Cloning the Gamecube component cable

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Unseen
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Unseen »

I had two reports of Wii installations not booting correctly with 3.0a, it stops with a "failed to boot main firmware" screen. Two questions:

1) Has anyone installed 3.0(a) on a Wii without encountering this problem?
2) Has anyone encountered this problem on a Gamecube?

In both cases: On which board?
kloow
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by kloow »

I don't know how relevant it is, but my GCPlug updated to version 3.0a works great. No issues at all.
strayan
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by strayan »

Is there a method to force VESA 640x480@60 ouput from the gamecube? My new CRT won’t accept DTV 480p on the D-sub input.
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maxtherabbit
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by maxtherabbit »

strayan wrote:Is there a method to force VESA 640x480@60 ouput from the gamecube? My new CRT won’t accept DTV 480p on the D-sub input.
that makes no sense, the VESA 480p and DTV 480p are basically indistinguishable from an analog perspective
strayan
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by strayan »

maxtherabbit wrote:
strayan wrote:Is there a method to force VESA 640x480@60 ouput from the gamecube? My new CRT won’t accept DTV 480p on the D-sub input.
that makes no sense, the VESA 480p and DTV 480p are basically indistinguishable from an analog perspective
Ultrahdmi (vesa 640x480) -> hdmi to vga adapter -> works
Gcvideo (ED 480p) -> hdmi to vga adapter -> no image
PC (vesa 640x480) -> vga cable -> works

There’s even a reference to this in the manual (although for some bizarre reason it says 480p will work and PC standards won’t when the complete opposite appears to be true).
fernan1234
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by fernan1234 »

maxtherabbit wrote:
strayan wrote:Is there a method to force VESA 640x480@60 ouput from the gamecube? My new CRT won’t accept DTV 480p on the D-sub input.
that makes no sense, the VESA 480p and DTV 480p are basically indistinguishable from an analog perspective
Of course it doesn't make sense, but there is actually depressingly large number of devices that only expected PC inputs from D-sub connectors, and not any kind of TV inputs.
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maxtherabbit
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by maxtherabbit »

fernan1234 wrote:
maxtherabbit wrote:
strayan wrote:Is there a method to force VESA 640x480@60 ouput from the gamecube? My new CRT won’t accept DTV 480p on the D-sub input.
that makes no sense, the VESA 480p and DTV 480p are basically indistinguishable from an analog perspective
Of course it doesn't make sense, but there is actually depressingly large number of devices that only expected PC inputs from D-sub connectors, and not any kind of TV inputs.
really doesn't matter what they "expect" when they can't tell them apart
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maxtherabbit
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by maxtherabbit »

strayan wrote:
maxtherabbit wrote:
strayan wrote:Is there a method to force VESA 640x480@60 ouput from the gamecube? My new CRT won’t accept DTV 480p on the D-sub input.
that makes no sense, the VESA 480p and DTV 480p are basically indistinguishable from an analog perspective
Ultrahdmi (vesa 640x480) -> hdmi to vga adapter -> works
Gcvideo (ED 480p) -> hdmi to vga adapter -> no image
PC (vesa 640x480) -> vga cable -> works

There’s even a reference to this in the manual (although for some bizarre reason it says 480p will work and PC standards won’t when the complete opposite appears to be true).
do you happen to have a stock dreamcast with a VGA box of some kind? you could hook that up to your CRT to test your theory, since it also outputs DTV 480p
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Extrems
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Extrems »

I'm guessing it's a GTF vs CVT thing? Both are VESA, mind you.
strayan
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by strayan »

maxtherabbit wrote: do you happen to have a stock dreamcast with a VGA box of some kind? you could hook that up to your CRT to test your theory, since it also outputs DTV 480p
Heh, unfortunately no but I had the same thought!

I’m going to hook up my DVDO and see how that goes.
makar1
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by makar1 »

strayan wrote:
Ultrahdmi (vesa 640x480) -> hdmi to vga adapter -> works
Gcvideo (ED 480p) -> hdmi to vga adapter -> no image
PC (vesa 640x480) -> vga cable -> works

There’s even a reference to this in the manual (although for some bizarre reason it says 480p will work and PC standards won’t when the complete opposite appears to be true).
Does your HDMI to VGA adapter have its own power supply?
strayan
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by strayan »

makar1 wrote:
strayan wrote:
Ultrahdmi (vesa 640x480) -> hdmi to vga adapter -> works
Gcvideo (ED 480p) -> hdmi to vga adapter -> no image
PC (vesa 640x480) -> vga cable -> works

There’s even a reference to this in the manual (although for some bizarre reason it says 480p will work and PC standards won’t when the complete opposite appears to be true).
Does your HDMI to VGA adapter have its own power supply?
Yes and I had it powered.
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Unseen »

I. Hate. ICAP.

Release 3.0b:
  • fix inverted colors on WiiDual
  • fix flasher->main reboot failure on some Wiis (I hope...)
Note: I had to slow down the GCVideo startup in the Wii builds to fix the reboot problem, but since the Wii starts with a useless animation and the warning screen anyway, this shouldn't matter much.

If your install has the reboot failure issue (stops at a screen saying "*** Booting main firmware failed! ***") then you need to re-flash the board with an external tool, otherwise you can use the built-in firmware upgrade option (needs at least 3.0) to install 3.0b.

Edit: Gah, so tired that I forgot the acknowledgements... Thanks to @kimbapslice on Github for patiently flashing lots of test builds to get to the bottom of the startup problem.
Last edited by Unseen on Sun Jan 19, 2020 11:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Link83
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Link83 »

Unseen wrote:I. Hate. ICAP.

