# Super Mario Game & Watch Hacking



## subcon959 (Jan 23, 2021)

I managed to successfully unlock my G&W firmware using an STM32 programmer.










Once unlocked, it's possible to compile and flash a port of the retro-go emulator collection and a handful of roms.









The emulation is surprisingly good, making the games fully playable at 60fps with sound.

Currently supports Game Boy, NES, SMS and Game Gear.

The G&W only has 1MB of storage available, but it's possible to solder a 16MB replacement instead which should allow for a good selection of roms.

Be very careful de-soldering the SPI flash chip as it's easy to lift pads and break traces. Then solder in the new 16MB chip.









Now when you re-flash the chip you can fit all the larger roms easily.. 16MB is a lot for NES games, mine isn't even half full with 24.









** All credit to _*stacksmashing* _for figuring out how to break the device open, and *kbeckmann *for porting the emulator.


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## Lostbhoy (Jan 23, 2021)

Watch out for the ninjas....


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## subcon959 (Jan 23, 2021)

Lostbhoy said:


> Watch out for the ninjas....


Yeah, I tried to be as vague as possible after seeing what happened on Youtube, but we will see.

I figure there's plenty of Switch related stuff on this forum to keep the ninjas occupied.


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## subcon959 (Jan 24, 2021)




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## hippy dave (Jan 29, 2021)

This is awesome and I'm glad there's a nice multi-emulator already ported for 8 bit systems, but the one thing I'm still waiting for that I thought would be near the top of people's lists is a port of the classic Game & Watch games, whether it's the recreations that dude did or the more recent actual emulations from MAME.
Oh I guess there's the GB/GBC collections of ports by Nintendo, LMK if you see or make a video of any of those running on this bad boy


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## subcon959 (Jan 29, 2021)

hippy dave said:


> Oh I guess there's the GB/GBC collections of ports by Nintendo, LMK if you see or make a video of any of those running on this bad boy


I'm definitely planning to put the GBC G&W collections on there, I just need to solder the flash replacement first as the ROMs are 1MB each. The funny part is, I actually find this handheld better to play on than the GBA Micro, so the NES and GBC emulators are very welcome. I agree though, it would be awesome if someone did a dedicated port of all the old G&W games.


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## hippy dave (Jan 30, 2021)

I guess beyond classic G&W, the only other thing I'd especially like to see done for these is dumping the clock mode from the official firmware, and making it runnable from whatever you flash unofficially. I want it all.


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## subcon959 (Jan 30, 2021)

@hippy dave I updated the OP with some new stuff after replacing the flash chip. It can now play all the G&W Gallery games.









Here's a very short clip but I fully expect it to get taken down so didn't bother with a longer one.


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## hippy dave (Jan 30, 2021)

subcon959 said:


> @hippy dave I updated the OP with some new stuff after replacing the flash chip. It can now play all the G&W Gallery games.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Awesome, thanks for the update, and the video. The GBC game looks pretty at home on the device.
Glad the flash chip replacement wasn't too taxing, as it seems like an essential to make the project really useable. I got new soldering kit recently, and am planning to practice and improve my skills on dead electronics before I touch anything I care about, but this looks achievable.


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## subcon959 (Jan 30, 2021)

hippy dave said:


> Awesome, thanks for the update, and the video. The GBC game looks pretty at home on the device.
> Glad the flash chip replacement wasn't too taxing, as it seems like an essential to make the project really useable. I got new soldering kit recently, and am planning to practice and improve my skills on dead electronics before I touch anything I care about, but this looks achievable.


Yeah, it's all about practice and experience. My early console mods were shockingly bad and they were mostly super easy through-hole components. SMD stuff like this is definitely more intermediate skill level. My two main tips are 60/40 solder (lead-free is terrible) and use plenty of liquid flux. Also watch as many videos as possible of people who actually know what they're doing (professionals not hobbyists).

Edit: Oh and have a multi-meter handy to check continuity points so you're not pulling your hair out when things don't work.


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## KleinesSinchen (Jan 30, 2021)

*Nice! Good work!*
I thought about getting one but the price for this limited device is pretty high. The only reason for really buying one is this modification. With Game Boy and NES emulators it might be a fun pocket console.

How good is the LCD and the sound in the Game and Watch?


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## subcon959 (Jan 30, 2021)

KleinesSinchen said:


> How good is the LCD and the sound in the Game and Watch?


Both are very good, the Dpad and buttons are great too. It's a pity they didn't choose a more powerful SoC as it would've been perfect for a portable SNES. But NES and GB are good enough.


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## hippy dave (Jan 31, 2021)

Good tips, thanks - yeah I do still need a multimeter, thanks for the reminder, that can go on the birthday prezzie wishlist.

Yes the screen is really nice. I think you'd struggle with button mapping for a SNES emulator even if it did have the processing power tho.


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## KleinesSinchen (Feb 2, 2021)

*Screw the high price! *I ordered a Game & Watch now. Will take some time until it is delivered (and I still need to order the other stuff – so don't expect results soon).
I will try to use a Raspberry Pi for the firmware dump and flashing. According to the Github pages it should be possible.

