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Post by mobluse on Feb 3, 2021 15:45:47 GMT
One use one firmware to update all models i.e. THEC64 MINI, THEC64, and THEVIC20, and US and global for each, and variations in components e.g. different flash memory sizes. How does the firmware detect which model it is running on? It must detect model because there are different games installed for each, and MINI has a different SOC than the MAXIs.
One idea is that it could detect it by reading some information from flash, another that it has some differences on the circuit board that it could test.
Maybe one could change region or from THEVIC20 to THEC64 and vice versa if there was no hardware difference except something stored on the internal flash memory.
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Post by vic2020ian on Feb 3, 2021 16:19:39 GMT
If you use the X Windows tool you can access the Nand and take a look at all the files and see if you can find it.
or you could just use PCUAE and install the games from the other region list ;-)
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Post by jj0 on Feb 3, 2021 18:23:36 GMT
It's quite simple, there's a different Carousel binary for each model and it passes the model name to the update program. The firmware upgrade has multiple copies of the upgraded software/games included, one for each model. As to nand sizes, they probably keep the updates to the common lowest size denominator for a Mini and a Maxi. They don't check free space otherwise there wouldn't be bricked devices after updates.
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Post by grasshopper on Feb 3, 2021 18:36:11 GMT
THEC64 Mini does have different hardware. However, as far as anyone is aware, there are no hardware differences between THEVIC20 and THEC64. So, in theory, it should be possible to run the THEVIC20's firmware on a THEC64 (or vice versa). However, you would need to be brave enough to copy over both the nanda and the nandb partitions as they have to be compatible with one another.
For what it's worth, I have managed to run THEVIC20 firmware on my THEC64 by booting a modified THEVIC20 nanda image through FEL mode that then passes control to a THEVIC20's nandb image stored on a USB flash drive.
As an aside, it's a shame that RGL gave the models such clunky names.....
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Post by jj0 on Feb 3, 2021 18:40:36 GMT
THEC64 Mini does have different hardware. However, as far as anyone is aware, there are no hardware differences between THEVIC20 and THEC64. So, in theory, it should be possible to run the THEVIC20's firmware on a THEC64 (or vice versa). However, you would need to be brave enough to copy over both the nanda and the nandb partitions as they have to be compatible with one another. For what it's worth, I have managed to run THEVIC20 firmware on my THEC64 by booting a modified THEVIC20 nanda image through FEL mode that then passes control to a THEVIC20's nandb image stored on a USB flash drive. As an aside, it's a shame that RGL gave the models such clunky names..... Yep, I've done that and if you copy both nanda and nandb then your THE64 Maxi turns into a THEVIC20.
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Post by spannernick on Feb 4, 2021 15:03:52 GMT
It the code names it uses in the updater page like... THEC64 Mini is EU Argent and US Shield, THEC64 Maxi is EU Amora and US Snowbird and THEVIVC20 is Ares but don't know yet what's the US codename is yet.
I use them a lot in the scripts in PCUAE to get it to load parts of a script for that model.
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Post by mobluse on Feb 4, 2021 15:37:40 GMT
I noted a pattern: the code name of the global model always starts with A, and the US model, with S.
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Post by shaunbebbers on Feb 4, 2021 16:51:07 GMT
The BIN file does detect the model. This was explained to me, and to sum up how I understand that explanation, it's this: dark magic.
Thanks,
Shaun.
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Post by vic2020ian on Feb 4, 2021 17:22:14 GMT
The BIN file does detect the model. This was explained to me, and to sum up how I understand that explanation, it's this: dark magic. Thanks, Shaun. ROFL
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Post by rhester72 on Sept 9, 2021 2:49:55 GMT
It the code names it uses in the updater page like... THEC64 Mini is EU Argent and US Shield, THEC64 Maxi is EU Amora and US Snowbird and THEVIVC20 is Ares but don't know yet what's the US codename is yet. I use them a lot in the scripts in PCUAE to get it to load parts of a script for that model. Sorry for the necroreply, but has Snowbird ever actually been seen in the world? As far as I understood it, there was only ever one board for the C64 Maxi worldwide.
