Disney Infinity, Lego Dimensions, Skylanders Base Emulator - Project D.I.R.E.

Project D.I.R.E.
(UPDATE 29 NOVEMBER 2023)


We have been made aware that certain individuals are attempting to sell the community edition of this project on ETSY, a project that is explicitly offered for free. This action not only undermines the spirit of our community project but is also a move that capitalizes on the work of others in a very negative way. Furthermore, these sales include unauthorized distribution of bin files related to Lego, Skylanders, and Disney Infinity, which is a clear infringement of intellectual property rights. We strongly urge the community to maintain the integrity of the project by helping us address and curtail these unauthorized sales. It is essential to remind everyone that our project was created for free distribution, and it should remain that way. Your support in this matter is invaluable.

Special Thanks to the following individuals for their dedication and hard work. Without them this project would not be possible.

znxDomain -> firmware unlocker, tester, researcher
Lucky.peic -> firmware gui editor, tester, prototype, initial writeups, researcher
B47M4N -> firmware gui editor, tester, pcb and case creator, researcher, user guide writer
Bowman -> alt firmware, prototype tester
Mystic -> supplied test files, tester


Project D.I.R.E. (Disney Infinity Reverse Engineered) is a portal emulator for Disney Infinity, Lego Dimensions, and Skylanders. This replaces the original portal in place of a custom created one to inject your own character dumps without the need for the original characters, vehicles, or playsets.

This emulator originally started several years ago after a talented coder named obiima did not release his project to the public. Obiima created and demoed a console portal emulator for 3 games: Disney Infinity, Lego Dimensions, and Skylanders. Obiima never released his project into the wild and the project he did release privately was closed firmware meaning locked to the stm32 Bluepill. This project picks up where he left off.

The Firmware allows this device to select between games by holding one of the buttons during boot. Specific Button usage can be found in the User Guide. You have the option of using limited onboard memory or by using an SD card you can increase the character count in your base emulator. By adding your own character files known as bin files, you can inject them into the game without having to keep your original characters.

This emulator currently works on the Wii, Wii U, PS3, and PS4.
We CAN NOT confirm if this works on the PS5 or Nintendo Switch as we do not own those consoles with these games to test with.

We have been told Skylanders plays on the Nintendo Switch but does NOT use the Portal of Power.
We have also seen footage of Disney Infinity being played on a PS5 with a PS4 base.

XBOX 360 and XBOX One are Not Yet included in this release. There is a security chip required from an Activision portal to make this work and we have not yet discovered a simple method to allow these games to work on these specific consoles.

upload_2021-8-26_20-29-42.png


upload_2021-8-27_6-51-30.png


upload_2021-8-27_6-51-46.png


Some of the files are too large to fit in this forum post and have been attached via mediafire.
All files can be found here: https://www.mediafire.com/folder/9u87thpc42j9a/Release+Package
 

Attachments

Last edited by Kfkboys,
I was able to flash the firmware and get it to work with the bank editor, put a bin file on and everything. however, the screen is blank/white and not displaying anything.
Post automatically merged:

I was able to flash the firmware and get it to work with the bank editor, put a bin file on and everything. however, the screen is blank/white and not displaying anything.

This is my second account here. My microUSB connecter was bad so I used another and was able to get it to work except for the screen, I checked connections and solder joints and they seem all good.
Apologies to your budget, but my advice is to keep buying microcontrollers and displays until you arrive at a working pair. Unfortunately it's looking like some of you may be procuring faulty components, but once you have a working setup it'll be easy to figure out which parts are bad.
 
