PC CD-ROM firmware to read GD-ROMs

On topic, I found back the original thread of my experiments with the firmwares: http://dcemulation.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=95197

Conclusions was that it was probably a fact based hoax. That the firmware from sdk9 is compatible with cdr400t (i.e. doesn't brick it) but wouldn't allow reading/burning of gd-r(om) unless hardware modified to be a gd-writer. Maybe kalisto had a modified firmware, but it's not the released one as far as we could tell.

@Storm, original thread of the tray-loader: http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=29212, you might contact him via pm there.

 

I've had a few CDR400T drives on my eBay watch list for a while, but I don't think it would be easy to modify the firmware to read GD disks directly.

It would be great to finally crack this nut, but obviously most disks are readable via the DC anyway.
GD-R writing is different of course, and I completely understand the desire to do this.

The first major step I can see is to extract the firmware from a real GD Writer again.
The problem with the stock GD drive on the DC is likely to be the same though - the firmware is often protected inside the main MPU chip.

(photo that link83 posted on the old thread)...
http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/6246/cdr400016paintmh4.jpg

Ironically, it also uses a similar Hitachi MCU to the DC GD drive.

The other thing is - are there still a lot of blank GD-R disks out there for people to use?
I thought they'd be in very short supply these days?

I'm still up for grabbing a normal CDR400T at some point, to have a play.
I don't think it will be easy to extract the firmware code though.

Anyway, I think I will be quite busy with the DCIO project very soon. I've just posted off some parts to cybdyn today.

OzOnE.

 

The gd-writer firmware is easy to get ahold of and flash... Maybe you mean the firmware of some chips on the controller board?

BTW I made some tests with my own cdr400t, and it doesn't work using the swap trick to read gd-roms... So I guess the gd-writers have their lens/laser assembly modified as well... Might be easier to buy a gd-writer than to build one!

There's quite a lot of gd-r still nowadays, I got one (won on segakatana.com an eternity ago, stil miss that place), some people got spindles. The problem it that there's no real use to it except novelty/collection; or faking beta, which someone at least did on here a while back. So most people are reluctant selling large amounts of gd-r at once for that reason.

Also, it's quite feasible to dump gd-rs using the BBA or sd-card interface, see the "Ripping GD-R" sticky in this section.

Cheers!

FG

 

Oh, yep, of course. I've got the GD writer firmware.

(it's been a long week. lol)

So would you say this really is just for the novelty now?
I do like the idea of solving this issue once and for all, but I guess using a CDR400T as a GD writer may be one we never see.

I still have the NAOMI stuff here btw, and I'm fully intending to test the DCIO on it.

I shelved the NAOMI cart emu for a while, 'cos it was already proving trickier than first thought.
The actual transfer "protocol" itself is fairly simple on some cartrs, but many others use GD drive type commands to access the carts.

They also use cart encryption on most of the best games, so may be easier just to use a GD board with the DCIO.

I'd love to get hold of the original DC GD firmware too, but nobody has managed to extract it yet (to the best of my knowledge).


OzOnE.

 

Well, it wouldn't hurt to be able to just put a gd-r(om) in your pc drive and use it like any cd!

But there's alternatives to rip betas. Ripping gd-rom is also quite easy nowadays with the sd-card.