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Post by spannernick on Sept 9, 2021 10:40:12 GMT
The C64 Maxi US has to be a different model to the EU one cause, it has NTSC games on it so would make sense it been a different model with the codename Snowbird, I think a user on here has a THEC64 Snowbird Maxi. I would like to get hold of the64 from Snowbird and THEC64 Mini Shield too so I can add them to PCUAE, so PCUAE has all of TheCarousels.. I do not see alot of them out there cause Covid killed its release in the US, when stock appears on Amazon.com its sold out in about a hour, so Snowbird model is rare and popular, properly be worth money years from now...
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Post by rhester72 on Sept 9, 2021 13:30:35 GMT
The C64 Maxi US has to be a different model to the EU one cause, it has NTSC games on it so would make sense it been a different model with the codename Snowbird, I think a user on here has a THEC64 Snowbird Maxi. I would like to get hold of the64 from Snowbird and THEC64 Mini Shield too so I can add them to PCUAE, so PCUAE has all of TheCarousels.. I do not see alot of them out there cause Covid killed its release in the US, when stock appears on Amazon.com its sold out in about a hour, so Snowbird model is rare and popular, properly be worth money years from now... I have access to a US model - how can I get a dump for you? I'm still very surprised because there were no 'NTSC' or 'PAL' games, they just loaded a set of universal games that run both ways. The guys at RGL were very specific that the only difference for US models was the power adapter, and indeed many early firmware updates were entirely missing Snowbird updates. I'm still pretty convinced it never existed in the wild. =)
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Post by jj0 on Sept 9, 2021 14:46:36 GMT
The C64 Maxi US has to be a different model to the EU one cause, it has NTSC games on it so would make sense it been a different model with the codename Snowbird, I think a user on here has a THEC64 Snowbird Maxi. I would like to get hold of the64 from Snowbird and THEC64 Mini Shield too so I can add them to PCUAE, so PCUAE has all of TheCarousels.. I do not see alot of them out there cause Covid killed its release in the US, when stock appears on Amazon.com its sold out in about a hour, so Snowbird model is rare and popular, properly be worth money years from now... I have access to a US model - how can I get a dump for you? I'm still very surprised because there were no 'NTSC' or 'PAL' games, they just loaded a set of universal games that run both ways. The guys at RGL were very specific that the only difference for US models was the power adapter, and indeed many early firmware updates were entirely missing Snowbird updates. I'm still pretty convinced it never existed in the wild. =) Getting nanda and nandb would be interesting. The easiest way is using C64 Maxi and VIC-20 OTG access which allows you to copy them from a PC. And the type of NAND would also be interesting. Using the method above you can also access the command prompt, if you could provide the output of: dmesg | grep -e NAND -e nand that would be nice as well.
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Post by spannernick on Sept 9, 2021 15:23:57 GMT
You can as well use Gadget Mode on PCUAE too its the same as C64 Maxi and VIC-20 OTG access, I called it Gadget Mode cause it uses the Gadget Device in THEC64, the Android part of it to access the NAND and USB Stick, OTG is in Android 4.3 too, thats where its from, most mods that appear on here usually appear in PCUAE, easier to use one project then having to change the start.sh file to load another mod, PCUAE is able to load all of them from a menu and you can then select what one you want to run....
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Post by rhester72 on Sept 9, 2021 23:39:07 GMT
I should have nanda and nandb from a confirmed US shipped-and-sold (with official US box and power adapter) unit this weekend, with original firmware (and a second dump post-upgrade to 1.5.2 for comparison).
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Post by spannernick on Sept 10, 2021 13:00:28 GMT
Cool..
