# custom firmware for sega flashback 2018



## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 17, 2018)

here you go kids. i only managed to test it on one of my units and it works. try at your own risk.
make sure you format your sd card with sd formatter first. put the file on the root of sd card.

it will let you load .bin files from a "GAME" folder in the sd card slot. the main menu will now have a "SD CARD" option.



EDIT: ATGAMES has released their own firmware that supporst this. get it at their website . 

https://firmwareupdate.atgames.net/registration


after that put your titles in bin format in a folder named GAME. also delete the update off the sd card once you are done.

IT SHOULD BE SAFE BUT... I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR BRICKS.

A Special thanks to RMR and Micronut99
we helped each other out. I thank you for the results.

tested only on ntsc u consoles. Very at your own risk if done on a PAL console.


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## TheMCNerd2017 (Nov 17, 2018)

Can you host this in a different file-sharing service? Clicking download simply refreshes the page.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 17, 2018)

let me reupload to another host. one moment. edit another mirror.


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## fixingmytoys (Nov 17, 2018)

This good bugger I only have the 2017 version, not seen the 2018 yet down my way


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## laynolad95 (Nov 18, 2018)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> here you go kids. i only managed to test it on one of my units and it works. try at your own risk.
> make sure you format your sd card with sd formatter first. put the file on the root of sd card.
> 
> https://1fichier.com/?oon3ffsemfx02ppirtr6
> ...



Hey dude would it be possible to make a tutorial on YouTube or even make an Instuctables.com page on how to do it efficiently?


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## rrifonas (Nov 18, 2018)

This custom firmware is for the Genesis Flashback HD 2018, and it doesn't need any special instruction... you just need to drop sega_update.img in the root of a SD Card and start the console.


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## laynolad95 (Nov 18, 2018)

rrifonas said:


> This custom firmware is for the Genesis Flashback HD 2018, and it doesn't need any special instruction... you just need to drop sega_update.img in the root of a SD Card and start the console.



Okay thanks, I'll give it a go and let you's know the outcome.


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## asper (Nov 21, 2018)

I think you should write in the 1st post what this cfw brings to the console comparing it to the original one


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 21, 2018)

it doesnt do much other than let you load .bin files from a "GAME" folder in the sd card slot. getting actual homebrew stuff to run on this will be a pain in the butt
let me update post.


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## Yayi (Nov 23, 2018)

I´ve try this today and worked almost perfect

I had a minnor problem with some roms.
My problem was the name of the file, 
For example Sonic the hedgehod 3.bin wont work but changing spaces for low bars fixed my problem (Sonic_the_hedgehod 3.bin)

Thank to WD_GASTER2, RMR and Micronut99 
(sorry for my english, greetins from Spain)


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## Beetch18 (Dec 7, 2018)

Thank so much for this!  Worked perfectly. I feel a little bad for atgames.  For years they have made crappy systems and been ripped on (rightfully so) for it.  They finally make what i think is a pretty solid system and it seems like it's under the radar. I've been really impressed with the system so far.  They really seemed to have addressed most if not all the issues from last years genesis flashback.


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## Redcomet_ (Dec 19, 2018)

Can you upload this to mediafire or Google drive cause both links don't work for me


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## kublai (Dec 19, 2018)

Thanks all for this.


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## kublai (Dec 19, 2018)

Can I just rename the .md files to .bin? or do I have to convert them? Thanks.


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## kublai (Dec 19, 2018)

I tried using GUIformat (FAT32)  and the SD Formatter (FAT16) and got the system to see my ROMS but none of them are running. It would kick me back to the SD Menu. I had to convert all the ROMS from .md to .bin using SBWIN 3.2.0. Anyone have any luck?

Edit:
It was the filename. I had spaces in them so once I put '_' in the filenames they loaded.


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## Gooby13666 (Dec 19, 2018)

Hi, Just got this going myself. Did the update From the Sd Card then removed it to delete the file, then added my games I wanted. Worked like a charm. Any known way to get the genesis to pull added artwork to match the games added from the SD Card? I know there was a way previous to this version. I tried changing size and file to .bin.png just to see and nothing.


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## Redcomet_ (Dec 20, 2018)

Redcomet_ said:


> Can you upload this to mediafire or Google drive cause both links don't work for me


Edit I got the download link working


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## rrifonas (Dec 20, 2018)

The only thing that's is possible to do with this model is add support to load Sega CD, Master System and Game Gear games from the SD Card.
Another thing that is possible is replace Genesis Plus GX with Picodrive, BUT doing this you will lose support for Sega CD (I couldn't make it work) and Game Gear, but 32x games will load. Another thing I've seen with Picodrive that that PAL games run fine - I've tested with Sonic 2 for Master System which plays too fast in Genesis Plus GX


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## kublai (Dec 21, 2018)

There is a new firmware for this on Atgame's website but it's 132MB compared to the 4MB file from here.


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## rrifonas (Dec 21, 2018)

kublai said:


> There is a new firmware for this on Atgame's website but it's 132MB compared to the 4MB file from here.


I've just opened it and It's the same content but they chose the share the dump with the "right size" for data partition.


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## kublai (Dec 21, 2018)

rrifonas said:


> I've just opened it and It's the same content but they chose the share the dump with the "right size" for data partition.


So is this firmware safe to use? Will the SDCard slot will still be available to load additional ROMS?


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## rrifonas (Dec 21, 2018)

kublai said:


> So is this firmware safe to use? Will the SDCard slot will still be available to load additional ROMS?


Yes, it is safe. It will replace the data partition with a clean one with SD Card support, if you have any save states they will be deleted.
This is the way rockchip updates work, it replaces the entire partition.


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## kublai (Dec 21, 2018)

rrifonas said:


> Yes, it is safe. It will replace the data partition with a clean one with SD Card support, if you have any save states they will be deleted.
> This is the way rockchip updates work, it replaces the entire partition.


I see. Thanks for sharing your knowledge as I'm just starting with this stuff.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Dec 22, 2018)

so wait did they just release their own version that allows rom loading off the sd card?


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## dcuk7 (Dec 22, 2018)

Yes. The 20181221 firmware has SD card support by default.

Still doesn't allow spaces in the file names. Don't think it supports box art (I've tried all kinds of different naming conventions and even separate folders with no luck).


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## WD_GASTER2 (Dec 22, 2018)

if that is the case i think ill remove my links. if its officially supported now i think its superfluous to have mine up.


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## rrifonas (Dec 23, 2018)

dcuk7 said:


> Yes. The 20181221 firmware has SD card support by default.
> 
> Still doesn't allow spaces in the file names. Don't think it supports box art (I've tried all kinds of different naming conventions and even separate folders with no luck).



Any of these changes would involve update the emulator / menu (and it's partition). This update doesn't touch anything besides the '/data' partition, where there is a file to enable SD Card support. This partition stores the save games, save states, and a couple of configuration files for the emulator.


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## Steve_Rose (Dec 26, 2018)

Random question, if someone out of sheer curiosity (and stupidity) decided to randomly try to flash the 'Legends' flashback firmware to the 2018 Megadrive / genesis flashback unit which failed, and then the original firmware was reflashed... and boots fine BUT all the built in games have disappeared, any idea how to get them back? the unit still works and loads games from SD card but all the built in games have gone bye bye, and as it is a 2018 unit, I dont think its possible to ADB onto the unit?

Steve


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## Steve_Rose (Dec 27, 2018)

Don't worry about my previous question, I have got around the issue, turns out that my device also had an unfortunate hardware issue and required replacing.... (genuine) I now have a new unit and will not be D**king around with this one (beyond the SD and sega cd patches)


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## rrifonas (Dec 27, 2018)

If you applied the legends update from the Atgames site you have installed an update that breaks the rom and data partition. Flashing the genesis update replaces the data partition but the rom partition will be broken until someone can share it (It can be applied as any other update).

The legends flashback partitions are slightly different from the genesis flashback (emulator partition is larger), and it may partially brick the console. 

My recommendation is always apply the update for the right system.


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## ebey11 (Dec 28, 2018)

I've updated the system with the official Atgames update and loaded roms to my sd card but the sd card option on the menu stays greyed out. Any ideas? They are .bin and have no spaces. I have them in the main folder as well as a "GAMES" folder

Edit - nevermind realized the folder has to be "GAME" not "GAMES"


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## churchyjr (Dec 28, 2018)

Sorry if I don’t fully understand this, I went to AtGames firmware download page and downloaded the 132 MB file. I have a 2GB SD card and formatted it to FAT, FAT 32 also used SD Formatter and it formatted to FAT 16 (all of this on Windows 10). I changed the file name to sega_update.img and dragged it on the root with NOTHING on the card. I insert the SD Card before powering on (2018 model with no ADB support) and every time it loads the main menu with games. I NEVER get an update firmware screen. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong


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## rrifonas (Dec 28, 2018)

SD Card should be formatted as FAT32. 
Try to create some save states and use the "Settings" in the menu to copy them to the SD Card. If this action works, the SD Card is being detected. 
Filename is correct, It's sega_update.img.


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## Steve_Rose (Dec 28, 2018)

rrifonas said:


> If you applied the legends update from the Atgames site you have installed an update that breaks the rom and data partition. Flashing the genesis update replaces the data partition but the rom partition will be broken until someone can share it (It can be applied as any other update).
> 
> The legends flashback partitions are slightly different from the genesis flashback (emulator partition is larger), and it may partially brick the console.
> 
> My recommendation is always apply the update for the right system.



Thanks for taking the time to reply, I'm not normally as stupid as to do this, but turns out on this occasion I was (I thing I assumed there would be some kind of check done on the image before it was applied)
As mentioned, one of my controllers also developed a fault (which was fortunate) so I was able to return the device without feeling guilty about it!

Its a shame that we cannot ADB to the unit at the moment, it would be nice to add games with box art etc and maybe have sub sections for sega cd etc.

Im loving the unit and I have the wife distracted playing Spyro on our Snes mini with PSX running on it  so plenty of time to play lol.

Thanks
Steve


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## rrifonas (Dec 28, 2018)

I think Atgames is "almost there" this year. 

The console is nice, the wireless controllers are fine and it can read cartridges. 

ADB doesn't work because it is running Linux instead of Android.

It would be nice if atgames can port the last update from Legends Flashback to the Genesis Flashback as the emulation looks better. And I hope they can provide some way to use custom box arts in the SD Card...


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## churchyjr (Dec 28, 2018)

I’ll definitely try the format method to FAT 32 later today. When you download the firmware update for the sega do you rename it after it’s downloaded or do you rename it while you are at the save as prompt? Doubt it makes a difference. Just wish there was a small video of how to actually update the firmware! Cuz once that’s set I can easily put a GAME folder and load up bins


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## dcuk7 (Dec 28, 2018)

Doesn't matter how you rename it, just as long as the name is sega_update.img and it is on the root of the SD card. The card doesn't even have to be empty.


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## churchyjr (Dec 29, 2018)

Ok officially stumped on just updating the firmware. I formatted the SD Card that I have of 2GB to FAT32 with windows 10. Then inserted it into the sega HD, played 2 games off it and saved them, went into settings and backed up to SD card to make sure the SD card is indeed reading the console. Loaded the SD card into PC and it created a data folder and inside were the 2 saved games. Ok so far so good. Now I took the sega_update.img file from the official Atgames website for the sega HD firmware the newest one and dragged that onto the root of the SD card right under the data folder (not inside it). Plugged the SD card into the unit BEFORE powering on and then powered on the system only to be brought to the main menu with the games. No screen of 'updating console'. I have no idea what Im doing wrong at this point if someone is kind enough to help out


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## WD_GASTER2 (Dec 29, 2018)

use SD FORMATTER. it helps a lot.


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## churchyjr (Dec 30, 2018)

SD Formatter did the trick!!! I also am using an iMac and it totally made a difference. Windows 10 for some reason just wouldn't do it I don't get why. When I was on Windows 10 it would detect the game saves in the data folder and when I dragged the .img file into the SD Card it just wouldn't boot on the Sega HD. Did the EXACT SAME process on my iMac and it worked. Go figure...


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## churchyjr (Dec 30, 2018)

Ok now just wondering how to add artwork and also how to set the games in the SD Card to be alphabetical? I have 3 Ninjas and Beavis & Butthead and Aladdin for starters and its showing on the Genesis Beavis 1st Ninjas 2nd and Aladdin 3rd. Anyway to make them show in alphabetical order and add artwork?


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## rrifonas (Dec 30, 2018)

churchyjr said:


> Ok now just wondering how to add artwork and also how to set the games in the SD Card to be alphabetical? I have 3 Ninjas and Beavis & Butthead and Aladdin for starters and its showing on the Genesis Beavis 1st Ninjas 2nd and Aladdin 3rd. Anyway to make them show in alphabetical order and add artwork?


I don't think it's possible to add artwork for games in the SD Card.
The sort is probably based on date but I couldn't figure out if it's the file date, date added, or date modified.


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## churchyjr (Dec 30, 2018)

Ahh no huge loss of artwork. I noticed the 2017 ADB model has artwork added but since 2018 is only by SD Card only I think there's no way to do it.

As far as the sorting, I added 3 ninjas 1st, then Beavis & Butthead 2nd then Aladdin 3rd on the SD Card. The Sega sorted them as Beavis 1st, 3 ninjas 2nd, and Aladdin 3rd if that helps solve the mystery.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Dec 30, 2018)

churchyjr said:


> Ok now just wondering how to add artwork and also how to set the games in the SD Card to be alphabetical? I have 3 Ninjas and Beavis & Butthead and Aladdin for starters and its showing on the Genesis Beavis 1st Ninjas 2nd and Aladdin 3rd. Anyway to make them show in alphabetical order and add artwork?


adding artwork doesnt work.


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## Bencrinkle (Dec 31, 2018)

Sorry if im being thick but atgames firmware download page wants my serial number which it says i can get from the about page..i dont have an about page?? Nor can i find the serial on the box or on the machine? I have a uk megadrive flashback model fb3680 batch d10709


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## rrifonas (Dec 31, 2018)

Bencrinkle said:


> Sorry if im being thick but atgames firmware download page wants my serial number which it says i can get from the about page..i dont have an about page?? Nor can i find the serial on the box or on the machine? I have a uk megadrive flashback model fb3680 batch d10709


It looks like your Flashback is the 2017 version. The 2018 has a SD Card slot, and it should have the About section in menu.
By the way, you don't need a serial number to download updates from Atgames site. You just need to register.


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## Bencrinkle (Dec 31, 2018)

Thanks. I do have an sd card slot though? Im downloading now so will see how it goes.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Dec 31, 2018)

so you do have a 2018 model. the emulator has a section where you will see a qr code and some other nonsense.
let me know if you still have trouble


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## dcuk7 (Jan 1, 2019)

The UK model doesn't have the about page. It wasn't until I flashed the Picodrive custom firmware that it showed up. Obviously mine is now branded as a Genesis so I guess AtGames decided to leave that out of the Mega Drive models!


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## Redcomet_ (Jan 1, 2019)

Last week on Thursday they updated the Genesis Flashback firmware again, I know the past firmware added the sd card menu but does anyone know what this new update does.


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## dcuk7 (Jan 1, 2019)

There is no difference between the release on the 21st December and on the file I downloaded today. I guess they just changed the text on the download page to show the date (which they have done for each Flashback unit).


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## ghorricks (Jan 6, 2019)

Great purchase, agreed that the UK firmware update is confusing as it doesnt have the QR code, but all updated and ready with ~1670 roms.
I would like artwork, but appreciate this may have to wait.
Great job from AT Games (for once).


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## ged55 (Jan 11, 2019)

Hi. Is there a way to make 32x and master system games work. I’ve managed to get mega cd games working fine but having no success with the above games. Thanks.


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## rrifonas (Jan 11, 2019)

ged55 said:


> Hi. Is there a way to make 32x and master system games work. I’ve managed to get mega cd games working fine but having no success with the above games. Thanks.


EDIT: this is for the Genesis Flashback, not the Legends Flashback!

The built-in emulator (Genesis Plus GX) does not support 32x. The alternative would be replace it with PicoDrive but you will lose Mega CD and Game Gear support. I've made a custom firmware for the Genesis Flashback HD with Picodrive, take a look at this post. It is for the US version of the *Genesis* Flashback,  it may work with EU version but it will certainly convert the device into a Genesis Flashback.


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## ged55 (Jan 11, 2019)

Thanks for that. Yeah I did notice you had a custom firmware when reading through your posts. If I were to use your custom firmware can the machine be flashed back to ATgames firmware?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Also master system games don’t work on my built in emulator using .sms extension. Seems to only recognise and show .bin files on the SD Card


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## rrifonas (Jan 11, 2019)

No, the "firmware" released in Atgames site only modify the data partition - this partition has only some control files and save states.

The only thing you can do to revert is flash my other firmware with Genesis Plus GX which will make the Genesis Flashabck almost original again - the only modification in my firmware with Genesis Plus GX is the unlocked extensions. The Atgames firmware has the extensions for the SD Card locked in their menu.

There is no way to recover the original European firmware as nobody has dumped it.


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## ged55 (Jan 11, 2019)

Thanks I understand now about the extensions being locked so I think I’m going to try your firmware. One more question, when using Picodrive or Genesis plus does it change the look of the menu screen at all?


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## rrifonas (Jan 11, 2019)

It doesn't change anything in the interface. For Picodrive I've just replaced the core and added a control file to enable 6-button controller support.l, and for Genesis Plus Gx firmware I haven't changed anything besides the extensions.


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## dcuk7 (Jan 11, 2019)

@rrifonas I have two of these European 2018 Flashbacks, one with your Picodrive firmware and one with the latest AtGames firmware. If you tell me how or point me to a guide, I will dump my firmware and make it available here.


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## ged55 (Jan 11, 2019)

Does your European work ok with Picodrive firmware. I flashed mine with both custom firmwares but now most of the games crash so think I’ll return it and try and get a replacement and keep standard ATgames firmware on it.


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## rrifonas (Jan 12, 2019)

Try installing the firmware with Genesis Plus GX, if the games are freezing after some time you likely have a hardware problem.

@dcuk7, I will take a picture of the board with the data points. Bad news is that you will need to open the device and you will also need a USB cable to destroy. I could read the firmware without soldering wires but it may not be easy to make the contacts.


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## dcuk7 (Jan 12, 2019)

@ged55 Yes, mine works perfectly fine. I've flashed it a few times with both custom firmwares and it works fine.

@rrifonas I don't mind cracking mine open. I've got a SEGA Multi Mega here that I need to do some soldering repair work on within the next few days so I'll do the Flashback at the same time.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Jan 12, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> Try installing the firmware with Genesis Plus GX, if the games are freezing after some time you likely have a hardware problem.
> 
> @dcuk7, I will take a picture of the board with the data points. Bad news is that you will need to open the device and you will also need a USB cable to destroy. I could read the firmware without soldering wires but it may not be easy to make the contacts.



is this the 2 bridge points i think you are talking about? if so yeah, soldering is advised only for experienced peeps (tiny points next to each other)


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## rrifonas (Jan 12, 2019)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> is this the 2 bridge points i think you are talking about? if so yeah, soldering is advised only for experienced peeps (tiny points next to each other)



Nope, it's possible to connect the device to the PC without soldering :-)


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## WD_GASTER2 (Jan 12, 2019)

ooh now thats interesting.


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## rrifonas (Jan 12, 2019)

You don't need a permanent access to the NAND as there is not much to see or to do using the usb connection. Just touching the test points with the wires is enough to dump the NAND. Once you have the dumps, you can use 'firmware updates' to make any additional change.
Creating 'fimrware' updates with correct partition size and flashing only the partitions you want to change make this device impossible to brick. Atgames did a good job separating the partitions so you don't need to mess with the OS to modify the emulators. Even the menu with a script outside the OS partition.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------


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## WD_GASTER2 (Jan 12, 2019)

in the early days of the release of the device i went gung ho and bridged those 2 points permanently. i figured i needed a permanent way to recover since at the time i had no idea of how sd card updates could be made. You Micronut and I were going in pretty blind at the time 

quite frankly tho, you are the man when it comes to this device! creating the complete firmware updates over the sd card is just killer!


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## Steve_Rose (Jan 13, 2019)

Is it possible to advise on the method of creating dumps? And additionally is there any documentation around on how to create a modified image?
It would be good for me to make a full backup (as I already screwed up once) 

Steve


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## SccS (Jan 13, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> Try installing the firmware with Genesis Plus GX, if the games are freezing after some time you likely have a hardware problem.
> 
> @dcuk7, I will take a picture of the board with the data points. Bad news is that you will need to open the device and you will also need a USB cable to destroy. I could read the firmware without soldering wires but it may not be easy to make the contacts.



@rrifonas any update on how to dump the firmware? are you refering to the points that link to the usb socket or different points? i have a stock one here i can dump before i update with the cfw

Darren


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## rrifonas (Jan 14, 2019)

I've sent some insights directly to dcuk7. Most of the process to backup the device is very well documented in mdfbrew.org. The instructions there are for the 2017 model, but the tools and the process apply to the 2018 version. The only significant different is the NAND size (256MB) and you will need to keep the recovery button pressed while turning the device on to put the device in loader mode.

The process to dump the firmware is not as simple as the NES/SNES classic, you will need to open the device and may need to solder wires to access the NAND. I could read the AND only touching the wires in the test points, but its not an easy task.
Here is the pinout if anyone want to backup the device:






This device is running Linux so there is not way to access it using adb.


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## SccS (Jan 14, 2019)

Perfect Thank you, Got it sorted all bar the block count for the data partition.....
i found a post in atgames-sega-flashback-2018-edition-is-out-in-the-wild.522990/page-4#post-8383164 (cant post links)

but im not sure what value i should be using, is it 0x0004E800 as posted? or something different?


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## rrifonas (Jan 14, 2019)

You need to dump first the parameter file: Start = 0, Count =2
Then you can compare your parameter file with this one:
[email protected](misc)
[email protected](recovery)
[email protected](boot)
[email protected](resource)
[email protected](kernel)
[email protected](rootfs)
[email protected](rom)
[email protected](emulator)
[email protected](data)
The address on the RIGHT is the "Start" and the address on the LEFT is the "Count"
You will need to dump each partition individually. And you don't need the "data" partition as the update in Atgames site is just the same thing.


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## WD_GASTER2 (Jan 14, 2019)

btw if you are good with a soldering iron:






just bridge the 2 red points and then you dont need to solder any other wires anymore. it will pretty much allow you to use the external micro usb cable to do the same thing rrifonas is suggesting.


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## SccS (Jan 14, 2019)

Thanks guys, if i dont need the data partition then im good to go, ill run the update dump the fw again then take a look at the cfw.
if i can help out with testing etc ill be happy to help.


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## rrifonas (Jan 14, 2019)

Cool! The way the menu interacts with the emulator doesn't permit to make any change besides what we have today, but it will be a pleasure to share the updates I've made with the proper EU menu.


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## dcuk7 (Jan 15, 2019)

I have dumped the files and sent them to @rrifonas but if anyone else wants to play with them they are all here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7itcbb078fluyr9/AtGames_Flashback_2018_EU_dumps.zip?dl=0

I've also soldered on a micro USB female cable to my board so I can just plug in any time if ever needed.


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## Steve_Rose (Jan 15, 2019)

I just bridged the solder points in mine to use the external port and drilled a small hole in the back to depress the recovery button without opening the case again lol. No point me sharing my backup, I already used the patches and converted from a Megadrive to a genesis by accident.. I just wanted a backup just in case lol


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## rrifonas (Jan 15, 2019)

Thanks @dcuk7, I will look at them later today and create the updates for the EU version.

Bridging the solder points is an option but after we have a good backup you don't need to read the nand anymore, you can modify everything using update files.

I've bridged the solder points on my device and did a jumper from the recovery button to the physical menu button, so I can enter in recovery mode just keeping the menu button pressed while turning the device on. I've done this because I have a hardware issue (device freezes after some time) and I was testing different dumps to confirm if it was software or hardware.

EDIT: wow, there are a lot of guys here with soldering skills!


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## rrifonas (Jan 16, 2019)

Here is the custom firmware for the EU version (Mega Drive Flashback HD 2019 / Mega Drive Flashback HD 2018):

Update for Mega Drive Flashback HD (EU) with Sega CD support (Genesis Plus GX)
Update for Mega Drive Flashback HD (EU) with 32x support (Picodrive)​
If you are looking for the files to the US version (Genesis Flashback HD 2018), look at this post or download these files:
Update for Genesis Flashback HD (US) with Sega CD support (Genesis Plus GX)
Update for Genesis Flashback HD (US) with 32x support (Picodrive)

I will update my other post adding these links. Thanks @dcuk7 for kindly provide the dump from his Mega Drive Flashback. I've tested with my Genesis Flashback 2018 and it was properly converted to a "Mega Drive Flashback" so it should work in all versions (UK, Germany, Australia).

Just as a recap, this custom firmware unlocks with file extensions in the GAME folder, so it will read all files in this folder. This mod enable Genesis Plus GX to load Master System, Game Gear and Sega CD games from the SD Card.
The "Picodrive" update has the same mod but replaces Genesis Plus GX with Picodrive. This update add support to 32x and fixed the speed and sound issues with PAL games (I've tested with "Sonic 2" for Master System), but it breaks Game Gear (Picodrive doesn't support GG) and Sega CD (I couldn't find if there is a specific folder to drop the BIOS files).

Regarding the 'technical aspects', Genesis Flashback HD and Mega Drive Flashback HD are exactly the same device, using the same emulator and they have the same 'rootfs' partition. The only changes between Genesis and Mega Drive is the box art in the "roms" partition and a few images in the emulator partition.


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## D-an-W (Jan 17, 2019)

Sorry for my n00b ignorance here!

I have just picked up the 2018 "SEGA Mega Drive Flashback with 85 Games" (UK spec), from the firmware releases currently available which should I use to give me unlocked access to the GAME folder but keep it as a Mega Drive?

I am probably missing something but the files above created by @rrifonas suggest they are for the Genesis?


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## rrifonas (Jan 17, 2019)

These files are for the EU/UK version. 
You can use the Genesis Plus GX update.


----------



## dcuk7 (Jan 17, 2019)

@rrifonas Have you tried replacing and/or adding games to the roms partition and flashing that? 

I was going to have a go at the weekend as I'm thinking I could make my own perfect version with all the games I love (complete with box art) and just use the SD card for the games I'd only rarely play.


----------



## D-an-W (Jan 17, 2019)

Would anyone know if the official firmware update (Just giving SD Card access) turns the Mega Drive into a Genesis (Just curious)?


----------



## kublai (Jan 17, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> These files are for the EU/UK version.
> You can use the Genesis Plus GX update.


I'm kind of confused, Are the Eu/UK/USA versions all the same? All the regions can use the same firmware?


----------



## D-an-W (Jan 17, 2019)

This post cleared it up for me, I hadn't seen it had been edited.


----------



## dcuk7 (Jan 17, 2019)

D-an-W said:


> Would anyone know if the official firmware update (Just giving SD Card access) turns the Mega Drive into a Genesis (Just curious)?



No it doesn't. I have one of these on stock firmware and the latest update from the AtGames only changes a few files and doesn't touch any of the graphics relating to the model.

I assume they will do that with all updates (if indeed we get any more) so that one file can apply to both Genesis and Mega Drive models.


----------



## rrifonas (Jan 18, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> @rrifonas Have you tried replacing and/or adding games to the roms partition and flashing that?
> 
> I was going to have a go at the weekend as I'm thinking I could make my own perfect version with all the games I love (complete with box art) and just use the SD card for the games I'd only rarely play.



Yes, it's possible to that but it's not so easy as this device is running Linux (no ADB support) and the partitions as read-only:
1) You will need to create your own rom partition and update file, or flash it using AndroidTool
2) The partition is SquashFS, this is a compressed read-only format for Linux. You will need to have a Linux machine or install the Linux subsystem for Windows 10 to create a new partition using mksquashfs
3) The new partition should not exceed 60MB. Since it's a compressed format, it may be larger, but the .img file to create the upload for flash should not exceed 60MB (61,440KB). If the partition is larger, it will break the 'next' partition, which is the /emulator, soft-bricking the device. You can fix it flashing back the original rom and emulator partitions using the right parameters
4) Add or remove games is quite simple. There is a all-games.ini file, you only need to edit it

This is only an overview of the process but it's not that difficult to do if you have the tools and some patience.

Replying @D-an-W and @kublai:
This device has several partitions, being the following the most significant:
/rootfs -> Base OS files (14MB). It's the same for all consoles (Genesis FB, MD FB, Legends FB)
/rom -> Where the ROMs, box arts and gamelist are stored (60MB)
/emulator -> Menu (retromenu), Emulator (retroplayer) and cores are stored in this partition (8MB in Genesis FB/MD FB, 10MB in Legends FB).* My custom firmware replaces this partition. It has a change in retromenu to read all extensions, and/or replace Genesis Plus GX core with Picodrive from ModMyClassic*
/data -> Has control files (retroplayer.ini, bgm_config.ini, play-data-recent.ini and sdcard_config.ini) and save states/sram files. *Atgames update replaces this partition, writing a new sdcard_config.ini to enable SD Card.* This partition is the same for Genesis /MD FB. The size for this partition should be around 160MB but it looks like Atgames made it smaller inside the OS; The explanation is that the OS creates a /tempfs partition for temporary cache. I didn't see the actual size in Genesis / MD FB but in Legends FB this partition has only 4MB and the rest of the NAND space is available as 'tempfs' to decompress the ROMs.

This thread have the links for the EU/UK firmware. I edited the other thread with all links but I will do the same with the post in this thread as well.

Sorry for the lengthy post.


----------



## D-an-W (Jan 18, 2019)

@dcuk7 @rrifonas some excellent info there, I have learnt a lot in the last 12 hours about this device!


----------



## Steve_Rose (Jan 18, 2019)

@rrifonas those instructions are amazing  60MB should be a fair few roms compressed 
I do wonder if there is a way we can create a symlink? (or remount the SD card to \rom) (my knowledge of Linux is limited) to the SD card from the rom partition allowing us to add roms with images etc to the SD?
I don't know enough to implement anything like this but its tempting to investigate... I already have a Snes Classic too so doing this is unnecessary but I cant help being tempted to do some learning lol


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## rrifonas (Jan 18, 2019)

These ideas would work if the root partition could be written.
The best I could do was to move the game list to the /data partition (another hex-editor hack in the menu executable) running a script before the menu loads. If all-games.ini is in the SD Card, the script copies this file to /data and load the games from SD Card. If the file is not there, the script will copy the original all-games.ini from the /rom partition.

The problem with this approach is that I don't have any idea how large all-games.ini can be.


----------



## Steve_Rose (Jan 18, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> The problem with this approach is that I don't have any idea how large all-games.ini can be.


It's only a text file so I can't imagine it would be that big?
If you can repoint the loader to read the ini from data, is it not possible to do the same but point it to the SD Card? I appreciate no sd = no games in this instance but extracting the games to the sd is no biggie :/ I'm gonna get myself a Linux setuo so I can have a play this weekend (now I have a backup )


----------



## Steve_Rose (Jan 18, 2019)

OK I have done some digging, I don't have time right now to do anything but.. Within root.img you can access /etc/fstab (this is where mount points are set for the underlying OS. I rekon, I'm you updated /rom to mount to /dev/mmcblk0p1 with an fs type of auto and repack and flash, the device will try to boot the sd card as /rom


----------



## Steve_Rose (Jan 18, 2019)

Does anyone know where I can find the unpack and repack tools for playing with the img files, Ive managed to mount them in Ubuntu, Ive managed to extract the squashfs image for root fs and modify it, I'm struggling to find instructions on repacking... maybe i'm not searching hard enough but the one repack I did do had errors and the resulting image was significantly smaller.

I tried to access http://mdfbrew.org but the site is offline.


Thanks Steve


----------



## dcuk7 (Jan 18, 2019)

@Steve_Rose You can get the rockchip IMG tools from here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2257331

Nice idea btw.


----------



## rrifonas (Jan 18, 2019)

Steve_Rose said:


> Does anyone know where I can find the unpack and repack tools for playing with the img files, Ive managed to mount them in Ubuntu, Ive managed to extract the squashfs image for root fs and modify it, I'm struggling to find instructions on repacking... maybe i'm not searching hard enough but the one repack I did do had errors and the resulting image was significantly smaller.
> 
> I tried to access http://mdfbrew.org but the site is offline.
> 
> ...


You can unpack the .img files using 7-zip in Windows.
You will need a Linux computer or install Linux on Windows 10 to repack the partition. You can use mksquashfs /tmp/rom /tmp/rom.img

If you can access the device using the rockchip tool you just need to flash the partition with the correct addresses.

If you want to create an update file, you will need ImgRepackerRk and a config file I can share later today.
I did not mess with rootfs or the partition tables, but your idea is good for what you want.

Regarding my concern with All-games.ini, this file has around 70Kb but it can easily increase to more than 200Kb. My concern is if a larger file can cause issues with the menu (slow to load or do not load everything).


----------



## subcon959 (Jan 19, 2019)

If anyone does manage to properly replace roms with artwork then please provide some step-by-step instructions, as I'm really only looking to add a couple of my favourite games to the default list rather than a whole romset on SD.

I did already bridge the pins and add a recovery switch to the back so I could easily use RK tools whenever needed.


----------



## Steve_Rose (Jan 19, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> If you want to create an update file, you will need ImgRepackerRk and a config file I can share later today.
> I did not mess with rootfs or the partition tables, but your idea is good for what you want.


Cheers, let me know where I can get the config stuff and I'll give it a go.. It's easy enough to extract the existing rom partition so can throw that on SD with any additionals  once I have that working, I have other enhancement ideas (but need to prove this first)

Thanks
Steve


----------



## rrifonas (Jan 19, 2019)

While mounting the SD Card in fstab is a clever idea, it's a permanent solution.
I've found a better way to do that using the script to load the menu and adding a control file in the SD Card.

```
#!/bin/sh
if [ -e /media/usbhd-mmcblk0p1/mount_sd.ini ]
then
    su -
    umount /rom
    mount /media/usbhd-mmcblk0p1/rom /rom
fi
while :
do
 cd /emulator
 startx ./retromenu
done
```
This script is already in /emulator partition so you are not touching the OS at all. My mod looks for the control file mount_sd.ini in the root of the SD Card and reload the /rom partition to a rom folder in your SD Card. If you delete the control file or boot the console without SD Card, you will have the original rom partition.

Now you just need to create a mount_sd.ini file and a rom folder in the root of the SD Card, copy the contents from the original "rom" partition to this folder, copy your favorite games and edit all-games.ini to include them in the game list.
Here is an example for all-games.ini:

```
[Aladdin]
File=/rom/Aladdin(USA).md
Platform=Genesis
Sort=Aladdin
Year=1992
Genre=bonus
Description=
Dpad=Directional movement
Start=Start, pause
A=Throw apple
B=Attack
C=Jump
X=No function
Y=No function
Z=No function
```
"Genre" can be anything, but if you use "sonic" or "bonus" you will move the games to these categories. "sonic" genre supports only 10 games. I haven't seen if "bonus" has a limit.

Box art must be in .png format, and you need to have 2 files: Aladdin(USA).md.png and Aladdin(USA).md.s.png. The png file is the box art when you open the details, and the .s.png is the smaller thumbnail.


----------



## Steve_Rose (Jan 19, 2019)

This is the other option I noticed  I figured that either way is just as permanant as you are flashing the img file.. But your way avoids doing anything to the rootfs (which is obviously a little safer) could you pm me the config stuff or share it anyway as there are 2 other things I want to try


----------



## rrifonas (Jan 19, 2019)

This method has the advantage it is not permanent besides the fact the script is running. Removing the control file or removing the SD Card will reload the original partition.

