Powerpak with MicroSD to Compact Flash type I Adapter.

Reed Solomon · Post by **Reed Solomon** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 9:07 pm

Bought myself a Photofast CR-7100 microSD/SDHC to CF type I Adapter (http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/26/phot ... -cf-cards/) for $20 off the ebays. Plugged in an extra old 2 gig microSD card formatted correctly that I pulled from an old cell phone, and everything loaded on the NES Powerpak! I tried Super Mario 2 Lost Levels, Mega Man 4, and Magic Jewelery, didn't notice anything strange or slow. I honestly was surprised it worked. Anyone else done this? Any potential downsides? Want me to confirm or test anything out with it?

tokumaru · Post by **tokumaru** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 9:44 pm

Pretty cool. Thanks for letting us know.

Post by **tepples** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 8:49 am

It looks sort of like one of those DS flash adapters. It'd be useful if one wants to keep one memory card for both nesDS and PowerPak.

ccovell · Post by **ccovell** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 3:37 pm

"Does this adaptor have good throughput?"
"Yes, it's High Speed."
"Oh? What exactly is the speed? Can you quantify it for me?"
"... Extremely High Speed!"

Reed Solomon · Post by **Reed Solomon** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 4:25 pm

ccovell wrote:"Does this adaptor have good throughput?"
"Yes, it's High Speed."
"Oh? What exactly is the speed? Can you quantify it for me?"
"... Extremely High Speed!"

Yes it is the usual vagueness you'd expect out of China, 8) but supposedly from what I've read it transfers at the real speed of the microSD card. So Class 2 is 2 MB/s, and Class 4 is 4 MB/s and so on. a 133x compact flash card is by comparison maybe 20 MB/s.. The card that comes with is maybe 6 MB/s read and 3 MB/s write. I'm not saying this is a perfect replacement for Compact Flash cards, but it was certainly interesting to find that the few games I tested with it seemed to work without any noticeable issues. If the NES processor isn't actually doing any work and reads the compact flash card as if it were a parallel device, then it could be a decent alternative for people. What max speed does the NES read a cartridge at anyways?

I kind of like it cause I can just push in the micro SD card and it pops out, leaving the rest of the cartridge in there. Still, I'm no expert. Hopefully it doesn't damage the PowerPak somehow.. though I can't personally think of any reason why it should. Which is of course one of the reasons I posted.

peppers · Post by **peppers** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 8:18 pm

considering everything is copyed from the card to ram before its used and the fact that the nes is a 70s computer I don't think you really need a high speed memory card.

koitsu · Post by **koitsu** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 8:52 pm

peppers wrote:... and the fact that the nes is a 70s computer ...

:o

Reed Solomon · Post by **Reed Solomon** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 9:14 pm

peppers wrote:considering everything is copyed from the card to ram before its used and the fact that the nes is a 70s computer I don't think you really need a high speed memory card.

Let us not forget that Voyager 1 was launched in 1977 and is still in operation near the edge of the solar system. I like to think of it as a NES in space. You're welcome, aliens.

tokumaru · Post by **tokumaru** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 10:06 pm

koitsu wrote:
peppers wrote:... and the fact that the nes is a 70s computer ...

The NES itself might not have been manufactured in the 70's, but its CPU was, and I'm pretty sure most of it was technology that was already in use during the 70's, that just happened to be more affordable in the early 80's. His statement may look weird, but it might not be as wrong as it seems.

peppers · Post by **peppers** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 12:46 am

^ correct, obviously I know when the NES was manufactured.......

koitsu · Post by **koitsu** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:08 am

So the logic here is that because the processor technology (specifically NMOS 6502) and architecture was developed in 1975, that the system/console itself is a "70s computer"? The fact that the console itself was manufactured and distributed in the mid-80s doesn't invalidate that statement? Doesn't Famicom mean "Family Computer"?

Wait, what am I saying?!? I have no idea, I must be smoking crack, because present-day line of x86 PCs are also "70s computers" since their CPU microcode solely emulates x86 (read: 8086, circa 1978 or so). No wait, I'm wrong again! They're all "18th century computers", because they're using capacitors, and those were discovered during the 18th century. Yes, the NES is an 18th century computer.

...now, doesn't all of that sound highly pretentious if not downright preposterous? This is absolutely a discussion of semantics, so let's reflect:

Calling the NES or Famicom a "70s computer" because of its processor is just as accurate as my above pretentiousness. The original statement was "70s computer", not "70s processor". The term computer is not synonymous with processor. The term "computer", even today, is still an appropriately vague term that means "everything inside of the box" and not "just the processor inside", and that is even more true/applicable when referring to a home video game console.

I won't reply to this thread past this point because apparently my :o reaction has not only resulted in an semantics debate, but a completely ludicrous and off-topic one as well.

peppers · Post by **peppers** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 6:24 am

ok you have a point I should not have said 70s computer.

Although maybe I am incorrect but what is inside the nes is approximately the same in capability to 70s computers and not just the same processor architecture, correct?

Post by **tepples** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 6:51 am

koitsu wrote:So the logic here is that because the processor technology (specifically NMOS 6502) and architecture was developed in 1975, that the system/console itself is a "70s computer"?

The CPU is the only part of the console that interacts with the CF card, and the CPU was invented in the 1970s. It's the same CPU that Atari had used in its Video Computer System model 2600, just 50% faster.

I have no idea, I must be smoking crack, because present-day line of x86 PCs are also "70s computers" since their CPU microcode solely emulates x86 (read: 8086, circa 1978 or so).

There are two things to deal with: the instruction set and the microarchitecture. A modern Athlon family CPU has vastly different microarchitecture from an 8086 while using the same instruction set, involving simultaneous out-of-order processing of instructions. The 2A03, on the other hand, is gate-for-gate the same as the 6502 mask with the decimal mode circuitry disabled.

The term computer is not synonymous with processor.

The NES is composed of a late 1970s CPU and an early 1980s PPU and APU. But in a topic about CompactFlash, the CPU is the only part of the computer that the PowerPak's CF circuit can see.

marvelus10 · Post by **marvelus10** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 11:31 am

So about that CF to SDHC adaptor eh.

Thanx for the info. I may just pick one up.

To the rest of you guys debating off topic, I think its time you took a break from the Doritos and Coke the food dye is getting to you.

clueless · Post by **clueless** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 12:14 pm

marvelus10 wrote:So about that CF to SDHC adaptor eh.

Thanx for the info. I may just pick one up.

To the rest of you guys debating off topic, I think its time you took a break from the Doritos and Coke the food dye is getting to you.

Nope, too much Cheatos and Mt. Dew: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHdXG2gV01k