#82405 - TheCatPhysician - Sat May 06, 2006 1:11 am
It broke becaue my DS fell out of my coat pocket (I'm kind of a klutz). But this was just a regular drop - I've seen someone throw their DS overhand down an aisle of a grocery store and it survived. The DS was open when he threw it, too. No damage. But this just fell out of my pocket. No damage was done to anything except for the Supercard. Even the CF which was sticking out is still alive.
Anyways, I know it's pretty hopeless, but if anyone had this problem and was able to fix it, could you tell me how? Also I would be willing to pay someone to fix it for me, if they can.
Here's how broken it is: When I turn on the DS which automatically boots the Supercard, I just get two white screens. If I hold select and turn on the DS to go into the regular OS, it says there's no GBA game inserted.
#82417 - PhoenixSoft - Sat May 06, 2006 2:40 am
Have you checked that all of the CF slot pins are still straight? That seems like the most likely problem.
#82422 - TheCatPhysician - Sat May 06, 2006 3:40 am
I don't know how to open the cart without breaking it, but here's what I can tell from looking at it:
There are 2 rows of 25 pins. All the pins are normal, except the four corner pins, and the 2 middle pins. I'm guessing they are supposed to be this way though, because it's symmetrical - the top left and bottom right pins are higher than all the others, the bottom left and top right pins are lower than all the others, and the two middle pins are high, like the top left/bottom right.
Also, if the CF pins are messed up, would that affect the cart's ability to start up/get recognized by the DS? Before it was broken, I noticed that if you put the SuperCard in without a CF card, it at least said something like "Unable to find a CF card."
#82423 - PhoenixSoft - Sat May 06, 2006 3:57 am
From what you have described, it sounds like the pins are fine.
If they are broken, it may still be possible for the SC to recognize the CF card, and it is probably hanging because it is not able to communicate properly with the card that it knows is inserted.
The best way to tell would be to open it up. I'm not sure about the SC, but my GBAMP has two little screws on the back (they may be hidden by a sticker), then you can just lever the casing apart with a small screwdriver.
#82426 - TheCatPhysician - Sat May 06, 2006 4:15 am
There are no screws on this SC, and I have no idea how you would get this thing open.
Also, before it was broken, I noticed that if I put in the SC without a CF, it would still boot up, but it would say something like "no CF card found!" And then you had to turn it off. I tried doing that now, but it still gives the two white screens of death.
#82428 - PhoenixSoft - Sat May 06, 2006 5:19 am
Then it is possible that there is something wrong with the GBA cart connector, or perhaps the flash memory chip holding the firmware has had some of it's pins broken (although it would have to be very badly soldered for this to happen, I would imagine)
#82433 - TheCatPhysician - Sat May 06, 2006 8:29 am
Yeah, that sounds right. I know that the DS still recognizes it somewhat, because since I installed Flashme, my DS will boot directly into the SuperCard if it is in, but it won't do a direct boot with any other GBA game. So since my DS just turns to white screens when I turn it on with SC in it, that tells me that the DS recognizes it somewhat, yet is just having trouble loading it.
Does anyone know a good way to get a SuperCard cart open?
#82441 - TheCatPhysician - Sat May 06, 2006 12:35 pm
Alright, I've made some progress. I took the game out of the case, and if I hold it in the GBA slot in a certain position, when I turn on my DS, the GBA option will say "There is a DS pak option inserted," but I can't select it. Also, I didn't notice any broken pins or anything on the game. It seems to be in good condition...any suggestions?
#82446 - PhoenixSoft - Sat May 06, 2006 2:15 pm
Perhaps a piece of plastic that was holding the PCB (circuit board) in place snapped, that could make the GBA connector not make a proper contact with the cartridge slot.
Try using a different CF card or formatting it and copying everything back on to see if it will boot instead of coming up with the option pak message (it sometimes does that with my GBAMP too).
