gbadev.org forum archive

This is a read-only mirror of the content originally found on forum.gbadev.org (now offline), salvaged from Wayback machine copies. A new forum can be found here.

DS Flash Equipment > GBA MP Questions

#91794 - LoZ:TP will rock - Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:48 pm

I?ve been reading these forums, and I can?t find some answers to a few questions, for anyone up to the challenge. (Maybe it?s not challenging, but I?m a newbie.) Please answer as many as possible. I want my DS to run correctly. Thank you to whoever started this forum, and to anyone who answers my questions (in advance).

I will start off with what I want:
1. DS AND GBA homebrew
2. decent mp3 player (doesn?t have to be the best quality, just as long as I can shove it in my pocket.)
3. movie player (not completely necessary)

I plan on buying a DS Lite, GBA MP v2 CF, and a Passcard 3. I don?t want to FlashMe, unless someone has a totally end-all reason I haven?t already read on this forum. I am only going to use homebrew that others have tested, and I trust my judgment. (I?m pretty darn strict. If my DS bricks, at least I will know it?s my fault.)

My questions are:
1. Can GBA homebrew brick a DS or GBA? n00b question.
2. What file extensions for GBA homebrew will the GBA MP run? (Does the lack of 32 Mb of RAM seriously limit the number of GBA homebrew games I can play on it?) Or should I just buy a SuperCard CF for GBA homebrew?
3. What does Chishm?s firmware update do for me (will it make GBA MP incompatible with my GBA?)
4. Will GBA MP and DS Lite fit in my pocket? (it?s okay if I have to cram it) Or would SuperCard CF fix this minor problem?
5. If I get a SuperCard CF, will it run mp3?s and movies on Moonshell?
6. Can a SC really damage the GBA slot? Could I slim it down with an exacto knife?
7. Finally, how much do GBA MP and SC along with Passcard 3 kill battery life? (don?t even say FlashMe.)

Yes, these questions are picky, but this stuff is expensive (as you guys know).
If anyone out there loves their SuperCard CF or GBA MP v2 CF, give me a shout!
Thank you so much!

#91796 - Dwedit - Sun Jul 09, 2006 6:03 pm

LoZ:TP will rock wrote:
I?ve been reading these forums, and I can?t find some answers to a few questions, for anyone up to the challenge. (Maybe it?s not challenging, but I?m a newbie.) Please answer as many as possible. I want my DS to run correctly. Thank you to whoever started this forum, and to anyone who answers my questions (in advance).

I will start off with what I want:
1. DS AND GBA homebrew
2. decent mp3 player (doesn?t have to be the best quality, just as long as I can shove it in my pocket.)
3. movie player (not completely necessary)

I plan on buying a DS Lite, GBA MP v2 CF, and a Passcard 3.
I don?t want to FlashMe, unless someone has a totally end-all reason I haven?t already read on this forum.

FlashME grants you immunity to DS brickers, even though you are NOT going to run into one. EVER.
It also lets you keep a real DS card in your DS slot, instead of a passcard. So when you get tired of homebrew, you can play some Advance Wars or Mario Kart.
LoZ:TP will rock wrote:

I am only going to use homebrew that others have tested, and I trust my judgment. (I?m pretty darn strict. If my DS bricks, at least I will know it?s my fault.)

My questions are:
1. Can GBA homebrew brick a DS or GBA? n00b question.

No. The GBA bios is built into the CPU and is strictly read only. The worst GBA Homebrew can do is brick a GBAMP, or erase a saved game in a cartridge you insert.
LoZ:TP will rock wrote:

2. What file extensions for GBA homebrew will the GBA MP run? (Does the lack of 32 Mb of RAM seriously limit the number of GBA homebrew games I can play on it?) Or should I just buy a SuperCard CF for GBA homebrew?

It runs multiboot only GBA files. So you can play the games by Tepples, and that's about it.
It also runs the NES, GBC, and SMS/GG emulators I modified.
LoZ:TP will rock wrote:

3. What does Chishm?s firmware update do for me (will it make GBA MP incompatible with my GBA?)

Chishm's firmware update allows the GBAMP to boot in NDS mode, allowing you to run Moonshell. It keeps GBA compatiblity. You must apply it to run moonshell.
LoZ:TP will rock wrote:

4. Will GBA MP and DS Lite fit in my pocket? (it?s okay if I have to cram it) Or would SuperCard CF fix this minor problem?

