+Andrew Davie Posted February 2, 2023 Author Share Posted February 2, 2023 30 minutes ago, ZackAttack said: I quoted the front and back with https://craftcloud3d.com/ for FDM ABS with the cheapest options it works out to about $4/cart plus $20 shipping. So, buying at least 20 at a time should work out to around $5 a cart. I assume they won't be as pretty as the injection molded shells. I think it's worth it to have the ports exposed though. jlcpcb has a 3d printing service too. They quote about $5 each plus $20 shipping. But that's for SLA resin with sanded finish and it may be possible to combine shipping if the assembled PCBs are included in the order. If we have a design with only the front and back halves it might be viable. The current design can be FDM printed without supports, which is a big "savings" in production logistics for the person printing. However, the embedded logo does complicate things if you are doing the print in multiple colours. It's easy enough to modify the original design, and I'm happy to assist with any changes required, if required. Or, have someone else design it again in Fusion360 - which in the long run might be better anyway. OpenSCAD is a bit esoteric, and the code I wrote to produce the cart shells is rather untelligable, unfortunately. For reference, the design is a snap-fit no-glue-required sort of thing, with 10 parts; the two shells, the logo insert, 6 push-fit pins, and a label insert. My only caveat here is that to do decent FDM printing is a black art and these shells require real attention to detail to print nicely. I would get a small run of samples from any supplier first before proceeding with a bulk order. Quality can vary widely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZackAttack Posted February 7, 2023 Share Posted February 7, 2023 On 2/1/2023 at 10:45 PM, Andrew Davie said: It's easy enough to modify the original design, and I'm happy to assist with any changes required, if required. I assume you'd want a couple assembled PCBs in hand before you'd attempt this. Would it make sense to design the PCB to be as small as possible and fit inside a standard cart? But try to position the ports close to the top and side so there's the possibility of creating a 3d printable shell which exposes the ports? The only downside to this would be the 3d shell having a non standard shape and size. Maybe that would just make it more interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Andrew Davie Posted February 7, 2023 Author Share Posted February 7, 2023 3 hours ago, ZackAttack said: I assume you'd want a couple assembled PCBs in hand before you'd attempt this. Would it make sense to design the PCB to be as small as possible and fit inside a standard cart? But try to position the ports close to the top and side so there's the possibility of creating a 3d printable shell which exposes the ports? The only downside to this would be the 3d shell having a non standard shape and size. Maybe that would just make it more interesting. No, accurate measurements are fine. My preference would be to expose the ports; the PlusCart SD (or Duo... whatever the name) does this with the SD card slot. The only other consideration I'd suggest... considering... is that the dimensions of the board can significantly affect the price - if you're using the cheap PcbWay option for example, so minimising board area may be a consideration, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfarl Posted February 9, 2023 Share Posted February 9, 2023 On 1/18/2023 at 8:41 AM, Al_Nafuur said: New firmware version v102.3.15 for the PlusCart Duo Support for new ACE ELF format provided by @MarcoJ PlusROM support for E7 bankswitching by @MarcoJ Fixes for E7 bankswitching Temporary disable "Right+Reset Exit" in Setup menu by @ZackAttack PlusCart Duo user have to flash the firmware manually with the STM32CubeProgrammer via USB or ST-Link, or rename the .bin file to "firmware.bin" and put it in the root folder of your SD-Card. PlusCart_Duo.bin 126.53 kB · 7 downloads PlusCart_Duo.elf 267.33 kB · 6 downloads Nice work, Al_Nafuur!!! I was wondering about something here.... Could it be possible to add the save/load state in future releases of PlusCart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Al_Nafuur Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 14 hours ago, cfarl said: Nice work, Al_Nafuur!!! Was this time mostly the work of @MarcoJ and @ZackAttack 14 hours ago, cfarl said: I was wondering about something here.... Could it be possible to add the save/load state in future releases of PlusCart? do you mean the "Right+Reset Exit"? It has been discussed in the "Common code base" thread of the PlusCart Club here:https://forums.atariage.com/topic/315783-common-code-base-with-unocart/?do=findComment&comment=5192605 The conclusion is that we will add a new feature that uses a filename suffix to disable the exit function. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Al_Nafuur Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 New firmware version v102.3.16 for the PlusCart Duo Switch back to MCU internal clock to support PlusCart Duos without external clock PlusCart Duo user have to flash the firmware manually with the STM32CubeProgrammer via USB or ST-Link, or rename the .bin file to "firmware.bin" and put it in the root folder of your SD-Card. PlusCart_102.3.16.bin PlusCart_102.3.16.elf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomberman94 Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 No plans for an easier exit combination like pressing „Game Select + Game Reset“ or „Button + Game Reset“? I know there might be some games that cause problems but if 99,9% will reset that way without problems… This combination can (also) be disabled like the original combination 🤷♂️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capellão Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 On 2/10/2023 at 10:17 AM, Al_Nafuur said: New firmware version v102.3.16 for the PlusCart Duo Switch back to MCU internal clock to support PlusCart Duos without external clock PlusCart Duo user have to flash the firmware manually with the STM32CubeProgrammer via USB or ST-Link, or rename the .bin file to "firmware.bin" and put it in the root folder of your SD-Card. PlusCart_102.3.16.bin 126.53 kB · 5 downloads PlusCart_102.3.16.elf 267.33 kB · 5 downloads Already have version .17 for DUO? