STN-46

Data cartridge manual Ver1.00

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Contents

Data cartridge manual Ver1.00

■1. overview

●Data cartridge

This data cartridge is a data ROM cartridge that uses the A bus to compensate for the lack of memory in the main unit, and the address appears in the A-Bus CS0 (22000000H) area.

●Usage restrictions

The content of the data cartridge must be data only; it is prohibited to store program code, whether directly executed or transferred.
This is because if a program is installed, creating a ROM with this part rewritten may create a security hole. Also, in future versions of Saturn, it is planned that access to the inside of the cartridge will not be possible unless certain procedures are followed, so please strictly adhere to this rule.

●Supported peripherals

Add "R" to the peripherals that support the CD-ROM's SYSTEM ID.

Example: When using Sega Saturn standard pad + data cartridge.

→ “JR△△△△△△△△△△△△△△” “△” = Space (20H)

reference:

"Programmer's Guide/DISC Format Standard Specifications"
Boot system / supported peripherals

■2. SYSTEM ID of data cartridge

The following information describes the SYSTEM ID related to data cartridges for Sega Saturn. When comparing the SYSTEM ID of the CD-ROM, some items may be unique to the data cartridge or may have different entries even if they have the same name. Therefore, when entering the SYSTEM ID of the data cartridge, be sure to follow this specification for all items. Please refer to it when filling out the information.

■3. SYSTEM ID structure

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	A	B	C	D	E	F
00H	+00H: Hardware identifier
10H	+10H: Manufacturer ID
20H	+20H: Product number										+2AH: Version number
30H	+30H: Release date								+38H: Device information
40H	+40H: Compatible area symbol										+4AH: Backup RAM information
50H	SEGA RESERVED Note 1
60H	+60H: Game name
70H
80H
90H
A0H
B0H
C0H
D0H	SEGA RESERVED
E0H	SEGA RESERVED				+E4H: CHECK SUM				SEGA RESERVED
F0H	SEGA RESERVED

■4. Notes on notation

●Available characters

All characters that can be used in the SYSTEM ID must be half-width alphanumeric characters in ASCII code. However, depending on the item, the use of "./-:" is permitted.

●Fill in

All entries must be left justified unless otherwise instructed. Do not put spaces in front.

Unless otherwise specified, all empty parts will be ASCII code 20H.

●Definition of expression

"△" and "space" used in the explanation are ASCII code 20H. Please note that double-byte characters are used in this manual to make it easier to read.

●Other definitions

The "RESERVED" area must be filled with 00H.

: Fill this area with spaces (20H).

■5. Explanation of each item

●Hardware identifier (starting address: 00H)

Definition:

Enter the data cartridge unique ID

Available characters:

Uppercase letters only

word count:

16 characters

Filling regulations:

Be sure to fill in “ SEGASATURN△DATA△ ”

●Manufacturer ID (starting address: 10H)

Definition:

SEGA will fill in the specified manufacturer ID.

Available characters:

alphanumeric characters only

word count:

16 characters

Filling regulations:

• For SEGA brand → 16 characters of “SEGA△ENTERPRISES”
• For licensees → 16 characters of “SEGA△TP△KAISHA-A”
  Enter the unique company code given to each licensee in KAISHA-A.
• Example: “SEGA△TP△T-999△△△”
  The underlined part above, "T-999" is an example of a company code. Fill in the remainder with spaces to make sure it is 16 characters.

●Product number (starting address: 20H)

Definition:

Enter the product number specified by SEGA.

Available characters:

Alphanumeric characters only.

word count:

10 characters

Filling regulations:

Fill in the blanks with spaces.

Entry example:

• For Sega brand titles → “GS-9099△△△”
• For licensee titles → “T-99901G△△”

Note:

Be sure to fill in the remainder with spaces to make it 10 characters.

●Version number (starting address: 2AH)

Definition:

Enter the version number of the data cartridge.

Available characters:

Capital letter "V", number, "." period

word count:

6 characters

Filling regulations:

Starts with "V", 1 digit number, ".", 3 digit number.
The release version is V1.000, and the version number increases every time the version changes thereafter.

Entry example:

• For sample ROM → V0.802
• For master ROM → V1.000
• For version upgrade → V2.011

Note 1:

The master release V1.000 is not necessarily the final version number. Please update the version number if any changes such as additions or corrections have occurred since the initial release.

Note 2:

This version number is different from the CD-ROM version number.

●Release date (starting address: 30H)

Definition:

Enter the date when the master ROM was created.

Available characters:

Numbers only.

word count:

8 characters

Filling regulations:

Enter the year, month, and day in that order.
The year should be 4 digits, and the month and day should be 2 digits each.

Entry example:

For May 6, 1997 → “19970506”

●Device information (starting address: 38H)

Definition:

Data cartridge device information. Fill in the device type and its capacity.