I've sent the config file by PM to avoid mess this topic (which is already a mess) 

You don't need any config file if you are using Android Tool, just rebuild the partitions using mksquashfs and you are good to reflash them. The config file is only used to create the Rockchip update file.


----------



## dcuk7 (Jan 19, 2019)

Great work guys. I started work on a rudimentary app to manage the all-games.ini (including automatic box art resizing) for the 2017 flashback so I may pick this back up and finish it for this model.

@rrifonas will you be making a picodrive version of those latest updates? I think I prefer how picodrive runs on this hardware now.


----------



## Steve_Rose (Jan 19, 2019)

Just flashed the Megadrive img with /rom remount, works a treat, you can even add mega cd / sega cd roms, BUT you have to load the bin rather than the cue file.
your solution is more elegant as it only remounts when the intended file is added to the SD and otherwise has no impact. 

love it!!

Steve


----------



## rrifonas (Jan 19, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> Great work guys. I started work on a rudimentary app to manage the all-games.ini (including automatic box art resizing) for the 2017 flashback so I may pick this back up and finish it for this model.
> 
> @rrifonas will you be making a picodrive version of those latest updates? I think I prefer how picodrive runs on this hardware now.


I thought nobody liked the Picodrive update! I updated the post with Picodrive. Enjoy!


----------



## dcuk7 (Jan 19, 2019)

I wasn't for it at first as Genesis Plus GX is the better emulator IMO but for whatever reason, it exhibits sound glitches on this unit that aren't evident on anything else I use for emulation (Wii U, Raspberry Pi, GPD XD Plus, PC, Fire Stick, so many devices). As a mad Sonic fan, the sound of collecting rings with the stock emulator gets on my nerves!

Thank you for the Picodrive update.


----------



## rrifonas (Jan 19, 2019)

Steve_Rose said:


> Just flashed the Megadrive img with /rom remount, works a treat, you can even add mega cd / sega cd roms, BUT you have to load the bin rather than the cue file.
> your solution is more elegant as it only remounts when the intended file is added to the SD and otherwise has no impact.
> 
> love it!!
> ...


.cue and .chd worked fine for me. Check if the bin file name inside the .cue is correct. 
I've seen that larger box art files make the menu slower. The original size for the png files are 183x255 for the 'full' box and 122x170 for the smaller one.


----------



## subcon959 (Jan 19, 2019)

Hmm, the Picodrive update didn't work for me. I get a bunch of zero-byte files in a bkini folder and the console acts totally stock, ignoring SD card. The regular Genesis Plus GX update works great and mounts my custom game list fine.


----------



## rrifonas (Jan 20, 2019)

subcon959 said:


> Hmm, the Picodrive update didn't work for me. I get a bunch of zero-byte files in a bkini folder and the console acts totally stock, ignoring SD card. The regular Genesis Plus GX update works great and mounts my custom game list fine.


Fixed! I think I've typed something wrong with routine to backup retroplayer.ini. I just removed it, it should be good now.


----------



## D-an-W (Jan 20, 2019)

Thanks for the continued updates @rrifonas, did you just update the download links for the Picodrive releases?


----------



## rrifonas (Jan 20, 2019)

D-an-W said:


> Thanks for the continued updates @rrifonas, did you just update the download links for the Picodrive releases?


Yes, I updated Post #97


----------



## subcon959 (Jan 20, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> Fixed! I think I've typed something wrong with routine to backup retroplayer.ini. I just removed it, it should be good now.


Awesome, thanks. I'll give it a try in a bit.

Btw, am I right in assuming that this is a persistent change? As in, once I reboot without SD card and get the stock games back it will still continue to use Picodrive, and therefore the GG games won't work? If so, is there anyway to make it revert to Genesis Plus GX once there is no SD card?


----------



## rrifonas (Jan 20, 2019)

Picodrive as Genesis Plus GX are permanent for now. 
Your idea is interesting but the original partitions are read-only. I won't promise anything but I will take a look if it's possible to be done.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Jan 20, 2019)

well there was an idea floated around of dual booting an rk3066 chipset years ago. it might be possible:

https://en.opensuse.org/HCL:MK808


----------



## dcuk7 (Jan 20, 2019)

So, with the progress made on using the built-in menu to display the games, I have picked up working on my app to manage the game list. I started this for the 2017 Flashback HD but stopped almost immediately when better hacks for replacing the built-in stuff became available.

This will let you select your SD card and it will check for a valid /rom/all-games.ini. As you can see, it shows all the games in the list and lets you expand each one to make any changes to each field. You can also delete games from the list (and the option will be there to delete just the entry from the .ini or remove associated files like artwork and the rom itself).

You can also add games to the list. Some fields are pre-filled to make it quicker. It has support for box art too (supported images are JPG, BMP, GIF and PNG). Once you've filled the info in, the app will add the entry to the .ini, create both box art files with correct sizes and copy the artwork and rom to your SD card.

I need a few more days to make it stable and make sure it does everything it's supposed to but as soon as it's ready I'll make it available here.


----------



## subcon959 (Jan 20, 2019)

That looks great. It's pretty laborious creating entries manually for all-games.ini so a bit of automation will go down a treat.


----------



## Casey-Strange (Jan 23, 2019)

This looks awesome! I hope this comes up for download soon. 
I love where all of this is going. 


How do I get Sega CD games to run on this?
Can I just convert an ISO or CUE to BIN and rename it to run properly?
What do I do if I have a copy of the game where the redbook audio is split and the game is buried in track 1 or 2?

I hope when all of this is figured out a convenient patch can be packed an alongside a text file containing instructions.
Not a lot of people buying this stuff will understand how to use it. 

*edit*
My comment was on both the software in progress above as well as the recent update patch by another user.
Still new to this place. heh heh..


I'd also like to add that the permanent change with the Picodrive patch is the only thing keeping me from wanting to try it. I don't think I'd like to buy another model just to run two different emulators. I mean I would if I had that kind of money to throw around.


----------



## ghorricks (Jan 26, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> So, with the progress made on using the built-in menu to display the games, I have picked up working on my app to manage the game list. I started this for the 2017 Flashback HD but stopped almost immediately when better hacks for replacing the built-in stuff became available.
> 
> This will let you select your SD card and it will check for a valid /rom/all-games.ini. As you can see, it shows all the games in the list and lets you expand each one to make any changes to each field. You can also delete games from the list (and the option will be there to delete just the entry from the .ini or remove associated files like artwork and the rom itself).
> 
> ...



I am sure like most folks, would be happy to help test a UI to add games/images to the /media/rom folder on the SD card.
I don't have access to the internal ROM partition, so took some guesses and have managed to get "OutRun" with images and instructions from the roms folder on the SD card appearing fine. Seems very straight forward with the new custom firmware. I guess it would be a case of:

Scan the roms folder for md/bin files.
Check if png files for std and small size exist.
Download via google search, convert to png if needed, naming correctly and saving.
Perform a google search of the game (must be some databases out there already), and add info to the all-games.ini.
Almost worth writing something myself - but very happy to test.


----------



## BillyHGamer (Jan 28, 2019)

Steve_Rose said:


> Just flashed the Megadrive img with /rom remount, works a treat, you can even add mega cd / sega cd roms, BUT you have to load the bin rather than the cue file.
> your solution is more elegant as it only remounts when the intended file is added to the SD and otherwise has no impact.
> 
> love it!!
> ...


,




How do you do it I can't get sega cd roms too work


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Feb 1, 2019)

Casey-Strange said:


> This looks awesome! I hope this comes up for download soon.
> I love where all of this is going.
> 
> 
> ...


if you have the 2018 model you can revert back and forth as however you wish.


----------



## rrifonas (Feb 1, 2019)

By the way, I've found the issue with Picodrive loading Sega CD games and it is fixed. I will make the updates for the US and EU version available this weekend.


----------



## D-an-W (Feb 1, 2019)

Nice one, been wanting to try some Sega CD


----------



## Beetch18 (Feb 2, 2019)

Does the atgames firmware update change the emulation or just add sd card support? Someone on reddit said it improves emulation but I thought it just added sd support. I downloaded wd_gangster2's firmware update to add sd card support and have been very happy with it. Would consider downloading at games update if emulation improvements are included though.


----------



## rrifonas (Feb 2, 2019)

Beetch18 said:


> Does the atgames firmware update change the emulation or just add sd card support? Someone on reddit said it improves emulation but I thought it just added sd support. I downloaded wd_gangster2's firmware update to add sd card support and have been very happy with it. Would consider downloading at games update if emulation improvements are included though.



The firmware for Genesis Flashback 2018/MD Flashback 2018 released in Atgames website and the one created by wd_gaster2 does the same thing. It replaces one file in the data partition to enable support for SD Card. It doesn't touch the emulators.

The firmware released by Atgames for the Legends Flashback DOES HAVE improvements in the emulation.

If you want to 'try something different' for you Genesis Flashback you can try one of my custom firmware to replace Genesis Plus GX with Picodrive, or wait until tomorrow to have Picodrive working with Sega CD support. The Picodrive is not as accurate as Genesis Plus GX, but it's faster and Sega CD have a better framerate than in Genesis Plus GX.


----------



## D-an-W (Feb 2, 2019)

What he said ^^^


----------



## BillyHGamer (Feb 2, 2019)

Beetch18 said:


> Does the atgames firmware update change the emulation or just add sd card support? Someone on reddit said it improves emulation but I thought it just added sd support. I downloaded wd_gangster2's firmware update to add sd card support and have been very happy with it. Would consider downloading at games update if emulation improvements are included though.



Can you play all cartridge games and all compatible


----------



## HopTronix (Feb 2, 2019)

@rrifonas Just got my 2018 Model with SD card slot yesterday. Can’t wait to try the custom Picodrive firmware with CD support.


----------



## rrifonas (Feb 2, 2019)

I updated Post #97 with the new update for Picodrive adding Sega CD support. I did some tests and US and JP games work fine. EU games play fast, the emulator is forcing the game to run at 60fps while it should run at 50fps.



BillyHGamer said:


> Can you play all cartridge games and all compatible


No, you can't. This is an emulation device and while most of the cartridges can be 'dumped' just fine, a few of them have problems. Games that should have problems running from cartridge:
+ Sonic 3 doesn't work due to its memory to save games
+ S&K with other carts, it can't merge the ROMs
+ SSF2 due to bank switching
+ Virtua Racing


----------



## dcuk7 (Feb 2, 2019)

@rrifonas Have you tried any other emulators on this (such as Final Burn Alpha)? Just wondering how far this unit can be pushed!


----------



## rrifonas (Feb 3, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> @rrifonas Have you tried any other emulators on this (such as Final Burn Alpha)? Just wondering how far this unit can be pushed!


While the hardware (and software) is quite the same as the Legends Flashback, the menu has only 1 slot for emulator. It would possible to run FBA but most of the games would run slow, except for CPS1, CPS2 and Neo Geo, these games run at full speed. MAME 2000 works fine in the Legends Flashback and it would run well here.
The only way to increase the number of "slots" for emulators would be converting it into a Legends Flashback, but doing this you will lose the support for cartridges, and we would need to adjust the partitions.


----------



## Excalibur007 (Feb 3, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> I updated Post #97 with the new update for Picodrive adding Sega CD support. I did some tests and US and JP games work fine. EU games play fast, the emulator is forcing the game to run at 60fps while it should run at 50fps.



Did the previous Picodrive option run EU games too fast as well?  I thought a previous post said it ran very well and did not have the sound issue with EU games that the GenPlusGX firmware has.

I can flash to this firmware and if I don't like it, revert to GenPlusGX by running that version update again, correct?


----------



## rrifonas (Feb 3, 2019)

Excalibur007 said:


> Did the previous Picodrive option run EU games too fast as well?  I thought a previous post said it ran very well and did not have the sound issue with EU games that the GenPlusGX firmware has.
> 
> I can flash to this firmware and if I don't like it, revert to GenPlusGX by running that version update again, correct?


I have tested a PAL Master System game (Sonic 2) and it work fine with Picodrive. I did not tested Sega CD games before because they are not working with Picodrive. I think I've tested one Genesis game and it also worked. 
You can revert to Genesis Plus GX if you want.


----------



## Excalibur007 (Feb 3, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> I have tested a PAL Master System game (Sonic 2) and it work fine with Picodrive. I did not tested Sega CD games before because they are not working with Picodrive. I think I've tested one Genesis game and it also worked.
> You can revert to Genesis Plus GX if you want.



It may have been on AtariAge that someone was talking about PicoDrive working well with EU games before.  I don't remember.

So I guess CHD formatted SegaCD games will not work with PicoDrive, (only working with GenesisPlusGX).
Kinda disappointed that PicoDrive still doesn't support FM sound for the Master System.  I was hoping they would have added support for that by now. PicoDrive is still such a mixed bag... better speed with SegaCD and 32x, but still lacking compared to GenesisPlusGX.  I guess we have to weigh the pro/cons of each.  At least you've made custom firmwares for both.  Thank you for that!

Also, I'm loving the ability to load the rom partition from the SD card. It's great to be able to so easily replace the built in games with my own, like last year's model.  I'm pretty much still using my config from last year for that, with the addition of the mini thumbs.  I still have to go back and add in games that weren't compatible with last year's, like Super Hang-On and such.


----------



## Excalibur007 (Feb 3, 2019)

Okay, so after a bit of testing, here are my thoughts on PicoDrive vs GenesisPlusGX.
*
PicoDrive* did not run full speed with hardly anything.
Master System: Inconsistent performance, drops frames, has speed up/slow down issues and has sound pops. Of course, no FM sound support either.
Genesis: Seemed to have issues with PAL games similar to the GenPlusGX emulator. Alien Soldier sounded bad and played too fast, but also dropped frames. NTSC games seemed inconsistent as well with sound pops and inconsistent frames.
SegaCD: This played slightly better than GenPlusGX. There were minimal sound pops -- a few in the BIOS, but I did not notice performance issues in the games I tried. Heart of the Alien was selectable which for some reason does not seem to be selectable with GenPlusGX. No CHD format support.
32x: Playable, but with sound pops and some frame drops.
Game Gear: No support
SG-1000: No support

*Genesis Plus GX *in my opinion seems to be the emulator of choice for now.
Master System: runs solid with consistent framerates and FM sound support.
Genesis: solid emulation for NTSC games, but sound issues with PAL since it's forcing 60Hz.
SegaCD: Some slowdowns, especially in the BIOS, but most games run fine. Secret of Monkey Island has a lot of sound pops. Road Rash, Soul Star, Snatcher, and most other games run great. Heart of the Alien is not selectable from the first in-game menu -- for some reason I can only choose Out of this World. Supports CHD files so less disk space is used, due to compression, and less clutter with having only one file instead of multiples for bin/cue.
32x: No support
Game Gear: Solid emulation with consistent framerates.
SG-1000: Solid emulation with consistent framerates. Color palette seems accurate which is an issue with some other emulators.

We just need the emulation improvements given to GenPlusGX on the Legends Flashback for our Genesis/Megadrive Flashbacks.

I expected much better from PicoDrive. It's the only Genesis emulator that runs full speed on the old 3DS. It runs SegaCD games great on a New 3DS, so I thought it would run even better on this hardware.  I don't know why, but the only thing it did well on my Flashback was SegaCD.  I seriously think even last year's emulator was better than this PicoDrive... much better... seriously.


----------



## HopTronix (Feb 3, 2019)

PicoDrive is running Sonic CD well here. At least through three levels. 32X support is working well.


----------



## rrifonas (Feb 3, 2019)

I personally prefer Genesis Plus GX than Picodrive. While I have the impression Picodrive is faster (and it is, at least running Sonic CD), "something" seems off. My tests are mostly based on the Legends Flashback which has 128MB RAM x 256MB in the Genesis Flashback so I think the differences are most perceptible. My Genesis Flashback has a hardware issue and it freezes after 15 minutes so I'm basically using it to check if the updates are good before releasing then here.

If you think the 2017 emulator is better try loading Outrun in the 2017 Flashback and let me know what happens .


----------



## Excalibur007 (Feb 3, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> If you think the 2017 emulator is better try loading Outrun in the 2017 Flashback and let me know what happens .



True, I definitely did not like being unable to play a few of the Genesis staples on the 2017 model, like OutRun and Super Hang-On. I don't remember if Space Harrier 2 worked. I remember something being off with the Lotus games as well.  However, there weren't that many that it was incompatible with, and of the games it played, it did a better job than PicoDrive on this model.  Alien Soldier played far better on the 2017 emulator.  I wasn't satisfied at all with last year's emulation, but I wasn't joking when I said I prefer it over PicoDrive on this year's.

The 2017 model played the Piko Interactive cartridge release of Duke Nukem 3D, but for some reason it does not work on this year's model, although it does play the rom just fine.

I am glad I tried PicoDrive though.  It satisfied my curiosity and made me appreciate GenPlusGX much more.  
While GenPlusGX doesn't play SegaCD 100%, it does play most games without noticeable slowdown.  I actually played all the way through Road Avenger for the first time yesterday.  I'm really glad AtGames chose it for the 2018 model.  I just hope they fix the 50Hz/EU MegaDrive games support like I guess they did for the Legends Flashback.


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## D-an-W (Feb 3, 2019)

To load Sega CD with multiple bin and a single cue do I just keep them all in the same zip file?

EDIT: Could someone who has several different game types on their SD Card please share a screenshot of the folder structure if at all possible?


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## rrifonas (Feb 3, 2019)

D-an-W said:


> To load Sega CD with multiple bin and a single cue do I just keep them all in the same zip file?
> 
> EDIT: Could someone who has several different game types on their SD Card please share a screenshot of the folder structure if at all possible?



zip is not supported for Sega CD. You will need to have .cue/.bin in the same folder, or use .chd files if you prefer a single file (Genesis Plus GX only).

You can use chdman (it's part of MAME) to convert .cue/.bin to .chd, and then back to a single .cue/.bin.
To create .chd files:
chdman createcd -i "C:\GAME\mygame.cue" -o "C:\Destination\mygame.chd" -f
To convert .chd to a single .cue/.bin:
chdman extractcd -i "C:\GAME\mygame.chd" -o "C:\Destination\mygame.cue" -ob "C:\Destination\mygame.bin" -f


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## Excalibur007 (Feb 4, 2019)

Would you be able to do the same thing (script to load rom partition from SD card) for the Atari Flashback HD?


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## D-an-W (Feb 5, 2019)

@rrifonas should the first extract option be -i and not -I ?


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## rrifonas (Feb 5, 2019)

Excalibur007 said:


> Would you be able to do the same thing (script to load rom partition from SD card) for the Atari Flashback HD?


Atari Flashback 8 HD: no
Atari Flashback 9: yes, if someone dump the partition.



D-an-W said:


> @rrifonas should the first extract option be -i and not -I ?


Yes, I'm sorry for the typo.


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## lolapaloooza (Feb 8, 2019)

Hi @rrifonas!! for us noobs here  can you please give us a step by step guide on what to do? and if possible.. what files are needed and which file goes where on the SD card? (i tried all possible ways bud had no luck at all)

Another question i got.. i played Aladdin from the SD card and the sound quality was awful.. is there any way to fix this?

Thank you in advance!


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## g78nge (Feb 9, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> zip is not supported for Sega CD. You will need to have .cue/.bin in the same folder, or use .chd files if you prefer a single file (Genesis Plus GX only).
> 
> You can use chdman (it's part of MAME) to convert .cue/.bin to .chd, and then back to a single .cue/.bin.
> To create .chd files:
> ...



--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Hi sorry I’m new to all this I’ve flashed my sega 2018 flashback hd with the sega cd firmware but how to I load the games the sd card icon is greyed out ?

Any help would be greatly appreciated


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## dcuk7 (Feb 9, 2019)

@g78nge If you want to just play from the SD card and keep the built-in games as they are, you need to make a folder on your SD card called *GAME *and then put your roms in there. Try not to use large SD cards either. All of my cards seem to be compatible but I tend to only use 16GB Sandisk cards in these Flashback units and they work great. Also, format it to FAT32 (if you are having trouble with this, use SD card formatter: https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/).

@lolapaloooza If you just want to play from SD card you can follow the instruction above. If you want to replace the built-in library with your own then you need to flash the custom firmware of your choice and then create a folder on the card called *rom*. In this folder you then need the all-games.ini file (I have attached the stock AtGames file to this post). You can then edit this file to add/remove games. I suggest using my game manager tool to help you do this as it makes it much easier to add and remove games. My tool will also verify that your SD card is set up correctly to work with the custom firmware in the Flashback HD.


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## g78nge (Feb 9, 2019)

I cant seem to get any sega cd games to run I'm using the custom firmware found on here and installed the games in game directory on the SD as .bin.cue no spaces in name but none of the 5 sega cd games boot any ideas ?


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## dcuk7 (Feb 9, 2019)

There was a bug in the Picodrive versions that has been fixed now. Download them again from post #97 and try that. Also, if you have renamed your bin/cue files, make sure you open up the .cue file in Notepad and change the name of the .bin in there too.


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## MB79 (Feb 9, 2019)

Hello everybody,
I would just like to say a big thank you to all the people who have been involved in the process of allowing us to add games, art work and change emulator if we so wish. 
Being a Noob at all this but having followed the processes (from the shadows) on here and made a far few errors (due to me rather than others) it is possible to get this working, but the information is all spread out....not a complaint just a statement as it was all learnt across a time period and also on two separate threads.
The issue I had with CD games was not having the BIOS in correctly (actually it was not having ALL THREE BIOS in the folder having only put the Europe one in, having misread several times the very obvious AND in the instructions) - if you read *post #159 (on page 8) of Atgames sega flashback 2018 edition is out in the wild*. (no idea if that will link to it or not.....see told you I am a Noob!!!) this might be why the CD games aren't playing, unless of course the download from Post #97 on here has the Bios included in them now?
I am happy to do a step by step Noob guide if people would like, however I don't wish to take any credit or step on anyone's toes...especially as I have a question to ask in a bit. But if the above post fixed it then feel free to ignore me and I will return to the shadows.


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## rrifonas (Feb 9, 2019)

The updates including Genesis Plus GX need the BIOS files in the GAME folder.
The latest Picodrive update in post 97 doesn't need the BIOS (the are included in the emulator partitonl.


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## lolapaloooza (Feb 11, 2019)

@dcuk7 A BIIIIG Thank you for the reply on this one!! what i was missing was the command in the "mount_sd.ini". Thanks to your tool i got everything up and running!!

Last one.. any idea about the "bad" laggy sound on many of the games (e.g. World of illusion)? Any idea on how to fix this?


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## rrifonas (Feb 11, 2019)

There is no way to fix these sound issues, it's probably something from Atgames emulator.
If you are using the PAL version of the games, I suggest to use the NTSC version (US or JPN) as they seem to run better.


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## BillyHGamer (Feb 11, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> There is no way to fix these sound issues, it's probably something from Atgames emulator.
> If you are using the PAL version of the games, I suggest to use the NTSC version (US or JPN) as they seem to run better.



I can't get sega cd and 32x games to work and your new software you can't load saved games and you can't play the sms and gg games either what website is best for sega cd and 32x roms what I'm I doing wrong


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## rrifonas (Feb 11, 2019)

Genesis Plus GX and Picodrive save states are not interchangeable. If you create save states with the Default emulator they won't load in Picodrive.
SMS works in both emulators,  and GG only works with Genesis Plus GX.
32x only works with Picodrive.
If you already read the threads and the tips from other users you should have Sega CD working. If you are running Genesis Plus GX you will need the BIOS files.


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## dcuk7 (Feb 11, 2019)

@lolapaloooza I'm glad my app helped. rrifonas is right that the sound issues are endemic of the system. My feeling is that the drivers they are using aren't up to scratch as some of the sound issues I have experienced in the stock Flashback units with Genesis Plus GX only happen on this system. Even using the latest nightly build of the GX core doesn't make a difference. I found that Picodrive eliminates most of the sound glitches (although Picodrive doesn't emulate Genesis sound very accurately, but that has been the same for years now).

Just to add to the Sega CD madness, I have trouble loading certain bin/cue Sega CD files using Genesis Plus GX. Some work fine (for example Mortal Kombat) and others I just can't get to work at all (Sonic CD). All these bin/cue files are also on my Retropie and they work fine. I have two Flashback units set up here, one with GX and the other with Picodrive. For the GX one, I only use CHD files for Sega CD and they all work perfectly (well, with a little slowdown/audio glitch). My Picodrive setup works with all my bin/cue files (which is just as well as Picodrive doesn't support CHD files). I'd suggest sticking with CHD if using Genesis Plus GX and the bin/cue or img/cue for Picodrive.


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## BillyHGamer (Feb 11, 2019)

g78nge said:


> --------------------- MERGED ---------------------------
> 
> Hi sorry I’m new to all this I’ve flashed my sega 2018 flashback hd with the sega cd firmware but how to I load the games the sd card icon is greyed out ?
> 
> Any help would be greatly appreciated



I need help wich update do I need for the sega cd games to work on the sega flashback hd 2018 and what website to use cause I have sega cd games on my sd card but none of them play can you please tell me step by step on how to put sega cd roms on the sd card and to make them work I have tried everything and sega cd don't work


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## BillyHGamer (Feb 11, 2019)

BillyHGamer said:


> I need help wich update do I need for the sega cd games to work on the sega flashback hd 2018 and what website to use cause I have sega cd games on my sd card but none of them play can you please tell me step by step on how to put sega cd roms on the sd card and to make them work I have tried everything and sega cd don't work





I'm using the picodrive but with the update it's won't play gg games on my console what I'm I doing wrong please need step by step help I read everything and not working


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## MB79 (Feb 12, 2019)

Hi BillyHGamer

From my understanding Picodrive doesn't support GG so you won't be able to play them if you have used that update.
There are two emulator options and unfortunately neither play all games, so it is a case of picking which one plays the most of the games you want.

Genesis Gx Plus (the original emulator) plays everything except 32X games/roms

Picodrive plays everything except Game Gear games/roms

Depending on what your CD games/roms are saved as, may also depend on which update/emulator you wish to use.

The CD games/roms are normally .bin/.cue or .img/.cue or .chd and again each of these need little adjustments for them. I had a fair few issues getting it all working myself and struggled with websites for downloads so happy to help you out.

What are your CD games/roms saved as?


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## rrifonas (Feb 12, 2019)

Picodrive doesn't work with game gear. It was told before. 

We don't share links to download stuff. You can search in archive.org or a torrent site.

If you can make Genesis Plus GX runs in your PC using Retroarch, you can use the same BIOS files and copy to the game folder in the SD Card. Use this information to learn about the BIOS files needed:
https://docs.libretro.com/library/genesis_plus_gx/


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## MB79 (Feb 12, 2019)

Hi rrifonas,
This most likely is a stupid question, but here goes.
The Genesis Plus Gx when run on Wii has the option of Lock on cartridges (Sonic & Knuckles/Game genie etc). I have tried to figure out if it is possible to do the same thing on this system and whilst I understand the need for the correct BIOS file in the correct folder on the SD card, there unlike on the Wii isn't an option menu to turn on the lock-on cartridge.
Is it possible to do that on this system or has that part been removed? I have looked in this emulator and the Wii file to try to see if possible but I am completely out of my league on all this stuff, and wondered if you would mind helping
In regards to my previous post I had no intention of putting a link on, and was going to suggest archive.org as that is where I found the stuff, so hope I haven't done anything improper.
Thanks


----------



## rrifonas (Feb 12, 2019)

Hi @MB79, the question is valid. 
I haven't tried game genie or the lock-on feature yet,  but I can tell you the core is intact (it is the same running in SNESC, and almost the same as the Raspberry Pi), and the feature is also available in RetroArch so in theory it works. I'm not sure if and how the emulator handles this, and if we need to set any core setting in retroplayer.ini. I will see how it works and get back to you.


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## MB79 (Feb 12, 2019)

Thank you very much for your answer and also taking the time to look into it, when you have the opportunity.
Greatly appreciated.


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## BillyHGamer (Feb 12, 2019)

MB79 said:


> Hi BillyHGamer
> 
> From my understanding Picodrive doesn't support GG so you won't be able to play them if you have used that update.
> There are two emulator options and unfortunately neither play all games, so it is a case of picking which one plays the most of the games you want.
> ...



I only have one and it's a  .bin file but I also tried  .rar and both no luck on the picodrive and mine plays the  .bin .Sms  also the game gear games just fine on the picodrive just not sega cd  and 32x so I guess I will try Genesis gx plus with the bios files

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



BillyHGamer said:


> I only have one and it's a  .bin file but I also tried  .rar and both no luck on the picodrive and mine plays the  .bin .Sms  also the game gear games just fine on the picodrive just not sega cd  and 32x so I guess I will try Genesis gx plus with the bios files



where can I find the original Genesis gx plus update


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## BillyHGamer (Feb 12, 2019)

BillyHGamer said:


> I only have one and it's a  .bin file but I also tried  .rar and both no luck on the picodrive and mine plays the  .bin .Sms  also the game gear games just fine on the picodrive just not sega cd  and 32x so I guess I will try Genesis gx plus with the bios files
> 
> --------------------- MERGED ---------------------------
> 
> ...



Using the old picodrive not the new one rrifonas did and sorry mb79 I totally got lost reading the post that had rrifonas updates on his post #97 got everything working now got the sega cd working

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



rrifonas said:


> Genesis Plus GX and Picodrive save states are not interchangeable. If you create save states with the Default emulator they won't load in Picodrive.
> SMS works in both emulators,  and GG only works with Genesis Plus GX.
> 32x only works with Picodrive.
> If you already read the threads and the tips from other users you should have Sega CD working. If you are running Genesis Plus GX you will need the BIOS files.



Sorry man totally got lost about the updates you did and said about them got the sega cd to work thanks and do you have the original Genesis gx plus update before you just did the new one update for it want to try both before I choose the one I like most

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



MB79 said:


> Thank you very much for your answer and also taking the time to look into it, when you have the opportunity.
> Greatly appreciated.




The question I have is on my sd card on the computer is in alphabetical order and when I put it in the sega flashback all the games are not in alphabetical order some are and most are not how can I fix this


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## BillyHGamer (Feb 12, 2019)

MB79 said:


> Hi BillyHGamer
> 
> From my understanding Picodrive doesn't support GG so you won't be able to play them if you have used that update.
> There are two emulator options and unfortunately neither play all games, so it is a case of picking which one plays the most of the games you want.
> ...




How do I get the bios files for Genesis Plus GX  I downloaded the update for it but the 3 bios files are not in there to add to the GAME folder

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



rrifonas said:


> I updated Post #97 with the new update for Picodrive adding Sega CD support. I did some tests and US and JP games work fine. EU games play fast, the emulator is forcing the game to run at 60fps while it should run at 50fps.
> 
> 
> No, you can't. This is an emulation device and while most of the cartridges can be 'dumped' just fine, a few of them have problems. Games that should have problems running from cartridge:
> ...



How do I get the 3 bios files I downloaded the update for Genesis Plus GX but no bios files


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## rrifonas (Feb 12, 2019)

You will need to find the files by yourself. This article has the file names (bios_CD_U.bin, bios_CD_E.bin and bios_CD_J.bin) and file hash for each file:
https://docs.libretro.com/library/genesis_plus_gx/


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## BillyHGamer (Feb 12, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> You will need to find the files by yourself. This article has the file names (bios_CD_U.bin, bios_CD_E.bin and bios_CD_J.bin) and file hash for each file:
> https://docs.libretro.com/library/genesis_plus_gx/




Ok thanks


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## rrifonas (Feb 13, 2019)

MB79 said:


> Thank you very much for your answer and also taking the time to look into it, when you have the opportunity.
> Greatly appreciated.


Answering your question about Game Genie / Lock-on cartridge, it works but:
1) It's not implemented in my current custom firmware but you can download US version or the EU/UK version if you want to test.
2) You will need to edit this retroplayer.ini in you computer every time you want to enable, disable or change "Sonic & Knuckles" or "Game Genie" support
3) You need to have the correct files to make it work, the list of files is available in the Genesis Plus GX documentation

EDIT: added the EU/UK version, but I've only tested the update for the Genesis Flashback (US version)


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## MB79 (Feb 14, 2019)

Hi @rrifonas

Thank you for going to the effort to figure this out for me and so quickly as well, greatly appreciated.

I got the game genie one to work nice and quickly - mainly as I already had the correct file for that one.

Had a small issue with the Sonic & Knuckles one, I renamed Sonic and Knuckles rom (as per readme file) in rom folder on SD card and in all_games.ini (plus renaming the png files after the box art images disappeared on load up!!), I also downloaded the correct file after a bit of searching..the first file I found was the wrong size and broke Sonic 2, rather than loading it with Knuckles instead of Sonic on front screen. This second file also allows "Blue Spheres" games to be played with any other rom loaded up as long as player remembers to press A, B & C together on the NO WAY load screen, and the add on rom is smaller than 2GB.

I am not sure if it is a typo on the readme page of the download, but the Sonic 2 patch rom needs to be saved as sk2chip whereas in the readme file it says s2kchip otherwise it doesn't work.

Thought if you knew then you could change it in case anyone else wants to do it, even though the typo actually helped me find the correct size file!!!

Again a massive thank you for this and all the other work you have done for this thread.


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## rrifonas (Feb 14, 2019)

It was a typo. I've seen one thing in the screen and typed another. I will fix the "readme" later.
I'm happy it worked as expected.


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## BillyHGamer (Feb 14, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> You will need to find the files by yourself. This article has the file names (bios_CD_U.bin, bios_CD_E.bin and bios_CD_J.bin) and file hash for each file:
> https://do
> 
> I looked for these files I can't find them anywhere looked for about 3 hours what's the key search for them never did this kind of stuff before


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## subcon959 (Feb 14, 2019)

BillyHGamer said:


> I looked for these files I can't find them anywhere looked for about 3 hours what's the key search for them never did this kind of stuff before


3 hours? I've just googled bios_CD_U.bin and it literally took a couple seconds to get the file.


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## BillyHGamer (Feb 15, 2019)

subcon959 said:


> 3 hours? I've just googled bios_CD_U.bin and it literally took a couple seconds to get the file.





subcon959 said:


> 3 hours? I've just googled bios_CD_U.bin and it literally took a couple seconds to get the file.



Yes


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## BillyHGamer (Feb 15, 2019)

I'm new to all this


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## rrifonas (Mar 3, 2019)

Atgames released a new update for the Genesis Flashback HD 2018 last week (v20190226).
The issue with PAL games seems fixed (I've only tested Sonic 2 for Master System and Sonic CD) and the games are running even better in my opinion. The scanline filter is much better than the older version. The core was not changed but they've implemented the improvements from the latest update for the Legends Flashback emulator.

I've made a custom firmware based on this new update in case anyone want to try it.
Features:
-> Genesis Plus GX to load Genesis, Master System, Game Gear and Sega CD games from SD Card OR Picodrive to load Genesis, Master System, Sega CD and 32x
-> Support to mount the games from the SD Card
-> Game Genie support won't work with this update as Atgames changes the emulator and most of the settings for retroplayer.ini are now being read from a read-only file in the /emulator partition
-> The European Firmware is based on the US version but I've replaced the assets, the "About" section will not be displayed as it's the US firmware
-> This update replaces the *data *partition. Save states stored in the console will be deleted. Backup them to the SD Card before starting the update

For the latest version, check this post. 

