Issue with Aladdin XT eject trick hack

[hands_groober]

Hi

This forum is great but i've exhuasted searching for a solution to my problem.

What I would like to do is be able to boot two bios. One with the power button to launch XBMC4Gamers and one with the eject button to launch XBMC-Emustation. I've been away from the xbox mod scene for about a decade until recently but from what I understand I should be able to do this with my new aladdin mod chip.

• My xbox is a 1.6 so i've had to rebuild the LPC.
• I have modified two M8 16 bios .bin files - One 512k bios to boot to XBMC4Gamers and one 256k bios to boot to XBMC-Emustation (both 480p bios, I have Wii2HDMI internal mod)
• Flashed the bios files to their appropriate banks on my Aladdin XT
• Changed the settings from within XblastOS to allow quickboot - power button 512k bios, eject button 256k bios

Regardless of what settings I change my xbox will only ever boot the 256k bios and launch XBMC4Gamers. However if i flash bank1 (256k) with the XblastOS bios the settings then it will work and I can choose which bios to boot (either XblastOS or whichever bios i have flashed to the 512k bank).

I have tried to flash bank2 (OS) on the modchip with the XblastOS bios but it made no difference. Im thinking perhaps it is a problem with my soldering but i've checked my connections for continuity and they all seem fine. I have also earthed the d0 to the ground screw but the picture below was taken before I made that connection.

Hopefully ive explained that okay. Its not a major issue because I can use the xbox as it is but I would like the option to boot into two dashboards, with the touch of a button, if possible.

tia

[SS_Dave]

Nothing wrong with your soldering

Have you set the default dash differently in each bios file.

 

Cheers

SS Dave

Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.
 

[hands_groober]

1 hour ago, SS_Dave said:

Nothing wrong with your soldering

Have you set the default dash differently in each bios file.

Hi Dave

Thanks for your response.

Yeah, i've set the default dash differently in each bios file. I know they work correctly becuase I can boot them from within XBlastOS and they launch the correct dash.

It seems that if I dont have an XBlastOS bios flashed to the 256k bank then I lose the eject trick hack function. The LED light wont flash to red when I boot and when I press the eject button it only ejects the dvd drive and boots to the 256k bank regardless of setting.

Correct me if im wrong. Its my understanding that the Aladdin XT has three bios banks - bank0, bank1 and bank2.

Bank2 would hold the XBlastOS bios and this would persist to allow the eject trick hack to function and any other custom setting from within the XBlastOS configuration file.

Is this correct?

So its my thinking that bank2 is possibly broken?

Would it be safe to flash bank2 with an older version of XBlastOS bios? Or would this be pointless

Thanks, Its late in the evening here in Ireland so excuse me if I dont respond.

Also fair play to you mate. I've been reading through these forums for a couple of months. Your name keeps popping up in topics that have helped me a lot. Its great that people are keeping the original xbox alive. I'm modding two xbox's at the moment. One for myself and one for my friend. We played halo on xbconnect way back before xbox live had launched. We're hoping to get playing again on xlink kai.

[SS_Dave]

Can you post a pic of the modchip?

 

The stock Aladdin chip has only got 256kb of storage where the Xblast chip has 1024kb (1meg)

The Xblast chip has 3 banks the 1st bank is the OS and the 2nd and 3rd are for bios files

If the SST chip has 49lf080 that's a 1meg chip if is a 49lf020 then that is a 256kb chip.

Why not boot to xbmc4gamers and have emustation as a app?

 

Cheers

SS Dave

Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.
 

[hands_groober]

15 minutes ago, SS_Dave said:

Why not boot to xbmc4gamers and have emustation as a app?
 

I would be okay with this but I would like to be able to in game reset back to Emustation when im playing emulators and reset back to XBMC4Gamers when im playing xbox games. I know im being fussy.

From the picture I believe its a 1meg chip.

Ultimately its not important. I can still boot to a custom dash. I just wanted to make sure I hadnt made an error somewhere.

[SS_Dave]

Has the lattice chip been reprogrammed?

 

Cheers

Dave

Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.
 

[SS_Dave]

Also the IGR will reboot to the Default bios file set for the power button on the modchip, so if you have 4gamers on eject and you reboot with the IGR the it will load the emustation from the power button setting.

 

A better chip for what you are wanting would be something like a X2.6 or a X3 chip that you select the bios bank with a switch.

 

Cheers

SS Dave

Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.

[KaosEngineer]

I thought the eject trick was a softmodding feature (dual dash configuration) - not something implemented with modchip's.

With a modchip, you flash a BIOS in a different bank and select it on power up that has a different boot order list to load a different dashboard that's installed as it's first entry.

 

Edit: I see that the Aladdin XBlast modchip does have such a feature. Thanks @SS_Dave.

[SS_Dave]

On the Xblast Aladdin chip you can assign different bios for power and eject 

Compared to the Xblast lite can have manual bank selection the same as a X2.6

 

Cheers

SS Dave

Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.

[hands_groober]

11 hours ago, SS_Dave said:

Has the lattice chip been reprogrammed?

I havent reprogrammed it myself. I wouldnt know how. I bought this chip from new so I think it just has its stock programming. How would I interface with that? Ardunio?

10 hours ago, SS_Dave said:

Also the IGR will reboot to the Default bios file set for the power button on the modchip, so if you have 4gamers on eject and you reboot with the IGR the it will load the emustation from the power button setting.

A better chip for what you are wanting would be something like a X2.6 or a X3 chip that you select the bios bank with a switch.

That defeats my purpose for this anyway. Shame about the IGR booting back to the power button bios. Its not important I guess. The chip works. I can boot a custom dash which is what really matters.

I actually have my old x2.6 from a decade ago in my main xbox version 1.2. Complete with the three toggle switches. Works great. Two iND Bios which boot to seperate dashboards, depending on which bank I select with the toggle switch. Im going to upgrade the ram and install an internal Wii2HDMI mod hopefully in the next week. I would love an x3 chip to play about with but the price tag is a bit much.

7 hours ago, KaosEngineer said:

I thought the eject trick was a softmodding feature (dual dash configuration) - not something implimented with modchip's.

With a modchip, you flash a BIOS in a different bank and select it on power up that has a different boot order list to load a different dashboard that's installed as it's first entry.

I wasnt aware of this either until I opened up XblastOS and seen the options for eject and power button.

[Incursion64]

If his Lattice chip was not programmed he wouldn't be able have multiple banks working, and if he chooses either the m8 or the x2 bios it's launching. The issue is the same/similar to my issue.  For some reason, The power button press even when you have it selected for 512k or 256k is booting the OS which is supposed to be in bank 2 as it's labeled OS bank.  As a work around you can force either the 256 or the 512k by using a toggle switch (on/off/on). BT and ground will force 1 bios, and H0 and Ground will force boot the other. I'm trying to figure out this issue, it's a nagging one to have to use Eject to get the primary bios going and going into OS every boot is equally annoying.  

[Incursion64]

A much cleaner solution to your booting into different dashboards is just to use 1 bios.  Then, you dashloader, which is off of the Rocky5github.  https://github.com/Rocky5/Xbox-Softmodding-Tool/tree/master/Extras Disc/Hardmod/dashloader.  You use this evoxdash.xbe file on C, and you put that dashloader folder on C along side it.  You can either edit those configs or you can use the downloader to get the dashloader app.  this allows you to map any XBE file to a controller button. want emustation?  Hit A, want unleashX, press B, and you assign a default by using the Custom one.  It's much easier than flip flopping bios'.