Experimental 2600+ Firmware and Dumper

[+Fred_M]

7 hours ago, raz0red said:

Understood, but the 2600+ works in all regions.

As I mentioned previously, one of my televisions (a Samsung) shows “unsupported mode” when attempting to display 50hz. Thus, I am unable to play PAL contents (on that television). Having an option to disable that mode would seem useful.

 

This is simply an option. Not sure why there is push back for an additional option that would only be accessible if you knew how to display the menu.

 

Chris.

I think having the option to switch between 50hz and 60hz is a good idea. I just wanted to let you know that 50hz TVs are not that rare 😉

[JetmanUK]

11 minutes ago, Fred_M said:

I think having the option to switch between 50hz and 60hz is a good idea. I just wanted to let you know that 50hz TVs are not that rare 😉

To be fair, I think @raz0red is more coming from the angle that the 2600 Plus is region free, so in the traditionally NTSC markets where they may not have a 50hz compatible TV they may now be buying PAL carts, because they can. Whether thats because they find a PAL cart cheap, or there is no NTSC version available. They can now enjoy the flexibility that I enjoy the opposite way. The difference being where I am from our TVs probably will support 50 and 60hz.

 

So yeah 50hz TVs are probably rare (or at least less prevailant) in huge 'NTSC' markets that may have issues with PAL 50hz games. 

Edited July 19 by JetmanUK

[+Fred_M]

17 minutes ago, JetmanUK said:

To be fair, I think @raz0red is more coming from the angle that the 2600 Plus is region free, so in the traditionally NTSC markets where they may not have a 50hz compatible TV they may now be buying PAL carts, because they can. Whether thats because they find a PAL cart cheap, or there is no NTSC version available. They can now enjoy the flexibility that I enjoy the opposite way. The difference being where I am from our TVs probably will support 50 and 60hz.

 

So yeah 50hz TVs are probably rare (or at least less prevailant) in huge 'NTSC' markets that may have issues with PAL 50hz games. 

Yes, agreed. It was no criticism from me at all, just some clarification. English is not my native language and Dutch people are blunt 😉

 

 

[+sramirez2008]

On 7/14/2024 at 6:21 AM, Trebor said:

As of July 14, 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_20240714.zip

 

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

 

HOW TO UPDATE THE 2600+ CONSOLE

(As of July 14, 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-070624-x.03.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-071024-1.1x-r6.img.

11.     The firmware update-071024-1.1x-r6.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.

Latest dumper & firmware are working well. I'll try to keep an eye on the thread to see if I can help with testing. I've downloaded the debug firware as usual and so far so good with the carts I've tested. I'll try more and more of my collection throughout this coming weekend.

 

Thanks to all involved.

[TornadoTJ]

10 hours ago, Fred_M said:

Yes, agreed. It was no criticism from me at all, just some clarification. English is not my native language and Dutch people are blunt 😉

Go to YouTube and look up "dutch commercial english lessons" - warning, it's not safe for work!

 

[+Fred_M]

14 hours ago, DEANJIMMY said:

Just one thought:

Did you try to select another input on your TV and then back to the hdmi with the 2600+ when the problem happens?

 

 

I did some further testing. First I powered on the 2600+ with Frogger PAL. I let it run for about an hour in demo mode, because the problems of disappearing sprites becomes only visible after some time. After an hour I started playing and various sprites disappeared during paying. For example a few cars, one specific line of tree trunks and even frogger itself disappeared for a few seconds (in the playfield of the cars).

 

Next I turned of my TV, waited for a minute and powered it back on. The sprite problem was still there.

 

After that I did not powered of the 2600+ but pulled the Frogger cartridge and put it back in: no sprite problems.

 

My gut feeling says this problem is not caused by the TV. As I said earlier, every TV in Europe operates with 50hz signals, every broadcast is in 50hz and even apps for TVs run at 50hz. So I think the (European) TVs should show similar problems (after an hour?) with all other 50hz signals.

 

This test is just to (maybe) find a cause, like I stated earlier I am happy with the proposed solution to manually choose between 50hz and 60 hz.

 

[DEANJIMMY]

1 hour ago, Fred_M said:

My gut feeling says this problem is not caused by the TV.

Interesting, if the TV would get out of synch after an hour, its power off should help, so you might be right🤔

 

Very few have the issue always and a few have it after an hour.

I've seen it twice since r1 and it could be fixed by power cycle of the 2600+ and reseat of the cart.

 

But what could go wrong with the 50p output signal after an hour?

