Print

[Rocker1]

Is it possible that my com 1 port on my motherboard needs to be treated differently? As I explained earlier there is no serial port on the back plate but there are pins on the board(coms 1) and an adaper with a socket at on end and a D- Connecter attached to the other, that plugs onto the the pins.

How can I check if it is working the way it should... I've tried probe and a calibrate and they come back ok(something tells me they always say that though).

I could track down the  motherboards specifications and documentation on ASRocks site if it would be helpfull.

I read posts from someone talking about IRQ settings on the Serial port but I doubt altering them will make a difference, according to device manager the coms port is working.

Damn this is really getting me down, I was chuffed to bits with my new softmod untill I tried to enable HD permanently and it all got worse from there.

This post has been edited by Rocker1: Yesterday, 06:03 AM

[obcd]

Just a few things that cross my mind.

1. Is the cable you are using a straight true cable, and are all the needed pins connected?

2. A way to test a serial port is connecting pin 2 to pin 3 of the db9. (RXD and TXD) If you start hyperterminal and select that port, you should see every character you type on the screen, as the character send out is received again locally. It doesn't test everything needed for the eeprom reader, but it proves the port and the drivers are working. It also proves that pin 2 and 3 are RXD and TXD as expected, so that no plugs are wrong connected. (Sometimes you can turn the plug on the mobo 180 degrees.)

3. As I stated already, some serial ports don't work with the voltage levels of the eeprom reader.
Only one of my 2 computers works. The other refuses to read a thing.

I don't know if a usb to serial dongle could be a solution. If you consider trying that out, I can test a couple for you. I have 2 of those lying around somewhere.

How do you power the xbox when you try to read out the eeprom? Do you simply power it on or did you connect a separate power source? How do you avoid the frag?

regards.


This post has been edited by obcd: Yesterday, 10:13 AM

[Rocker1]

Hi Obcd, Ive tested my serial port via this Hyperterminal test:

http://www.ni.com/support/serial/verhyper.htm

It passed that test and I also connected to cable to the D-9 connecter of my circuit and shorted the pins on that just to be sure and it passed too.

Im not sure what you mean by striaght true cable... theres a picture of the cable I posted earlier on this thread, theres 2 connections on one end(one for the parellel port too) but Im fairly sure that doesnt make a differrence I did a quick check by connecting the reader directly to the serial port(although more difficult this way I could manage it again but only if it was completely necessary).

Ive been powering the Xbox on, I found that if you wait for the third reboot(where it will then turn to green and red flashing) then connect the cable it doesnt frag(I assume this is power off right?).

Im not sure how to wire up seperate power source I have a batteries I could use and I can see on the diagram where you put it but I was under the impression that people have been less successfull with an external power supply... Im willing to give it a try if Im wrong on that just need to see an example of how to wire up a battery for it.

This post has been edited by Rocker1: Yesterday, 09:11 PM

[obcd]

QUOTE

Ive been powering the Xbox on, I found that if you wait for the third reboot(where it will then turn to green and red flashing) then connect the cable it doesnt frag(I assume this is power off right?).

From what I have read, it is my impression that xbox 1.0 to 1.5 behave different than 1.6 and 1.6b
The older models left the power on when the eject was flashing red and green. The 1.6 models turn the power off. An indication for that is the fan on the rear of the xbox. On the older models, that fan keeps running, on the 1.6 it is switched off as well.

I wouldn't test with a separate supply. The eeprom is not the only chip connected to the supply rail. If you power it with another supply, you might damage some of the other chips. The eeprom is fine between 3V3 and 6V, but I am unsure about the others. Some might be designed for 3V3 only with a 10% toleration.

If you unplug the pc, are you able to boot your xbox into an error screen with the reader connected, or does it frag? In my opinion, it should boot as it should without the reader connected.

regards.

[obcd]

A straight true cable is a cable on which pin 1 is connected to pin 1, pin 2 to pin 2 etc....
The 25 pole connector on your cable probably isn't a printer connector. It should be a 25 pole female connector. In the beginning of the pc century, serial ports on the back of a computer where either a DB9 male or a DB25 male. The 25 pole connector probably was there to connect to the other type of serial port.

So, you might check all pin's used in the eeprom reader for connection to each other. TXD and RXD, the ones used in the hyperterminal test are not used in the eeprom reader design. The test was usefull to check that the signals were on the correct pins. It also proved that the serial port and it's driver are working correctly.

regards.

[AfterTheInsanity]

Rocker, doublecheck these connections:

(IMG:http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4491/whatmn4.png)

It looks like the ones circled arent connected to anything. Remember that the rows are connected together like this:
(IMG:http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/2477/boardyn8.jpg)

[Rocker1]

I hooked the dvd drive back on and the component lead, with or without the reader connected its doing the 3 boot cycle BUT now the TV isnt getting any signal(green.... then green and red flashing)l... I wasnt able to have both the PC and xbox on screen at the same time because I only have one screen.

What is this... has it totally broke now?

AfterTheInsanity ah yes, sorry I should have made a pic of my current circuit... I've made those ammendments and have checked each wire with a multimeter.

This post has been edited by Rocker1: Yesterday, 11:15 PM

[AfterTheInsanity]

Does it FRAG with or without the reader hooked up?

[obcd]

Frag's are usually caused by broken or lifted pcb tracks.
A solder short somewhere can cause a frag as well.

Removing the inner bus of a via can als cause a frag.

If the shielding of the pc is improperly connected to the xbox shielding, it is possible to have a discharge from one unit to the other. Such a discharge can damage the circuits on the board.

Sorry to hear it turned out that way for you.

regards.

[Rocker1]

Is it not worth trying a modchip?

[Rocker1]

Which is the better modchip Aladdin Advance or Duo X3? Both can be had for £9.99, seems quite reasonable... unless theres better chips out there for the money.

[AfterTheInsanity]

I personally prefer DuoX2's but that's just me.

If you have a camera with Macro (or just some insanely-high MP rating), or a flatbed scanner, scan/take a picture of the LPC area. Perhaps you hurt something without realizing it.

[AfterTheInsanity]

Can you link this DuoX3? I dont see it listed on Team Omega's website; the only Duo 3 I see is a PS2 chip.

[obcd]

And how about the 2 pcb traces just on the right of the eeprom chip. Any change one of those is broken?

regards.

[Heimdall]

The Duo X3 is an Aladdin clone with 2x256k banks, not made by Omega, and not related to the Duo X2.

The Duo X2 has 2x512k banks.