My main problems are:

I do not find any real guide how to proceed. There are the five scripts on Github for dumping and unlocking. That does not tell me (on first look) how to install anything.
What is that 16MB flash chip called? What would I have to order? I really didn't find a part number or similar.
Any particular reason for 16MB? Why not 8MB or 32MB? Is 16MB a hard limit?
I'm not computer alliterate – but not a developer as well. There are these YouTube videos telling what can be done (with blurred image due to Nintendo DMCA'ing for video footage showing Super Mario Bros – _*facepalm*_). I didn't find a real howto.

Can anybody help me?


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## subcon959 (Feb 2, 2021)

@KleinesSinchen go to their discord (the link is on the github somewhere) then search for the Raspi guide by Micky. I haven't tried it but there should be plenty of information to get you started.


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## Frankbel (Feb 2, 2021)

If some Chinese maker reproduces the game&watch with more flashable memory, I would buy it.


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## KleinesSinchen (Feb 2, 2021)

subcon959 said:


> @KleinesSinchen go to their discord (the link is on the github somewhere) then search for the Raspi guide by Micky. I haven't tried it but there should be plenty of information to get you started.


Sorry, can't do this. I don't have an account on Discord and don't want one either.
If there is no public information online which can be retrieved without singing up somewhere I will have to figure out on my own.

Can you at least tell me what flash chip you used so I know what to search for/buy?


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## subcon959 (Feb 2, 2021)

KleinesSinchen said:


> what flash chip you used so I know what to search for/buy?


That part is public https://github.com/kbeckmann/game-and-watch-retro-go/wiki/WIP:-How-to-extend-flash-storage

Btw, you must backup the firmware BEFORE replacing the flash otherwise you will brick.


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## KleinesSinchen (Feb 2, 2021)

subcon959 said:


> That part is public https://github.com/kbeckmann/game-and-watch-retro-go/wiki/WIP:-How-to-extend-flash-storage
> 
> Btw, you must backup the firmware BEFORE replacing the flash otherwise you will brick.


*Thanks you very much!* That does indeed help.
Backing up the firmware surely is the first thing to do. Replacing the chip and not having unlocked the CPU and not having the flash contents would be pretty useless. Before getting out the soldering iron I will try to add something small like Tetris (NES/GB) or Super Mario Land (GB).

But it might take weeks until I get all the materials and the motivation to actually try this modification.


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## dudmonxo (Feb 6, 2021)

I was just looking to my game and watch and decided


KleinesSinchen said:


> *Thanks you very much!* That does indeed help.
> Backing up the firmware surely is the first thing to do. Replacing the chip and not having unlocked the CPU and not having the flash contents would be pretty useless. Before getting out the soldering iron I will try to add something small like Tetris (NES/GB) or Super Mario Land (GB).
> 
> But it might take weeks until I get all the materials and the motivation to actually try this modification.



I've been looking the videos and it actually doesn't look that difficult, but I'm pretty dumb to do this without a throughout guide... I hope you can be a hero and share what materials you buy and your process.

Putting mario 3 and pokemon red on it would be a dream and I'm willing to try it.


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## subcon959 (Feb 6, 2021)

dudmonxo said:


> Putting mario 3 and pokemon red on it would be a dream and I'm willing to try it.


Pokemon Red will not fit on the stock flash as it is a 1MB ROM. The only way to play that is to de-solder the original chip and replace it with a compatible bigger one, and that is not an easy job unless you are experienced with SMD soldering.


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## subcon959 (Feb 9, 2021)

So Tim Schuerewegen has been working on a dedicated G&W emulator for the system and it's getting to the point where it's worth showing off..


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## pLaYeR^^ (Mar 11, 2021)

Any news or guides on this? What's the status of the custom board?


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## hippy dave (Mar 11, 2021)

Oop just checked that Tim dude's youtube again and he's made loads of progress https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT0vVH_aI2TmA4NeRxL-rnw
Happily, he's patched his homebrew launcher into the stock firmware, so you can still run the standard clock mode and built-in games, before pressing buttons to run his G&W emulator which uses converted mame roms.
Link for his software: https://www.schuerewegen.tk/gnw/
Dunno if there's enough in the way of guides on there. e: oh, looks like the actual emulator isn't available online yet either.


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## subcon959 (Mar 11, 2021)

Yeah, I think you can message him on discord and get a copy to beta test, but I haven't messed with my G&W in a while as it stopped charging the battery and it's a pain to use plugged in.


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## hippy dave (Mar 11, 2021)

subcon959 said:


> Yeah, I think you can message him on discord and get a copy to beta test, but I haven't messed with my G&W in a while as it stopped charging the battery and it's a pain to use plugged in.


Oh shiz, hardware damage?
Good tip about the beta testing tho, will look into that if I get any of the hacking shiz done before he finishes a release.


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## subcon959 (Mar 12, 2021)

hippy dave said:


> Oh shiz, hardware damage?


I'm not sure to be honest, I think part of the charging circuit might've been fried when I was poking around with the test hooks. I have another one but it's still sealed and I prefer to leave it un-modded. I noticed some shops were selling off stock for £29.99 so I hope it doesn't mean they will be hard to come by in the future.


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## pLaYeR^^ (Mar 16, 2021)

Is the retro go emulator capable of saving games (GB and other)?.


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## subcon959 (Mar 16, 2021)

pLaYeR^^ said:


> Is the retro go emulator capable of saving games (GB and other)?.


It has save states, another reason why it's recommended to upgrade the flash so you don't run into problems with storage space.