 

If the problem is present all the time, it still could(!) be the TV.

Even 50Hz is standard, quite a few TVs had problems to display live soccer matches some years ago (ball shadow, ball disappearing) that was caused by input signal 25p/50p and the TV output was fixed to 60p and then motion flow starts to add frames, which could go wrong. That was years ago, you can not compare it, as we use gaming mode and that fixed often the ball issue but the whole picture then looked dull.

Just an idea why on some TV games like flickering Frogger might cause problems and the rest not. In the past you could see issues on certain TVs only if you watched a soccer match, the rest was fine.

Many people did not even notice it.

 

But at least if the problem is not permanent but occurs after an hour, I agree in that case it is not likely the TV, as a power cycle of the TV then should fix it.

Edited July 19 by DEANJIMMY

[AtariYMás009]

The issue regarding sprites disappearing is a very ambiguous one: some users don't have it, some have it every so often, some have it after an hour or so...

The best option I can think of is being able to access a menu (as mentioned above) where you can manually choose between 50/60Hz, as well as being able to activate the phosphor effect and bilinear filtering. The simplest way I can think of to implement it would be to press "reset" on the "cartridge not inserted" screen when there is no cartridge inserted and then insert it.

I'm sure that even if it's not an easy task, the amazing people working on the updates will implement it.

Edited July 19 by AtariYMás009

[+Fred_M]

23 minutes ago, AtariYMás009 said:

The issue regarding sprites disappearing is a very ambiguous one: some users don't have it, some have it every so often, some have it after an hour or so...

The best option I can think of is being able to access a menu (as mentioned above) where you can manually choose between 50/60Hz, as well as being able to activate the phosphor effect and bilinear filtering. The simplest way I can think of to implement it would be to press "reset" on the "cartridge not inserted" screen when there is no cartridge inserted and then insert it.

I'm sure that even if it's not an easy task, the amazing people working on the updates will implement it.

 

Sorry but I am not convinced about the fosfor effect. The sprites that are disappearing (at least on my 2600+ & TV) are not the ones that are flickering. The sprites that are flickering are the ones that do not disappear. But I am not against implementing a fosfor effect, as long it can be turned off too 🙂

 

What I do hope, is that at 60hz framerate the PAL games will play at the same speed as they would at 50hz. If that is possible I do not see any reason to keep the option for 50hz. For example my Flashback 10 (with Nexus firmware) plays PAL games at the right (50hz) speed, while the TV/HDMI signal is 60hz.

 

But, as I said before, I do not see myself playing the same 2600 game for over an hour, so if it is not possible to play PAL-games at the same speed of 50hz (while the signal is 60hz), I will probably keep the 2600+ for PAL games at 50hz.

Edited July 19 by Fred_M

[AtariYMás009]

5 minutes ago, Fred_M said:

 

Sorry but I am not convinced about the fosfor effect. The sprites that are disappearing (at least on my 2600+ & TV) are not the ones that are flickering. The sprites that are flickering are the ones that do not disappear. But I am not against implementing a fosfor effect, as long it can be turned off too 🙂

 

What I do hope, is that at 60hz framerate the PAL games will play at the same speed as they would at 50hz. If that is possible I do not see any reason to keep the option for 50hz. For example my Flashback 10 (with Nexus firmware) plays PAL games at the right (50hz) speed, while the TV/HDMI signal is 60hz.

 

But, as I said before, I do not see myself playing the same 2600 game for over an hour, so if it is not possible to play PAL-games at the same speed of 50hz (while the signal is 60hz), I will probably keep the 2600+ for PAL games at 50hz.

As for the phosphor effect, in my case and in others, the sprites that flicker are the ones that disappear, and of course, the idea is that you could activate it only if you want.

Regarding the speed of the games, it should not interfere in any way, the stock firmware ran the PAL games at 60Hz and they still kept their original speed.

[+Fred_M]

1 minute ago, AtariYMás009 said:

Regarding the speed of the games, it should not interfere in any way, the stock firmware ran the PAL games at 60Hz and they still kept their original speed.

Thanks!! My 2600+ did not have the stock firmware when I received it, so I did not know that.

 

Personally I don't see any problem then to switch to 60hz. It makes me wonder why 50hz was added 😉

[AtariYMás009]

27 minutes ago, Fred_M said:

Thanks!! My 2600+ did not have the stock firmware when I received it, so I did not know that.

 

Personally I don't see any problem then to switch to 60hz. It makes me wonder why 50hz was added 😉

The thing is, there were issues with PAL games at 60Hz on the stock firmware, motion was very choppy, but it was discovered that this was due to the video renderer being used, which was "eating" certain frames.

