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DS Flash Equipment > GBAMP & CF, or SuperCard & CF!?

#83471 - JesusXP - Tue May 16, 2006 3:53 pm

Hi guys. I'm sorry, I just would have shortcutted to the forum, but I can't get irc while im at work.

anyways, my question is this. My DS has already ben "FlashMe" 'd , and currently I'm running hb from the GBA slot with my old XGFlash cart. I bought 2 512MB CF carts a lil while ago, with these 2 carts in mind (for the expandable memory) and now I'm just wondering which is my better choice. If I get the GBAMP, and Flash the firmware on it, do I still need a passme to do that, or to use the GBAMP ? or will the FlashMe i have already done on my DS be good enough to continue from there. Also I have read a bit that Supercard ds roms need to be patched or something to be run onthe supercard? something like sc.gba.nds, or nds.sc, i'm not exact, I apalogize for my ignorance.

I'm on lik-sang.com right now, and they only offer the GBAMP. I was gonna buy a few more items from there anyways, so I was thinkin, I might as well grab them all on one order, you know? I've looked at the M3 and a few others but I'm more or less just interested in knowing what is the best option for us right now, to use with the DS and homebrew. I got the right WifiMe card as well, (although it should be no more use to me at this point since I've flashed, and now looking for a good cart -- but just for information sake). I'm sorry if this post is rediculously unstructured and uncomprehendable, I'm in between running back and fourth to it... quick responses are much appreciated. Details, if any would be cool to. Just pretty much looking for the go ahead on which cart to buy.

I've read that the CF reading from the GBAMP is too slow as well...

#83547 - Lynx - Tue May 16, 2006 10:01 pm

Quote:
Also I have read a bit that Supercard ds roms need to be patched or something to be run onthe supercard? something like sc.gba.nds, or nds.sc, i'm not exact, I apalogize for my ignorance.


Hmm.. what was the rules about this again?

Quote:
I've read that the CF reading from the GBAMP is too slow as well...


You are misinformed.

#83571 - tepples - Wed May 17, 2006 12:14 am

JesusXP wrote:
If I get the GBAMP, and Flash the firmware on it, do I still need a passme to do that, or to use the GBAMP ? or will the FlashMe i have already done on my DS be good enough to continue from there.

If you have FlashMe installed, you can use the GBAMP in DS mode.

Quote:
Also I have read a bit that Supercard ds roms need to be patched or something to be run onthe supercard?

Homebrew does not need to be patched, but you do need to use files in ds.gba format and rename them to sc.nds.

Quote:
I got the right WifiMe card as well, (although it should be no more use to me at this point since I've flashed

But with a working WMB and a flashed DS, you can boot homebrew without having to pak-swap.

Quote:
I've read that the CF reading from the GBAMP is too slow as well...

Too slow for what?
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#83572 - wintermute - Wed May 17, 2006 12:38 am

tepples wrote:


Quote:
Also I have read a bit that Supercard ds roms need to be patched or something to be run onthe supercard?

Homebrew does not need to be patched, but you do need to use files in ds.gba format and rename them to sc.nds.


Actually, this was related to the linker script problem where bss was not initialised properly. As of devkitARM r18 standard .nds files will run on supercard without the prepended loader.
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#83578 - m2pt5 - Wed May 17, 2006 2:08 am

wintermute wrote:
Actually, this was related to the linker script problem where bss was not initialised properly. As of devkitARM r18 standard .nds files will run on supercard without the prepended loader.

Not always. I find that renamed .ds.gba files always work, while plain .nds files (even later ones, like the new FlashMe) don't always work, particularly with FWNitro. (I tried it once, and I had to prepend a loader to FlashMe to get my DS to flash back.)
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#83579 - wintermute - Wed May 17, 2006 2:16 am

m2pt5 wrote:
wintermute wrote:
Actually, this was related to the linker script problem where bss was not initialised properly. As of devkitARM r18 standard .nds files will run on supercard without the prepended loader.

Not always. I find that renamed .ds.gba files always work, while plain .nds files (even later ones, like the new FlashMe) don't always work, particularly with FWNitro. (I tried it once, and I had to prepend a loader to FlashMe to get my DS to flash back.)


That depends on the toolchain used to build the nds file, like I said r18 built code doesn't need the prepended loader. If you have files which don't work, they were built with earlier toolchains.
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#83591 - zzo38computer - Wed May 17, 2006 4:50 am

m2pt5 wrote:

Not always. I find that renamed .ds.gba files always work, while plain .nds files (even later ones, like the new FlashMe) don't always work, particularly with FWNitro. (I tried it once, and I had to prepend a loader to FlashMe to get my DS to flash back.)

Non-patched files to upgrade the firmware will work in FWNitro if you start in failsafe mode (hold SELECT+START+POWER)
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#83791 - JesusXP - Thu May 18, 2006 4:34 pm

Quote:
Also I have read a bit that Supercard ds roms need to be patched or something to be run onthe supercard?

Homebrew does not need to be patched, but you do need to use files in ds.gba format and rename them to sc.nds.


this is what I was talking about, sorry.

thanks for clearing that up wntrmute.

Quote:

I've read that the CF reading from the GBAMP is too slow as well...


I mean like streaming data from the CF cart to the GBAMP, I read that it was substantially slower access speed than the SC, and I mean, sorry but if there was a difference in the CF and SD models I could have been made aware of that as well. Lik Sang shows the transfer speeds for both models of the CF and SD GBAMP to be the same.

Anyways, thanks for the replies. All homebrew will work fine than, with either cart? Why do they sell the SC in conjunction with the Passme than? That is only for people who havent flashed or have wmb? correct? There are models of M3 and NeoFlash I believe as well with CF support (no?), how are those carts in comparison with the previous two?

#83794 - OrR - Thu May 18, 2006 4:42 pm

One of the few things that don't run on the GBA MP is Heretic. I think there is a size limit of 4 MB or something but few homebrew apps are bigger than that.

#83852 - HyperHacker - Thu May 18, 2006 11:51 pm

You can use bigger apps with an actual GBA flash cart, or (I think) a Supercard/M3.