#82456 - gl0b - Sat May 06, 2006 4:30 pm
The supercard is fixed with glue, that sucks... u will have to broke the box and when u have done the repairs, u can use a old gba cart and make a large hole into it :'(
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Next generation DS
#82469 - TheCatPhysician - Sat May 06, 2006 6:45 pm
I formatted the CF card the way you're supposed to for a SuperCard, but it doesn't make any difference.
Maybe I need to clean the GBA connector part of the PCB. What's a good way of doing that?
Edit - Here's something interesting: If I put the pcb into the DS without the case, as in I have to keep it held in place, it won't try to auto-boot from the SC, but I can get it to say "There is a DS option Pak insterted" in the regular OS. If I put the pcb back into the case and insert it, it will at least try to auot-boot from the SC, but fail, giving me two white screens. It seems like it's closer to working when inside the cart, but if I have it in the case and I hold Select on startup to go to the regular OS, it says "There is no GBA pak inserted." And I havn't been able to get it to say "There is a DS Option Pak inserted."
#82524 - HyperHacker - Sun May 07, 2006 1:49 am
Did you try cleaning the contacts? I've had similar happen before, when some crud got dumped in my Super NES and it refused to work afterward. It turned out the stuff wasn't causing any problems, but at the same time the TV connector had failed for no apparent reason.
Does the SCCF do anything in GBA mode? My GBA Booter will boot it in GBA mode even when it says it's an Option Pak. It still needs the correct logo and checksums though (no way to avoid that). That'd tell you if anything is still working.
Last edited by HyperHacker on Sun May 07, 2006 7:13 am; edited 1 time in total
#82536 - TheCatPhysician - Sun May 07, 2006 3:29 am
Yeah, I cleaned the part of the PCB that connects with the DS with rubbing alcohol, didn't do anything.
I just found something wierd out: If you put the SuperCard PCB in the DS without it's case, which is when I can get the "There is a DS pak option" message, the PCB goes about a centimeter farther into the DS/GBA then would if you had it in the case. I found this out by using only one side of the case, so I could watch the PCB as it went into the DS. I tested it with my Zelda GBA game also, to make sure it wasn't just the Supercard's case.
So when I put the game farther than it's supposed to be (which is only possible without the case), it gives me that message. And if I put it in while in the case, the DS boots up with 2 white screens of death, a feat I havn't managed to pull off while not using the case. And I've tried alot of times. Well, there is one more way I can get the DS to boot with white screens - just holding A, B, X, and Y on startup, regardless of what game is in it.
Also, that looks like a neat program, but it didn't work for me. When I get the "There is a DS pak option," I can't select it.
#82554 - tepples - Sun May 07, 2006 6:57 am
When you get the "Option Pak" error message, use something (others could tell you what) to clean the Nintendo DS SLOT-2 edge connector, and use rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab to clean the SuperCard's and GBA Game Paks' edge connector.
_________________
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-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.
#82557 - HyperHacker - Sun May 07, 2006 7:13 am
| TheCatPhysician wrote: |
| Also, that looks like a neat program, but it didn't work for me. When I get the "There is a DS pak option," I can't select it. |
You need to run the program some other way, like by WMB or another flash cart. Then put in your SCCF and select Re-read Cartridge to see what it shows, and Start Game to see if it will do anything.
#82561 - TheCatPhysician - Sun May 07, 2006 7:58 am
Tepples, I don't think it's the Slot-2 edge connector, because I tested this on 2 DS's with the same results, and both DS's will play other GBA games just fine.
HyperHacker, I don't have another flash cart or a wireless card, but some of my friends do, so I'll look into that tomorrow.
I just tested the SC in my Gameboy Player on Gamecube, and what happens is this: When it shows the Gameboy logo, the Nintendo logo below it is a big blur. And then it just freezes on that screen. I've cleaned the SuperCard's edgeconnector with rubbing alcohol several times now, but it doesn't seem to be doing anything.