Hacking Acekard2i - Constantly corrupting SD card?

[Mekka-latte]

I recently brought a Acekard 2i from RealHotStuff along with a 2GB microSD. The package showed up today and I managed to get the latest AKAIO and some games in. I inserted it into my DS Lite and selected the ChessMaster logo. The Acekard booted up and I played one game. I then used the AKAIO soft reset and I got a corrupted loading screen before it froze. I turned off the DS, turned it back on, and now it won't recognize the Acekard. It just says "No DS cart inserted"

Alright, so it might have gotten corrupt. I re-formatted the card and installed a few less games this time, in case capacity had something to do with it. This time, after quitting in the same game, it froze again, on a black screen. I shut it off, turned it on, and unfortunately it's not recognizing the Acekard again. I'm going to try re-formatting it again and trying a different game, but as far as I can tell, the Acekard is freezing when it's trying to write some sort of save data to the SD card.

I just reformatted for the third time and now the acekard isn't recognized from the start.

Did I get a fake one? Should I update the firmware? According to realhotstuff, this is "Pre-updated for DSi v1.4.2 and 3DS v2.0 "

Just for the sake of details, when I reformat it using the Panasonic program, the drive letter shows up with a yen instead of a slash. I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

 

[Lacius]

Did you do a full format and not just a quick one? If not, try that. If so, try doing a full format of your SD card with your operating system's formatting software instead of the Panasonic program.

 

[Another World]

what type of msd card is it? it could be a bad card, a clone card, etc. its probably not the ak2i, but it is possible that it could be, so to debug you need another msd card to test with first.

the ak2i not being recognized has nothing to do with the microsd slot. that is more probably a contact issue, VERY common with the ak2i.

-another world

 

[Mekka-latte]

Lacius: I was doing quick formats, but followed your suggestion. I tried the Panasonic's Full Format Overwrite (it would not allow me to to do Full Format Flash Erase if that means anything). Unfortunately, I got a "DS card not inserted message" Then I used Windows full format. Same result.

Another World: It looks like a SanDisk card. Here are a couple of pictures.





Unfortunately I don't have another card, and I am not sure if I will be able to get one for comparison.

Right now, no matter what I do, my DS Lite does not work with the Ak2i. "No DS Game pak detected". Same message whether the Ak2i has a msd inserted or not.

If I can't get any results, I think I will just try to return it to RealHotStuff and get a refund.

 

[Lacius]

As Another World mentioned, try checking to see if it is a contact issue.

 

[Mekka-latte]

I appreciate your help, Lacius, but after reading through that I think I have had enough. I'm not about to insert paper and plastic into my faithful DS Light

I don't know if it's the ak2i or the msd, but either way what I ordered is defective in some part, and I think that's fair grounds for a return.

I will file a ticket with RealHotStuff sometime tomorrow, but if anyone wants to throw in their two cents, feel free.

 

[Hakoda]

Since when does the AK2i show anything other than the AK icon in a DS Lite? I could be mistaken but doesn't the AK2i retain the AK logo when inserted into a DS Lite or Phat?

Anyway, it does indeed sound like a contact issue. The paper trick or a new AK2i are the only fixes. It could also be a bad MicroSD.

 

[tiggerlator]

I got one exactly the same on weds, mine does seem to have the contact issue so i have stuck a piece of paper on it and its fine now. Also i updated mine to use on my 1.4.3 dsi using the official update from acekard.com and it is fine. I am running akaio 1.8.7 on it and using a 4gb sandisk card.

Look in the How to distinguish the real AK2 and AK2i, in the sticky for my post.

 

[onewinged_angel]

Try using a SDHC card... I had the same issues, but when I switched to a 4gb sandisk SDHC card, the problem was solved. Hope this helped

 

[Mekka-latte]

Hakoda: It shows up as "Chessmaster" on mine. I read up on the subject and there are three such games that the Ak2i shows up as. Something to do with bootstrap and different updates... I only skimmed it to make sure nothing was wrong with mine.

Tiggerlator: I read your post over and never thought to check the anti-clone thing. I would try it, except I am reluctant to remove my Ak2i now.

onewinged_angel: It looks like I was wrong about my msd card. The problem appears to solely concern slot-1 contact.

Update. After looking at the shipping and handling fees, I realized I was probably going to lose nearly $10 even if I return it. So, against my better judgement, I gave in and tried the paper trick that has been suggested to me. It took a couple of tries, but I have cut out a piece of paper, slightly long to make sure I have a "tab" to pull it out, and cut a square hole just over where the "2" is on the sticker. I inserted it. It looks like a tight fit, even for a piece of paper, and it doesn't really go all the way with the acekard. I even skinned my fingers, but...







...it works. For now. I don't know how long, and I don't know how stable it is. I'm going to give it some time and try to make a final decision before the return policy expires.

Sure looks curious to say the least.

 

[tiggerlator]

Stick with it, they are good cards, and a newer version to boot. Mine has been fine, and even runs some games my previous r4i sdhc would not.

You using akaio 1.8.7?

