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Talk:Sega Channel BIOS (US)

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I believe the article I've written so far is the SciAm ROM. I have another copy of a ROM where the diagnostic information is at 0xEDC3 and begins "GI SegaChannel Remote DiagnosticSep 12 1995". As soon as I verify the other is not GI as well I can update the article. --Zontar 15:34, 16 January 2013 (EST)

What is the md5sum of the ROM you used? - Andlabs 15:44, 16 January 2013 (EST)
"1cf54fc6a7dd4dbc33a37f3aad703d42 Sega Channel (JUE).bin" --Zontar 16:00, 16 January 2013 (EST)
That's the SciAm one. For the record:
e2b2075cd7aa405a8745bda2e4d9c115  /home/pietro/nointro/mdroms/Sega Channel (USA) (General Instrument) (Program).md
1cf54fc6a7dd4dbc33a37f3aad703d42  /home/pietro/nointro/mdroms/Sega Channel (USA) (Scientific Atlanta) (Program).md
a45842e6f4ba3441a67077a0416ddde3  /home/pietro/nointro/mdroms/Sega Channel Demo (USA) (Program).md
(there are some prototypes no-intro has yet to add) - Andlabs 16:02, 16 January 2013 (EST)
All right, looks like this unit is the SciAm unit. Other MD5 matches for the GI unit as well. I have no demo unit. Would this best be segmented in the same article or should this article be retitled Sega Channel BIOS (Scientific American) (US) and split off a new one for the GI unit? --Zontar 16:05, 16 January 2013 (EST)
I would just have the ROM addresses together unless the text is different. For instance 0xGHIJ (General Instruments)/0xKLMN (Scientific Atlanta) - Andlabs 16:06, 16 January 2013 (EST)

Fan Club Address

Is it censored like that in the ROM, or was this done after the fact? --BMF54123 15:55, 16 January 2013 (EST)

The fan club address is redacted in the ROM. I made no chances copying it out of the hex editor. --Zontar 16:00, 16 January 2013 (EST)
It is censored like that in both of the standard ROMs; the Demo ROM does not seem to have the fan club text at all. - Andlabs 16:03, 16 January 2013 (EST)

Diagnostic stuff

The messages mentioned in the Error Text section are used by the exception handlers if I recall correctly. You'd need to cause the 68000 to crash for this.

Regarding the diagnostic tool text, I had found code that allows the program to communicate through joypad port 2 using serial mode (the demo ROMs use the modem port instead). I didn't get far enough to figure out where it's used, but it may be related to this. Somebody else may have more information. —Sik 03:36, 18 March 2013 (EDT)

Diagnostics Menus

There is definitely some sort of way to locally access at least some of the diagnostics menus. I just can't remember how to do it.

I remember when I was younger, and got my Sega Channel installed, when I was ready to play it, it wouldn't get a signal, so they had to send a technician out. I can't remember exactly how the diagnostics menu was accessed, but I definitely remember seeing at least one of those screens with my own two eyes (Fairly sure it's the General Instrument Diagnostics one, but it's been almost 30 years, so my memory's a bit fuzzy).

For some reason, my memory wants to say "You had to hold down the menu button on the Sega Channel itself," but that could be my mind completely making it up. Or it could be part of how you do it but you need some button combination on the controllers too. Or it could well be completely correct and proof my memory is something that is selective as hell.

Either way, worth investigating if someone ever wants to disassemble the ROMs I suppose.——Dark Pulse (talk) 22:19, 4 February 2024 (UTC)