PlusCart (an inexpensive DIY WiFi multicart)

[+Al_Nafuur]

22 minutes ago, Capellão said:

956 & 837

These are both Duos running with the v102.3.15 firmware using the HSE clock.

 

Are you still using 109 this seems to be a PlusCart still using v2.3.1. Does this PlusCart has an HSE clock?

[Capellão]

5 minutes ago, Al_Nafuur said:

These are both Duos running with the v102.3.15 firmware using the HSE clock.

 

Are you still using 109 this seems to be a PlusCart still using v2.3.1. Does this PlusCart has an HSE clock?

I still have the 109, but it's the model manufactured by Dablio. I haven't updated it yet.

[+Al_Nafuur]

21 minutes ago, Capellão said:

I still have the 109, but it's the model manufactured by Dablio. I haven't updated it yet.

Can you use the WiFi firmware update. I have unlocked this PlusCart for the draft update v2.3.16 in the PlusStore.

[Capellão]

On 2/8/2023 at 12:06 PM, Al_Nafuur said:

Can you use the WiFi firmware update. I have unlocked this PlusCart for the draft update v2.3.16 in the PlusStore.

successfully updated ID109.  Grateful!

Edited February 10, 2023 by Capellão

[+Al_Nafuur]

New public version v2.3.16 in PlusStore

• Switch back to MCU internal clock to support PlusCarts without external clock

The new firmware file is bigger than 112 KiB, so only PlusCarts with firmware version v2.3.1 and higher can update directly to v2.3.15 (all others will have to do 2 updates in a row).

 

[+Al_Nafuur]

New draft version v2.3.17 in PlusStore.

 

For all draft users

• Disable exit function with file name key/extension ".noexit"

The new firmware file is bigger than 112 KiB, so only PlusCarts with firmware version v2.3.1 and higher can update directly to v2.3.17 (all others will have to do 2 updates in a row).

I have renamed some of the Indy 500 ROMs in the PlusStore to use the key, so they should work now without setting the "Disable Right + Reset Exit" in the setup menu first.

 

[Thomas Jentzsch]

1 hour ago, Al_Nafuur said:

I have renamed some of the Indy 500 ROMs in the PlusStore to use the key, so they should work now without setting the "Disable Right + Reset Exit" in the setup menu first.

Thanks! Should I report other affected ROMs here?

Edited February 20, 2023 by Thomas Jentzsch

[+Al_Nafuur]

8 minutes ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

Thanks! Should I report other affected ROMs here?

Yes, so @Prizrak or I can add the key to the filename.

 

[Prizrak]

Let me know and I'll make the changes

[Thomas Jentzsch]

14 minutes ago, Prizrak said:

Let me know and I'll make the changes

VROOM! is another example.

[+Al_Nafuur]

 

some ROMs affected by the early exit bug:

• Air-Sea Battle (NTSC version only?) reported here
• Crazy Balloon by Manuel Rotschkar
• Oscars trash can race reported by @Fierodoug5 here

 

[+Al_Nafuur]

New public version v2.3.17 in PlusStore.

• Disable exit function with file name key/extension ".noexit"

The new firmware file is bigger than 112 KiB, so only PlusCarts with firmware version v2.3.1 and higher can update directly to v2.3.17 (all others will have to do 2 updates in a row).

[+Yurkie]

@Al_Nafuur I want to ask you publicly so others will know your feeling on this also.

Are you ok with people selling the pluscart on Ebay?

[+Al_Nafuur]

59 minutes ago, Yurkie said:

@Al_Nafuur I want to ask you publicly so others will know your feeling on this also.

Are you ok with people selling the pluscart on Ebay?

I am perfectly ok with people selling PlusCarts where ever they like. They even can get their shop listed on the PlusCart homepage. The only requirement is that the GPL license is respected.

[+Al_Nafuur]

New STM32 boards have arrived from another seller, unfortunately it looks like about 50% of the boards do not connect via USB. In addition, I have found that the ESP8266 order is also not of good quality. On the PC all ESPs can be flashed and tested successfully, but when connected to the STM32 board the UART communication does not work properly.

 

[+MarcoJ]

3 minutes ago, Al_Nafuur said:

it looks like about 50% of the boards do not connect via USB

Hopefully it’s just bad solder connections on the chip leads again. It would be unusual for bad chips from ST. Could possibly be a clock source out of spec. 

[Thomas Jentzsch]

I hope this quality/fake?() nightmare will end soon.🤞

 

BTW: I suppose you know websites like this or this one?

Edited March 11, 2023 by Thomas Jentzsch

[Capellão]

On 3/10/2023 at 8:07 PM, Al_Nafuur said:

New STM32 boards have arrived from another seller, unfortunately it looks like about 50% of the boards do not connect via USB. In addition, I have found that the ESP8266 order is also not of good quality. On the PC all ESPs can be flashed and tested successfully, but when connected to the STM32 board the UART communication does not work properly.