Apologies to your budget, but my advice is to keep buying microcontrollers and displays until you arrive at a working pair. Unfortunately it's looking like some of you may be procuring faulty components, but once you have a working setup it'll be easy to figure out which parts are bad.
Fair enough, thanks for the reply! :)
 
This is such a fun project!
I just built one with removable microcontroller and display for validating components.
Then, I built another "rotated" one since I like that configuration much more.
What I did differently this time is to use 34AWG enamel-coated copper wire for all of the connections, which appears to be adequate gauge FYI. By cranking up the soldering iron heat a little, that allows thermally stripping (burning off) the insulation at the solder location, which for me is much easier than using tools to strip thin short wires with regular insulation :) This got build time down to more like 30min. without a custom PCB... This is the same kind of wire typically used for console modifications / mod chip installations, so you may just have a near infinite source of bespoke circuit boards if you invest moderately in technique!
 
Last edited by mrMusto,
Sorry for neglecting your message!
If neither the SD card nor the display are working when connected, then I think there may be something the matter with your microcontroller. Let's revisit step 2 to make sure you're on track there: were you able to upload a .bin to the controller, disconnect it, reconnect it, and see the .bin as saved internally from within the windows software? Relatedly, is it recognized as a game pad device when you plug it into a console? This rudimentary functionality should be afforded by just the microcontroller with nothing attached, and should be verified IMHO before bothering to connect up the SD card or screen.
This is such a great project; my only complaint with the end result is handling LARGE .bin collections (slow to browse)--it seems better tailored to a curated collection of virtual figures. [AH HAH! There is seek but my buttons weren't making continuous contact to trigger it!] My only complaint with the original instructions is that they forego verifying the components before soldering, making it super difficult to help people who get stuck.
Kindly report back on whether your blue pill is working standalone; if you have any doubts, my suggested next step would be to obtain an alternative from a different supplier and try that...
Post automatically merged:


Hi,
My advice is to obtain a microcontroller from a different supplier and try that! It's just 4 wires to jumper to flash the firmware, and it should be able to have a .bin saved to it with the Windows software.
Mind sharing where you got yours?
I picked up a 3-pack from Amazon, and validated all 3 but only built out one with a screen. I think it was ~18USD for the microcontroller 3-pack OR a single display/reader. The writer was cheaper at more like ~$7USD.
Hello,
Sorry for the late response.
Flashing the bluepill and adding a few bins to it seems to work? (I played Disney Infinity and managed to get to the part of the tutorial where I was asked to place my first figure on the portal). If I connect the screen I have no image on it, it doesn't even light up.
 
Can someone please help me? I built the emulator, but in the bank editor it says "No Device". I’ve tried using different SD cards, but that didn’t work. I followed every step in the instructions carefully.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20250720_185545.jpg
    IMG_20250720_185545.jpg
    1.8 MB · Views: 52
  • IMG_20250720_185533.jpg
    IMG_20250720_185533.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 50
  • Screenshot (232).png
    Screenshot (232).png
    405.6 KB · Views: 59
  • Screenshot (233).png
    Screenshot (233).png
    415.1 KB · Views: 45
  • Screenshot (234).png
    Screenshot (234).png
    419.2 KB · Views: 56
  • Like
Reactions: eeL20
Too bad somebody couldn't write a homebrew app/plugin for jailbroken consoles (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Wii U, 3DS, Switch) that could grab and save the figure data simply by playing a supported game and placing the figures on the respective portal. Would be so much easier than trying to get the date using a PC. I still have no idea how to do it.
 
Bumping this thread.

I still can't figure out how to dump my toys. The NFC Toys website just gives me a big fat headache. I'd love to build this project but until there is a spoon fed guide on how to dump the figures, there is nothing I can do.
 
Too bad somebody couldn't write a homebrew app/plugin for jailbroken consoles (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Wii U, 3DS, Switch) that could grab and save the figure data simply by playing a supported game and placing the figures on the respective portal. Would be so much easier than trying to get the date using a PC. I still have no idea how to do it.
There is an Aroma plugin on Wii U for this now
Post automatically merged:

Bumping this thread.

I still can't figure out how to dump my toys. The NFC Toys website just gives me a big fat headache. I'd love to build this project but until there is a spoon fed guide on how to dump the figures, there is nothing I can do.
same, i've been having issues and i don't know where to ask
 

Site & Scene News

Popular threads in this forum