Cloning the Gamecube component cable

[thrasherx]

Check out page 16 on this document: download.zeitech.de/Documents/GQ-4X_Programmer_EN_Manual.pdf

That was just a quick google search, as I don't know anything about the GQ programmer. Hope it helps. I went the SPI route becuase its cheap

Jeez, thank you. I’m able to read and write to the flash memory now. I’m desoldering it from the board and programming it using a ZIF adapter. Using this method should I be burning the 2.4 .bit or .bin? The tutorial said .bin but my EPROM programming software lets me burn the .bit.

Also, should JP1 be closed or open? I’m not sure if it’s meant to be closed to program the flash, or for the flash to be able to program the FPGA on boot.

None of my 3 board are working yet but I’m hoping is due to the jumper, or flashing the wrong binary. I’ve double checked my soldering using a microscope.

Thanks for being patient with me.

[citrus3000psi]

[quote="thrasherx”]

Jeez, thank you. I’m able to read and write to the flash memory now. I’m desoldering it from the board and programming it using a ZIF adapter. Using this method should I be burning the 2.4 .bit or .bin? The tutorial said .bin but my EPROM programming software lets me burn the .bit.

Also, should JP1 be closed or open? I’m not sure if it’s meant to be closed to program the flash, or for the flash to be able to program the FPGA on boot.

None of my 3 board are working yet but I’m hoping is due to the jumper, or flashing the wrong binary. I’ve double checked my soldering using a microscope.

Thanks for being patient with me.[/quote]

I’d stick with the bin. Jp1 only needs to be shorted when flashing the eeprom on board. Jp1 needs to be open for normal operation. The fpga done pin (pin54) will go high when it successfully loads the config and starts up. That’s the first thing I’d check

[thrasherx]

I’d stick with the bin. Jp1 only needs to be shorted when flashing the eeprom on board. Jp1 needs to be open for normal operation. The fpga done pin (pin54) will go high when it successfully loads the config and starts up. That’s the first thing I’d check

So I used the following command to convert the bit to bin for GCHDMI 4.0 and I'm not getting anything out of HDMI:

promgen -w -p bin -o gcvideo-dvi-shuriken-gc-2.4.bin -u 0 gcvideo-dvi-shuriken-gc-2.4.bit

CRC32 of the resulting bin: B8118108

Then I found a python script (https://github.com/topic-embedded-produ ... -to-bin.py) that is also for converting .bit to .bin and used the following command line:

python fpga-bit-to-bin.py --flip gcvideo-dvi-shuriken-gc-2.4.bit gcvideo-dvi-shuriken-gc-2.4-python-flipped.bin

CRC32 of the resulting bin: 9C04613D

It also yielded no video output via HMDI

Finally, I I'm trying a non-flipped version of the bin:

python fpga-bit-to-bin.py gcvideo-dvi-shuriken-gc-2.4.bit gcvideo-dvi-shuriken-gc-2.4-python.bin

CRC32: 4C154A57

At this point, it feels a bit like shooting in the dark. I'm new to FPGAs and wondering if it would be worthwhile to add the .bin file to the github.

I haven't ignored your advice to check pin54, it's just that it's difficult to access the fpga board once it's installed. I guess I need to take out the power supply and turn the GCN on its side. Thanks again.

[citrus3000psi]

I convert the bit to bins with these promgen params

promgen -spi -p bin -o output.bin -s 512 -u 0 input.bit

But to avoid any problems, here is the bin for shuriken V3 2.4: https://mega.nz/#!P5MzlCYD!ksmn8OSRe3Ni ... jgvicN42UM



I test my systems like this: before assembly the case. You will be able to easily access the one side the 330 ohm resistor to check if its high. (Both sides of the resistor should read +3.3V after startup btw)

-If its not high, I'd first verify all voltages, 3.3, 1.2 and 5v.
-Then with the xilinx IC check that the legs are making contact and nothing bridged. Also double check the orientation.
Something in these areas that would cause the chip not to startup. Let me know if the chip does successfully startup, as there is different stuff to check.

[citrus3000psi]

Don't mean to double post. But I want to keep this topic separate.

Got my prototypes last night for the gc dual board. Assembled one and all works great. I just ordered a batch of boards. I plan on selling them as kits or installed. I'm still building my test jig, that should allow me to verify each board. I'm also going to classify this product for advanced installers only.

New boards will be red.

[AetherSmyth]

Got my prototypes last night for the gc dual board. Assembled one and all works great. I just ordered a batch of boards. I plan on selling them as kits or installed. I'm still building my test jig, that should allow me to verify each board. I'm also going to classify this product for advanced installers only.

