Homebrew Idea suggestion: GBA Homebrew Tool to Dump Carts and BIOS from another GBA via Link Cable

[PlantedWave5190]

Here's an idea suggestion I have in mind.

I know it may be impractical, but if anyone would make a Game Boy Advance homebrew tool to allow dumping cartridges and BIOS from another GBA using a Link Cable, that would be mind-blowing.

Yes, I know a user named FIX94 made a similar GBA dumper app for the GameCube and Wii using a GameCube GBA Cable. (This app requires one GBA system, a GameCube or RVL-001 Wii that can launch homebrew, and a GameCube GBA Cable.)

The procedure is the GBA with the dumper searches for another GBA in multiboot. A Link Cable (AGB-005 recommended) would connect to both systems, with the purple (P1) end connected to the GBA with the dumper, and the grey (P2) end connected to the GBA in multiboot, with the cart you want to dump inserted (Press START+SELECT to make the Nintendo logo vanish. This will enter multiboot, allowing the dumper to be sent.) into the cart slot.

P2 would wait for selections to be made, while P1 would make selections. P1 can dump the cart (ROM and save) or BIOS from P2. Once the selection is made, P2 will send the information to P1, and it would be saved onto the SD card in P1's flash cart (i.e. EZ-FLASH or EverDrive).

The dumper app should only work with SD card-capable flash carts, such as the two mentioned above.

Here's the filetypes the GBA 2P-link Dumper should output:
GAMENAME_[GAMEID].gba = ROM (GAMENAME = Internal ROM name, GAMEID = first four (product code), last two (publisher code).)
GAMENAME_[GAMEID].sav = Save file
gba_bios.bin = BIOS

 

[master801]

Dumping the BIOS through the link cable is redundant since it can be done using a flashcart alone, which you're suggesting to use, anyway.

 

[FAST6191]

Writing in GBA mode to flash carts can be tricky. There is some limited support for DLDI on it for some things (don't think everdrive has some and I believe the Omega was told no by the EZTeam on a post around here, EZ4 might be able to get something going on. There was a proof of concept pocketnes somewhere) but most things doing writing tended to use the save memory.

Might be easier for you to build a multiboot cable and dump things via that (assuming you don't just find a DS or DS lite somewhere).

Possibly halfway version if you did want to do something fun (and assuming you don't want to do an audio cable option) might be look up something called vbalinkreal (granted most references will probably be me on other posts). It was a fork of VBA many years ago that allowed you to do multiplayer games with a PC and a GBA with the GBA thinking it was another GBA. If you have the PC doing things then easy enough to grab data from that.

 

[hippy dave]

There's a libfat implementation for EZF Omega, it has some limitations https://github.com/felixjones/ezfo-disc_io

 

[DolphinCube]

Yeah. I'm kinda curious about this as well.... Even tho I mostly use GBI to dump my games (via SDGecko). Which still requires a GameCube.