CD BIOS Loading

[MottZilla]

I have tested this on a DUO-R system and this should be the same for the regular DUO and DUO-RX and possibly true for the PC-Engine + Super CD-ROM attachment. I tested by trying to load a Super CD-ROM game (Lords of Thunder). It loaded as expected and played fine with System Card 3.0 loaded and gave the proper error message when trying to load with the System Card 1.0 loaded.

You can load System BIOS images Version 1.X up to 3.X and play CD-ROM and Super CD-ROM games. This mainly would come in handy for the Altered Beast CD-ROM which I've read only works properly on System Card 1.0. Or to avoid removing and inserting the Turbo ED often. To play Arcade CD-ROM games you will still need to remove the Turbo ED and insert an Arcade Card DUO. Loading CD BIOS images might come in handy for someone that is missing their system card but only for regular CD-ROM games as Super CD-ROM games require the extra RAM in the system card. The Super CD-ROM has the System Card with RAM built in.

If anyone has any other hardware setups please test and post the results so this thread can be used for reference. We still need someone to test CD BIOS loading with the following setups.

Turbografx 16 + CD-ROM Attachment
PC-Engine (any model) + CD-ROM Attachment
PC-Engine (any model) + Super CD-ROM Attachment

DUO-R works with System Card ROMs 1.0 to 3.0
DUO and DUO-RX should be the same as DUO-R

[phoenixdownita]

I already reported in other thread but:
DUO-R + TG16 Super CD-ROM System Card 3.0 [U] works.
DUO-R + TG16 CD-ROM System Card 2.0 [U] does NOT work.

[phoenixdownita]

Might as well point out:

DUO-R + CD games express card [J] -> works and CD loads fine (I tried CD Mahjong Bishoujo something, I have not tried HiLeg fantasy yet).

CD games express card required to have a Duo/Duo-R/Duo-RX or PCE + SuperCDROM attachment to work because it tries to access the memory available in Super CDROM SysCard 3.0 which DUo/Duo-R/Duo-RX/SuperCDROM attachment habe built in.

So in the end only to play Arcade CDROM games you need to take out the Turbo-ED, pretty neat.

[MottZilla]

Thanks for the report. I wonder if you can use the Turbo ED as a System Card on the regular CD-ROM as far as System Card 2.0. I don't think those cards contained any RAM. Just the Super System Card 3.0 and Arcade Cards.

[atreyu187]

The NEO flash card allows you to do so loading the BIOS as I have to load a lower system card on my DUO-RX to play my Altered Beast as it will not work on the native 3.0 card that comes with them so I load 1.0 and the game plays fine. I would hope if such an inferior card allows for this Krizz would have it tackled as well. As for the aftermarket card it works as well for loading those games that needed them. The Games Express card or whatever it is called. A little off topic but can you have both TG16 & PCE ROM's on the cart at once without using a hexeditor and byte swapping like i must do on my Neo flash to have both region games at once. Otherwise is is one or the other without hexediting the ROM to Japanese region, I chose that as the US market had fewer games so it was fewer games I had to manually edit to allow say Bonk 3 USA and Salamander to be on the card at the same time.

[phoenixdownita]

Regarding what card had what RAM I copy from the thread http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/ind...ic=8411.0;wap2


System Card 1.0

* Bundled with the debut Japanese CD-ROM system release (Not released in the US)
* Also available for purchase
* Lacks CD+G support,
* Only card that will allow the CD version of Altered Beast to play flawlessly
* Has built-in memory viewer and debugger (Hold Up + Right + Button I + Button II, then press Select)


System Card 2.0

* Bundled with the debut US CD-ROM system release (Also released in Japan)
* US Version start up screen shows "TurboGrafx CD 2.0"
* Adds CD+G support
* Debug function that came with 1.0 removed
* 1 MegaBit of RAM


System Card 2.1

* Not packaged with console release, sold separately
* Added an auto disc-change feature
* 1 MegaBit of RAM


System Card 3.0 (Super System Card)

* Not packaged with console release, sold separately
* Released in Japan and the US
* Support for Super CD games
* 2 Megabits of RAM


Arcade Card Duo (For DUO/DUO-R/DUR-RX/SUPER CD-ROM)