Nice! I see one on OSHPark at https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/Gc1ijPdR, is this revision going to go up as well?

[citrus3000psi]

Nice! I see one on OSHPark at https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/Gc1ijPdR, is this revision going to go up as well?

You weren't supposed to see that yet

[BuckoA51]

I call dibs on one

Now, if I can actually remember who has my Gamecube at the moment I can sort out a test fitting and maybe actually start offering this to people here in Europe.

[mvsfan]

Does the software on this have a 240p option for the analog outputs?

[Ikaruga11]

Does the software on this have a 240p option for the analog outputs?

It should, yes.

[thrasherx]

I convert the bit to bins with these promgen params

promgen -spi -p bin -o output.bin -s 512 -u 0 input.bit

But to avoid any problems, here is the bin for shuriken V3 2.4: https://mega.nz/#!P5MzlCYD!ksmn8OSRe3Ni ... jgvicN42UM

I test my systems like this: before assembly the case. You will be able to easily access the one side the 330 ohm resistor to check if its high. (Both sides of the resistor should read +3.3V after startup btw)

-If its not high, I'd first verify all voltages, 3.3, 1.2 and 5v.
-Then with the xilinx IC check that the legs are making contact and nothing bridged. Also double check the orientation.
Something in these areas that would cause the chip not to startup. Let me know if the chip does successfully startup, as there is different stuff to check.

I burned your bins, reflowed all of the joints, checked again for chip alignment and solder problems, verified 3.3V on R2, and am still getting a black screen on all 3 consoles. What are the odds that I have solder issues at the digital port itself (either too much solder causing bridges below the board, or not enough to connect the vias to the pin)? I’ve attached pics of all 3 main board for critiquing.

https://imgur.com/gallery/7WYaF

[citrus3000psi]

I burned your bins, reflowed all of the joints, checked again for chip alignment and solder problems, verified 3.3V on R2, and am still getting a black screen on all 3 consoles. What are the odds that I have solder issues at the digital port itself (either too much solder causing bridges below the board, or not enough to connect the vias to the pin)? I’ve attached pics of all 3 main board for critiquing.

https://imgur.com/gallery/7WYaF

So there is 3.3V on both sides of R2? As one side of R2 is connected to the 3.3V Rail and will always be high.

Yes I always check for continuity between the digital connector and the solder pins, sometimes the solder does not like to flow down the hole. And check for bridges on both the QSB and the main HDMI board connectors. Are you looking at the pins on the XIlinx IC, HDMI Connector, FFC Connectors under some type of magnification? Its possible to bridge a pin and not see it at all with the naked eye, even with excellent vision like 20/10

[thrasherx]

So there is 3.3V on both sides of R2? As one side of R2 is connected to the 3.3V Rail and will always be high.

Yes I always check for continuity between the digital connector and the solder pins, sometimes the solder does not like to flow down the hole. And check for bridges on both the QSB and the main HDMI board connectors. Are you looking at the pins on the XIlinx IC, HDMI Connector, FFC Connectors under some type of magnification? Its possible to bridge a pin and not see it at all with the naked eye, even with excellent vision like 20/10

I found a few solder bridges on various boards. All 3 GCHDMI main boards work! One of the HDMI extensions doesn’t output anything, 1 has a solder bridge that needs fixing, and one of the gamecubes has the “An Error Has Occurred...” red message that pops up shortly after booting, even without the drive attached. I need to check if it happens with composite only, then start removing one PCB at a time to see if it goes away.

Thanks again for your patience. Also, great interview with RetroRGB. It’s cool to see other Acura fans. I drive an 06 TSX 6MT.

Update: I removed the GCHDMI main board from the console giving me the error and the error persists. My next thought is that it could be a bridged digital video pin under the QSB, so i’ll remove that next. The error persists with composite video output, which makes sense. From searching online, most people get this error in relation to a dirty disc, but I don’t have a drive attached. I’ll keep troubleshooting.

[citrus3000psi]

You will always get that error message at startup with no drive attached.

The gcvideo can’t/won’t cause that error.

Glad you got it all working!

That k24 is a good motor, nice and smooth. It’s a great car, hugs the corners well for its weight and size.

[thrasherx]

You will always get that error message at startup with no drive attached.

The gcvideo can’t/won’t cause that error.

Glad you got it all working!

That k24 is a good motor, nice and smooth. It’s a great car, hugs the corners well for its weight and size.