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## pLaYeR^^ (Mar 16, 2021)

subcon959 said:


> It has save states, another reason why it's recommended to upgrade the flash so you don't run into problems with storage space.


Which flash chip is needed for upgrading? Is it possible to update to more than 16 MB. How difficult is the soldering process? I have already installed an IPS screen in my GBA, but I think its harder.


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## hippy dave (Mar 16, 2021)

pLaYeR^^ said:


> Which flash chip is needed for upgrading? Is it possible to update to more than 16 MB. How difficult is the soldering process? I have already installed an IPS screen in my GBA, but I think its harder.


https://www.reddit.com/r/GameAndWatchMods/ Look down the sidebar on the right for the list of Macronix chips. The 16MB are the easiest in terms of the software, because it doesn't require any changes. They're also the easiest in terms of soldering because they have legs like the chip that's being replaced. The 64MB needs patches to the software before you flash it, but that's available now for the current software, and will be figured out by the clever people for any other software that's coming. The 64MB chip also doesn't have legs, so is apparently noticeably harder to solder, but not impossibly so. I haven't done any of the soldering yet so I can't speak personally of the difficulty. (I haven't seen any discussion of the 32MB chip, software patching would be the same as for 64MB, I don't know if the chip has legs).


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## pLaYeR^^ (Mar 16, 2021)

hippy dave said:


> https://www.reddit.com/r/GameAndWatchMods/ Look down the sidebar on the right for the list of Macronix chips. The 16MB are the easiest in terms of the software, because it doesn't require any changes. They're also the easiest in terms of soldering because they have legs like the chip that's being replaced. The 64MB needs patches to the software before you flash it, but that's available now for the current software, and will be figured out by the clever people for any other software that's coming. The 64MB chip also doesn't have legs, so is apparently noticeably harder to solder, but not impossibly so. I haven't done any of the soldering yet so I can't speak personally of the difficulty. (I haven't seen any discussion of the 32MB chip, software patching would be the same as for 64MB, I don't know if the chip has legs).


You have soldered the 16MB chip or none?


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## hippy dave (Mar 16, 2021)

pLaYeR^^ said:


> You have soldered the 16MB chip or none?


I haven't done either, @subcon959 has done the 16MB.


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## subcon959 (Mar 16, 2021)

The reason the soldering is tricky is it's easy to rip the pads off when removing the old flash, and also the chip itself is extremely small. If you are young with good eyes and steady hands then it's probably a lot easier. I would class the 16MB one as easy to medium, and the 64MB as medium to difficult (due to needing better equipment and more experience).


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## tfocosta (Mar 18, 2021)

Kudos! This is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing!


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## subcon959 (Apr 4, 2021)

Thought it was worth a quick update. There is now a homebrew launcher that you can run from an otherwise stock looking G&W..






*
PRESS LEFT+A+GAME* *to launch the homebrew menu..*






*From here there are a few options as well as the launcher*






*There are a few homebrew apps being developed, we just have the Retro-Go emulator for now..*






*The next time the G&W is turned on it will go back to the stock firmware.*


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## hippy dave (Apr 4, 2021)

Yep the homebrew launcher looks great, and is what I was hoping for in terms of leaving the stock features intact. That Tim dude also released a preview version of his emulator for Game& Watch (and eventually other similar LCD games), it only plays a few games, and you have to convert them first with his converter.

I got a soldering mat and some leaded solder the other day, I need to start brushing up my skills and get a couple more things in before I start work on the G&W.


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## subcon959 (Apr 4, 2021)

I finally got another G&W so I did the flash upgrade yesterday. It only took 5 minutes this time as the old chip came off pretty easily. I highly recommend some no-clean liquid flux to make the job a piece of cake.


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## kgbk (Apr 15, 2021)

subcon959 said:


> I managed to successfully unlock my G&W firmware using an STM32 programmer.


Hey, Where did you get those probes from?


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## subcon959 (Apr 15, 2021)

kgbk said:


> Hey, Where did you get those probes from?


There are loads on ebay, but be mindful that repeated use will damage the contacts on the PCB so it's not a recommended method. It's also the number one cause for failed flashes. If possible it's always better to solder instead.


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## thebeaver (Apr 18, 2021)

subcon959 said:


> I managed to successfully unlock my G&W firmware using an STM32 programmer.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



1) Did you connect the pin without welds?

2) Is there any way to use an arduino to program it?

thx


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## subcon959 (Apr 18, 2021)

thebeaver said:


> 1) Did you connect the pin without welds?
> 
> 2) Is there any way to use an arduino to program it?
> 
> thx


1. Yes but I recommend to solder as it's more reliable connection
2. I only know about stm32 programmer but I think people have used rPi so maybe?


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## hippy dave (Apr 18, 2021)

thebeaver said:


> 2) Is there any way to use an arduino to program it?


I've only seen programming code for debug probes (eg STM32) and the Raspberry Pi, available here.
You could ask on the reddit or the discord if anyone has done it with arduino.


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## aerios169 (Apr 26, 2021)

Uh mm proably is not right for the end user I bought one for my brother for xmas


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## PaperTwinkies (Apr 26, 2021)

Imma wait until its a more friendly way to do it because I'm not taking apart my Game & Watch


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## WiiHomebrew+Snes (Apr 26, 2021)

I honestly doubt things are gonna get any easier then this, but who knows


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## PaperTwinkies (Apr 26, 2021)

WiiHomebrew+Snes said:


> I honestly doubt things are gonna get any easier then this, but who knows


 I hope it does though, I'm thinking about just plugging it in to a PC and running an .exe file.