* Not packaged with console release, sold separately
* Support for Arcade CD releases (Strider, Neo-Geo conversions, Sapphire, etc)
* Does not contain System Card 3.0 BIOS as this is already built into the Duo / super systems
* Start up screen displays "Super CD-ROM2 version 3.00"
* 16 Megabits of RAM (16 Mebabits on card + 2 Megbits internal Ram = 18 Megabits)


Arcade Card Pro (For original PC engine with CD-ROM attachment)

* Not packaged with console release, sold separately
* Support for Arcade CD releases (Strider, Neo-Geo conversions, Sapphire, etc)
* System Card 3.0 BIOS on card
* Start up screen displays "Super CD-ROM2 version 3.00"
* If you use an Arcade Card Pro card with a US Duo you will get you the PCE SuperCD screen
* 18 MegaBits of RAM


Game Express card 1.0

* Used to play of unlicensed Game Express CD games
* CD Express Games do not work with official system cards
* Can only access 64k of memory that is built into the CD unit
* Can only play earlier Game Express titles


Game Express card 1.1

* Used to play of unlicensed Game Express CD games
* CD Express Games do not work with official system cards
* Can access the 192k+64k of memory in the way that the arcade card DUO does, that's on the Super CDROM 3.0 unit and the Duo models.
* Can play all Game Express titles

[phoenixdownita]

I was finally able to execute more tests:

CD Games Express Card and booted HiLeg Fanatsy -> works (I guess it is time to get rid of the CD Games Express Card)
Juuoki (aka Altered Beast) on TurboED Sys 3.0 -> dead end at end of stage 1 (as expected)
Juuoki (aka Altered Beast) on TurboED Sys 1.0 -> finished stage 1 and onto next no problem (time to get rid of the Sys 1.0 card)

BTW Juuoki on CD sucks, it stops 3 times for a couple of seconds during the stage to load stuff from the CD, horrid, but I kicked the ass of stage 1 boss, I'm so proud of me, never went that far in this game ... did I mention it sucks??? ;-)

If only with adding say 30-40$ we could make an Arcade TurboED Pro with all the 18MBits needed (I doubt there's anything else in there) and the first 2Mbits mapped as per TurboDuo we could dump all extra cards (I really would love to get rid of my Arcade Duo and Arcade Pro).

[sheath]

Wait, so Super System Card games will work from the Turbo ED loaded bios? I wonder why Rondo of Blood gave me the wrong system card super deformed level. Maybe I just loaded the wrong bios.

[phoenixdownita]

That is not what I said.

IF you own a Duo/Duo R/Duo RX/Super CD-ROMROM unit then yes you can load Sys Card 3.0 in TurboED and everything works, and that is because those 4 models already have onboard the extra RAM required (2 megabits). [the CD games Express Card also required those 2Mbits extra to work]

IF instead you only have a normal PCEngine/TG16 with the normal CDROM then you're out of luck and loading Sys Card 3.0 in TurboED won't work as you're missing the extra RAM.

[sheath]

Sorry, I understood we were talking about DUOs predominantly. I personally tried this with my DUO/R when I got the Turbo ED and thought it worked, but then realized that it wasn't working. I was just musing that I might have loaded the wrong bios for Super System Card 3.0 games. When my TV gets freed up again I'll have to try this again, it would be very helpful to me to not have to take out the Everdrive unless I wanted to play an Arcade Card game.

[sheath]

Okay, after a brief scare that the ED deleted my DUO/R's save files (I had apparently backed them up to the Ten No Koe) I can confirm that Super System Card 3.0 (J) loads through the Everdrive and can boot up Rondo of Blood. I had mistakenly loaded CD-ROM system 2.01 to test Rondo before. I tested the Super System Card 3.01 (U) rom but it only loads to a black screen, no big deal there since it's a Japanese system anyway.

I also loaded up CD-ROM System V1.00 (J) and played Altered Beast CD without any problems. This alone is really exciting, now I only have to remove the Everdrive to play Arcade card games, or transfer saves from the Ten No Koe.

There isn't any chance that the Ten No Koe Memory Bank rom would use the Everdrive's save memory is there?

[KRIKzz]

There isn't any chance that the Ten No Koe Memory Bank rom would use the Everdrive's save memory is there?

turbo-ed does not have onboard ram

[MottZilla]

The Turbo ED could potentially copy SRAM contents from your DUO to the SD card directly.

[sheath]

turbo-ed does not have onboard ram

Doh, yeah I remember that discussion. Either way, nice work. I can leave this in the DUO/R indefinitely and only need to remove it to back up saves or play ACD games.