmware is also in the tools folder in the packs. same as found on atgames website. handy if you are not online or want to flash back to stock. important to learn where to find the official updates tho.

 

the game_pack is a bunch of prebuilt "game" folders to load games the "old/stock" way. handy because the naming conventions are tricky to get them to work and its all set up. THIS is where you will run into the TOO MANY GAMES to load error. if you try and combine the two larger packs, or add a shit ton of your own roms. like 6000.

 

the shizz takes 30 seconds to boot by design. a long while, but not too long. remove games to make it shorter. a real pain in the ass if you don't use the stock stick and reset the system on the console.

Edited by Draxxon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks Draxxon and Brad for creating the rom/art packs and the CFW. I have installed these in my Flashback X and I am very happy with using this as my emulator of choice. I am only using a USB 2.0 thumb drive, so I do have a slightly annoying boot time of about 20-30 seconds.

 

One thing I wondering is does the FlashbackX write anything everytime it is booted to the usb thumbdrive? Or once it is setup with CFW and the mount_sd and startup scripts it only needs to read from the USB drive after that.

 

 Just wondering if I have to worry about maximum writes to the thumbdrive. (Which is likely in the 100,000s or more with proper wear leveling)

Edited by CapitanClassic
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even with a 3.0 flash drive, the initial power on boot up is 30 seconds. I forget, but i think stock is like 10 or 12 seconds? The 2.0 drives are slow for dumping the partitions, loading individual games, flashing firmware and also for navigating the main game list. It's 30 seconds because there are 1100 games. remove games for less load time.

 

If I'm following your question, the scripts only dump the rom and emulator partitions from the system to the flash drive if there is no rom or emulator folders present. If the folder/s are present on the drive, they will be loaded instead.

 

 

Edited by Draxxon
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...

I looked to the filesystem of the update image and see there is "stella_libretro.so". What prevents us replacing this libretro core with Stella 6? Have anybody tried that?

 

Or, what if we just replaced that "retromenu" binary with "stella" armhf binary? I just dont know how to create the modified firmware update image from the modified image. Can I just use "atari_update.img" from CFW and replace that file with stella (preserving the file name)?

 

34932408_obrzok.thumb.png.8a78173b72c0467a15e5313139343146.png

Edited by Wizzard
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...