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## BlazeMasterBM (Apr 26, 2021)

wow. Well, this just shows that anything and everything will be hacked.


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## KleinesSinchen (Apr 26, 2021)

Oofios said:


> I hope it does though, I'm thinking about just plugging it in to a PC and running an .exe file.


The method described here is how you "plug it into a PC". Since there are no data lines from the Game&Watch USB-C port to the CPU and/or the flash, a simple USB-cable will not do the trick (unless I'm completely missing something or misunderstood the talk on rC3 "remote Chaos Experience").

Sadly I didn't have any luck. I connected the Game&Watch to a Raspberry Pi with probes, set up the software until the first script told me everything was good and only got "check debug connection" error (connection was good and verified with a multimeter – I have no plans to solder wires to the console). This goes beyond my skills without further instructions which are supposedly only available on Discord. Maybe I do have to buy a debugger and try it that way, because this is better documented on freely available sources.


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## mike031 (May 1, 2021)

Hey guys, i should received my G&W soon and was looking about its hack.
I tried to have a look on the memory extension by replacing the original one with MX25U12835FM2I-10G but was really surprised to see that it is out of stock everywhere....
I am also looking for the STM32 programmer and was not sure about the exact type needed?
Soldering is not a problem for me so i will directly solder wiring on the board and maybe found a way to build an external connector idk (new 0.3mm soldering iron at work will be useful )

Edit: I was finally able to flash my GW not without any issues^^
Maybe because i used a cheap ST clone: https://www.amazon.fr/Youmile-St-Link-Programme-téléchargement-Programmation/dp/B07QBLNDPM/ref=sr_1_8?__mk_fr_FR=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&dchild=1&keywords=stlink&qid=1620509153&sr=8-8
And despite soldered wiring i still have bad connections, but i built a cable first with proper connector and then, i used cabling delivered with STLink. I had to play a little bit with connection/disconnection of the STLink on Windows too to install the homebrew launcher.
I just saw that sometimes GW goes in blank screen after reloading games on retro-go.
Here a complete video for homebrew launcher + retro go installation:


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## Paccc (Jun 15, 2021)

Got in an order for a G&W for €20 so I'm all in.

Did anyone find any alternative chips or sources where you can buy the extended flash? 
It's out of stock everywhere. Less than 16M should work aswell.


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## hippy dave (Jun 15, 2021)

Paccc said:


> Got in an order for a G&W for €20 so I'm all in.
> 
> Did anyone find any alternative chips or sources where you can buy the extended flash?
> It's out of stock everywhere. Less than 16M should work aswell.


ebay seemed best for individual chips when I was looking.


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## MikaDubbz (Jun 16, 2021)

The new Zelda one is just begging for Link's Awakening to be swapped out with Link's Awakening DX and for Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons to be added.


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## hippy dave (Jun 16, 2021)

MikaDubbz said:


> The new Zelda one is just begging for Link's Awakening to be swapped out with Link's Awakening DX and for Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons to be added.


Yeah, Link's Awakening but not DX is a weird choice - I guess it could just be to go with the green colour scheme?


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## MikaDubbz (Jun 17, 2021)

hippy dave said:


> Yeah, Link's Awakening but not DX is a weird choice - I guess it could just be to go with the green colour scheme?


My thought was that they didn't want this device to have one of it's 3 games mention a feature that you can't actually utilize with the device, and that is connecting with a Game Boy Printer to print the photos you collect in DX.


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## musashisenkun (Jun 20, 2021)

I just got my G&W SMB. I have a Raspberry Pi 3B. I have my tri-wing screwdriver and a bunch of jumper wires. I can solder. 

Can someone help point me to a guide or tutorial on how to hack my G&W just using the Raspi and what I have on hand? 

I found this video, he makes it seem easy but it's in Chinese and there's zero information.


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## Vendo232 (Jun 25, 2021)

Hello Folks: here is a guide how to use Raspberry pi only and no soldering to add more game on Game and Watch.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kGac4ohnkP8rjvv0B2MbsQpdZBbfyIty/view?usp=sharing






--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



musashisenkun said:


> I just got my G&W SMB. I have a Raspberry Pi 3B. I have my tri-wing screwdriver and a bunch of jumper wires. I can solder.
> 
> Can someone help point me to a guide or tutorial on how to hack my G&W just using the Raspi and what I have on hand?
> 
> I found this video, he makes it seem easy but it's in Chinese and there's zero information.



 see my guide to do that

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kGac4ohnkP8rjvv0B2MbsQpdZBbfyIty/view?usp=sharing


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## musashisenkun (Jun 30, 2021)

Thank you you the guide! It's a great step by step, I see that there's a lot of typing (or cut and paste) for the different scripts. Would you know where to find this "Backup and Restore Tools" GUI that combines all the scripts? It's the one used in the video above. That would make it easier without needing to ssh from a PC. 



Vendo232 said:


> Hello Folks: here is a guide how to use Raspberry pi only and no soldering to add more game on Game and Watch.


