Possible to make a BBA Style IDE-EXI?

[megalomaniac]

what is the voltage??



as long as its 3v then you could use a LT1302 step up voltage converter to provide 5v...
or the faster/cheaper route is to cut the trace and jumper 5v to the connection

[Jaecus]

Yes there is a new xilinx file I'll have to release when things get tested and are supported in Swiss.

Does the modem adapter not use the 5v/12v lines? would've been so ideal if it used them

afaik the socket uses 12v and 3.3v (going from a quick look at the serial port pinout)

what is the voltage??

as long as its 3v then you could use a LT1302 step up voltage converter to provide 5v...
or the faster/cheaper route is to cut the trace and jumper 5v to the connection

Sorry i am not sure how you mean cut the trace and jumper 5v...
I am assuming you mean to disconnect from the mobo a pin from serial port1 socket that Is not required, and then solder on a wire from a 5v source.. which makes sense now I'm explaining it to myself lol.. good idea megalomaniac

[megalomaniac]

glad to help

[FoxxOTG]

The BBA/Modem slot does have a 12V bus. As of this posts' date MegaIOManiac is making a new batch of IDE-EXTs and we have been discussing the potential of a "GBA Player" style which does seem to be entirely possible. With some help of my buddies over at the BSoDtv community we should be able to whip up a prototype (using the PCB from MegaIOManiac's latest build). Once MegaIO' is sold out of his batch, and if there is enough interest, perhaps something can be done about it. Lets see how well MegaIO's batch sells before any of us sink money we dont have into a pipe dream of a project. I actually have a few ideas which I will test out. I am also very proud to say MegaIO is letting me test out his new build with all sorts of different setups and configurations of Gamecube boot methods (Modchips, Action Replay, etc) and all various drive types (im even going to test an SD to IDE adapter just to edify my morbid curiosity). I shall report my findings when they have been found.

Happy hacking and holidays people.

[megalomaniac]

[yamaharacer]

anithing new about this thread? I just want to start a new project for a Gameboy player with integrated ide/exi adapter, this solution for using serial port 1 would be the best. But I dont want to start the project until I know if there will ever be support in swiss for serial port 1.

[emu_kidid]

Chicken or the egg, I have no plans to add Serial Port 1 support at the moment since there are zero devices out there to utilize it, but if someone builds it, they can happily test what I'll put together for it in Swiss..

[yamaharacer]

ok I will build a prototype and send you a message when its finished.

[megalomaniac]

originally, the idea was to use the bba port...then foxx's idea changed into a gameboy player style....
foxx did some quick fitment tests and concluded only a 1.8"hdd would fit the best in a gameboy player....unless you gut it to fit a larger hdd...
..and im not thrilled about the idea of gutting a working gameboy player...im not sure where foxx stands on that idea...


as for the BBA port, it still might be a good idea as the original ide-exi pics showed the device was built into that location....
the most ideal use of that location would be to also add an ide>sata adapter then have the sata connector located where the ethernet port would be....

[yamaharacer]

does anybody know if I can use the 12V line of the serial port 1 for powering a 2.5" hdd with a power regulator? I mean is the fuse high enough to let this option work?

[megalomaniac]

i popped a fuse on mine during testing but others have used 12v with no issues...
good luck

[yamaharacer]

I only want to use 2.5" Sata HDDs via a plug and play solution. So I think whil turning on the HDD needs something like 700mA and while running about 500mA. Hope that it works.

but mega, when you have blown this fuse, do you know which size it has?

[megalomaniac]

i have not spend much time looking over power boards and their differences....
my dol-001 had 2 fuses, one on top, one on bottom, not sure if they all do
my bottom fuse blew...

as for what size?
dunno, i just chose to jumper it back to life as i was done with my ide-exi testing...
i think my hdd rating was something like 1.2amps @ 12v


just a couple of suggestions...
1. if you have a drive replacement or ipl replacement, boot the cube without a drive...this will lessen the total load seen across the fuse....
or
2. use external power just for initial testing...once you can confirm usability thru the serial port (after swiss edit) then afterwards try using the GC power supply...

[yamaharacer]

ok, I will wait for emu to prepare a serial port 1 swiss edition.

first I will like you said only prepare the ide exi for the serial port and test it with an old pc power supply, then I will prepare a power regulator (step down converter) for 12V to 5V, and at the end I will test the HDD with the power converter.

[dilav]

but mega, when you have blown this fuse, do you know which size it has?

5A, Fast Blow.

My only concern about a BBA style IDE-EXI is getting the correct thickness PCB as those ViperGC boards had some contact issues.

[yamaharacer]

dont have such a problem. will prepare a old modem adapter for around 10€ and prepare my ide exi inside there. its easy when you have some bluechips left. they are realy small and fit perfect in there.

[megalomaniac]

My only concern about a BBA style IDE-EXI is getting the correct thickness PCB as those ViperGC boards had some contact issues.

ViperGC???
can you explain this, im not familiar with viper, pcb thickness, or contact issues...
thanks

[FoxxOTG]

Im currently fighting some nasty physical issues with health. My spine and left leg are messed up really bad (as the regulars on IRC know) on top of that I split from my g/f and im moving back to my hometown. I did some early phase tests. Its not possible to fit anything but a 1.8" HDD into a GBA Player and another issue is you can not remove it to add files to it. Its possible to make something that docks to the Gamecube that sits like the GBA Player and you can slide a HDD in and out, like the GBA Player does with GBA carts. I have access to machines that can build the plastic hardware needed, and I can also do the electronics side of things. MegaIO' sent me a spare one of his boards to experiment with. Once I get re-settled (AGAIN!) with a new workspace and I have some time to work on this, I will. I didnt think anyone would have cared about this, it was just a generic thought.