I’ll have to hook up drives to each and test them that way. The other consoles didn’t throw that error and I’m not exactly sure why. I was able to spin around the cube like normal and it sat there, happily.

Now maybe I can take a stab at the dual board, or plug. I didn’t find the surface mount components to be terribly difficult, when compared to the connectors themselves. Great work, citrus and unseen!

[Collingall]

For those that are wondering the dimples have very little addition to the retention of a plug. The depth that I could make the dimples while still maintain nylon design tolerance makes them mostly useless. A fully pinned plug slides into the digital port and requires a modest amount of force to remove. Just my two cents from my plug making journey.

[Kez]

So I attempted to install a Pluto IIx in my PAL cube the other day - I bought one pre-flashed with gcvideo 2.3 from KNJN. When I got to testing the install, there was no HDMI picture whatsoever. I had a look at the LEDs on the board and they were both on solid. I then tried playing a game through RGB and it worked fine. I checked all my wires were connected properly with a multimeter and everything seemed correct. I thought maybe I got sent an unflashed board by mistake, so I tried to use an Altera USB Blaster clone with UrJTAG to flash it, but I couldn't get it to detect the FPGA.

I also noticed another bizarre problem, when booting Swiss (I have a XenoGC installed), the output to a Framemeister was completely lost, and on a CRT I just got faint, wavy red lines. All other games, including backups, loaded just fine. So I removed the board completely and now Swiss loads fine again. I am thinking I might just try to do the install again and see if it works. I have also ordered a Xilinx Platform clone programmer so I can have another go at flashing the FPGA. Before I re-attempt the install - is there anything obvious that I might have missed, or any indications what might have caused the issue?

Thanks.

[citrus3000psi]

Small updates

Internal GCDual
Boards are still on there way from fab, I suspect them to get here later this week or early next. If the boards check out I will start taking orders, I will be do a round personal installs first. Then ship kits after that. I need to write up some install instructions still. I also have another revision created (untested) with the ADV7125 instead of the CDK3404. The 3404's are getting phased out early next year. The AVD7125 is also easier to find and a little cheaper.

I'd also like to start a preorder list, so I can make sure I have enough parts etc. You can submit your name here: http://www.dansprojects.com/

Internal WiiDual/WiiHDMI
Just got test QSB's yesterday. When I make time, I'll do a test with it. GCDual will take precedence over the Wii for the time being.

[Unseen]

I also noticed another bizarre problem, when booting Swiss (I have a XenoGC installed), the output to a Framemeister was completely lost, and on a CRT I just got faint, wavy red lines.

Swiss probably detected a component cable and auto-switched to 480p, which isn't supported by the Gamecube's onboard video encoder.

is there anything obvious that I might have missed, or any indications what might have caused the issue?

I would usually point to the 54MHz clock at this point, but since your JTAG adapter didn't detect the FPGA at all the problem may be somewhere else.

[Kez]

Thanks for your response!

Swiss probably detected a component cable and auto-switched to 480p, which isn't supported by the Gamecube's onboard video encoder.

I thought that might have been what was going on. That means the CableDetect pin is receiving 3.3V from the Pluto? Does this mean it was at least partly functioning?

I would usually point to the 54MHz clock at this point, but since your JTAG adapter didn't detect the FPGA at all the problem may be somewhere else.

I am far from confident that I configured UrJTAG properly as it was my first time using it, so there may well have been a software issue there rather than a problem with the FPGA itself. I did try to route the wire for pin 2 completely separate from everything else. Hopefully made a minor mistake in the install - I will have another go at it and see if I have any more luck.

[Unseen]

I thought that might have been what was going on. That means the CableDetect pin is receiving 3.3V from the Pluto? Does this mean it was at least partly functioning?

It may just be a pullup on the I/O pin of the unconfigured FPGA chip.

I am far from confident that I configured UrJTAG properly as it was my first time using it, so there may well have been a software issue there rather than a problem with the FPGA itself. I did try to route the wire for pin 2 completely separate from everything else. Hopefully made a minor mistake in the install - I will have another go at it and see if I have any more luck.

In version 2.3, the blinking LEDs also require the presence of HSync and VSync signals, which in turn can only be recognized if CSel and all VData lines work properly, so it's just a guess and not a reliable diagnosis.

[thrasherx]

I’m having a hard time sourcing a #3-56 nut for the GCHDMI. Any hints as to where to find it or an alternative solution? I’m excited to get my installs buttoned up!

[citrus3000psi]

I’m having a hard time sourcing a #3-56 nut for the GCHDMI. Any hints as to where to find it or an alternative solution? I’m excited to get my installs buttoned up!

