The Plugin-Adapter for the Retrode doesn't work at the actual firmware (0.18b) and with older firmwares ist gave my always "GenericROMinSegaSlot" .
When I connect my Retrode2+Adapter+Game to my PC it shows the retrode.cfg-file and the ROM (TmrSega2.sms).
If I try to copy the ROM or to start it in an emulator the config file and the ROM disappears.
Also the READ-LED changes from off to permanently on.
The "Retrode-USB-Drive" (in my case "F:/") remains at "My Computer" but it's empty and will be empty as long as I don't re-connect the Retrode.
The other both adapters (N64 & GB/GBA) work fine (this one with the plastic shell aka Version 2)
I tried it out on both Windows XP Professional 32Bit and on Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit.
Always the same result.
Did anyone have the SMS plugin and know whats going wrong?
PS: Games are cleaned before, tested multiple games, multiple times
PPS: Also tested it now with my Retode 1 (FW: 0.17c), same result :-(
PPPS, Matthias_H: Stickied so other SMS users can find this thread more easily. Please find a Retrode 2 firmware under https://www.retrode.com/files/firmware/Retrode2-v0.18c-alpha3.zip, and let me know how it works for you. In case you want to test it on a Retrode 1 too, please let me know and I will compile a version for it.
Sounds a bit like the problem Muzer was experiencing with his A2600 plug-in. I'll investigate.
With the other plugins (N64&GB/GBA, second batch, with case) I did't have any problem.
With the "old" plugins I also don't have any problems. Even the first-batch-A2600-Adapter works thanks to Muzer's Firmware update.
Sad that it must be the SMS-Adapter, because it was the plugin I was looking forward the most. :(
N64 and GBx have already been tested by hundreds of users; SMS only by two. It may take a few firmware iterations to fix the problem. Any other users experiencing a similar behavior?
I have the same problems with the Master System-Adapter.
As soon as I want to start the rom it disappears.
I've received my SMS Plug-In recently and encountered the same problem. The Retrode will work with the plug-in attached, but as soon as I connect it to a game (Sonic the Hedgehog, PAL-version sold in Germany), both the config file and the rom file will disappear instantly.
Okay. I just found a game (Action Fighter) for which I get the same problem (100% reproducible with voltage selector at 3.3V, sometimes also at 5V). Let's see if I can get it to run consistently...
I've more or less successfully dumped Sonic the Hedgehog [PAL Version] (Please find attached).
I flashed the Retrode 2 with the Firmware 0.17e, the voltage at 5V and dumped 2 ROMs, first 64KB, the second 128 KB.
After that I tried different games but it falls back to the regular problem.
All other constellations (different voltage & different firmware) gave me the same problem as ever (256 KB ROM size & non-copyable).
At the first dump (64KB) it shows the titlescreen and after that the level select screen. Than the game freezes.
At the second dump (128KB) it only shows the title screen and freezes after that.
On both ROMs it plays the suitable music but the graphics are EXTREMLY buggy.
PS: "other firmwares" means:
Retrode2-v0.18b_alpha
Retrode2-v0.18a
Retrode2-v0.17h-alpha
Retrode2-v0.17g
Retrode2-v0.17f
Retrode2-v0.17d
Retrode2-v0.17c
Retrode2-v0.17b
PPS: "different games" means:
-Asterix
-Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse
-Global Gladiators
-Golden Axe
-Klax
-Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse
-Sonic 2
-The Flash
-The Lucky Dime Caper starring Donald Duck
-Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap
-Wimbledon
I hope the explanation and the dumps help to understand the problem of the firmware.
Thanks everyone for testing. What a nasty bug! I spent more than 30 hours this week trying to track the issue down and fix it. After upgrading the firmware to the latest USB library version (a major step!) and making a few subtle adjustments around the SMS routine, I now have all my SMS carts running smoothly on a Retrode 2 at 5V under both a WinXP machine and a MacBook Air 2010 running OS X Mountain Lion. The titles I tested are:
The Lucky Dime Caper starring Donald Duck
Ace of Aces
Captain Silver
Pro Wrestling
Out Run
Casino Games
World Soccer
Action Fighter
Please find a Retrode 2 firmware under https://www.retrode.com/files/firmware/Retrode2-v0.18c-alpha.zip (https://www.retrode.com/files/firmware/Retrode2-v0.18c-alpha.zip), and let me know how it works for you. In case you want to test it on a Retrode 1, please let me know and I will compile a version for it.
I've now dumped all games with the new firmware (v0.18c-alpha) at 5V. All games were copyable.
The results are the following:
-Asterix - HWB switching - working - 512KB
-Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse - working - 256KB
-Global Gladiators - working - 256KB
-Golden Axe - HWB switching - working - 512KB
-Klax - HWB switching - not working - 128KB
-Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse - HWB switching - working - 512KB
-Ninja Gaiden - working - 256KB
-Sonic 1 - working - 256KB
-Sonic 2 - HWB switching - working - 512KB
-The Flash - working - 256KB
-The Lucky Dime Caper starring Donald Duck - working - 256KB
-Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap - working - 256KB
-Wimbledon - working - 256KB
PS: none of them are in "GoodSMS v3.2.0" for whatever reason
PPS: non-working "Klax"-ROM [TmrSega3.2501.sms] (Please find attached)
Ah, wonderful, thank you. The size detection should be easy to fix; hope to get it done by the end of today. Do any of these titles have SRAM too?
