gc-forever - Gamecube/Wii Forums

megalomaniac wrote:the Xeno or Atmega8 (Xeno clone) can be upgraded/downgraded (or initial programming for Atmega) using the various xenoflash.dol's included in the source..
In order to put the microcontroller in program(write) mode, RESET pin (1) must have constant contact with GND during the write process.


The printed letters "XENO" are in contact with RESET therefore connecting any of those letters with GND will put the chip in program mode. The letters are quite big and make for easy soldering of a wire lead. Also GND can found anywhere on the GC, such as the metal cage around the optical drive which also makes for easy soldering.

Those are great news indeed, the problem is that I don't have skills now, my skills are better than in 2006. But the mess is there, some pads have been lifted up and it will be harder to find alternative points. Soldering to the O letter of Xeno should be pretty easy.
You mean the metal cage with holes that attaches to the GameCube disc drive can be used as a ground connection as well?

Oh, and any list of fixes between the different XenoGC versions?

Thank you.

nice stuff - never seen this before!

do you know if there's any difference in the two multigame menus? maybe one has the mystical NTSC support (since 2.0 only seems to be in PAL)

Ive flashed my chip with everything i can find in the source....here are my findings


HEXFILES
../ ../Drivecode/Source/1.03a ../XenoAT/Bin


XenoFlashers
../ ../XenoFlash/Bin/



md5sum


1.03a.v1

megalomaniac, how did you flash the .hex files? The only two ways I can see right now are to compile them into a XenoFlasher or to desolder the board and use an Atmel programming tool. As far as I know, the Xeno doesn't have a software bootloader programmed for receiving bytes any other way. What's your secret?

atmega has a bootloader
so by default, xeno also has a bootloader when the chip is set to program mode (RESET to GND)




in the source code release are 4 (2 are the same, so 3) versions of xenoflash.dol
the flash loader already contains the required hex file built into the dol.

1. use your normal dol loading method to start one of the 4 dols..
2. ensure the chip is physically in "program mode"
3. press A
4. remove chip from programming mode
5. reboot



note: only press the A button...do not press any other buttons

Thanks mega, I am familiar with Atmel's Bootloader and fairly confident I understand how the XenoFlash program works. My question was directed to your testing of the Hex Files included in the source file.

megalomaniac wrote:Ive flashed my chip with everything i can find in the source....here are my findings


HEXFILES
../

Code: Select all

XenoAT.1.05.hex = PAL (XenoGC Shell v1.05)  --->>Multigame Shell

../Drivecode/Source/1.03a

Code: Select all

XenoAT = file does not appear to function

../XenoAT/Bin

Code: Select all

XenoAT.1.03a.v1.hex = NTSC (XenoGC v1.03a) --->> Classic Shell...see pic below
XenoAT.1.03a.v2.hex = file does not appear to function
XenoAT.1.03.v1.hex = file does not appear to function
XenoAT.hex = PAL (XenoGC Shell v1.05)  --->>Multigame Shell
XenoGC 1.01.V1.hex = file does not appear to function
XenoGC 1.01.V2.hex = NTSC (XenoGC v1.01) --->> Classic Shell...possibly original 1.01 release
XenoGC 1.04.hex = PAL (XenoGC Shell v0.98 beta)  --->>Multigame Shell

How did you flash these .hex files to the Xeno?

Hex files were loaded/tested with a homemade serial programmer homemade xeno clone

I don't have an actual Xeno but technically, homemade makes no difference if done correctly.
With my homemade board it us easier for me to test, verify, and develop.
FYI:
An actual xeno will require a simple board mod to allow communication to both the GC and a serial/parallel programmer.
More info to come on these required modifications...

Has anyone begun porting the XenoFlash code to libogc? I would like to begin this task but don't want to replicate anyone's work. I've gotten the Hello World example app in libogc to compile and run, so I know I'm not far off from this goal!

emu_kidid, do you know if The Author would object to forking his code into a code management system for open source development? If so, under what license should we develop it?

Speaking of forking, I am considering forking this discussion thread into a more appropriate forum than "News". Maybe GC/Wii development?

All that to say my end goal is to be able to hold Start on boot and have my XenoGC boot a specific file name from the SDGecko.

Any feedback?

dantheman2865 wrote: Speaking of forking, I am considering forking this discussion thread into a more appropriate forum than "News". Maybe GC/Wii development?

sounds good to me, i'm on your side

dantheman2865, sounds good about forking the code - it's no longer in production these days anyway. Probably good to put all the code up into googlecode or something but label it as open sourced drive patches /etc..

to bring this out of the news thread, here's the googlecode project:
http://code.google.com/p/xenogcfork/

and the discussion about it:
http://www.gc-forever.com/forums/viewto ... f=20&t=716

Hi guys,

Thank you for this big news !
I would share with you my design for the boards.
There are made with Sprint Layout (a nice software for designing PCB) and the files can surely be sent to manufacturing in their format (.lay).
If you found the software you can export gerber + drilling files and such from it.