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## thebeaver (Jul 3, 2021)

I'm looking for roms, I'd likes to upload all Game & Watch Roms and maybe all Hasbro Tiger Electronic-like game... Which extension do I have to find?


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## thebeaver (Jul 3, 2021)

Vendo232 said:


> Hello Folks: here is a guide how to use Raspberry pi only and no soldering to add more game on Game and Watch.
> 
> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kGac4ohnkP8rjvv0B2MbsQpdZBbfyIty/view?usp=sharing
> 
> ...



I didn't understand a thing.
I stucked on point 15. Do I have to connect the battery on G&W?

Edit.
On point 14:
14. cd game-and-watch-backup

The terminal open opt/game-and-watch-backup folder


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## hippy dave (Jul 3, 2021)

thebeaver said:


> I'm looking for roms, I'd likes to upload all Game & Watch Roms and maybe all Hasbro Tiger Electronic-like game... Which extension do I have to find?


The ones I downloaded are from the mame-0.221-roms-merged set on archive.org


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## ill_be_ur_Krillin (Jul 27, 2021)

I did it! Raspberry Pi only. I got mario 3, tetris, marble madness and mega man 2 and still had 300kb free! Vendos guide works but has a typo or two and some steps aren't quite correct. All backups and flashes worked 100% first try. It was easy to get a good connection with common female to male dupont cables. Save states are working and the emu is smooth and 60fps. Sorry for the bad camera!


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## thebeaver (Jul 28, 2021)

ill_be_ur_Krillin said:


> I did it! Raspberry Pi only. I got mario 3, tetris, marble madness and mega man 2 and still had 300kb free! Vendos guide works but has a typo or two and some steps aren't quite correct. All backups and flashes worked 100% first try. It was easy to get a good connection with common female to male dupont cables. Save states are working and the emu is smooth and 60fps. Sorry for the bad camera!



Could you help me?



thebeaver said:


> I didn't understand a thing.
> I stucked on point 15. Do I have to connect the battery on G&W?
> 
> Edit.
> ...


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## ill_be_ur_Krillin (Jul 28, 2021)

thebeaver said:


> Could you help me?


 Don't connect the battery but do connect the usb c power adapter and have it on at the clock screen. Watch this video from 2:30 and do what he does but replace "jlink" with "rpi" and dont do ./5_restore. That will get you to step 19 in the guide.


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## thebeaver (Jul 30, 2021)

ill_be_ur_Krillin said:


> Don't connect the battery but do connect the usb c power adapter and have it on at the clock screen. Watch this video from 2:30 and do what he does but replace "jlink" with "rpi" and dont do ./5_restore. That will get you to step 19 in the guide.




I Guess I have a problem before.
i could not enter into G&W Memory.
I'm using a pi4 with raspbian. But I don't understand at which point I can open g&w folder.


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## ill_be_ur_Krillin (Jul 30, 2021)

thebeaver said:


> I Guess I have a problem before.
> i could not enter into G&W Memory.
> I'm using a pi4 with raspbian. But I don't understand at which point I can open g&w folder.


The G&W backup folder isnt in the G&W memory, its in your opt folder on the Pi. You run the numbered scripts from there.


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## thebeaver (Jul 31, 2021)

I upload my command line...

I can't understand what's wrong.


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## KleinesSinchen (Jul 31, 2021)

thebeaver said:


> I upload my command line...
> 
> I can't understand what's wrong.


My feeling tells me that your file isn't named " 1_sanity_check.sh" but "1_sanity_check.sh" (without the blank/space before the name)

type *./1_sanity_check.sh* instead. Bash interprets your command as ./ and 1_sanity_check.sh as an argument for said command. But . refers to the current working directory and hence bash tells you "./ È una directory"


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## ill_be_ur_Krillin (Jul 31, 2021)

thebeaver said:


> I upload my command line...
> 
> I can't understand what's wrong.





KleinesSinchen said:


> My feeling tells me that your file isn't named " 1_sanity_check.sh" but "1_sanity_check.sh" (without the blank/space before the name)


This. There should not be a space between ./ and 1_sanity_check.sh


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## thebeaver (Aug 1, 2021)

KleinesSinchen said:


> My feeling tells me that your file isn't named " 1_sanity_check.sh" but "1_sanity_check.sh" (without the blank/space before the name)
> 
> type *./1_sanity_check.sh* instead. Bash interprets your command as ./ and 1_sanity_check.sh as an argument for said command. But . refers to the current working directory and hence bash tells you "./ È una directory"



I can't believe that my problem's solution is so stupid!

now everythings works fine.

Now my only problem is that I thought the G&W roms was smaller. It's impossible to play with all roms without increase the memory.


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## jimgordon (Aug 4, 2021)

thebeaver said:


> I can't believe that my problem's solution is so stupid!
> 
> now everythings works fine.
> 
> Now my only problem is that I thought the G&W roms was smaller. It's impossible to play with all roms without increase the memory.



Ciao thebeaver,
ti contatto direttamente e lo faccio in italiano, nella nostra lingua madre, così possiamo comprenderci meglio. Ho seguito il thread, mi trovo nella situazione in cui ti sei trovato tu quando hai iniziato. Ho tutto l'occorrente e la guida PDF linkata in questo thread.

Leggendo quanto hai scritto, hai avuto delle difficoltà che con un po' buona volontà e aiuto dalla community sei riuscito a superare. Mi chiedevo se te la sentissi di scrivere una guida step by step per neofiti, anche in italiano magari, per aiutare quanti come me vogliono aggiungere nuovi giochi su questo bel giocattolino Nintendo.

