GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

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rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Tobias: The big board in Uno form factor?

On my "D1" board (Uno design), the new pin is actually labeled "D13 / SCK". In the IDE, it is named "D5".
At this point, I don't have any rules anymore. It's random! ><

What I do is, I google some images of my board and usually see some similar ones. All the variants have a different name on the same physical pin location.
I just try some of those names in the IDE, and usually the first or 2nd works.
The Serial Monitor will tell you if the wire is connected.

Code: Select all

post preset done
VSYNC wire connected :)
Debug wire connected :)
in field time: 19999
out field time: 20091
^ This is a good reading.
TobiasRieper
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by TobiasRieper »

Yes Rama it's like the one you have WeMos Uno D1. It's just an uno with the esp8266 chip integrated. It's slightly confusing as the pins are all labelled differently. Thanks for your help I'll try it out later. :D
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Ah okay. Use "D13/SCK" then :)
Higgy
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Higgy »

Here is a picture of my setup. I ran out of time after fixing my SNES SCART cable, but I am going to solder then hot glue into position the yellow female dupoint wire for the new Debug connection.

Update : Remove my setup pic because it was massive!!

Connections for a NodeMCU V3 are as follows:

D1 = SCL
D2 = SDA
G = Ground
D7 = VSync
D6 = Debug

Vin = +5 from GBS82** power header
G = GNS from GBS82** power header

To try and help share connections across the various boards I have tried to list the boards people are using:

rama = wemos D1
TobiasRieper = wemos D1
AndehX = NodeMCU V3
Higgy = NodeMCU V3 & Wemos D1 Mini
Last edited by Higgy on Sun Apr 08, 2018 6:44 pm, edited 3 times in total.
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Higgy wrote:I am going to solder then hot glue into position the yellow female dupoint wire for the new Debug connection.
Please don't do that. It's far better to use a very thin wire and just solder it onto the MCU pin.
The little weight of such a wire does not require additional propping up from hot glue and the likes.
The NodeMCU board should be fixed onto the GBS, and any wires should be fixed wherever convenient.

Always remember that strong wires put lots of stress onto the solder joints. Only use them when they have to carry some current.
In this application, that is only the Vcc and GND wires.
Higgy
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Higgy »

rama - I think my PC monitor was taking a long time to sync because I have VSYNC connected wrong to my NodeMCU V3 :oops:

While trying to work out which pin for Debug, on the NodeMCU V3 it seems you just use D5 & D7 as written on the PCB!

Although I did have issues in 'seeing' the WiFi so I uploaded the Sketch with 'Sketch + WiFi Settings' enabled, although now I could see 'ESP-?????' instead of GBS-Control ?!?, so I still need to do some testing.

What Arduino IDE are you using? I updated to 1.8.5 but it takes something like 5mins to Compile and Upload!!! Even the 'blink' test :cry:
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AndehX
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by AndehX »

I've noticed that compiling takes a very long time on these ESP board too. Also, where do you connect the debug pin on the NodeMCU V3?

Edit: Oh D5 :oops:
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Debug Pin on "Wemos D1 WiFi": D13/SCK/D5
VSync Pin on "Wemos D1 WiFi": D1/MOSI/D7

There are several (at least 2) breakouts for this GPIO on my board.

Compiling takes ages, yeah. It's the same for the ESP32 core.
It helps to leave the Arduino IDE opened, as it compiles much faster after the first time.
I always use the latest IDE and cores, so currently Arduino 1.8.5 and ESP8266 2.4.1.
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

AndehX:
I changed the 1280x960 NTSC preset in my last update. It won't align with the 240p test suite patterns anymore but finally fixes all the wave noise.
It will also work better with SNES (256px) and consoles with 384px dot clock.
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AndehX
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by AndehX »

good stuff! I'll give it a try soon!
Higgy
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Higgy »

Edit: I will leave the info here. But I now see the ESP8266 needs to be connected and powered to the GBS-82** for you to see 'gbscontrol' and connect.

Also should the blue light be on the NodeMCU V3 all the time? Mine only flashed once if I press Reset. Although moving the wires one time it stayed on? Something is odd. I cant see the Network alot, I might check I dont have a broken Dupoint wire, which I have experienced in the past!

