building the Cube64

[stuntpenguin007]

thanks for the confirmation. I should be able to get a gamecube socket this weekend if they have them locally. Then I'll post some pics of this thing in action.

[stuntpenguin007]

I got it all hooked up and it doesn't work. I'm pretty sure it has to do with the pic. I probably overheated it or programmed the wrong thing to it.

I programmed it with cube64.asm from http://svn.navi.cx/misc/trunk/wasabi/de ... /firmware/ was that the correct file?

I think I'll check my wiring once more and then just reprogram the eeprom.

[marshallh]

You have to compile the code first Get a copy of MPASM from Microchip.

[stuntpenguin007]

man I feel stupid, even though its my first time even using a pic. so when I reprogram my pic will I have to take it out or can I use icsp? I ran a wire to VSS, VDD, and MCLR what would I use for Clock/Data or PGC/PGD? and can I just run the 5 wires I solder to those spots into my JDM programmer?

Thanks for telling me, I would have been stuck doing this forever.


edit: should the output file be a .mcp file? if so I think I got it

double edit: It turns out I was trying to compile it for the wrong type of PIC but now its compiled and I have the hex file, and I found the pinout for icsp but my computer won't read the PIC if I just run the wires into my jdm programmer.

[stuntpenguin007]

It works!

[blaze3927]

How much power does this thing draw? any comments on if It would be a viable alternative (along with a gc controller) to using a n64 controller in portables?

[jjhammerstein]

Now that it's prototyped, are you going to make it as small as possible?

[stuntpenguin007]

controller uses about 2V PIC uses about 1V

I definatley could make it a lot smaller, but I don't have any need to. I was thinking it would be cool to make it fit inside the n64 so then you plug gamecube controllers into the n64.

[jjhammerstein]

A tiny little cylinder with a port on each end would be excellent.

[stuntpenguin007]

I'll be adding memory card support soon. Looks like my only option right now is to demolish an old controller and cut it down as small as possible.

I also fixed a short that caused it not to work sometimes.

edit. I tried testing it by adding the original controller onto the breadboard, but when I try play it says no controller detected. maybe its a problem with voltage.

[stuntpenguin007]

Does anyone know how it converts one data wire into 25 different traces that read/write the memory card?

if I try run it with the controller pcb added on it tells me no controller detected, if I go without it and try to load it says problem memory pak, but here's where it gets interesting.

If I start it with just the gamecube controller in, then I go over to load save and and press A while I connect the n64 controller really fast, before it gets a chance to load it tells me that I should insert a memory card and I have the options to try reload or abort. but I cant get any farther.

I'm going to go try it with a 3rd party controller, and see what happens.

edit: With the 3rd party controller soldered on it will load from the memory card, but it completely takes control so you cant use the gamecube controller. I'm going to try push it a little farther back in the schematics so it isn't detected until after the gamecube controller becomes "usable"

edit: I'm going to modify the code to have an i/o through rb2 and run it through that.

edit: found this in the readme

It should be possible to emulate the N64 memory pak using the results of my
reverse engineering, but a 20 MHz PIC probably isn't fast enough to run the
CRC algorithm in time to return a status byte to the N64. If a faster
implementation of the CRC is discovered or a processor about twice as fast is
used, the memory pak could be emulated easily.

edit: I've found that the N64 will ask the controller "Hey whats in your mem card slot?" and normally it would respond with whatever's in the slot 0X00 being a memory card and 0X80 being a rumble pack. With the firmware for the cube 64 it tells it to always send 0X80 when checked. If I un-implemented that function and had a real N64 controller to do the communication, I wouldn't have to implement other things like the jumper pack (plays gameboy games) into the firmware, but rumble support may be lost.