#116465 - tmk288 - Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:17 am
was curious as to what the largest storage device is for the ds. i have no clue about any of the options available for storage. i read alot of threads and researched, so far the most promosing seems to be ds xtreme card. saw it in action so i know it works. but its only 4gbit(=512 mbytes) so how could i fit a movie and some other various files on there?
#116466 - dantheman - Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:39 am
Most of the slot-2 solutions, and several of the slot-1 solutions, use external media cards instead of built-in memory. This means that you can upgrade the amount of space you have relatively cheaply. Slot-2 cards take several different types consisting of (going from largest to smallest) Compact Flash (CF), Secure Digital (SD), miniSD, and microSD. Slot-1 devices generally only use microSD due to its small physical size.
Note that of these devices, some only accept the FAT16 filesystem format, so you'd be limited to 2 GBytes as a result. That's still 4 times the capacity of the DS-X. Some cards can use FAT32 as well, which has a much higher limit (127.5 GB).
#116468 - Firon - Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:06 am
Wrong, FAT16 can go up to 4GB with a 64KB cluster size. I've in fact formatted my 4GB cart as FAT16 (yes, 16, I made sure of it) and the M3 had no problems with it. Supercard users have done the same.
The limitation for FAT32 devices is the SD standard. No (micro/mini)SD device currently supports SDHC, so the maximum limit is 4GB (making sure it's a non-SDHC card) for SD and miniSD, and 2GB for microSD.
I have no idea if CF devices support larger than 4GB. I also don't know if a firmware update can provide SDHC support.
#116470 - dantheman - Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:11 am
My apologies, I didn't know if it was 2 GB or 4 so I just Googled "fat16 size limit" and saw 2 GB. Alright, so then the limit is 4 GB. Good to know.
I think I remember seeing an 8 GB CF card several months ago, although I'm not sure if any DS homebrew equipment would support it. I know that its usability with the GBAMP CF was being discussed, but I forgot if it was confirmed or not.
#116472 - tepples - Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:17 am
| Firon wrote: |
| I have no idea if CF devices support larger than 4GB. |
CF is another form factor of parallel ATA and can go up to 128 GiB. Whether a given file system supports this size is another story. Windows itself cannot format FAT32 larger than 32 GiB.
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#116475 - tmk288 - Fri Jan 26, 2007 2:25 am
based on what you guys are saying i have a 4 gig limit (more than enough) i just have to buy the card. so with a 4 gig limit what is the cheapest rout you think? as of reader/writer, slot1/2 card, and which ever storage device??? or what is the best method, because i tried looking into the kits but they dont show up (page not found). i would like a card that doest extrude from my ds all the time, but i dont want to flash my firmware, one i dont know how and two its most likely not a good idea. my wireless card doesnt work for flyme. and i tried to figure out what version i had with the takemeout method but the screen just froze, no colors. so im not sure at all what to do.
in short i just want to watch a view movies, play some games (legally) and mess around with programs that you guys seem to have an abundance of. but i want to do this without a giant thing coming out of my ds, and i want to be able to do this anywhere (i.e. exempting the flyme method). thanks for the help.
BY THE WAY I HAVE A DS, NOT LITE. so m3 might not work for me.
#116477 - Firon - Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:58 am
| tepples wrote: |
| CF is another form factor of parallel ATA and can go up to 128 GiB. Whether a given file system supports this size is another story. Windows itself cannot format FAT32 larger than 32 GiB. |
That's only Windows XP (and possibly 2003). 2000 and earlier had no such limitation.
SD technically supports up to 128GB, but in practice, the SD standards limited it to a lot less (I don't know the technical reasons behind it). Does CF have a problem like that?
#116479 - chishm - Fri Jan 26, 2007 4:17 am
| Firon wrote: |
| SD technically supports up to 128GB, but in practice, the SD standards limited it to a lot less (I don't know the technical reasons behind it). Does CF have a problem like that? |
SD read/write operations using the current command set use a 32 bit byte address to select the data offset. This limits them to 4GiB in addressable size. Compact Flash (and ATA in general) use a 28 bit sector address, giving them an addressable range up to 128GiB using the original command set. There are extensions that give a much larger addressable range for ATA, but I doubt that CF will need them any time soon.
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#116480 - Firon - Fri Jan 26, 2007 4:46 am
Thanks for clearing that up.
#116483 - dantheman - Fri Jan 26, 2007 6:21 am
If your DS doesn't turn a color in the Pictochat test, you have firmware version 1, which is compatible with WifiMe (not Flyme, lol), but as you said that you don't have a compatible card, you'll need a slot-1 passthrough device.
For homebrew, slot-2 (GBA slot) solutions are recommended. Since you have a DS Phat and don't want anything sticking out, my recommendations would be the M3 Perfect miniSD or the Supercard miniSD, plus an appropriate passthrough device. Don't get an M3 Pro series or a Supercard Rumble series, as they have the 32 MB of RAM removed that is necessary for all GBA homebrew and some DS homebrew (like SnezziDS and prolonged use of DSLinux).
As for the passthrough device, you could be cheap and get a plain old PassMe since it will work on your DS, but a NoPass device is smaller (sits flush within the DS slot) and is less hassle. Recommendations include the Max Media Launcher, Superkey, or Passcard 3, and perhaps the Action Replay DS by holding Select upon bootup.
You will need to have the NoPass in your DS slot each time you want to boot DS code from your slot-2 homebrew device. FlashMe changes the firmware so this is unnecessary.
#116487 - HyperHacker - Fri Jan 26, 2007 7:18 am
He said he has Lite, so there's no way it's WifiMe compatible; aren't Lites V5+?
