GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

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rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Well, that's doable.

I'm surprised that you need 10 presets (is that the number?).
Is each of these sources not displaying correctly by default?
If you could list what kind of adjustments you do that need saving, that would help me prioritize what to work on for the defaults.
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

Well the GBA is zoomed in a 3:2 aspect ratio, the psp and other consoles are ever so slightly zoomed to fill a 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio and i did this for 50Hz and 60Hz for some consoles, for 480i content i enable line filtering while for 240p i do not; all in all 10 presets would make my life easier.
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

A GBA and a PSP? xD

If it helps, one slot actually holds 2 presets, one for 50Hz and one for 60Hz / all other timings.
The automatic stuff knows which one to load (or save), based on the active source timing.
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NoAffinity
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by NoAffinity »

rama wrote:A GBA and a PSP? xD
Hey, we all have our vices... :D

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
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maxtherabbit
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by maxtherabbit »

rama wrote: Shiver_169:
Regarding the DC, someone should go and find out whether CSync is available in VGA mode.
It makes VGA support in gbscontrol so much easier to have CSync, due to the Input Formatter bug.
It is not, I have tested it myself
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

Well the GBA is a GBA player :P

The psp and consoles that could be played directly on LCD get the GBS treatment so that i can record the gameplay, i pretty much record every single game i play.
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Thanks for testing, maxtherabbit.
Ah well, I can make VGA work okay enough, but it's just so much more manual stuff when the IF isn't available :/
9200 lines of code, and counting..
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maxtherabbit
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by maxtherabbit »

rama wrote:Thanks for testing, maxtherabbit.
Ah well, I can make VGA work okay enough, but it's just so much more manual stuff when the IF isn't available :/
9200 lines of code, and counting..
Yeah it's a real nuisance that it doesn't output composite sync in VGA mode, especially since it has a totally separate pin on the multiout for c-sync, so there's no excuse for it
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NoAffinity
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by NoAffinity »

hey rama - since updating to the latest firmware (as of 1/29), I'm having trouble connecting to the GBS via wifi. I connected the GBS to my wifi router. It takes a minute or two in the best case scenario, sometimes won't connect at all.

Granted, I did install the clock gen board at the same time as updating to the firmware, but according to your post, it should help with removing interference from the wifi connection if anything.

Once I'm connected, it seems to work fine. No bugginess that I would expect if it was a weak signal or interference preventing the connectivity.
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Well, I'm just assuming that a ground layer on top of the heatsink reduces EMI from there.
Maybe it doesn't, or there is some other effect. I'm totally blind in this without proper tools to debug it.

So yeah, change the WiFi channel? Sorry ;p

Edit:
It could also be the clock generator itself, or maybe the wire.
It surely radiates energy, but again, I have no way to measure it.
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Custum preset slots are at 9 now (10 would've been some trouble :p).
The VDS line filter now defaults to off.
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Syntax
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Syntax »

Wild off topic idea because I ordered a few of those clock generators but I wondered if it's a simple plug and play upgrade or do we require a specific firmware for it.

Guessing plug and play so onto the real question

Where would we inject this on an ossc and what benefits would we get?
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

I believe the OSSC only runs in frame / sync locked mode.
It wouldn't work at all :p
Iraito
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Iraito »

Thank you rama!
falz
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by falz »

Hi folks, I installed this project over a year ago on an Arduino Uno, ive been content and more or less checked out for that time period. I've now checked back in and this project has a lot of updates, requires new hardware, has wifi support, other neato things.

Anyway, I'm swapping from my Arduino Uno (no longer supported to a Wemos D1 clone, which I already have. I compiled and uploaded, but am getting black screen. I'm using an arcade PCB (Neo Geo) with a VGA CRT.

A few questions:

1) Should the wifi server appear when it's simply powered up via USB? I can't see the SSID, I had it powered up for several minutes.

2) I do not yet have debug pin connected (D6), the docs imply it should still work in this state, just looking to confirm. I plan on doing this once i get video.

3) Is 640x480 output supported? When I used this originally I had to get the 640x480 video preset from the original maintainer's project and hard code it. All that I'm using this for is a line doubler to get minimum supported res on my crt, which is 640x480.

Thanks!

