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 > Getting Started with DS dev: A question of Flash cartridge

#65294 - Omni - Sun Jan 01, 2006 10:46 pm

Hello. I'm interested in (slowly) beginning to try this homebrew development thing. I have a DS along with a PassMe2 and am looking to pick up a cartridge or some media to actually put code on.

Having done some excessive reading here, the forums seem as a general trend to recommend using either the GBAMP, a Supercard, or something called an M3, which I suppose is similar to the previous two.

I actually wanted something much simpler, like a flash cartridge. Especially upon hearing the Supercards suck a bit more power than they should. At any rate, I've got all my pros and cons together and I'm looking for a final opinion.

I've got potential Flash cartridges, and I believe I have these options right:

EZ-Flash II is the simple cartridge with the USB-GBA link,
Flash2Advance has the Parallel-GBA (and an optional USB-GBA) link -- as well as having open source drivers,
ExtremeFlashAdvance has the USB-cart link which is extremely fast,
and the EZFlash II (or III?) Advance Power Star something thingagummie has a USB-linker tool and lower power consumption. I _think_ all of those are right.

Meanwhile, on the adapter side:

GBAMP is wonderful but doesn't support SRAM loading and therefore won't work with my SRAM-needy PassMe2,
Supercard-CF has mature drivers but tends to fit _very_ uncomfortably into slots and runs on older type-I CF cards,
and Supercard-SD has younger support but better media.
Both Supercards have high power consumption.

Does this look correct?



I would like to find a setup that would allow me to tinker in both GBA _and_ DS development.

I love the idea of a PC->GBA link, so I assume the Flash2Advance is the best overall cartridge, and I guess I'd place the EZFlash Power Star thingy second, since low power use is really dandy.

I like the idea of stable Supercard-CF drivers, but I dislike the idea that the construction is unusually rough on my system, and in addition...I'm going to be able to find plenty of CF type-I cards, right? I mean, I've just run through Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City, and other shop's websites in my area, and they don't seem to carry normal type-I...SD seems commonthough.

And finally, two simple questions.

1. Is it preferable to have an excellent flash cartridge, or is the adapter a better idea?
2. If the adapter is the answer, should it be Supercard-CF, or -SD?

Any help is much appreciated.

#65321 - tepples - Mon Jan 02, 2006 1:17 am

Omni wrote:
Supercard-CF has mature drivers but tends to fit _very_ uncomfortably into slots and runs on older type-I CF cards

Just about all CF cards that are pure flash memory are type I. Type II just adds the thickness needed for Hitachi Microdrive media.

Quote:
and in addition...I'm going to be able to find plenty of CF type-I cards, right? I mean, I've just run through Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City, and other shop's websites in my area, and they don't seem to carry normal type-I

Walk into Wal-Mart or Best Buy and pick up a CF card. Unless it's a Microdrive, then 99% it's a CF Type I.

Quote:
1. Is it preferable to have an excellent flash cartridge, or is the adapter a better idea?

Once you go beyond 32 MB, such as in the case of ScummVM talkies and media players, then you'll need to add support for either bankswitching (for the NOR cards) or CF/SD memory (for the adapters) to your code. Currently, the library supporting CF/SD memory is more mature than the library supporting bankswitching, purely because there are fewer cards to support in the case of bankswitching.
_________________
-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.

#65323 - Omni - Mon Jan 02, 2006 1:21 am

So the Supercard-CF's advantages are worth the lack of FAT32 and the increased battery usage?