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Al_Nafuur Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 1 hour ago, Capellão said: Already have version .17 for DUO? Not released for Duo yet. v2.3.17 is only draft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Al_Nafuur Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 New public version v102.3.17 for PlusCart Duo. Disable exit function with file name key/extension ".noexit" PlusCart Duo user have to flash the firmware manually with the STM32CubeProgrammer via USB or ST-Link, or rename the .bin file to "firmware.bin" and put it in the root folder of your SD-Card. The new firmware file is bigger than 112 KiB, so only PlusCart Duos with firmware version v102.3.1 and higher can update via SD directly to v102.3.17 (all others will have to do 2 updates in a row). PlusCart_Duo.bin PlusCart_Duo.elf 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capellão Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 1 hour ago, Al_Nafuur said: New public version v102.3.17 for PlusCart Duo. Disable exit function with file name key/extension ".noexit" PlusCart Duo user have to flash the firmware manually with the STM32CubeProgrammer via USB or ST-Link, or rename the .bin file to "firmware.bin" and put it in the root folder of your SD-Card. The new firmware file is bigger than 112 KiB, so only PlusCart Duos with firmware version v102.3.1 and higher can update via SD directly to v102.3.17 (all others will have to do 2 updates in a row). PlusCart_Duo.bin 126.53 kB · 1 download PlusCart_Duo.elf 267.33 kB · 1 download hello, I tested it here, it flashed the screen, but it didn't update. Current version v102.3.15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Al_Nafuur Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 7 minutes ago, Capellão said: hello, I tested it here, it flashed the screen, but it didn't update. Current version v102.3.15 I uploaded the wrong (old) binaries, will correct this soon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Al_Nafuur Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 59 minutes ago, Al_Nafuur said: I uploaded the wrong (old) binaries, will correct this soon @Capellão the correct files are now in my post above. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capellão Posted February 24, 2023 Share Posted February 24, 2023 31 minutes ago, Al_Nafuur said: @Capellão the correct files are now in my post above. Updated successfully! tks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfarl Posted November 13, 2023 Share Posted November 13, 2023 (edited) Hi, guys! I've been using Pluscart Duo for some time from now, but I had some problem with my Atari, and I want to share it with you. I have a Etim rgb mod in my Atari, and sometimes I observed that Pluscart stopped to work and presented me a solid screen after some time of use (after some minutes). One time I insisted on keep it powered on, and I have my TIA damaged.... So, I got a new TIA, replaced it, but I have observed that the problem was happening again. Then, I started to find what was happening. Using only the Atari as it was made (with a normal cartridge Freeway and without using the rgb board), I found it was draining something like 0.29mA from the power source, and the output of the 7805 regulator was something about 4.9v. Using Pluscart I found something like 0.39mA, and the output of 7805 dropped to 4.8v. But look at this.... When using Pluscart and the Etim rgb board at the same time, I found 0.5mA, and the output of 7805 dropped to 4.6v, after some time. I found the 7805 was getting hotter, and as more hot it was, more its output was dropping... Until the time Pluscart stopped working and presents a solid screen to me, as before. I tried another 7805, with the same results. So, I found that this set (Pluscart + Etim rgb) is requiring a lot from 7805 (the Atari, as it was made, uses 0.29mA, and I was using two times this value), and it can even damage your console. Yes, it happened to me! Did someone else had a similar problem? Do you have a solution for this problem? I was thinking try to use a usb-c mod and use a 5v - 2A mobile phone power source. Edited November 13, 2023 by cfarl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snocksman Posted November 16, 2023 Share Posted November 16, 2023 Hi ! I want to build my own Pluscard+ Duo. I have ordered a few PCBs and the needed parts (delivered today). At first I flashed the .elf file to the STM Board (worked fine). Before I start soldering all parts together... Do I have to flash something to the ESP8266 first ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Al_Nafuur Posted November 16, 2023 Share Posted November 16, 2023 5 hours ago, Snocksman said: Hi ! Welcome to the community 5 hours ago, Snocksman said: I want to build my own Pluscard+ Duo. I have ordered a few PCBs and the needed parts (delivered today). At first I flashed the .elf file to the STM Board (worked fine). Did Flashing via USB worked? Did you used the PlusCart Duo firmware? Anyhow the STM board can be flashed after the assembly, so no big issue if you flashed the "wrong" firmware. 