No, none of my games have SRAM.
The only games I know that have SRAM are the following, which I unfortunately don't have in my collection
- Golden Axe Warrior
- Golfamania
- Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord
- Monopoly
- Penguin Land
- Phantasy Star
- Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
- Ys: The Vanished Omens
PS: Maybe some other Users can test this. Does anyone of you guys have at least one of the games above to test?
New firmware - size detection should now work as it should. Also, added SRAM reading, but completely untested.
https://www.retrode.com/files/firmware/Retrode2-v0.18c-alpha2.zip (https://www.retrode.com/files/firmware/Retrode2-v0.18c-alpha2.zip)
I now dumped all games that I have again with the new firmware v0.18c-alpha2 and here are the (sad) results:
(I didn't use HWB switching to test the auto-detection routine)
-Asterix - no autodetection of the ROM size - not working - 256KB
-Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse - working - 256KB
-Global Gladiators - not working - 256KB
-Golden Axe - no autodetection of the ROM size - partially working - 256KB
-Klax - autodetection of the ROM size - not working - 128KB
-Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse - no autodetection of the ROM size - partially working - 256KB
-Ninja Gaiden - not working - 256KB
-Sonic 1 - not working - 256KB
-Sonic 2 - no autodetection of the ROM size - not working - 256KB
-The Flash - working - 256KB
-The Lucky Dime Caper starring Donald Duck - working - 256KB
-Wimbledon - not working - 256KB
-Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap - not working - 256KB
PS: If you need the dumps to look into them, let me know.
PPS: "GoodSMS v3.2.0" also "didn't like" them
Okay :( Thanks for testing. I did, of course, make a few more changes to the code than just the size detection, so it appears I broke some other thing along the way. Could you please send me the non-working Asterix, Golden Axe and Sonic 2?
[Matthias_H] Got files, deleted link. Thanks
Okay. Found a whole handful stupid bugs in my last quick fix. Here's https://www.retrode.com/files/firmware/Retrode2-v0.18c-alpha3.zip (https://www.retrode.com/files/firmware/Retrode2-v0.18c-alpha3.zip) which works fine on my entire library:
World Soccer
Ace of Aces
The Lucky Dime Caper
Castle of Illusion
Action Fighter
Pro Wrestling
Out Run
Kenseiden
Casino Games
California Games
This version also uses a heuristic to detect bogus header information, and automatically overdump titles that are declared to small. Could you please confirm this for your 4-Mega titles? All of mine are 1 or 2 Mega.
Thanks,
Matthias
I've tested all games again, now ALL of them are correctly dumped, even the problematic title "Klax" (that didn't worked in any firmware so far) is now correctly dumped AND working ;D
For the "4-Mega-Games; her are the results:
-Asterix - autodetection of the ROM size - working - 512KB
-Golden Axe - autodetection of the ROM size - working - 512KB
-Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse - autodetection of the ROM size - working - 512KB
-Sonic 2 - autodetection of the ROM size - working - 512KB
And the rest:
-Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse - working - 256KB
-Global Gladiators - working - 256KB
-Klax - autodetection of the ROM size - working - 128KB
-Ninja Gaiden - working - 256KB
-Sonic 1 - working - 256KB
-The Flash - working - 256KB
-The Lucky Dime Caper starring Donald Duck - working - 256KB
-Wimbledon - working - 256KB
-Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap - working - 256KB
PS: "GoodSMS v3.2.0" still "didn't like" them
Awesome, thank you!
Thank you very much, with the new firmware I got Sonic The Hedgehog to work with the Retrode. :)
Thanks for the hard work! I have a question though, is this newest firmware built off of v0.18a or
v0.18b alpha? I thought there were some problems in v0.18b alpha, but I haven't run into any (I've been using v0.18c-alpha). Plug-ins are working great, I appreciate all the work everyone's put into them!
Compatibility list would a good thing to have right about now.
If any of you guys would like to maintain a compatibility list on retrode.org, please let me know. I guess having a repository of overdump settings could be of help for many users.
I had encounterd these gamegear games error on SEGA Master System Plugin Adapter with soldering gamegear slot.
These are checked on real gamegear and works.
fw:0.18c
(I have this (http://forum.retrode.org/index.php/topic,232.0.html) error.So I can't update to 0.18d beta)
Emu:FUSION 3.18
- SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 (JP) - can't play.black screen. TmrSega.2507.gg 256KB
- SONIC & TAILS(JP) - can't play.black and blue flicker. TmrSega.3331.gg 256KB(checked my 2 cartridges)
- SONIC DRIFT 2(JP) - can't play.black screen.
Some times can't use windows "safety olugout dialog" and strange file made.NoName.AA5A5.gg 1MB,((((((h.22C28.gg 1MB
These jp gamegear games works fine.
ZAN GEAR,WONDER BOY,SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 1,Puyo Puyo,PAC-MAN,BARE KNUCKLE(City Rage),COLUMNS
Strange file names: most likely dirt. Upgrading firmware: please try USB 2.0 port under older Windows or Mac.