Help: Pro Action Replay for GameBoy

[NekoMichi]

I managed to get a GameBoy cartridge labelled "Pro Action Replay" today and was wondering how to use it. It's a grey cartridge that has a slot on it as well as a red button and a black slider switch. Here are some pics:

The red button and black switch, the button resets the console​

I ve searched on Google and via GBAtemp's forums but haven't found any instruction manuals for it. It was tested on several consoles:

Original GameBoy DMG - Boots
GameBoy Pocket MGB - Boots
GameBoy Color CGB - Boots to GameBoy logo, fails to progress any further
Gameboy Advance AGB - Boots to GameBoy logo, fails to progress any further
GameBoy Advance SP AGS001 - Boots to GameBoy logo, fails to progress any further

Code entry screen?​

On the occasions that it does successfully boot, I can enter some kind of code entry screen and pressing Start will bring up a screen prompt for me to "slide poke switch". Tested using Action Replay codes with Pokémon Yellow, the game either boots without the cheat codes causing any effect, it boots to a corrupted title screen and freezes, or it enters the title screen only for a message to say that the save data has been destroyed and the game then runs like normal without any save data. Has anyone here used one before and knows how it works? Thanks.

 

[Deleted User]

It's a hexadecimal code cheat device. I used to have a similar one, if I recall the switch enables/disables cheats, the button resets the GB into booting into the Action Replay menu

That menu with all the zeros, you type in 8 digit action replay/gameshark codes which can be found on places like supercheats then I think you press start to save them to ram (some AR/GS carts also let you save cheats and/or have some cheats preloaded into the ROM) then you boot up the game and use the switch to turn cheats on/off. I recommend playing around with a game that doesn't use saves like Tetris while you get the hang of using it so you don't risk ruining your Pokemon save till you know what you're doing (Note in Pokémon GSC using it will randomly change the day of the week for no reason but you can fix that with a hidden ingame menu)

I'm pretty sure it should work with GBC and GBA, what exactly happens when you boot it up? does it have a black/corrupt logo like when you don't put in a game right? you might need to try reconnecting it to the console or the game you want to cheat.

 

[NekoMichi]

It's a hexadecimal code cheat device. I used to have a similar one, if I recall the switch enables/disables cheats, the button resets the GB into booting into the Action Replay menu

That menu with all the zeros, you type in 8 digit action replay/gameshark codes which can be found on places like supercheats then I think you press start to save them to ram (some AR/GS carts also let you save cheats and/or have some cheats preloaded into the ROM) then you boot up the game and use the switch to turn cheats on/off. I recommend playing around with a game that doesn't use saves like Tetris while you get the hang of using it so you don't risk ruining your Pokemon save till you know what you're doing (Note in Pokémon GSC using it will randomly change the day of the week for no reason but you can fix that with a hidden ingame menu)

I'm pretty sure it should work with GBC and GBA, what exactly happens when you boot it up? does it have a black/corrupt logo like when you don't put in a game right? you might need to try reconnecting it to the console or the game you want to cheat.

Thanks, that's really helpful.

I tested it with a Donkey Kong cart (dead internal battery, so cannot save anyway) using codes found on Google but it didn't have any effect in-game while the same codes did work using an emulator (I tried with the slider switch in either direction), and the same goes for Pokémon Yellow.

When booting on a GBC/GBA, the usual GameBoy logo appears in colour with the chime and the Nintendo text appears as normal (non-corrupt) but then it fades to blank and stays blank rather than going into the code entry menu.

Sometimes during gameplay the screen contrast dips to the point where it's almost invisible but then it always jumps back moments later. This doesn't happen without the AR cart and the batteries in the console have been fully charged so it shouldn't be caused by the power supply. At other times, instead of showing the 4-line code entry screen it can randomly boot to a different "trainer" menu which gives options to search for variable values but I haven't figured out what causes it to boot to the different screen yet (the slider sometimes affects which screen it boots to but the results have so far been inconsistent).

Not sure if I'm using it wrong or if the cart itself is faulty.

 

[Deleted User]

Hmmm, the GBC thing sounds like maybe Nintendo designed the GBC to detect and block this model and the point where you get the black screen is when it detects it.

The screen contrast thing shouldn't be happening, perhaps this is a powerhungry model that somehow sucks out power from the screen, or it's faulty, or you're accidentally bumping the contrast slider.
Unfortunately I don't still have the one which yours reminds me of but my current one when booting up will boot straight into the game if the switch is off, boot to the trainer menu when the switch is on and ingame pressing the button will bring up a different trainer menu.
It sounds like the switch determines which menu to bring up and maybe sometimes when you switch it the switch connector doesn't move properly, or one of those menus is the same one the button brings up and the button is being a bit sensitive and sometimes pressing when not pressed. I think with the menu where you input the codes you press start after typing them if I recall and to enable them ingame you set the switch to the on position (on/off might not be marked so you may need to experiment) Pressing that button ingame should bring up a trainer menu.

 

[NekoMichi]

Thanks for your help.
I opened up the cartridge and it turns out the previous owner didn't take proper care of it - the inside was covered with dust and there was even a dead spider trapped within the casing. Given the amount of dirt inside and the erratic behaviour of the cartridge, it's probably safe to assume that there may be hardware issues that could be causing the bugs (no pun intended) and save corruptions.

Edit:
I got it to half-work. Turns out the game fails to boot of the switch is in the "on" position, so I have to toggle it on mid-gameplay. But whether it works or not depends on whatever is happening in-game. I noticed that it can sometimes crash the game if the switch is on while my character moves into a different area or if something happens that makes the music change.

The sudden changes in screen contrast are still a mystery but only happen with Pokémon Yellow and not with any other game. It's fixed if I use the AC adaptor instead of battery power. The cart still corrupts the save every time I boot into Pokémon Yellow. Save is also corrupted after turning off the console so the next time I play the game without the AR cart it still erases my save.

I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with the hardware, after a full disassembly the inside was filthy and it smelt of burnt PCB as well as bad breath. Not sure what exactly the previous owner did to the cart but it sure seems to have done some damage.