Available characters:

Half-width alphanumeric characters and spaces.

word count:

8 characters

Filling regulations:

The device is one capital letter left-aligned, the capacity is in Mbit , the number is three-digit right-aligned, and empty spaces are filled with spaces.

Entry example:

• If the capacity is 16MBit only with ROM → “R△16△△△△”
• In the case of ROM8MBit + SRAM 4MBit → “R△△8S△△4”

Device list:

R	:ROM
S	:SRAM
D	:DRAM
F	:FRAM

●Corresponding area symbol (starting address: 40H)

Definition:

Fill in the area symbol of the region where you want the application to operate.

Available characters:

Only uppercase alphabetic characters specified in the area symbol list below.

word count:

10 characters

Filling regulations:

Multiple entries are possible. When entering multiple symbols, enter the area symbols and alias symbols together, and do not separate them with spaces or commas.
Fill in the blanks with spaces.

Area symbol list:

J	:Japan
T	:Asia NTSC (Taiwan, Philippines, Korea)
U	: North America region (USA, Canada), Central and South America NTSC (Brazil)
E	:Europe PAL, Southeast Asia PAL, Central and South America PAL

Entry example:

For applications running in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea:

“JT△△△△△△△△”

●Backup RAM information (starting address: 4AH)

Definition:

Enter the backup RAM device information.

Available characters:

Half-width alphanumeric characters

word count:

6 characters

Filling regulations:

In the case of cartridge software, if backup RAM is installed on the same cartridge.
Enter 3-digit (decimal) half-width numbers + unit + space + access method for a total of 6 characters.

Unit description:

• For megabit → "M"
• For kilobits → "K"

Description of access method:

• In byte units, if the address is an odd number → “O”
• In byte units, for even address → “E”
• When accessing in word units → “W”

*If you do not use backup RAM, enter all 6 characters with spaces.

Entry example:

• Backup not used → “△△△△△△”
• 64K bit odd address → “064K△O”
• 256K bit even address → “256K△E”
• 1 megabit address → “001M△W”

●Game name (starting address: 60H)

Definition:

Enter the game name.

Available characters:

Alphanumeric characters only. Spaces are allowed in the game name.
When listing multiple titles, you can use " /-: " as a delimiter between titles.

word count:

112 characters

Filling regulations:

If the names differ depending on the release area, multiple different title names may be listed.
There are no detailed regulations regarding multiple entries, but please fill in so that the title can be identified by looking at this section.
Fill in the empty parts with spaces.

Entry example:

For multiple titles:

• (Example 1) → “TITLE1/TITLE2”
• (Example 2)→“J:TITLE1△△U:TITLE2”

Note:

Fill in all empty spaces with spaces (20H).

●Checksum (starting address: E4H)

Definition:

Enter the data cartridge checksum value

Available characters:

binary value

word count:

8 digits

Filling regulations:

8 digits in hexadecimal (32 bit length)

Entry example:

A13B04F3H

Method of calculation:

Please refer to " Checking step 4) " below.

■6. how to access

When booting up from a CD, after initializing the hardware, perform the following checks on the data cartridge. This check is performed by the application by checking the contents of each SYSTEM ID item written in the data cartridge. If an error occurs in the check contents, display an error message and stop the program.

●Caution

Perform the following checks while the program is stopped. If each check is checked, be sure to move to the multiplayer screen.

1)Soft reset (ABC+start)

2) Hardware reset

3) Tray open

●Error message

" The data cartridge is not inserted correctly.
Turn off the power and reinsert the data cartridge. ”

Please refer to the attached document for the display layout sample.

●Check procedure

The data cartridge address appears in the A-Bus CS0 (22000000H) area. In the following explanation, this address will be described as an offset value.

1) Check “SEGASATURN△DATA△” of the data cartridge hardware identifier (+00H).

2) Check the manufacturer ID (+10H), product number (+20H), and compatible area (40H).

3) Set the SCU weight.

Since 150nsROM is used, 3 clocks are required, so set the setting value to 13301FF0H in the A-Bus setting register (25FE00B0H).

Leave CS1 as 1FF0H, which is set in BOOT ROM.

reference:

"HARDWARE MANUAL/SCU User's Manual"
◆A-Bus setting register

4) Calculating the checksum of the data cartridge

The calculation method is to add integers from address +100H to the end of the data cartridge in 16-bit units, and use the lower 32 bits of the total as the checksum value.
Compare this calculated value with the contents of the checksum (+E4H) in the data cartridge SYSTEM ID.

Addresses +000H to +0FFH are included in the SYSTEM ID area and cannot be included in calculations.

5) If the above checks are OK, check the backup RAM and transfer control to the game program. There are no particular restrictions on access after this point.
However, the above-mentioned "1. Overview - ● Usage restrictions " must be strictly observed.

■7. Message layout (reference example)