#35511 - tonofsteel - Sat Feb 05, 2005 7:40 pm
Ok, about 1.5 months ago I got started into trying to get code running on the DS. About 2 weeks into this, most people told me to get lost until they figure something out. In that period of time I have taken a HDL class where we had to build a microprocessor from scratch, and I am current working on a design class to implement a pipelined hardware based AES encryption.
Now when I left, it was because most of the experts told me not to bother them, because they did not want to have to teach a newbie all the basics, which is understandable. So I have done my part, learned HDL, learned about encryption, and implemented it using hardware. Apparantly people know how to decrypt code, and how to get code running on the DS. I am looking for some clear information on how this is done, so I can also contribute to getting code running on the DS that does not require large amounts of hardware.
So I am just looking for someone here that knows how things are working up to this point, to mabye give a rundown of the technical details needed to get code running, and how it works.
#35513 - arbitrary - Sat Feb 05, 2005 9:13 pm
http://forum.gbadev.org/viewtopic.php?t=4898&sid=3c712aa1b1ec6fee2f5ae1b4605a3986
That seems to be the current state of things....
Hopefully someone will develop it to the point that the average homebrewer will be able to build a simplified pass-through unit with standard components and a soldering iron, without the need for fancy hardware (but probably requiring a couple of DS carts to be sacrificed...)
Like many others, I'm looking forward to messing with some DS code :)
#35514 - tonofsteel - Sat Feb 05, 2005 9:43 pm
I am not so much interested right now in running code as I am to contribute to getting some hardware built that allows code to be run. I have over the past while learned enough about encryption and FPGA's to start building my own stuff, and hopefully contribute something.
However people that have built pass throughs etc and got code running, how did you exaclty do it. I know the state of things, i have seen pictures of code running on the DS, i have seen that ROM's have been dumped, and all that, but there is very little info available about how its being done, other than just saying "we are using a passthrough" or "we got a ROM dump"
What do you know about the DS cart system, in enough detail where someone who has sufficient knowledge about hardware/encryption can mess around as well.
The encryption is based on the RTC and some header info, does anyone know what part of the header? when you XOR one stream with another, what exaclty are those streams made up of? what operation do you do with the RTC and part of the header to get a key or otherwise to XOR with the data stream? (If thats even whats being done) All questions that someone has figured out, but no info on what the results are.
#35515 - PhoenixSoft - Sat Feb 05, 2005 10:55 pm
AFAIK, the passthroughs have nothing to do with decryption, all they have to do is change 4 bytes in the unencrypted header to redirect execution to the GBA port.
#35527 - jp - Sun Feb 06, 2005 11:24 am
All the informations available so far are on Darkfader and Joat web sites.
You can get in touch with them on the irc channel #dsdev.
About the hardware needed to run homebrew code, Natrium42 is trying to build a simple passthrough so everyone will be able to run code on the ds.
I don't know if someone is still working on the DS cart encryption. What i have read about it is that the encryption is based on a LFSR stream which is a pseudo-random number generator. IMO depending of the size of the number, we may never decrypt it.
JP.
(Sorry for my english, but it's not my native language)
#35535 - ravuya - Sun Feb 06, 2005 6:15 pm
This is a slightly misleading topic title. Perhaps adding a ? would help out.
Done. -- mod staff
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