Official Gamecube IDE/USB interface thread (PROJECT BEGUN!)

ShockSlayer · Post by **ShockSlayer** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:11 am

Electric Rain wrote: I would just get some good, clear footage of the DD wired up and sitting next to the disassembled Gamecube, playing a disk. People will obviously be able to see the disk spinning, and if the video is clear enough they'll even be able to see the laser shining through the disk, and when loading, it can be seen moving under the disk... it's kinda cool. You can also (carefully) pick the DD up and film the underside of it when it's loading something so people can see the laser module moving back and forth. Make sure you get a bit of actual game footage though... so people can see that it's actually loading correctly. And make sure they can clearly see the Gamecube plugged into the screen/TV and that there are no other wires or devices around, just so someone can't say you have another Gamecube behind the TV that's actually playing the game... or whatever.

I did it, but i broked it.

SS

Electric Rain · Post by **Electric Rain** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 4:29 am

ShockSlayer wrote:
Electric Rain wrote: I would just get some good, clear footage of the DD wired up and sitting next to the disassembled Gamecube, playing a disk. People will obviously be able to see the disk spinning, and if the video is clear enough they'll even be able to see the laser shining through the disk, and when loading, it can be seen moving under the disk... it's kinda cool. You can also (carefully) pick the DD up and film the underside of it when it's loading something so people can see the laser module moving back and forth. Make sure you get a bit of actual game footage though... so people can see that it's actually loading correctly. And make sure they can clearly see the Gamecube plugged into the screen/TV and that there are no other wires or devices around, just so someone can't say you have another Gamecube behind the TV that's actually playing the game... or whatever.
I did it, but i broked it.

SS

So... you didn't do it... you failed at life instead.

j/k

So anyway... uh... >.> what's up people? R3ason?

Electric Rain · Post by **Electric Rain** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:29 pm

ZOMG! My thread has fallen to the lower half of the first page!

I had a thought... regarding using HDDs rather than CF cards... do you guys think the GC Linux community would be interested in helping us? Specifically, do you think they can figure out a way to add FULL HDD support to GC Linux? As it stands now, the GC must load its files off of a networked (via GC BBA) server. I think it now has support for SD cards via the memory card interface, but how SWEET would it be to run GC Linux straight off of a HDD connected to the GC?

I've been looking into the endless possibilities of "extended software" on the GC. We'll be able to run NES, SNES, Genesis and I think even N64 emulation on the 'cube technically WITHOUT A MODCHIP if we can get this project up an running.

*looks up at post* Huh... that's a lot of abbreviations/acronyms...

Anyway, I have (very) slightly good news, I PMed R3ason about a week ago... it stayed in my outbox for a while, but (I think) as of today, it's out of my outbox and into my sentbox! This means that he read my message.

Maybe he'll post back here with an update! It's REALLY sad how small of a thing it takes these to get excited about over this project these days... isn't it?

Harshboy · Post by **Harshboy** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:02 pm

Everyone has kinda moved onto the Wii Scene

....so, ya....Look for Wii Linux and Wii HD and Wii CF

Besides, Wii already has the no-modchip methods of Software Homebrewing (Check out WiiCheap)

Electric Rain · Post by **Electric Rain** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:19 pm

Hey, thanks for the encouragement, man. -_-

TheOnlyOneHeFears · Post by **TheOnlyOneHeFears** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:11 am

Electric Rain wrote:ZOMG! My thread has fallen to the lower half of the first page!

Oh noes!

I was thinking pretty much along the same lines. If we get the HDD interface up and running, we'll basically have a mini-computer on our hands, and theoretically at least, something similar to Xbox Linux could follow. The humble GC could basically turn into a full media centre PC. Now that would be cool.

Small personal update. Today is the day of my last exam (ZOMG!), so after this, it's 9.5 weeks of freedom. I *may* get somekind of monetary reward (that's a huge maybe though), but I am getting a summer job, which will guarantee a decent (-ish) flow of cash. What this means is, I can pick up this project, which I will, regardless of R3ason's status. So if he's fallen off the face of the earth, then so be it. But if he's still very much active, well, two heads are better than one, eh?

Electric Rain · Post by **Electric Rain** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 2:35 am

I'm glad to hear you're still with it, TOOHF. I keep saying that R3ason is our "only hope" and such... but that makes the rest of us look pretty retarded.

I mean... yeah, he's got money, he's got knowledge, and he can probably figure it out before any of us. But... you can't tell me that all of us here aren't going to be able to figure out how to put together a project in which all of the dirty work is already figured out... right?