If the controllers stop responding, you may need to pair them again:
-> Turn off the console and the controller
-> Press A+UP and turn on the controller; The blue light will start blinking
-> Turn on the console, the controller will sync

To mount the rom partition in the SD Card:
-> Create a file mount_sd.ini in the root of the SD Card
-> Copy the backup from your 'rom' partition a 'rom' folder in the root of the SD Card
-> Removing the SD Card and rebooting the device will revert to the original partition
-> Renaming/deleting mount_sd.ini will also revert to the original partition

EDIT: Removed old build, update link to the latest version.


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## Conex (Mar 3, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> Atgames released a new update for the Genesis Flashback HD 2018 last week (v20190226).
> The issue with PAL games seems fixed (I've only tested Sonic 2 for Master System and Sonic CD) and the games are running even better in my opinion. The scanline filter is much better than the older version. The core was not changed but they've implemented the improvements from the latest update for the Legends Flashback emulator.
> 
> I've made a custom firmware based on this new update in case anyone want to try it.
> ...


AWESOME thx


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## Conex (Mar 3, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> Atgames released a new update for the Genesis Flashback HD 2018 last week (v20190226).
> The issue with PAL games seems fixed (I've only tested Sonic 2 for Master System and Sonic CD) and the games are running even better in my opinion. The scanline filter is much better than the older version. The core was not changed but they've implemented the improvements from the latest update for the Legends Flashback emulator.
> 
> I've made a custom firmware based on this new update in case anyone want to try it.
> ...


Hey man after testing the update on Megadrive HD (2018 Eur) all Gen and Megadrive and Master System roms no longer work but CD does. So CD only?
UPDATE: Megadrive/Genesis roms work but must be .bin and the rest cannot be zipped like before.


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## Steve_Rose (Mar 3, 2019)

@rrifonas great work  must start playing with this again


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## rrifonas (Mar 3, 2019)

Conex said:


> Hey man after testing the update on Megadrive HD (2018 Eur) all Gen and Megadrive and Master System roms no longer work but CD does. So CD only?
> UPDATE: Megadrive/Genesis roms work but must be .bin and the rest cannot be zipped like before.


Can you give me more details about your issue?

This device doesn't support zip files. It only supports the games in their original extensions: .bin or .md for Genesis, .sms for Master System  .gg for Game Gear, .cue or .chd for Sega CD.

The older version is still available if you want to rollback to the original firmware.


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## Alphons Potters (Mar 3, 2019)

Hello people, First of all I see some great work with new mods and interfaces and a lot of info.

I have owned the old Sega  Flashback 2017 version (also hacked it and put some extra games on it) and sold it because the system couldn't play some games like Contra, Super Street Fighter 2, Nba Jam Te, Virtua Racing Etc. but the new model has a lot of improvements over the older version. (better build quality, better emulation, better support of games,  better menu to navigate, better battery valves of the controllers etc. etc. etc.

A friend of mine bought the new 2019 version (in Europe it's just released with 82 games) its missing unfortunately the 3x Mortal Kombat games on it because of copyright issues. I know the AMERICAN version has 85 games and the old version was released with 82 and 85 in Europa, but the new version so far only with 82.

Mine question... is it possible to Hack the 2019 version (just like the old version) and adding games to the system so you will see a nice picture and title and add some extra tabs to the original Flashback menu?  I just want to add games, not put a totally new interface on it. Just add some extra games on the system. I know I need to open it up and hook the system to the PC to hack it (well at least you needed to do that with the old 2017 version).

I know you can add games with the SD but it's much more beautiful to put them on the system itself rather than put them on the SD card. Maybe it has mentioned here, but there is so much information I couldn't find it and sorry for asking the easy way!

UPDATE: I see it's possible with this software (looks really great!)
https://gbatemp.net/threads/genesis-flashback-hd-2018-game-manager.529624/
THANKS DCUK7 for this!!

DCUK7 do you mind if me and my buddy make a video about it on youtube (tutorial) so more people know about this?
Our channel is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW_sIU3MaWW5cXSjGqNIvbw

UPDATE:
rrifonas thanks for all your hard work too and the updates!


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## dcuk7 (Mar 3, 2019)

@Alphons Potters I don't mind at all. I've watched your channel many times for the reviews of the Chinese retro systems. I'd be honoured.


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## Alphons Potters (Mar 3, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> @Alphons Potters I don't mind at all. I've watched your channel many times for the reviews of the Chinese retro systems. I'd be honoured.



Ok this is really funny and accidental haha.
I hope to get the machine in 4-5 days and will try things out and later this month will make the video's with mine buddy.


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## dcuk7 (Mar 3, 2019)

So, I have two of these units in front of me, one flashed with the new update with stock Genesis GX Plus and one with the previous firmware running PicoDrive.

The new firmware with GX Plus fixes virtually all the sound glitches (such as the harsh sound of the rings in Sonic 1/2/3/3K) but I have noticed that it still has some audio lag. This is easy tested with a Sonic game. Collect a ring or hit a spring and watch as the animation happens, the sound does not play instantly. Doing the same on the old firmware running PicoDrive has virtually no audio lag.

The issue with the PicoDrive firmware though is that the sound will sometimes be slightly choppy (Sonic 2 title screen music for example). This makes the emulation run slower. Running both units side by side with the game synced on both (again, I used Sonic 2 for this test), I let the demo/attact mode run. Every pass of the title screen made the PicoDrive unit run slightly behind. After a 5 or so minutes the PicoDrive unit was a good 1-2 seconds behind.

I've run both units through my 4K Sony TV and my Samsung 4K computer monitor to make sure that the audio lag on the GX Plus version wasn't down to my AV setup but I hear it on both monitors. Anyone else notice this?

I'm going to stick with playing on the PicoDrive version for now. Even though the audio is sometimes choppy (thus slowing the emulator down) trying to collect Blue Spheres in Sonic 3K with the GX Plus audio lag drives me insane!

Edit: I should note that the choppy audio on the PicoDrive firmware is not the fault of PicoDrive. I've tested this on my PC running PicoDrive and the audio is fine.


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## Alphons Potters (Mar 3, 2019)

dcuk7: But you mean the audio will go out of sync more and more after a while with the Picodrive? That is also not very good. I would prefer the GX version more than.
Does the audio lag only happen with the Sonic games or with more Genesis / Mega Drive games?


----------



## rrifonas (Mar 3, 2019)

Thank you for the tests, unfortunately I can't test as much as I'd want, my FB HD 2018 freezes after 10 minutes, at least it's enough to test the updates. 
I think the emulator has the same kind of audio delay as the Legends Flashback. They've changed a setting "AudioSample" in the ini file from 2048 to 150 but I couldn't understand how this setting work, the last time I've played with I couldn't find any difference.


----------



## Conex (Mar 4, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> Thank you for the tests, unfortunately I can't test as much as I'd want, my FB HD 2018 freezes after 10 minutes, at least it's enough to test the updates.
> I think the emulator has the same kind of audio delay as the Legends Flashback. They've changed a setting "AudioSample" in the ini file from 2048 to 150 but I couldn't understand how this setting work, the last time I've played with I couldn't find any difference.


Previously was using Pico version and it did infact work with zipped games, it's all good everything works on latest update now.


----------



## rrifonas (Mar 4, 2019)

Conex said:


> Previously was using Pico version and it did infact work with zipped games, it's all good everything works on latest update now.


That's awesome! Thanks for let me know.


----------



## Excalibur007 (Mar 4, 2019)

SegaCD performance seems to be significantly better with this latest update.

What's the reason the official firmware update is so large (138MB)?


----------



## Conex (Mar 4, 2019)

@dcuk7 Anychance you can add .gg support to the app?
also @rrifonas massive sound delay when playing SMS games especially Sonic 2 SMS. Noticeable in all games though.


----------



## rrifonas (Mar 4, 2019)

Excalibur007 said:


> SegaCD performance seems to be significantly better with this latest update.
> 
> What's the reason the official firmware update is so large (138MB)?


The update has a full dump of the data partition, with its original size.



Conex said:


> @dcuk7 Anychance you can add .gg support to the app?
> also @rrifonas massive sound delay when playing SMS games especially Sonic 2 SMS. Noticeable in all games though.


I noticed this sound delay with Sonic 2 SMS. It's more prominent in PAL games (like Sonic 2) but it happens with all games. While atgames is improving the emulation in general they still need to give more attention to these details in the sound.


----------



## dcuk7 (Mar 4, 2019)

Alphons Potters said:


> dcuk7: But you mean the audio will go out of sync more and more after a while with the Picodrive? That is also not very good. I would prefer the GX version more than.
> Does the audio lag only happen with the Sonic games or with more Genesis / Mega Drive games?



I just meant when comparing the two firmwares, one lags behind the other. If you just play the PicoDrive firmware, the audio lag is almost unnoticable. The issue with the PicoDrive firmware is that the audio can glitch or get choppy. This slows the emulator down, meaning the game can stutter. I can live with that though. The audio lag on the GX firmware is very noticable on the Sonic games but happens on every game. It is worth noting that none of these audio issues are to do with the emulators. These are all specific to the AtGames devices. They are getting better though with each update.



Conex said:


> @dcuk7 Anychance you can add .gg support to the app?
> also @rrifonas massive sound delay when playing SMS games especially Sonic 2 SMS. Noticeable in all games though.



I am readying a new update for later this week. I will add .gg support in. As a workaround, when browsing for the rom file, type *.gg in the dialog box and it will force it to show .gg files (all my roms are zipped so mine don't show in the example below).







I may capture some footage of these issues to highlight it more clearly. Gives me a reason to break out the Elgato!


----------



## Alphons Potters (Mar 4, 2019)

Keep going Dcuk7 and rrifonas you doing great work to the community! I am sure you will fix all the issues and we will have an awesome Sega Flashback system! 
GG support would be great! 

Also I can recommend buying the new Retro-Bit Original Sega COntrollers. They are awesome and can be used on the Sega Flashblack! We make a review of these soon on your channel.
Retro-bit have send us some samples!


----------



## Excalibur007 (Mar 4, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> The audio lag on the GX firmware is very noticable on the Sonic games but happens on every game. It is worth noting that none of these audio issues are to do with the emulators. These are all specific to the AtGames devices. They are getting better though with each update.



I didn't notice it when I first tested the new firmware, but after your first post about it, I went back and did hear it.  It seemed to be less noticeable with "Overdrive" enabled in the Settings.

Another thing that I didn't notice at first was the spotty enabling of FM sound.  The emulator enables it for some FM supported games (like R-Type, Rampage, Rastan, etc.), but not for others (like Golvellius, Shinobi, Phantasy Star FM patched from smspower, etc.).  I'm wondering if the setting for GenPlusGX in the firmware is set to "auto" for FM sound instead of "ON", and is having trouble detecting it in some games.  I've seen this issue in GenPlusGX using RetroArch before, so I always set FM to ON.  I'd think each game where it's not detected could be patched to force FM, but I haven't tried yet.

I've been very pleased with SegaCD emulation since the last update.  I'm not getting any more sound hiccups/stutters now.


----------



## dcuk7 (Mar 4, 2019)

So I've been playing around with different firmwares and here is something I've noticed. On the new GX firmware, if you disable the background music and enable overdrive as @Excalibur007 says above, it really reduces the audio lag considerably. It's almost on par with the Picodrive firmware.


----------



## Conex (Mar 4, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> So I've been playing around with different firmwares and here is something I've noticed. On the new GX firmware, if you disable the background music and enable overdrive as @Excalibur007 says above, it really reduces the audio lag considerably. It's almost on par with the Picodrive firmware.


I will have to give that a go.
Also I was doing a diff work around for gg currently, i was renaming the rom .sms before sending to SD I would tell your app to rename it .gg in filename haha

UPDATE: Turned on overdrive (already had music off) it did help with the NTSC games but the PAL sms games still are pretty bad. :/
Work around at least for SMS sonic 2 is to just play the GG version as that is NTSC and doesn't lag.


----------



## MB79 (Mar 5, 2019)

Hi @rrifonas or @Steve_Rose  or @dcuk7
I have been trying to unpack and repack the .img file to try something out, but have hit a brick wall repacking the .dump file
I am using imgRePackerRK106 on Windows (as my attempt at Linux via a VM was woeful) and I think that I may need a config file that was being spoken about in Post #94
Would it be possible to have a copy of this file please so rather than relying on everyone else (well apart from for the config file!! and all the stuff already done) so I can try things and try to learn.
Thank you


----------



## rrifonas (Mar 5, 2019)

File is package-file, and it's basically a relationship between the partition and the files:


```
# NAME Relative path
parameter parameter
emulator emulator.img
data  data_no_test_sd_on.img
backup  RESERVED
#update-script  update-script
#recover-script recover-script
```

And you need to include the paremeter /rkaf in ImgRePackerRk.exe


----------



## rrifonas (Mar 6, 2019)

I've edited Post #171 with links for the firmware with Picodrive instead of Genesis Plus GX.
This version looks better than the previous one, so I will remove the old updates and keep only the updates based on the latest Atgames firmware.


----------



## subcon959 (Mar 6, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> I've edited Post #171 with links for the firmware with Picodrive instead of Genesis Plus GX.
> This version looks better than the previous one, so I will remove the old updates and keep only the updates based on the latest Atgames firmware.


Do you think it might be better to make your own thread so you can keep the first post updated instead of having to keep referencing post 171 lol


----------



## MB79 (Mar 12, 2019)

Hi @rrifonas 
Thank you for the file, have managed to use it to have a  play, adding Roms to unit, and also changing the retroplayer_ro.ini to allow lock on cartridges, but cannot change as easily as your previous version, ie on the sd card, but have to unpack and repack the emulator.img each time.
My unit has now started freezing after 8 - 10 minutes of play....You have the same issue as stated above and in other Genesis 2018 out in the open thread.
Would this be a hardware issue that could have just occurred after 3 months of usage or may I have stuffed up something in a file somewhere? I understand that could be a difficult to answer question as the answer may be numerous causes.
Any ideas or suggestions that I could try?
Thank you


----------



## rrifonas (Mar 13, 2019)

I couldn't figure out what happens with these devices. My Genesis FB 2018 is semi-broken while my Legends Flashback (which I've done much worse things) still working fine.
While this seems like a software issue (it's always around 10-15 minutes), it works again for the same time if you restart it, I'm quite sure it's something on the hardware level. What I've tested so far, without success:
1) Low level format and recover from Backup
2) Flash a backup from another device
3) Flash a backup from Legends Flashback
4) Re-solder the power circuit


----------



## MB79 (Mar 13, 2019)

Thank you for your response on the above, I had also tried flashing with an older backup to no avail.
There was mention of trying a heat sink in the other thread....Is it worth a shot? or just go and buy a new unit!!! This was a gift and I got a few dirty looks for having broken it by and I quote "P****** around with it rather than just playing with the damn thing"
I have found a patch that was done for the following "For some reason accessing memory region above 0xfe000000 freezes
system on rk3066" but I don't understand it or have the skill level to attempt it.
However as my unit freezes even if not playing games (just leaving on load up game selection page or even in the recovery section) I guess the above may be unhelpful, but can always hope. You may have already known about this or it may not be suitable however I thought it would be worth running past you just in case.
As always thanks for all you have done.


----------



## rrifonas (Mar 14, 2019)

MB79 said:


> Thank you for your response on the above, I had also tried flashing with an older backup to no avail.
> There was mention of trying a heat sink in the other thread....Is it worth a shot? or just go and buy a new unit!!! This was a gift and I got a few dirty looks for having broken it by and I quote "P****** around with it rather than just playing with the damn thing"
> I have found a patch that was done for the following "For some reason accessing memory region above 0xfe000000 freezes
> system on rk3066" but I don't understand it or have the skill level to attempt it.
> ...



I went ahead and tried to completely erase the NAND in MaskROM mode (the official Atgames contains the bootloader to recover the device later), and it still freezing after 10 minutes, so I'm almost certain it's a hardware issue. My device has the very same behavior as yours, it freezes even when no games are running. I've tried using a Raspberry Pi heatsink, no luck.
I never heard about this patch, but it would be difficult to apply it without the source code.

I'm still frustrated my Genesis FB 2018 is freezing, this device has everything to work as a real Genesis replacement. At least my 'full-modded' 2017 is working like a charm!


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (Mar 14, 2019)

@rrifonas Thanks for the custom firmware.  My system runs great!!  Amazing job!  I just started testing if my multi-disc games can disc swap.  Think I have an idea that can work.  

Currently using the Genesis GX Plus core.  This latest version works really well.  I tried Picodrive, but couldn't get my Sega CD games to work.  That said, I've been using CHD and I'm not sure if Picodrive can use that format.  Either that, or I need to provide the bios for Picodrive.


----------



## Excalibur007 (Mar 14, 2019)

DoctorEvil8 said:


> I tried Picodrive, but couldn't get my Sega CD games to work.  That said, I've been using CHD and I'm not sure if Picodrive can use that format.  Either that, or I need to provide the bios for Picodrive.


PicoDrive does not currently support CHD.  With the latest update using GenesisPlusGX, the SegaCD performance is good enough that PicoDrive is much less appealing (previously only appealing for better SegaCD and 32X, but now only for 32X).

***The trade offs with PicoDrive are:
No GameGear support
No CHD support
No Master System FM sound support
Not sure about SG-1000 (I should try it with PicoDrive)
————
You get 32X support

***Trade off with GenesisPlusGX:
No 32X support
————
You get GameGear suppport
You get CHD support
You get Master System FM sound suppport
You get SG-1000 support

And besides that, PicoDrive actually performed worse than the GenesisPlusGX core on this system when I tested.

@rrifonas Do you know what name is being given to the ROMs that are dumped from carts? If the name displayed in the Cart screen is an indicator, it may be a name from the header. If that is the case, games with spaces in their names in the ROM header (or no name) will not play. I’ve seen several cartridge games not play on the 2018 model that played on the 2017. The 2017 did not have the limitation of no spaces in the filenames. This seems to be a restriction inadvertently introduced when AtGames designed this to be able to use an SD card and play ROMs.
I’m wondering if the incompatibility with certain games could be fixed by either changing the way the unit names the ROMs dumped from carts, or by fixing the dashboard to properly load files with spaces in the names.
I ask this because I thought you might know or be able to give some insight. I want to file a bug report or feature request with AtGames and wanted to get any possible insight before I do.


----------



## rrifonas (Mar 14, 2019)

I don't think disc swap will work as the emulator does not support playlist.

CHD only works with Genesis Plus GX. You need to convert it to cue/bin if you want to use Picodrive.


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (Mar 14, 2019)

@Excalibur007 Awesome detailed post!  Thank you so much.

I am debating if I need/want 32x or not at this point.  I am very happy with the performance of the Genesis Plus GX.  I guess it all depends if I have enough storage space for the CD games I want to use if BIN is too much.  I remember reading the SD has a limit of 16gb.  Is that still a limit with the custom firmware?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



rrifonas said:


> I don't think disc swap will work as the emulator does not support playlist.
> 
> CHD only works with Genesis Plus GX. You need to convert it to cue/bin if you want to use Picodrive.



@rrifonas I am using the all-games.ini file, using subfolders and save states.  It's a trick I learned with the C64 mini. 

Create a subfolder inside the rom folder for disc 1.  i.e.  /rom/gzt1    Save the disc 1 of the game GroundZeroTexas.CHD and point to this inside all-games.ini.

Next, create another subfolder for disc 2.  i.e.  /rom/gzt2   Save the disc 2 of the game with the same name as disc 1.  GroundZeroTexas.CHD and point to this in all-games.ini.  This gives two icons, one for disc 1, one for disc 2.

Play disc 1 of game.  When prompted for disc change, create a save state.  Exit the game.  Start disc 2, and resume the save state.  Since the filenames themselves are identical, the save state is available for disc 2.

The save state from disc 1 is accessible for disc 2.  I tested this already.  I haven't played a game through to a real disc change yet.  In theory it should work.


----------



## rrifonas (Mar 14, 2019)

Excalibur007 said:


> @rrifonas Do you know what name is being given to the ROMs that are dumped from carts? If the name displayed in the Cart screen is an indicator, it may be a name from the header. If that is the case, games with spaces in their names in the ROM header (or no name) will not play. I’ve seen several cartridge games not play on the 2018 model that played on the 2017. The 2017 did not have the limitation of no spaces in the filenames. This seems to be a restriction inadvertently introduced when AtGames designed this to be able to use an SD card and play ROMs.
> I’m wondering if the incompatibility with certain games could be fixed by either changing the way the unit names the ROMs dumped from carts, or by fixing the dashboard to properly load files with spaces in the names.
> I ask this because I thought you might know or be able to give some insight. I want to file a bug report or feature request with AtGames and wanted to get any possible insight before I do.



The carts are always named card.bin and they are stored in /tmp, so the problem running the games is not related with their names.


----------



## Excalibur007 (Mar 15, 2019)

DoctorEvil8 said:


> @Excalibur007 Awesome detailed post!  Thank you so much.
> 
> I am debating if I need/want 32x or not at this point.  I am very happy with the performance of the Genesis Plus GX.  I guess it all depends if I have enough storage space for the CD games I want to use if BIN is too much.  I remember reading the SD has a limit of 16gb.  Is that still a limit with the custom firmware?


I haven't tried anything larger than 16GB, but this shouldn't be affected by the custom firmware.  If this helps you decide, I currently have on my 16GB SD card:
*59* _SegaCD_ games in CHD format
*414* _Genesis_ games in bin format
*76* _Master System_ games
*10* _GameGear_ games
*68* _SG-1000_ games
*32* _32X_ games in a separate folder even though they're not playable (just sitting there from when I tried PicoDrive)
with 172MB of free space remaining

That's really all the Sega games I'll ever want/need to play.  I still have plenty of space for more games, and if I want to add another SegaCD game, I can either remove those excess 32X roms or replace a SegaCD game that I never play.  However, if I use PicoDrive, I give up CHD (so a lot of those SegaCD games have to go). I also give up SMS FM sound, GameGear, and possibly SG-1000.  All for poorer performance (in my experience), but added (less than full-speed) 32X support.  For me, it's no contest.  Just depends on how important 32X is.



DoctorEvil8 said:


> I am using the all-games.ini file, using subfolders and save states.  It's a trick I learned with the C64 mini.
> 
> Create a subfolder inside the rom folder for disc 1.... create another subfolder for disc 2... Play disc 1 of game.  When prompted for disc change, create a save state.  Exit the game.  Start disc 2, and resume the save state...


Very cool.  I hadn't even thought about the multi-disc game issue yet.  I haven't added any SegaCD games to my all-games.ini, but I've been tempted to.  I guess if I want to do multi-disc games, I now have a reason to add some.



rrifonas said:


> The carts are always named card.bin and they are stored in /tmp, so the problem running the games is not related with their names.


Well, that's good to know.  But, now I have no idea why some carts would have problems in the 2018 model when the 2017 played them.  Any ideas?


----------



## rrifonas (Mar 15, 2019)

I don't know why some games doesn't work with the FB2018. Except for Sonic 3, all my few other games worked. I see the cartridge slot is not as good as the FB2017, the games doesn't dump on the first attempt,  and the dumper only extracts 1 ROM at a time - FB2017 can extract Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic 3 (but it can't merge them).


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (Mar 16, 2019)

Finally advanced far enough in Ground Zero Texas to get to a disc change prompt. Note: The rewind function is awesome!!!  

Swapping discs works!  The save state only uses filename of the game, not the location. So using sub folders and using identical filename for each disc allows the save state to resume from either disc.  I need the bios, the chd and both pics in each sub folder and point to that sub folder in the all-games.ini.


----------



## Mauricelelapin (Mar 20, 2019)

Hello,
Thanx a lot for all this great work : You rock & kick ass


----------



## Alphons Potters (Mar 21, 2019)

I installed the latest Custom GenesisPlusGX firmware on mine MD Flashback.
I tested a lot of games but I have some problems with the some audio delay.

Sonic 3 has  when you start it the normal way a sound delay of 0.5 sec. When you make a quick save and load than the sound is more sync (still a small delay)... really weird (tried different versions PAL NTSC and all have this problem).
On overdrive mode it's less noticeable. Alo with some other games like  Sonic 1,2, Contra, Turtles and Streets of Rage there is a fraction of delay but much smaller but still this is really a shame…
But when I use the original latest firmware you also have some delay. Really weird.
*But now the weird part! When I rewind the game the audio goes back to sync!! *


I read that the Picodrive does not have this but than I can't play Game Gear anymore and will get a delay overtime??

Virtua Racing has bad sound effects and on overdrive even worse.


----------



## dcuk7 (Mar 23, 2019)

The strange audio lag is the only thing that lets this unit down now. As you say, it can be really delayed at times and quitting the game and restarting can bring it back closer to sync but yeah, there is no one solution to fix this issue. Maybe this is the reason SEGA ditched AtGames for the Mega Drive Mini.


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (Mar 23, 2019)

The audio lag for Sega Genesis games is way worse on the Super Retro-Cade. It's the reason why I started looking into the Flashback.


----------



## Alphons Potters (Mar 25, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> The strange audio lag is the only thing that lets this unit down now. As you say, it can be really delayed at times and quitting the game and restarting can bring it back closer to sync but yeah, there is no one solution to fix this issue. Maybe this is the reason SEGA ditched AtGames for the Mega Drive Mini.



If they Ditch them Why did they release in Europe in 2019 the Flashback! They still got the liscense otherwise they couldn;t release it...
But the solution for me is to rewind the game (not close the game) and than it's back sync again most of the time. It's still playeble but very unfortunate. I hope a firmware upgrade will fix this someday!

But a lot of clone systems have indeed these audio delay problems!

Almost all games work perfect except for Virtua Racing that I tested!
The sound effects are great on a lot of games like Contra / Turtles / Sonic while on a lot of clone systems they are Garbage! 

I also seen video's of the new Expensive Analogue Mega Drive Clone system. Looks really great but they changed the audio. I hear a lot of people like it because it sounds better but actually it does not sound in mine opinion how it should be. 
They shouldn't have changed that or put an option in it to change it back to original. As far as I saw you can custom a lot of things but not the sound (could be wrong).


----------



## subcon959 (Mar 25, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> Maybe this is the reason SEGA ditched AtGames for the Mega Drive Mini.


That sounds way too sensible a reason, we're talking about SEGA afterall!


----------



## Alphons Potters (Mar 26, 2019)

subcon959 said:


> That sounds way too sensible a reason, we're talking about SEGA afterall!


But if you rewind the game a few seconds it's good and the sound of the games are correct with the new model and latest firmware upgrade. It's just to tweak het a bit to make it more sync all the time ! 
Only Virtua Racing Sounds garbage but all other games I tested where great besides sometimes a bit out of sync (to late).


----------



## Alphons Potters (Mar 28, 2019)

I just add some Games to the system with dcuk7 software thanks for that.

But is it possible to add the Sonic games to the Sonic list.

Also I see on the Sonic List also one hidden icon you can select and on the Bonus games list also one hidden item (and a tab below) when you put the SD card inside and use dcuk7 software to add games! When you hit that than you get some messed up text message on the screen.
Is there an option to fix this so this that this is not visible or that the Sonic and Bonus Games are not even selectable when there are no games in that folder linked? I know it's not really important but it would be great if this can be fixed for the finishing touch. 

Thanks dcuk7 and rrifonas.


----------



## dcuk7 (Mar 30, 2019)

You can add to the Sonic list yes. Just change the Genre tag to *sonic *and it will put them in the Sonic section (same for Bonus games, just change the Genre to *bonus*). Note that for the Sonic section, it does not show the page numbers at the bottom so it looks like you can only have 10 games but you can add more and just use X and Y on the pad to move back and forth between pages.

You can't hide those sections if there are no games in there. I wonder with a bit of hex editing if you could hide/remove those sections completely. Might have a go at that but I'd guess that it would break something by doing so.


----------



## Alphons Potters (Mar 31, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> You can add to the Sonic list yes. Just change the Genre tag to *sonic *and it will put them in the Sonic section (same for Bonus games, just change the Genre to *bonus*). Note that for the Sonic section, it does not show the page numbers at the bottom so it looks like you can only have 10 games but you can add more and just use X and Y on the pad to move back and forth between pages.
> 
> You can't hide those sections if there are no games in there. I wonder with a bit of hex editing if you could hide/remove those sections completely. Might have a go at that but I'd guess that it would break something by doing so.



Ok thanks for that I will do that!


----------



## Alphons Potters (Mar 31, 2019)

Alphons Potters said:


> Ok thanks for that I will do that!





dcuk7 said:


> You can add to the Sonic list yes. Just change the Genre tag to *sonic *and it will put them in the Sonic section (same for Bonus games, just change the Genre to *bonus*). Note that for the Sonic section, it does not show the page numbers at the bottom so it looks like you can only have 10 games but you can add more and just use X and Y on the pad to move back and forth between pages.
> 
> You can't hide those sections if there are no games in there. I wonder with a bit of hex editing if you could hide/remove those sections completely. Might have a go at that but I'd guess that it would break something by doing so.



Also with your program you can only put a small description off the game.
It would be great if you can make it bigger. I needed to edit the .ini file manually to put a bigger text.

Also no matter what I do:

Genre=Sonic 

or:

Genre=Sega
#Genre=Sonic

They won't get to the Sonic list... only the normal list.


----------



## dcuk7 (Mar 31, 2019)

I'll fix that in the next version. Somehow I've gone and set the max length of the textbox to 260! That definitely wasn't intended! 

The genre tag should be all lowercase. Here is Sonic CD from my .ini file. This shows up in my Sonic section no problem:


```
[Sonic CD]
File=/rom/sonic_cd_usa.chd
Platform=Genesis
Sort=Sonic CD
Year=1990
Genre=sonic
Description=Some description here
Dpad=Movement
Start=Start, pause
A=A
B=B
C=C
X=No Function
Y=No Function
Z=No Function
```


----------



## Alphons Potters (Apr 1, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> I'll fix that in the next version. Somehow I've gone and set the max length of the textbox to 260! That definitely wasn't intended!
> 
> The genre tag should be all lowercase. Here is Sonic CD from my .ini file. This shows up in my Sonic section no problem:
> 
> ...



Thanks lowercase did work! And thanks for fixing that. I hope you make the update soon!


----------



## Alphons Potters (Apr 3, 2019)

UPDATE:

SONIC CD (US version) does not work very well. In one level when I go to the past the sound is a little croaky and in Act 2 level 2 when I go to the past and you get that cutscene from Sonic  it goes in a circle & loop over and over again and the game is stuck.
The Sonic CD Image File is perfect I tested it on mine PC and on mine Android NVIDIA SHIELD  and no problems at all... So this is an emulation error unfortunately.
Yes you can play the game till the end but there are some emulation errors in this game.


----------



## Alphons Potters (Apr 4, 2019)

Also I messaged atgames and they really respond very well and fast. Told them about the Audio delay issues with some games and they hope it will be fixed in the next update.
They know about it that some games produces that. Also they will try to fix the audio of virtua racing! 
So they are active with it which is a good sign!


----------



## dcuk7 (Apr 4, 2019)

I really hope they stay true to their word on that one. Moving to Libretro emulators means they have little excuse for such glaring issues.


----------



## Alphons Potters (Apr 5, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> I really hope they stay true to their word on that one. Moving to Libretro emulators means they have little excuse for such glaring issues.



I hope too. I really love the Flashback.

Any news when you update your program so you can add more text in the box?


----------



## dcuk7 (Apr 6, 2019)

I've almost finished coding it. I've re-written nearly all of it from scratch so just one or two features to finish and then just needs a thorough testing for stability. Would you like to beta test it for me?


----------



## Alphons Potters (Apr 7, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> I've almost finished coding it. I've re-written nearly all of it from scratch so just one or two features to finish and then just needs a thorough testing for stability. Would you like to beta test it for me?



It would be my hornor  Please send me the link where I can download it


----------



## Alphons Potters (Apr 7, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> I've almost finished coding it. I've re-written nearly all of it from scratch so just one or two features to finish and then just needs a thorough testing for stability. Would you like to beta test it for me?



I've already see some issues: 
When you update a picture of a game that's already been created before, the system does something weird and shows the updated picture on a different title (it's moves over another game).
When you click on it it does show the good game but you suddenly will mis a game in the list...
I tried it on different games and I get that same error every time. So this needs to be fixed. When you restart the program everything is fine again but it's not very handy that it does that.

Also when you clicked on a game that's already been created before and you click on an other game you get the picture and description of the 1ste game you selected and not on the actual game you click on. 

BTW: I love the new lay-out!


----------



## dcuk7 (Apr 8, 2019)

I'll check that out. Coding the box art layout has been so difficult. I've easily spent 40% of development time on finding issues then fixing them then finding more issues. 

As a workaround, instead of restarting the app, just open the .ini file again and the list will refresh and fix itself. Any issue you run into like that is just cosmetic. The actual box art images and all-games.ini will be correct.

I'm glad you like the layout. That is the main reason I re-wrote it almost from scratch so hopefully it was worth it.


----------



## dcuk7 (Apr 8, 2019)

@Alphons Potters I think I have fixed those issues now. Please re-download the app from the same link and try that out.


----------



## Alphons Potters (Apr 10, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> @Alphons Potters I think I have fixed those issues now. Please re-download the app from the same link and try that out.



I don't see the link anymore?


----------



## Alphons Potters (Apr 11, 2019)

Alphons Potters said:


> I don't see the link anymore?



I just downloaded it but the link is gone again? Something wrong?
Because the software works a lot better now.
Also the download link in the program is it the Pico or Genesisplus software? I personally love the GenesisPlusGX


----------



## dcuk7 (Apr 11, 2019)

The link should always be active. I'll re-do it later.

The firmware will always be GX as it is what comes by default. If people want PicoDrive I think they are advanced enough to come here to get it and do it manually.


----------



## Alphons Potters (Apr 11, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> The link should always be active. I'll re-do it later.
> 
> The firmware will always be GX as it is what comes by default. If people want PicoDrive I think they are advanced enough to come here to get it and do it manually.



I tested it out and it works now as far as I tested very nice! Good JOB !!!


----------



## b0wman (Apr 14, 2019)

Is it possible to open a new thread with the latest firmware updates in Post #1? It would be a lot easier for new people like me.
Can you tell me where to find the latest firmware (is #97 the latest one?) and how to update with some few words? Thank you


----------



## rrifonas (Apr 14, 2019)

Post #171 has the latest firmware. I'm keeping all updates in this post to avoid multiple posts for the same device.

The process to update is really simple... just copy sega_update.img to the root of the SD Card and turn the device on. The games will go to a GAME folder, and they can't have space on their names.


----------



## dcuk7 (Apr 14, 2019)

b0wman said:


> Can you tell me where to find the latest firmware (is #97 the latest one?) and how to update with some few words? Thank you



If you go to this thread and download my app, it will pretty much do all the work for you.


----------



## b0wman (Apr 14, 2019)

Ok, thank you very much. You both helped me a lot. I flashed the Pico, because I like the possibility to use the 32X emulation too and (what I read), dcuk7 recommended it overall a bit more


----------



## KevTheRev (Apr 16, 2019)

Hi there.

Sorry to barge in on this thread but this is all new to me! My question is this:

I have just bought an AT Games Megadrive Flashback with an SD Card slot and the white label over the power light not the red one. I'm trying to work out how you can load games onto an SD card and play them on the system. Is it that easy or do you have to take the console apart? I was just wondering if someone could give me a step by step tutorial on how to do it...…..any help would be much appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.


