FB2 games on a real 2600 without using a flash cart?

[brojamfootball]

Has anybody tried using the FB2 guts make sort of a faux cart for use on a real 2600? I have my modded FB2, but incompatibility issues with some of my favorite games is a bummer. I have my 2600 hooked up now, but am missing some of the cool games from the FB2, and don't want to have both hooked up taking up space, switching joysticks, etc.

 

Has anyone figured out the solder points on the FB2 board to do this "backwards cart slot mod?"

 

The revision b board is small enough it could maybe be fit in a cart if cut up a bit(or sticking out a bit..or maybe in a Xonox double-ender! haha), although I'd be happy even if it required some crazy frankensteining from hell. I've been pondering the FB2's need for power, wondering if this nutty mod I'm dreaming up might need to run off a 9V battery or if the 5V from the 2600 could do the trick. If I remember correctly, one of the pins in the 2600's cart slot is already carrying 5V, and that's the same voltage the FB2 uses after its power regulator has stepped down the 9V from its AC adapter. Not sure if the amperage is enough though.

 

Maybe the FB2's guts could be squeezed inside a 2600(there's certainly room) tapping 5V from the 2600's power regulator(amperage allowing of course). Solder the two boards together and have a switch put in to choose between FB2 roms and the 2600's cart slot. Now that really would be the backwards cart slot mod!

 

Now that I think about it more, maybe the solution is to stick FB2 guts inside the 2600 and wire them both up to the same controller ports(and difficulty switches, etc?), just using one internal console at a time. That way there's only one console footprint taking up space by my TV, and no joystick swapping or anything. I could try and do a composite video mod to my 2600 and they could share the same audio and video outs, too. They could definitely share the same 9V power, each with their own native regulator, since only one would be turned on at a time. Could even put in a switch so that power is only live to one of them at a time, ensuring no terrible mishaps with both powered on at once. Maybe I just solved my own problem there.

 

Still, I think the FB2 cartridge is a viable idea, and the one I would like the best since I like having my 2600 unmodded.

 

I just thought it would be cool to have the best of both worlds without having both consoles plugged up, switching out joysticks or having so many laying around, etc.

 

Plus, THIS could become a reality!!!

 

 

Any and all help/ideas greatly appreciated. This FB2 stuff is pretty much ancient history at this point though, and I don't know how much response I can really hope to get.

Edited May 2, 2009 by brojamfootball

[Wickeycolumbus]

This can be done easily if you dump the FB2 games and make a multicart with a F6SC PCB.

[brojamfootball]

This can be done easily if you dump the FB2 games and make a multicart with a F6SC PCB.

I couldn't figure out exactly what a F6SC was. Searched the forums, all I found were mentions of settings in Stella used to make W.I.P. homebrews work. I dug around the AtariAge store also, thinking F6SC would be the name of one of the PCBs they sell? Nothing there.

 

I'm pretty sure I could never really figure out how to do all that anyway. Burn a rom onto an eeprom? Put in a menu for a multi-cart? Fry all/part of my computer sticking Frankenstein wires into serial to dump the FB2? I'm not confident in any of that at all. Seems pretty tough or I think I'd see more multicarts for sale?

 

Whole point was NOT to do that anyway. To me, soldering and cutting etc would be way easier. I was just hoping somebody would know how the menu and things work in the FB2. I'm guessing it's some extra bank switching kind of thing that initially loads the menu into the Atari-on-a-chip, then clears it and reloads one specific rom when a game is selected, starting over when rebooted. Seems like would be possible using all the same stuff, just a real 2600 in place of the AOAC. Maybe I'll get lucky and Mr. Vendel himself will chime in.

*keeps respirating normally, not holding his breath*

[+selgus]

I couldn't figure out exactly what a F6SC was. Searched the forums, all I found were mentions of settings in Stella used to make W.I.P. homebrews work. I dug around the AtariAge store also, thinking F6SC would be the name of one of the PCBs they sell? Nothing there.

F6 refers to the bank switching method on the 2600 where the hotspots are at $1FF6/$1FF7/$1FF8/$1FF9 which selects what 4K ROM bank to use. Th SC refers to the Super-Chip Atari put into some of it's cartridges, which adds another 128bytes of RAM into the address space (I believe it is mapped at $1000).

--Selgus

[Wickeycolumbus]

The SC refers to the Super-Chip Atari put into some of it's cartridges, which adds another 128bytes of RAM into the address space (I believe it is mapped at $1000).

 

Yes, $1000-$107F for writes and $1080-$10FF for reads.

[brojamfootball]

bump

[Wickeycolumbus]

bump

 

If I understand what you want to do correctly, it is not possible. You can not wire a FB2 board to a 2600 cartridge port and play the games.

[brojamfootball]

bump

 

If I understand what you want to do correctly, it is not possible. You can not wire a FB2 board to a 2600 cartridge port and play the games.