So being able to switch to 60Hz voluntarily in a menu should not affect motion in the game with the renderer that was implemented in revision 1 of the experimental firmware.

[peteloaf]

Playing Phoenix on the most recent firmware, I noticed that the background sounds are missing. Was it like this on other versions of the firmware?

[MrChickenz]

59 minutes ago, peteloaf said:

Playing Phoenix on the most recent firmware, I noticed that the background sounds are missing. Was it like this on other versions of the firmware?

Left Difficulty switch turns the Bird sounds on/off.

Edited July 20 by MrChickenz

[peteloaf]

27 minutes ago, MrChickenz said:

Difficulty switch turns on / off the Bird sounds. Left difficulty.

Thanks for the heads up, I completely forgot about that. I flipped the switch and it worked perfectly.

[Striker667xbl]

Does the homebrew Tower of Rubble work on the experimental builds?

I'm not finding a list with this game on it and I'd like to pick it up.

[Ripweade]

Greetings all!

 

First time posting.  I bought my 2600+ in April, and as a 55-year old original VCS 6-switcher owner, this machine is nothing short of amazing!  My stored carts have been living a new life.  My opinion is that the devs of this device are fantastic!  Your hard work and devotion are deeply, emotionally, appreciated.  I feel like a teen in the early 80s again!  My gripe?  I am now buying more carts which are now an inflated price.  Lol!

 

I have done Firmware and dumper updates, and the write-up in here is absolutely fantastic!  I've read a few who would like an all-in-one updater, and while I understand the apprehension, all I can say is to follow the posted instructions.  I updated mine while, um, a bit inebriated, and it went flawlessly.  You can do it!

 

I have noticed one oddity.  I was playing Moon Patrol with left difficulty in B, which enables background music, but mine was silent.  Switched it to A, and the music played.  It seems that for this cart, the difficulty switch is reversed.  Has anyone noticed this or can test?  It's nothing major but an odd bug.

 

Thank you to all the developers of this device!  Your hard work and devotion is nothing short of amazing!  I read this thread daily and see I am far from alone in enjoying this machine.  Oh, and lighting up the Atari logo on this machine is pure brilliance!  Yes, it's a minor detail, but it shows the attention to detail and devotion.  I love it!!!

[JetmanUK]

2 hours ago, Ripweade said:

Greetings all!

 

First time posting.  I bought my 2600+ in April, and as a 55-year old original VCS 6-switcher owner, this machine is nothing short of amazing!  My stored carts have been living a new life.  My opinion is that the devs of this device are fantastic!  Your hard work and devotion are deeply, emotionally, appreciated.  I feel like a teen in the early 80s again!  My gripe?  I am now buying more carts which are now an inflated price.  Lol!

 

I have done Firmware and dumper updates, and the write-up in here is absolutely fantastic!  I've read a few who would like an all-in-one updater, and while I understand the apprehension, all I can say is to follow the posted instructions.  I updated mine while, um, a bit inebriated, and it went flawlessly.  You can do it!

 

I have noticed one oddity.  I was playing Moon Patrol with left difficulty in B, which enables background music, but mine was silent.  Switched it to A, and the music played.  It seems that for this cart, the difficulty switch is reversed.  Has anyone noticed this or can test?  It's nothing major but an odd bug.

 

Thank you to all the developers of this device!  Your hard work and devotion is nothing short of amazing!  I read this thread daily and see I am far from alone in enjoying this machine.  Oh, and lighting up the Atari logo on this machine is pure brilliance!  Yes, it's a minor detail, but it shows the attention to detail and devotion.  I love it!!!

Hi

Great post! I am glad you are enjoying your Plus, and this community. 

I will take a look at Moon Patrol later, but one thing came to mind straight away...

 

There is a little quirk with the Plus  whereby the difficulty switches are actually BA from the front of the console, instead of the expected AB. The console is labeled as if you were reading it from the back and not the front, hence it's BA in normal use. The launch firmware was actually configured the wrong way round on version 1.0,  it was AB, but as the console is labeled as BA (from the front remember 🤣) then it was flipped to the correct (incorrect?!🤣) way in the updated firmware. 

 

I have mine labeled to avoid any confusion. A high tech solution! 💁🏻🤣

 

 

If that made sense, and you don't need to lie down after my rambling, are you sure that you are selecting the difficulty that you think you are? 🤔

Edited July 20 by JetmanUK

[2LTIME6100]

2 hours ago, JetmanUK said:

Hi

Great post! I am glad you are enjoying your Plus, and this community. 

