DREAMCAST HARD DRIVE (POSSIBLE-YES)

Sir Savant · Post by **Sir Savant** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 2:46 pm

you guys are funny.

fetus, are you serious?

Sir Savant · Post by **Sir Savant** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 2:51 pm

you guys are funny.

fetus, are you serious?

NightStalker · Post by **NightStalker** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 3:07 pm

Well, we could ask Iomega. I mean, they would still make money if we sold it, of course they would. No company would be that stupid. Besides, who here has a zip drive? I mean, Ive built plenty of pcs, maybe about 40-50 in the last 5 years, and only 3 have asked for zip drives. So I guess they would be happy to sell some stuff. Especially if we only had to make an adapter and some GOOD software.

1.sega would have a big say in anything remotely related to that zipdrive.and we all know sega isnt gonna offer shiot to anyone on the dc scene.

2.iomega wouldnt wanna waste their time on it.

Sir Savant · Post by **Sir Savant** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 4:05 pm

Okay okay. I already feel very stupid about that, which is why I did not mention it.

I did try to do it, but then woke up from my dream and went clubbin. So I dont think I can do it. Maybe a more skilled modder..... not. Just forget those stupid posts.

SOrry for that double post.

SANiK · Post by **SANiK** » Thu May 12, 2005 4:32 pm

Hint) National.com has a 24 Mhz RISC microcontroller with a bus (Only on the 100 pin one)

But, BOTH (the 48 pin and the 100 pin one) have built in USB support.

Read more about the microcontroller:
http://www.national.com/pf/CP/CP3UB17.html
It runs at 24 Mhz using a 12 Mhz oscillator and consumes 2.5V of power.

I wonder if a mini hard drive could be stuck in the VMU just like an IPOD...

Sir Savant · Post by **Sir Savant** » Thu May 12, 2005 5:00 pm

Already discussed, possible, but the vmu has a limit of 200 blocks.

SANiK · Post by **SANiK** » Thu May 12, 2005 5:22 pm

Why not make the first block contain the interface registers?
Like, one would set the read address by writing to block 0, then the remaining blocks would get loaded with the data.

Or, would it be possible to recreate the I/O commands that the DC sends to the VMU? So that it becomes a basic send and receive protocol?

But how fast does the DC transfer the I/O to the VMU?
(NOT INCLUDING the time that it takes for the VMU to handle this data!)

Also, for anyone interested in the above microcontroller that I posted, here is a schematic for a simple JTAG interface that I drew up in bitmap. It might have some mistakes, but that was due to me rushing.

bender · Post by **bender** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:13 am

sorry for bumping this. Just seen the new thread about and i find it very interesting.
I have read all the thread and I don't know why you say it's hard to make it.
He have the hardware interface already done, wich uses as many as 6 ICs and there's a driver for netbsd. Seems pretty easy to build the hardware interface
Dan also managed to make it work with some homebrew (i assume he ported something to kos, right?). If you ask the right guys you probably could get something working

It's really interesting in my opinion. I remember someone asked Dan a while ago. I'm sure i'm missing things but I think we could just end in something like a bootcd with the driver that allows to boot things like gnu/linux from that drive, using some kind of loader like lilo... just imagine all the possibilities of this for open source OS or homebrew.
DMA would be really interesting, but hey, this is just only to make the thing perfect
Actually those mini-hds that notebooks use are not that expensive, also

Alexvrb · Post by **Alexvrb** » Thu Aug 25, 2005 1:27 am

What it really boils down to is that without some serious work by multiple people, including coders, you won't have anything more than a novelty. Even then, it all really is one big novelty.

Post by **Quzar** » Thu Aug 25, 2005 5:34 am

Last time I checked, most all of this is one big novelty.

Arqueiro · Post by **Arqueiro** » Thu Aug 25, 2005 3:40 pm

o love topics like that

Alexvrb · Post by **Alexvrb** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 3:46 pm

Quotable Quzar wrote:Last time I checked, most all of this is one big novelty.

Yeah that's what I was attempting to imply, but I don't make things as clear when I'm not sober.

APE · Post by **APE** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 1:18 am

To throw in my $0.02...the playstation 2 and XBox both have the ability to run games off hdd. The XBox actually caches game data to the hdd and the ps2 requires a piece of software to do it. Now both have native ata controllers so half the problem is presolved. I have no clue how it works in the case of the XBox and I only have rudimentry understanding of how it works in the ps2 case but it should be doable with commercial DC games. Unless theres a large roadblock I'm not aware of.

Alexvrb · Post by **Alexvrb** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 4:08 pm

Stock Xbox and PS2 with no software/hardware hacks do not do this. However, because it is easy (for anyone) to get a very large HD working on them in the first place, you've already eliminated much of the work right there. On top of that, the custom BIOS/bootloader/whatever software that tells it to load off the HD has been done for some time. Then there's speed - the DC would require a custom interface, which I've already implied, but even the existing interfaces that HAVE been built (and they aren't as simple as popping in a modchip) are freaking slow. Slower than the GD-ROM, by a long shot. Totally unusable.

On top of all that, I really don't know what would be required of a custom BIOS or whatever solution when it comes to intercepting calls to the GD. Also, would the interface use any cycles normally reserved for games? If so, do you have to use a custom interface to the GD-ROM connection, or is that solvable in the IDE <-> expansion port interface?

And then, what do you have? A DC, probably with an external HD or a much fatter case. That can maybe emulate a few larger games, do a bit more with homebrew, play DC games (which it already can), play music off the HD (instead of a disc or network), or poorly play video. Don't get me wrong! I love the DC. But I'm a bit tired of the HD issue. If some hardware god comes in and says he will build an interface capable of doing this, and it doesn't require major effort to assemble (so we can all build it), I will show more enthusiasm

bender · Post by **bender** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 10:09 pm

The bios thing is really a problem for that. Perhaps the mod could be made easier through the gdrom port, killing the gd-rom because obviously this doesn't have the master/slave option right?

I guess that an app for flashing the actual bios without needing to solder a new one could be made. This app could open the idea of hacking everything. We could remove the logo, make the system multiregion perhaps,try to find those gd-rom things for a mod, ...problem is that writing a wrong bios, the system won't boot anymore, so there's at least one guy who will need to desolder his bios and put an adaptor between the bios and mobo for easy removing/putting the bios chip with the new software and trying it until it works(I think I could do it perhaps if someone feels that he can hack the bios and needs testing, but since this is not going to happen and I don't have a bios flasher hardware, only for some PICs... I don't feel myself hacking the bios, lol

) .

bender · Post by **bender** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 7:05 am

lol. I though it was like a pc one, but that has a lot of sense

Yep, I'm not a dc guy and I don't care if I don't have a clue about the system. Really I was thinking on Potter's Navi with the sandwiched flashed bios and I mixed all the things.
You know, my knowledge about is 0, my english sucks,...well sorry for the crap. I'll try to be more careful no posting stupid things that go nowhere

The only chips I've ever used are pics16f873, when I took part here: http://www.eside.deusto.es/microbotica/ .

Anyway, time to shut up, sorry man

bender · Post by **bender** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 11:14 pm

sorry

flaming_carrot wrote: Speaking of chips, I personally I prefer the tortilla variety. They taste better...

lol . I love it : http://www.geocities.com/spanishtortilla/

Stabby McTwist · Post by **Stabby McTwist** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 11:41 pm

Maybe I'm crazy, but is there a way to make the DC think the hdd is a gd-rom drive?