Experimental 2600+ Firmware and Dumper

[MrChickenz]

1 hour ago, JetmanUK said:

Regarding Omega Race...

 

I wonder if the 2600 Plus could be adjusted to work this way with the cart via emulation? Or if not, could the emulation be adjusted to work with a 7800 controller's second button with this particular cart?

That would be awesome to use the 7800 controller’s second button for Omega Race. In fact if this could be done, it could work for Asteroids thrust as well and I guess some others for the 2600

Edited Thursday at 03:12 PM by MrChickenz

[MrChickenz]

5 hours ago, mastic_man said:

Star raiders has a no keyboard version and works similar to Star Master by using the consoles switches so could be made up on a home brew cart or side loaded.

I wasn’t aware of this version. I wonder if through emulation on the 2600+ a Y adapter could be used in port one to connect the controller and touch pad for Star Raiders since port 2 won’t recognize the touch pad as of yet. That’s pretty much how the booster grip works with Omega Race. The only problem is maybe not enough pins for the touch pad. It would probably require the use of ten pins and I believe one pin is for ground. 

Edited Thursday at 03:23 PM by MrChickenz

[JetmanUK]

Oh, I just remembered that with a recent firmware and dumper version update the Harmony cart works with one ROM in it's standard mode.

I will try the hacked Omega Race with it tonight! (After NTSC Keystone, Pitfall 2 and Boxing of course @MrChickenz).

 

EDIT

OK, I lied.

I just tried the DC/Joystick hacked Omega Race as a single file named 'autorom' and yeah it worked on my Harmony cart. Fire button to shoot, up on the controller to thrust. I can't actually play my cart, but this is the same thing, and at least I own the 'license' right?

Edited Thursday at 03:58 PM by JetmanUK

[MrChickenz]

37 minutes ago, JetmanUK said:

Oh, I just remembered that with a recent firmware and dumper version update the Harmony cart works with one ROM in it's standard mode.

I will try the hacked Omega Race with it tonight! (After NTSC Keystone, Pitfall 2 and Boxing of course @MrChickenz).

 

EDIT

OK, I lied.

I just tried the DC/Joystick hacked Omega Race as a single file named 'autorom' and yeah it worked on my Harmony cart. Fire button to shoot, up on the controller to thrust. I can't actually play my cart, but this is the same thing, and at least I own the 'license' right?

I don’t have the booster grip either. But I prefer the one button controller method up for thrust. I think it’s better than the booster grip. That’s how you control the ship in Asteroids and it’s the same ship in Omega Race.

[JetmanUK]

15 minutes ago, MrChickenz said:

I don’t have the booster grip either. But I prefer the one button controller method up for thrust. I think it’s better than the booster grip. That’s how you control the ship in Asteroids and it’s the same ship in Omega Race.

Agreed. Not sure why they didn't just do that instead of go to the expense of manufacturing a bespoke add on for one game. 🤷🏻

Maybe it was to stand out from the crowd in the hope to boost (no pun intended ) sales? Perhaps they planned to support the Booster with other games too? Whatever, I'd rather just use up on the stick. 

 

Edited Thursday at 04:20 PM by JetmanUK

[+bfstats]

42 minutes ago, JetmanUK said:

Perhaps they planned to support the Booster with other games too?

Good assessment, as that was indeed the case. CBS planned a flight sim called Wings that was intended to use the Booster Grip, but it wasn’t released. Probably for the best since buyers of both games would have had TWO Booster Grips.

[DEANJIMMY]

On x5 Pole Position PAL is Ok and Pitfall! NTSC has got brown tree trunks again🤙

Many thanks for the PAL60 colors🤗

[MarcinJ]

Frogger on Rev 3 is unplayable- cars are disappearing, when the frog is in the same line. 

[raz0red]

22 minutes ago, MarcinJ said:

Frogger on Rev 3 is unplayable- cars are disappearing, when the frog is in the same line. 

Assuming you are referring to the PAL version, the following may be helpful.

 

 

Chris

[Dionoid]

25 minutes ago, MarcinJ said:

Frogger on Rev 3 is unplayable- cars are disappearing, when the frog is in the same line. 