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Post by spannernick on Sept 13, 2021 9:05:05 GMT
THEC64 Maxi Snowbird... You can see its case is the same as THEC64 Maxi EU(Aroma) its grey with a hint of yellow... , you can see the difference with the case colour and THEC64 Mini US model, thats grey, the C64 looks better grey, I do not like the off grey colour they use, makes it look like its 30 years old and needs Retrobrighting.. The C64 was grey in the UK, here is a picture of it in 1984 Argos Catalogue, it was released in the UK in 1984, so that the first ever add for it. I wonder whats £199.00 in now's money is....? Picture of THEC64 Mini in Argos Catalogue 2019...
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Post by c64stuff on Sept 13, 2021 17:01:32 GMT
The US version of the mini and maxi in person looked as I remember my 64 color, but there's been several variants of the original hardware case to where I don't know why anybody would worry about the color being a bit off from the machine they had.
It's just like the people who were complaining that the 64 maxi case was too tall and didn't match the height of their original 64. I even saw a prominent YouTuber say that in a video, and am shocked people don't know that the early cases were the same higher height as the Vic20. This makes perfect sense, because Retro Games LTD probably wanted to use the original case dimensions that would be authentic for both their Vic20 and 64 maxi versions.
I even saw in one video a prominent YouTuber say the maxi case looked cheaper because it had more of a glare, and I was thinking yeah but it's not had hands rubbing off the shine for years either.
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Post by rhester72 on Sept 14, 2021 0:43:06 GMT
As promised...a dump of Snowbird, directly from a US-distributed machine with US box and PSU. www.rendezvo.us/snowbird/It shipped with 1.5.2 and does indeed have PAL games replaced with NTSC ones (Thing on a Spring was even replaced with Coil Cop!). Is it safe to overwrite nandb and "convert" amora to snowbird? [Yes...yes, it is. It's as simple as just dd'ing the nands back over the top of the devices in the reverse process of dumping. I finally have a US Maxi!] jj0 : Maxi-OTG start.sh needs to be updated to support snowbird
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Post by jj0 on Sept 14, 2021 5:26:20 GMT
As promised...a dump of Snowbird, directly from a US-distributed machine with US box and PSU. www.rendezvo.us/snowbird/It shipped with 1.5.2 and does indeed have PAL games replaced with NTSC ones (Thing on a Spring was even replaced with Coil Cop!). Is it safe to overwrite nandb and "convert" amora to snowbird? [Yes...yes, it is. It's as simple as just dd'ing the nands back over the top of the devices in the reverse process of dumping. I finally have a US Maxi!] jj0 : Maxi-OTG start.sh needs to be updated to support snowbird Thanks! I'll update the OTG script. There could have been an issue with overwriting nandb, the kernel (from nanda) loads the Mali module and the nand module from the rootfs on nandb. These modules need to match the kernel version otherwise they don't load. But apparently the kernel for snowbird is the same version as/close enough to amora so it isn't an issue. Edit: Just did a quick check, the snowbird nanda is the same as my ares (=THEVIC20) nanda but different from my amora nanda.
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Post by jj0 on Jul 3, 2023 8:47:24 GMT
As promised...a dump of Snowbird, directly from a US-distributed machine with US box and PSU. www.rendezvo.us/snowbird/It shipped with 1.5.2 and does indeed have PAL games replaced with NTSC ones (Thing on a Spring was even replaced with Coil Cop!). Is it safe to overwrite nandb and "convert" amora to snowbird? [Yes...yes, it is. It's as simple as just dd'ing the nands back over the top of the devices in the reverse process of dumping. I finally have a US Maxi!] jj0 : Maxi-OTG start.sh needs to be updated to support snowbird Thanks! I'll update the OTG script. There could have been an issue with overwriting nandb, the kernel (from nanda) loads the Mali module and the nand module from the rootfs on nandb. These modules need to match the kernel version otherwise they don't load. But apparently the kernel for snowbird is the same version as/close enough to amora so it isn't an issue. Edit: Just did a quick check, the snowbird nanda is the same as my ares (=THEVIC20) nanda but different from my amora nanda. Erm... I finally updated the OTG script to support snowbird as well... Thanks rhester72 for reminding me :-)
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