Howdy

[SpiceWare]

Been lurking for the past few weeks. My BLU should arrive on Tuesday.

I've ported a few emulators to OS/2 in the past and recently migrated to Mac OS X. I'm hoping to do some development for the GP32 using my Mac.

I've already picked up a couple 128 SmartMedia cards in anticapation of next week. Can I preload software using a USB card reader, or must I go thru the GP32?

Thanx!

 

[meandu229]

where you getting your gp from,, gbax flash it to a multi firm were(or at least they did to mine) so yes if from there you can,, if not and you are goin to be stuck with the euro firmware then you need a free laucher which must be installed directly using the gp( i believe) hope this helps.
Hazy

 

[declaration]

Welcome to the scene!

You'll find it really friendly here (hopefully).

As well as these boards you should check out the IRC channels on Efnet.

#gp32 for general chat (can be quiet)
#gp32dev for coding/ development chat

the people there are great and helpful.

 

[Ernest]

You should be able to pre-load apps onto ur smc's using a reader/writer, just make sure you put them in the correct folders (usually stated in the readme for most apps and games). I would have thought that GBAX still flash with multifirmware and not euroFW so i doubt you'll need to use freelauncher.

 

[woogal]

Why are people confusing matters with talk of flashing and freelauncher?

1 - all he wants to know is if he can install stuff onto his card before the gp32 arrives (which you can btw, but you won't be able to download commercial games from joygp)
2 - freelauncher has nothing to do with installing files
3 - freelauncher isn't even needed on a blu (only the original fw needed freelauncher, and blu's come with eurofw as standard)

 

[SpiceWare]

Thanx for the welcome!

I'm in the US so I ordered it from Lik-Sang. The BLU description has this on their website:

# Latest GP32 BLU [Back Light Unit] Version
# International and multilingual Firmware
# Plays Emulators and Software without registering
# Up to 166 MHz Clock Speed out-of-the-box

I think the "without registering" means the launcher is now included with the GP32.

I see SDL has been ported to the GP32. Stella is now using SDL, think I'll try to port that - I did the OS/2 port a while back, so should be somewhat familiar with the code

 

[Tristan]

I see SDL has been ported to the GP32. Stella is now using SDL, think I'll try to port that - I did the OS/2 port a while back, so should be somewhat familiar with the code

​

Bad choice. The SDL port on the GP32 is slow, very slow. It might not make a whole lot of difference in some easy stuff, but it definitaly will on an emu, and especially something as complex as Stella. The reason the GP32 SDL port is slow is because it's based on the official GP SDK (or something like that). Also, an emu will need an ARM assembly core to work even remotely fast enough on the GP32.

 

[generalnmx]

Why are people confusing matters with talk of flashing and freelauncher?

1 - all he wants to know is if he can install stuff onto his card before the gp32 arrives (which you can btw, but you won't be able to download commercial games from joygp)
2 - freelauncher has nothing to do with installing files
3 - freelauncher isn't even needed on a blu (only the original fw needed freelauncher, and blu's come with eurofw as standard)

A little addition to woogal's post, you may need to format the SMC through PC-Link before it will read properly, although I've never personally experienced this on pre-formatted SMC cards. You may be able to use "SMC Recovery" (reformat) on European Firmware, I forget.

I see SDL has been ported to the GP32. Stella is now using SDL, think I'll try to port that - I did the OS/2 port a while back, so should be somewhat familiar with the code

Bad choice. The SDL port on the GP32 is slow, very slow. It might not make a whole lot of difference in some easy stuff, but it definitaly will on an emu, and especially something as complex as Stella. The reason the GP32 SDL port is slow is because it's based on the official GP SDK (or something like that). Also, an emu will need an ARM assembly core to work even remotely fast enough on the GP32.

I also have to agree with Tristan here, using a translation layer ON TOP of a translation/emulation layer isn't really a good idea for an underpowered machine like the GP32 (well, underpowered compared to a desktop computer). Besides, SDL is a port itself, so it may be a while before it gets fully up-to-speed on the GP32. But really, it isn't TOO difficult to make an abstraction layer for SDL if you really want to port something using SDL. But if a portable emulator exists that doesn't use SDL, you're better off just porting it from stratch. Besides, the GP32 is a RISC processor just like the Mac, so you should feel right at home coding completely natively!

Oh, and I do disagree with Tristan's conclusion that all emulators must have ARM cores to get reliable speed. Really, it depends on the type of emulator you are trying to write, and the overhead that system produces. Some 8-bit systems are easier to emulate then others because they have less complex and muddled processes. Besides, gcc 3.4.1 is really great at optimizing code. But if you're going 16-bit, you probably would want to add a good assembly graphics core at some point in the future.

Yet we're all getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we? At the very least, I would like to welcome you to the scene

 

[Tristan]

Oh, and I do disagree with Tristan's conclusion that all emulators must have ARM cores to get reliable speed.

​

Ok, sorry, ofcourse, not ALL emulators need ARM cores. I can write, or rather, someone, can write a perfectly good TI-83 (Which is a calculator) emulator, without resorting to ARM ASM. Most emulators however (Like... SNES) will need you to go into ARM ASM. Especially something like Stella will require to dig into some heavy ARM ASM. Anyway, I'm rambling on about something I know very little of, so I'll leave it to more knowledgeable people to figure that out.

 

[OmarNawaz]

WELCOME!!!!

I hope you enjoy your time with this lil korean handheld be preared for a shock once it arrives they are smaller than you would think.


BTW did you ask lik-sang to specifiy your gp32 as a gift with the couriers or else you mightbe slapped with a hefty import charge.