Pensi di poterlo fare? Oppure, se non proprio un'intera guida completa, almeno correggere "al volo" ciò che va corretto nella guida PDF che ho linkato sopra.

Grazie in ogni caso!
Cosimo


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## thebeaver (Aug 5, 2021)

jimgordon said:


> Ciao thebeaver,
> ti contatto direttamente e lo faccio in italiano, nella nostra lingua madre, così possiamo comprenderci meglio. Ho seguito il thread, mi trovo nella situazione in cui ti sei trovato tu quando hai iniziato. Ho tutto l'occorrente e la guida PDF linkata in questo thread.
> 
> Leggendo quanto hai scritto, hai avuto delle difficoltà che con un po' buona volontà e aiuto dalla community sei riuscito a superare. Mi chiedevo se te la sentissi di scrivere una guida step by step per neofiti, anche in italiano magari, per aiutare quanti come me vogliono aggiungere nuovi giochi su questo bel giocattolino Nintendo.
> ...


Un occhiata posso anche darla,  ma c'è davvero poco da aggiungere alla guida postata per l'uso di Raspberry e senza saldature. Il grosso dei problemi (davvero pochi) sta nel fatto che ci sia qualche refuso qua e là (un sudo che manca o un errore di scrittura) in più le immagini più che risolvere creano problemi, nel punto di cui parlo sopra sembra che quando entra nella cartella di backup questa non sia all'interno del Raspberry come invece è.

Cmq al momento la prima prova è andata liscia come l'olio, ma quando ho provato a riconnettermi per caricare altre rom ho avuto dei problemi dovuto alla connessione (senza saldature) nel mio pi4.

Se ho tempo nei prossimi giorni mi segno i passaggi per bene in modo da averli come promemoria.


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## spotanjo3 (Aug 5, 2021)

Its very neat to look at. I would love to see Mega Man 1-6 on it. The problem is LCD screen. It is so small and I am not into outgoing with video game on the go at all. Many people buy those things on the go and missed everything going on outside. Those should be left at home to enjoy and enjoying outside with our own eyes. You will realize that you missed something. Nature is good for you and video games are meaning to be left at home.


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## zxr750j (Sep 13, 2021)

Getting ready to dump & flash...

Seemed smart to solder some wires for dumping and flashing (and reflashing etc). Needed some kind of reusable connection and chose mini-jack (salvaged the male from a monster-cord and a female from an old phone).

Got me a 10€ soldering iron and gave it a shot:

Hope it works (it should)...


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## Evil_Gouky (Sep 20, 2021)

Hi,

Thanks for this guide, which works like a charm!

Is there a guide or tool with the Raspberry to have the hidden homebrew menu + keep the original system to go from G&W original system to retrogo?
I plan to put a 16MB memory but for the moment it is unavailable.

Best regards,


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## Rpt973 (Oct 8, 2021)

Hello everyone, I love the game and watch
I am amazed at what was seen and exposed and I would love to be able to have all the games installed on the commercial console.
There is a tutorial that explains the whole process and being able to do it for truly newbies.
Thank you.


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## Asia81 (Oct 8, 2021)

Delete...


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## Ninoh-FOX (Oct 13, 2021)

Finally I am mod my G&W from debian 10 and tplink v2.


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## Swagboi308 (Oct 14, 2021)

pog


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## hippy dave (Oct 14, 2021)

Swagboi308 said:


> pog


You make a good point.


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## Swagboi308 (Oct 14, 2021)

hippy dave said:


> You make a good point.


many thanks


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## Deleted member 568503 (Oct 14, 2021)

Great work!


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## Rpt973 (Oct 17, 2021)

Hello, does anyone know why when I touch somewhere where the connection cables are soldered, now I can't hear the sound? you only hear continuously as if you are making something contact between two points
Thanks


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## zxr750j (Oct 18, 2021)

My Rpi3B is a little unstable, thinking of buying a cheap ST-Link V2, can anyone recommend one?


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## dogfriend (Oct 20, 2021)

zxr750j said:


> My Rpi3B is a little unstable, thinking of buying a cheap ST-Link V2, can anyone recommend one?


No, they are rubbish! Doesn't work because they don't have a hardware reset as it is needed. There is a *stlink_v2_clone_hardware_reset_patch_v4 *around but i didn't got this piece of sh... to work. Better buy the real Nucleo-64. I bought the cheapest version for 17 € in Germany.


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## zxr750j (Oct 24, 2021)

Made a little video removing the flash chip of my Game & Watch using two soldering irons...


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## Ninoh-FOX (Oct 26, 2021)

finally I am put inside the stlink v2 mini, work great


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## hippy dave (Oct 26, 2021)

Ninoh-FOX said:


> finally I am put inside the stlink v2 mini, work great


That's very neat, good job.


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## fpmpaolo (Nov 8, 2021)

thebeaver said:


> I can't believe that my problem's solution is so stupid!
> 
> now everythings works fine.
> 
> Now my only problem is that I thought the G&W roms was smaller. It's impossible to play with all roms without increase the memory.


Did you manage to install a bigger memory chip?


