IMPORTANT: To ALL DD DEV DRIVE OWNERS.

Boot your units with just a standard n64 NTSC deck and see if anything comes up. (ie with no gamepak or development tool inserted in the top slot)

If it does, then you might be one of the lucky few to own a dev unit with internal IPL a la DDROM.

If your results are positive, post them here.

Thanks for your cooperation lads,

looking forward!

Barc0de

Could I kindly ask for STICKY status for this thread please?

 

Negative for mines. Opened it actually, no DDROM :/.

 

same here

 

Don't have any NTSC carts unfortantly.. but both me and kammedo have had a look inside the unit and there seems to be no DDROM.

 

Here you go Kev,

PROOF:



64DD devkit running Doshin the Giant debug/dev version WITHOUT anything occupying the top n64 slot.

This is what we re after. A dev.kit with IPLROM inside

Picture depicting PARAM/Marigul's development tools, provided by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo.

 

What's an IPLROM, and what would be the advantage of having an internal one?

A dumb question, I know.

 

any computer uses an Initial Program Loader (IPL) when it boots (Even PCs).

Having an internal one means booting the dev DD like a retail one - ie not having to use external means of providing the IPL through the top slot.

If you turn the power on most dev DDs the drive won't even come to life - because there's no ROM inside it. This one is different in that it can because it contains that ROM in its inners.

 

As barc0de stated earlier, having the need for an external one has some positive and negative aspects.
Its usefull if you are still in the early stage of development of the DDROM, ie the DDROM version changes frequently, thus you need a speedy way to test it.
Its less usefull in that it occupies the top slot.
Actually not a too stupid question as you see

 

well maybe they modified this DD Drive by them self?
Is it possible to solder a Bootrom on the DD Devdrive board?
The should be a free space for it

 

You can solder it, but the dd drive has pass-through chips sitting between the n64 and the dd drive that redirect all DDROM-addresses to 0xb0000000 (the upper slot addr space, that is), so it will be useless.

 

The proof, as you should know assembler, being in the development community, is that these unit's weres sold by Intelligent Systems first of all.

Then, you have the 64dd's at spaceworld 1999 using them, and fater that, as in the picture barcode posted. Software creation's had them. Super Mario Club had them. Param/Marigul had them, and they have been shown working.

That's all the proof we need.

 

It's not a modified old development unit, it's the last development debug unit's sold after the final IPl/ddrom specs were finalised, and Intelligent System's could finally make a development drive based on these specs.

I wouldn't make all this up, what's the point of making up such an eloborate story or lie????

Now the only chance of someone having these is for them to have bought their development drive from Japan. As the number of these unit's is so small(roughly estimated at 200) we have to assume that, alot of these are in the hands of ex param staff, ex randnet staff, or ex software creations, Nichimen graphics staff(forgot to mention them,lol), and if they WERE leaked and sold on, then we have to assume that they are in the hands of japanese collector's.

So I know of one japanese collector who has 64DD development equipment, and a developer who has one of these drive's, but he will not reveal his identity nor will I, cause Nintendo know who he is, and if they find out he has one of these drives, they would more than likely ask for it back. This is not paranoia, Nintendo have done thhis before.

So what we need to do, is contact people we know in the japanese development kit collecting circle. That is our best way to getting one of these drives, as it seems that nearly all owners of development drives in the west, have early unit's tat rely on the dd rom cartridge and other thing's, as the specs for the IPL/dddrom was not set when these drives were sold.

The specs were not officially finalised until around June 1999, so the development/debug drive, would have to have been manafactured and sold after then.

 

EDIT: just readed the whole thread, nevermind. i.i

 

thanks for the info Nintendomad!!

 

Negative for my DD devkit...

 

The best proof so far is the picture.

To prove what you mention, the insie workings, is the aim of this thread - to seek the people who own such units.

Setting the aim as the criterion is a paradox, hence I think that this thread does deserve a sticky status - it's possible however unlikely, that one of the consoles in the wild will provide more information to the general knowledge base and this is a pretty good way to invite all interested and owning parties.

What do you think Kev?

 

Check the picture Barcode posted. It is a dev unit. Check the blue drive trim, I have scaled up the image for convenience:

 

Yes, its a dev drive - but its running a game and missing the IPL on top, which would be required in mines for an example.