So here they are:

ps: I've made a file for each of the three combinaison: DIP / DIP + ISP / QFP + ISP
And the simplest one (the DIP) is only a single face PCB.
And the QFP one has its resistors mades to be able to put some throughole reisitors or SMD one.
And all the componments & values are noted on the PCB, as well as th connection points on the motherboard !

I've uploaded a picture with the three design side by side if you want to see... ("modèles côte à côte.png")

Enjoy" (as well as I enjoy" this release ! ^^)
, Lunar_Lander

Nice layout...Looks good

It is possible to swap XenoGC Shell built-in application with something else? (eg Swiss).

Swiss is way too big to fit in the flash..

...but think about this:
Xeno requires drive proper initialization before it can upload its drive code..
This means Xeno requires a DVD in the drive, so why not use a swiss DVD? You only need to burn 1 copy because once you load swiss from DVD then you can always load a newer version of swiss from SD

Yeah plus the boot.iso feature was made for that purpose I guess. At least it goes well with booting from DVD.
Edit : boot.dol, not .iso.

Not sure where to post this question...

I have an NTSC Gamecube with a Xeno GC v2.0 with the PAL 1.05 shell. The shell is useless, so I'd like to flash it with an earlier firmware. Assuming the Xeno is put into reset/programming mode, can this be done booting with SDLoad (or Swiss) on DVD-R and flashing the firmware from the SD Media Launcher?

Thanks!

Got 1.01 flashed using Swiss after half a dozen attempts. The first try looked like it worked perfectly but rendered the Xeno GC inoperative (no LEDs), so I went searching in vain for the serial programmer I built a few years ago. Thankfully I also have a Viper GC Extreme, so I was able to use that to boot Swiss and run the flasher.dol. After a few more tries with errors, it finally worked. Not sure why flashing was so problematic.

Can someone make a version of swiss that will load in place of the credits.dol or the shell.dol? I was reading earlier posts and it said it was possible. Itd be very helpful to launch swiss from the sd gecko using the xenogc or as a .dol in general. Any help would be appreciated :3

noobcube wrote:Got 1.01 flashed using Swiss after half a dozen attempts. The first try looked like it worked perfectly but rendered the Xeno GC inoperative (no LEDs), so I went searching in vain for the serial programmer I built a few years ago. Thankfully I also have a Viper GC Extreme, so I was able to use that to boot Swiss and run the flasher.dol. After a few more tries with errors, it finally worked. Not sure why flashing was so problematic.

Please tell me how you did this so i can put swiss on my xenogc ;-;

Slex989 wrote:

noobcube wrote:Got 1.01 flashed using Swiss after half a dozen attempts. The first try looked like it worked perfectly but rendered the Xeno GC inoperative (no LEDs), so I went searching in vain for the serial programmer I built a few years ago. Thankfully I also have a Viper GC Extreme, so I was able to use that to boot Swiss and run the flasher.dol. After a few more tries with errors, it finally worked. Not sure why flashing was so problematic.

Please tell me how you did this so i can put swiss on my xenogc ;-;

It has been quite a while since I flashed the XenoGC. However, what I did was use Swiss to flash the
XenoGC with XenoGC firmware, not Swiss. I do not think it is possible to flash Swiss on to the XenoGC.

As for this post, some evolution in the execution of DOLs by Xeno. start without the need for a new laser; keep a dead laser ... ???

I know that there are very good porters made by great personalities from the world of GC forever. but I'm excited and I want to do it at home. If Xeno is a Qoob Lite, is there no way to incorporate a space for reading .dols? the SD card, how would it be incorporated? I know that 8 kbits is nothing, but it is possible to incorporate an eproom, an SRAM, I don't know, I always speculate ...
???
There are Atmega chips with different numbers, could they be used to incorporate an SD reader or eproom?


The laser has a chip, with 8 points on the flat cable, what can you see?

It would be easier to buy a new laser, dump and burn the DVDs ... but mini DVDs are rare and, in addition, I want to see the Swiss coming to version 0.5!

the question I'm looking for is to boot from a Homebreaw mod created here on the forum.

they are twenty-two million cubes around the world !!!

there is a firmware that were working 1.05 for xeno where it says it is possible to start a dol from the memory card! no boot disk required ...! do you know if this is really functional?