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## esmith13 (Nov 10, 2021)

Hello all. I have finally decided to buckle down and mod my Mario G&W. I had previously ordered a STM32 (STM32F103 Nucleo-64 to be exact) for doing the flash mod and an upgraded 128Mbit flash chip (MX25U12835FM2I-10G) . I notice a bunch has changed since then (no patch needed for larger storage chips) and for some reason can no longer find a guide on how to do everything that isn't specifically for a raspberry pi.

Can anyone link me to a current guide for doing the mod with a STM32 please?

EDIT: Got as far as running the backup and restore scripts so my G&W is unlocked but stock right now. Looking for steps to both install retro-go and games as well as when during the process I should replace the flash chip with my new one.

Thanks in advance.


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## xs4all (Nov 11, 2021)

Ninoh-FOX said:


> finally I am put inside the stlink v2 mini, work great



Been out of the loop with the g&w modding scene.

However your internal stlink install is something I would prefer, was there any guides you followed for this?


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## Sirstiv (Nov 12, 2021)

Guys, modding these seems to be really tedious.

I just want to run the factory OS and just add super mario bros 2 and super mario bros 3 to make it the ultimate edition.

Has this not been done yet? Surely someone can compile it 

Can this not be done with the 1mb of storage?


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## DJPlace (Nov 13, 2021)

there's a ZELDA  game and watch out now it's the same thing like the SMB i doubt it's different but still....


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## ModFusion (Nov 17, 2021)

Hi I need a full tuto to install hack on game and watch please. What do I need ?
Thank you


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## thebeaver (Nov 20, 2021)

Semi OT:
I have lost the Power button. Is there anyway ti replace It?


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## luk_pop (Nov 24, 2021)

Is it necessary to rip the contents of the original? Can I put someone's MX25U128 backup on a new memory?


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## ModFusion (Dec 4, 2021)

Hi I have this spi flasher and I wonder if this one work and how to use it on game and watch please


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## jutleys (Dec 7, 2021)

HERE ARE MY EFFORTS 









Game watch Zelda edition  (Retro-go) 512MB hacked
Specs SCREEN:2.36 inch 320x240 LCD
SOC:32-bit Arm Cortex -M7 280 MHz MCUs
CPU:CORTEX M7 STM32H7B0VB
RAM: Mario 1.4 Mbyte RAM (4Mbyte zelda)
STORAGE: 128kbFlash+1MB SPI Mario (SPI 4MB SPI Zelda)
BATTERY: 525 MAh LI-ION
Supported emulators: with hacked Game&Watch
ColecoVision (col) Gameboy / Gameboy Color (gb/gbc) Game & Watch / LCD Games (gw) Nintendo Entertainment System (nes) PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 (pce) Sega Game Gear (gg) Sega Master System (sms) Sega SG-1000 (sg)


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## jutleys (Dec 7, 2021)




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## hartleyshc (Dec 9, 2021)

DJPlace said:


> there's a ZELDA  game and watch out now it's the same thing like the SMB i doubt it's different but still....


 Looking through some of the recent script updates, it appears that the Zelda GW has a 4mb chip where as the Mario one has a 1mb chip. 

Not a huge difference, but will allow users who don't upgrade the chip to get a little more space.




xs4all said:


> Been out of the loop with the g&w modding scene.
> 
> However your internal stlink install is something I would prefer, was there any guides you followed for this?



I've included pics of the pinouts. It's just an stlink V2 clone. You pull it out of the housing and wire it to the pins and the other end to the USB. 
You only need to connect SWCLK, SWDIO, and GND. The biggest pain is that you have to solder directly to the data pins, since the data lines aren't connected to anything (yet). But some enameled wire and a little flux, it shouldn't be too hard.


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## impeeza (Dec 27, 2021)

ill_be_ur_Krillin said:


> I did it! Raspberry Pi only. I got mario 3, tetris, marble madness and mega man 2 and still had 300kb free! Vendos guide works but has a typo or two and some steps aren't quite correct. All backups and flashes worked 100% first try. It was easy to get a good connection with common female to male dupont cables. Save states are working and the emu is smooth and 60fps. Sorry for the bad camera!


Hi, do you mind to point the typos on the guide? thanks.


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## rach58 (Jan 10, 2022)

Hello,



I'm struggling with step 15. after sending the order "
./1_sanity_check.sh rpi mario"  I have the message " 
"Running sanity checks...
OpenOCD does not seem to be working. Please validate that you have it installed correctly!" . an idea can be? thank you.


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## luk_pop (Jan 10, 2022)

Wrongly exported OPENOCD
check first:
$ echo OPENOCD

If there is no answer - empty, then you have to re-export OPENOCD correctly.


4 expl: 
export OPENOCD="/home/user/.local/xPacks/@xpack-dev-tools/openocd/0.11.0-2.1/.content/bin/openocd"


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## rach58 (Jan 10, 2022)

luk_pop said:


> Wrongly exported OPENOCD
> check first:
> $ echo OPENOCD
> 
> ...


There is an answer, I tried to reinstall it, it's the same ...


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## rach58 (Jan 10, 2022)

I passed step 15 successfully. now step 16 "Attempting to dump flash using adapter rpi.
Running OpenOCD ... (This can take up to a few minutes.)
Failed to dump SPI flash from device. Verify debug connection and try again. "Damn!


