Saturn proof-of-concept bootloader Pseudo Saturn

I know the feeling of the "time" part.

I managed to duplicate the bug and found some problems with starting the vcd player. I've changed it so goes to the cd player instead, however this means that region protection is going to be an issue for the time being until I fix it. I'll probably have to rig up something using UBC to get around it, similar to how an Action Replay does it.

Currently working towards another release. No time table though.

 

Just to let people know I use the atlas iso zorlon posted and tried to flash my memory card plus cart,couldn't believe it but it flashed with the newest firmware 831 perfectly.

 

I can confirm that dgist71 is 100% correct. I had a sneaking suspicion that this was the case, but I didn't want to risk bricking my Memory Card Plus.

My Action Replay Plus works with the cartridge fully inserted, but my Memory Card Plus must be raised a millimeter or two in order to work. Is this case for anyone else?

Thanks to all involved in this project! Also, the only game I've tried that doesn't work in .831 is Batsugun (J) (region corrected, my bad).

 

im quite sure they didnt release batsugun outside of Japan but i tried this game also and after the now loading screen it just stops reading the disk.

 

Hello Cyber Warrior X, long time lurker and Saturn homebrew enthusiast here. Many said that a cart based exploit could never be achived on Saturn and yet here we are

I own an Interact Memory Card Plus similar to the one on this page > http://www.rockin-b.de/saturn/cartridgeport/SATURN-CartridgePort.htm , difference being 2x SST 29LE010 chips. Would this cart be compatible with Pseudo? My cart supports direct save and doesn't feature a comm port nor do I have a comm card to backup so for these reasons I am very hesitant to try flashing.

Thank you Cyber Warrior X and to all involved!

Also to answer hey's question, yes my MCP must be raised slightly to work due to the thickness of the board.

 

The Memory Card Plus may not be flashable anyway so best avoided anyway as it's function is different to the Action Replay Plus as I am sure you have realised

If you can list games that work I can add them to the list (please try and make sure you mention the correct region as Batsugun is jap only)

Also if you mention any that don't work and in what way they don't I can add those also

What region is the console you are using as some imports on a PAL console will not work due to the regional display (not to be confused with the regional code that the action replay bypasses anyway including the Pseudo mod) so playing some NTSC display games will cause the some games to go out of sync and ultimately crash and some to just boot to a black screen either before anything runs or after a basic logo/loading screen, there is however a simple hardware mod that can let you switch to NTSC video mode and back if you install a switch or even loose wires so you can join the points for NTSC and break the points for PAL (it's 2 of the 4 points just under the battery's plastic casing on the rear of the console, just google image search for Saturn PAL/NTSC switch)

http://www.retrocorner.net/index.php?Mods_/_repairs:Saturn_model_2_50/60hz_switch_-_page_1 switch guide (It's the same for a model 1)


As for the carts being detected yeah they can be a pain this is due to poor contacts on both sides both the Saturn port and the cart, you can clean the cart easy enough with rubbing alcohol but the internal port on the Saturn is a bit harder to clean, so best to just keep that as it, I found the same for my Datel Memory card that is not that different to the Memory Card Plus as it also uses flash for memory rather than battery memory and often takes a few attempts to detect correctly

 

No rush for me

I can just save 10 or so CD-R's for the next update

P.S. love the work done so far it's very much appreciated and hope you are getting as much out of this as the users are like myself

 

http://www.lukiegames.com/assets/images/sat_memory_card_plus.jpg

This is the version of Memory Card Plus that I successfully flashed with .831. It does not have 1M/4M RAM capabilities, but appears to bypass region protection. I have been testing it on a Model 1 NTSC North America Saturn.

 

I dumped its firmware a while ago. Please let me know in the case you want to restore its firmware.

 

Maybe it's good to build somewhere a database with original dumps? Eg in Protopia?

 

x

 

I don't have PLCC socket adapter too
Instead, I connected SD card reader to pad2 connector, and made Saturn program to save flash memory contents to SD card.

I will try to make utility to reflash memory card plus, but I currently don't have hardware (only yabause) to test it.
Is there somebody ready to test this utility ? Please note that you will loose your cartridge backup data after reflash.

And, I'm not responsible in the case I brick your cartridge and/or damage your Saturn.

 

x

 

I predict the value and usage of these cartridges may increase when word gets out that
they can be used to essentially replace mod chips and region lockouts.

There's a lot of trash talk online about the Memory Card Plus and its ability to weaken cartridge slots / corrupt save files...

It's funny to see its hidden power unveiled

 

Thats true that its alot of bad talk about the memory card plus carts but it just shows that you never know what might have hidden powers and work,cause I didn't have the money for action replay and I am glad I took that chance on the memory cart.

 

I think that it is better to be able to restore back firmware than not being able.
I'm not sure whether AR flasher can recognize flash chips for writing or not. That's why I would like somebody to test.

 

So what's the most common / cheapest of the compatible carts for this?

 

IIRC, memory card plus PCB is slightly thicker than usual cartridges, making them not working correctly after plugging memory card plus for a long time.

I just took a look to my memory cart plus firmware dump, and it seems that its Flash ROM size is 2MB or maybe more, so without doubts, it will not be recognized by AR flasher utility.

Hey, can you execute diagnostic program on your Saturn with memory cart plus inserted ?
You just have to burn iso on CDROM, load it on your Saturn, and report Flash IDs here. It won't erase anything.

 

What is the thickness of the official carts and the 3rd party carts?

 

Sorry, I don't know, and I don't have any cartridge here in order to measure.
Average thickness is 1.6 mm.