Yeah, the tests were back on the default kitty firmware (sorry I forgot to mention that) and tried the Cthulhu as well.
Just to see what the results were I just ran the following test: Kitty plugged into PS2 with the first troubleshooting firmware (the one that checks immediately). The guide LEDs behaved the same as the supergun (most recently posted pictures), which is all 4 lit while holding start, only top left lit after letting go, but from what I could see, none of the turbo LEDs were really on. I tried it earlier with stock firmware (just to sanity check myself that the sticks work on my ps2) and the lights were really dim when plugged into the ps2 so maybe that was the case here as well but I really couldn’t see much. Not sure if that’s worth mentioning at all, but considering all of the moving parts in this project I’m trying to keep a list of every combination and its current behavior.
Assembled a kit, crimped a PSX-RJ45 cable, and of course, not so much working. Damnit. Im still confident those caps were needed, as Im sure you can tell the difference in what the Kitty was seeing on the lines is night and day. Give me a bit to try and determine why they arent meshing and I should have an answer.
Yeah, the cap definitely seems like it was necessary. Thanks again for helping me with all of the troubleshooting, I’m looking forward to seeing what the solution is!
Can this be used to hook up a psx controller to an arcade cabinet? If so, i would definitely be ordering.
Still working on it. The Kitty is seeing the converter and talking PSX like it should, but doesn’t appear to like what it’s reading from the converter and clams up. Work in progress.
I did receive the pad, and testing it out on my FGW Converter shows the same symptoms, so you’re definitely not crazy. Looking at the signals, the pad is clamming up and not responding to some of the queries to the pad, which looks like it’s been diconnected, so the converter thinks its unplugged and sets all of the lines to high, then next query works, sets line low, repeat and you get insta turbo.
Work continues.
Ran through my gamut of pads without seeing the same behavior. In my opinion, worst case scenario is a compatability problem with ‘A’ revision DS1’s. Other revisions including M and H dont have this behavior. Most likely scenario is a fubared pad. If I can get feedback from anyone with an ‘A’ revision DS1 and a FGW Converter, that’d settle it.
I also had a similar problem with a DS2 (off/on type inputs), but I didn’t really investigate it, just tossed aside and grabbed another one. If I come across that pad again, I’ll post the version info.
rivals: what ever came of that stuttering problem you were having with one of the converters?
I’ve put it on the backburner for now. It’s still happening but I’ve been pretty busy with work/life lately so I figure once the supergun actually works with the good converter I’ll start attacking the issues with the stuttering one.
Hey, will this convert Analog data? I want to use a Saturn ‘NiGHTS’ pad with a supergun / Planet Harriers.
Nope, digital Saturn stuff only.
Well, damn. Definite problem in the FGW converter code that’s been going out, all of the ones with the button remapping code.
Two different problems have been noted, and finally resolved:
- MC Cthulhu and Kitty based sticks not working properly. Fixed by disabling the SPI while waiting for the ACK from stick. The additional clock pulses where screwing things up. Now both work again properly.
- Some pads (experienced personally with a DS1 loaned to me for this problem by DeepThoughts. Big thanks for that, still willing to buy the pad off you or at least take care of your shipping) experience a flcikering or unintentional ‘Turbo’ when the buttons or directions are clearly held. This was fixed by adding a small delay after the ATT line was made active; the FGW Converter went straight into the serial communication, while every few frames the pad wouldn’t realize it was talking and puked. Delay to the line fixed it.
So, Please, if there are any other problems anyone knows about, PLEASE say so asap while I’ve got the gear all hooked up. As always, I’ll reprogram the chips for free, just cover shipping ($2 US for first class postage for any number of chips). Details in first post.
If you’ve ordered a FGW converter anytime in September, October, or November of this year, it will have these flaws on some controllers. The bulk of first party and third part controllers will continue to work fine, so there’s no immediate rush, but getting the code updated when possible is recommended.
Wow, that’s excellent news! I’ll toss my chips in the mail ASAP. Sending you a PM now!
It’s fun seeing how small I can trim down your pcbs so that they can fit in the smallest of spaces. Was able to make a Saturn->360+MC converter fit inside a 4x2x1 project box.
I’m tempted to make another one, but adding a mini din8 connector to make detachable PSX, SNES, and Saturn female cables so it could convert all 3 systems in one.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j138/gocontourgo/Finished%20Mods/Darksakul/th_2011-11-20131722.jpghttp://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j138/gocontourgo/Finished%20Mods/Darksakul/th_2011-11-30185230.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j138/gocontourgo/Finished%20Mods/Darksakul/th_2011-11-30231539.jpg
That is good new, and I’ll be sending you a bundle of chips for re-programming at some point too.
I did have one other problem I’ll mention now since you asked, although I seem to have found a crude workaround. You may recall an earlier post of mine The official Cthulhu and ChImp thread - Try our new Dreamcast flavor! involving cps1 boards, which you addressed—and it worked.
However, that apparently wasn’t the end of the problem. The diode on the select line allows the FGWs to initialize psx mode correctly, but after playing for awhile, they just go crazy. Input mode in the cps1 service menu shows random lines active with no buttons pressed on the psx controller. This phenomenon occurs after a random amount of time, sometimes after a few minutes of play, sometimes after almost an hour, but once it happens, I have to power off the supergun. Moreover, this problem is independent of the psx controllers. My sgun also accepts neogeo style raw inputs, which I tried with no psx controllers plugged in, and the problem still occurred.
So, I experimented by adding increasingly more diodes without success until I had dioded every line on both FGW converters. Now they seem fine after extended use; I’ve had no problems since.
Edit: Nice Gummo! Might this motivate an official mccthulhu + fgw combo board perhaps?
Hey, I PMed toodles last night and didn’t get a response, and I figured something was wrong since he usually replies quickly. I just read through the stuff you all ran through with rivals just now and I think I need both my chips reprogrammed, one because of the issue described, and the other because it was messed up due to another issue.
Here’s the PMs I sent toodles. I’ll provide anymore information if needed, but I just want a second opinion to make sure (at least for the “good” converter) that the issue you worked out is what’s wrong with it) So I just have piece of mind instead of worrying about it and continuing to troubleshoot on my own. (which I have been doing last night and today)
From the extra troubleshooting and testing today I found that a couple of PSX pads don’t work either. (I dug out a couple from the PSX days) a PSOne pad that seems to autofire, and another pad that’s acting the same way as sticks… (both pads work in conjunction with a Converter and Dreamcast) I don’t have a PSX but I’m sure they’d continue to work for a PS tough.
Edit: Actually “Flickering” was how I described this to the person who was helping me troubleshoot too.
So you experienced this with even with nothing plugged into the PSX port? Weird. I’ll leave it on overnight and check it in the morning, thanks for mentioning it.
"the other because it was messed up due to another issue’? That’s not foreboding or anything.
But sure, send them and I’ll get the reprogrammed.
Well, I described the other issue was the left, right and MP acting as if it was on a turbo, I don’t know if it’s a programming issue as well, or something wrong with the chip physically. and again I had swapped that chip with the other converter. so it is the chip causing the issue…
Thats a tighter space than I could get done. One I tried building looked like a brick.
Although I eventually got frustrated not getting the device to work correctly, went though 3 Xbox 360 PCBs before I said screw it and asked Gummo if he can build it for me.