PCE Flash Cards

[MissaFX]

Sorry, but I'm hoping a cheap bump up will get a discussion going, in case anyone else out there is having similar problems with their flash cart as me. I hope someone out there can provide some suggestions. 

If I try to load a non-japanese game on my CGII, it will make a slight flash/distortion in the screen of the load menu but will not progress any further. 

This is because American ROMs have region lockout code. They can tell you are running them on a JP console and won't load.

This isn't related to the issue Paisa is having.

Is there a way to alter the file to make it load?  I am specifically trying to get the haxxord Galaga '90 to load so that the kids I watch sometimes could play it.

[nat]

Sorry, but I'm hoping a cheap bump up will get a discussion going, in case anyone else out there is having similar problems with their flash cart as me. I hope someone out there can provide some suggestions. 

If I try to load a non-japanese game on my CGII, it will make a slight flash/distortion in the screen of the load menu but will not progress any further. 

This is because American ROMs have region lockout code. They can tell you are running them on a JP console and won't load.

This isn't related to the issue Paisa is having.

Is there a way to alter the file to make it load?  I am specifically trying to get the haxxord Galaga '90 to load so that the kids I watch sometimes could play it.

I've never heard of the hacked Galaga '90. How was it hacked?

As far as your other question, I don't believe there is any way to modifiy the ROMs to remove the region lockout. Bonknuts could probably give you a definitive answer.

The only way around the lockout that I'm aware of is to physically ground one of the pins on the CPU inside the CoreGrafx. An unfortunate side effect of this mod would render your flash cart useless, thus completely defeating the purpose.

[MissaFX]

It's hacked so you cannot die and you start off with the super ship (3 shots).

[nodtveidt]

This is because American ROMs have region lockout code. They can tell you are running them on a JP console and won't load.

I'm pretty sure it's actually the other way around...it would explain why US systems are far easier to region-mod than JP systems. And, cards won't run on the wrong system because the byte order of the data lines is different.

[T2KFreeker]

So, I was looking at one of these, are they really that good? I am looking at the idea of playing some fan translated stuff, but would I still need an adapter for a US system?

[MissaFX]

So, I was looking at one of these, are they really that good? I am looking at the idea of playing some fan translated stuff, but would I still need an adapter for a US system?

You can set the card to either PC-E or TG-16 when you write to it.  But you can only play the proper region of games on the system.  So if you want to play translated games, most of them would play on a Japanese system since they are Japanese games to begin with.

[Necromancer]

I'm pretty sure it's actually the other way around...it would explain why US systems are far easier to region-mod than JP systems. And, cards won't run on the wrong system because the byte order of the data lines is different.

Both Japanese and US games have region codes, but only Japanese systems bother to check this code, hence the need to ground a pin to disable the region check.

So, I was looking at one of these, are they really that good? I am looking at the idea of playing some fan translated stuff, but would I still need an adapter for a US system?

They're not as good as sex, but they're pretty damn good.  No adapter needed for US systems, as you set the region when you write the roms to the card.

You can set the card to either PC-E or TG-16 when you write to it.  But you can only play the proper region of games on the system.  So if you want to play translated games, most of them would play on a Japanese system since they are Japanese games to begin with.

I don't think so, Missa.  I played through Bubblegum Crash on my TurboDuo without any problems.

[MissaFX]

You can set the card to either PC-E or TG-16 when you write to it.  But you can only play the proper region of games on the system.  So if you want to play translated games, most of them would play on a Japanese system since they are Japanese games to begin with.

I don't think so, Missa.  I played through Bubblegum Crash on my TurboDuo without any problems.
[/quote]

That one specifically might work, but my wonderboy translated game for example will not work on my PC-E specific emulator, but will work on the flash card and the CGII.  I have couple of other english translated games but I have not played/tested them.

[Necromancer]

That one specifically might work, but my wonderboy translated game for example will not work on my PC-E specific emulator, but will work on the flash card and the CGII.  I have couple of other english translated games but I have not played/tested them.

Emulators and consoles are two different beasts, so I'd bet that either the emulator isn't emulating the hardware correctly or the translation is buggy.  Proper Japanese roms should work fine on a flash cart in US hardware.

[T2KFreeker]

Hmm, must look harder now . . .

[nat]

You guys have the region thing all wrong. I was not incorrect in what I said.

American games have region lockout code that executes before the game is booted. ONLY AMERICAN GAMES HAVE THIS CODE. By "code" I mean a microprogram or subroutine, whatever. IIRC it was up to the developer to implement this code to comply with Hudson/NEC's policies. There is at least one US cart that doesn't have this code (Night Creatures I think) and that cart will play on a Japanese system. This code checks a condition on the CPU that is only present in Japanese hardware. You can trick the lockout code into thinking the condition does not exist by grounding a pin on the CPU of the Japanese console. This has nasty side effects that break certain games as well as break the ability to use a flash cart.

There is nothing going on in the hardware itself with regards to region protection other than the swapped cartridge port pin layout; it's all in the ROMs.

Therefor, I can play Japanese ROMs all day long on my US system using a flash cart regardless of what region the cart is set to (although if it's set to JP I'll need a Kisado to use it on my US console). This is because Japanese games don't have a lockout routine checking anything. American ROMs will only ever be playable on my American system, regardless of whether or not I swap the pinout to be JP-correct because of the routine that checks for the presence of a Japanese CPU is part of the ROM itself.

Make sense?

So, I was looking at one of these, are they really that good? I am looking at the idea of playing some fan translated stuff, but would I still need an adapter for a US system?

T2KFreeker, the flash cart will work absolutely great for what you want it for-- no adapter required. That's precisely the reason I got mine and it works like a dream on my US TurboDuo.

[ceti alpha]

....OK, the flashcard is now finally making sense to me.  Thanks for that info nat. 

[T2KFreeker]

So, I was looking at one of these, are they really that good? I am looking at the idea of playing some fan translated stuff, but would I still need an adapter for a US system?

T2KFreeker, the flash cart will work absolutely great for what you want it for-- no adapter required. That's precisely the reason I got mine and it works like a dream on my US TurboDuo.

Hmm, sounds cool. I should get one then.

[Paisa49]

Hmm, sounds cool. I should get one then.

It seems like most folks that are using their flash cart on U.S. Turbo Duo's aren't having issues. However, if all you have is a TG-16 or TEx, you may want to think about plunking down money for the flash cart. It just seems to strange that both my TG-16 and Nat's have had similar issues, and my TEx reacted the same way.

All my turbo chips work fine on my console. After comparing the contacts on my turbo chips with those on the flash cart, I've noticed that they're arranged differently. Again, being that I'm not very tech-saavy, is it at all possible that even if I write all my roms in TG-16 mode onto my flash cart, that the region lock-out is being engaged by my console because the flash cart doesn't have the same contact configuration as TG-16 turbo chips?

I wish I could find someone around me with a TG-16, so that I can test my flash cart on their console just to see if I got stuck with a strange console that just rejects the flash cart.  If anyone on here is around Tampa, FL, and willing to let me test out my flash cart on your console, let me know. It's too bad that the flash cart is giving my problems now after it started off working so well on my console.

[nat]

Paisa49, I think I've come to the conclusion that the power output of the TG-16's AC adapter is just a HAIR too weak for it to work consistently. The power draw of the flash cart is higher than a normal cart. I think it works fine on the Duo because the Duo has a more powerful AC adapter (it's gotta power the CD-ROM after all) and gets more juice.

So far, it seems to work flawlessly on my TurboDuo and also on my PCE GT handheld when the GT is plugged into the wall using the AC adapter. I haven't tried it on the GT using only batteries yet, though.