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## luk_pop (Jan 11, 2022)

You are using RPI so you have 3 wires to connect
GND - pin 39 
SWDIO  - pin 18
SWCLK - pin 22

RPI has low current efficiency, so it is worth connecting the battery.


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## rach58 (Jan 11, 2022)

luk_pop said:


> You are using RPI so you have 3 wires to connect
> GND - pin 39
> SWDIO  - pin 18
> SWCLK - pin 22
> ...


Thanks I will try.
The only things I changed:

6.tar xvf ../xpack-arm-none-eabi-gcc-10.2.1-1.1-linux-arm.tar.gz xpack-arm-none-eabigcc-10.2.1-1.1
6.tar xvf ../xpack-arm-none-eabi-gcc-10.2.1-1.1-linux-arm.tar.gz xpack-arm-none-eabi-gcc-10.2.1-1.1

10.npm install --global xpm @ latest
10.sudo npm install --global xpm @ latest

11. xpm install --global @ xpack-dev-tools / openocd @ latest
11. sudo xpm install --global @ xpack-dev-tools / openocd @ latest

12. export OPENOCD = "/ home/pi/.local/xPacks/@xpack-dev-tools/openocd/0.11.0-1.1/.content/bin/openocd"
12. export OPENOCD = "/ home/pi/.local/xPacks/@xpack-dev-tools/openocd/0.11.0-2.1/.content/bin/openocd"

15. ./ 1_sanity_check.sh rpi mario
15. ./1_sanity_check.sh rpi mario

if you see any errors do not hesitate. I hadn't thought about the voltage.


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## rach58 (Jan 11, 2022)

i installed the git package as well.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git


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## ill_be_ur_Krillin (Jan 11, 2022)

At step 16, is your G&W connected to usb-c charging, power on, and at the clock screen? Check my previous post for more:


ill_be_ur_Krillin said:


> Don't connect the battery but do connect the usb c power adapter and have it on at the clock screen. Watch this video from 2:30 and do what he does but replace "jlink" with "rpi" and dont do ./5_restore. That will get you to step 19 in the guide.


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## rach58 (Jan 12, 2022)

Hello,
Well, everything works. I find that with the raspberry it is very unstable. moreover, it is impossible to flash with the mains, only with the battery and keeping the power button pressed. Thank you. What do you advise me in replacement memory?


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## luk_pop (Jan 13, 2022)

MX25U128 gives 16MB, which in my opinion is more than enough for the entire G&W collection + 10x NES + 10x GB and it will probably be 30-50% free


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## PolluxPT (Feb 3, 2022)

rach58 said:


> Hello,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


How did you solved this step?
Thank you.

EDIT:  SOLVED. Need to hold power button.


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## rach58 (Feb 28, 2022)

PolluxPT said:


> How did you solved this step?
> Thank you.
> 
> EDIT:  SOLVED. Need to hold power button.



absoutely


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## dboynj (Mar 14, 2022)

edit: After the third script crapped out in the middle i thought i was hosed, but eventually i got it to run and completed all 5 steps.  woo!

If I have 3 SMB G&W's that I want to flash and maintain separately, I should rename the backup folders to the serial number, and manually move them in and out - - the backups from one will not work on the other, correct?


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## Igdirli76 (Apr 10, 2022)

Hello people,

is there a tutorial how to get the game and watch patches for MX25U51245GZ4I00 for Zelda Edition?

Thanks in advance


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## david watters (May 5, 2022)

is there any current tutorial to mod a mario game and watch with raspberry pi? i cant seem to get openocd to work when i run /.1 so im stuck


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## david watters (May 5, 2022)

is there any current tutorial to mod a mario game and watch with raspberry pi? i cant seem to get openocd to work when i run /.1 so im stuck

Running sanity checks...
OpenOCD does not seem to be working. Please validate that you have it installed correctly!


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## Planlos1988 (May 19, 2022)

Hello 
Im new here but i know this Page nearly since it exists. But i only read it before 
So this is my first Post and i have a quastion. Is here anyone from Germany or Europe that hacks the new Game and Watch Systems for others including the 16mb chip? That would be realy nice and more we can speak by PN 

So for now, thanks for the many years of information and thanks anyone who would help me out.

Cheers
Patrick


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## rjw35 (Aug 8, 2022)

Had to start a new rpi install, planning to upgrade memory to 64mb. Already flashed and have my backups. Problem is with gcc, it keeps giving me: /bin/sh: 1: arm-none-eabi-gcc: not found

Followed the steps several times and I don't know what I'm doing different from the first time I flashed this thing.
echo $PATH returns:
/home/pi/.local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/local/games:/usr/games:/snap/bin:/opt/xpack-arm-none-eabi-gcc-10.2.1-1.1/bin

[email protected]:~/opt/xpack-arm-none-eabi-gcc-10.2.1-1.1/bin $
Above lists lots of files; arm-none-eabi-gcc is there.

arm-none-eabi-gcc --version
-bash: /home/pi/opt/xpack-arm-none-eabi-gcc-10.2.1-1.1/bin/arm-none-eabi-gcc: No such file or directory

Tried deleting, it all-- downloading the zip and extracting to the folder, redoing PATH etc.


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## Bam1 (Aug 25, 2022)

Could you perhaps post a link to the 16MB Chip and the STM Programmer?


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## impeeza (Aug 25, 2022)

Google is your friend. I did buy mines on amazon


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