6 hours ago, Snocksman said: Before I start soldering all parts together... Do I have to flash something to the ESP8266 first ? I strongly recommend checking the ESP8266 AT-Command firmware to be v1.6.2 or newer (current version is v1.7.4). Some vendors ship the ESP8266 with really old versions or without any firmware Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmurdock2010 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 On 3/2/2021 at 1:12 AM, Fierodoug5 said: It works! My sd cards came with header soldered in. I just removed the black plastic piece, soldered it in and clipped the pins. Tight fit but it all worked out. It fits in the case pretty well, just a minor bit of trimming. VID_20210301_200643811.mp4 Will this work on a atari 2600+ system Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Al_Nafuur Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 4 hours ago, madmurdock2010 said: Will this work on a atari 2600+ system No, never. The 2600+ (and Retron77) approach of dumping the ROMs is fundamentally incapable of working with "active" cartridges. Only if the system is really interacting with the cartridge like the original 2600 then it can work: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmurdock2010 Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 17 hours ago, Al_Nafuur said: No, never. The 2600+ (and Retron77) approach of dumping the ROMs is fundamentally incapable of working with "active" cartridges. Only if the system is really interacting with the cartridge like the original 2600 then it can work: Does anyone know if there is any plans on using the sdcard port on the atari 2600+ or adding because all you have to do is add a reader the solder ports are there on the main board Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmurdock2010 Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 17 hours ago, Al_Nafuur said: No, never. The 2600+ (and Retron77) approach of dumping the ROMs is fundamentally incapable of working with "active" cartridges. Only if the system is really interacting with the cartridge like the original 2600 then it can work: If you can't use a unocart or a pluscart why don't you use the sdcard port that is on the main board of the 2600+ all you need is to solder a reader on or use the micro usb port to otg and add a usb flash drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmurdock2010 Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 A bit of firmware editing and like they have done for countless other systems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Al_Nafuur Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 1 hour ago, madmurdock2010 said: If you can't use a unocart or a pluscart why don't you use the sdcard port that is on the main board of the 2600+ all you need is to solder a reader on or use the micro usb port to otg and add a usb flash drive Has been done by others here on the forums. But I don't think Atari will do it with the stock firmware, because this would affect the sales of new cartridges. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfarl Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 On 11/12/2023 at 9:23 PM, cfarl said: Hi, guys! I've been using Pluscart Duo for some time from now, but I had some problem with my Atari, and I want to share it with you. I have a Etim rgb mod in my Atari, and sometimes I observed that Pluscart stopped to work and presented me a solid screen after some time of use (after some minutes). One time I insisted on keep it powered on, and I have my TIA damaged.... So, I got a new TIA, replaced it, but I have observed that the problem was happening again. Then, I started to find what was happening. Using only the Atari as it was made (with a normal cartridge Freeway and without using the rgb board), I found it was draining something like 0.29mA from the power source, and the output of the 7805 regulator was something about 4.9v. Using Pluscart I found something like 0.39mA, and the output of 7805 dropped to 4.8v. But look at this.... When using Pluscart and the Etim rgb board at the same time, I found 0.5mA, and the output of 7805 dropped to 4.6v, after some time. I found the 7805 was getting hotter, and as more hot it was, more its output was dropping... Until the time Pluscart stopped working and presents a solid screen to me, as before. I tried another 7805, with the same results. So, I found that this set (Pluscart + Etim rgb) is requiring a lot from 7805 (the Atari, as it was made, uses 0.29mA, and I was using two times this value), and it can even damage your console. Yes, it happened to me! Did someone else had a similar problem? Do you have a solution for this problem? I was thinking try to use a usb-c mod and use a 5v - 2A mobile phone power source. Just reporting... I have lost my TIA and processor because of the related problem. Then, I replaced 7805 by LM323, wich is like the "7805" regulator, but supporting 3A of output, instead of 1A. Now I can find 5v in the output of the LM323, and the problem above reported is gone. Hope this information can the useful for someone else. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfarl Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 (edited) On 2/19/2024 at 5:36 PM, cfarl said: Just reporting... I have lost my TIA and processor because of the related problem. Then, I replaced 7805 by LM323, wich is like the "7805" regulator, but supporting 3A of output, instead of 1A. Now I can find 5v in the output of the LM323, and the problem above reported is gone. Hope this information can the useful for someone else. Here is the datasheet for LM323: https://www.onsemi.com/pdf/datasheet/lm323-d.pdf You can find it at Ali Express. Edited February 21 by cfarl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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