It would be sweet if R3ason came from nowhere and went, "BAM! Finished! Works flawlessly and here's all of the necessary documentation for anyone to build one." But obviously, that has no guarantee of happening.

I'm in the middle of moving (some of you here remember me talking about our landlord giving us s**t earlier in this thread... well, yeah... judge said we have 23 days)... things are very hectic around here and money is the LAST thing I have to spare. So, I'm glad to hear about your Time+Money=TOOHF type of situation.

Hopefully we can get things rolling. In the mean time, pray to Lord Heckendorn (the only person I can think of that we would all pray to

) that everything works out for me and my family, will you guys? We're down to about 2 weeks now, and the only one that's packed anything is me... >.> We don't have a place yet, but we think we're on to something we all like a lot.

I'll surely let you all know how things go.

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:11 am

Electric Rain wrote:I'm in the middle of moving (some of you here remember me talking about our landlord giving us s**t earlier in this thread... well, yeah... judge said we have 23 days)... things are very hectic around here and money is the LAST thing I have to spare. So, I'm glad to hear about your Time+Money=TOOHF type of situation. Hopefully we can get things rolling. In the mean time, pray to Lord Heckendorn (the only person I can think of that we would all pray to ) that everything works out for me and my family, will you guys? We're down to about 2 weeks now, and the only one that's packed anything is me... >.> We don't have a place yet, but we think we're on to something we all like a lot. I'll surely let you all know how things go.

Good luck to you. My dad got a pretty big pay cut last year, its not nearly as bad as what you're going through, but it does suck when stuff like that happens. Fortunately my dad just got a new job that pays about what he used to get, so hopefully your situation will turn out good, too, I want to see this project completed.

andoba · Post by **andoba** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 1:11 pm

Ha ha ha ha, it's not that easy. For doing such thing, the easiest thing I imagine right now is using some FPGA emulating the DVD drive. Like:

GC -> FPGA -> Compact Flash / Hard Drive / Delicious Cake / Whatever.

Reverse engineering a DVD drive is definitely not easy. Knowing that the GC doesn't have standard hardware, you will need ages to do so. And of course knowing that you have the appropiate knowledge.

I wish you good luck, because you are gonna need it.

Electric Rain · Post by **Electric Rain** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 5:38 pm

Huh... okay... who are you, and why are you in my thread throwing out useless, negative comments?

What don't you understand about the fact that this has technically already been done, and we already have the source code and schematics needed to build it?

andoba · Post by **andoba** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 3:55 pm

Electric Rain wrote:Huh... okay... who are you, and why are you in my thread throwing out useless, negative comments? What don't you understand about the fact that this has technically already been done, and we already have the source code and schematics needed to build it?

That was a constructive critic, and my name is on the left frame.

Where are those schematics? Website, or whatver. I'd love to have a look to those.

Thank you.

And I'm very sorry if I have offended you. It wasn't my intention! Don't worry, be happy!

Post by **marshallh** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 4:01 pm

He isn't being snide or critical... just pointing out the truth rather bluntly like I do.

The problem is that none of us have the EE skills to understand all of what is going on, regardless of what's already been done.

andoba · Post by **andoba** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 4:11 pm

Well, I found the website on this thread

, and well, that looks fairly easy. Since there are schematics and firmwares, and VHDL source code, it would be just making the PCB + oven soldering + firmware flashing + DELICIOUS RESULT.

Greets.

EDIT:

As I told you, easy as cake:

Now to route it all.

Of course credit to the original autor WILL be given. Coding FPGA's is not easy.

By the way, what do you want, compact flash slot, cart slot or this DB50 slot?

EDIT 2:

If you care, IC1 = FPGA, IC2 = USB FX2, IC3 = firmware EEPROM, CART = DB50 connector, LED = power LED, XTAL = crystal @ 29 MHz, EF = filter resistor, EM = filter capacitor. The resistors and capacitors are obious if you know what you're reading, and, well, cake? The SMD resistors are the big ones (not 08XX) so soldering small DIL resistors will not be hard.

Greets.

Post by **marshallh** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 4:56 pm

Looking good. Are you going to autoroute it?

I'm not sure if the FPGA used in the schematic is still available. But it any case, throw a CF slot on there while you're at it

andoba · Post by **andoba** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 5:06 pm

marshallh wrote:Looking good. Are you going to autoroute it?

I'm not sure if the FPGA used in the schematic is still available. But it any case, throw a CF slot on there while you're at it

Yea that FPGA is available, I think so, but no GOD, no autorouting, I hate it, and okay CF slot.