Actually i dont know about USA but when i ordered my first gp32 from lik sang i got charged like £40-£50 cant rember exactly.



but anyway welcome to the scene and its nice to see more coders joining the gp32 legions.


enjoy

 

[SpiceWare]

Nice!!! It's tiny, but the screen is huge compared to my GBA

I used my old Thinkpad to format the SMC and install a couple things. I'm now using the card reader on my Mac - it's much faster using USB 2.0.

So far I've installed some photos, a couple video clips, Doom, and Frodo. I've had the most fun with Frodo - I used to hack the Commodore pretty hard in the day. I wrote a BBS program for the 64 & 128 that when used in conjunction with my MusicTerm program would let you receive music, animated characters and animated sprites at 300 baud. I even set up the joystick to send signals to the BBS so you could play online games.

Didn't get hit with the import tax. I read that it hit at $200, so I only ordered the unit at $180.

Man are these Smart Media Cards difficult to get out. Any pointers on this, or does it get easier over time?

Only bad part is I've got 1 pixel that's stuck on as white I tried mr.mirko's clock test and no overclocking either - only 166 MHz.

 

[Enslaved]

To get SMCs out just press up agains the black part of it so there is friction betweern your finger and the card and pull upwards. Dont bother using the little tab to grab it

Have fun!!

 

[generalnmx]

Man are these Smart Media Cards difficult to get out. Any pointers on this, or does it get easier over time?

You can stick a little piece of duct-tape that is taped onto itself on back of the SMC (the part that is exposed) so you don't have to use your fingernails to get any good friction.

 

[gaterooze]

I tried mr.mirko's clock test and no overclocking either - only 166 MHz.

​

That IS overclocked

The BLU normally runs at 133mhz, and some units will *only* run at that speed. I don't think that any run faster than 166mhz without the volt mod done.

So 166mhz is a very good result, don't worry 'bout that! You'll be able to run most things great at that speed.

 

[Huxley]

The BLU normally runs at 133mhz, and some units will *only* run at that speed. I don't think that any run faster than 166mhz without the volt mod done.

​

There are a few that will run faster than 166 out of the box, but they're rare. Mine only goes to 156 Except for GPCinema which runs 166 fine :huh:

 

[woogal]

I tried mr.mirko's clock test and no overclocking either - only 166 MHz.

​

That IS overclocked

The BLU normally runs at 133mhz, and some units will *only* run at that speed. I don't think that any run faster than 166mhz without the volt mod done.

So 166mhz is a very good result, don't worry 'bout that! You'll be able to run most things great at that speed.

​

A gp32 will try and run at any speed you tell it to. It does not normally run at 133mhz, and no unit will only run at that speed (most software runs much slower). I think what you are trying to say is 132mhz is the maximum speed guaranteed by gamepark, anything above that is pot luck (unless you buy one that's had the voltage modded).

 

[generalnmx]

A gp32 will try and run at any speed you tell it to. It does not normally run at 133mhz, and no unit will only run at that speed (most software runs much slower). I think what you are trying to say is 132mhz is the maximum speed guaranteed by gamepark, anything above that is pot luck (unless you buy one that's had the voltage modded).

Actually, I think 132MHz is the maximum speed "non-overclocked" speed as determined by Samsung, not just Gamepark. Additionally, I think the BIOS has the default at 66MHz, and I know the "natural" speed of the CPU (where 1 tick = 1 ms) is 44MHz.

 

[SpiceWare]

That IS overclocked

The BLU normally runs at 133mhz

Lik-Sang's site has this under the feature list for the BLU Up to 166 MHz Clock Speed out-of-the-box. That's why I didn't think 166 was overclocking. The English option on Game Park's site doesn't work so I can't tell what the "official specs" are for the BLU's clock speed.

I figured out how to get the cards out - put 3 fingers on the card and "curl up" my fingers while pushing on the card. As the fingers curl, the nails push against the case and the card slides out nicely.

How does the performance of the GP32's CPU compare with a standard Pentium? I was able to get Stella to run fine on a Pentium 133/166 system. What I'm considering is porting Stella with SDL just to get it working, then replacing the SDL code with native routines.

 

[LHC]

That IS overclocked

The BLU normally runs at 133mhz

Lik-Sang's site has this under the feature list for the BLU Up to 166 MHz Clock Speed out-of-the-box. That's why I didn't think 166 was overclocking. The English option on Game Park's site doesn't work so I can't tell what the "official specs" are for the BLU's clock speed.

​

This is slightly misleading. What it means is "somewhere up to 166 Mhz", and this could be 156, 150, or indeed 166.

 

[generalnmx]

Lik-Sang's site has this under the feature list for the BLU Up to 166 MHz Clock Speed out-of-the-box. That's why I didn't think 166 was overclocking. The English option on Game Park's site doesn't work so I can't tell what the "official specs" are for the BLU's clock speed.

Lots of prior GP32 owners, who obviously knew about overclocking, upgraded to BLUs. That's why Lik-Sang listed that

How does the performance of the GP32's CPU compare with a standard Pentium? I was able to get Stella to run fine on a Pentium 133/166 system. What I'm considering is porting Stella with SDL just to get it working, then replacing the SDL code with native routines.

It's more then just the desktop - even if you're on a super-ancient computer, you'll have a video card with at least 1MB of RAM (they didn't have shared video ram back then to my knowledge), where as the GP32 has no dedicated video ram. Additionally, a Windows or DOS system will also have some virtual paging, where the GP32 doesn't have that implementation. Now I'm not actually sure of ARM vs Pentium, but ARM9 (the GP32's CPU) is a far newer architecture then a Pentium, so it should be much more effecient (even with the gates removed for cooling, battery life, etc.)