Edit: reading a page inidicates the LED on the Wemos should be lit up, it's not. I'm "powering" over USB, perhaps that's the problem (it's not actually on) and I need to power it via its pins? the 'power' section is pretty slim on https://github.com/ramapcsx2/gbs-contro ... e-Hardware
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

falz:
You have a lot going on. It'll be best if you post some pictures that show how you've built it.
falz
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by falz »

rama wrote:falz:
You have a lot going on. It'll be best if you post some pictures that show how you've built it.
I'll grab some shortly, but should the LED on the arduino remain lit when it's "on"? If so, ill look at powering it differently than current method (usb hub)
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

The LED goes on briefly on bootup and turns off until a sync signal is recognized.
falz
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by falz »

OK, wired it to be powered from 3.3v from the header instead of USB. I also wired to the debug pin. The wiring colors I used match the colour code on https://github.com/ramapcsx2/gbs-contro ... e-Hardware (helps to trace)

same thing, black screen, LED does not come on, I do not see wifi ssid.

Edit: images too huge for inline to look nice, full size here: https://imgur.com/a/fcGWQsw

Image

Image

Image
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Okay, the ESP8266 module 3.3V regulator is far too weak to power the GBS board.
You should have a 5V source with about an amp (1A) that powers the GBS via its main input.

Depending on what your power supply is, you may want to split the 5V so it also powers the ESP module (via 5V input as well).
falz
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by falz »

rama wrote:Okay, the ESP8266 module 3.3V regulator is far too weak to power the GBS board.
You should have a 5V source with about an amp (1A) that powers the GBS via its main input.

Depending on what your power supply is, you may want to split the 5V so it also powers the ESP module (via 5V input as well).
I am powering the GBS via 5v from standard arcade PSU. What's not clear to me is how to power the Wemo D1.

If I'm understanding the 'hardware setup' section of the wiki docs, 3.3v comes out of the GBS header and powers it, is this not the case?

When I turn it on now I get an immediate LED blink and then nothing. It seems like I could optionally power the Arduino directly from my 5v source using the other pin as well, but this seems 'simplest' as I can leave the Arduino attached if i pull the GBS out.

Under what circumstances should I be seeing the wifi ssid? does it need video sync before this actually works? I don't see it powered the way it is now, nor when it's hooked to my PC's USB port when in the IDE.
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

3.3V out of the GBS and into the ESP8266 module is good enough.
It works as you understand it :)

WiFi should work as soon as your ESP8266 module has power.
It doesn't depend on anything the GBS board does, nor even be connected to it.
falz wrote:When I turn it on now I get an immediate LED blink and then nothing.
That sounds correct for a no sync situation.
falz wrote:I don't see it powered the way it is now, nor when it's hooked to my PC's USB port when in the IDE.
When it's connected via USB, you can check the debug prints via the Arduino IDE serial monitor.
Remember to set the baud rate to 115200.
falz
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by falz »

rama wrote:3.3V out of the GBS and into the ESP8266 module is good enough.
It works as you understand it :)

WiFi should work as soon as your ESP8266 module has power.
It doesn't depend on anything the GBS board does, nor even be connected to it.
falz wrote:When I turn it on now I get an immediate LED blink and then nothing.
That sounds correct for a no sync situation.
falz wrote:I don't see it powered the way it is now, nor when it's hooked to my PC's USB port when in the IDE.
When it's connected via USB, you can check the debug prints via the Arduino IDE serial monitor.
Remember to set the baud rate to 115200.

I re-tested my GBS in normal not-debug mode (no gbs-control), it works fine. I re-attched my Arduino Uno with a very old custom version of this gbs-control, it works fine. So my issues seem to be isolated to Current Wemos D1's and or current gbs-control verisons.

I tried USB debug at 115200 and just get a garbled line of text when it boots (or when button is pressed). I tried several other baud rates as well, same but varying lenghts of code.

I have two of these Wemos D1 (clones) so I tried the other one after compiling and sending code to device (not installed on GBS) and get the same thing.

It sure seems to compile and send to the Wemos properly, output below.

As I write this, i notice it says 'Chip is ESP8285' instead of ESP8266, from what I read the 8285 is compatible and adds a few extra features, maybe I just bought the wrong hardware?

