Hi everyone- Anyone interested in doing some CPS3 work? I have a ton of CPS3 hardware, own and know how to use a hot-air rework station, own a nice rom programmer and have a TSOP48 adapter. Don't know much about software hacking, but can run tests on real hardware if a talented hacker is interested! I've already begun some research of my own, and unfortunately hit a brick wall. I tried to unsuccessfully region swap a working cartridge. Unfortunately the Tornado CPU has sense lines on the TSOP48 bios. In other words, as soon as the TSOP48 is removed, the cart suicides. :gravedigging: Bummer. There's gotta be a way to get these damn things to execute code once suicided, lets find a way!!! Let me know, lets get this thing figured out! Bill
Have you contacted Razoola of CPS2Shock? He should know something about the CPS3 and its suicide issues.
Yeah he said he has no free time to look. I have some theories about cartridge revival, which mostly involve invoking the security cartridge utility (pics on Haze's blog when cps3 was starting to become emulated). Afaik it hasn't been accessed on real hardware. From the pics I saw, carts appear to have the ability to reflash themselves.
@capcomguru, I have a couple of ideas that we could test to get back to life a CPS3 cartridge. I think it makes no sense to touch the custom SH2 and I'd focus on recoding the code of the eprom in the cartridge. Do you have the pinout of the TSOP48? Do you have an analyser to check if there is actually traffic going on between the TSOP48 and the Custom SH2(In a dead cartridge obviously)? PM me and we discuss this further. Have a look at cps2shock, you'll see some interesting news about what I recently managed to do with CPS3.
My understanding is you reflash with code that has suicide removed. I have a good link about it, as I was researching it recently. When I'm not on my phone, I will post them. edit: My mistake, I had read about 1/2. Poor memory strikes again
Well Darksoft has done this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0cQWXL7Njo http://cps2shock.emu-france.info/
I have three SFIII carts (one had the custom SH2 chip removed and I intend to put an standard SH2 chip in it. I checked pinout and it mostly matches) which suicided. I have means of flashing the bios chip and I could test any code anyone are willing to make for it.
Pretty certain the MAME guys already tried replacing the custom SH2 with a regular SH2, and used a custom decrypted CD-ROM, and it did not work.
The SH2 on the cart isn't identical to the generic one. I'm betting it has some kind of evil customization but it's probably something idiotic like some inverted address or data lines on the path to the main board... Also the CPS3 board is made of TOSHIBA only chips and as far as I am concerned, Toshiba does not manufacture SH2 cores. So it's logical that the CPU on the cart also happens to be the CPU for the game program (from a logical and practical standpoint it does make sense). Just like with CPS2, the CPU is on the cartridge together with the encrypted software it's meant to run.
CPS3 hacking blog If you want to know how I managed to convert any game to any cartridge and any new developments in the phoenixing of CPS3, follow my blog: http://64darksoft.blogspot.com/
Very interesting darksoft, I'd love to get my SFIII working one day. It was my own fault anyway. I picked the board up and my hand must of touched something on the underside by mistake. the game boots up to a black screen with a white pixel in the centre (not checked for a long time, might be the other way round)
Oh, man, darksoft! Please keep this up! I've got at least 3 dead key carts that I'd love to put back in action! My JoJo games are lonely! :thumbsup: -ud
