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Added links to `Detyn`'s new Battery Meter Fix tool to both the Battery section and Tools and Links. Updated the custom firmware FAQ with the latest progress notes.
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vonmillhausen 2023-09-03 00:13:37 +01:00
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@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ Some downsides to the device: it's mono only (you only get the left-channel audi
So is the "Data Frog" any good? Only you can answer that question for yourself. There are certainly more powerful devices out there, more fully featured devices, devices with better hardware, etc. - but almost all of those devices cost a lot more than the SF2000. At the end of the day, you have to look at the features offered at the given price-point, and only then can you decide if you're interested in the device or not.
### Is there any custom firmware?
As of August 29th 2023, **no**, not yet. However efforts are underway; an SDK for the CPU has been identified, and custom firmware is now in the very early stages of development. Most recently, folks have been experimenting with trying to build different Retroarch cores, both to see if they build at all, and if they do, to see what their performance is like on the SF2000. Results thus far have varied. Some have functioned correctly, albeit at slow speeds; others have failed to run entirely. Most have crackly/broken audio due to running below correct speed, and some have no sound at all. Input problems with some cores have also been reported. The cores are individual cores, built as entire firmwares in their own right - there is currently no way to "switch" between cores without taking the microSD card out of the SF2000 and replacing the firmware with one built to contain a different core. Work on allowing the core to be switched by some mechanism is also an area of focus for future work by the devs. A side project has been investigating modifying the stock firmware to replace or add additional emulator cores; the intention of this is just to learn more about how the device functions internally, and it is not currently planned to build a custom firmware this way.
As of September 3rd 2023, **no**, not yet. However efforts are underway; an SDK for the CPU has been identified, and custom firmware is now in the very early stages of development. Most recently, folks have been experimenting with trying to build different Retroarch cores, both to see if they build at all, and if they do, to see what their performance is like on the SF2000. Results thus far have varied. Some have functioned correctly, albeit at slow speeds; others have failed to run entirely. Most have crackly/broken audio due to running below correct speed, and some have no sound at all. Input problems with some cores have also been reported. The cores are individual cores, built as entire firmwares in their own right - there is currently no way to "switch" between cores without taking the microSD card out of the SF2000 and replacing the firmware with one built to contain a different core. Work on allowing the core to be switched by some mechanism is also an area of focus for future work by the devs. A side project has been investigating modifying the stock firmware to replace or add additional emulator cores; the intention of this is just to learn more about how the device functions internally, and it is not currently planned to build a custom firmware this way. Other efforts are focused on trying to build an efficient toolchain for further development.
[A GitLab repo](https://git.maschath.de/ignatz/hcrtos) has been set up by `ignatzdraconis` for the work, and you can follow along with discussion in the [`Retro Handhelds` Discord server](https://discord.gg/retrohandhelds) (specifically, in the `🐸data_frog_sf2000` channel there's a `SF2000 Dev` thread where most of the tech talk and details are posted first). Note that any cores currently built should be considered highly experimental, and are not vetted to be "safe" to run (e.g., current builds may push the hardware of the SF2000 to its operational limits do to optimisation issues, and may incur thermal damage to the device if left running for too long, etc.).
@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ The SF2000 takes a 18650 type rechargeable battery, which is easily user replace
Also note that while you can technically charge the SF2000 while it is powered on, doing so using a charger that supports fast charging or power delivery has a high chance of blowing the charging module IC and killing the device (multiple community reports). For safest charging, use a charger that only supports a maximum output of 5v.
The stock firmware's power monitoring system (which controls the battery level indicator on the main menu, along with when the device warns the user about a low battery condition) is poorly calibrated for the stock battery that comes with the device; as such, the SF2000 basically indicates it has a full battery at all times. `bnister` and `dteyn` from Discord worked together to identify the locations within the stock firmware that the calibration is stored, and determined more appropriate calibration values. `dteyn` wrote a Python script which will patch the `1.6`/`08.03` firmware to correct the battery calibration - you can [find that script here](https://github.com/Dteyn/SF2000_Battery_Level_Patcher), along with much more detail about the issue and the solution.
