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documentation:ode:fixel

Fixel's ODE

Features

  • Open source software and hardware (licenses still being decided)
  • Upgradable menu and firmware
    • ODE device driver for PortfolioOS to allow communication with the ODE from homebrew
    • Ability to dump BIOS/SYSROM, Font ROM, FMV ROM
    • Builtin Storage Manager
    • Multi-CD support
    • Easter eggs :)
  • Multiple hardware versions:
    • internal Panasonic FZ-1 CDROM drive replacement model: Plug and play replacement for the builtin CDROM drive
    • external XPort (Expansion Bus) model: Uses the expansion port found on all retail systems. No need to remove CDROM drive.
    • Panasonic FZ-10, Goldstar/LG, Sanyo internal CDROM drive replacements to come at a later date if sufficient interest
  • Multiple storage mediums:
    • USB (single partition)
    • SDCard (single partition, sizes upto 1TB tested)
  • Filesystems supported: FAT32, EXFAT
  • Backwards compatible replacement for FZ-EM256 memory expansion (XPort version only)
  • CDROM image formats supported: .bin/.cue, .iso, .nrg
  • Support for music CD images: CDDA; .cue + .wav (44100Hz @ 16bit stereo)
  • Support for CD+G
  • Support for VCDs when used with FMV expansion device
  • XPort version should when used with devices already moded with a MNEMO ODEs
  • XPort version comes with a custom built expansion port cable and molded case. STL and OpenSCAD files for 3D printed cases available.

Where to Buy

Technical Documentation / Code

Discussion / Support

FAQ

Why is the cable in some photos different from what I received?

The photo most people are referring to (and which can be found on this page) is of an early prototype board with an FZ-EM256's cable. At the time Fixel had not yet gotten the final cables manufactured. At one point it wasn't clear if he would even be able to get new cables made as the connector had not been sold in many years. He had to work with a company to manufactur the connector from scratch and sacraficed a few EM256 cables (which aren't cheap) to get it recreated. Had that not been done the XPort ODE may have required people to get a EM256 and pull out the cable. Unfortunately, Fixel ran into a number of problems when getting the cable manufactured. Details can be found here andhere.

Why are the cable connectors wrapped in electrical tape?

The original connector has not been available for some time so Fixel had a custom connector and cable designed and manufactured for this project. The original design included a metal shroud but pushed back cable production till late Dec 2022 (with an original Sep 2022 ship date). It was decided to move ahead and ship the units with what was available (non-shrouded 3rd revision with improved pins vs EM256 original) and 3M Super 88 electrical tape was used to cover the connector end and wires. Other solutions were tested, including heat shrink with and without adhesive backing, but some consoles had issues with the thickness.

Fixel will send free replacement cables to anyone having issues and intends to send out updated cables when finished and received.

There has been some discussion of a 3D printed shroud. If and when one is created it will be linked to here and from the ODE related hardware mods page.

Source1, Source2

When powered up the Xport ODE doesn't boot into the menu

Keep things simple and setup what should be a minimal working environment.

  1. Format the storage device to FAT32 or EXFAT. There should be only 1 partition.
  2. Copy boot.iso to the root of the filesystem
  3. Plug in the ODE to the Expansion port of your console
  4. Power on. You should see a menu boot in a few seconds. The system first will check the original CDROM drive for a disc and then the ODE will take over.

If this does not work:

  1. Try to open/close drive lid (or eject/insert the drive tray). If that leads to it booting then you have a missing or faulty reset circuit. Check for a dry or missing capacitor on the console mother board near the reset switch. This is C401 on the FZ-1. Replacing it with a 22uF to 100uF 16v+ cap should fix the issue.
  2. The Expansion port may be dirty (as you've likely never used it.) Use a toothbrush / hard bristle brush or flat cleaning swab with alcohol or DeoxIT to clean it and insert the plug of the ODE into the port several times, wiggle it a bit to help remove oxidation and dirt, and use the brush again. If during startup the 3DO logo blinks twice and there is a single green blink from the activity LED on the ODE the connection between the ODE and system is bad. The signals are not getting through.
  3. Check the expansion port's connection to the main board. There could be cold solder joints. This has been noticed on some units. Particularly Goldstar. You would need to have the connector resoldered.
  4. If those don't work, but the system does work with CDs, it is possible the power supply needs refurbishing or the system recapped. If you are using a USB adapter for a 2.5“ SSD or HDD, and it doesn't have external power, you could be putting too much strain on the power supply. Try a thumbdrive or sdcard. If that doesn't work try a different storage device of the same type and then of a different type.

Is there a difference between using USB and SDCard?

In theory there shouldn't be any material, perceptible differences between the two storage types in regards to being the backing storage to a 2x speed CDROM ODE. In practice it depends on the storage device.

USB has inherently higher latency but relative to a CDROM it wouldn't be noticeable. However, it isn't uncommon for the initialization of a USB device to take longer than a SDCard resulting in some USB devices taking a bit longer to load up the ODE menu.

Also keep in mind that there are a large number of non-standard SDCards and USB devices. While Fixel generally considers incompatibility a bug in the ODE it is difficult to support every device which is out of spec. If you do find a device that doesn't work at all or reliably please compare it against another device and submit a ticket at the project issue page.

Images

documentation/ode/fixel.txt · Last modified: 2023/01/24 12:06 by trapexit