YES. Supercard CF is the same size as GBAMP anyway.
LoZ:TP will rock wrote:

5. If I get a SuperCard CF, will it run mp3?s and movies on Moonshell?

Yes.
LoZ:TP will rock wrote:

6. Can a SC really damage the GBA slot? Could I slim it down with an exacto knife?

Not sure...
LoZ:TP will rock wrote:

7. Finally, how much do GBA MP and SC along with Passcard 3 kill battery life? (don?t even say FlashMe.)

The GBAMP doesn't affect battery life much, and (speculation!) I doubt the passcard 3 would even touch battery life at all.
LoZ:TP will rock wrote:

Yes, these questions are picky, but this stuff is expensive (as you guys know).
If anyone out there loves their SuperCard CF or GBA MP v2 CF, give me a shout!
Thank you so much!

_________________
"We are merely sprites that dance at the beck and call of our button pressing overlord."

#91802 - HyperHacker - Sun Jul 09, 2006 8:15 pm

Dwedit wrote:
The worst GBA Homebrew can do is brick a GBAMP, or erase a saved game in a cartridge you insert.

If your GBAMP did get bricked, though, I think the only way to repair it is to design and run a DS app that will write working firmware back onto the device, and without a working GBA cart, the only way you could run this app would be via WMB with FlashMe. Or you could run a similar app on a GBA via a multiboot cable. Keep in mind that although it's not likely you'll find a bricker, any failure that occurrs while an app is writing to firmware (bug, really inconvenient battery death, etc), say to update NWFC data, could also be a hazard. Still not likely, but you should always know all the risks. (I don't think any apps do write to firmware at the moment.)

Dwedit wrote:
I doubt the passcard 3 would even touch battery life at all.

If it did, I can't see it being any more than a commercial DS game would.
_________________
I'm a PSP hacker now, but I still <3 DS.

#91833 - LoZ:TP will rock - Mon Jul 10, 2006 2:54 am

I really appreciate the fast responses and all your suggestions. FlashME is becoming very tempting, but I just don't want to lose my warranty (though losing my DS Lite to bricking software would be worse.) I only plan on using a couple of DS homebrew programs such as NitroTracker and DSOrganize, so therefore I see no reason to FlashME.

If anyone can report on the battery life of SuperCard CF and whether the SC has a tight fit, I would be extremely grateful. I cannot find this anywhere on the forums, and I belive the SC CF is a better choice for me than GBA MP CF (since I can run GBA homebrew.) Thanks again!

#91859 - LoZ:TP will rock - Mon Jul 10, 2006 5:54 am

Actually, make that the SuperCard SD. If anyone knows:

1. hows the battery life?
2. does it fit too tightly in the GBA slot, causing potential damage?
3. does it run GBA homebrew? (I've heard SD isn't as well supported as CF)

Thanks!

#91861 - Mrshlee - Mon Jul 10, 2006 6:56 am

personally I say FlashME it - FlashME is great.
The SC is good but the M3 is better. IMO

You'll be able to run all the offical carts.. homebrew.. with mininal fuss.
_________________
MrShlee.com
Projects
Dev-Scene
MyTechpedia

#91871 - MrD - Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:29 am

LoZ:TP will rock wrote:
Actually, make that the SuperCard SD. If anyone knows:

1. hows the battery life?
2. does it fit too tightly in the GBA slot, causing potential damage?
3. does it run GBA homebrew? (I've heard SD isn't as well supported as CF)

Thanks!


When using my Supercard SD, I can get about 6-7 hours from a full charge on a normal DS.

The cartridge is very, very, very slightly thicker (on all sides) than a GBA cartridge, meaning that it can be quite snug in a GBA slot. It can be slightly more difficult to remove than a GBA cartridge, but it's highly unlikely it will damage your hardware.

I can run GBA homebrew fine on my Supercard SD. (Tested: Another World and Blast Arena Advance) I haven't tested the patching features, but I have been saving using QPC.

Supercard SD definitely runs Moonshell.

You mentioned you want to cram it into your pocket: Supercard SD sticks out about 9mm from the GBA slot.
_________________
Not active on this forum. For Lemmings DS help see its website.