This is probably caused by your TV trying to clear out flickering objects on the screen. If your TV has a Game Mode, please turn that on.

[JetmanUK]

I've installed R5 Experimental and I tried NTSC games as follows:

 

Pitfall 2 (Brown trees)

Keystone Kapers (grey skyline)

All good. 🤟🏻👍🏻😊

 

I also tried Boxing (NTSC again) and I don't recall what it was like last time but I have black Vs white boxers. I'm guessing there are different versions of the cart, the label shows black Vs white so I'm sure it is displaying correctly. 

 

All working smoothly here. 😊

 

EDIT:

I just looked back at @MrChickenzcomments and he stated that his Boxing was a hack, so all standard Activitision NTSC Boxing carts must be the same colours as mine. 

Edited Thursday at 09:12 PM by JetmanUK

[Striker667xbl]

35 minutes ago, JetmanUK said:

I've installed R5 Experimental and I tried NTSC games as follows:

 

Pitfall 2 (Brown trees)

Keystone Kapers (grey skyline)

All good. 🤟🏻👍🏻😊

 

I also tried Boxing (NTSC again) and I don't recall what it was like last time but I have black Vs white boxers. I'm guessing there are different versions of the cart, the label shows black Vs white so I'm sure it is displaying correctly. 

 

All working smoothly here. 😊

 

EDIT:

I just looked back at @MrChickenzcomments and he stated that his Boxing was a hack, so all standard Activitision NTSC Boxing carts must be the same colours as mine. 

My boxing is the same as yours. 👍

[chad5200]

On 6/4/2024 at 8:35 PM, chad5200 said:

With 1.1x-r3, when turning on the 2600+ with a cartridge inserted, you see a quick flash of the yellow "No Game Detected" before it says "Loading..."

 

Just figured I'd point that out since I don't think it was mentioned yet.

 

 

Just wanted to point out that this is still happening in 1.1x-r5.  I think it would be worth fixing so it doesn't show that "No Game Detected" briefly message upon power on when a cartridge is inserted.

 

[MrChickenz]

1 hour ago, JetmanUK said:

I also tried Boxing (NTSC again) and I don't recall what it was like last time but I have black Vs white boxers.

Correct Boxing NTSC is Black vs White. I do have a hack version also that is Red vs Blue.

[MrChickenz]

Very much appreciated @raz0red. Thanks again!

[raz0red]

1 hour ago, MrChickenz said:

Very much appreciated @raz0red. Thanks again!

Thanks, appreciate it!

 

But, many people contribute to each release, @RevEng, @batari, @Trebor, and everyone who helps to test and debug.

[MrChickenz]

And a big Thank You to @RevEng, @batari, @Trebor and everyone else who helps with testing! Thank you all!

[Trebor]

As of June 27, 2024, attached is all the files and thorough step-by-step instructions on updating the 2600+ console, whether it is the first time the console is being updated, or it has been updated previously.

 

Complete zip archive: How to Update the 2600+ Console_20240627.zip

 

Included Word document in the above attached archive provides the following information:

 

HOW TO UPDATE THE 2600+ CONSOLE

(As of June 27, 2024)

 

There are two parts to a complete 2600+ console update:

Part I – Dumper --> Reads the cartridge data

Part II – Firmware --> Runs the cartridge data and controls overall functionality of the console

 

Prerequisites & Setup: A desktop or laptop running Windows is required to successfully update the 2600+ console.  If this is the first time the desktop or laptop running Windows is being utilized for an update, it is very likely, a one-time driver install needs to be performed.

