Homebrew Hardware questions

yonaikerlol

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Hello, how are you ?, I write this post to ask a few questions about the 3DS Hardware, I want to do a mini-project with the 3DS, it consists of connecting an RCA module to connect it to the TV, with the 3DS processing some data via HLS, using libcurl and some code in C or Lua, and watch it on TV. In the event that HTTP requests cannot be made, play video files from an SD with libVLC or multimedia libraries available for the 3DS.

  • Can I connect external electronic modules to the 3DS? Do you have any communication protocol such as UART, SPI or I2C?
  • Does the 3DS motherboard have a USB interface?
  • Does the 3DS have any SATA or IDE interface?
  • Can I put DC power on the 3DS, without the need for a battery?
  • In case I can't connect an RCA module, can I connect an HDMI one?

I know I can make this easier with a Raspberry Pi or an Arduino, but I don't really use 3DS for very long, and I want to put it to a new use.
Thanks in advance.
 

yonaikerlol

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I saw the Hardmod tutorial in this forum and 4 cables are connected to the 3DS motherboard, can any type of interface be connected to it, as I have already said an RCA module? Or can it only be a data (DAT0 and DAT1) as USB or SD?
 

FAST6191

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I would not bother with this project. The GBA and DS had a few things here but they represented the best in class devices at the time. The 3ds did not have much more than electronics peeps would want to handle.
If you wanted to replicate or otherwise provide an option for an open source video out then that would have been one thing. As any kind of embedded device though I would only use it as a 3ds (touchscreen dual screen devices you have some buttons, a half useful ARM processor and SD card for) or as a really weak server or something you can poke with network.

The save bus in the slot might be a common one, you will have to make a breakout or solder into it.
http://problemkaputt.de/gbatek.htm#3dsspiandi2cbus for something on that.
USB? No.
IDE/SATA. No. Some very old DS flash carts used CF memory though (CF is basically IDE in a different form) but they were GBA slot so no good here.
I don't know offhand. I would bet on no but such usually are usually easily bypassed with a resistor or capacitor to fake out the pull up or detection lines.
Nope. No external video out options unless you add it yourself, and the people doing them never released source and have since gone bankrupt.

I should note there are also SD cards you can tap into wireless for to act a a file server of some form.
 

yonaikerlol

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I would not bother with this project. The GBA and DS had a few things here but they represented the best in class devices at the time. The 3ds did not have much more than electronics peeps would want to handle.
If you wanted to replicate or otherwise provide an option for an open source video out then that would have been one thing. As any kind of embedded device though I would only use it as a 3ds (touchscreen dual screen devices you have some buttons, a half useful ARM processor and SD card for) or as a really weak server or something you can poke with network.

The save bus in the slot might be a common one, you will have to make a breakout or solder into it.
http://problemkaputt.de/gbatek.htm#3dsspiandi2cbus for something on that.
USB? No.
IDE/SATA. No. Some very old DS flash carts used CF memory though (CF is basically IDE in a different form) but they were GBA slot so no good here.
I don't know offhand. I would bet on no but such usually are usually easily bypassed with a resistor or capacitor to fake out the pull up or detection lines.
Nope. No external video out options unless you add it yourself, and the people doing them never released source and have since gone bankrupt.

I should note there are also SD cards you can tap into wireless for to act a a file server of some form.

Thanks for the answer, I found a cable that can be connected to the 3DS through the charging port to connect it to the TV through HDMI, but to do better I need a way to power the 3DS without the need for the original charger, that is to say that it is on 24/7 using common 9.2V input power cables (if I'm not mistaken it's the 3DS input).

I can make an FTP server with some video files in the SD and then show them on the TV via WiFi, but it would need to be on 24/7.
Also with the same source code I can create a super basic FTP server (which only supports the GET command) and that through multithreading it will download data through some HTTP streaming.

I've been doing some research, and it can be programmed in C and compiled to a .firm file (similar to GodMode9) so it can be used as a primary boot via fastboot3DS (it's like a variant of Boot9Strap but more custom), so it has to be on 24/7.
Although I do not know if this way you can use the Wireless functions of the console, but I suppose yes.
 

FAST6191

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I don't know what cable that would have been. Or if it is then it might have also required a mod (does it say katsukity or loopy in the description?).
Before the Switch we have not had an easy way of video out for Nintendo handhelds since the gamecube's GB player and never had anything official or not a serious mod and actually handheld prior to the Switch (which technically is docked when you have video out).

Not sure why you don't care for the official charger or battery for this though? Combo of battery and charger both means it effectively has its own UPS and should not be putting out enough current to heat either up unduly. If your 3ds had a broken battery then OK, and yeah probably back to using either a resistor or cap to bypass the battery present detection and you may have to search through the box of random chargers to find one of suitable voltage (or correctable to it) before slicing the end off and soldering something on.
 

ghjfdtg

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  • Can I connect external electronic modules to the 3DS? Do you have any communication protocol such as UART, SPI or I2C?
  • Does the 3DS motherboard have a USB interface?
  • Does the 3DS have any SATA or IDE interface?
  • Can I put DC power on the 3DS, without the need for a battery?
  • In case I can't connect an RCA module, can I connect an HDMI one?

Yes and no. Yes you can connect something via the gamecart slot, SD card slot or the internal WiFi module socket for example. The later 2 use SDIO. No it's not as easy as plug'n play. There are also SPI and I2C buses but only accessible via test points across the mainboard.
No USB.
No SATA or IDE.
Yes, with some resistor trickery on the battery contacts people had success making the system think there is a battery when there is not.
No RCA and no HDMI.

To be honest it's more trouble than it's worth. The 3DS is not made to have any fast and standard, wired connection to anything else. And let's not even start with the software support.
 
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