Release 3.0b:
  • fix inverted colors on WiiDual
  • fix flasher->main reboot failure on some Wiis (I hope...)
Note: I had to slow down the GCVideo startup in the Wii builds to fix the reboot problem, but since the Wii starts with a useless animation and the warning screen anyway, this shouldn't matter much.

If your install has the reboot failure issue (stops at a screen saying "*** Booting main firmware failed! ***") then you need to re-flash the board with an external tool, otherwise you can use the built-in firmware upgrade option (needs at least 3.0) to install 3.0b.
Glad you were able to fix it Unseen :) Out of curiosity how much longer does bootup take on 3.0b compared to 3.0a?

Also, i'm not sure if its related or not, but I thought you might find this old hackmii post by bushing interesting - it mentions the Wii boot timing changing on different motherboard revisions:-
https://hackmii.com/2009/08/timing-is-e ... dable-wii/
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Unseen »

Link83 wrote:Out of curiosity how much longer does bootup take on 3.0b compared to 3.0a?
In theory the FPGA now reads the bitstreams 16 times slower. Total startup time for 3.0 was around 300ms or so, in 3.0b on Wii it will be dominated by the time it takes the FPGA to read the two bitstreams - roughly 1.5 seconds each (estimated).
Also, i'm not sure if its related or not, but I thought you might find this old hackmiii post by bushing interesting - it mentions the Wii boot timing changing on different motherboard revisions:-
https://hackmii.com/2009/08/timing-is-e ... dable-wii/
Interesting! My current test Wii is a RVL-CPU-01, so it would be before that change. If that timing difference also affects the video clock in some way, it could explain why I was unable to reproduce the boot failures on my system.
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Syntax
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Syntax »

Just flashed 3.0b to a launch Wii and everything seemed fine until about the 10th reset where the HDMI audio went all screwy.
Resetting did not fix it, I had to turn the power supply off at the wall for a few seconds.

It was fine again after that. Never had that happen before.
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Unseen »

Syntax wrote:Resetting did not fix it, I had to turn the power supply off at the wall for a few seconds.
Ah, the funnest category of bugs - very rarely occuring and not deterministically reproducible. =( I changed a tiny bit in the audio code that might help - or might not.

One other fix in release 3.0c: In some rare situations the output was not reenabled after the console changed display modes, resulting in a "No signal" screen until the console was powercycled or changed the video mode again.
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Extrems
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Extrems »

Not that rare, but I thought it was the trap you mentioned, so I didn't bring it up. :?
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Unseen »

Extrems wrote:Not that rare, but I thought it was the trap you mentioned, so I didn't bring it up.
It's actually a race condition - if the console switches back to the previous mode within three frames, the output stayed disabled.

As for the trap: It was pure fabrication =)
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Extrems
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Extrems »

Well, at least I'm no longer sometimes working blind. :P
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Syntax
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Syntax »

I'm sorry I didn't check the analog audio output at the time, I really should of to see if it was produced before the WiiDual board.

Ill keep playing with it today to see if it happens again after installing 3.0c

Super fast update too, thanks for that :)

Unseen, have you thought about linking the release page as your Sig??

https://github.com/ikorb/gcvideo/releases
thebigcheese
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by thebigcheese »

Do these updates now include Dan's GC Dual branch?
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Unseen »

thebigcheese wrote:Do these updates now include Dan's GC Dual branch?
No, I haven't received the data for that yet.
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Syntax
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Syntax »

I just went to update and forgot you have to rename the updater-3.0c-wii.dol to boot.dol and put it in its own folder.

Should work now :)

Hey nice Sig you got there Unseen :D

Something else ive noticed with launch day Wiis, you cant hotswap the SD card, needs a reboot.

Super easy to update, loving it!
Spoiler
Image

Image
Last edited by Syntax on Sun Jan 26, 2020 3:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Syntax
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Syntax »

So the audio glitchyness is still happening in 3.0b and 3.0c on some boots.

Checked analog audio output, that is fine.

The screen now has artifacts in both firmware too.

https://imgur.com/a/XQZpOLj

I tried to look for them over analog but can not see anything. composite video looks fine.

Im starting to think maybe the GPU in this Wii is failing, but that doesnt really explain the good analog audio...

***EDIT***

Yeah I think its a gpu thing, the image has cleared up a fair bit after a cooldown.
Last edited by Syntax on Sun Jan 26, 2020 3:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Extrems
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Extrems »

It's not the Wii. That's image retention in your display.
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Syntax
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Syntax »

Oh yeah, its an IPS screen! I forgot about what BOB deinterlacing does to it.

I remember using GBS on it playing PS1 tekken and the health bars stayed there after a reboot!

All cleared up now, but the audio still glitches in both firmware on some boots, whilst analog audio sounds fine regardless.

Left it on the Wiiflow source menu for 10minutes, switched to Homebrew, burnt in so bad LMAO.

Thanks for the reminder @Extrems

https://i.imgur.com/fkyZDVh.jpg
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Konsolkongen »

Not a lot of information on how to upgrade the firmware that I can find. What programmers can I use for this both GCvideo 4.0 and WiiDual 1.1 boards?

I believe I used the LCsoft CY7C68013A to program the GCvideo boards I assembled myself. Can this be used to update the Wii Dual as well?
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Syntax
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Syntax »

Programmer

https://www.ebay.com/p/7014000399?iid=253056283240


Heres the install files for the programmer

https://mega.nz/#!24kETSCI!ICi_UWlLAw9t ... Egdd5srBXM


And the video Dan made.

https://youtu.be/RSG9kC6o0G0?t=578

I don't power on the console, I power 3.3v from the programmer.
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Konsolkongen
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Re: Cloning the Gamecube component cable

Post by Konsolkongen »

Thank you. I remember having some problems with the LCsoft's software, and this looks much easier :)
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