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

So after being able to connect to gbscontrol and edit settings, for some reason when re-uploading a newer sketch I selected:

Erase Flash: "Sketch + WiFi Settings

Now when scanning WiFi instead of seeing gbscontrol I see ESP-1106D3. No security is shown and I can connect to the ESP8266 but it is not asking me for the 'qqqqqqq' and I now can't access 192.168.4.1 or http://gbscontrol :cry:

Also how does Serial Monitor work - NodeMCU V3 sketch uploaded and still plugging into my PC, no wires to the GBS-82**. I click on Arduino IDE 'Serial Monitor' and all I get is scrolling ?????F????? etc
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

The ESP8266 version has 2 WiFi operation modes:
mode 1: captive portal
mode 2: client mode

The default is captive portal mode. In this mode, the ESP doesn't have WiFi credentials saved and opens an unprotected network for you to configure your WiFi. (Or maybe in this mode, it requires the qqqqqqqq password. I forgot.)
Once you have it configured, it will always boot into mode 2 and will be reachable under http://gbscontrol.
In this mode, you need to join your regular WiFi network as well.

When you upload with "Erase WiFi settings", it wipes the WiFi credentials and goes back to mode 1.
So select "Only sketch".

The LED is meant to indicate the setup stage. If it stays on, it could mean the scaler IC doesn't respond.
You'll notice if that's the case when you don't get a picture.
If you do get a picture but the LED stays on, please ignore it :)

The Serial Monitor requires a baud rate of 250000. Once you set that and reset the ESP, you should get legible debug prints.
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AndehX
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by AndehX »

Couple more images using the latest GBS Control. This is on my projector, using the 1280x960 profile. for some reason, my projector is reading it as 1600x900... lol

Image

Image
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Looking nice :)

Please keep an eye out for wave pattern issues.
They should be fully gone in the 1280x960 presets :)
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AndehX
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by AndehX »

rama wrote:Looking nice :)

Please keep an eye out for wave pattern issues.
They should be fully gone in the 1280x960 presets :)
Yeah, I noticed instantly that it's completely gone in the 1280 preset. It's still very apparent in the 640x480 preset.
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Well, now I know what causes them. It appears to be an issue where the H-PLL can't keep a lock on the frequency, due to being out of range.
That range is restricted to what the goal with image quality is though. I don't think we can have perfect sampling of some source dot clocks for that reason.
But hey, this is minor compared to the new image stability :)

The other good thing is that, once the H-PLL is more in-range, the tuning spot appears to be quite large.
I used to be able to cause a lot of wave noise by clocking the memory at 81Mhz (s0s40s0c). Not anymore once the H-PLL is brought up a couple notches.
This gives me high hopes that my presets will work well on different GBS boards. I should try out the HDMI one!
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AndehX
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by AndehX »

Sounds good. And yeah, I would happily sacrifice a little bit of pixel sharpness if it means no wave patterns
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AndehX
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by AndehX »

I saw the post on circuit-board.de about using a PLCC socket upside down to interface with the MTV230M chip. Ingenious idea! and probably much better than using the I2C interface. Also means less wires!
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Yeah, it's good for a more practical build. It adds stability and makes the soldering job simpler.
I might try doing it that way, if I can find some cheap sockets.

Once built, one of these "adapters" will be a plug and custom firmware solution :p
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AndehX
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by AndehX »

you can get 3 for £3 on ebay
Higgy
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Higgy »

I think I am getting there. I was experiencing intermittent problems, which I hope narrowed it down to the female SCART plug I fitted to my GBS-8220.
I redid the plug and fitted the Sync Stripper circuit inside along with a 3,5mm audio jack.

Hopefully I can get back to testing without added Gremlins in my hardware!

So far I have tried Megadrive Mk1 & SNES, my Master System Mk2 did not work very well, but looking at my homemade SCART cable the wiring is not very good. It works with CRT TV's but it was not happy with the GBS-8220, so I need to re-wire it to match a Megadrive Mk1.

The PLCC socket idea with a D1 Mini sounds like it would make a nice small install.