----------



## MB79 (Apr 16, 2019)

Hi
No need to take console apart, all goes through the SD card.
@dcuk7 has made a rather fabulous way of adding games to a rom fofolder the SD card and it does most the other stuff for you as well, have a little look 3 posts above follow his link, download and enjoy.
Or another way without box art is make a folder on SD card called "GAME" and put them in there but no spaces in names. You may want to look at downloading @rrifonas updates but those can also done through the aforementioned link.
It is worth having a read through this and the other 2018 thread as lots of tips and info in them. 
Good luck and enjoy


----------



## KevTheRev (Apr 16, 2019)

MB79 said:


> Hi
> No need to take console apart, all goes through the SD card.
> @dcuk7 has made a rather fabulous way of adding games to a rom fofolder the SD card and it does most the other stuff for you as well, have a little look 3 posts above follow his link, download and enjoy.
> Or another way without box art is make a folder on SD card called "GAME" and put them in there but no spaces in names. You may want to look at downloading @rrifonas updates but those can also done through the aforementioned link.
> ...


Thank you so much........it worked!!!

Where is the best place to get rooms?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



KevTheRev said:


> Thank you so much........it worked!!!
> 
> Where is the best place to get rooms?


*roms     damn predicted text!


----------



## dcuk7 (Apr 16, 2019)

We can't link to or really discuss downloading ROMs as it's essentially piracy. If you have Steam, you can buy SEGA Mega Drive Classics games and they are basically the ROMs shipped with an emulator.


----------



## spinal_cord (Apr 16, 2019)

KevTheRev said:


> Where is the best place to get rooms?



A Hotel?


----------



## b0wman (Apr 25, 2019)

[email protected] 
I had the opportunity to test the console with the Pico Drive Emulator for a few days. In the beginning I was excited, because the Sega CD Emulation works really well. With 32X it looks a bit different, because sometimes there are flickers and scratches in the sound. This clouds the gaming fun a bit, but it's not so bad for me. I looked at 32X more as a bonus. However, I noticed the sound lag of the cartridges and the certridge emulation. Some games run, in my opinion, quite well, e.g. Streets of Rage 2, others, like Sonic 1, have noticeable delays in the sound output. Especially with Sensitive Soccer I noticed that. The sound of the shooting is almost half a second after the actual action and quite irritating. I have already tried various settings (such as the game mode) on my TV, but it's more the emulation. 

Is the other emulator better? You have described in previous posts that the Pico is actually the more stable emulator. Or is it still the firmware of AtGames? Thank you in advance for your help


----------



## Alphons Potters (Apr 26, 2019)

b0wman said:


> [email protected]
> I had the opportunity to test the console with the Pico Drive Emulator for a few days. In the beginning I was excited, because the Sega CD Emulation works really well. With 32X it looks a bit different, because sometimes there are flickers and scratches in the sound. This clouds the gaming fun a bit, but it's not so bad for me. I looked at 32X more as a bonus. However, I noticed the sound lag of the cartridges and the certridge emulation. Some games run, in my opinion, quite well, e.g. Streets of Rage 2, others, like Sonic 1, have noticeable delays in the sound output. Especially with Sensitive Soccer I noticed that. The sound of the shooting is almost half a second after the actual action and quite irritating. I have already tried various settings (such as the game mode) on my TV, but it's more the emulation.
> 
> Is the other emulator better? You have described in previous posts that the Pico is actually the more stable emulator. Or is it still the firmware of AtGames? Thank you in advance for your help



That's weird... which version do you have because mine Streets of Rage 2 works good but I am using the Genesisplus Emulator.


----------



## b0wman (Apr 26, 2019)

Hey. Yes, like I wrote....Streets of Rage plays really fine. But Try Sonic 1 or Sensible Soccer instead...


----------



## rrifonas (Apr 26, 2019)

I don't see the audio with a huge delay in Sonic and most of the US/NTSC games, there is some delay, but it's acceptable when you disable the 'background music' on the menu, and set the 'overdrive' option (i think the overdrive option is more like a placebo, but i always enable it). EU/PAL games, in the other hand, have much more delay on the sound - I've seen Sensible Soccer is a PAL game, maybe that explains the delay. It's likely a problem with the emulator (retroplayer), and it happens with both cores.


----------



## flame489 (Apr 26, 2019)

The sound delay is present even on original firmware, the sound delay is higher in PAL games (between 1 to 1.5 seconds) and smaller in NTSC games (less than 1 second). I reported the issue to ATGames and their response was:

" The development team has not been able to find a resolution for the audio issues but has instead put it onto their backlog to be resolved in a future firmware update. As the development team is focusing on our 2019 line of products, though, the issue is unable to take priority at this time.

Regards, "

Maybe I should not have been the only one reporting the problem to ATGames, but I think the more people who report it the faster they try to solve it.


----------



## dcuk7 (Apr 27, 2019)

As has been said, the sound delay has been there since the original firmware. I have 5 of these things now, each running various firmware revisions and the one constant between them is the sound delay. I test them with Sonic 3 & Knuckles as I know that game like the back of my hand so any delay/lag/glitching I can spot straight away. 

@Alphons Potters had a suggestion that pressing the Rewind button fixes the sound delay and he is correct, it actually does sync up the audio and video when you just give it a quick 1 second rewind. I noticed that this doesn't fix the issue completely though. The delay will gradually come back whilst playing a game, and in the case of the Sonic games, each time a new zone loads, the delay comes back straight away (particularly noticeable when transitioning to and from the blue sphere special stages).

I fear this is the best we will get from this device unfortunately.


----------



## b0wman (Apr 27, 2019)

and unfortunately, this is exact the company we know from their other releases before  

okay, I will try to get my hands on "Championship Soccer 94", the US version of Sensible Soccer instead. Thanks


----------



## flame489 (Apr 28, 2019)

The development team has send me an older version of the firmware to test ( Firmware fb3680_1214 with 217 MB ) if the sound delay remains. I provide the link to anyone who wants to test but that he does it at his own risk.
Then say whether it has improved or not, in my opinion I think there has not been any significant improvement.


----------



## dcuk7 (Apr 28, 2019)

So I've been messing around with this today and I've come to the conclusion that it's not the sound that is delayed, rather it is the video that seems to be running quickly.

I had Sonic 2 running side-by-side with my Mega Drive. Straight away I realised the Flashback was running quickly. Then I remembered that the Flashback runs at 60Hz and my modified Mega Drive, which is modded to run at 60Hz, actually runs slightly slower (it's about 59.3Hz). This is just a quirk of the original hardware. I was about to stop trying at this point. Then I remembered I had the perfect device to do the test with.

So I did the same test using the recently released Mega SG. This is great because not only is it pretty much 100% accurate to original hardware, but it can actually run the games at 60Hz dead on. Again I synced the games so the attract mode demos ran almost exactly together and over the course of a few minutes, the video from the Flashback started to edge ahead, but the sound was still almost synced on both.

I have a video which shows it. I will try to record something better but for now here is a capture from the beginning of the video (top) and another after 2 minutes of recording bottom. The Mega SG is on the left and the Flashback is on the right. The sound stayed as in sync as I had it at the start but the video on the Flashback ran ahead by a few frames.




 

I wonder if this is why AtGames are struggling to pin the issue down!


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Apr 29, 2019)

to be fair the mega sg is a what? 200 dollar piece of cutting edge reverse engineering? .

on my end my sega flashback 2018 kicked the dust but not without leaving me intrigued with the fact that a really slimmed down version of android may run on it. pointless probably but interesting none the less. I may buy myself another one next paycheck.


----------



## dcuk7 (Apr 29, 2019)

Yeah, totally not having a dig at the Flashback. For what it is, it is pretty good (that's probably why I have 5 of the bloody things). I just feel like AtGames has this little issue to solve that would make it great. Seeing as they don't seem to be able to figure out the issue, hopefully we can solve it for them 

It's just interesting that the issue isn't actually sound-related, even though that's how it comes across. I tested again last night and the sound stayed totally in sync with the SG. I also noticed during my testing that after running ahead, the video will slowly come back into sync and then go out of sync again. It's very strange.


----------



## flame489 (Apr 29, 2019)

I did the same test as you for about 3 minutes, but I used Fusion364 emulator instead and Mega Drive Flashback side-by-side and after 3 minutes the 2 videos were 100% synced, except the audio on the mega drive is still delayed.


----------



## dcuk7 (Apr 29, 2019)

Well, the plot thickens. After you saying that I've run 3 of the units side by side and they each tend to do their own thing! And it's not always the same unit that does a certain thing!

I had one where the video was synced with the Mega SG and the audio would go out and the other two would lose sync on both the video and the audio separately! The main one I use tends to stay mostly in sync with the audio but the other two vary wildly!

No wonder AtGames has given up! I know I have!


----------



## b0wman (Apr 29, 2019)

The problem is, if they release a new variant every half year, but can't manage to develop a good firmware, then it will never be anything.


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## Alphons Potters (Apr 30, 2019)

I hope the that it will be fixed one day. I have informed atgames about this problem. I hope they fix it with a future firmware update! 
Or maybe the community can fix this?


----------



## Excalibur007 (May 2, 2019)

I finally decided to add SegaCD games to my allgames.ini instead of just playing them from my "Games" folder, but I've not been able to get them to work.  My SegaCD images are all CHD which play fine when loading from the SD card, but if I try to use them from the allgames.ini, they won't load.  Not sure what I could be doing wrong unless CHD just doesn't work when loaded that way.


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (May 2, 2019)

Excalibur007 said:


> I finally decided to add SegaCD games to my allgames.ini instead of just playing them from my "Games" folder, but I've not been able to get them to work.  My SegaCD images are all CHD which play fine when loading from the SD card, but if I try to use them from the allgames.ini, they won't load.  Not sure what I could be doing wrong unless CHD just doesn't work when loaded that way.



Which Custom Firmware are you using?  CHD works fine with Genesis Plus, but you will need the Sega CD BIOS file with the game to work.  bios_CD_U.bin for US games, bios_CD_E.bin for Europe games and bios_CD_J.bin for Japan region games.  Also if you are using sub-folders for the games, you need a copy of the bios in the sub folder as well.


----------



## Excalibur007 (May 3, 2019)

DoctorEvil8 said:


> ...you will need the Sega CD BIOS file with the game to work.  bios_CD_U.bin for US games, bios_CD_E.bin for Europe games and bios_CD_J.bin for Japan region games.



That was my silly oversight.  I left those bios files in the previous Games folder and didn't think to move them to the new folder.  Thanks for that help!  :-)


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## b0wman (May 5, 2019)

I have the feeling that SegaCD games are running a lot better than cartridge games. I wonder why....


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## masterzed (May 9, 2019)

hi all,

can i use the firmware for sege flashback Hd version 2017 without sd-slot? any other solution for this version?


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## rrifonas (May 9, 2019)

masterzed said:


> hi all,
> 
> can i use the firmware for sege flashback Hd version 2017 without sd-slot? any other solution for this version?


No, the FB HD 2018 runs Linux while the FB HD 2017 runs Android.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (May 10, 2019)

different processor as well rk3036 vs 3066


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## leongti (May 13, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> No, the FB HD 2018 runs Linux while the FB HD 2017 runs Android.


Hi will ur  firmware updates add the sd card slot to the console or do I need to update first using the official firmware update
thanks


----------



## rrifonas (May 14, 2019)

The firmware in post #171 has the 'data' partition so you don't need to install the official update.


----------



## leongti (May 14, 2019)

brilliant thanks for the quick reply,can I also ask why when I take out my sd card duplite sega cd files appear in a .brm ?
thanks in advance


----------



## rrifonas (May 14, 2019)

leongti said:


> brilliant thanks for the quick reply,can I also ask why when I take out my sd card duplite sega cd files appear in a .brm ?
> thanks in advance


Maybe an user with more experience with Sega CD can give a better answer, I think they are related with the RAM cart or some other kind of save data specific for Sega CD.


----------



## leongti (May 17, 2019)

can someone help me on how to play mega cd multidisc games? I really want to play night trap. my files in .chd and I have tried alsorts but cant get them to work. has anyone else managed to get them to play?


----------



## image45 (May 17, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> No, you can't. This is an emulation device and while most of the cartridges can be 'dumped' just fine, a few of them have problems. Games that should have problems running from cartridge:
> + Sonic 3 doesn't work due to its memory to save game



The console does not have enough memory to save the cartridge to memory?


----------



## rrifonas (May 18, 2019)

image45 said:


> The console does not have enough memory to save the cartridge to memory?


No, Sonic 3 has a kind of EEPROM for save games. I think the console can't read this game because of this memory chip.


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## image45 (May 18, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> No it doesn't. I have one of these on stock firmware and the latest update from the AtGames only changes a few files and doesn't touch any of the graphics relating to the model.
> 
> I assume they will do that with all updates (if indeed we get any more) so that one file can apply to both Genesis and Mega Drive models.



So if you download the firmware from the US page that has the iud option and install  on a European console it does not replace the megadrive logo with a Genesis one or add the about option like on the US consoles?

The 20190226.img.img file is 138 MB so I expect it would change a lot more!


----------



## rrifonas (May 18, 2019)

image45 said:


> So if you download the firmware from the US page that has the iud option and install  on a European console it does not replace the megadrive logo with a Genesis one or add the about option like on the US consoles?
> 
> The 20190226.img.img file is 138 MB so I expect it would change a lot more!


This firmware replaces the emulator partition so the logo will change. The first firmware released by Atgames had only the data partition, but it had almost the same size (the emulator partition has less than 10Mb). 
The firmware has 100MB because it has the whole data partition, even though it's almost empty.


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (May 19, 2019)

leongti said:


> can someone help me on how to play mega cd multidisc games? I really want to play night trap. my files in .chd and I have tried alsorts but cant get them to work. has anyone else managed to get them to play?



You need to use sub folders. Place disc 1 in one folder. Place disc 2 in another folder. The trick is the filename for each must be identical. I.e. /folder1/game.chd and /folder2/game.chd. 

When that is done, play the game starting with disc 1. When it's time for a disc swap, save the game. Then exit the game. Start disc 2. Reload the save game from disc 1. Since the filenames are the same for both games, the save game info is shared between either disc.


----------



## leongti (May 21, 2019)

DoctorEvil8 said:


> You need to use sub folders. Place disc 1 in one folder. Place disc 2 in another folder. The trick is the filename for each must be identical. I.e. /folder1/game.chd and /folder2/game.chd.
> 
> When that is done, play the game starting with disc 1. When it's time for a disc swap, save the game. Then exit the game. Start disc 2. Reload the save game from disc 1. Since the filenames are the same for both games, the save game info is shared between either disc.


thank you I will try an let u know how I get on


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## leongti (May 21, 2019)

leongti said:


> thank you I will try an let u know how I get on


I have tried using a folder but it doesn't recognise it on the sd card?


----------



## spanner (May 22, 2019)

I have just got mine from eBay, in the UK and it has no About section could this update be on the console already..?


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## DoctorEvil8 (May 22, 2019)

leongti said:


> I have tried using a folder but it doesn't recognise it on the sd card?



I recommend using the Flashback 2018 Game Manager to organize the .ini file. If you are not using the all-games.ini method, I don't think you can get multidisc. 

https://gbatemp.net/threads/genesis-flashback-hd-2018-game-manager.529624/


----------



## image45 (May 25, 2019)

spanner said:


> I have just got mine from eBay, in the UK and it has no About section could this update be on the console already..?



The UK/European consoles with the Megadrive logo does not have an about option. Only the North American Genesis consoles do.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (May 25, 2019)

i want to talk to rrifonas to see if we can open a wiki for this a lot of info should be documented along with the other SOC consoles that we talk about in this forum.


----------



## spanner (May 26, 2019)

image45 said:


> The UK/European consoles with the Megadrive logo does not have an about option. Only the North American Genesis consoles do.



Mine didn't have about tab but now I have updated it, it dose, mine says Mega Drive on it, It has one now cause its based on the US version  i guess,I got it from eBay for £25 cause it was for parts and not working,  it has a loose power connector so it can cut out but if I have the cable over the console it stay on.I am well happy with it,I could properly replace the Mini USB connector but happy with the way it is at the moment.

I have noticed something I didn't noticed before, the Mega CD games have a 1 second delay in its sounds so you notice it in FMV games cause there mouth is out of sync with there voice, so using Picodrive and cue+bin there is a delay, You don't notice it if you pay Batman Returns cause its not FMV. I thought it was my PC for a minute doing it,I run all my consoles from my PC using a Easy Cap USB and DScaler using composite.You can see the sound it in sync when you are on the menu with picture with the games,as you move it makes a sound at the same time.

I know Mega CD games work fine with Picodrive cause I use it on Retropie so it must be the version there using cause Retropie uses Libretro.


----------



## spanner (May 26, 2019)

I think the lag is because they are PAL games, have to try a NTSC game.


----------



## image45 (May 26, 2019)

spanner said:


> Mine didn't have about tab but now I have updated it, it dose, mine says Mega Drive on it, It has one now cause its based on the US version  i guess,I got it from eBay for £25 cause it was for parts and not working,  it has a loose power connector so it can cut out but if I have the cable over the console it stay on.I am well happy with it,I could properly replace the Mini USB connector but happy with the way it is at the moment.
> 
> I have noticed something I didn't noticed before, the Mega CD games have a 1 second delay in its sounds so you notice it in FMV games cause there mouth is out of sync with there voice, so using Picodrive and cue+bin there is a delay, You don't notice it if you pay Batman Returns cause its not FMV. I thought it was my PC for a minute doing it,I run all my consoles from my PC using a Easy Cap USB and DScaler using composite.You can see the sound it in sync when you are on the menu with picture with the games,as you move it makes a sound at the same time.
> 
> I know Mega CD games work fine with Picodrive cause I use it on Retropie so it must be the version there using cause Retropie uses Libretro.



Did you get the firmware your currently using from the official atgames site or are you using one of the members custom builds? I did download an update from the AtGames site, file name is 20190226.img.img with a size of 138.44 MB, however I was not sure if it would replace the SEGA Mega Drive logo with a Genesis one. I don't mind about having the about tab if I have to however I would prefer to retain original logo if I can. 

I did modify/ update the console to accept games via the SD option however this file was only around 33 MB in size much smaller than the one I downloaded from the AtGames site. The updated version I did install only plays.bin files not any of the others. I have read about Picodrive, however I don't actually know what the official emulator the European consoles actually comes with, therefore what's best if you want to play 32x & Mega CD games for example?

If your current firmware does all I have covered can you post a link to it please? If the firmware I downloaded from the official atgames site only adds the about tab, whilst retaining the megadrive logo and the SD card option to play games via the card then I would be happy to install it, however if another option is available then I would love to know.

Thanks


----------



## spanner (May 26, 2019)

I am using custom firmware here.. https://gbatemp.net/threads/custom-firmware-for-sega-flashback-2018.523590/page-9#post-8537041
and Game manger... https://gbatemp.net/threads/genesis-flashback-hd-2018-game-manager.529624/


----------



## rrifonas (May 26, 2019)

image45 said:


> Did you get the firmware your currently using from the official atgames site or are you using one of the members custom builds? I did download an update from the AtGames site, file name is 20190226.img.img with a size of 138.44 MB, however I was not sure if it would replace the SEGA Mega Drive logo with a Genesis one. I don't mind about having the about tab if I have to however I would prefer to retain original logo if I can.
> 
> I did modify/ update the console to accept games via the SD option however this file was only around 33 MB in size much smaller than the one I downloaded from the AtGames site. The updated version I did install only plays.bin files not any of the others. I have read about Picodrive, however I don't actually know what the official emulator the European consoles actually comes with, therefore what's best if you want to play 32x & Mega CD games for example?
> 
> ...


This has been discussed extensively in this thread. 
The update from atgames website (20190226.img) is intended for the Genesis FB, so it has the Genesis logo/About tab.

The original emulator is Genesis Plus GX, so it runs Genesis/Master System/Game Gear/Sega CD games. The original firmware can only run Genesis and Sega CD games in .bin format.

If you want to try Picodrive, or run SMS/GG/Sega CD games from SD, you will need to go with the custom firmware. Picodrive runs Genesis/SMS/Sega CD/32x (Game Gear doesn't work).

You can read about the latest custom firmware in this post. There are different firmware for the US and EU models, and with Genesis Plus GX or Picodrive. The latest custom firmware is based on 20190226.img (so you have the About screen) but I included the assets (logos) from the Mega Drive Flash in the EU version.


----------



## image45 (May 26, 2019)

spanner said:


> I am using custom firmware here.. https://gbatemp.net/threads/custom-firmware-for-sega-flashback-2018.523590/page-9#post-8537041
> and Game manger... https://gbatemp.net/threads/genesis-flashback-hd-2018-game-manager.529624/



Thanks - There is an addendum advising "EDIT: Added firmware with Picodrive replacing Genesis Plus GX" 

Does that mean the console comes with Genesis Plus GX emulator out of the box rather than the picodrive? 


Sorry for many questions, just a retro games player trying to get the best out of his Sega Megadrive Flashback 720p console. 

Thank you

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



rrifonas said:


> This has been discussed extensively in this thread.
> The update from atgames website (20190226.img) is intended for the Genesis FB, so it has the Genesis logo/About tab.
> 
> The original emulator is Genesis Plus GX, so it runs Genesis/Master System/Game Gear/Sega CD games. The original firmware can only run Genesis and Sega CD games in .bin format.
> ...



Reading everything in one consolidated message brings everything into focus for me. I did read the whole thread last weekend however due to being a bit to sleepy and it covering many months some of the various elements escaped me. I am not as a rule a lazy poster and do try to read fully before posting so apologies for appearing to be so.

As I am on a UK model I will therefore be installing the EU version to retain the logos. If I install the firmware to try Picodrive and change my mind will the firmware with Genesis Plus GX install on the console to replace it if I wish with out issues.

Thank you once again for your patience and help. 

Robert


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## spanner (May 26, 2019)

I just tried a NTSC US game Mad Dog Mcree and its in sync with the sound so its the custom firmware because its based on the US firmware so thats why PAL games are out of sync, PAL games are running at 25 frames a second on a 30 frame a second Firmware so its missing 5 frames a second. So thats why the sound is 5 frames in front and making a 1 second lag,I need Custom Firmware for PAL cos it not running at 50hz its making my console run at 60hz,I wondered why my the screen when I switched it on sometimes the Mega Drive 2018 its picture is funny where it looks like the horizontal has gone funny,lines across the screen ,its the 60Hz playing a round with the console,its thinks its a Genesis when its not..? this console would be different to the US one,it works on PAL and not NTSC. NTSC and PAL is still here,My TV works only on PAL not NTSC.

I heed custom Firmware for PAL, I have a lot of Mega CD PAL games and don't want to have to convert a lot of games when there is no need,I don't want to have to use the US version of the game when I have the original PAL version I copied it from.


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## rrifonas (May 26, 2019)

image45 said:


> Reading everything in one consolidated message brings everything into focus for me. I did read the whole thread last weekend however due to being a bit to sleepy and it covering many months some of the various elements escaped me. I am not as a rule a lazy poster and do try to read fully before posting so apologies for appearing to be so.
> 
> As I am on a UK model I will therefore be installing the EU version to retain the logos. If I install the firmware to try Picodrive and change my mind will the firmware with Genesis Plus GX install on the console to replace it if I wish with out issues.
> 
> ...



Yes,  you can go back to Genesis Plus Gx if you want. Only the save states will not work as they are not compatible between emulators. You will need to create new save state.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



spanner said:


> I just tried a NTSC US game Mad Dog Mcree and its in sync with the sound so its the custom firmware because its based on the US firmware so thats why PAL games are out of sync, PAL games are running at 25 frames a second on a 30 frame a second Firmware so its missing 5 frames a second. So thats why the sound is 5 frames in front and making a 1 second lag,I need Custom Firmware for PAL cos it not running at 50hz its making my console run at 60hz,I wondered why my the screen when I switched it on sometimes the Mega Drive 2018 its picture is funny where it looks like the horizontal has gone funny,lines across the screen ,its the 60Hz playing a round with the console,its thinks its a Genesis when its not..? this console would be different to the US one,it works on PAL and not NTSC. NTSC and PAL is still here,My TV works only on PAL not NTSC.
> 
> I heed custom Firmware for PAL, I have a lot of Mega CD PAL games and don't want to have to convert a lot of games when there is no need,I don't want to have to use the US version of the game when I have the original PAL version I copied it from.



There is no such firmware. This has been discussed before, AtGames emulator (retroplayer) is not optimized for PAL games, so you may have delay on the sound, or PAL games playing faster on older firmware. The libretro cores are fine, but the emulator is not. Unfortunately there is no way to fix this behavior with the current emulator, and it's impossible to change emulators in a 10MB partition and a device with no debug interface to test different modules/dependencies. Maybe that's the reason why the EU device never received an official update to unlock the SD Card or play Sega CD games.

And if you think the original EU firmware is better, it's not. It's the same file as the US firmware, and it behaves much worse than the last update.


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## spanner (May 27, 2019)

Oh OK no wounder no one likes AtGames and don't want them making the Mega Drive Mini,they are crap at making consoles and why they made one each year,the console is only worth £25.its a cheap reproduction of the Mega Drive,I only bought cos it was £25,I have preordered the Mega Drive Mini but if I find out Atgames get involed I will cancel it. I think your better off using a Raspberry PI with Retropie and the RetroFlag Mega PI Case. I do have that too,I wanted to see what Atgames consoles were like.It show how much SEGA care all they care is the right to the console.

The thing I like about MD HD 2018 is the wireless controllers..  These consoles are made like a Android box,well probably the hardware and idea of it. Most of the hardware are copies of the development board they used to make the firmware on.


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## image45 (May 27, 2019)

I have tried both of the custom firmware and I actually find the Genesis Plus Gx one to perform better, especially on sound.

I now have an about tab with a 16 digit uid number! Is this actually unique to my console or has it been copied from your own, out of interest.

I am in a PAL region and the games don't seem to have anymore lag than before I updated to your custom version. 

I wonder if another firmware update will be issued? I ask as I have read but have not seen that another updated 2019 console is due for release too.

Thanks for the firmware and support


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## rrifonas (May 27, 2019)

spanner said:


> Oh OK no wounder no one likes AtGames and don't want them making the Mega Drive Mini,they are crap at making consoles and why they made one each year,the console is only worth £25.its a cheap reproduction of the Mega Drive,I only bought cos it was £25,I have preordered the Mega Drive Mini but if I find out Atgames get involed I will cancel it. I think your better off using a Raspberry PI with Retropie and the RetroFlag Mega PI Case. I do have that too,I wanted to see what Atgames consoles were like.It show how much SEGA care all they care is the right to the console.



This is their second "HD" console, and it seems they are making progress. They licensed the best emulator core, and they are improving the software - they've made a good update in February, and while it's not perfect, it's better than the original firmware.
I'm quite sure AtGames still in the game with the Mega Drive Mini as they recently got licenses from Disney and they have some licenses from Capcom as well, they could be the facilitators in an agreement with Sega, and/or they are producing the hardware. It seems the software will be handled by AM2, which is nice.



image45 said:


> I have tried both of the custom firmware and I actually find the Genesis Plus Gx one to perform better, especially on sound.
> 
> I now have an about tab with a 16 digit uid number! Is this actually unique to my console or has it been copied from your own, out of interest.
> 
> ...



The 16 digit number is from your console, don't worry... I've tested it installing firmware from different consoles (and even the Legends Flashback), and this serial number doesn't change.

I would love to see a new firmware from Atgames fixing these audio/video sync issues for PAL and some NTSC games, that would improve their credibility. While I can replace the cores and edit some things with a hex-editor, I can't fix the emulator or replace with a better alternative, as Linux + small partitions are a pain for that.


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## WD_GASTER2 (May 27, 2019)

its like i told Bill at Atariage. 4gb flash, and bump the ram to 512 at a minimum. it would be a dream of a little machine at that point. the rk3066 is very competent when handled correctly.


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## spanner (May 27, 2019)

Its kind of funny it can only play US Sega CD games,so that means you can't play the full library of Mega CD games,some regions have there own games,they made the console compatible with china,Japan,Canada and America only,if you play a mega drve game on it too its missing 5 frames a second too and has a lag,it so stupid.Why can't they made it like a raspberry PI 3 so that can play NTSC or PAL games,I guess if you used a RPI3 from the UK in a US TV it wouldn't work cause of the TV format.Thats why there are 2 versions of the C64 Mini, the EU version thats PAL and the US version thats NTSC, HDMI still uses it.the PAL version came out on the 29 March 2018 and US in 29 October 2018.People were buying the EU version from the US and was having problem with the frame rate and getting a lag in C64 games so they had to make a NTSC version.

What I never understood is why SEGA can't make there own console,when they use to, properly don't have that part of SEGA anymore,SEGA is just a software company now not hardware,just hope the Mega Drive Mini is worth £79,this just makes SEGA look bad.One thing they have done right is remove the crappy Bonus games..  and have 40 Mega Drive games only,its should only have Mega Drive games on it cause its a Mega Drive not a Master System or Game Gear.
Maybe they should make a Master System too some day... 

I think there should get rid of the TV format but they can't cause old tech still need NTSC and PAL like the real Genesis/Mega Drive or Sega/Mega CD dose. 
its a shame you can only use up to 16GB SD card,I did try a 64GB in the slot but it couldn't read it.

So do PAL games lag with the other emulator too Genesis Plus Gx..?


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## spanner (May 27, 2019)

How many mega drive consoles did Atgames do so for..? just look 3 consoles so far 2016(MD Classic Game Console that don't look like a MD),2017(MD HD ) and 2018(MD HD).

I understand now... 

Atgames is a US digital media Inc and part of Atgames Holding, LTD, they only work with digital media not hardware(*they are a holding company,digital media Inc appeared in 2017, on the 2016 console box says "Atgames Holdings, LTD" changed to "Digital Media Inc" name only in 2017/8).
MD Console 2018 is a re badged US Genesis Console 2018 and its imported by Argos UK not Atgames, Argos name is on the side of all 3 MD boxes, they have imported all 3 MD Atgames consoles, there is no Atgames in the UK or in Europe, only in the US, thats why they use the same firmware, cause it imported from China, so the box and manual are made by Argos, when they import it, it has a Chinese box,(when companies buy stuff from China they have to change the packaging into English, Maplin did it and Poundland do it,most of there stuff comes from China on cargo ships.) Atgames gave the rights to Argos to import it, Atgames never made the hardware, Hantat MD Classic (http://www.hantat.com) and Dichroic Cat MD 2017/8 (https://panjiva.com/Dichroic-Cat-Shen-Zhen-Electronic/35899048) did, a cheap way of making a console.
if you look on the box its imported and not made by Atgames only the firmware is and the design, its properly not imported into the US but could be by Atgames themselves cause it was made for the US market originally and Atgames is from the USA that why updated firmware is for US Console only.

If they allow there consoles to be imported to other countries then they should support them but they don't and that why no one likes them, this is the wrong way of doing things, this is why they lost the contract with Sega, they can't make a Flashback Console without the IP. Rant Over.. 

*A *holding company* is a company that owns other companies' outstanding stock. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies to form a corporate group. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow the ownership and control of a number of different companies.


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## image45 (May 27, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> The 16 digit number is from your console, don't worry... I've tested it installing firmware from different consoles (and even the Legends Flashback), and this serial number doesn't change.



The 16 digit uid must be missing from the European consoles as there is no official update support for them. 

When I downloaded megadrive games previously once unzipped they came in the form of a single .bin file however the master system games are in a different zip format eg

Sonic The Hedgehog.7z

and when you open up the zip it contains two files eg
Sonic The Hedgehog (UE) [!].sms 
&
Sonic The Hedgehog (UE) [T+Fre_Terminus].sms

Can you advise what you actually put onto the SD card to play the 8 bit master system games please?


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## spanner (May 27, 2019)

Sonic The Hedgehog (UE) [T+Fre_Terminus].sms looks like a cracked version of the game.I would put Sonic The Hedgehog (UE) [!].sms in but you can try the other one if you like.

There wouldn't be a 16 digit uid for the European consoles cause they are re badged Genesis consoles, They have the same hardware inside them.


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## rrifonas (May 27, 2019)

@spanner, unfortunately anger will not help, we can only hope the Sega console will be good and support everything out of the box or using a custom firmware, the "real" retrogame scene - I'm just a hobbyist learning how to edit/compile stuff - will work hard on this device. The Raspberry Pi or Tinker Board with a MegaPi case is beautiful and for me it's a great "MD mini" if you don't need to read cartridges. Sega CD/Mega CD support was never made official by Atgames, it's a collateral effect from this device having Genesis Plus GX core and supporting games in BIN format. It was discovered by the community and later expanded to CHD by my custom firmware. While there is no PAL and NTSC anymore, these old games were intended to run at different framerate/speed, and the emulators need to handle this.

About Atgames, they are making crappy licensed Genesis clones for years - their Atari consoles are good though -, but this is only their second iteration of "HD consoles" using emulation instead of the 'Firecore' chip or a GOAC. I own a clone console with a GOAC (Hyperkin MegaRetroN) and I can tell you the emulation approach when done correctly is much better than any clone. I've done some progress with the Atgames Flashback HD 2017 (modded the atgames launcher to change emulator, compiled RetroArch for it) and I can tell you it's the perfect "MD Mini" if you need or want cartridge support. I've tried to compile RetroArch for HD 2018 but it's impossible to debug it without a proper interface (ssh/telnet/whatever) to look for errors or missing dependencies.

@image45 , I really recommend you to re-read the threads about this device. You will need the uncompressed games with no spaces to make it work, Sonic_The_Hedgehog_(UE)_[!].sms should be fine.


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## spanner (May 27, 2019)

OK no worries..  its not you, I am happy with what you have done.

There is still NTSC and PAL in HDTV...  https://www.lifewire.com/why-ntsc-and-pal-still-matter-1847856

HDTVs in the US still use 30 frames a second and in the UK uses 25 frames a second,Atgames should know this when making a console for another country.

Thats why my console has a horizontal problem sometimes when I turn it on,its trying to run at 60hz, 30 frames a second, thats not PAL its NTSC. anyway...lol..


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## spanner (May 27, 2019)

@rrifonas How did you get in to the firmware to change it..? or did you get into the .img file. you said you can't debug the emulator cause of no shh,you mean no Uart right no shh,Putty shell..??.If a Uart is on the board the traces of it will go to its CPU.

Do you have TheC64 Mini...I have 2 of them. One is the
Pre-order model I got on 29 march 2018 and the other one I have has a working uart and I have put all the American games on that are missing from the UK model.it comes with 64 games but you can put 150 games on it.

They must of used a developing board to make the firmware before making the hardware,the C64 Mini use the A20-OLinuXino-LIME2
https://www.olimex.com/Products/OLinuXino/A20/A20-OLinuXino-LIME2/open-source-hardware
They made the firmware first for theC64 Mini then made the hardware.

So dose the emulator have it own partition but it only 10 mb,one way of stopping hacking..  never heard of it before.TheC64 Mini has one partition and the games can be changed using its uart.

Unless they made a custom board for it first but you make the firmware first to see what works and what don't.
Whats the CPU,MMU and memory and that of the MD Console 2018...?


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## WD_GASTER2 (May 27, 2019)

they didnt "stop" any hacking. rather the resources to do anything other than the targeted emulation there is not enough power and resources to do anything of substance with it.
2018 = 2019.

