GameShark and Caetla ... a lots of questions

Okay so eventually I'll buy this damn PCI cart with a Parallel port x)

Uhm ... I doubt can I'll success with a VM , but I'd like to try too

 

I have a brand new Game Shark (Gold Finger) for sale.

However, I have used Xplorer and CAETLA on Windows ME fine.
Just be sure that your DB-25 cable has the correct wiring inside. Mine worked with a printer, but not with the Action Replay. I tried an Amiga DB-25 cable, and it worked then.

You can not use a PCI to Parallel card / connector. The IRQ addressing is not supported! IT WILL NOT WORK. You can not use VM ware also.

Set your BIOS to the correct setting too. I think mine is on ECP or SPP??? I forgot. Been a while... I had a topic I started about all this a few months ago... Look it up...

Uh also have your Action Replay flashed with CAETLA.
CAETLA runs slower then the Xplorer however, but it works.


In the end, there is no point to all this.
Unless you want to copy under 2 MB games / programs you have made, then it is fine, but it is much better if you just adjust your PS laser diode to accept CD-RW's.

 

I've read that many people are using a PCI card o.o
Are you sure ?

I need this to try an header/iso-license hack ..
Of course I'll test my homebrews code too !

 

1) Xplorer/Xploder and Game Shark Pro are the only devices with PARALLEL PORTS, all Action Replay and clones require a COMM link card. It doesn't matter which cable you use, it won't work. Some COMM link transfer software support parallel port adapters such as the "Freewing" but the adapters have hardware to implement COMM link's handshake and data latches. The parallel port devices contain the latches internally and have their own SW or HW handshaking.

2) The Xplorer/GSP interface is STANDARD PARALLEL PORT, no IRQ, not EPP or ECP, not even bidirectional, vanilla SPP. The actual reason you can't use PCI cards is because old software will directly write to 0x378 whether there's a parallel port there or not, and in the case of PCI cards, often not. Most apps won't even bother interrogating the BIOS to get the correct addresses much less using it's slow interfaces. PCI isn't a local bus, it can't directly decode legacy I/O without a bus controller forwarding legacy addresses to PCI and usually that doesn't happen. The easiest work around is to... write new software with a configurable port address.

 

I understand
This evening I've found my old Pentium PC , and it has a native PARALLEL port. Do you think that I'll be able to setup caetla with this PC ?

Thank you for your help

 

Absolutely that will work, assuming you use a GSP/Xplorer with compatible hacked Caetla.

 

Thanks for the information Calpis!

 

Hi guys!
Can anyone tell me what IS this thing?






This piece of crap runs on 1Mbit FlashROM, have Japanese and English language settings, PAL/NTSC switchable and no sticker on it's case.

 

It says in the first image...

"Pro Action Replay 5.09E"

 

Lol!
There was no 5.09E version of Pro Action Replay.
The latest (official) Action Replay in cartridge was 2.81; latest Pro Action Replay was probably 3.x (like GameShark Pro, which goes from 3.0 through 3.2; in fact PS1 AR versions should match GS versions). Then they moved to CD versions, which latest one (for PS1) was Action Replay 4.20.

This is probably a Chinese clone with a modded ROM; not sure which it is based off, since I'm only familiar with GS ROMs so far...

@Ashen - If you have the means, would you mind dumping the ROM and posting it here?

 

Ah, did not know what Pool. Thanks!

Yes. I too would also like a ROM dump.

 

Its a Chinese clone with a hacked version of Caetla on it by the looks of it. Common on a lot of cheap carts.

 

Piece of crap ? Caetla is the BEST ROM out there for the Action replay...

That kind of rip off is the reason why K-Comms asked everyone to stop distributing Caetla. Chinese trash were making money out of it... :shrug:

 

Is CAETLA open source?

How did the Chinese replicate it??
Did they just copy ROM for ROM and then make boards???

 

No, Caetla was not open source. It was free; however K-Comms (the developers of the ROM) requested no-one shared the ROM.
The Chinese simply built their cartridges, modified the Caetla ROM (hex? disasm?) and flashed it into the cartridge -> ready for sale! :S

 

Ah yeah that makes sense then.

Is there any information on the PIO port for the PS?
How did the CAETLA team know exactly how to make a ROM for it without any detailed information on the port?

 

Caetla can be hacked with some disasm skills I think.
I've read that some people have managed to translate it in other language.

As for PIO port , I think that the CAETLA TEAM (aka K-Comms) has managed to reverse the port protocol. Or maybe someone find the docs for this port.
Serial port is also documented !

PS: I'm still waiting my GS PRO ! I hope it will arive soon !

EDIT:

eheh you are right ! I remeber when "Loser" received an email from K-Comms team regarding his Caetla hacks x)

 

I would like it if someone gave me a source code to any PIO port device.
If I can see how the PS boots from this port, I can start on my PS SD card system. Then, move it over to CD-ROM.

Loser is a legend to the PS dev scene...
Too bad he is gone...

 

Not gone ... He moved on ... To XBOX360 :thumbsup:

 

did you mean xorloser ?