 

If the machine has been utilized to update the 2600+ console previously, jump to the next section, “Part I – Dumper” below.  Otherwise follow these steps to install the driver:

1.       Ensure POWER lever switch is set to the OFF position on the 2600+ console.

2.       Connect included USB cable to the 2600+ console and the other end to a laptop or desktop running Windows.

3.       On the 2600+ console, set the TV TYPE to COLOR.

4.       While HOLDING DOWN the RESET GAME lever on the console, move the POWER lever to the ON position.

5.       Wait to hear an audio jingle indicating a device connected from the computer running Windows.

6.       Decompress the file: DriverAssitant_v5.12.zip, noting where the folder and files are placed.

7.       Go to ‘Device Manager’ on the machine running Windows and click on the ‘Unknown Device’ listed.

8.       Select ‘Update Driver’ for the ‘Unknown Device’ opting to Browse for Driver.  Navigate to the folder where the DriverAssitant_v5.12.zip file was decompressed and select the OK button.

9.       A confirmation pop-up message should be received indicating a successful driver update.

10.     Proceed with the section “Part I – Dumper”

 

Part I – Dumper

1.       Ensure POWER lever switch is set to the OFF position on the 2600+ console.

2.       Connect included USB cable to the 2600+ console and the other end to a laptop or desktop running Windows.

3.       On the 2600+ console, set the TV TYPE to B+W.

4.       While HOLDING DOWN the SELECT GAME lever on the console, move the POWER lever to the ON position.

5.       Wait to hear an audio jingle indicating a device connected from the computer running Windows.

6.       Double click/Open the file: dumper-061424-x.02.exe

7.       The “Atari 2600+ Dumping Tooling” application Window will appear on screen:

                               a.       Version: = Version of dumper software that will be installed

                               b.       Checksum: = Validation data of file running.

                               c.       Device Version: = Version of dumper software currently installed on the 2600+

                               d.       Status: = Whether a 2600+ console is detected as connect to the computer.

8.       Ensure “Status: Detected” in green is present.  If “Not Detected” in red is present, go back to Step 1.  If the issue persists, try a different Laptop or Desktop running Windows.

9.       With “Status: Detected” in green shown, click on the “Download” button.  Download will take several seconds.

10.     Status will now show “Not Detected” in red.  This is normal, expected, and indicates a successful update.  To double check, proceed to Step 1 again and note when under step 7, both “Version” and “Device Version” will match, and “Status: Detected”.

 

Part II – Firmware

1.       Ensure POWER lever switch is set to the OFF position on the 2600+ console.

2.       Connect included USB cable to the 2600+ console and the other end to a laptop or desktop running Windows.

3.       On the 2600+ console, set the TV TYPE to COLOR.

4.       While HOLDING DOWN the RESET GAME lever on the console, move the POWER lever to the ON position.

5.       Wait to hear an audio jingle indicating a device connected from the computer running Windows.

6.       Decompress the file: RKDevTool_Release_v2.74.zip, noting where the folder and files are placed.

7.       Navigate to folder where RKDevTool_Release_v2.74.zip was unzipped, and click/Open the file: RKDevTool

8.       The "RKDevTool v2.74" application window will appear.  A status message at the bottom of the application window should state “Found One MASKROM Device”.  If not, go back to Step 1 and try again.  If the issue persists, ensure the “Prerequisites & Setup” section above has been performed.

9.       With a status message of "Found one MASKROM device" shown, click on the tab “Upgrade Firmware”

10.     Under the “Upgrade Firmware” tab, click on the “Firmware” button, locate and Open the file: update-062624-1.1x-r5.img.

11.     The firmware update-062624-1.1x-r5.img should now be listed under “Firmware” information section of the “Upgrade Firmware” tab.

12.     Click on the “Upgrade” button under the “Upgrade Firmware” tab. To the right, lines will be displayed indicating it is processing the update, of which should take about 30 seconds.

13.     Status message of “No Devices Found” will likely appear.  This is normal and expected.

14.     Congratulations!  Having completed Part I – Dumper and Part II – Firmware, your 2600+ console is fully updated!

 

Notes:

-          It has been discovered that computers which have been utilized to update Evercade devices, install a driver which conflicts with performing the 2600+ update successfully.  It is strongly recommended to either uninstall the driver for that Evercade device, or utilize a different computer.

-          The USB cable that is included with the 2600+ console, provides data transfer support.  Many USB cables on the market are for powering or charging devices only.  If not using the USB cable included with the 2600+ console, it is crucial to ensure the cable being leveraged provides data transfer support.