2017 HD is a different monster altogether. Please read the thread below man:

https://gbatemp.net/threads/sega-me...-with-an-usb-on-internal-mother-board.491498/



spanner said:


> @rrifonas How did you get in to the firmware to change it..? or did you get into the .img file. you said you can't debug the emulator cause of no shh,you mean no Uart right no shh,Putty shell..??.If a Uart is on the board the traces of it will go to its CPU.



by disassembling the firmware image. It was possible to dump it. This was also discussed in this thread:

https://gbatemp.net/threads/atgames-sega-flashback-2018-edition-is-out-in-the-wild.522990/page-12


if you look in the early posts of this thread this was done before atgames released any firmware updates.


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## rrifonas (May 27, 2019)

spanner said:


> @rrifonas How did you get in to the firmware to change it..? or did you get into the .img file. you said you can't debug the emulator cause of no shh,you mean no Uart right no shh,Putty shell..??.If a Uart is on the board the traces of it will go to its CPU.
> 
> Do you have TheC64 Mini...I have 2 of them. One is the
> Pre-order model I got on 29 march 2018 and the other one I have has a working uart and I have put all the American games on that are missing from the UK model.it comes with 64 games but you can put 150 games on it.
> ...


The device has an USB interface near the power port which can be used with the Rockchip tools. It's possible to dump the firmware, format the NAND and update the device. There is another set of pins in the board, but everyone that tried to use it says it's not the UART port either, so no debugging interface. 
The Atgames Flashback 2018 uses a Rockchip RK3066 CPU (dual-core 1.5GHz), with 256MB RAM and a 256MB NAND. I've detailed the partitions in another post, but the OS partition has around 14MB and the emulator partition has 8MB in the Genesis Flashback and 10MB in the Legends Flashback so there is no room for improvements. The partitioning on these devices is very clever, allowing AtGames to only change the emulators and roms, keeping the OS partition intact. This is particularly good for updates, as it is almost impossible to brick the device - if the update fails, just run it again.

I don't that the C64 mini or any other mini 'home computer'. Only the mainstream devices (NES mini, SNES mini, PS Classic, Neo Geo Mini) and the Atgames devices as I'm a huge Sega fan.


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## spanner (May 28, 2019)

I have found a development board...  using the Rockchip RK3066.This has a Mali-400MP4 GPU but I don't know if the MD Flashback 2018 does or not maybe someone could answer that question.. what GPU does it have...?





https://www.hotmcu.com/marsboard-rockchip-rk3066-development-board-p-64.html

MarsBoard RK3066 contains CM-RK3066 and SOM-RK3066, SOM-RK3066 is OSHW and PCB files are available for study, learn, modification, re-production.

CM-RK3066 is System on Chip module, which contains Rockchip RK3066 Dual Core Cortex-A9 processor, Power managment Unit TPS659102, Ethernet PHY LAN8720A, 1GB DDR3 memory and 8GB NAND Flash. All RK3066 signals are available on 2 connectors x 100 pin and 1 connector x 40 pin with 1.27mm picth.

*Features*

SoC – Rockchip RK3066 ARM Cortex A9 Dual-Core CPU @ 1.6GHz + Mali-400MP4 GPU
System Memory – 1GB DDR3 DRAM
Storage – 8GB Nand Flash
Ethernet – 10/100 Mbps
Connector - 2 connectors x 100pin, 1 connector x 40pin(No welding)
Size - 70 x 58mm
SOM-RK3066 is evaluation board based on CM-RK3066 module and is routed on 2 layers only. SOM-RK3066 is done to explore all features of RK3066 but the files are available and customers can tailor it to their needs.

Reference design for SOM-RK3066 with HDMI, LCD, CTP, Audio Out, Camera, 10/100M Ethernet,USB-OTG,and 4 USB hosts is available with PADS9.5, Protel99SE, AD, PCB files, so everyone can modify and tailor to his needs.

*Features*

Connectors to accomodate CM-RK3066
10/100M Ethernet connector
USB hosts x 4
USB-OTG
LCD connector (remove U2) support HY050CTP(800x480), HY070CTP(800x480), HY070CTP-HD(1024x600 RGB interface only), HY101CTP (1024x600 RGB interface only)
CTP, Capacitive touch
HDMI connector supported [email protected]
Camera connector
Audio Out
MIC input (No welding Microphones)
IR Remote  (No welding IR receiver)
SD-MMC card connector
4 buttons for Android apps
USB Debug terminal (USB to UART with CP2102)
RTC Battery connector
One UEXT connector
Power supply 5V/2A input, 5.2mm(ext. diameter) x 2.1mm (int. diameter) barrel plug
Size 105 x 78mm


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## spanner (May 28, 2019)

I just found this on github,did you know about this...?  https://github.com/StupidInvaders/AtGames-Genesis-Megadrive-SD-Mod

(I have found a development board...  using the Rockchip RK3066.This has a Mali-400MP4 GPU but I don't know if the MD Flashback 2018 does or not maybe someone could answer that question.. what GPU does it have...? The c64 Mini has the same GPU Mali-400MP4.)

The OS (Linux) SegaMD2018 using is probably Buildroot... https://buildroot.org cause its partition is only 14Mb so it would make sense.


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## WD_GASTER2 (May 29, 2019)

rk3066 all use the same gpu. Hence the SOC term
before you ask, no the images for the marsboard can not be ported due to the lack of ram and storage.


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## rrifonas (May 29, 2019)

spanner said:


> I just found this on github,did you know about this...?  https://github.com/StupidInvaders/AtGames-Genesis-Megadrive-SD-Mod
> 
> (I have found a development board...  using the Rockchip RK3066.This has a Mali-400MP4 GPU but I don't know if the MD Flashback 2018 does or not maybe someone could answer that question.. what GPU does it have...? The c64 Mini has the same GPU Mali-400MP4.)
> 
> The OS (Linux) SegaMD2018 using is probably Buildroot... https://buildroot.org cause its partition is only 14Mb so it would make sense.


I've seen this github (first time) and it uses a different approach to read the roms from the SD Card. The author modded the rootfs partition and removed the mapping to /rom from fstab and created a link to the SD Card. 
My custom firmware uses a different approach, I overmount the /rom partition to the SD Card using an existing script in the /emulator partition. The advantage of overmount is that I can control the behavior using a file, and you can revert it just deleting this file.


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## Ryu82 (May 29, 2019)

Hi there, is it possible to get a fullscreen with the flashback 2018 system? And lower the resoltion or add some blur filter? I think the graphics looks heavy pixaleted.

Thank you


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## spanner (May 29, 2019)

ATGAMES stands for.. - "*A*t the *T*op of our *GAMES... *really... 

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



WD_GASTER2 said:


> rk3066 all use the same gpu. Hence the SOC term
> before you ask, no the images for the marsboard can not be ported due to the lack of ram and storage.



I know that..  its has the same size Nand 256MB as the C64 Mini the only different between them is the CPU, theC64 Mini is A7 and thats a A9 and the theC64 Mini Nand has 2 partition one for Uboot and the other for system and games and you can use Putty on it so its more open to modding.

Still don't understand why the emulator has it own partition,one way of stopping you from updating the emulator and putting other emulators on it and use it as a multi system,its not a RPI3 is it so why would I want too,all the Linux Mini's and Linux consoles I have I use them for what they are mean to be not make them play other systems.Like how you can play other systems on RetroArch on the PS1 Classic..I don't use it, I don't see the point.I got the PS1 to Play Playstation 1 games.

I have always thought that making a system that runs one emulator to replicate a retro system is a good idea, the old retro systems hardware will not be around or work forever it has to be replace eventually.

I don't get why Atgames added Master System and Game Gear games too when its a Mega Drive and the crappy Bonus games,this is hopefully is there last Genesis console.Make you thing there 85 Mega Drive games on it when there is not only about 45, its come from the MD Classic Console in 2009.
I feel sorry for Sega and what a stupid idiot they have been,we will see how many MD Minis sell if there rep has been damaged cause of Atgames.

Atgames is run like its a Chinese company, cheap low quality products but it would is CEO is Ping-Kang (PK) Hsiung, PhD. CEO and Founder.It was conceived in China and it Head office is in Los Angels to make it sound less connected to China. All its stuff is made in Shenzhen, China.
The connection Atgames has to Sega was that Ping-Kang was Senior Advisor to the Board of the Sega Corporation in Japan.


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## spanner (Jun 3, 2019)

I noticed that if you save a Sega/Mega CD game with Picodrive it don't work, you try too run it and it goes be the menu screen,it works with all other systems, so dose saves work with Genesis Plus GX on Sega/Mega CD..?


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## spanner (Jun 3, 2019)

I just tried to add a CHD game to MD2018 and its not running,I only added CHD only, its a copy of Batman Returns mega CD,do I need to add it to a cue file of something, trying to get Genesis Plus GX to work with them..?

I was thinking.. The Mega CD BIOS didn't come up only a notice... "Game is not working right, Press A to go back to menu" has Genesis Plus GX got the EU Mega CD BIOS..? if a US Sega CD works then no it don't..?????

This is how I converted the cue+bin to CHD go to 4 minutes in..  

_C:\Users\Nick\Desktop\CHD>for /R %i in (*.cue *.gdi) do chdman createcd -i "%i"
-o "%~ni.chd"

C:\Users\Nick\Desktop\CHD>chdman createcd -i "C:\Users\Nick\Desktop\CHD\
BATMANRETURNS.CUE" -o "BATMANRETURNS.chd"
chdman - MAME Compressed Hunks of Data (CHD) manager 0.205 (mame0205)
Output CHD:   BATMANRETURNS.chd
Input file:   C:\Users\Nick\Desktop\CHD\BATMANRETURNS.CUE
Input tracks: 21
Input length: 46:52:11
Compression:  cdlz (CD LZMA), cdzl (CD Deflate), cdfl (CD FLAC)
Logical size: 311,031,348
Compression complete ... final ratio = 82.5%_


You can use your SD card on the PS1 Classic,all you need is a SD card reader and plug it into USB port 2 and look for the Mega CD games in RetroArch and select on one to play it...  I use my SD card like a USB Stick and it don't need a USB Hub. Its a 3.0 ANKER SD card Reader.


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## DoctorEvil8 (Jun 3, 2019)

spanner said:


> I just tried to add a CHD game to MD2018 and its not running,I only added CHD only, its a copy of Batman Returns mega CD,do I need to add it to a cue file of something, trying to get Genesis Plus GX to work with them..?
> 
> I was thinking.. The Mega CD BIOS didn't come up only a notice... "Game is not working right, Press A to go back to menu" has Genesis Plus GX got the EU Mega CD BIOS..? if a US Sega CD works then no it don't..?????
> 
> ...




Genesis Plus needs the Bios files in the same folder location as the game. All my sega CD CHD games run.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



DoctorEvil8 said:


> Genesis Plus needs the Bios files in the same folder location as the game. All my sega CD CHD games run.



My bios files are named bios_CD_E.BIN bios_CD_J.BIN and bios_CD_U.BIN for Europe, Japan and US regions.


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## spanner (Jun 3, 2019)

OK Thanks for replying.. I have them in Kega Fusion,I copy them from that,do it need the BIOS Roms for 32x too, I just tried Space Harrier 32X.bin and Doom 32X.bin and it didn't run them too..?


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## spanner (Jun 3, 2019)

Just got the Sega/Mega CD games working with cue+bin,I thought Genesis Plus GX couldn't play them,its working fine here,still have the lag in PAL games. But you can save your game now..  On Picodrive you can't.

Just got Ground Zero Texas working and Disc 2 is working,I am able to swap discs..


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## DoctorEvil8 (Jun 3, 2019)

spanner said:


> OK Thanks for replying.. I have them in Kega Fusion,I copy them from that,do it need the BIOS Roms for 32x too, I just tried Space Harrier 32X.bin and Doom 32X.bin and it didn't run them too..?



Genesis Plus won't run 32x, only Picodrive can.


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## spanner (Jun 3, 2019)

DoctorEvil8 said:


> Genesis Plus won't run 32x, only Picodrive can.



OK I did use Pico but you can't save Mega CD games,very odd you can't.don't know why,so I have to use GPGX so I can use saves in Mega CD games.


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## spanner (Jun 4, 2019)

Genesis Plus GX don't have 32x emulation is because the Game Cube and Wii was not powerful enough to emulate it so its was never added.They never thought of it been ported to other platforms.


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## spanner (Jun 4, 2019)

Is there a old update where the save works on Sega CD Picodrive..?


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## ckzero1 (Jun 4, 2019)

*@rrifonas *I've been watching and reading through this thread for quite some time now and I was wondering about some firmware statements (PAL delays and stuff) regarding the
original AT-Games firmware. Since I'm from Europe (Germany to be exact) the Retail of the Mega Drive Flashback HD 2019 (SD-Slot Version which comes along with 82 games due to
Rating-Restrictions) has been distributed by "Millenium2000" over here. However, they offer the original firmware upgrade (which also gives you SD-Card access) on their website.

*(I can't post any links right now as I'm a new registered user...but I would if someone tells me how to share the link.)

(Use google and search for "millennium play flashback hd" -> it's the 3rd hit -> retro-spielekonsolen)*

So here's the thing: Could this firmware (which I have already installed on my FB-HD) be slightly different from the ones you guys have discussed here before...???
For example: after installing this version, there still IS the original Mega-Drive-Logo (Not Genesis) attached and there is still NO "About-Section" being added to the Interface of the console.

So what I was thinking is: Maybe you can give a check on this firmware and compare it to the one you've built the custom firmware with...? Maybe there are some slight differences to it
which could help. I actually don't quite think so but still...it's worth a try as it seems to be a localized European (maybe therefore specifically compatible PAL games) upgrade.

That's just a guess...as I'm still all new to this kind of stuff you're doing here. (Sadly I still can't manage to get Sega CD-Games working on my FB-HD...a foolproof step-by-step tutorial would be awesome btw )

However, keep in touch with me, I'd really appreciate it!


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## spanner (Jun 4, 2019)

This one..??  https://retro-spielkonsolen.de/sega-mega-drive-sd/


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## rrifonas (Jun 5, 2019)

ckzero1 said:


> *@rrifonas *I've been watching and reading through this thread for quite some time now and I was wondering about some firmware statements (PAL delays and stuff) regarding the
> original AT-Games firmware. Since I'm from Europe (Germany to be exact) the Retail of the Mega Drive Flashback HD 2019 (SD-Slot Version which comes along with 82 games due to
> Rating-Restrictions) has been distributed by "Millenium2000" over here. However, they offer the original firmware upgrade (which also gives you SD-Card access) on their website.
> 
> ...



This update is the same update atgames released last December., and it's intended to only unlock the SD Card option. This update replace "data" partition and modify one file to enable SD Card support. The emulator partition is not touched here.

I've released one custom firmware based on the original European firmware (I'm not sure if I removed it or not) and the issues with PAL games are worse than with the current firmware...

I think Sega CD support was discussed extensively on the 2 threads covering this model.
You need to have the BIOS files (bios_CD_E.bin, bios_CD_J.bin and bios_CD_U.bin) in the GAME folder, and the games need to be in .cue/.bin format with no spaces (you may need to confirm the filename in the cue file), and/or in .chd format if you are using the custom firmware with Genesis Plus GX (the original firmware can't see CHD files). The support for .cue/.bin is a collateral effect of the original firmware support to .bin files in the SD Card.


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## ckzero1 (Jun 5, 2019)

@spanner

Exactly, that's the website I was talking about.


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## ckzero1 (Jun 5, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> This update is the same update atgames released last December., and it's intended to only unlock the SD Card option. This update replace "data" partition and modify one file to enable SD Card support. The emulator partition is not touched here.
> 
> I've released one custom firmware based on the original European firmware (I'm not sure if I removed it or not) and the issues with PAL games are worse than with the current firmware...
> 
> ...




Ok I see. As I said...this was just a guess. My intention was just to maybe add some "useful" information to this whole discussion. You're the pro, so just nevermind. 

As for the Sega CD support: I did exactly what you said here. (Actually that's exactly what I did before I joined the board here.) My files are .cue/.bin (original backups from my retail games I might add) with no spaces in between. The .cue information is correct and so are the BIOS files. However, the games won't start. I don't know why. I'm still running the system on the original firmware upgrade I was talking about recently. The .bins for Genesis/MegaDrive are working. Don't know what I'm doing wrong but maybe I should give your custom firmware a try...this will probably fix it. 

It's not a big deal to me at all..as I don't have much time to play with the system anyway. It simply bothers me personally that I'm not being able to make this work properly.  Shame on me...


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## spanner (Jun 5, 2019)

I think we need a wiki page on Atgames consoles.
ATGames was a games software developer for PS2 Xbox and PC and Mobile devices up until 2011 when they started marketing cheap Sega/Atari consoles and made a new company called ATGames Digital Media Inc,it a subsidy of the original company ATGames Holdings Limited that was founded in Bermuda in 2001.All there companies are in the US and china and there consoles are imported to other countries so Millennium imported the Mega Drive Console 2018/9 to Germany.


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## spanner (Jun 5, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> This update is the same update atgames released last December., and it's intended to only unlock the SD Card option. This update replace "data" partition and modify one file to enable SD Card support. The emulator partition is not touched here.
> 
> I've released one custom firmware based on the original European firmware (I'm not sure if I removed it or not) and the issues with PAL games are worse than with the current firmware...
> 
> ...



You mean in the rom folder..?? GAME folder is for MD2017..  bios_CD_E.bin, bios_CD_J.bin and bios_CD_U.bin has to be with the games so with the cue+bin files 


TIP...
A Idea for 2 disc games to work, like Ground Zero Texas, you have to call disc 1.cue the same name as disc 2.cue so I called them GroundZeroTexasUS.cue to fool the MD that it things its the same disc so you can use the same save on both discs,I made 2 folders one called groundzero1 and groundzero2 and put Ground Zero Texas US disc 1 in groundzero1 and Ground Zero Texas US disc 2 in groundzero2 and then renamed there cue files in each folder.. GroundZeroTexasUS.cue then copied in the each of the 2 folders bios_CD_E.bin, bios_CD_J.bin and bios_CD_U.bin, Ground Zero Texas will not run without them then added them with the Gamelist Manager, you need to add both discs to the MD console so you select disc 1 and when it asks for disc 2 you make a save at that point and then quit the game and select disc 2 and load the save you just save on the first disc and press a button to continue and it will play the next disc and bingo they work, I am on disc 2 now..  I be doing it with Night Trap next.


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## The_Big_Man (Jun 5, 2019)

Hi, has anyone managed to get multi disc Mega/Sega CD games working properly when converted to chd format, ie how should they be named and how to swap discs?


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## ckzero1 (Jun 5, 2019)

spanner said:


> I think we need a wiki page on Atgames consoles.
> ATGames was a games software developer for PS2 Xbox and PC and Mobile devices up until 2011 when they started marketing cheap Sega/Atari consoles and made a new company called ATGames Digital Media Inc,it a subsidy of the original company ATGames Holdings Limited that was founded in Bermuda in 2001.All there companies are in the US and china and there consoles are imported to other countries so Millennium imported the Mega Drive Console 2018/9 to Germany.




At least there should be a well organized kind of tutorial (more of a step by step overview) for that matter. I mean...not everybody is that much experienced with all of this stuff. But that is just a suggestion. It's hard to search and put all the relevant facts in this thread together one by one...so it would clearly make sence to "amateurs" like me. 

Regarding the ROM or GAME folder: I do have a "GAME" folder and the roms work pretty fine, although it is a new 2018/19 SD-Card model. (I never checked if it'll work with a "ROM" folder as well.)

So anyways, thank your for the tip with the Multi-CD games. Sooner or later I'm gonna need it, so it's much appreciated, pal!


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## The_Big_Man (Jun 5, 2019)

spanner said:


> You mean in the rom folder..?? GAME folder is for MD2017..  bios_CD_E.bin, bios_CD_J.bin and bios_CD_U.bin has to be with the games so with the cue+bin files
> 
> 
> TIP...
> A Idea for 2 disc games to work, like Ground Zero Texas, you have to call disc 1.cue the same name as disc 2.cue so I called them GroundZeroTexasUS.cue to fool the MD that it things its the same disc so you can use the same save on both discs,I made 2 folders one called groundzero1 and groundzero2 and put Ground Zero Texas US disc 1 in groundzero1 and Ground Zero Texas US disc 2 in groundzero2 and then renamed there cue files in each folder.. GroundZeroTexasUS.cue then copied in the each of the 2 folders bios_CD_E.bin, bios_CD_J.bin and bios_CD_U.bin, Ground Zero Texas will not run without them then added them with the Gamelist Manager, you need to add both discs to the MD console so you select disc 1 and when it asks for disc 2 you make a save at that point and then quit the game and select disc 2 and load the save you just save on the first disc and press a button to continue and it will play the next disc and bingo they work, I am on disc 2 now..  I be doing it with Night Trap next.


I take it this solution is no good if the files are in chd format?


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## spanner (Jun 5, 2019)

I am using Cue+Bin on Genesis Plus GX they work fine with it so you don't need to covert them to chd or if you want to so uses less space.

I don't see why not just replace the cue file for the chd file,I just finished playing Night Trap.. 

ATGames don't have there own forum do they would anyone be interested in a ATGames forum or a forum for the Genesis/Mega Drive only,I did make the forum for TheC64 Mini.. .. ?


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## DoctorEvil8 (Jun 5, 2019)

The_Big_Man said:


> I take it this solution is no good if the files are in chd format?



If you use the custom firmware from here...

https://gbatemp.net/threads/custom-firmware-for-sega-flashback-2018.523590/page-9#post-8537041

... and use the Game Manager from here...

https://gbatemp.net/threads/genesis-flashback-hd-2018-game-manager.529624/

... I have no issues with CHD files.  Multi disc games work great with the above mentioned method.  (Note: I use the Genesis Plus firmware, NOT the Picodrive)  I prefer CHD for only needing a single file per disc, and a smaller size.


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## The_Big_Man (Jun 5, 2019)

This is exactly the setup I am using, so how do you have your multi disc games named? Night Trap Disc 1.chd and Night Trap Disc 2.chd, I would imagine you use the trick the previous poster alluded to as in creating a save point when asked to swap disks and then reloading the state after quiting back to the menu and starting disc 2?


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## spanner (Jun 5, 2019)

Just made a wiki for the Atgames Genesis 2017/8/9 on wikidot.com. http://atgamesgenesis.wikidot.com 

Is there any difference between the 2018 and 2019 Genesis models..?


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## spanner (Jun 6, 2019)

The_Big_Man said:


> This is exactly the setup I am using, so how do you have your multi disc games named? Night Trap Disc 1.chd and Night Trap Disc 2.chd, I would imagine you use the trick the previous poster alluded to as in creating a save point when asked to swap disks and then reloading the state after quiting back to the menu and starting disc 2?


No made 2 folder name them nighttrap1 and nighttrap2 then name chd in each folder nighttrap.chd then add them to the allgames,ini as disk1 and disks 2.


[Night Trap Disc 1]
File=/rom/nighttrap1/NightTrapUSA.cue
Platform=Mega CD
Sort=Night Trap
Year=1993
Genre=Sega
Description=Night Trap is a full motion video game released by Digital Pictures for the Sega Mega-CD.After five teenage girls go mysteriously missing at a sleepover at Mr. and Mrs. Martin's house, the "Sega Control Attack Team" (SCAT, although later referred to as "Special Control Attack Team") arrive to find out what happened. As a new wave of girls enter the house for a sleepover (one being undercover SCAT agent, Kelly (Keli Medd in the manual)), the player ("control") is tasked with monitoring each of the eight rooms and trapping "Augers", vamperic beings which prey on women's blood.The traps are protected with access codes which can be changed by any of the people inside the house, forcing the player to listen in to conversations. Likewise, trapping the wrong people will result in a game over.A switches between selected rooms, B triggers a trap (when the indicated sensor bar suggests something is within range) and C changes the colour of the access code (between blue, red, green, orange, purple and yellow). Start shows the layout of the house.Night Trap consists entirely of full motion videos, meaning for the most part, gameplay is restricted to moving between rooms and pressing buttons. As the footage is always played in a certain order, this also means the same tactics can be applied in every playthrough. After about 25 minutes the game ends (although more than 90 minutes of footage exists across the two CD-ROMs).There are 95 enemies in total to capture.
Dpad=Movement
Start=Start, Pause
A=A
B=B
C=C
X=No Function
Y=No Function
Z=No Function

[Night Trap Disc 2]
File=/rom/nighttrap2/NightTrapUSA.cue
Platform=Mega CD
Sort=Night Trap
Year=1993
Genre=Sega
Description=Night Trap is a full motion video game released by Digital Pictures for the Sega Mega-CD.After five teenage girls go mysteriously missing at a sleepover at Mr. and Mrs. Martin's house, the "Sega Control Attack Team" (SCAT, although later referred to as "Special Control Attack Team") arrive to find out what happened. As a new wave of girls enter the house for a sleepover (one being undercover SCAT agent, Kelly (Keli Medd in the manual)), the player ("control") is tasked with monitoring each of the eight rooms and trapping "Augers", vamperic beings which prey on women's blood.The traps are protected with access codes which can be changed by any of the people inside the house, forcing the player to listen in to conversations. Likewise, trapping the wrong people will result in a game over.A switches between selected rooms, B triggers a trap (when the indicated sensor bar suggests something is within range) and C changes the colour of the access code (between blue, red, green, orange, purple and yellow). Start shows the layout of the house.Night Trap consists entirely of full motion videos, meaning for the most part, gameplay is restricted to moving between rooms and pressing buttons. As the footage is always played in a certain order, this also means the same tactics can be applied in every playthrough. After about 25 minutes the game ends (although more than 90 minutes of footage exists across the two CD-ROMs).There are 95 enemies in total to capture.
Dpad=Movement
Start=Start, Pause
A=A
B=B
C=C
X=No Function
Y=No Function
Z=No Function


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## DoctorEvil8 (Jun 6, 2019)

The_Big_Man said:


> This is exactly the setup I am using, so how do you have your multi disc games named? Night Trap Disc 1.chd and Night Trap Disc 2.chd, I would imagine you use the trick the previous poster alluded to as in creating a save point when asked to swap disks and then reloading the state after quiting back to the menu and starting disc 2?



Use subfolders. 

Example:
/rom/nt1/nighttrap.chd for disc 1 file
/rom/nt2/nighttrap.chd for disc 2 file

When it's time for disc swap, save the progress. Exit game. Launch disc 2 of game from main menu, and resume from that save point. Filenames must be the same and they must be in separate folders. You also need the bios files in each subfolder too.


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## ckzero1 (Jun 6, 2019)

*@spanner *
I don't think there is a difference between them at all. The only difference is the release date. The 2018 model is the same as the 2019 model but the release date was different. As far as I know...over here in Germany this model was released in early 2019 - that's why its called MDFB-HD 2019.


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## spanner (Jun 6, 2019)

Added 2 Disc games How to-- step by step.. http://atgamesgenesis.wikidot.com/wiki:2-disc-games


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## spanner (Jun 7, 2019)

Added NTSC and PAL games  http://atgamesgenesis.wikidot.com/wiki:segacd-ntsc-and-mega-cd-pal-games


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## spanner (Jun 7, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> While mounting the SD Card in fstab is a clever idea, it's a permanent solution.
> I've found a better way to do that using the script to load the menu and adding a control file in the SD Card.
> 
> ```
> ...



I was wondering you have linked the rom folder on the SD card to the rom partition right, why can't you do that with the emulator partition to make it bigger, so you store the emulator on the SD card and have more space,that way the emulator can be hacked and made better....?

This is a bit like what App2SD PRO dose on Android,it sends a app to the second partition on your SD card and leaves a link to it on the internal memory...  so Android thinks it still on the internal when its on the SD card.

My Atgames Mega Drive Flashback 2018 looks a bit small on top of my Sega Mega CD 1..


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## rrifonas (Jun 8, 2019)

spanner said:


> I was wondering you have linked the rom folder on the SD card to the rom partition right, why can't you do that with the emulator partition to make it bigger, so you store the emulator on the SD card and have more space,that way the emulator can be hacked and made better....?
> 
> This is a bit like what App2SD PRO dose on Android,it sends a app to the second partition on your SD card and leaves a link to it on the internal memory...  so Android thinks it still on the internal when its on the SD card.
> 
> My Atgames Mega Drive Flashback 2018 looks a bit small on top of my Sega Mega CD 1..



1) The script runs from the emulator partition, and we need to have it running BEFORE overmounting the partition
2) I could include the overmount script in the rootfs partition, but I don't like the idea to reflash the root partition on user's devices
3) There is no point to increase the size of emulator partition. The menu doesn't have capacity to add any additional core and we can't really replace the emulator without a proper debug interface to test a replacement... I've learned how PicoDrive was trying to read the BIOS files for sega CD with some txt scripts but this approach is unfeasible for more elaborate stuff


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## spanner (Jun 10, 2019)

Why don't Picodrive save states work on Sega CD/Mega CD or is that the emulator the one you put in to it..?


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## rrifonas (Jun 10, 2019)

spanner said:


> Why don't Picodrive save states work on Sega CD/Mega CD or is that the emulator the one you put in to it..?


I don't play Sega CD games on this device so I've never tried to troubleshoot.
Based on my experience troubleshooting the BIOS, and looking at the source code of the core, I can tell you the core expects to be loaded from RetroArch, or it will behave weird. BIOS files are a good example, it expects to receive the path from the 'emulator', or it tries to load from the same folder as the emulator/core. I needed to include the BIOS files in the emulator partition to make it load the games.

MAME 2000 core had a similar problem but it was 'easier' to fix as I had the code for MAME 2003 Plus core available, and I could back-port the fix using part of the MAME 2003 Plus code.

By the way, I did not replace the emulator inside this thing, I only hex-edited the menu to allow multiple extensions and replaced Genesis Plus GX with Picodrive core.


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## spanner (Jun 10, 2019)

Do you know what version of RetroArch its using..?
How is the Legend Flashback..? its looks like the Genesis Classic console from 2009.Its a bit odd having Genesis controller when it plays Arcade games. Properly that all they had copyright to at the time.

I remember using Picodrive for the first time on the PSP..  is the name Pico the name of the chip in the Mega Drive..?? like Lisa,Angus or AGA in Amiga.

No its cos of the Sega Pico that uses the hardware from the mega Drive.

The *Sega Pico*, also known as *Kids Computer Pico*,[a] is an educational video game console by Sega Toys. Marketed as "edutainment", the main focus of the Pico was educational video games for children between 3 and 7 years old. The Pico was released in June 1993 in Japan and November 1994 in North America and Europe, later reaching China. It was succeeded by the *Advanced Pico Beena*, which was released in Japan in 2005. Though the Pico was sold continuously in Japan through the release of the Beena, in North America and Europe the Pico was less successful and was discontinued in early 1998, later being re-released by Majesco Entertainment. Releases for the Pico were focused on education for children and included titles supported by licensed franchised animated characters, including Sega's own _Sonic the Hedgehog_ series. Overall, Sega claims sales of 3.4 million Pico consoles and 11.2 million game cartridges, and over 350,000 Beena consoles and 800,000 cartridges.

Thanks to this we have Vtect and Leap Frog kids laptops and tables now..  This is the first time I have heard of a Sega Pico well I would, i am not a 3 to 5 year old..


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## rrifonas (Jun 10, 2019)

spanner said:


> Do you know what version of RetroArch its using..?
> How is the Legend Flashback..? its looks like the Genesis Classic console from 2009.Its a bit odd having Genesis controller when it plays Arcade games. Properly that all they had copyright to at the time.
> 
> I remember using Picodrive for the first time on the PSP..  is the name Pico the name of the chip in the Mega Drive..?? like Lisa,Angus or AGA in Amiga.
> ...



This device uses a custom emulator, it's not RetroArch, but it works with RetroArch cores. Picodrive core is not optimized for this scenario. I was only able to fix the BIOS after copying the emulator to a Tinker Board running Linux and troubleshooting from there. 

The Legends Flashback is almost the same device (minus cartridge slot, wireless controllers and only 128MB RAM / 128MB NAND). I used it to test most of the updates I've made since my Genesis Flashback freezes after 10 minutes playing. They have the same OS, and the only differences between them are the emulator and rom partitions, and the menu. The Legends Flashback menu loads the cores based on the file extension, so it has some 'slots' which gave me the opportunity to expand the FBA core to a full version (Atgames compiled the FBA and MAME cores only with the drivers they are actually using), and add a new core (MAME 2000). The emulator has the same issues as the Genesis emulator, PAL games have audio delay, and even some arcade games have some delay.

I've used Picodrive for the first time in a Symbian Device (likely the N-Gage) around 2003 or 2004. I don't know if the name comes from the Sega Pico, but it's possible.


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## spanner (Jun 11, 2019)

*Background*
By the time of the early 1990s, electronic toys were on the rise, and Sega, a company at its peak decided to create a home console geared towards a younger audience. The result was the Sega Pico, a device derived from the popular Sega Mega Drive console. "Pico", like "Mega", is an SI prefix, in this case equating to 10−12.


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## image45 (Jun 11, 2019)

If you want to use the Golden Axe Cheats For Genesis to select level.

(Select arcade mode. Hold Down/Left + B and press Start at the character selection screen. A number that corresponds to the starting level will appear in the upper left corner of the screen. Use the D-pad to change it to the level you want.)

I have found that since this involves Hold Down /Left and Start, that it triggers the rewind  function and therefore do not work.

Has anyone found a work around at all please?


cheat10_desc = "Enable Stage Select Option"
cheat10_code = "FFC1B0:01"
cheat10_enable = false 

cheat11_desc = "Stage Select"
cheat11_code = "FFFE2D:??"
cheat11_enable = false


----------



## jeffyTheHomebrewer (Jun 11, 2019)

Wait, Doesn't it just run on some form of Android 4.4 KitKat? if so, could we play some android games on it?


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## rrifonas (Jun 12, 2019)

jeffyTheHomebrewer said:


> Wait, Doesn't it just run on some form of Android 4.4 KitKat? if so, could we play some android games on it?



Not this one. The Genesis Flashback 2018 / Mega Drive Flashback 2019 runs a custom Linux. The Genesis Flashback 2017 runs Android 4.4, and in theory it could play some older Android games.


----------



## jeffyTheHomebrewer (Jun 12, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> Not this one. The Genesis Flashback 2018 / Mega Drive Flashback 2019 runs a custom Linux. The Genesis Flashback 2017 runs Android 4.4, and in theory it could play some older Android games.


Ah, thought the 2018/9 version also ran android. Well, if it runs on some form of linux, could we run linux apps on it?


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## rrifonas (Jun 12, 2019)

jeffyTheHomebrewer said:


> Ah, thought the 2018/9 version also ran android. Well, if it runs on some form of linux, could we run linux apps on it?


In theory yes, but there are several caveats. The rootfs partition has only 14MB and it is ready-only (squashfs), the whole NAND has 256MB and there is no way to access the device while it's running to try to install stuff or check dependencies.


----------



## jeffyTheHomebrewer (Jun 12, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> In theory yes, but there are several caveats. The rootfs partition has only 14MB and it is ready-only (squashfs), the whole NAND has 256MB and there is no way to access the device while it's running to try to install stuff or check dependencies.


Ah, I see.


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## dclaneta (Jun 19, 2019)

Hi everyone! thanks for sharing your CFW mr rrifonas, the audio delay are so bad! my unit had a lot of delay, i turned on the overdrive option, turn off the background music and doing the rewind but still have a loot of delay, i only play NTSC games


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## dcuk7 (Jun 19, 2019)

Unfortunately there isn't much more that can be done. The delay happens no matter which core you use so until AtGames fix their Retroplayer emulator we are stuck with the device as-is. I can't see them doing any more updates to this unit but hopefully they continue to use this Linux setup in future hardware. Maybe we can one day bring this device up to where it should be.

