INL HiLoROM SNES flash cart

[infiniteneslives]

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't GB and GBA use the same connector?
if so wouldn't http://dx.com/p/repair-parts-replacemen ... lite-37787 work?

Wow thanks! Yeah those should work, just ordered a few. I only looked breifly on ebay for a replacement, the GBA should work just fine. Never thought about looking somewhere that had GBA replacement parts.

[qwertymodo]

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't GB and GBA use the same connector?
if so wouldn't http://dx.com/p/repair-parts-replacemen ... lite-37787 work?

Wow thanks! Yeah those should work, just ordered a few. I only looked breifly on ebay for a replacement, the GBA should work just fine. Never thought about looking somewhere that had GBA replacement parts.

Technically those are NDS parts. Yay, backwards compatibility

[infiniteneslives]

Oh NDS = Nintendo DS...

So they're GBA connectors for a DS, not GB connectors for a GBA. I'm guessing these won't work as I'm pretty sure GBA pitch is finer than GB pitch. Even if so, I might be able to be tricky and get them to work anyways. We'll see when they arrive.

[tepples]

If Game Boy Advance pitch were finer than Game Boy pitch, then how would Game Boy or Game Boy Color games fit in a Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Advance SP system? The GBA didn't add any pins; it just multiplexed signals over the pins that were already there.

[infiniteneslives]

If Game Boy Advance pitch were finer than Game Boy pitch, then how would Game Boy or Game Boy Color games fit in a Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Advance SP system? The GBA didn't add any pins; it just multiplexed signals over the pins that were already there.

Oh you're right, I was thinking about how the DS has two separate slots for backwards compatability for GBA. The GBA has backwards compatability with GB using the same slot.

So does the DS play original GB games then too? Guess I could try when I get home, never thought that was an option.

[Kasumi]

So does the DS play original GB games then too?

No, at least not with that cartridge slot.

[tepples]

The Nintendo DS and the Game Boy micro don't play the 8-bit games. They don't have the switch inside the slot that GB/GBC carts press.

[qwertymodo]

The original NDS DOES play original GB games. They removed support in the DS Lite to support GBA only, and removed the port entirely in the DSi. In any case, the NDS Slot-2 port supports the original GB carts just fine, because the GBA supported them, so those parts you ordered should work.

[lidnariq]

The original DS does not support GB cartridges. I just tried. They don't fit; the two channels on the back side of the GBA cartridge are phyisical blocks, rather than switches as in the GBA.

Or wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_DS#Compatibility

[hyarion]

But if you remove the case (or trim it slightly) it should fit the connector. If you don't want to remove the case or trim it you could just trim the connector itself

some references for how to use the DX NDS connector for reading GB carts (some modifications needed as pointed out above):
modifying the connector: https://blog.thijsalkema.de/blog/2013/0 ... pi-part-1/
trimming the case: http://www.insidegadgets.com/wp-content ... G_2511.jpg from the comments in http://www.insidegadgets.com/2011/03/19 ... d-the-rom/

[lidnariq]

The problem with cutting the cartridge is that now they won't work in a GBA (plain, player, or SP) anymore, because they no longer will hit the switch that configures it to boot using the GBZ80 and provide 5V instead of 3V.

[hyarion]

good point, well, guess you need to trim the connector or remove the case when flashing it then

[infiniteneslives]

good point, well, guess you need to trim the connector or remove the case when flashing it then

Either of those options is easily accepted when compared to the sacrilegious alternative of harvesting them from dead donor GBs. I'll post up pictures and stuff when I get them in a separate thread in attempts to stay on topic.

[mcmustang51]

Any thoughts about expanding this to other consoles? GB, GBA, N64?

yeah I have dreams to do everything under the sun.

To leak a little info I will say I'm working on a GB prototype right now. that's a long way out though, still a lot of polish needed on my NES and SNES boards before GB gets going. That and GB cart connectors aren't easy to come by without harvesting them from dead GBs.

GBA would probably require stepping up to BGA packaged memories which I'm currently trying to avoid. I should be able to handle them someday, but GBA flash carts are dirt cheap...

n64 would require a cic, but that will be done eventually by someone.

this is great news! for n64 I suppose you could just leave the slot for someone to solder in

[qwertymodo]

GBA would probably require stepping up to BGA packaged memories which I'm currently trying to avoid. I should be able to handle them someday, but GBA flash carts are dirt cheap...

IIRC, the largest memory supported by GBA is 256Mbit without bankswitching (and I don't know of any games that did that). Micron manufactures x8 and x16 Flash ROMs up to 1Gbit in TSOP. Here's a listing on Digikey. They also sell 2Gbit, but those are BGA-only.