-          If utilizing a USB 2.0 port with a computer, and the update is not working, try leveraging a USB 3.0 port instead.

-          There is an alternative ‘debug’ version of the firmware.  This is for assisting with testing and informational purposes, which details MD5 checksum and ROM size data.  It is included in the archive in a separate 'Debug' folder, but not required to be installed.

 

Hope this is found useful and beneficial for any in need of it.

 

@Ben from Plaion feel free to utilize or/and modify for anything official from Plaion/Atari.

[russell_nash]

13 hours ago, JetmanUK said:

Oh, I just remembered that with a recent firmware and dumper version update the Harmony cart works with one ROM in it's standard mode.

I will try the hacked Omega Race with it tonight! (After NTSC Keystone, Pitfall 2 and Boxing of course @MrChickenz).

 

EDIT

OK, I lied.

I just tried the DC/Joystick hacked Omega Race as a single file named 'autorom' and yeah it worked on my Harmony cart. Fire button to shoot, up on the controller to thrust. I can't actually play my cart, but this is the same thing, and at least I own the 'license' right?

My Harmony cartridge doesn't work with one Rom on an SD card. Exactly what settings did you use e.g. eeloader, bios, firmware and dumper version?

[JetmanUK]

19 minutes ago, russell_nash said:

My Harmony cartridge doesn't work with one Rom on an SD card. Exactly what settings did you use e.g. eeloader, bios, firmware and dumper version?

I purchased my Harmony cart recently so I didn't need to do any updates. It's in the standard mode that it came in out of the box.

 

I take the Micro SD card out that I use with my Light Sixer and leave that aside. It can be put back in for use on the OG without any changes to the Harmony, I switch between consoles.

 

I'm running the latest experimental firmware and dumper on my 2600 Plus  (see the first post of this topic).

 

The micro SD card is formatted to FAT32.

 

Rename your ROM to autorom

Make sure that it is a BIN file, if it's not change it on your computer.

 

Put the file on the Micro SD card, or SD if you have that version. 

 

Put the cart in the Plus, don't remove it! Note that there is an odd thing where it reads, fails and then reads again and loads. 

 

Voila!

Not every game works right now, but I've had a lot of success. 😊

 

EDIT: I've been using a number of old low capacity Micro SD cards that are pretty useless in general use modern life situations, but are fine for tiny Atari size games. So you can just swap the cards in and out, like slotting a tiny cart in. Quite fun. 😊

Edited Friday at 05:39 AM by JetmanUK

[russell_nash]

Thanks for a quick reply. I also only have a Harmony cartridge for two weeks. I have run games from it in developer mode. I only get black screen or vertical coloured lines and clicking from the SD card. I have tried every combination I can find. Which firmware and dumper version are you using?

[JetmanUK]

1 minute ago, russell_nash said:

Thanks for a quick reply. I also only have a Harmony cartridge for two weeks. I have run games from it in developer mode. I only get black screen or vertical coloured lines and clicking from the SD card. I have tried every combination I can find. Which firmware and dumper version are you using?

I have never adjusted my Harmony in anyway, it's in standard mode. 

 

My 2600 Plus is on the latest experimental and dumper as per the first page of this topic. R5  Firmware and 02 Dumper. 

[DEANJIMMY]

7 hours ago, chad5200 said:

Just wanted to point out that this is still happening in 1.1x-r5.  I think it would be worth fixing so it doesn't show that "No Game Detected" briefly message upon power on when a cartridge is inserted.

 

This only looks a bit odd if you power on with a cartridge inserted. Any other cart I insert by hot swap and then it feels right. The little delay is design intent. I don't care much, it is much better then the previous failed message.

[russell_nash]

2 minutes ago, JetmanUK said:

I have never adjusted my Harmony in anyway, it's in standard mode. 

 

My 2600 Plus is on the latest experimental and dumper as per the first page of this topic. R5  Firmware and 02 Dumper. 

Okay thanks I will try those versions and see if it makes a difference.

[russell_nash]

Tried it, it makes no difference .