There few things you could do. Just don't install a screw there; Heatsink will still probably be fine. Or get some other screw/nut combo such as M2.

Here are the nuts I'm using: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009EEVDWW/

[thrasherx]

I’m having a hard time sourcing a #3-56 nut for the GCHDMI. Any hints as to where to find it or an alternative solution? I’m excited to get my installs buttoned up!

There few things you could do. Just don't install a screw there; Heatsink will still probably be fine. Or get some other screw/nut combo such as M2.

Here are the nuts I'm using: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009EEVDWW/

Awesome, I’m not sure why I couldn’t find that by searching. Ordering now.

[Kez]

In version 2.3, the blinking LEDs also require the presence of HSync and VSync signals, which in turn can only be recognized if CSel and all VData lines work properly, so it's just a guess and not a reliable diagnosis.

Okay so bit of an update, I did the install again and everything appears to be exactly the same. However, I observed the LEDs whilst Swiss was ostensibly switching to 480p and I noticed that, at that point, one of the LEDs begins to blink. It is the one labelled 28 and I think, based on the blink pattern, that it is the v-sync heartbeat?

Based on this I am beginning to suspect that your initial suggestion I have wired the clock incorrectly is the root of my problem - I tried to keep the clock wire short and run it straight to point 89, but via a different route from all the other wires.

Here are some pictures of my install, maybe there is an obvious mistake. I have checked all the solder points with a multimeter and none of them seem to be bridged. The pictures with the red wire running under the board shows how I have routed the 54hz wire once everything is in place.

[Unseen]

However, I observed the LEDs whilst Swiss was ostensibly switching to 480p and I noticed that, at that point, one of the LEDs begins to blink. It is the one labelled 28 and I think, based on the blink pattern, that it is the v-sync heartbeat?

Yes, it is - and to recognize that VSync, GCVideo also needs a working CSel signal and it must also be able to see a low level on all VData lines, which means that most of the connections probably work (or are shorted to ground ;) ).

Here are some pictures of my install, maybe there is an obvious mistake.

I don't see any obvious mistakes, but you could try to separate the wires of the ribbon cables all the way instead of just at the end - this should reduce crosstalk between them a bit because they are less likely to be parallel all the way if separated. It's a bit of a longshot though.

[Kez]

Thanks, still not having much luck unfortunately! I will wait until my Xilinx platform cable arrives and see if I have any more luck with the JTAG. Incidentally the FPGA is an XC3S200A in case that makes any difference.

[AetherSmyth]

Boards are still on there way from fab, I suspect them to get here later this week or early next. If the boards check out I will start taking orders, I will be do a round personal installs first. Then ship kits after that. I need to write up some install instructions still. I also have another revision created (untested) with the ADV7125 instead of the CDK3404. The 3404's are getting phased out early next year. The AVD7125 is also easier to find and a little cheaper.

Exciting! Just wondering, what are your plans regarding DIY options and the GCDual plug? You mentioned the latter in your RetroRGB interview, and on Twitter you said that it was done and working, so I assume it's no longer something I'm not supposed to see?

[citrus3000psi]

Boards are still on there way from fab, I suspect them to get here later this week or early next. If the boards check out I will start taking orders, I will be do a round personal installs first. Then ship kits after that. I need to write up some install instructions still. I also have another revision created (untested) with the ADV7125 instead of the CDK3404. The 3404's are getting phased out early next year. The AVD7125 is also easier to find and a little cheaper.

Exciting! Just wondering, what are your plans regarding DIY options and the GCDual plug? You mentioned the latter in your RetroRGB interview, and on Twitter you said that it was done and working, so I assume it's no longer something I'm not supposed to see?

The dual plug, dubbed gcmax still has a few more things to be finished. The main board itself is working, but I’m waiting on 2 small pcbs to make an rgb cable. The case is also not finished, I just sent the prototype to collingal. He has a basic design done but will require some minor changes. Once everything is done I will release the the neccesaery info to build your own.

As for the GCDual internal, I also plan to release the info shortly. I’m going to do my small batch run first

[AetherSmyth]

The dual plug, dubbed gcmax still has a few more things to be finished. The main board itself is working, but I’m waiting on 2 small pcbs to make an rgb cable. The case is also not finished, I just sent the prototype to collingal. He has a basic design done but will require some minor changes. Once everything is done I will release the the neccesaery info to build your own.

As for the GCDual internal, I also plan to release the info shortly. I’m going to do my small batch run first

Cool. Thanks for the update and, of course, for all your hard work.