I'd still suggest to anyone wanting a Mega Drive/Genesis emulation machine to go with a Raspberry Pi 3 and the MegaPi case. I've got a build set up just for SEGA consoles and apart from not being able to get the Game Gear bezel working correctly it works brilliantly and has custom bezels for each console and/or game.

Or wait for the Mega Drive Mini.


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## dclaneta (Jun 19, 2019)

Did you kwon how to unpack the emulator.img? For the segaupdate.img, using the rockchip rk3066 I was able to unpack the update but I can't unpack emulator.img i wonder if we can moddify the sample rate, sound latency and video refresh.


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## rrifonas (Jun 20, 2019)

dclaneta said:


> Did you kwon how to unpack the emulator.img? For the segaupdate.img, using the rockchip rk3066 I was able to unpack the update but I can't unpack emulator.img i wonder if we can moddify the sample rate, sound latency and video refresh.


You can use a tool called imgRePackerRK to unpack the .img file, search for it in XDA-Developers forum.
You can open emulator.img with 7-zip, and there is a file called retroplayer_ro.ini with the contents below:


```
[Global]
AudioSample=150
ScanlineFilter=0
RewindStep=4
UseBezel=0
BezelPath=<path to bezel>
Language=0
UseOSD=0
MaxBlackTimeout=600

[Core]
genesis_plus_gx_no_sprite_limit=disabled
genesis_plus_gx_ym2612=gens
genesis_plus_gx_audio_filter=low-pass
genesis_plus_gx_lowpass_range=60
```

The AudioSample parameter is a dead-end, some guys have tried to change it when this information was not in a read-only file, but it didn't reduce the delay.

There are no other settings available for the emulator. I've opened retroplayer with a hexadecimal editor, and these are the only settings available.


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## dclaneta (Jun 23, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> You can use a tool called imgRePackerRK to unpack the .img file, search for it in XDA-Developers forum.
> You can open emulator.img with 7-zip, and there is a file called retroplayer_ro.ini with the contents below:
> 
> 
> ...



thanks for sharing that info, opening with 7zip finally can see what are inside of the emulator.img, but I can't make any changes on the .ini, what program are you using for doing modifications on the emulator.img files 
thanks


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## rrifonas (Jun 24, 2019)

You will need linux or Windows subsystem for linux and use mksquashfs to rebuild the partition.
And you can use the same ImgRePackerRk to create the update file. Use the parameter /rkaf to recreate. You can send me a private message if you need assistance to rebuild the update file.


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## dclaneta (Jun 26, 2019)

You're right mr rrifonas, the audio delay it's a retroplayer issue, the fix i think will save this hardware are a new emulator like retroarch and send retroplayer to hell, I'm still wonder if we can change the stock emu for a Mdemu.apk for example like I see on the neo Geo mini firmware


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## rrifonas (Jun 26, 2019)

The Md.Emu apk is Android only. Besides that is a mess on the licensing perspective. It's "open source" but you can't distribute your own build. And it's not easy to build for yourself, it took me several months to build a working version for the Flashback HD 2017 - you will need a custom version compatible with the device's key map. I know there is a Linux version but I've never been able to compile it successfully. I'm not a developer so I've never tried to go deeper on this. 

Retroarch is a no-go without full access to the device using ssh or a debug interface. I can compile Retroarch on the Tinkerboard (which runs on a rockchip cpu), but it doesn't work on the Flashback HD due to different OS/dependencies.


----------



## Metaka75 (Jun 30, 2019)

Hi Guys

My first post here but have been reading thru the 18 pages over the past 2 weeks when I have had 10mins or so to get this working but keep coming across the same issue everytime!

I have the SD version 2018/19? Mega Drive UK model bought from Argos.

Using an 8gb branded SD card I have successfully used both the Atgames flash and then I have also tried the latest ones posted on this thread, this all works fine and the machine updates no probs everytime I start over.

My problem is when I add the "GAME" folder onto the SD card and put a selection of test games on the card (street fighter, puzzle bobble etc...) then put the card into the mega drive it all shows up when I go down to the SD Card are in the menu where all the games added show up, but no matter which one I try the screen goes black for a few seconds then comes up with an Ooops message saying its having trouble loading the game?
(attached pic of the message)

Any ideas guys? im getting the roms from a standard site and are .bin files, if I am going to the wrong place maybe thats the issue?

Look forward to any replies 

Cheers

Leon aka Metaka75


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## DoctorEvil8 (Jun 30, 2019)

Metaka75 said:


> Hi Guys
> 
> My first post here but have been reading thru the 18 pages over the past 2 weeks when I have had 10mins or so to get this working but keep coming across the same issue everytime!
> 
> ...



It's most likely your filenames. This system is very picky. No spaces, no symbols.


----------



## dclaneta (Jun 30, 2019)

Better use the dcuk7 game manager, it's very easy to use.


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## Metaka75 (Jun 30, 2019)

Hi, no I have been thru all the file naming with and without spaces using underscores From the offset including making sure it’s .bin file etc. 

Not sure why it would show the file on the mega drive but then fail to load?


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Jun 30, 2019)

are you using a straight up hdmi cable? using a converter is known to cause issues with this device.


----------



## Metaka75 (Jul 1, 2019)

HDMI it came with, not sure why something that sends the picture would make an error message appear regarding the loading state of a game though?

All very puzzling as everyone else seems to have no issues at this stage, I have watched a couple of YouTube videos on this as well all explained and followed to perfection with no joy :/


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (Jul 1, 2019)

Metaka75 said:


> HDMI it came with, not sure why something that sends the picture would make an error message appear regarding the loading state of a game though?
> 
> All very puzzling as everyone else seems to have no issues at this stage, I have watched a couple of YouTube videos on this as well all explained and followed to perfection with no joy :/



Are you using official firmware or custom firmware?   If you have chosen the custom firmware route, I highly suggest using the Game Manager from here... https://gbatemp.net/threads/genesis-flashback-hd-2018-game-manager.529624/

This method integrates your games into the main User Interface. It will also tweak the filenames into an acceptable format for you.


----------



## Metaka75 (Jul 1, 2019)

I have tried both methods but not the game manager so will give it a go and let you know . Cheers.


----------



## Metaka75 (Jul 1, 2019)

Update!

Ok the game manager did in deed solve what the issue was! turns out when I found that none of my roms would load into it that its because they are.bin versions not .md which I have found on another site, I just asumed that if I was getting the roms they were all the same (apparently not)

Thanks for you help it defenitely got me there in the end and Kudos to DCUK7 for an amazing bit of programming! 

Now time to waste my life away downloading and playing all the classics lol


----------



## Metaka75 (Jul 1, 2019)

Something I have learnt on doing this now is that with .bin files not being recognised by this Game Manager app where do I find a decent list of the .md roms as the only site I found that seems to have them has allot of the classics im after missing or is there a convertion tool?


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (Jul 1, 2019)

Metaka75 said:


> Something I have learnt on doing this now is that with .bin files not being recognised by this Game Manager app where do I find a decent list of the .md roms as the only site I found that seems to have them has allot of the classics im after missing or is there a convertion tool?



That seems odd to me. All my files are .bin and they all seem to work. That said, I haven't paid attention to how the Game Manager deals with them. I just pop them into the Game Manager and they work on the system.


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (Jul 1, 2019)

There is a conversion tool. At the moment, I cannot recall the name of it. I am wondering if your .bin files are proper files or were they a different format but renamed (not converted) to .bin.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Jul 2, 2019)

Metaka75 said:


> HDMI it came with, not sure why something that sends the picture would make an error message appear regarding the loading state of a game though?
> 
> All very puzzling as everyone else seems to have no issues at this stage, I have watched a couple of YouTube videos on this as well all explained and followed to perfection with no joy :/


glad you figured out what was causing the issue. there have been cases where people have connected their devices to non-hdcp compliant monitors and the games dont start for some odd reason. Micronut99 had this issue a few months back if i recall.


----------



## rrifonas (Jul 2, 2019)

.bin and .md are the same thing, you can just rename all files using command-prompt:
ren *.md *.bin


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (Jul 2, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> .bin and .md are the same thing, you can just rename all files using command-prompt:
> ren *.md *.bin



Really?  I have read different interpretations on the internet that Sega Genesis file renaming will work, and others state file renaming will not work.  Either way, I have always used SBWin if I need to change a file.  https://www.zophar.net/utilities/segautil/sbwin.html  It's so quick to use, I just use it instead of renaming.


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Jul 2, 2019)

creating a batch and renaming works pretty great atleast on my end


----------



## Pruts3r (Jul 9, 2019)

Hi there everybody! Something weird from the Netherlands: I got the megadrive version, bought in the UK and it came without ‘about’ tab but managed to get it the official update via this german site retro-spielkonsolen.de

Weird stuff now: when putting games on the SD card i got them to work no trouble but some het really messed up sound like aladdin and tiny toons, batman, Zool, toy story and more. Went on google and came acrosse this site and read about pal and ntsc so last night i figured what the hell, lest give that a go, so downloaded the troubled games from other site in both EU and USA version and guess what, the USA version have NO sound issues. Also my TV says 720p/60 when i boot the megadrive... 

Does anyone else have this problem? I mean, EU version megadrive (not genesis) but non the less 60hz and only working with USA roms? 

Also some games i really love seem to be only availible as EU rom (spirou, tintin au tibit, toy story and more). Is there a way to fix that or tranfer them to ntsc?

Any help much appriciated!


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Jul 9, 2019)

its a known issue at this point and it has been mentioned earlier in the thread. I would suggest you read a few pages of comments to catch up to speed/


----------



## Pruts3r (Jul 10, 2019)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> its a known issue at this point and it has been mentioned earlier in the thread. I would suggest you read a few pages of comments to catch up to speed/



Done! Read the whole 19 pages. Okay, if i understand correctly then i have a EU/UK megadrive but it is essentially a US device and therefor PAL games have messed up sound and run crazy quick. Notthing to fix that right?

About the firmware, i am not about hacking or anything. Just want my device to run megadrive games from SD without trouble (NTSC and PAL). I got the firmware from retro-spielenkonsolen.de / downloads /  This firmware only activated SD usage. Your update link in #171 is newer (or the newest) official update and kinda makes PAL games less troublesome. Right?

Is the firmware on #171 official or selfmade? If selfmade, can i get an official latest update somewere or is this firmware the best option?

Games like spirou and tintin au tibet only were sold in europa. No ntsc versions of those. Any ideas to fix this sound issue on those games?

(I have no experience. Just had an MD 2 in my childhood and want to recapture my memories)

Thnx for al the knowledge shared here! Great help!

* UPDATE * gave your EU GX firmware link from #171 a go. Have an about menu now (?) and sound isnt horribly distorted anymore BUT now it is way slow. Engaged overdrive feature allready and switched of background music. Didnt help....


----------



## WD_GASTER2 (Jul 11, 2019)

there is 4 different ones in post 171 which one did you use. Also that is rrifonas work on some of those and on some the official firmware.


----------



## Pruts3r (Jul 11, 2019)

WD_GASTER2 said:


> there is 4 different ones in post 171 which one did you use. Also that is rrifonas work on some of those and on some the official firmware.


I used the 3rd one. Megadrive plus GX. Not pico


----------



## rrifonas (Jul 11, 2019)

Firmware on post #171 is custom, atgames never updated the EU version, so it's the US update merged with the EU theme. The games work better but it doesn't fix the sound and some speed issues with PAL games.


----------



## ranja81 (Jul 15, 2019)

Hi. I've read a good chunk of this thread and been to the firmware page. I downloaded a custom firmware a while ago that could play 32x but not mega cd, is there now one that can do both and what's the quality like? I also tried star wars 32x but couldn't get it to work, is this a known issue or could it just be the rom I'm using? I really like this console and with the game manager it looks really good. Thanks


----------



## HollywoodGravy (Jul 17, 2019)

Hi, I'm using the picodrive firmware and the sound on 32X virtua fighter is very crackly. Is this the same for everyone or do I have a bad rom?I

I am also getting an error using the game manager on some but not all 32X games. Pathway restricted. This could be an error in my pc. But all genesis and Sega CD games work fine.

Anyway thank you to everyone involved. It's a great little machine now.


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## Pruts3r (Jul 20, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> Firmware on post #171 is custom, atgames never updated the EU version, so it's the US update merged with the EU theme. The games work better but it doesn't fix the sound and some speed issues with PAL games.



Well used the firmware for some time now and here are my experiences so far:

Custom MD firmware with GX from message 171: got about tab, retained megadrive look and logo, sd card works and most games run. Sound is lagging behind. A big fat full second on PAL games but on al the other games (inclusing preinstalled on the flashback hd itself) also noticeable sound delay. Few tens of a second but still. Other than that sound is perfect and not destorted or anything. Graphics look great. (Tried the sound with desert strike, dynamite heady, james bond, Ecco, Mickey castle of illusion and many more. James Bond gave me the clearest way to check delay since when he jumps the landing sound is realy clear and clearly later than the landing took place)

Tried the official flashback zone firmware (which i can now download since i got the about tab now): now got genesis logo and everything else is the same as custom firmware. Games run, sd card works bit sound lags behind (a lot on PAL games but also noticeable on preinstalled and US/JP roms).

Last night i figured is give the firmware from 171 a go but now the MD version with Picodrive: megadrive logo is back, about tab still there, sd card still works and games still run great but now sound delay is GONE on US/JP and preinstalled games. It is spot on! Exactly without delay. Only PAL games still got their full second delay in sound but al others are fine now. (The moment ecco land in the water you hear the woosh sound and when Bond his shoes touch the ground the sound is there spot on) So all is perfect now? No... Picodrive has some destorted sound on a few games. Havent tried al the 130 roms yet but on ECCO and ECCO T.O.T Ecco’s boost sound is off and sounds weird.

Of course i switched the menu music off and tried OVERDRIVE mode on and off.

Anyone else got the same experiences as me with GX and Pico?

I will keep on trying more games with pico and report back when i find more with sound glitches.


----------



## ranja81 (Jul 25, 2019)

Anyone get sound on mega cd games to work. I get sound effects but no music


----------



## rrifonas (Jul 26, 2019)

I'm not sure, but I think the original firmware will only load .bin files, so it's only reading the first track without even look at the .cue file. The custom firmware can read .cue files and it will load games with multiple files and also CHD files, which are much better to manage than images with multiple files.


----------



## ranja81 (Jul 26, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> I'm not sure, but I think the original firmware will only load .bin files, so it's only reading the first track without even look at the .cue file. The custom firmware can read .cue files and it will load games with multiple files and also CHD files, which are much better to manage than images with multiple files.


I'm using your custom firmware and it is reading it from a zip file, if I were to decompress and just add the files do you think it would read from there? I'm using the game manager as well, do you know whether that would still work fine, I guess it would as I would just set it to pick up the cue file.


----------



## rrifonas (Jul 26, 2019)

Yes, unzip the files. I didn't know that zip files worked...


----------



## ranja81 (Jul 26, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> Yes, unzip the files. I didn't know that zip files worked...



They seem to. I've only tried them on Mega CD games and they seem to work just without Music. I did try one without all the music tracks broken down separately, so a zip with an iso and a cue and a couple of other files however that was the same and played no music. I'll try unzipping the files and see what happens.


----------



## ranja81 (Jul 26, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> Yes, unzip the files. I didn't know that zip files worked...


So tried that but didn't work. The game manager doesn't look for cue files so I set it to look for the zip then unzipped and changed file names so they were all the same but once I put the SD back in the megadrive the game image didn't show up and the game didn't start


----------



## WheelerMD (Jul 27, 2019)

Hi,

this is my first post...

I have the mega drive 2018 SD and im trying to add extra games. I have fully read this post and found it extremely useful but im struggling to get master system and mega CD games to work.

I have tried both custom firmwares from post 171 and neither seem to work for me.

They appear when i turn the mega drive on and i can select them but when i go to play them i get a black screen and return to the description screen.

my roms are .sms .cue or .chd

Any suggestions would be helpful.

thanks


----------



## rrifonas (Jul 27, 2019)

ranja81 said:


> So tried that but didn't work. The game manager doesn't look for cue files so I set it to look for the zip then unzipped and changed file names so they were all the same but once I put the SD back in the megadrive the game image didn't show up and the game didn't start


Search for chdman and convert the images to CHD, I didn't use the game manager with Sega CD games but I can tell you that audio CD works fine when loading games from the SD Card.



WheelerMD said:


> Hi,
> 
> this is my first post...
> 
> ...



Looks like the games have space in their names, that's the most common cause for this error. Remove the spaces and try again, the console doesn't like spaces and some special characters.


----------



## ranja81 (Jul 29, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> Search for chdman and convert the images to CHD, I didn't use the game manager with Sega CD games but I can tell you that audio CD works fine when loading games from the SD Card.
> 
> Tried chd man but the game tries to start then goes black and goes back to the main screen. Normally they would start up fine from the zip. Any other suggestions? I must be doing something slightly wrong.


----------



## ranja81 (Aug 1, 2019)

So after quite a bit of testing last night I find that the picodrive versions cannot play chd files at all even with the bios files included. I've also found no way of getting picodrive to play music on mega cd games whether this is in bin cue format, zip or cue img. 

The genesis gx version plays them fine but obviously cannot play 32x.


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (Aug 8, 2019)

ranja81 said:


> So after quite a bit of testing last night I find that the picodrive versions cannot play chd files at all even with the bios files included. I've also found no way of getting picodrive to play music on mega cd games whether this is in bin cue format, zip or cue img.
> 
> The genesis gx version plays them fine but obviously cannot play 32x.



Sega/Mega CD will play the music in games with the PICO emulator.  Add both the CUE and the BIN file to the SD card, but have to point to the CUE file, not the BIN file in the allgames.ini file.  You will get the music this way.


----------



## stewartlegg1971 (Aug 21, 2019)

Hi there...
Im using the latest pico drive version...and im getting graphical glitches on most 32x games... is this normal??


----------



## Alphons Potters (Aug 21, 2019)

*rrifonas* I just noticed noq that the picture of the Mega Drive logo when you use the Custom Firmware has cut off when you select the ABOUT section.
Can you fix this please? It's very small. Thanks buddy!


----------



## rrifonas (Aug 21, 2019)

Alphons Potters said:


> *rrifonas* I just noticed noq that the picture of the Mega Drive logo when you use the Custom Firmware has cut off when you select the ABOUT section.
> Can you fix this please? It's very small. Thanks buddy!


I don't know if I can fix it. I'm checking here and the logo is in the same place as the other pages...


----------



## Alphons Potters (Aug 23, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> I don't know if I can fix it. I'm checking here and the logo is in the same place as the other pages...



Weird... because I am using the Mega Drive firmware (not the Genesis) and I though you maybe photoshopped the about section in it). But O well it's a small graphical error. 
Just wanted to let you know


----------



## rrifonas (Aug 23, 2019)

Alphons Potters said:


> Weird... because I am using the Mega Drive firmware (not the Genesis) and I though you maybe photoshopped the about section in it). But O well it's a small graphical error.
> Just wanted to let you know



The About section was "photoshopped" with Paint. My eyes are not so good, but I can see the logo is on the same position as the other files in the EU version.
I can provide you the original files (US page and one page with the EU logo) if you want to change it.


----------



## Alphons Potters (Aug 23, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> The About section was "photoshopped" with Paint. My eyes are not so good, but I can see the logo is on the same position as the other files in the EU version.
> I can provide you the original files (US page and one page with the EU logo) if you want to change it.



It's on the same position buddy but look CLOSE to the right part. There is a small section cut off when you go to the ABOUT section


----------



## Alexmegadrive1985 (Sep 1, 2019)

Hi sorry I am confused about updating the firmware. I have just bought a UK Megadrive Flashback HD from Argos. On Atgames website the firmware is for the Genesis Flashback so it must be for the US version? In the menu system for my console it already shows SD card in the menu. Do I need to update the firmware to play roms on sd card or does it do it straight out of the box? Could someone please direct me to thr UK firmware? Thanks in advance!


----------



## dcuk7 (Sep 1, 2019)

There is no "UK firmware", AtGames only offers updated Genesis-branded firmware. If yours shows SD card on the menu then you have everything you need to play ROMs from the card.

I would suggest taking a look at my game manager app if you want to customise your console with box art (the standard SD card option from AtGames doesn't support box art). @rrifonas made a custom firmware that allows games to be added to the main menu. He also created them with both Genesis and Mega Drive logos so you can pick the one that matches your region (although this is only cosmetic, the actual firmware is the same no matter which you have).


----------



## cinek3883 (Sep 1, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> There is no "UK firmware", AtGames only offers updated Genesis-branded firmware.



so how can i unlock SD card slot in my Sega Mega Drive Flashback HD? can you write quick solution? because im newbie with AtGames consoles, and wanted make some custom with game menager app, but havent idea how to start, and dont wanna brick console with firmwares from other regions (if that even possible to brick)... :-/


----------



## Da_GPer (Sep 1, 2019)

I noticed some games that have FM sound don't play it in FM. A few examples are the translated version of Phantasy Star, Megami Rescue, Galactic Protector, and Super Racing. I'm sure there's more.

EDIT: Fixed a misspelled word.


----------



## dcuk7 (Sep 1, 2019)

cinek3883 said:


> so how can i unlock SD card slot in my Sega Mega Drive Flashback HD? can you write quick solution? because im newbie with AtGames consoles, and wanted make some custom with game menager app, but havent idea how to start, and dont wanna brick console with firmwares from other regions (if that even possible to brick)... :-/


If you use the game manager app, just do the following:

put your SD card in and choose the Open all-games.ini button

select the option to set up a new SD card

choose your region from the menu and click start
when it asks you if you want to download the custom firmware just say yes

put the sd card in the flashback, let it do the update

after the update completes, take the card and put it back in the computer
the app will see that there is an update file on the card and ask you to remove it, say yes to this
now select the Open all-games.ini again and choose your sd card, you can now start to add games to it
Hope that helps.


----------



## cinek3883 (Sep 1, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> If you use the game manager app, just do the following:
> 
> put your SD card in and choose the Open all-games.ini button
> 
> ...



thank you very much! will try it when i back to home : )
but found few more questions till im still at work, is custom firmware will unlock SD card option at my console? SD card need to be Fat32 formatted, right? games i'll add with Game Manager App will listed at SD card menu or maybe straight likegames included with Sega Flashback? is any limitation roms i can add this way?


----------



## dcuk7 (Sep 1, 2019)

Yes you should be formatted as FAT32. The game manager set up will tell you if the card is in the correct format.

If you use the app it will enable the AtGames standard SD card support (providing you say yes to downloading the custom firmware) but it will also let you add the games so they show up in the main menu, which is nicer imo.

There are no real limitations. I'd say don't have more than 500 games (I try to stick to 300 or less). Use unzipped ROMs for best compatibility.


----------



## cinek3883 (Sep 1, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> Yes you should be formatted as FAT32. The game manager set up will tell you if the card is in the correct format.
> 
> If you use the app it will enable the AtGames standard SD card support (providing you say yes to downloading the custom firmware) but it will also let you add the games so they show up in the main menu, which is nicer imo.
> 
> There are no real limitations. I'd say don't have more than 500 games (I try to stick to 300 or less). Use unzipped ROMs for best compatibility.



thx for advice,good to know that, but that custom firmware is baset at AtGames firmware update? heard is AtGames firmware update got somesound and compatibility improvements, and is that custom firmware will be upgradable in future?


----------



## dcuk7 (Sep 1, 2019)

Yes the custom firmware is based on the latest AtGames firmware. You can flash between custom and official with no issues (you will always be able to use AtGames firmware in the future even if you are running custom). I don't think there will be any new official firmware released for this unit now but if it does I am sure we will keep the custom firmware updated.


----------



## cinek3883 (Sep 2, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> Yes the custom firmware is based on the latest AtGames firmware. You can flash between custom and official with no issues (you will always be able to use AtGames firmware in the future even if you are running custom). I don't think there will be any new official firmware released for this unit now but if it does I am sure we will keep the custom firmware updated.



great, thx for fast explaind, looking at customs seen there 2 firmwares for Sega Mega Drive Flashback HD

Mega Drive Flashback HD 2018 - custom firmware based on the US FB3680_v.2.01
Mega Drive Flashback HD 2018 - custom firmware based on the US FB3680_v.2.01 (Picodrive)

which one is in Game Menager App, and which one is better? custom firmwares can be flashed by another custom? and at actually Game Menager App and custom firmware allow to add and play other Sega roms like GameGear, CD, X32?


----------



## dcuk7 (Sep 2, 2019)

The game manager downloads the version with Genesis Plus GX. This is the emulation core that AtGames shipped the unit with. The supported systems with each core are:

Genesis Plus GX - Genesis, Master System, Game Gear and Sega CD
PicoDrive - Genesis, Master System, Sega CD and 32X

I made the decision to only offer the Genesis Plus GX through the game manager so that it runs as close to stock as possible. Flashing the PicoDrive firmware will mean no Game Gear support. I think most people would prefer GG over 32X support.


----------



## cinek3883 (Sep 3, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> The game manager downloads the version with Genesis Plus GX. This is the emulation core that AtGames shipped the unit with. The supported systems with each core are:
> 
> Genesis Plus GX - Genesis, Master System, Game Gear and Sega CD
> PicoDrive - Genesis, Master System, Sega CD and 32X
> ...



thank you very much, just flashed my console, and works great, game looks better after that, ealier was heard some sound issues, now its almost perfect, and yeah GameGear is better for me too than 32x, is there any way to add some bezels maybe? and maybe you know what mean that option in Settings>>>Advanced Settings>>>Overdrive ?


----------



## dcuk7 (Sep 3, 2019)

You can't easily add bezels. The only way is to replace the ones on the device but that requires unpacking the firmware, replacing files, re-packing and flashing back to the unit (not the easiest process tbh).

The Overdrive option is a funny one. I find that if you disable Background Music and enable Overdrive, the unit performs a little bit better but I've tried with just Overdrive on and off and I can't really notice any difference.


----------



## cinek3883 (Sep 5, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> You can't easily add bezels. The only way is to replace the ones on the device but that requires unpacking the firmware, replacing files, re-packing and flashing back to the unit (not the easiest process tbh).
> 
> The Overdrive option is a funny one. I find that if you disable Background Music and enable Overdrive, the unit performs a little bit better but I've tried with just Overdrive on and off and I can't really notice any difference.



its looks a bit complicated for me, you not planing to change some in next custom firmwares? i got bunch of them from RetroArch, should work i think... good idea in next updates Game Maker App will editing already added games too ; )


----------



## Alexmegadrive1985 (Sep 7, 2019)

Thanks for the detailed reply dcuk7, I must have been having a mad half hour as I didn't have the sd function at all. I must have watched it in a video and then made myself beleive it was on mine! I flashed the console with the official firmware so now have sd function. Has anyone noticed colour changes in games. Playing shinobi or desert strike there are colour changes where the games go grainy then back to normal then back to grainy on dessert strike and shinobi,. Do I have faulty one?


Is there a tutorial video of how to install the custom firmware instead?


----------



## dclaneta (Sep 10, 2019)

Better get a mega Pi case with a raspberry pi 3+, install the blast 16 frontend and forget this defective console forever!


----------



## trz34 (Sep 12, 2019)

Hello,

I applied the GX Plus custom firmware and noticed that the 6 button controls dont' work for all games that support it, but if I switch and try the PICO firmware then the 6 button controls work. Is there a way to add 6 button support to the GX Plus firmware?


----------



## ranja81 (Sep 28, 2019)

How do I play 2 disc mega cd games using the game manager? Is that possible?



dcuk7 said:


> You can't easily add bezels. The only way is to replace the ones on the device but that requires unpacking the firmware, replacing files, re-packing and flashing back to the unit (not the easiest process tbh).
> 
> The Overdrive option is a funny one. I find that if you disable Background Music and enable Overdrive, the unit performs a little bit better but I've tried with just Overdrive on and off and I can't really notice any difference.


----------



## Gfranc16 (Sep 29, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> It looks like your Flashback is the 2017 version. The 2018 has a SD Card slot, and it should have the About section in menu.
> By the way, you don't need a serial number to download updates from Atgames site. You just need to register.


I got the same problem. I got no about feature on my menu, but got an sd card slot. ive been told its because its the uk megadrive version, not the us genesis version. is it still possible to update the uk console? and is it possible to register my console without the id number?


----------



## dcuk7 (Sep 30, 2019)

ranja81 said:


> How do I play 2 disc mega cd games using the game manager? Is that possible?



See @spanner post here for a trick for 2 disc SEGA CD games.



Gfranc16 said:


> I got the same problem. I got no about feature on my menu, but got an sd card slot. ive been told its because its the uk megadrive version, not the us genesis version. is it still possible to update the uk console? and is it possible to register my console without the id number?



If you use the Game Manager app you can download the latest firmware for your region without doing the AtGames registration. This is a better way to do it IMO because @rrifonas has done a marvellous job at making both Genesis and Mega Drive versions (AtGames only offers Genesis branded firmware, which means your Flashback will change to Genesis instead of Mega Drive. This is only cosmetic though, it operates just the same.) You you will also have the option to use your own games with box art if you choose to do so in the future.


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## G-rasshopper (Oct 13, 2019)

Hi,

I purchased the UK version of the 2018 Sega Mega Drive Flashback from Argos a few weeks ago (it only cost £30!).

I'm now interested in trying out the custom firmware that you guys have written for it. However, I'd prefer to backup the stock firmware in my machine first. I realise this will require me to solder in a USB port (which I'm comfortable doing). But I'm struggling to find a simple guide on how to use RockChip's utility for uploading and downloading new firmware to the NAND flash chip. Can anyone here point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance.


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## rrifonas (Oct 13, 2019)

G-rasshopper said:


> Hi,
> 
> I purchased the UK version of the 2018 Sega Mega Drive Flashback from Argos a few weeks ago (it only cost £30!).
> 
> ...



You only need to do a simple bridge on the board to enable direct USB access, I think there is a image with the solder points in some thread. Connecting the device to a computer while pressing the recovery button will put the device in LOADER mode. I soldered 2 jumpers to the "Menu" button to make it easier to put the device in LOADER mode without need to reopen it.

Once in loader mode, you can use "rkDumper" to backup the device, using the following command-line:
rkdumper.exe /last dump 

This tool will dump all partitions and the parameter file. It will also create a .cfg file (config_16.cfg) that can be used with AndroidTool to upload the firmware back to the device.


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## Excalibur007 (Oct 14, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> You can't easily add bezels. The only way is to replace the ones on the device but that requires unpacking the firmware, replacing files, re-packing and flashing back to the unit (not the easiest process tbh).



You could make a script to dump the emulator folder to the SD card and read it from there so that it will read your own music and bezels from SD.  It was done for the Atari Flashback 9 here.  I'd think you'd just have to edit this script to point to the correct folder for the Genesis Flashback.


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## G-rasshopper (Oct 14, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> You only need to do a simple bridge on the board to enable direct USB access, I think there is a image with the solder points in some thread. Connecting the device to a computer while pressing the recovery button will put the device in LOADER mode. I soldered 2 jumpers to the "Menu" button to make it easier to put the device in LOADER mode without need to reopen it.
> 
> Once in loader mode, you can use rkDumper to backup the device, using the following command-line:
> rkdumper.exe /last dump
> ...



Thanks for the information.

Can you clarify why an Android tool needs to be used to upload the firmware back to the device? I was under the impression that the 2018 Sega Flashback was based on regular Linux as opposed to Android. Am I wrong?

Also, I've just had a thought. If I left the USB connection permanently enabled as you have done, then would it be possible to connect USB controllers to the device through an OTG splitter cable?


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## rrifonas (Oct 15, 2019)

G-rasshopper said:


> Thanks for the information.
> 
> Can you clarify why an Android tool needs to be used to upload the firmware back to the device? I was under the impression that the 2018 Sega Flashback was based on regular Linux as opposed to Android. Am I wrong?
> 
> Also, I've just had a thought. If I left the USB connection permanently enabled as you have done, then would it be possible to connect USB controllers to the device through an OTG splitter cable?



The tool is called AndroidTool but it's the generic Rockchip tool to flash firmware. The recovery partition is based in Android even with the device running Linux. 

No, otg doesn't seem to work.


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## rrifonas (Oct 15, 2019)

Excalibur007 said:


> You could make a script to dump the emulator folder to the SD card and read it from there so that it will read your own music and bezels from SD.  It was done for the Atari Flashback 9 here.  I'd think you'd just have to edit this script to point to the correct folder for the Genesis Flashback.



It's not as easy as you think. Need the rebuild the image changing menu_launcher.sh to accept the extra file/folders. As I mentioned in AtariAge, I can try to add this feature to the Genesis images.

If you want to play with the tools by yourself, you can use ImgRePackerRK to unpack/pack the images, and mksquashfs to rebuild the emulator partition.


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## G-rasshopper (Oct 15, 2019)

This might be a naive question, but would it be possible to copy all of the partitions on the NAND flash chip to the SD card, and then set the device up to boot from the SD card?

Alternatively, if booting from the SD card is not possible, then could you put a small boot partition on the NAND flash chip, and the remaining partitions on the SD card?

If you did this there'd be much more flash memory available, so the emulator partition could be unsquashed and transferred to a filesystem that is easier to access and modify.


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## rrifonas (Oct 16, 2019)

G-rasshopper said:


> This might be a naive question, but would it be possible to copy all of the partitions on the NAND flash chip to the SD card, and then set the device up to boot from the SD card?
> 
> Alternatively, if booting from the SD card is not possible, then could you put a small boot partition on the NAND flash chip, and the remaining partitions on the SD card?
> 
> If you did this there'd be much more flash memory available, so the emulator partition could be unsquashed and transferred to a filesystem that is easier to access and modify.



This is not possible with the current settings. In theory it is possible, but you would need to mess with the kernel or the root partition to change fstab. I don't know if it's possible to do using overmount, I've tried before and it didn't work. Anyway, there is nothing to do in the filesystem, a lot of things is hard-coded in retromenu/retroplayer. The only think you could eventually do is to modify the bezels, or have an easier way to switch between Genesis Plus GX and PicoDrive.


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## metal_slugger (Oct 25, 2019)

churchyjr said:


> Ok now just wondering how to add artwork and also how to set the games in the SD Card to be alphabetical? I have 3 Ninjas and Beavis & Butthead and Aladdin for starters and its showing on the Genesis Beavis 1st Ninjas 2nd and Aladdin 3rd. Anyway to make them show in alphabetical order and add artwork?



I used a windows application called "FAT Sorter" to FAT-sort the contents of the Game directory, now all the games show in proper alpha order on the Flashback. This is something I learnt using clone Mega Drive flash carts


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## mdancevic (Oct 27, 2019)

Hello i am new in forum, nice to meet you all

I have bought some second hand at @ames Sega Mega Drive Flashback, i has been good price. But when i connect to TV i got this on screen?

*Red screen with some error says press D+A for SD CARD TEST*

Anyone got the similar problem, is it possible to fix this somehow, i hear music in the background?

Thanks in advance


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## image45 (Oct 27, 2019)

I had the same issue on a few Roms, golden axe was the worst.


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## image45 (Oct 27, 2019)

Does that mean a UK console purchase from Argos now has the SD card option out of the box with out the need for the update?


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## dcuk7 (Oct 27, 2019)

@mdancevic I had this problem with one of my units and I could not get it to work. I tried updating the firmware but it did not help. Maybe opening the unit up and flashing using Android Tools might work but I didn't try this as it was easier to just get a replacement.


