MegaDrive++ : new switchless region + IGR mod

Well kinda not all of the SMS++ functions specifically just the pause button and the rest can come along for the ride if it can be done but if not it's no big deal would just use SMS++.

Also thanks for your work on this

 

I don't really know if that is feasible at all. I barely know that the MD can be used to play SMS games, but I don't think I ever did. That's why I have a couple of SMS's too .

Anyway the project is open source, anybody is free to contribute to it and extend its functionalities.

 

Thanks that's fair

 

Hello.

I am looking to do something along these lines with this version of a switchless mod, is it possible?
http://wolfsoft.de/wordpress/?p=407
I have both a mega CD and 32X.

Jay

 

I'm also having issues with using this on a unit which is connected to a mega cd.
I have to cycle through all of the regions and then reset the console before it allows me to play games due to it thinking I have the wrong region megadrive.
This happens even when i've been playing in the correct region previously.

 

Any update on the above?

 

So, anybody still using MD++ here?

I don't know if anybody noticed, but I have done some work on MegaDrive++ in the last few weeks. In particular:
- the master branch is now the former 6button/lcd_support branch. This is now the recommended version, and the only supported hardware is the Arduino Nano.
- the legacy branch is the old master branch, for old-style installs. It's still there but it won't get any updates.

Also, I have gathered all the suggestions, bug reports and questions here and opened some tickets or added some FAQs, so that we can keep track of what's going on.

Finally, I have identified the issue that makes some games (Lotus & Co.) hand on IGR. I will fix it in the next few days.

Any work related to the Mega CD is not planned for the moment, but I might have a look at it some day.

 

in a word, YES. I am designing a new PCB with it (currently in R&D). Your work is greatly appreciated!

 

Why don't you feel the Nano is sufficient? What is it missing?

 

Are they saying that the nano is supported?

 

hey, glad to see this project is still alive !

 

Yes, it's always been supported and now it's the recommended platform. I only support that, it's just perfect for the job.

 

I've installed the mod in my MD sometime ago and had major problems with a couple of third party 6 button controllers.
It' been a while so I don't remember the details exactly... Those controller worked fine on the MD, but on the arduino I had constant glitching and fake inputs, which made some of the controller combo impossible to obtain (combo would trigger by themselves or not trigger at all). Perhaps it was only my unit, but I wonder if there was some glitching/debouncing filtering needed?

 

Did you use the 6button or lcd_support branch?

 

I think it was the LCD version, but I'm not 100% sure since it's been a while.

Besides, I also wanted to ask you if you can add a new feature (if possible):
It is possible to detect if the console is in MD or SMS mode (pin B30 on the cart slot that goes low in SMS mode), do you think it would be possible to have dual functionality (MD & SMS) with one nano board?

 

I think we have 1/2 free pins, so yes, I think we can detect SMS/MD mode, but I'm not sure we can add any functionality in SMS mode, as we snoop the controller bus passively, so if the game doesn't read the MD extra buttons (A and START), we can't read those either.

The lcd_support branch (now master) should work fine with 6-button pads, but it was only tested with a handful of games. Do you remember which game gave you issues?

 

But on SMS++ info (on the github page) there are functionalities that need an MD pad: "Pause your games from the control pad"[...]"pressing the Start button" , "Reset-From-Pad" [...] "Press Start + A + B + C." , "Use A/B instead of B/C" and so on...
How does the SMS detect the extra MD buttons then?

 

SMS++ works in a different way: it reads the controller directly and makes up "fake" inputs to the console. This is why you need to cut all those tracks during installation, they are the controller bus. SMS++ gets wired between the controller port and the console.

 

Please excuse me, I should have read the info on the SMS++ install page, or at least I should have thought about how it could toggle the select line on a MD controller
So, instead of asking for "SMS mode" on the MD++, I should have asked if it was possible to add "MD mode" to the SMS++
Do you think it can be done?

Games had no problems, (the MD worked OK with the third party controllers), but on the arduino debug output there were lots of spurious/ghost inputs.

 

You mean installing MD++ in the SMS++ style? It's not easy, reacting quickly enough to changes in the select line requires external circuitry, the Nano is no longer enough.

I see, what games had these spurious inputs? Any game?