Noob FinalGom99 question

[Uplink7]

FinalGrom noob question. I just purchased a FinalGrom99 and I have an issue. The cart works fine in one of my 2 TI's, no issues etc. However it never shows up on the list after boot in my second console. It is also a silver and black model, (both are), and NOT a QI board, I'm aware of that issue, and all of my other carts work fine in that unit. But the FinalGrom doesn't show up. Is there a different firmware version in the older motherboards or is there a chip/pin issue that FinalGrom uses that is causing this problem? Again other TI/FinalGrom unit is fine and works well and regular cartridges work fine on the second machine, just not the FinalGtom. . 

[+arcadeshopper]

odds are your cartridge port or power supply on that console has issues.. 

 

see the FAQ on cleaning your cart port.  

 

finalgrom99 uses more signals than the other carts out there, and requires power voltages to be high enough to work.

 

Greg 

[Uplink7]

Thanks, I'll try checking the voltages and try cleaning the cart port. I used the same external supply to check both TIs but the internal supply could be the issue. One question, is it possible to plug cartridges directly into the board connector and bypass the 90 degree adapter for testing? I would think so. Maybe I'll try that when I open it up to check the voltages.

[HOME AUTOMATION]

6 hours ago, Uplink7 said:

Is there a different firmware version in the older motherboards or is there a chip/pin issue that FinalGrom uses that is causing this problem?

I think FinalGROM 99, Ver. 1.0, did have a slight timing issue. 

You should be on Update 1.3 now.

 

https://github.com/endlos99/finalgrom99/blob/master/doc/MANUAL.md

 

...Maybe not the issue though, as the reset button should still work.

[+Ksarul]

2 hours ago, Uplink7 said:

Thanks, I'll try checking the voltages and try cleaning the cart port. I used the same external supply to check both TIs but the internal supply could be the issue. One question, is it possible to plug cartridges directly into the board connector and bypass the 90 degree adapter for testing? I would think so. Maybe I'll try that when I open it up to check the voltages.

ISTR that the pin rows flip at some point during the transition (top becomes bottom and bottom becomes top). Just follow the traces to be sure. . .

[+dhe]

Hey ArcadeShopper - you said:

   " or power supply on that console has issues"

 

I've seen that in a couple of threads. Do you know how to test for this issue?

  Is it as simple as turning on an auto-ranging volt meter and checking that it reads 5V if put inline between ground and the 5V line, or do you need to be able to test the line under load for the correct "amperage"?

[Uplink7]

Ok, thanks for everyone's help, here is what I've discovered so far. First off with the unit on and under load, the power supply is +5.23, +12.04 and -5.03. So they seem fine though the +5 is a little high. I took out the 90 degree cartridge adapter and it was very dirty. I cleaned it with 99% isopropyl, sprayed Deoxit on the connectors and the MB connector. However still no joy. All my other cartridges work fine but the FinalGrom still never shows up. I then tried bypassing the 90 degree adapter and plugging the cartridges into the MB directly (I checked and cartridge bottom traces face the rear of the machine) and nothing worked then. I just get a continuous tone no matter what I plug in there. But if I put the adapter back in regular carts work again but still no FinalGrom. I turn the TI on, press the left hand blinking button on the FinalGrom, and all I see show up is TI Basic. So maybe it is a timing difference etc between my 2 machines but at least 1 TI works fine with the FinalGrom. Guess I know which one is the spare.

[+arcadeshopper]

48 minutes ago, Uplink7 said:

Ok, thanks for everyone's help, here is what I've discovered so far. First off with the unit on and under load, the power supply is +5.23, +12.04 and -5.03. So they seem fine though the +5 is a little high. I took out the 90 degree cartridge adapter and it was very dirty. I cleaned it with 99% isopropyl, sprayed Deoxit on the connectors and the MB connector. However still no joy. All my other cartridges work fine but the FinalGrom still never shows up. I then tried bypassing the 90 degree adapter and plugging the cartridges into the MB directly (I checked and cartridge bottom traces face the rear of the machine) and nothing worked then. I just get a continuous tone no matter what I plug in there. But if I put the adapter back in regular carts work again but still no FinalGrom. I turn the TI on, press the left hand blinking button on the FinalGrom, and all I see show up is TI Basic. So maybe it is a timing difference etc between my 2 machines but at least 1 TI works fine with the FinalGrom. Guess I know which one is the spare.

 

when this happens hit the fg reset button and see if the blink stops..  theres two buttons one is fg reset and the other is console reset 

 

[Uplink7]

Yes, the blinking does stop when I press the left button, it just never shows in the list on the TI, just TI Basic. I do that on the other machine and its fine, just not this one.

[HOME AUTOMATION]

bad edit...why the weird highlighting???

Edited November 9, 2021 by HOME AUTOMATION

[HOME AUTOMATION]

Try a different SD card.

FAT with 64K allocation units.

 

Do you have the SD reader's driver set for SAFE REMOVAL?

Use EJECT to remove the SD card from the windows machine.

I'm using a generic looking 2GB SD card.

 

I use a method to execute a POWERUP HEADER in place of the FinalGROM 99's MENU.

I recently discovered that an issue can effect the SD card's file system, if not removed successfully!

Preventing the POWERUP HEADER from working.

I have not found the specific reason for this failure... only reformatting the SD card, restores proper function.

I'm assuming it is a timing issue with the SD card's initialization.

 

It might be better to format using XP.

...Win sometimes adds hidden folders too.

[Asmusr]

We had a similar discussion starting here:

At that time I thought my problems were solved by removing the FG from its shell, but I'm still having the same issues.

[+dhe]

Hi Guys,

   Does the finalgrom REQ 32K (maybe like house keeping duties)?

    I know it doesn't magically give you 32K, but if you have just a console - can you play space invaders?

 

Thanks,

[Uplink7]

Yes, you can. The TI that I have that is working with the FinalGrom does not have it. I ordered one and am waiting on delivery. There are some games that require 32k but the device tself doesn't. 

[+jedimatt42]

No, the finalgrom does not itself require/use expansion memory. 

[+arcadeshopper]

3 hours ago, dhe said:

Hi Guys,

   Does the finalgrom REQ 32K (maybe like house keeping duties)?

    I know it doesn't magically give you 32K, but if you have just a console - can you play space invaders?

 

Thanks,

 

finalgrom99 no.. some cartridges do require 32k though especially the ones made for the 32k flashrom99 to run grom games, you can just run the real groms on the fg99 though without the kludge

 

[+dhe]

[+dhe]

Probably answered a millions times, but is there a program I can run on the {name}[C][G].bin file to show if it loads in memory expansion, how many ROMs/GROM's and the base or memory address / lengths?

[+jedimatt42]

It is hard to imagine a need. But I would recommend reading the debug log in classic99 when loading the bins. Although sometimes you have to know/help classic99 know before it can load them. But this should tell you which from and rom addresses are loaded.

 

Detecting 32k RAM usage from the bins directly would require scanning the machine or gpl code for operations that access anything in 0x2000-0x3fff or 0xa000-0xffff... 

 

 

[PeteE]

You could use memory access breakpoints in Classic99 debugger to detect access to 32k RAM.  Use the breakpoints *(2000-3fff) and *(a000-ffff) and then run the cartridge and see if the breakpoints are triggered.