Just got a Netlink

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1magus
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Just got a Netlink

Post by 1magus »

I'm waiting to pay for it on eBay but I need some help:

I have been trying to learn programming in general but most importantly for the Sega Genesis I wanted to start on it first than move onto NEXT GEN consoles ( By that I mean Sega Saturn XD ) anyway I was wondering if anybody could help me learn some programming? ANY HELP AT ALL lol? The only lead I have is a Mega Drive Library that have examples for programs written in Basic that can run in the program "basiegaxorz123" other than that I don't know anything about programming and I was wondering if anybody could help so I could write some homebrew ( And possible NETLINK homebrew for consoles)?

Now there is another problem I have, The only ETHERNET cable I have in my room goes to my PC and I can't run another cable from our ROUTER to my room cause it would take too long and there no more room in the router to plug stuff in ( We have 4 PCs in the house ). I was wondering if anybody could offer me any solutions?
I had in mind 2 things that I could think of:

1. Is there a device that converts ETHERNET to WiFi? If so than I could easily connect both my SATURN and DREAMCAST to my wireless router, but I kind of doubt something like this exists?

2. Is there a device that can split the signals from the ONE ethernet cable to another one? I know this wont work when my computer is connected to the internet but I was hoping this would work when its off? So I connect my ONE PC cable to this BOX switcher and connect another cable to my Saturn or Dreamcast?
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Warp2063
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Post by Warp2063 »

First off, welcome to the forums! :)

You have several questions in there, so I'll break down my answers.

Programming - It's not easy to teach things over the internet. If you have specific questions, we're willing to try to answer them for you though. All I can recommend is either taking some classes on programming and then asking questions if you get stuck, or picking up some books and teaching yourself. Programs for the Saturn were written in C (not C++) or Assembly (specifically for the Hitachi SuperH-2 7604 processor, but there are a lot of other chips in there too that might require special code), so I'd recommend looking into those. Another good Saturn programming resource would be http://forums.segaxtreme.net/index.php?p=satdev . I might have another link in my bookmarks, but I'd have to look for it.

Some notes: the Saturn is notoriously difficult to program for because of its dual main processor setup (getting two processors to work together efficiently is difficult, which is part of why many game companies abandoned the Saturn) and the number of other specialized chips they had in there. If you don't have any programming experience, the Saturn probably isn't the system you want to start on. I'd recommend learning to write programs for your computer first. Also, homebrew on the Saturn is difficult to test because the system doesn't accept homemade discs unless you install a modchip or use a swap trick. There is a programmer's Data Link Cable (~$50) and a compatible Action Replay cartridge (~$30) that you can use to quickly transfer and test programs that you write for the Saturn, but if you have that cartridge, you can't also have the Netlink in the cartridge slot at the same time, so testing programs that way would be impossible. You'd also have to work on getting two systems to share information and coordinate with each other. I toyed briefly with the idea of learning to write homebrew Saturn games that would use the Netlink directly, but I realized that it would be very difficult, and that very few people would be able to use it due to the limitations listed above.

Ethernet-Wifi, etc. - Just making sure you know before you go through all this... the Netlink is a dial-up modem, not an Ethernet-compatible card. To use the Netlink, you need to have an actual phone line that isn't VoIP or digital. There is no way to connect it to an ethernet network. Also, I don't know if you have the Dreamcast Broadband Adapter or not, but most Dreamcasts came standard with a dial-up modem. If your Dreamcast has a dial-up modem, it needs a phone line, not an ethernet cable. Only if you have the Dreamcast Broadband Adapter can you connect an ethernet cable to your system. I believe they usually sell for $150-$200 on eBay. Very nice to have, but very expensive, and only a few games are still online.

Ethernet-to-WiFi device - I seem to remember Netlink making a Wireless Gaming Receiver some time back. Other companies might make them too; you just have to look around. I don't think they're very common, though.

Splitter Box - The device you seem to be talking about is called a network switch. It looks a little like a router, but it's usually smaller and much cheaper. It splits one network cable into several more ports. I got a 5-port one a couple years back for maybe $25. As long as your router can assign more IP addresses, the switch will give you more ports. This will probably be much cheaper, easier to set up, and more reliable than a wireless gaming receiver. Just unplug the ethernet cable from your computer, plug it into the switch, and plug another ethernet cable from the switch into your computer. Then you'll have several other ports right there to play with. If your network uses DHCP, other devices that you plug into the switch may work automatically.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817130108

There's one that's rated pretty highly that's a good price. Or you can look around at your local electronics stores.


Hope this answers all your questions!
I have my Saturns, I have some of my games, I have a RasPi. Gotta put all this stuff together!
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