I will take a look at Moon Patrol later, but one thing came to mind straight away...

 

There is a little quirk with the Plus  whereby the difficulty switches are actually BA from the front of the console, instead of the expected AB. The console is labeled as if you were reading it from the back and not the front, hence it's BA in normal use. The launch firmware was actually configured the wrong way round on version 1.0,  it was AB, but as the console is labeled as BA (from the front remember 🤣) then it was flipped to the correct (incorrect?!🤣) way in the updated firmware. 

 

I have mine labeled to avoid any confusion. A high tech solution! 💁🏻🤣

 

 

If that made sense, and you don't need to lie down after my rambling, are you sure that you are selecting the difficulty that you think you are? 🤔

I remembered the order B-EGINNER / A-DVANCED 👍 from left to right, sitting in Front of the console.

 

A small addition to the Frogger topic: yesterday I connected my 2600+ to my PC monitor for testing. Flickering and later various sprites appeared, just like on my two TVs.

 

 

[mastic_man]

I would Just like to say thanks to all involved with the latest experimental image and dumper, all your hard work is greatly appreciated.

Since dumper x.01, the work around for CDF and DPC+ games (by simply burning to a standard pcbway board with a 32k eprom and F2 bankswitching) is now closed.

I know you guys are striving for perfection and getting everything to work a close as possible to the real thing but if melody-based games never become supported could this work around be reintroduced to the dumper code?

The last dumper that worked with the work around was ver 1.1.0.9. 

A few screen shots below with experimental image 1.1x-r6 and dumper 1.1.09. 

The full champ game roms ( not demos) were modified by John Champeau to work on Ver 1.0 of the 2600+ firmware and had QT, Save key and game pad disabled as some of them were unplayable otherwise. 

 

[MrChickenz]

5 hours ago, JetmanUK said:

I have mine labeled to avoid any confusion. A high tech solution! 💁🏻🤣

I like it! Sometimes I forget which way A/B is and it’s hard to see when you’re wired up and playing. So this is a good idea!

 

2 hours ago, 2LTIME6100 said:

I remembered the order B-EGINNER / A-DVANCED 👍 from left to right, sitting in Front of the console.

Also a good idea which I’ll probably remember now!

[DEANJIMMY]

2 hours ago, 2LTIME6100 said:

 

A small addition to the Frogger topic: yesterday I connected my 2600+ to my PC monitor for testing. Flickering and later various sprites appeared, just like on my two TVs.

 

If the problem is persistant, that makes sense.

 

Only one of my 3 TVs has got a 100Hz panel (and I wonder if it isn't actually 120Hz🤔) and there I switch on motion flow and see the problem right away. With gaming mode on (motion flow off) Frogger plays fine.

 

On the two other TV I can't let Frogger sprites disappear  at will.

 

If the software has to add frames, it could go wrong and a PC monitor would not work better than a TV as they have panels with at least 100Hz.

 

If not in gaming mode the TV software not just adds frames if necessary  but starts to "optimize", so objects get missing on most TVs with flickering games like Frogger.

 

To have the possibility to switch between 50/60p output for PAL games would be of great help.

 

Still there is no explanation why it fails for some people after an hour. Any explenation from above doesn't cover it.

[+Fred_M]

There must be some interesting PC monitors out there, because most of them (even in Europe) do not support 50hz and show an "out of range" message. My PC monitors work fine when the 2600+ is in 60hz mode, but do not support 50hz.

[DEANJIMMY]

19 minutes ago, Fred_M said:

There must be some interesting PC monitors out there, because most of them (even in Europe) do not support 50hz and show an "out of range" message. My PC monitors work fine when the 2600+ is in 60hz mode, but do not support 50hz.

Looks my monitor is interesting😉

But as with my TVs I googled a lot before I bought it.

 

Edit: I am not in the mood to play the frickin flickin Frogger game again now but I see at once it looks like the missing objects will happen on my monitor...😉

Edited July 20 by DEANJIMMY

[+Fred_M]

53 minutes ago, DEANJIMMY said:

Looks my monitor is interesting😉

But as with my TVs I googled a lot before I bought it.

 

Edit: I am not in the mood to play the frickin flickin Frogger game again now but I see at once it looks like the missing objects will happen on my monitor...😉

Very interesting indeed 😃 So there are PC-monitors out there that support 720p at 50hz. Good to know! Thank you.