 

[Mekka-latte]

Yes, the latest AKAIO.

Unfortunately, I'm throwing in the towel here. I have been playing it on and off periodically through the day. For a while, I felt confident. Then it stopped mid-game during the last session. I did what I could, including testing out a slightly thicker and slightly thinner paper for the trick. Nothing worked.

I suppose I could keep trying varying lengths and breadths but I don't want to. There's no guarantee that won't stop working one day out of the blue either. The Ak2i might be a good card in terms of price and versatility, but it is a shoddily built product. Maybe I just got bad luck, but that's it for me. If I should purchase another flash card in the future, I am going to try a sturdier option.

One last question: The USB connector used for the Micro-SD, did it come with any type of packaging? It seems RealHotStuff is strict about that stuff and I just wanted to make sure. Currently, I just tucked it behind the plastic frame holding the Ak2i.

 

[tiggerlator]

Seems bad luck mate, mine has been fine totally. maybe the slot is thinner in the dsi or summat. Try a supercard dstwo, they seem quite popular if a bit expensive.

 

[Another World]

sadly, contact issues with the 2i are a common problem. i once stopped posting in this section of gbatemp because some users got sick of me pointing that out. this was very early on, mind you, and now i think they know that i was right =P.

i have a few 2is, most are directly from team acekard. only 1 i am using now doesn't have contact issues. the one i was using before i did the ismart premium review didn't have contact issues, then after that review it started to have them. i used it for more than 6 months of heavy beta testing and never had an issue.

the 2i costs around $2 to make and it isn't a very good design. they had to update the hardware a few times to keep up with the trends (flashable boot loaders). it would have been nice if they updated the design of the case to fix the contact issue.

my point is, the paper trick is probably your best bet. you could complain to RHS and ask for a replacement but you could end up getting another one with the same issue.

if you are unhappy with the paper solution give this a read: http://gbatemp.net/t285787-your-ak2i-is-de...will-replace-it

-another world

 

[Mekka-latte]

I would be satisfied with the paper trick if it showed some consistency in my particular case. Sometimes the paper works, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it works with a square window cut, sometimes it works without one. I got it to function at one point with the paper trick, but then it stopped later in the day for no reason in particular. Subsequent efforts proved fruitless, except for one very short lived boot up that I could not repeat. Even if I did get it to work again, I'm always going to wonder when the thing will decide to up and die once more and how long it will take to get it back up, if I can at all.

As for a replacement, I'm too pessimistic to take a chance. Besides the fact that ZhuZhu appears to be on holiday for the rest of the month, there's little guarantee that a replacement will work much better, especially in light of your post pointing out the Ak2i's all too common shortcomings. I'd rather not go through the hassle and waiting for what is a gamble at best. I've already lost one.

I sent in a support ticket to RHS asking for a refund. Hopefully things will be resolved with them soon. I'll have lost $8-10 from shipping and handling costs, but at least I can start over and perhaps invest in a R4 or Supercard.

 

[Another World]

your problem might not be that you need to push the contacts together but that you need to raise the contacts. you might want to try a thin bit of paper (think very thin magazine or phonebook) directly behind the contacts and under the PCB, inside the shell. try building it up until you find the right balance and then look for 1 piece of paper or plastic that is the right thickness.

your profile flag says you are in the US. you should be able to mail it 1st class with delivery confirmation for under $2 in a padded envelope. you can usually pick those up at 2 for a buck from most .99 cent type stores.

-another world

 

[tiggerlator]

On mine i have a sticky backed piece of paper stuck to the bottom of the card were the contacts are, seems to work fine. I did notice though that the dsi seems to have some sort of flap inside the cartridge slot, so maybe this helps on the dsi.

 

[Mekka-latte]

Franky, I was a little leery of sliding things under the ak2i's contacts, as I read that too much can possibly cause the contacts in the DS to bend and stop reading retail games. I get sentimental about that thing. Still, recklessly I decided to give it a go as my ticket at RHS is probably going to take some time to process.

One sliver of a magazine - No result
Two slivers - Worked for about 30 seconds.
Three slivers - Played a game successfully.

Now to test it on and off through the day and see how long this is supposed to last. I'm not terribly optimistic but it will pass the time.

You know, with the mention of the DSi, I wonder if the original Acekard 2 has the same problem or not with the DS Lite. Maybe if I just exchange my 2i for one?

 

[cynful09]

Hi,

RHS employee here. I recommend sending it in for a replacement. Just send in the cartridge (after you open the ticket) in a bubble bag (it shouldn't be more than $2). We will test out a brand new cartridge more thoroughly before sending back to you.

 

[Another World]

You know, with the mention of the DSi, I wonder if the original Acekard 2 has the same problem or not with the DS Lite. Maybe if I just exchange my 2i for one?

i've never had a single issue with any of the 2.1 cards i have, and i've beta tested akaio and tons of homebrew for years with them. at one point i was literally taking out the msd card 10x a day for 3 months (while writing my nesds compatibility list). it wasn't until i picked up a 2i for my dsi that i started to have any sort of problems, which have only been contact issues.

-another world