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## rrifonas (Oct 27, 2019)

dcuk7 said:


> @mdancevic I had this problem with one of my units and I could not get it to work. I tried updating the firmware but it did not help. Maybe opening the unit up and flashing using Android Tools might work but I didn't try this as it was easier to just get a replacement.



I replied to him on the other thread he opened with the same request. 
I will send him a full flash and the tools to backup this device (I'd like to understand why it gets stuck in test mode) and flash the firmware.


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## darkdev (Nov 1, 2019)

Good job for the custom firmware, thank you @rrifonas


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## ThaSINista (Nov 6, 2019)

Hey Ho
Its a NTSC system thats why you have this pal games sound delay. You can patch pal games to ntsc with this is patcher: romhacking. net/hacks/4596/ the sound will be synched. i'm from GER there are a few games i need to play in Pal like soleil, landstalker, story of thor, chaos engine etc.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

There is a space in the link cause i'm a newby i can't post links. Sorry just wanna help you


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## WD_GASTER2 (Nov 6, 2019)

Nice find! I will pm you when I get home.


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## Val9613 (Nov 9, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> Atgames released a new update for the Genesis Flashback HD 2018 last week (v20190226).
> The issue with PAL games seems fixed (I've only tested Sonic 2 for Master System and Sonic CD) and the games are running even better in my opinion. The scanline filter is much better than the older version. The core was not changed but they've implemented the improvements from the latest update for the Legends Flashback emulator.
> 
> I've made a custom firmware based on this new update in case anyone want to try it.
> ...


Hello @rrifonas. I am Val9613. I just discovered an issue regarding the Sega CD games I have added on my Sega Genesis Flashback 2018. I now have 11 Sega CD games on my SD Card along with some Sega Genesis, Master System, Game Gear, SG-1000, and Sega Pico games. After I downloaded my tenth Sega CD rom on my SD card, I began to notice that the save states no longer work. This issue only happens whenever I play a Sega CD game on my Genesis Flashback. And when I picked a non-Sega CD rom (Sega Genesis, Master System, Game Gear, etc.) after playing one of my Sega CD roms, the save states don't work on those roms either. However, if I choose a non-Sega CD rom first when I turn on the console, the save states work fine. I have my roms on a 16GB SD card and roughly have 13GB of storage left. Is this a problem with my SD card? Or is it a problem with the custom firmware? Can this issue be fixed? Keep in mind that I only encountered this issue after downloading my tenth Sega CD rom. Prior to this, the save states worked perfectly fine.


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## rrifonas (Nov 10, 2019)

I've never tested this scenario so I can't tell you what happened. I don't think this is an issue with the custom firmware as there are no changes in the built-in player (which creates the save states), or significant changes in the menu besides allow other file extensions.


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## Val9613 (Nov 10, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> I've never tested this scenario so I can't tell you what happened. I don't think this is an issue with the custom firmware as there are no changes in the built-in player (which creates the save states), or significant changes in the menu besides allow other file extensions.



So @rrifonas, do you think that it might have to do with the storage in the SD card or the .brm backup ram files that are created when a .chd file for a Sega CD rom is placed in the "GAME" folder? Does it have to do with the how some of the .chd files run on the Sega Genesis Flashback 2018? Also, is the maximum storage for the SD card still 16GB, or does the custom firmware allow to use SD cards larger than 16GB (i.e. 32GB, 64GB, etc.)?


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## ThaSINista (Nov 10, 2019)

I'm using a 32gb sd card and custom fw i have copied around 30 sega cds to sd without game manager i don't have save isses.


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## Val9613 (Nov 11, 2019)

ThaSINista said:


> I'm using a 32gb sd card and custom fw i have copied around 30 sega cds to sd without game manager i don't have save isses.



So the Sega Genesis Flashback 2018 with the custom firmware can read 32GB SD cards. I am going to copy all of my roms onto a 32GB SD card and see if the SD card storage was the issue. Hope this fixes the problem I am facing.


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## broie (Nov 14, 2019)

I just picked up one of these randomly the other day I've yet to take it out of the box but I looked through this whole thread after finding it.

Was there ever any update from atgames about when a new firmware might hit or is that likely to never happen at this stage?

Is the audio/video desync really that bad of an issue with this on ntsc games or does it get to the point that some games are unplayable on it?


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## image45 (Nov 16, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> This has been discussed extensively in this thread.
> The update from atgames website (20190226.img) is intended for the Genesis FB, so it has the Genesis logo/About tab.
> 
> The original emulator is Genesis Plus GX, so it runs Genesis/Master System/Game Gear/Sega CD games. The original firmware can only run Genesis and Sega CD games in .bin format.
> ...



Is the QR code in the screen shot from the About tab the one from your machine or actually generated by mine please?

The machine has your custom firmware thats based on 20190226.img with the assets (logos) from the Mega Drive Flash in the EU version.[


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## rrifonas (Nov 16, 2019)

The serial number is different for each device.


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## Val9613 (Nov 21, 2019)

Val9613 said:


> So the Sega Genesis Flashback 2018 with the custom firmware can read 32GB SD cards. I am going to copy all of my roms onto a 32GB SD card and see if the SD card storage was the issue. Hope this fixes the problem I am facing.



I had recently purchased a 32GB SD card last week and I was able to copy all of my roms onto it. I inserted the 32GB SD card onto my AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018 and after I tested several scenarios to make sure that everything worked properly, I am happy to say that the issue with the save states for my Sega CD roms has been fixed. I was able to create, overwrite, and delete any save states I created on my Sega CD roms. I picked a non-Sega CD rom (Sega Genesis, Master System, Game Gear, etc.) after playing one of my Sega CD roms, and the save states worked again. Thank you to those that tried to help me with my issue. If there are other issues regarding the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018 that I encounter, I will report them to this thread whenever I can. Once again, thank you!


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## broie (Nov 23, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> Atgames released a new update for the Genesis Flashback HD 2018 last week (v20190226).
> The issue with PAL games seems fixed (I've only tested Sonic 2 for Master System and Sonic CD) and the games are running even better in my opinion. The scanline filter is much better than the older version. The core was not changed but they've implemented the improvements from the latest update for the Legends Flashback emulator.
> 
> I've made a custom firmware based on this new update in case anyone want to try it.
> ...



Can someone help with me this, I think the console may be bricked.
I used the Mega Drive Genesis Plus GX custom firmware in the post above and put it on a SD card.

Put the SD card in booted it up and it prompted me to update, then I got a message and progress bar for "Installing System Update"

After about 5-10 minutes the progress bar disappears and then it looks like the console reboots and goes straight back to "Installing System Update".

Every 5-10 minutes the console seems to reboot itself, I left it on for over and hour and the same thing just keeps happening.

Eventually I switched off the console and removed the SD card, if I try to start the console now without the SD card I just get a black screen that says 'error' and nothing else if I put the SD card back in it goes back to the same loop of "Installing System Update"

Is there anything I can do? I've attached a picture of the sticker at the bottom of my console if that helps


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## rrifonas (Nov 24, 2019)

Please try the one from this post:
https://gbatemp.net/threads/custom-firmware-for-sega-flashback-2018.523590/page-9#post-8537041

[Edit] I think you used the one from the post. Try some of the other updates, if they don't work, send me a PM and I can try to help you with a full flash.


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## Val9613 (Nov 25, 2019)

Hello @rrifonas. I have a question regarding Sega CD roms on the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018. Is it possible to get multi-disc Sega CD roms (i.e. Night Trap, Slam City with Scottie Pippen, etc.) to work on the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018 with the Genesis Plus GX custom firmware update installed? If so, how does it work? I would like to know.


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## Excalibur007 (Dec 1, 2019)

Heads up for the 28 November 2019 firmware update.  The website shows that it was just updated, but the download file name has 2.0.1.  Does anyone know if it was actually updated, or if it's just something trivial like changing the file name on their server?


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## rrifonas (Dec 1, 2019)

Same files...


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## Val9613 (Dec 5, 2019)

Hello @rrifonas. Here is a question regarding the recent 2.0.1 update for the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018. If we download this new update, would we lose the ability to play Master System, Game Gear, Sega CD, SG-1000, Sega Pico, and 32X games? Do both custom firmware updates (for Genesis Plus GX and Picodrive) need to be updated in order to get those same changes that the official update contains without losing the ability to play Master System, Game Gear, Sega CD, SG-1000, Sega Pico, and 32X games?

This is what the new update contains according to the AtGames Firmware Update Portal in the "Release Notes" section:

*SEGA GENESIS FLASHBACK (MODEL NO: FB3680)*

*2.0.1*

## Highlights 
- Add-on via SD card 

## Miscellaneous 
- Audio fixes 
- UI changes
- General performance and stability improvements


Also, do you think this new update will fix the sound and performance issues that the Sega Genesis version of Virtua Racing had when played on the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018? As someone that has played the Sega Genesis version of Virtua Racing on the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018, I can tell you that the game has a lot of problems. The sound on that game was slow, the game will glitch up when you press and hold the Rewind button (or hold START+LEFT on the directional pad), and creating a save state will also glitch up the game once you load the save state. I heard that AtGames was working on fixing these issues for Virtua Racing. Hopefully this update resolves them.


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## rrifonas (Dec 5, 2019)

This is the same update released months ago, they just renamed it. The custom firmware IS this update with support for additional extensions. 
If you install the Atgames update you will obviously lose all the changes, you will have the stock console.


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## Jaggred (Dec 19, 2019)

@broie , @rrifonas - do you manage to fix that console with update loop? 
Ive got excactly same issue with mine. 

When i start it without sd card ive got "Error!" only on screen. When i put card with any update, ive got update loop.


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## rrifonas (Dec 20, 2019)

@Jaggred, there are some pre-reqs

The first step is to either solder or create a jumper in a small bridge to allow USB data through the power port, or destroy an old USB cable and touch the test points. I've tried both methods and they work, The post below has a screenshot with the options:
https://gbatemp.net/threads/custom-firmware-for-sega-flashback-2018.523590/page-4#post-8471248

If you choose to only touch the wires in the test points, you still need to provide power to the device.

I will send the tools/Full flash in a PM. Is your device a Genesis Flashback or Mega Drive Flashback?


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## Jaggred (Dec 20, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> Is your device a Genesis Flashback or Mega Drive Flashback?



Mega Drive Flashback. But if both working then I don’t care


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## Val9613 (Dec 22, 2019)

Hello @rrifonas. I just want to know if the custom firmware update allows the original SG-1000 and Sega Master System controllers to work on the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018 version when inserted into the 9-pin controller ports? If so, will the SG-1000 and Master System roms work with them? Just like how the original Sega Genesis 3 button and 6 button controllers work on the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018 version.


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## rrifonas (Dec 22, 2019)

@Val9613, the custom firmware is nothing 'magical' or 'special', it's basically a hack in the Atgames menu to allow other file extensions to be loaded. Some other changes are the support to load the rom partition from the SD Card or use PicoDrive instead of Genesis Plus GX.

The 'retroplayer', which is responsible to load the libretro core, detect and configure controllers, etc., is not not touched at all.

I can't tell you if other controllers will work, I assume they will not or the lack of buttons would cause issues. You can try by yourself if you have them. 
The ROMs will likely work, Master System works with restrictions (PAL games have audio delay or don't play well), and I've never tried to run SG-1000 games.


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## Val9613 (Dec 22, 2019)

rrifonas said:


> @Val9613, the custom firmware is nothing 'magical' or 'special', it's basically a hack in the Atgames menu to allow other file extensions to be loaded. Some other changes are the support to load the rom partition from the SD Card or use PicoDrive instead of Genesis Plus GX.
> 
> The 'retroplayer', which is responsible to load the libretro core, detect and configure controllers, etc., is not not touched at all.
> 
> ...



Hello again @rrifonas. I did try to run SG-1000 games on the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018 version and I can confirm that they work and run flawlessly. I was able to play Girl's Garden, and Star Jacker on my AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018 version along with Sindbad Mystery, Ninja Princess, Sega Galaga, and The Black Onyx with no issues. All of the features such as rewinding the game, opening the Sega Genesis Flashback menu, and creating save states work as well. I loaded the save states I made and I was able to continue where I left off on the SG-1000 games I have on my SD card. The two fire buttons are mapped to the B and C buttons on the Genesis Flashback 6 button controller just like the Master System and Game Gear games. The START button pauses the game. To get SG-1000 games to run on the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018 version, the SG-1000 roms on your SD card must be in either the .sg or .sms file extensions. If the rom is saved as a .sg file, the game will run using the SG-1000 color palette. If the rom is saved as a .sms file, the game will run using the Master System color palette (The game will appear with darker colors. It is the equivalent of playing an SG-1000 game on a Japanese Sega Master System). Some SG-1000 roms online are available as .sc files as they are SC-3000 roms. Unfortunately, .sc files will not run on the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018 version. So you have to convert the file extension from .sc to .sg or .sms to get the game to run on the Sega Genesis Flashback.


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## Shulk95 (Jan 8, 2020)

So I tried to install the picodrive custom firmware on my brother's genesis flashback 2018 and got the same installing update loop as @broie and @Jaggred. The console was stock and i just went to immediately installing the picodrive custom firmware.... Well next I decided I would try to mod my own 2018 genesis and installed the picodrive firmware on it and it worked perfect.... @rrifonas can you please pm me the tools and flash? I'd really appreciate it.


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## rrifonas (Jan 9, 2020)

@Shulk95, I can help you if you can run the pre-req from Post #453. Unfortunately if the device can't see the SD Card, the only way to recover it is enabling the data connection to plug the device to a PC.


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## image45 (Jan 19, 2020)

rrifonas said:


> The serial number is different for each device.



I noticed that a new firmware was released
SEGA GENESIS FLASHBACK
(MODEL NO: FB3680)
V. 2.0.1 (released on Nov 28, 2019)

Do you happen to know if this offers much improvement on the 26th Feb 2019 that you made custom versions of or is it still as advised before as being the same file as previous? 

If not then not to worry, it just means rebranding to a sega Genesis if I installed it on my European machine.

Thanks


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## rrifonas (Jan 19, 2020)

image45 said:


> I noticed that a new firmware was released
> SEGA GENESIS FLASHBACK
> (MODEL NO: FB3680)
> V. 2.0.1 (released on Nov 28, 2019)
> ...


Same update from Feb-2019...


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## Val9613 (Jan 20, 2020)

Good afternoon @rrifonas. Is it possible to listen to music albums on any of the three Sega CD bios menus and bios files through Genesis Plus GX? If so, that would be awesome considering that the Sega CD/Mega CD can play music cds and you would listen to the tracks through the bios menu.


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## Val9613 (Jan 29, 2020)

rrifonas said:


> @Val9613, the custom firmware is nothing 'magical' or 'special', it's basically a hack in the Atgames menu to allow other file extensions to be loaded. Some other changes are the support to load the rom partition from the SD Card or use PicoDrive instead of Genesis Plus GX.
> 
> The 'retroplayer', which is responsible to load the libretro core, detect and configure controllers, etc., is not not touched at all.
> 
> ...



Hello again @rrifonas. I got my hands on a Sega Master System control pad and the Japanese version of the Sega Mouse. I tested both of them on the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018 version with the Master System games (both built-in to the system and on my SD card) and with games on my SD card that support the Sega Mouse. Unfortunately, I can confirm that neither controller works on the system. I looked up the Genesis Plus GX core online and it said that it can support these controllers:

*User 1 device types*
The Genesis Plus GX core supports the following device type(s) in the controls menu, bolded device types are the default for the specified user(s):


Joypad Port Empty - None - No device is connected; input is disabled.
*Joypad Auto* - Joypad - Depending on the loaded content, the core will automatically emulate a MD Joypad 3 Button controller, or a MD Joypad 6 Button controller or a MS Joypad 2 Button controller.
MD Joypad 3 Button - Joypad
MD Joypad 6 Button - Joypad
MS Joypad 2 Button - Joypad - Also used for Game Gear.
MD Joypad 3 Button + 4-WayPlay - Joypad - Enables multitap for 4-WayPlay games.
MD Joypad 6 Button + 4-WayPlay - Joypad - Enables multitap for 4-WayPlay games.
MD Joypad 3 Button + Teamplayer - Joypad - Enables multitap for Teamplayer games.
MD Joypad 6 Button + Teamplayer - Joypad - Enables multitap for Teamplayer games.
MS Joypad 2 Button + Master Tap - Joypad - Enables Furrtek's Master Tap (unofficial mulitap device).
MS Light Phaser - Lightgun
MS Paddle Control - Analog
MS Sports Pad - Analog
MS Graphic Board - Pointer
MD XE-1AP - Analog
MD Mouse - Mouse
*User 2 device types*

Joypad Port Empty - None - No device is connected; input is disabled.
*Joypad Auto* - Joypad - Depending on the loaded content, the core will automatically emulate a MD Joypad 3 Button controller, or a MD Joypad 6 Button controller or a MS Joypad 2 Button controller.
MD Joypad 3 Button - Joypad
MD Joypad 6 Button - Joypad
MS Joypad 2 Button - Joypad - Also used for Game Gear.
MD Joypad 3 Button + 4-WayPlay - Joypad - Enables multitap for 4-WayPlay games.
MD Joypad 6 Button + 4-WayPlay - Joypad - Enables multitap for 4-WayPlay games.
MD Joypad 3 Button + Teamplayer - Joypad - Enables multitap for Teamplayer games.
MD Joypad 6 Button + Teamplayer - Joypad - Enables multitap for Teamplayer games.
MS Joypad 2 Button + Master Tap - Joypad - Enables Furrtek's Master Tap (unofficial mulitap device).
MD Menancer - Lightgun
MD Justifiers - Lightgun
MS Light Phaser - Lightgun
MS Paddle Control - Analog
MS Sports Pad - Analog
MS Graphic Board - Pointer
MD XE-1AP - Analog
MD Mouse - Mouse
Since you have told me that the 'retroplayer' is responsible to load the libretro core, detect and configure controllers, etc., and that it is not touched at all, is it possible to change the 'retroplayer' via another custom firmware update so that the two controller ports on the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018 version can not only work with the Master System controller and the Sega Mouse, but also work with other controllers and accessories for that were made for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive? I would like to know if it can be done.


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## rrifonas (Jan 30, 2020)

Emulated controllers is not the same thing as physical controllers. The core settings are for the emulated controller only. This device accepts only 6-button controllers if I'm not wrong


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## Val9613 (Jan 30, 2020)

rrifonas said:


> Emulated controllers is not the same thing as physical controllers. The core settings are for the emulated controller only. This device accepts only 6-button controllers if I'm not wrong



The 2017 version of the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback is the version that only accepts 6 button controllers. I asked a question to a YouTuber named OfficialReign and he confirmed to me that the 3-button controllers also work on the 2018 version of the AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback. Here is the link to his video:

OfficialReign Sega Genesis HD Flashback 2018 Gameplay w/Sega 6 button Controller: 

So that means that retroplayer can't be modified or hacked to work other controllers then?


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## ArtyBarfuncle (Jan 31, 2020)

Hi all,

I am having a problem with the stock roms disappearing when the sd card is installed!
I have rewritten the menu_launcher.sh file and just wondering how would i upload it through ftp, does anyone know the log in details,

and what program would fully extract and repack the sega_update file i have tried a number of iso programs and most come back as unreconized archive?


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## rrifonas (Jan 31, 2020)

ArtyBarfuncle said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I am having a problem with the stock roms disappearing when the sd card is installed!
> I have rewritten the menu_launcher.sh file and just wondering how would i upload it through ftp, does anyone know the log in details,
> ...



Try removing the mount_sd.ini and the .sh file from the root of your SD card and see if that will work.

And ImgRepackerRk is the tool to extract/repack the img file. You will also need mksquashfs (or a Linux client) to rebuild the .img files for the internal partitions they are in squashfs.


----------



## image45 (Feb 2, 2020)

The Roms on https://romsmania.cc/ that play on the SEGA Mega Drive Flashback that used to be in Sonic the Hedgehog (JUE) [!].bin file format are now showing as downloading in apk files as an android app would install from. Has anyone else noticed this please. Its causing the anti virus to advise a risk if downloaded.


----------



## dcuk7 (Feb 2, 2020)

image45 said:


> The Roms on https://romsmania.cc/ that play on the SEGA Mega Drive Flashback that used to be in Sonic the Hedgehog (JUE) [!].bin file format are now showing as downloading in apk files as an android app would install from. Has anyone else noticed this please. Its causing the anti virus to advise a risk if downloaded.



You shouldn't post links to any ROM sites here really. Now you have I will say that particular site has always been a scumbag site the way it distributes ROMs. I'd advise to steer clear. There are much better options if you search properly...

Imagine a planet full of emulation dot net all in French.!


----------



## Val9613 (Feb 5, 2020)

Hello @rrifonas. Today, I decided to test out the Japanese Sega Mouse again for the second time on my AtGames Sega Genesis Flashback 2018 version. Even though I said previously that the Sega Mouse did not work on the Sega Genesis Flashback, I decided to give it another try to fully ensure whether or not the Sega Mouse actually works. I used a regular controller to select two games on my SD card that support the Sega Mouse: The Japanese version of Marble Madness and Eye of the Beholder. When I disconnected my controller and connected the Sega Mouse on my Sega Genesis Flashback, I was able to get some rather odd results. When I connected the Sega Mouse to play Marble Madness, the game automatically takes me to the options menu and the controls start to drift uncontrollably. I tried this a second time and the game starts to automatically rewind. I had to disconnect the Sega Mouse and reconnect my regular controller to stop the rewinding. The uncontrollable rewinding also happened when I connected the Sega Mouse on my Sega Genesis Flashback to play Eye of the Beholder. Is this a common issue when connecting other Genesis/Mega Drive controllers on the Sega Genesis Flashback? If so, can this issue be fixed?


----------



## rrifonas (Feb 6, 2020)

I don't have the hardware to test, and I really doubt it can be fixed.

You are pushing the device too hard. You want to use Sega Mouse, Master System controllers, you want the real deal, not an emulation machine. Or maybe a raspberry pi with converters.


----------



## VirgileVILE (Feb 8, 2020)

Wouldn't it be possible to have a custom firmware using the emulator from the MD/Genesis flashback?


----------



## godreborn (Feb 8, 2020)

I'm confused about the genesis mini/classic/flashback.  does this work on the american version of the system?  didn't the american version come out much later than the european or japanese versions?  I think it came out last september.


----------



## rrifonas (Feb 8, 2020)

godreborn said:


> I'm confused about the genesis mini/classic/flashback.  does this work on the american version of the system?  didn't the american version come out much later than the european or japanese versions?  I think it came out last september.



This is for the AtGames device (Genesis Flashback HD) released in 2018. It's not the same device released by Sega last September.
Genesis Flashback HD (2018) / Mega Drive Flashback HD (2018 & 2019) = AtGames, with cartridge slot and SD card slot, and support to original 6-button controller
Genesis Mini / Mega Drive Mini (released in Sep-Oct 2019) = Sega, can be used with Project Lunar or Hakchi to add games, uses USB controllers


----------



## gerardoyear2000 (Feb 24, 2020)

First of all, Thank you!!! you are a genius!!!! it is the easiest and most useful mod I ever tried, but I am having an issue. I already uploaded Sonic CD and other Sega CD games, they run well, but no sound is played. in case of Sonic CD, only the past zones music plays successfully. Would you please help me?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Sos sega cd games like sonic is not playing its music except for the past zones. Please Help!


----------



## rrifonas (Feb 25, 2020)

I think you are only using the .bin file (1st track) so device is not finding the .cue file or the audio tracks. It's important to notice that Genesis Plus GX only support .bin+.cue or .chd files. If your audio tracks are in mp3 format, they will not work.
For Sonic CD, the "Past" music is PCM, they don't use Audio CD tracks.


----------



## simplyretrogamer (Feb 25, 2020)

Hi, I've heard the Legends Flashback 2019 is essentially a beefed-up version of the recent Genesis Flashback consoles, was wondering if someone could confirm this to me?


----------



## simplyretrogamer (Feb 26, 2020)

@rrifonas I installed the CFW to the 2018 Genesis Flashback which includes PicoDrive. Game Gear games do not work at all, no controller input (both wired and wireless) and games are completely inverted. I tired both booting GG from the SD card and Internal but both have the same issue.

This may be not something which can't be fixed due to the hardware limitations on the Flashback but some 32X games (2D and 3D games) have sound and boot issues (Games like Virtua Fighter and Star Wars Arcade run smoothly, in-game) but when have screen flashes issues when you boot up or crackling in the audio (in-game)


----------



## rrifonas (Feb 26, 2020)

Game Gear games will never work in Picodrive, the core does not support, this was already discussed before. 32x is a hit-and-miss, you may experience slow downs and crackling in the audio even with some overclock. The hardware is not fast enough, and the drivers are just bad to run something like RetroArch.

My recommendation is to keep the firmware with Genesis Plus GX, without 32x support. 

And about the Legends Flashback 2019, it's the very same hardware from the Genesis Flasback 2018, but with less RAM if I'm not wrong. And there is no CFW for this device.


----------



## simplyretrogamer (Mar 3, 2020)

@rrifonas Is it possible to implement multiple cores into Genesis Flashback, similarly how the Legends Flashback uses different cores, or would it require reworking parts emulator partition?


----------



## rrifonas (Mar 4, 2020)

The problem is not only the emulator (player), but the core and extensions supported are hardcoded in the menu executable. I removed the code with extensions but we can't really enable any other core without rebuild the menu. The only fix would be having another menu app and likely another player since the one being used is very limited, especially with PAL games.


----------



## sfchampion (Mar 5, 2020)

Hi !
I've a problem with my Sega Megadrive flashback 2018 vers.
I've already updated it in official website, when i try to play any game beside internal games it seems to play sounds fx slower as they should be for example when i play Rocket Knight Adventure 2 and i press A to hit by sword i hear the sound of the sword after the animation not at the same time as it sholud be. There is a way to fix it ?
I've tried to update with your custom firmware to play 32x and sega cd games but nothing changes so i think that i do something wrong. Please could anyone help me linking the last custom firmware ?

Thanks !


----------



## rrifonas (Mar 6, 2020)

Try running the NTSC version of the games if you can. PAL games have sound or framerate issues on this device


----------



## sfchampion (Mar 6, 2020)

rrifonas said:


> Try running the NTSC version of the games if you can. PAL games have sound or framerate issues on this device


Thanks i'll try
About the last custom firmware ? I really like to play 32x and sega cd games


----------



## simplyretrogamer (Mar 10, 2020)

Is it possible to have both the internal games and games from the SD card with the custom cover arts appear at the same time on the boot-menu?


----------



## rrifonas (Mar 11, 2020)

sfchampion said:


> Thanks i'll try
> About the last custom firmware ? I really like to play 32x and sega cd games


This is the latest version: https://gbatemp.net/threads/genesis-flashback-hd-2018-game-manager.529624/page-6#post-8844246
And this post has the last 'stable' version: https://gbatemp.net/threads/custom-firmware-for-sega-flashback-2018.523590/page-9#post-8537041



simplyretrogamer said:


> Is it possible to have both the internal games and games from the SD card with the custom cover arts appear at the same time on the boot-menu?


No. The games in the "GAME" folder in the SD don't support custom cover art. You can use Genesis Flashback HD (2018) Game Manager to manipulate "allgames.ini" and make the 'external' games behave like the internal ones.


----------



## simplyretrogamer (Mar 11, 2020)

Thanks for the reply @rrifonas


----------



## simplyretrogamer (Mar 12, 2020)

I've been looking through the update and dump files especially in the res folder, noticed it contains the majority of the textures used for the boot menu (with a few unused ones) however, Sonic Games and Bonus Games texture options are not present. I was wondering if you knew where these can be located, and whether modifications can be made to two specific items?


----------



## rrifonas (Mar 14, 2020)

simplyretrogamer said:


> I've been looking through the update and dump files especially in the res folder, noticed it contains the majority of the textures used for the boot menu (with a few unused ones) however, Sonic Games and Bonus Games texture options are not present. I was wondering if you knew where these can be located, and whether modifications can be made to two specific items?


The categories are hardcoded in the menu executable.


----------



## ragostyle (Apr 7, 2020)

hello all, its there Any Way to add games to 2013 Flashback atgames Sega Genesis Classics console ?
the one that comes with 80 games, i cant post picture


----------



## jaytheman (May 10, 2020)

I'm having no sound on my sega flash back I've tried to download the firmware from atgames site but its not  letting me register my console with the 16 digit code. My console is the version with atgames at the bottom corner. Any advice is greatly appreciated thank you

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

hi I have a sega flashback and I'm having a problem with the sound I've tried to download the firmware from atgames but there's no place to register my console the console i have has the atgames logo at the bottom corner. Any advice is greatly appreciated


----------



## hossbags2 (May 24, 2020)

Does anyone know how to get FM Sound to be enabled on the Genesis Flashback 2018? I am using the custom Genesis Plus GX firmware.


----------



## rrifonas (May 25, 2020)

hossbags2 said:


> Does anyone know how to get FM Sound to be enabled on the Genesis Flashback 2018? I am using the custom Genesis Plus GX firmware.


*genesis_plus_gx_ym2413=enabled* enables FM sound. I didn't test but creating a file retroplayer.ini with the content below in the root of the SD Card might work. The init script has a logic to copy retroplayer.ini from the SD Card to the /data partition. If it works, delete or rename retroplayer.ini to avoid the same file being copied every time the device restarts.

Use it at your own risk ;-)


```
[Global]
AudioSample=2048
ScanlineFilter=0
RewindStep=4
UseBezel=0
BezelPath=<path to bezel>
Language=0
UseOSD=0
MaxBlackTimeout=600

[Core]
genesis_plus_gx_no_sprite_limit=disabled
genesis_plus_gx_audio_filter=low-pass
genesis_plus_gx_lowpass_range=60
genesis_plus_gx_ym2413=enabled
```


----------



## hossbags2 (May 28, 2020)

just asking....are you able to setup graphic filters at all. thanks by the way.... I will try your script

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

I tried this, not sure if it did anything but SMS still does not have FM sound. Is it supposed to be 
genesis_plus_gx_ym2412=enabled


----------



## rrifonas (May 28, 2020)

No display filters. 

And I've got this setting from PC version. Atgames changed retroplayer.ini after some update introducing a retroplayer_ro.ini inside the emulator partition, which is read-only. it seems that external settings cannot be applied when you have this file.


----------



## hossbags2 (May 28, 2020)

is there any way you can figure out how to change the settings. Would like the SMS to play in FM audio,,,,,but thanks


----------



## Metal_josh (Jun 27, 2020)

Sorry if question has been answered already, but has there been any all in one core that plays all the Sega ROMs (genesis, Sega cd, master system, game gear AND 32x)? That is the dream. I know some 32x games through the picodrive firmware don't play well (virtual fighter as an example) could there also be a way to fine tune those 32x ROMs?


----------



## godreborn (Jun 27, 2020)

maybe try hakchi.  it now supports the genesis classic.


----------



## Cidsa (Jul 20, 2020)

Does anyone know the fix for the installation loop? Mine is currently stuck in it


----------



## Ronnie3067 (Aug 1, 2020)

Recently discovered this site/thread so wanted to say thanks to everyone's effort and time they've put in to modding this little console. I was looking for ways to play Master System games on it, don't really have space for _another_ console, and the CFW here was exactly what I was looking for and so easy to use.  Will dig into the other aspects of it soon.
Plus the PSP threads look interesting as well.


----------



## Flypop (Aug 12, 2020)

I was poking around with this console and discovered that the Genesis Plus GX CFW also runs games from the SEGA SG-1000 (no need to change extension .sg is just recognized) and SEGA PICO (with extension .md just like a megadrive game). In the case of the Picodrive CFW I just don't know because I'll stick with the Plus GX. Nice to see some surprises like the Wonder Boy / Adventure Island esque like gameplay and that shocking Pokémon collaboration with SEGA.


----------



## carontester (Aug 14, 2020)

hi i have the genesis flasback  2018 version i tried to run the super street fughter 2 game but any of the roms ive tried works properly this game works correctly in some place i read that this console has a 100% compatibility its that correct, theres a list of incompatobility with this cponsole the sega cd works correctly or has some isuues, ill wait for any help and info thanks


----------



## Flypop (Aug 19, 2020)

carontester said:


> hi i have the genesis flasback  2018 version i tried to run the super street fughter 2 game but any of the roms ive tried works properly this game works correctly in some place i read that this console has a 100% compatibility its that correct, theres a list of incompatobility with this cponsole the sega cd works correctly or has some isuues, ill wait for any help and info thanks


Compatibility is definitively not 100%, certain games such as virtua racing uses special chips in order to run 3D graphics and to do special mathematical calculations. Such games are unsupported or runs with glitches. In the case of Super Street Fighter 2 I don't know but another cause could be a corrupted ROM, in that case I recommend you to search first for a verified ROM from a No-Intro Romset for example.


----------



## carontester (Aug 22, 2020)

Flypop said:


> Compatibility is definitively not 100%, certain games such as virtua racing uses special chips in order to run 3D graphics and to do special mathematical calculations. Such games are unsupported or runs with glitches. In the case of Super Street Fighter 2 I don't know but another cause could be a corrupted ROM, in that case I recommend you to search first for a verified ROM from a No-Intro Romset for example.


thanks i had a hard time but finally i found a rom of that game that worked, but i havent be able to run the sega cd i tried to put the bios of the system on the GAME folder i tried with several ones but i havent be able to run any game the console only goes black and then retrn me to the menu, can you please help me on this topic, i had also a hard time finfing other roms for the genesis and master sytem, do you have some source with a good romset to try and obtain the ones that i haven t be able to run, i tried some new games like xenocrisis or tanzer but xenocrisis didnt worked  and tanzer works i tried alex kidd 2 but doesnt work


----------



## Zaphod77 (Sep 1, 2020)

hakchi supports the mini, not the atgames consoles.


----------



## Morg (Sep 8, 2020)

I have the 2018 model, but I'm having issues using original Sega 3-button controllers with it. I've done some testing with the Multitap ROM that shows/reads button inputs. I can't recall the specifics at the moment, but from what I remember, A is read as Start+A, C does nothing, B is read as A, and Start does nothing.

This only applies for Player 1; the 3-button controller works perfectly as Player 2.

AtGames support weren't great when I tried contacting them earlier.

Has anyone else been able to get a 3-button controller working as Player 1, either with the original firmware, or with rrifonas' CFW?

If not, is there any way to modify the CFW to allow correct inputs from the 3-button controller?


----------



## carontester (Sep 17, 2020)

please a detailed guide on how can we play sega cd games no one answer this in a very clear and detailed way


----------



## Dropczusz (Dec 26, 2020)

Hi I have a big problem with sega mega drive flashback. Every time I plug console to TV i see logo atgames and it is all


----------



## Dinsdale5 (Dec 26, 2020)

Check that your SD card is inserted or go to atgames firmware site page and download the sega genesis flashback firmware and reset.

https://firmwareupdate.atgames.net/registration


----------



## Dropczusz (Dec 26, 2020)

My console hasn't got a SD card mode


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (Dec 31, 2020)

Dropczusz said:


> My console hasn't got a SD card mode



If your Flashback doesn't have an SD card slot, then your model is the 2017 version. This thread is for a different model.