Code: Select all

Executable segment sizes:
IROM   : 484028          - code in flash         (default or ICACHE_FLASH_ATTR) 
IRAM   : 31348   / 32768 - code in IRAM          (ICACHE_RAM_ATTR, ISRs...) 
DATA   : 1320  )         - initialized variables (global, static) in RAM/HEAP 
RODATA : 8076  ) / 81920 - constants             (global, static) in RAM/HEAP 
BSS    : 28032 )         - zeroed variables      (global, static) in RAM/HEAP 
Sketch uses 524772 bytes (50%) of program storage space. Maximum is 1044464 bytes.
Global variables use 37428 bytes (45%) of dynamic memory, leaving 44492 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 81920 bytes.
esptool.py v2.8
Serial port /dev/ttyUSB0
Connecting....
Chip is ESP8285
Features: WiFi, Embedded Flash
Crystal is 26MHz
MAC: c8:2b:96:4a:e1:fe
Uploading stub...
Running stub...
Stub running...
Changing baud rate to 460800
Changed.
Configuring flash size...
Auto-detected Flash size: 1MB
Flash params set to 0x0220
Compressed 528928 bytes to 367581...

Writing at 0x00000000... (4 %)
Writing at 0x00004000... (8 %)
Writing at 0x00008000... (13 %)
Writing at 0x0000c000... (17 %)
Writing at 0x00010000... (21 %)
Writing at 0x00014000... (26 %)
Writing at 0x00018000... (30 %)
Writing at 0x0001c000... (34 %)
Writing at 0x00020000... (39 %)
Writing at 0x00024000... (43 %)
Writing at 0x00028000... (47 %)
Writing at 0x0002c000... (52 %)
Writing at 0x00030000... (56 %)
Writing at 0x00034000... (60 %)
Writing at 0x00038000... (65 %)
Writing at 0x0003c000... (69 %)
Writing at 0x00040000... (73 %)
Writing at 0x00044000... (78 %)
Writing at 0x00048000... (82 %)
Writing at 0x0004c000... (86 %)
Writing at 0x00050000... (91 %)
Writing at 0x00054000... (95 %)
Writing at 0x00058000... (100 %)
Wrote 528928 bytes (367581 compressed) at 0x00000000 in 8.8 seconds (effective 481.8 kbit/s)...
Hash of data verified.

Leaving...
Hard resetting via RTS pin...
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Yeah, that must be the problem.
For one, your module reports to have just 1MB of flash storage.
A typical ESP8266 has 4MB.
You will at least have to change the "Flash Size" option in the IDE to accommodate that.
As well, you probably need an entirely different "ESP8266" Arduino Core.

Let me check whether one exists.

Edit:
In the board selection drop down list, select one of the ESP8285 boards.
falz
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by falz »

OK, got it working! For my board, I chose these settings in IDE:

Board: LOLIN(WEMOS) D1 Mini Lite
Flash Size: 1MB (FS: None, OTA ~502KB)

Some docs suggest using "Generic ESP8285" but it won't compile due to errors with pins available (didn't fully debug, but here for future reference for someone else)

I get debug output, can connect to wifi to change resolutions and whatnot.

My only conern now is that since this is 'mini lite', which means no flash(?) if I can save settings on it or not.I don't have time to play with it further right now, but thanks for your help and sorry for the hassle!
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Great, I didn't realize these chips were even out there :p

So you probably still need to fix that file system situation.
Without storage, you aren't able to save any settings or custom presets.
I don't think you need a lot of storage, so try the 64k option.

Good luck also with the WiFi.
Should you connect it to your home network, please report back whether you get connection dropouts.
falz
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by falz »

Yep! changed storage to 64k and it seems to save presets and boot up to the right thing properly.

Also connected it to home wifi and worked fine first try. My overly complicated cabinet is now happy again and I'm happy to not be running a custom fork of gbscontrol from years ago.

Image
strayan
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by strayan »

I would have thought there was a better line doubling option for neo geo by now.
falz
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by falz »

strayan wrote:I would have thought there was a better line doubling option for neo geo by now.
The only others I'm aware of output hdmi, like the retrotink. I haven't found one that's analog. This solution works great though, especially with the electronics in a cabinet where you can't see it.
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

So a new RTL-SDR version came out, and it allows tuning to the 2.4GHz range with a cheap DVB-T dongle.
It looks like the WiFi disturbances emit near/at the SDRAM bus, and it's definitely linked to the H-PLL.
I can see it wandering when moving the sampling rate.

It also looks like the noise is travelling through the air and trough each attached cable.
The cable transfer must be the reason physical distance doesn't always cure the issue.

We could use small value resistors on each cable, except for ground.
So maybe that's worth trying out.
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