Buy an IDE-EXI and there is plenty of space to hook it up to Serial Port 1 and get things going, but we are at the mercy of Emu to get the software working. I also have a ViperGC Extreme Pro chip. Mind you I am mainly doing this out of the sense of morbid curiosity. If this is eventually going to happen I would like to see a fair amount of help and community support. Right now my main focus is to find an affordable place to live, funding to move there, and get the medical help I desperately require.

I try to idle on the #GC-Forever IRC Channel but I havent had much time for IRC. If you want to pitch some ideas to me, post here or send me an PM. I already have a lot of the logistics planned out in my head, I just need to put my balls to the grindstone and make things actually happen. Myself and a friend of mine are interested in this project, and thats all I need so far to make it happen, but it is a severely low priority for us. I also have no funding for this project at the moment. If there is enough interest shown, maybe I can do a kickstarter so we can build the funds needed to make a batch.

[Benni]

Why no - i don´t know the englisch word - RELAIS and IDE2USB Adaptor?
So the 1,8" HDD kann be plug into a PC via USB, and the "RELAIS" is for the Power...

While USB is plugged in, there is no Power from the IDE EXI.

I found this on a German site, but i think yamaha understand and maybe he can translate it...
(This is in a ps2)

Description:
http://www.ps3-tools.de/thread.php?threadid=11579

[FoxxOTG]

There may be a bit of confusion here. When I mean "GBA Player" I mean modding the original and retaining the GBA Player functionality. There is not enough room inside to add a USB-IDE bridge. You aslo need to cut away quite a bit of structural supports and screw posts. The idea of an "IDE-EXT Player" has enough room to do almost anything you could possibly want to build. As I mention, I have access to the machines needed to print out plastic forms of 3D models. Nab a copy of Google Sketch Up, make your design, and print it out. Though there are a lot of quirks and limitations you need to be aware of in the design because of 3D printer limitations, but its not a difficult model/concept.

It would be possible to make an IDE-EXT Player that also has an ejector lever, and have it fit a 2,5" HDD with a PCB that can hold one or the other, a PATA or SATA drive, both 2.5" and 3.5". It could also be possible to make it without an ejector system and have a switch that allows you to enable USB Mode that just enables a USB-IDE Bridge that sits in parallel so you can undock the IDE-EXT player, then plug it into your PC to put your files onto it since it will pop up as a FAT32 formatted removable drive. I even thought about heat issues from 3.5" HDDs and possibly adding some squirrel cage fans to keep the drives in stable temperature range, especially for those of us that have some spare 3.5" HDDs floating around we would rather use, this would be an ideal setup

Everyone will want something a little different, there are many angles to approach this concept. You can make some of the people happy most of the time, or most of the people happy some of the time. The IDE-EXT is a simple concept that can be easily become overly complicated, and in mass quantities, very expensive.

If someone wants to jump in and take lead on this, by all means. I would be willing to help out as much as I possibly can, Please dont wait for me to start this all on my own, right now I have a chronic case of Life that keeps flaring up no matter how much medication and suppositories I try, nothing seems to cure or alleviate the symptoms. I can definitely help but wont be able to take lead on this project just yet. I am barely set up to work on the current IDE-EXT project which I have fallen back almost 2 months on due to Life and hardware issues.

Heck, perhaps we can all work together and get a batch of BBA port boards out that will have a pin header that allows for "modular" addons of adapters and what not that can easily be purchased off ebay. I could possibly design the base for it that things fit into, and depending on your needs you can just buy the proper cables and adapters needed. Tossing in a 44 pin 2.5" PATA drive external Enclosure board from one of those cheap $10 kits in parallel with an IDE-EXT that has the voltage pins on a DPDT toggle to select from EXT/USB mode, or even a leaf switch that the GC physically hits to auto-select for when its docked could easily be made a possibility. Same goes for the use of a SATA USB-IDE kit. A 3.5" HDD would be even easier, although I would suggest adding some fan cooling, and since most computer case fans are all the same size, obtaining them would be pretty generic and easy. In fact using the existing IDE-EXT I have now, once my beta testing phase is over, this is one of my goals. Another goal is to make an adapter PCB allowing me to plug in a Memory Card Slot B IDE-EXT into the BBA slot with a home made adapter board....

More to come when I can manage the time and finances, In any case, happy hacking everyone! Excuse the nonsense, its late, im exhausted, and need to bury myself in a shallow grave for some down time.

[yamaharacer]

The idea is not to integrate a HDD into the gameboy player either to integrate a IDE/Sata Adapter which alows hot plug and for this a plug and play solution.
thats the easiest way how to get datas on and you can connect every hdd you want up to a size of 2Tb.

@benni
thats nothing special about the PS2. This series has had the ability to connect a ide port newer PS2s have this feature not anymore. The trick here was only that the guy has put in a USB/IDE adaptor in parallel and decided to but in a part which let the PS2 not turn up when it is connected to the PC.
nothing special.