 

the stlink v2 is what saves, otherwise it would be worse

[+Al_Nafuur]

2 hours ago, Capellão said:

the stlink v2 is what saves, otherwise it would be worse

Yes I was able to flash them all with the ST-Link2. I have ordered a new batch of ESP8266s, which seem to work correct with the STM32 boards. I have sent all the parts to my soldering service and they should return in 2-3 weeks.

 

[Windless]

I have a pluscart 1.2 which never worked. The ESP32 on it turn very hot (you just smell it's too hot !).

 

Today since I fixed two of my 2600, I wanted to give it another try. I remade each solder, and it still got hot. So I removed the ESP32 and flashed the STM32F47 to

v2.3.17 firmware and CubeProgrammer said it went fine.

 

When I put it in either of the two repaired 2600, nothing happens : the TV behave excatly as if I switch the console ON without any cartridge (the image is random, change at each off/on).

 

Are there some troubleshooting insructions ?

 

For now I've found a short between the 3.3V and EN pin on the ESP connector (on the geen pcb side) - which seems normal - and one between PE15 and PB10 (which seems not, but this in not one place where I put too much solder and I manage to remove nearly all of it without removing the short)

[+Al_Nafuur]

14 minutes ago, Windless said:

I have a pluscart 1.2 which never worked. The ESP32 on it turn very hot (you just smell it's too hot !).

Did you build the PlusCart yourself?

14 minutes ago, Windless said:

Today since I fixed two of my 2600, I wanted to give it another try. I remade each solder, and it still got hot. So I removed the ESP32 and flashed the STM32F47 to

v2.3.17 firmware and CubeProgrammer said it went fine.

The PlusCart should boot to the menu, even without a ESP8266 soldered on.

Did you short the boot0 jumper after flashing?

The blue jumper in the picture below:

 

20 minutes ago, Windless said:

Are there some troubleshooting insructions ?
 

You might find some more information at the PlusCart User Club here on AtariAge:

maybe the FAQ and Links thread:

https://forums.atariage.com/topic/302806-documentation-faq-and-links/

 

23 minutes ago, Windless said:

For now I've found a short between the 3.3V and EN pin on the ESP connector (on the geen pcb side) - which seems normal -

yes it's normal.

23 minutes ago, Windless said:

and one between PE15 and PB10 (which seems not, but this in not one place where I put too much solder and I manage to remove nearly all of it without removing the short)

PE15 and PB10 are not used by the PlusCart. They should not be soldered and not connect to each other (but I think it shouldn't cause any issue if they are connect to each other)

[Windless]

10 minutes ago, Al_Nafuur said:

Did you build the PlusCart yourself?

yes.

11 minutes ago, Al_Nafuur said:

Did you short the boot0 jumper after flashing?

yes also.

 

Wih both jumpers I have the expected behaviour (blinking led).

 

I'll try to make a firmware that just blink a led to test the card, but I'll have to wait for a few days (I just hate CubeMX, and can't install rust on my company's laptop... maybe I can ssh to a raspberry and install rust on it tomorrow though )

[+Al_Nafuur]

6 minutes ago, Windless said:

Wih both jumpers I have the expected behaviour (blinking led).

🤔

The blinking LED is only with the factory firmware of the STM board. The PlusCart firmware doesn't blinks the LED when booted.

 

 

 

[Windless]

I re-checked everything from scratch :

 

- the shorted pin were not PE15 and PB10 but D2, D4 and D5. The problem was that I used a bit of solder past because I did not have flux - this usually works for thru-hole component but there the hot paste flowed on the other side and made a brige... I lost at least an hour

- the ESP-S01 seems to be dead : one of the capacitor read 0 ohms, maybe it was it which smell so hot (it was very badly soldered, probably the solder melted because of the heat ?). I removed the capacitor, but I can't get an answer from the module with an UART - USB adapter (I ordered another one)

- to check every connection from the gold fingers to the STM32, I downloaded the files from github and I can't open the files in pcbs\PlusCart with the lastest kicad. So I used the ones in pcbs\unified-smd-pcb and everything seems fine, except Dx is on port C instead of E, and C8-15 do not repeat C0-7 on my pluscart 1.2.

 

Next step : re-solder some pins (I first tried to remove all the solder to separate the STM32f407 board from the pluscard, but since that was too hard I find another way to remove the short. So now some pins lake solder) and try the cart (without the ESP module)

[+Al_Nafuur]

 

13 hours ago, Windless said:

- to check every connection from the gold fingers to the STM32, I downloaded the files from github and I can't open the files in pcbs\PlusCart with the lastest kicad.

The PlusCart v1.2 PCB project was made with Eagle

 

13 hours ago, Windless said:

So I used the ones in pcbs\unified-smd-pcb and everything seems fine,

The unified SMD PCB project was made with KiCAD, but is still WIP.

 

13 hours ago, Windless said:

except Dx is on port C instead of E, and C8-15 do not repeat C0-7 on my pluscart 1.2.

This unified board can be used to build a PlusCart or a UnoCart that works with the "old" v17 UnoCart firmware, which is using different GPIO ports/pins.