Game Console, Hardware and Electronics

From Ggl's wiki

Gamecube modchip

So, I plan to buy a gamecube modchip to run backup games, homebrew and GC Linux. I focused my attention mostly on XenoGC and Qoob Pro. At first, I was looking for the software method using SD card adapter (also called SD Gecko), Action replay and SDLoad. SD adaptor can be purchased on web stores but is nowadays difficult to find at Lik Sang and Play Asia for example. The only store where I found is gameparts. You can also make you own SD Gecko. Adding a modchip seems to be the most convenient and even the cheaper way to use custom software with Gamecube.

XenoGC is a good and cheap modchip but too limited. No way to upgrade ... What's the matter ? you may ask ... Simply that the modchip has to be soldered to the motherboard so I don't want to desoldered it if I want new features on the modchip. Qoob Pro is a full featured modchip which is upgradeable by dvd or usb. What bring my attention is the possibility to use a custom firmware (it uses an Actel FPGA and has a 16Mb flash to store homebrew apps).

I'll order the Qoob Pro at Foundmy or Eurasia soon.

• GC Disassembly (from Qoobchip website)
• Qoob pro installation manual 12
• Hitmen console hackers team
• Xavboxcube Tutos Gamecube Tutos d'installation de modchip (in french)
• GC DevAll is in the site's name ;)
• Dextrose where the GC hacking began
• Soldering surface mount devices

I have finally bought the Qoob Pro at Foundmy, with a free gift of 2 mini dvd-r (good for testing the modchip after installation !). It tooks some time to install since I'm not a soldering master ;). The gamecube works fine and the Qoob Pro too. Need to install the mp3 mplayer soon to test.

I found a nice video about the installation I'll upload it soon.

FPGAs

Before now, I was essentially paying attention to software (mainly OS and system programming, security and reversing). These topics lead to study the hardware to understand why the low level software is designed like it is and how it actually works. IT Security is also a crossover subject and to understand and crack some technologies you have to know hardware.

Thus, I began to look at FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays). FPGAs allow to build custom processors or assembly of electronics logic.

If you are a french spoken person:

• Cours de P. Nouel sur les FPGAs, le VHDL, les SoC (ENSEIRB)
• Page de P. Kadionik sur les systemes embarques (ENSEIRB)

In english:

• Laxer3A's lair projects around FPGA (custom cpu, gpu, ...)
• NESdev Nintendo NES developement
• Use of FPGA for Nintendo DS hacking

Where to buy ?

At the moment, I found:

• radiospares (fr)
• Farnell (fr)
• Farnell (international)

IP:

• Opencores