Yeah, that's kind of it. Was just kind of a crazy idea I had. I just really like a few of the games in the FB2, but also love several games that are incompatible with it. Dream on, I suppose. It my twisted mind, it just seemed like it might be possible to substitute a real 2600 for the Atari-on-a-chip in the FB2's signal path somehow.

[awace]

I couldn't figure out exactly what a F6SC was. Searched the forums, all I found were mentions of settings in Stella used to make W.I.P. homebrews work. I dug around the AtariAge store also, thinking F6SC would be the name of one of the PCBs they sell? Nothing there.

F6 refers to the bank switching method on the 2600 where the hotspots are at $1FF6/$1FF7/$1FF8/$1FF9 which selects what 4K ROM bank to use. Th SC refers to the Super-Chip Atari put into some of it's cartridges, which adds another 128bytes of RAM into the address space (I believe it is mapped at $1000).

--Selgus

is there a specail address you have to burn atari games to using a 1980's eeprom burner???

every time i try to burn one i get the same asteroids game i copyied once even though i thought i erased it it start for 4 seconds then stops or just doesnt work I was trying to keep asteroids running on a bootleg copy i burned a year ago but forgot how i did it now i wanted to put flashback II adventure on a cart I found it on a download site and hacked it now it wont burn to cart I bought online . mabie i dont know what address to burn to..

I would bet though that making a homebrew cart or multiple carts of youre flashback II games you want would solve youre problem or you could just use a super charger and a soundblaster or you could even use a mp3 player since its just audio.

but that would be esyer to do than trying to reverse engineer a nes on a chip that loads a atari game from a nes menu then runs a atari emulation program to run rom it would just be easer to burn youre own flashbackk II multi cart .

[awace]

Also i was thinking the exact same thing for my now broke super joy pad III nes joystick I couldnt get the built in 79000 in one to work and pried it off the board thinking I could resolder it to the 72 in one cart replacing the 72 in one w the 79000 in one one built into the joystick but once i ripped it out the whole joystick stopped working so i guess it was more that a cart chip but it looked exactly like the flashback II memmory chip I dont know weather the 72 in one fake famicom cart still works or not cause the super games joystick now dosnt do squat but I do still have a game station looks like a ps1 but is not its a crappy nes famicom fake machine it does still work w the 19 in one cart it came with witch worked on the super joy before i blew it up but the 72 in one cart wont work on it I bet its still good so if i ever get a famicom to nes addaptor mabie ill try it on my nintendo to see if it works . also the 19 in one cart used to be a 9,999,999 in one cart untill i found a juper and made it correctly say 19 in one instead of 9,999,999 in one SO now im on the hunt for a super joy III fake famicom to see if my 72 in one cart still works the good thing is i only spent $5 ON IT AND STILL have the 72 in one cart the 2nd player joystick and the gun and the power pack and the 72 in one cart so it wasnt a total loss .. also i have the 9 pin extention cables i got at the hamfest witch still are compatible 100% with atari paddles and joysticks... one is a 6 foot and the other one is a 9 foot for 2nd player now i can actually sit on the couch and play atari UNtill i have to get up to push the reset button ..

I did however think the same exact thing as you did why not somehow hook that blob chip to the atari cart backwards I thought the exact same thing untill i read about curt vendals explanation of how the system worked and figured it would be eyser to I went to digital press and got flashback II adventure before the took it offline thats because i wanted to hack it so the dragon couldnt get me I did it now its boreing and if i want to play games on flashback I just play on my laptop no wires no mess and no interferance to tv! anyway I think digital press took the roms offline lame cause even if the roms werent avalible to download i liked the comments they had .. anyway good luck.

[atwwong]

Do not post links to FB2 roms here.

[awace]

WOW YOU CANT READ CAN U

'''I went to digital press and got flashback II adventure{{{ before they took it offline}}} thats because i wanted to hack it so the dragon couldnt get me I did it now its boreing and if i want to play games on flashback I just play on my laptop no wires no mess and no interferance to tv! anyway I think digital press took the roms offline lame cause even if the roms werent avalible to download i liked the comments they had .. anyway good luck.'''

if you read the post you would have SEEN I SAID before they took them off line I did not leave a link.

an http:// url.url

would have been a link i mearly was stating something I had done .

Edited June 1, 2009 by awace

[+Mitch]

WOW YOU CANT READ CAN U

'''I went to digital press and got flashback II adventure{{{ before they took it offline}}} thats because i wanted to hack it so the dragon couldnt get me I did it now its boreing and if i want to play games on flashback I just play on my laptop no wires no mess and no interferance to tv! anyway I think digital press took the roms offline lame cause even if the roms werent avalible to download i liked the comments they had .. anyway good luck.'''

if you read the post you would have SEEN I SAID before they took them off line I did not leave a link.

an http:// url.url

would have been a link i mearly was stating something I had done .

 

Someone else had posted a direct link to some ROMs and that is what atwwong was refering to. The other post was deleted so it looks strange now.

 

Mitch

[atwwong]

Thanks for clarifying, Mitch – the original post was removed. The point is until Al or the powers that be state otherwise, all links to FB2 roms will be removed in this forum.