Oh, I updated to the latest code last night and the wireless was named 'Skynet' not sure if it was the GBS Control or a neighbor ;)
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

"intermittent problems"?
As in, it works but repeatedly drops out?
That would hint at a sync stripper issue, I believe.
The listed consoles work well here, in PAL and NTSC variations.
Higgy
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Higgy »

Its not related to your work - Yeah sync issues, it seemed to be ok for some minutes then it would drop out. It seems ok now I have rewired everything. I have more LM1881's on order to swap out my current one from its DIP socket.
I have also fixed my NodeMCU V3 so I don't have items moving about. I don't like Dupoint leads that much, or should I say I don't like the cheap ones I have bought :)

Edit: Master System Mk2 SCART lead now fixed and working with my GBS-8220 :)
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Just a public service announcement:
I recently changed the Serial Monitor baud rate to 230400 baud, so make sure you enter that value in your Arduino IDE Serial Monitor.
It's a more common / better supported value than the previous 250k.
And yeah, I think I'm settled on this one now ;)

In the works:
Support for 480p / 576p inputs, ie: PS2, XBOX, Wii progressive scan modes :)
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r-m-n
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by r-m-n »

AndehX wrote:I saw the post on circuit-board.de about using a PLCC socket upside down to interface with the MTV230M chip. Ingenious idea! and probably much better than using the I2C interface. Also means less wires!
Thanks, it's actually zero wires as of now :)
The Idea is heavily inspired by the old amiga accelerator boards.
Thats what it is actually: a drop-in cpu replacement.

tip:
To make it fit on the MCU you will need to remove those 4 small plastic nubs on the sockets inside (pliers work well).


Thanks again for the great work on the Firmware!
Higgy
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by Higgy »

Nice work for support in the works!
You have probably covered the consoles (of this sort of age) which have different resolutions/screen modes. I fitted a VGA connector & switch to my Dreamcast for native VGA output. My XBOX is currently outputting on Component.

I wonder how the AMIGA and all its strange screen modes would work? Interlace was always a flickering nightmare on normal TV's / Monitors. Back in the day I had a Multisync Monitor and used to run Workbench at 800x600 (I think), but then any games would then drop back to the normal 240p. I remember the relay inside the monitor was very loud, clicking back and forward between screen modes!
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AndehX
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by AndehX »

I decided to do a direct comparison, using my capture card to highlight the differences in colour. I'm not sure if this is something you can address rama? If not, no worries :)

Direct capture:
Image

GBS8200:
Image
culexus
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by culexus »

Rama: Will the xbox be using the component input on the gbs then? I have 6 xboxes and this will be a perfect solution to get them up and running for a local lan game play and no worries with the display :)

I have now only tested my GBS with my amiga and it is working really good with low res stuff, any high interlace modes would flicker as some Higgy mentioned. So all game play on for old non highres games is good, Amiga uses a funny ressolution I belive so the picture shift sideways to the left. But this can be adjusted some in the GBScontrol gui.

Looking forward to test the xbox on the gbs:) thank you for the great work.
chkktri
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by chkktri »

Just accidentally got my hands on that GBS board and discovered this thread. So, I've been eager to use this with PS2 to play various arcade ports (e.g. mushihime-sama), however before-mentioned game seem to output line-doubled 480i image, so the whole image is shaking. I tried to use settings from old RPi project with this rama's arduino firmware, but this just doesn't seem to work :(.

P.S. Toggling deinterlacer via built-in function seems to freeze the whole picture too.
rama
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Re: GBS 8200/8220 CFW Project

Post by rama »

Higgy:
The GBS hardware can deal with most source resolutions but these formats all require adjustments in the presets, sometimes entire new presets.
So support for odd Amiga resolutions or even Dreamcast VGA depends on someone creating a matching preset.
Maybe I'll get to it. If I do, it will probably be 640x480 VGA first ;)

AndehX:
Well.. On first impression, the GBS capture appears darker and less appealing.
On second though, the direct capture seems almost garish in the greens.
I'm not entirely sure that the direct capture is right or better.
If you know a way for me to tune to a reference, I can certainly do that.
The CSC variables are, as usual, badly documented. It's not even clear which of the 2 that are shown in the programming guide apply to which mode.

For the general dark tone, I think there is a problem with how much current the GBS DAC outputs into your capture setup.
It definitely generates 0.7Vpp when connected to my test TFT. 100% white is visually different from 95% white, yet it's definitely very bright and the maximum the display should get.
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