----------



## skite2001 (Jan 15, 2021)

@rrifonas
Very much thx for your effort with the cfw. Bought my New fb 2019 here in germany yesterday for only 30€  (seller got 8 left in Stock) and was shocked that it couldnt load or save anything to the SD. After reformating my 32gb SanDisk card with sdformatter the console finally accepted it and installed the Update. Used your cfw after that which Sets the fb to a higher Level.

@DoctorEvil8
Thx for the Infos about the segacd bios.
Now it's working

Did somebody have a dump of the Rom folder (with description and Covers) from the original partition?
I want to extend the Roms on the SD instead replacing the whole content. Would be really nice.

And is there any fix out for the gamemanager to get the correct Covers from Google?

Additional question... I maybe want to change the Controller for the retrobit one. But then i will loose the rewind function, or is there a Button combination for it?


----------



## rrifonas (Jan 16, 2021)

skite2001 said:


> @rrifonas
> Very much thx for your effort with the cfw. Bought my New fb 2019 here in germany yesterday for only 30€  (seller got 8 left in Stock) and was shocked that it couldnt load or save anything to the SD. After reformating my 32gb SanDisk card with sdformatter the console finally accepted it and installed the Update. Used your cfw after that which Sets the fb to a higher Level.
> 
> @DoctorEvil8
> ...



I haven't touched my Genesis FB in a while, but if I recall correctly you can use a mount_sd.ini file in the SD Card to dump your own rom folder:

```
To mount the rom partition in the SD Card:
-> Create a file mount_sd.ini in the root of the SD Card
-> Copy a backup from your 'rom' partition a 'rom' folder in the root of the SD Card. If you don't have a backup or the rom folder, it will be copied on the first boot after the mount_sd.ini file is copied to the SD Card
-> Removing the SD Card and rebooting the device will revert to the original partition
-> Renaming/deleting mount_sd.ini will also revert to the original partition
```


----------



## skite2001 (Jan 16, 2021)

rrifonas said:


> I haven't touched my Genesis FB in a while, but if I recall correctly you can use a mount_sd.ini file in the SD Card to dump your own rom folder:
> 
> ```
> To mount the rom partition in the SD Card:
> ...


making a mount_sd.ini doesn't dump the original rom folder from the console to the sdcard. it just makes fb use the folder on the sd card. i got this already working via gamemanager. but i also want all the existing games from the fb drive on my sd to make a complete collection. otherwise i had to get all the games manually, create boxarts and write the infos for them. would be much easier if i could get the folder, which is already included at the fb internal drive.

ok. found something (thats all backup partitions from the stock FB 2017):
*IF, IN ANY CASE, YOU MANAGED TO DAMAGE YOUR CONSOLE TRY TO USE THIS STOCK FIRMWARE TO TRY TO RECOVER IT (flash ALL partitions with ROM_Dumper_Tool.exe renaming parameter.txt to parameter. ): https://mega.nz/#!bg9wVR5J!thSs92YW1jNGH5ayh_EIDxUC_yNkCFyhuEgyHhcrs-Q
IN THIS CASE YOU DO NOT NEED loader PARTITION.*


----------



## image45 (Jan 23, 2021)

rrifonas said:


> I haven't touched my Genesis FB in a while



Did you ever replace the console you had that froze after 10 minutes of running time?


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (Jan 25, 2021)

skite2001 said:


> Additional question... I maybe want to change the Controller for the retrobit one. But then i will loose the rewind function, or is there a Button combination for it?



It's been a while, but yes, there is a way to perform a rewind on the Retro-bit wired controllers.  I believe it is START and Left+Down together.  It's definitely START and a diagonal on the D-pad if Start Left+Down doesn't work.


----------



## image45 (Jan 25, 2021)

DoctorEvil8 said:


> It's been a while, but yes, there is a way to perform a rewind on the Retro-bit wired controllers.  I believe it is START and Left+Down together.  It's definitely START and a diagonal on the D-pad if Start Left+Down doesn't work.



Yes it does work because if you try to use the level select on the original Golden Axe it conflicts and causes the rewind function rather than the level select to occur!


----------



## image45 (Feb 21, 2021)

rrifonas said:


> Here is the custom firmware for the EU version (Mega Drive Flashback HD 2019 / Mega Drive Flashback HD 2018):
> 
> Update for Mega Drive Flashback HD (EU) with Sega CD support (Genesis Plus GX)
> Update for Mega Drive Flashback HD (EU) with 32x support (Picodrive)​
> ...



Has anyone ever had issues with the audio when playing SegaCD/MegaCD games using the sega_update_megacd_unlocked.zip firmware at all please? I only recently purchased a Sega Megadrive Flashback again, this will be my fourth as people kept wanting one so ended up getting the one I had running at home Well this time I decided to use the sega_update_megacd_unlocked.zip to play SegaCD games, however the sound was very distorted and crackly for some reason. 

Interestingly I found if I installed the sega_update_20190226_EU.zip that still has the 'about' tab with Megadrive logo the Sonic_CD_(USA).CHD file (for example) was still visible on the SD card option and will play fine with much better quality audio with the BIOS_CD_E.BIN, BIOS_CD_J.BIN and BIOS_CD_U.BIN files in the Game folder.

Could there have been some I missed with the sega_update_megacd_unlocked.zip firmware at all?


----------



## Wesley0 (Apr 4, 2021)

Hi,

I am having an issue updating the firmware on my console. I have downloaded and followed the instructions.
However the console just keeps restarting and updating over and over again?

Thanks in advance
Adam


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (Apr 8, 2021)

Wesley0 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I am having an issue updating the firmware on my console. I have downloaded and followed the instructions.
> However the console just keeps restarting and updating over and over again?
> ...



When it updates, every time you reboot, it will ask to update. again  Say no.  It's likely because the update file is still on the SD card.  Once the update is done, take the SD card back to your PC and delete the update file.


----------



## spanner (Apr 14, 2021)

I was thinking about... this can only run one core, and was wondering if you could make a script in it that would swap the cores round by pressing 2 buttons on the controller, it would have to restart every time...?

I noticed in the cfw update img file the pico core is called Genesis Plus GX, I guess to fool it into thinking it that core when its not, it the pico core.

I think this would be a good way of swapping cores then you would not need to update the console to swap cores.

This idea came from PCUAE, THEC64 and adding evtest event keys to it like CTRL-1 loads the VICE C64 emulator, yes you can run VICE on THEC64 Mini or Maxi now..


----------



## spanner (Apr 15, 2021)

Another idea would be you could overmount the core file with the one on the SD Card and use a script to switch between them,
using a *Bind Mount *to mount over the core file over the top of the one in the firmware.
I have been doing this on PCUAE(its a mod for THEC64 Mini/Maxi and THEVIC20)...* https://thec64community.online/thread/501/project-carousel-usb*
but I don't know how to connect this to a UART any info on it...?
I have my THEVIC20 connected to a UART so I can see what its doing in the background when running PCUAE.

I noticed in the updated file it has a menu_launcher.sh script, is that executed every time you run the machine..? if so then I could put the over mount line in there but I need to know where the core is and what partition..?
then to change the core all you do is change the core file on the SD Card and it will load that core on boot up.


----------



## spanner (Apr 22, 2021)

rrifonas said:


> Yes, it's possible to that but it's not so easy as this device is running Linux (no ADB support) and the partitions as read-only:
> 1) You will need to create your own rom partition and update file, or flash it using AndroidTool
> 2) The partition is SquashFS, this is a compressed read-only format for Linux. You will need to have a Linux machine or install the Linux subsystem for Windows 10 to create a new partition using mksquashfs
> 3) The new partition should not exceed 60MB. Since it's a compressed format, it may be larger, but the .img file to create the upload for flash should not exceed 60MB (61,440KB). If the partition is larger, it will break the 'next' partition, which is the /emulator, soft-bricking the device. You can fix it flashing back the original rom and emulator partitions using the right parameters
> ...



If the emulator partition is 60 MB why is the sega_update.img 138 MB...?


----------



## spanner (Apr 22, 2021)

Well this is my idea, overmounting the core file with a file called core.so thats on the SD Card so all you do to change cores is replace the file with a different core so you do not need to flash the device everytime.
This is what's in menu_launcher.sh file...
See what I have added... 





> mount --bind /media/usbhd-mmcblk0p1/core.so /emulator/genesis_plus_gx_libretro.so


It will not see any different because the file is over mounted, so will see it as if the file is on the firmware.
what would be a good idea is get it to use evtest and getting it to use 2 Buttons on the controller to switch between cores, I do a lot of overmounting in PCUAE to get it to do what I want.


```
#!/bin/sh
if [ -e /media/usbhd-mmcblk0p1/mount_sd.ini ]
then
    su -
    umount /rom
    mount /media/usbhd-mmcblk0p1/rom /rom
    mount --bind /media/usbhd-mmcblk0p1/core.so /emulator/genesis_plus_gx_libretro.so
fi

if [ -e /media/usbhd-mmcblk0p1/retroplayer.ini ]
then
    cp -f /media/usbhd-mmcblk0p1/retroplayer.ini /data/retroplayer.ini
fi

while :
do
    cd /emulator
    startx ./retromenu
done
```


----------



## spanner (Apr 26, 2021)

It works...  I mangage to make the sega_update.img file and add my mount blind line in it and it overmounted the Genesis Plus GX with Picodrive so if I want to play a Game Gear game or 32X game I just swap cores on the sd card...


----------



## DoctorEvil8 (Apr 26, 2021)

spanner said:


> It works...  I mangage to make the sega_update.img file and add my mount blind line in it and it overmounted the Genesis Plus GX with Picodrive so if I want to play a Game Gear game or 32X game I just swap cores on the sd card...



Very cool. Can you provide instructions on what a simpleton like me would need to do to get this going?


----------



## Wesley0 (Apr 26, 2021)

DoctorEvil8 said:


> When it updates, every time you reboot, it will ask to update. again  Say no.  It's likely because the update file is still on the SD card.  Once the update is done, take the SD card back to your PC and delete the update file.



I'm not getting that option. Just keeps updating over and over again.


----------



## spanner (Apr 26, 2021)

DoctorEvil8 said:


> Very cool. Can you provide instructions on what a simpleton like me would need to do to get this going?


Info is here... on how to edit the sega_update.img file... http://atgamesgenesis.wikidot.com/wiki:hardware-genesis-flashback-2018, I have added stuff there from this forum and how I edited the sega_update.img file.

I post more info on the emulator core idea, once I am finished and share my sega_update.img.


----------



## spanner (Apr 26, 2021)

Does anyone know where the music is kept on the console, the music file that is playing in the background...?


----------



## rrifonas (May 4, 2021)

spanner said:


> Does anyone know where the music is kept on the console, the music file that is playing in the background...?


/emulator/res/audio/SegaBGM.ogg


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## valdeadz (Jun 18, 2021)

Hey, I'm late to the party and seems like I missed the latest Sega Flashback HD 2018 firmware update that allows the use of the SD card...can anyone share this file?
Thanks!


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## valdeadz (Jun 18, 2021)

Found one - look for Official Reign's YouTube channel, this video: "How to add Firmware Update/Sega Genesis Flashback HD 2018".
Scroll down to the comments, expand the correct comment thread and you'll have a link to the img file.
Awesome.


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## Blasphmort (Jun 19, 2021)

Hey, I've searched all over the internet and couldn't find any solution for my problem.
Few days ago i bought from local auction site a mega drive flashback with 85 games and a SD slot. The problem is that after AtGames logo screen was goin black. after flashing it with cfw system finally booted... but the problem is that even if i take out SD card... there's no build in games at all. It seems that previous owner somehow wiped it out completly. The question is, is it possible to get from somewhere md firmware that would contain all the missing files? sorry for my noob question but I honestly have no idea how does it work and if it's even possible to get them back in a build in memory. Thanks in advance for any kind of help.


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## The Beatle (Jul 10, 2021)

rrifonas said:


> Atgames released a new update for the Genesis Flashback HD 2018 last week (v20190226).
> The issue with PAL games seems fixed (I've only tested Sonic 2 for Master System and Sonic CD) and the games are running even better in my opinion. The scanline filter is much better than the older version. The core was not changed but they've implemented the improvements from the latest update for the Legends Flashback emulator.
> 
> I've made a custom firmware based on this new update in case anyone want to try it.
> ...


In order for the roms to work, do they still need to be in bin format??? not md, smd, gg or sms format???


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## leroyman (Jul 31, 2021)

Hi there folks, ive just picked up the at games mage drive flashback with sd slot, at games seem to have removed the firmware download for this version from their website, could anyone point me in the right direction for a firmware update to allow the sd card to be visible in the menu. Im running the Eu version if that make a difference now.

Thank you all for any pointers


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## maxgi76 (Aug 24, 2021)

rrifonas said:


> I think you are only using the .bin file (1st track) so device is not finding the .cue file or the audio tracks. It's important to notice that Genesis Plus GX only support .bin+.cue or .chd files. If your audio tracks are in mp3 format, they will not work.
> For Sonic CD, the "Past" music is PCM, they don't use Audio CD tracks.


Hi, could you suggest me where to find the right megacd bios files to insert with the custom firmware version picodrive in order to run the megacd games?


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## hossbags2 (Sep 3, 2021)

spanner said:


> Info is here... on how to edit the sega_update.img file... http://atgamesgenesis.wikidot.com/wiki:hardware-genesis-flashback-2018, I have added stuff there from this forum and how I edited the sega_update.img file.
> 
> I post more info on the emulator core idea, once I am finished and share my sega_update.img.



--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Did you update and share your image file.....thanks...also can retroarchbbe updated to play Demons of Asteborg


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## Rehpyc (Sep 14, 2021)

Dear people in here,

I've just been guided by MicroNut99 to this thread and hope that in here I might find the answer to a question I posted back in May over in that other thread. So here is my original question:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear all,

I'd like to back up the Nand of my 2019 Flashback Mega Drive, which I just got.
I see this has been achieved by WD_GASTER2 very early on, but how so eludes me.

I do not want to change the firmware of my device, which seems to be the actual main topic in this thread.

From the various comments in this thread, I've already gathered that my project may involve the use of rockchip-tools (but which ones?), the use of linux and potential soldering of the board.
But how this all comes together, I unfortunately fail to puzzle out ...

Would be great if you could help me out there or at least steer in the right direction! :-)

P.S.: Had to remove all relevant links due to me being new to to the boards and not yet having access to such features. Sorry! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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## VirgileVILE (Oct 1, 2021)

it's been a long time, but I wanted to come back to this weird lag with the sound ... After playing for a long time on the console, the impression I have is that this lag is settling in a progressive way: rewinding allows you to "reinitiate" this lag, but after a few minutes of playing we start to feel it a little more again. On the other hand, I don't really feel that enabling or disabling some options is really a big impact. 

(I use the 2019 GX custom firmware by the way, thanks for this rrifonas.)


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## Boden2409 (Oct 1, 2021)

Can someone please help me. I've got a sega megadive flashback 2018 and ice tried to upgrade to the custom firmware. Evertime I start the console up it asks if I want to upgrade I press left to upgrade but it only gets about 3 quarters then goes back to the menu asking if I want to upgrade. I've tried this several times and I can't get it to work. Can anyone help me with this.


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## DoctorEvil8 (Oct 1, 2021)

Boden2409 said:


> Can someone please help me. I've got a sega megadive flashback 2018 and ice tried to upgrade to the custom firmware. Evertime I start the console up it asks if I want to upgrade I press left to upgrade but it only gets about 3 quarters then goes back to the menu asking if I want to upgrade. I've tried this several times and I can't get it to work. Can anyone help me with this.


How do you know it only goes 3 quarters?   When it finishes, it reboots and will always go back to upgrade firmware screen.  This is normal.  So you could select NO and see how it works. That screen will always appear until you delete the file from the SD card. 

I would guess the update worked. Try it out. 

If not, try a different SD card.


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## SegaGenesisKing96 (Dec 9, 2021)

PicoDrive 1.99 Version is Finally Support SEGA Game Gear


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## ECKoBASE (Mar 2, 2022)

Sorry to be the n00b here but I've recently found an archive.org link to some premade rompacks for the sega flashback, without using the GameManager how the heck do I add them to the SD card to be recognised by the Custom Firmware?? Plz halp

the rompacks have the roms and artwork all renamed exact, is it an ini file i need to create to get it visible?


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## SegaGenesisKing96 (Mar 2, 2022)

ECKoBASE said:


> Sorry to be the n00b here but I've recently found an archive.org link to some premade rompacks for the sega flashback, without using the GameManager how the heck do I add them to the SD card to be recognised by the Custom Firmware?? Plz halp
> 
> the rompacks have the roms and artwork all renamed exact, is it an ini file i need to create to get it visible?


Send Me the Link


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## ECKoBASE (Mar 2, 2022)

SegaGenesisKing96 said:


> Send Me the Link


Started a chat and pasted them!


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## ECKoBASE (Mar 3, 2022)

SegaGenesisKing96 said:


> PicoDrive 1.99 Version is Finally Support SEGA Game Gear


How soon till this can be injected into the latest custom firmware?


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## ECKoBASE (Mar 5, 2022)

So I figured out how to add those games from the Rom Pack (Just copy all contents to the rom folder on the SD card) but now I'm met with some blank games, when using the Gamemanager everything looks fine in the INI file
Anyone know how to fix this?

Also when will there be an updated Firmware that Supports ALL Including 32X


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## hossbags2 (May 1, 2022)

anyway of having demons of asteborg run a CFW on the Genesis flashback....any chance of an update Genesis Plus GX emulator


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## steven12567 (Jun 6, 2022)

Hi I'm trying to use game manager to set up so can start adding games but I keep getting (The drive you have selected is not available please choose another drive) message anyone got any ideas


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## CapBlaubaer (Sep 12, 2022)

hy hab ein problem mit dem flashback hd das ich nicht auf die sd karte zugreifen kann oder muss ich ein bestimmtes updatemachen?


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## portaro (Sep 15, 2022)

Recently I buy a Flashback model 2018 because I have the 2017 version but dont have sd-card reader.

But I have a problem with 2018 with sd-card.

The console always stop, freeze in game after around 10 minutes of use.

I open the console and access the stock buton to access "system reset function-factory setting board button" with power buton + press the button on the motherboard there are some options like reset all console, but no one of the options solve my problem.

When I access the system resset function of motherboard, I can read a problem with a icon read -3 and if I try to clean cache there are also a message "can access cache".



I am in Linux I think that I need to access the console via usb connection to the pc but I cant figure how I can do this, I think that the freeze problem can be a problem whit the firmware that I down and for some reason brick the system.

Anyone have an idea ?


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## rrifonas (Sep 15, 2022)

portaro said:


> Recently I buy a Flashback model 2018 because I have the 2017 version but dont have sd-card reader.
> 
> But I have a problem with 2018 with sd-card.
> 
> ...


The data pins are not physically connected to the USB port. You will need to jumper a couple of points in the board. There is a post in this thread with the points to connect on page 4.

I have this same problem with my Genesis Flashback 2018 and I honestly don't think it's a firmware problem. The OS is "read-only" (squashfs partition) so there is almost no room to break anything in the firmware. When I was messing with these Atgames devices 3 years ago, I've tried several ways to fix this using the Rockchip tools: low level format of the Flash, full flash using a couple of good image (USA and EU versions), and even completely replacing the firmware with a good dump from a Legends Flashback 2018 (smaller flash, 128MB) and 2019 (same size, 256MB). It still freezes after 10 minutes.


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## portaro (Sep 15, 2022)

If I do the soldier points that is explained on page 4 of the thread the console works or still have freeze around 10 minutes ?

I can sold my board and test, but if you have any feedback please post.


Thanks.


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## rrifonas (Sep 16, 2022)

Soldering the pins will only allow the "recovery button" to actually do something but It won't fix your problem.

I was not able to fix the freezing issue using any software tool available so I assume it's a hardware issue.


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## portaro (Sep 16, 2022)

Thanks I will put this unit on the box and only use it for visual decoration.

The atgames site dont have any support for old releases product or for buy a motherboard so its the only thing I can do.


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## portaro (Sep 18, 2022)

One last doubt anyone know what on the board os place the receptor of the wireless gamepads ?


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## ATFlashback2018 (Sep 20, 2022)

Hello, I am mentally challenged. It took me 3 times to try and even post this reply here correctly sigh as it kept logging me out or damn Jurassic World ads kept blocking post reply. I'm tired of rewriting this.

I downloaded sega_update.img from OfficialReign guy comment on 2018 Flashback YouTube video at 133mb, unzipped is 144 mb and it don't work for me. It took me to site, it downloaded but didn't load on sd when changed to sega_update.img.

Then I downloaded it from Google Reddit etc and those firmware updates had different errors from other people in WinRAR. Except 1 on Google that was 134mb unzip 145mb. I tried renaming it without img so just sega_update and it worked, I press left on controller for yes to update. To do it I bought a Sandisc 16gb card, formatted to fat32, rename it withOUT img so lowercase sega_update file put/pasted in 16gb fat32 formated blank sd card in Flashback unzip when flashback was off then turn on and update press left prompt on controller popped up at power on black start up screen.

 I read this entire long thread 3 times and d/l 10 versions of February 26 2019 firmware to do it, only March 5th 2019 134/145mb version worked. Not Official Reign 133/144mb file but maybe I should have erased img off his like other one that ended up working. There is no way I can do something like post 97 or 171 imo such as Genesis Pico custom firmware with box art, info etc as it needs like 2 apps (Game Manager, CHI converter CD games etc) or steps to work and I'm too stupid to try it, it took me 8 hours on my Win7 netbook  to just get this simple "firmware that shows sd option in left menu" step to work  It was very hard finding correct 2nd update by itself originally from AT Games. If anybody needs it, I'll send in PM. Just download it and copy and paste it just as it is as sega_update on a formatted Fat32 SD card.

Can I just send somebody a blank sd card and they add my 100 games with Pico box art pictures info etc? Maybe I should wait if new Pico gg works now v1.99 and they can covert to this? I'll pay for Genesis Pico Game Manager.

On bottom left during software update in picture 2 it said Android OS, weird.


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## ATFlashback2018 (Sep 20, 2022)

SegaGenesisKing96 said:


> PicoDrive 1.99 Version is Finally Support SEGA Game Gear


If Genesis Flashback Pico could have 1.99 with sms gg gen Sega CD 32x etc that would be awesome. I tried current Pico emu on Flashback2018 with a Pico update and RetroPlayer ini file, just on SD card from page 7 or 9 (well post 97). I was able to get Pico to work now, but I can't use Game Manager box art cuz I have no Netframe 4.0 or 4.5 on my netbook.

But here are SuperMarioBros and SuperMarioWorld bin Genesis ports working now. I had to rename games with no spaces and now they work. Don't do what I did in picture 3, I had spaces in names so didn't work until spaces in names were gone. So I did 2/3 of the process and I didn't even think I could do those hacks but I did  So now I just have buy Windows 10 PC to open Game Manager and add box art. See picture 4. Or just pay somebody here to do for me. Anyway I hope this helped somebody here.


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## ATFlashback2018 (Sep 22, 2022)

I can confirm I got 32x games Master games Genesis game and homebrews and most patched bin work and I got Sega CD bios to start but can't get Sega CD games working at all even if I put renamed bios in GAME and subfolder of game  too. Oh well. It is also not detecting my 6 button controller it makes it 3 button. And music overdrive in settings must be selected so audio of 32x SVP etc stays in sync. But overall I love it so far. Doom Ressurection 32x works, Wolfenstein3D 2014 Genesis works, the recolor sf2 work l, Chinese bootlegs like Top Fighter series work and big files like 8mb full 2013 Bad Apple works. Also video codec bin like Game Sack, SVP VR, 6 Pak multi etc. Posted 50 pics below.

Again, I guess I have to make Sega CD games as chd and put rename bios in subfolder or no  ? And 99% of sg1000 3000 etc games didnt work even if I rename it sg or sms.


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## DoctorEvil8 (Sep 23, 2022)

ATFlashback2018 said:


> I can confirm I got 32x games Master games Genesis game and homebrews and most patched bin work and I got Sega CD bios to start but can't get Sega CD games working at all even if I put renamed bios in GAME and subfolder of game  too. Oh well. It is also not detecting my 6 button controller it makes it 3 button. And music overdrive in settings must be selected so audio of 32x SVP etc stays in sync. But overall I love it so far. Doom Ressurection 32x works, Wolfenstein3D 2014 Genesis works, the recolor sf2 work l, Chinese bootlegs like Top Fighter series work and big files like 8mb full 2013 Bad Apple works. Also video codec bin like Game Sack, SVP VR, 6 Pak multi etc. Posted 50 pics below.
> 
> Again, I guess I have to make Sega CD games as chd and put rename bios in subfolder or no  ? And 99% of sg1000 3000 etc games didnt work even if I rename it sg or sms.


Pico won't run CHD.  Also, make sure the naming of the BIOS files are correct.  I think the naming of BIOS is different for Pico.


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## ATFlashback2018 (Sep 24, 2022)

DoctorEvil8 said:


> Pico won't run CHD.  Also, make sure the naming of the BIOS files are correct.  I think the naming of BIOS is different for Pico.


Do you happen to know how I can rename the bios for Pico? I tried keep bios_CD_U.bin in GAME  and added chd, but like you said chd files don't work. Added 7 zip and WinRAR files, didn't work. Extracted them and added bios in their subfolder. Nothing. I don't know how to get Sega CD games to work in Pico after 4 days it is really pissing me off  I seriously don't understand how people here got any Sega CD game to work in Pico.

Edit : I figured it out. The bios DOES have to be like other GenesisGX emu so bios_CD_U.bin the trick is to extract a Sega CD zip, then rename both cue and bin files say SoulStar_(U) and select only cue version in Game  but I add both cue plus bin. Now I got sms gen 32x scd etc games working, 150 gems! More than Genesis Mini 1 and 2 combined and way less money =) Only Sega CD game I can't get to work so far is hacked Eternal Champions CD with All Characters, but oh well it is because it uses ISO+40 bin music tracks. That is another thing, IMPORTANT, try to download zips of Bin+CUE ( and unzip and rename for example CD_FinalFight ) but not Iso with seperate music tracks because those wont work with this version of PICO but will even unZipped with PowKitty v90. And CHD dont work with Pico either.

I wish I can find AHX bin/cue, BatmanReturns bin/cue, BattleCorps bin/cue, EarthwormJimSE bin/cue, EternalChampionsCDAINerf2.0 bin/cue, SonicCD++ just bin/cue, Spiderman bin/cue, Silpheed bin/cue, TerminatorCD bin/cue and 5in1 Games bin/cue and my list will be complete. One day...maybe somebody can PM me those. So far I got FinalFight, GameSack, MusicCD games and SoulStar.


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## ATFlashback2018 (Sep 24, 2022)

HollywoodGravy said:


> Hi, I'm using the picodrive firmware and the sound on 32X virtua fighter is very crackly. Is this the same for everyone or do I have a bad rom?I
> 
> I am also getting an error using the game manager on some but not all 32X games. Pathway restricted. This could be an error in my pc. But all genesis and Sega CD games work fine.
> 
> Anyway thank you to everyone involved. It's a great little machine now.


How did you get Sega CD games to work in Pico?

Edit : I figured it out. The bios DOES have to be like other GenesisGX emu so bios_CD_U.bin the trick is to extract a Sega CD zip, then rename both cue and bin files say SoulStar_(U) and select only cue version in Game  but I add both cue plus bin. Now I got sms gen 32x scd etc games working 150 gems.

And also think of the cost, I got my Flashback for $45. To get a SegaTowerOfPower you will need to buy a
1) Genesis Hi Definition $50
2) Sega CD---------------- $200
3) 32x------------------------$100
4) 3x Power Supply-----$020
5) Video Cable------------$020
6) Controller--------------$010
7) Everdrive Pro---------$100

That's $500 for Original hardware plus if you collect games more =0
Or buying both Genesis Mini 1 2019 and 2 2022 would be $200 to $300

This does everything sms gen scd 32x plus Demons of Ast and Pier Solar work =)


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## ATFlashback2018 (Sep 24, 2022)

maxgi76 said:


> Hi, could you suggest me where to find the right megacd bios files to insert with the custom firmware version picodrive in order to run the megacd games


I need to know too.

Edit : I figured it out. The bios DOES have to be like other GenesisGX emu so bios_CD_U.bin the trick is to extract a Sega CD zip, then rename both cue and bin files say SoulStar_(U) and select only cue version in Game  but I add both cue plus bin. Now I got sms gen 32x scd etc games working 150 gems.

Even got the Music games to work.


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## ATFlashback2018 (Sep 24, 2022)

carontester said:


> please a detailed guide on how can we play sega cd games no one answer this in a very clear and detailed way


Exactly. I feel your pain...honestly it is not easy taking SD card in and out 100 times a day to try get CD games working from my wheelchair only for them not to work.  Take SD out Genesis, put in netbook, rename stuff, take out netbook wheel over to Genesis put SD in, don't work, take SD out Genesis etc. 

 If you use Pico but NOT using Box Art Game Manager INI interface. Do this:

Edit : I figured it out. The bios DOES have to be like other GenesisGX emu so bios_CD_U.bin the trick is to extract a Sega CD zip, then rename both cue and bin files say SoulStar_(U) and select only cue version in Game  but I add both cue plus bin. Now I got sms gen 32x scd etc games working 150 gems.
Weirdly it dawned on me how to do it for Flashback by me remembering what I did for my Powkitty v90 in 2019 or so (As it uses same Pico emu but don't have power in its chip to fully play 32x games) however bingo, got it.
Only difference is Flashback can't read zips like v90 but just extracting cue and bin and renaming them selecting cue game works.

Hope it helps the 5 of us who use Pico.
Please read all my posts the last 2 pages and you'll hack your Flashback masterfully.


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## JomasterII (Jan 4, 2023)

Yo gamers, just wondering - I don't know if this is the right place to ask but is there any way I could change the music from the generic ass stock music in the 2.0.1 firmware to... like, something more pleasant? I've got the .ogg file ready to go but I have no idea how to correctly compile a custom .img.

...also if there's some way I could have the 2.0.1 firmware with the Mega Drive text as well instead of Genesis, that too... Technical shit like this goes way over my head.


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## rrifonas (Jan 5, 2023)

JomasterII said:


> Yo gamers, just wondering - I don't know if this is the right place to ask but is there any way I could change the music from the generic ass stock music in the 2.0.1 firmware to... like, something more pleasant? I've got the .ogg file ready to go but I have no idea how to correctly compile a custom .img.
> 
> ...also if there's some way I could have the 2.0.1 firmware with the Mega Drive text as well instead of Genesis, that too... Technical shit like this goes way over my head.



Post #528 has the answer. spanner compiled all the info from several threads/posts in a single place, and there are instructions on how to extract the img files, edit the emulator partition and rebuild the img file.

About the firmware 2.0.1 with Mega Drive text, it doesn't exist officially. Atgames never released an official firmware update for the EU version. There is only a custom firmware with the Mega Drive logos, I made it merging the asset files from the original Mega Drive FB firmware with the Genesis firmware provided by Atgames.


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## JomasterII (Jan 5, 2023)

rrifonas said:


> Post #528 has the answer. spanner compiled all the info from several threads/posts in a single place, and there are instructions on how to extract the img files, edit the emulator partition and rebuild the img file.
> 
> About the firmware 2.0.1 with Mega Drive text, it doesn't exist officially. Atgames never released an official firmware update for the EU version. There is only a custom firmware with the Mega Drive logos, I made it merging the asset files from the original Mega Drive FB firmware with the Genesis firmware provided by Atgames.


Appreciated! I'll give this all my best shot. That's what I meant by 'getting the 2.0.1 firmware with MD text' too, it's in the same boat as trying to mod the music. ^-^''


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## Rehpyc (Jan 5, 2023)

Dear all,

can you please tell me how to the extract the individual game roms from the original "rom.img" -file?
I tried imgRePackerRK, but all I got was an "unsupported format" message ...


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## rrifonas (Friday at 3:35 AM)

Rehpyc said:


> Dear all,
> 
> can you please tell me how to the extract the individual game roms from the original "rom.img" -file?
> I tried imgRePackerRK, but all I got was an "unsupported format" message ...


7-zip.


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## Rehpyc (Friday at 8:55 AM)

D'oh!
No idea, why I couldn't figure _that_ out ...

Thanks so much for helping me out there!!!


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## Rehpyc (Saturday at 10:52 AM)

rrifonas said:


> You need to dump first the parameter file: Start = 0, Count =2
> Then you can compare your parameter file with this one:
> [email protected](misc)
> [email protected](recovery)
> ...


Taking it one step further from my previous posting: Which software / OS is best used for creating this dump?
Would like to have everything in place _before_ I unscrew the whole device and do some potential soldering ...


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## rrifonas (Saturday at 5:54 PM)

Rehpyc said:


> Taking it one step further from my previous posting: Which software / OS is best used for creating this dump?
> Would like to have everything in place _before_ I unscrew the whole device and do some potential soldering ...


You don't need to understand any of these old steps, there are 'better tools' to dump/backup the entire device.

A Windows PC (Win10 or Win11) with the Windows Subsystem for Linux (wsl) running Ubuntu or Debian is enough. You will only need wsl to rebuild the squashfs partition. wsl is free and you can install from the Windows Store.

I recommend backup the device before start messing it with, you will need:

rkDumper from xda-developers forum
Rockchip driver for Windows
Jumper 2 points of solder to enable the USB data lines, spanner's page has a screenshot from the board - it came from this thread - with 2 red lines, these are the points to jumper. You can solder a small wire or a blob of solder. Before I did a proper jumper, I just tested if the USB connection was working using a small wire and clean tape to keep it in place. You don't need to destroy a USB cable like the instructions in the page (by the way, the steps there are not for "UART" connection but just USB data connection).
[Optional] RKAndroidTool 2.xx to recover the device - This post has a package with the drivers and all tools to backup and restore the device, it's the same for the 2017 and 2018/9 models

The key to avoid a brick is to keep the "emulator" partition under 8MB. To edit the partition, you will only need:

ImgRepackerRK (from xda-developers forum)
A tool to build "squashfs" partitions. There is a version of mksquashfs for Windows but it didn't work for me (again, I don't work with these devices since 2019 so the tools could be improved). I use the Windows Subsystem for Linux (wsl) every time I need to run Linux tools
You don't need to "unsquash" the content, 7-zip extracts squashfs partitions just fine 

Spanner's page should have everything you will need to figure out what to do.


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## Rehpyc (Saturday at 7:55 PM)

Thanks for your detailed reply, much appreciated!
I'll study these instructions carefully and hopefully will then be able to finish this operation successfully! 

	Post automatically merged: Sunday at 1:03 PM

Ok, I gave it a try, but something does not seem to work.
At least RK Android Tool is telling me "No Device Found".

I've installed the RK drivers and (for now) I bridged the two jumpers with a small piece of wire.
Do I need to press any additional buttons while doing so?
There was talk about a "Recovery Button" earlier on - is this the small button right next to it?
When would I press it and for how long?

Otherwise Is this the correct order for the whole process?
(1) Bridging the jumpers
(2) Inserting an USB-Data Cable (does it have to be OTG?)
(3) Starting Android Tools


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## rrifonas (Monday at 3:42 AM)

Some instructions I wrote 3 years ago:


> PREPARING THE ENVIRONMENT:
> 1) Install the Rockchip drivers
> a. Go the "Drivers
> b. Run DriverInstall.exe
> ...



This is the last thing I can do to help you. If you are not feeling confident with the instructions on this thread, my suggestion is to just leave the device as it is, or just install my last custom firmware available for this model. The CFW copies all roms from the "roms" partition to the SD Card, just follow the instructions in the readme.


----------