The stock firmware's power monitoring system (which controls the battery level indicator on the main menu, along with when the device warns the user about a low battery condition) is poorly calibrated for the stock battery that comes with the device; as such, the SF2000 basically indicates it has a full battery at all times. `bnister` and `dteyn` from Discord worked together to identify the locations within the stock firmware where the calibrations are stored, and determined more appropriate calibration values for the stock battery. `dteyn` wrote a web-based tool which will patch an existing `bisrv.asd` file to use the new values; you can [find their "Data Frog SF2000 Battery Meter Fix" tool here](https://dteyn.github.io/sf2000/tools/batteryMeterFix.htm). They also have a Python script to do the patching specifically for the `1.6V`/`08.03` firmware - you can [find that script here](https://github.com/Dteyn/SF2000_Battery_Level_Patcher), along with much more detail about the issue and the solution.
### Wireless Connectivity
The SF2000 does not feature wifi or Bluetooth, but it _does_ have a 2.4Ghz antenna to support local wireless multiplayer using a compatible 2.4Ghz wireless controller for Player 2. The Y2 SFC wireless controller and the SF900 wireless controller have both been reported to work fine.
@ -613,6 +613,7 @@ All of these are linked above already in their relevant sections, but just in ca
- [Button Mapping Tool](https://vonmillhausen.github.io/sf2000/tools/buttonMappingChanger.htm)
- [Community DataFrog SF2000 Compatibility List](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19TCedWEKFXlnS2dlmLxk1BcnlHrX-MSVrKwEURuiU0E/edit#gid=1327539659)
- [Data Frog's firmware update tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8dT2fdGfck)
- [Data Frog SF2000 Battery Meter Fix by Dteyn](https://dteyn.github.io/sf2000/tools/batteryMeterFix.htm)
- [FROGTOOL](https://github.com/tzlion/frogtool) (for updating the built-in game lists)
- [Generic Image Tool](https://vonmillhausen.github.io/sf2000/tools/genericImageTool.htm)
- [`ignatzdraconis`'s Gitlab Repo](https://git.maschath.de/ignatz/hcrtos)
@ -627,6 +628,8 @@ All of these are linked above already in their relevant sections, but just in ca
---
## Document Version History
- `20230903 - 1.36`: Added links to `Detyn`'s new Battery Meter Fix tool to both the [Battery](#battery) section and [Tools and Links](#tools-and-links). Updated the [custom firmware FAQ](#is-there-any-custom-firmware) with the latest progress notes.
- `20230829 - 1.35`: Added a [MicroSD Card](#microsd-card) section to [Hardware](#hardware) to provide some detail about the SF2000's slightly unusual microSD card situation. Added detail about the [Neo Geo Unibios Menu](#neo-geo-unibios-menu) discovery to the [Arcade](#arcade) section (thanks `nanchon18#2262`!). Updated the custom firmware FAQ with the latest details. Updated the "what modding can I do" FAQ to strongly suggest fixing the [bootloader bug](#bootloader-bug) before doing any other modding to the device; also added a note that the Tadpole tool can perform a lot of the modding tasks. Updated the "quiet A/V sound" FAQ with details about the fix in the `08.03`/`1.6V` firmware. Updated the "in game saves don't work" FAQ with details about this apparently being fixed for GBA in the `08.03`/`1.6V` firmware. Added a note to the [Battery](#battery) section about the SF2000's poorly calibrated power monitoring curve, along with a link to `dteyn`'s SF2000 Battery Level Patcher script (also added a link to that in the [Tools and Links](#tools-and-links) section). Data Frog has now officially released the `August 3rd`/`08.03`/`1.6V` firmware, so added that to the [Firmware](#firmwarebios-bisrvasd) section; also updated all of the tables in the [Resources](#resources) section to include the new firmware. Finally, renamed this "Version History" section to "Document Version History", to help prevent any confusion in regards to what the version numbers in this section refer to (they're not related to firmware).
- `20230819 - 1.34`: Updated the custom firmware FAQ answer with the latest progress notes. Replaced the bootloader bug FAQ with a more generic FAQ covering the main situations under which the SF2000 fails to boot correctly. Added a brief note on the mysterious new `August 3rd` BIOS that has started appearing on some newer devices.