FYI, if you have an older DS, flashing is simple and a good idea since it adds bricker protection (if your firmware somehow gets damaged, you can still boot off a slot-2 card to recover). On Lite it's more difficult, and AFAIK all Lites protect the entire firmware except the user settings, so having it damaged would be impossible without you disabling the protection manually.
Also, if you really need space, it's possible to connect IDE hard drives to the DS. ;-) I find 4GB is plenty though (and it would certainly stick out).
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#116493 - tmk288 - Fri Jan 26, 2007 9:56 am
the only flashing experience i have is with bios on mobo's, and gfx cards, alot different. but if i were to flash my ds what would i need. i have read that you can do it with the super key device am i wrong? and which flash me do i use. also if i do this it wont brick my ds, because i read that the older ones had trouble. how do i benefit if i flash?
#116540 - dantheman - Fri Jan 26, 2007 5:06 pm
| HyperHacker wrote: |
| He said he has Lite, so there's no way it's WifiMe compatible; aren't Lites V5+? |
| tmk288 wrote: |
| BY THE WAY I HAVE A DS, NOT LITE |
Perhaps you just misread it like I did the first few times I read it.
In any case, flashing is fairly simple. You need a way to boot DS homebrew first, so you will need the Superkey or other NoPass device to boot your slot-2 card. Plug in your DS and then remove the battery cover, removing the small sticker that covers one of the holes. You need to short the contact deep inside that hole with a metal object, like a toothpick wrapped in aluminum foil for instance. Start flashme.nds and press XBXB to continue, then insert your flashing device into the hole to short the contact and start the process. Once it's at 100%, you can turn off your DS. DO NOT TURN OFF YOUR DS UNTIL IT'S DONE!! If it turns off in the middle, it's possible to recover it if enough of the process was done, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
#116582 - tmk288 - Sat Jan 27, 2007 2:29 am
so bascally if i mess up i am completly fucked. lets say if i succesfully get it flashed (IF!) what are the chances that it will brick my ds? i have read that flashing can cause ds downlaod to screw up or something? and also is it worth it to get a lite to do this, because my ds is first gen appearently (dont know if that makes a diff ) and also my right hinge on my screen is broke. but if i get a lite i will be delayed on this project for weeks, funding issues. that is why i need to find the cheapest method to do this. and on the ds-x isnt 4gbit the transfer rate, not the storage compacity? and if i am wrong why dont they just say 512, and how can you fit a movit and games on there?
#116583 - josath - Sat Jan 27, 2007 2:36 am
| tmk288 wrote: |
| so bascally if i mess up i am completly fucked. lets say if i succesfully get it flashed (IF!) what are the chances that it will brick my ds? i have read that flashing can cause ds downlaod to screw up or something? and also is it worth it to get a lite to do this, because my ds is first gen appearently (dont know if that makes a diff ) and also my right hinge on my screen is broke. but if i get a lite i will be delayed on this project for weeks, funding issues. that is why i need to find the cheapest method to do this. and on the ds-x isnt 4gbit the transfer rate, not the storage compacity? and if i am wrong why dont they just say 512, and how can you fit a movit and games on there? |
As long as you flash at least 2% of flashme, you are protected, and can recover (requires a slot-2 device to recover), no matter what happens (well, assuming you don't drop your DS in a toilet or something).
ds-x is 512MegaBytes, or 4Gigabits. It's also one of the more expensive devices, probably not the best idea if you are short on cash.
#116586 - tmk288 - Sat Jan 27, 2007 4:08 am
but it only requires one purchase, unless i am missing something. i posted for used flash carts and equip. hopefully i will get a response. so i only need passme to flash right? and what version do i use?
#116588 - dantheman - Sat Jan 27, 2007 4:44 am
No, you need something to store FlashMe onto, right? The passthrough device alone won't let you flash your firmware. That's why you need to plan everything out now before you make any purchases. And as far as costs go:
Purchases for slot-2 cards:
1. homebrew device
2. media card to store homebrew on
3. passthrough device
Purchases for most slot-1 cards:
1. homebrew device
2. media card to store homebrew on.
So you see, it's only an extra $20 for the passthrough device if you decide to go with a slot-2 device. If you want to flash your firmware, you can then sell the passthrough device to someone else (although I'd recommend keeping it in case you ever unflash and need to run homebrew). You can usually get bundles online that help save money.
Besides, the DS-X is not recommended because although some homebrew does indeed work fine on it, the DS-X team has not released drivers that would enable the DLDI interface to support the card, or even a pre-compiled DLDI patch file itself. This means that some homebrew will be able to access every card except DS-X.
#116597 - tepples - Sat Jan 27, 2007 6:11 am
| tmk288 wrote: |
| so bascally if i mess up i am completly fucked. lets say if i succesfully get it flashed (IF!) what are the chances that it will brick my ds? i have read that flashing can cause ds downlaod to screw up or something? |
As far as I can tell, FlashMe does not hurt the ability to do DS Download Play with authentic DS Game Cards. I can send and receive DS Download Play just fine with my flashed original DS and with my flashed DS Lite. Pirates have had problems, but we don't.
| dantheman wrote: |
Purchases for slot-2 cards:
1. homebrew device
2. media card to store homebrew on
3. passthrough device
Purchases for most slot-1 cards:
1. homebrew device
2. media card to store homebrew on. |
3. GBA-compatible SLOT-2 homebrew device to store GBA homebrew on, unless you have zero interest in ever running GBA homebrew without porting it to the DS yourself. You can't run GBA homebrew from SLOT-1.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.