Homebrew what is a flashcard time bomb and how do i stop it?

[TyDye]

title pretty much explains it all

 

[Lord_Friky]

Well, I have an R4i SDHC Dual-Core 2015 card, and I still use it by changing the kernel every year

 

[Adeka]

a timebomb is a method to softbrick your cart after a certain date. You can avoid it by either putting ysmenu as your kernel or rolling back the clock on your 3ds

timebombs only affect r4isdhc.com carts, not r4i-sdhc.com or r4isdhc.com.cn

Edit: I should mention this only affects r4isdhc.com carts that are 2014 and higher

 

[DinohScene]

Avoid R4 and get an Acekard.
Sure way to prevent it.

 

[Adeka]

Avoid R4 and get an Acekard.
Sure way to prevent it.

timebombs only affect r4isdhc.com carts, just don't buy a cart from them and you won't get a timebomb

 

[DinohScene]

timebombs only affect r4isdhc.com carts, just don't buy a cart from them and you won't get a timebomb

Noobs will get them anyway.
It's just the way how they are.

 

[TyDye]

Well, I have an R4i SDHC Dual-Core 2015 card, and I still use it by changing the kernel every year

How do you change the kernel key?

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

a timebomb is a method to softbrick your cart after a certain date. You can avoid it by either putting ysmenu as your kernel or rolling back the clock on your 3ds

timebombs only affect r4isdhc.com carts, not r4i-sdhc.com or r4isdhc.com.cn

Edit: I should mention this only affects r4isdhc.com carts that are 2014 and higher

Wait. So simply rolling back the time fixes it? Also lol I thought time bomb ment some sort of explosive

 

[Technicmaster0]

a timebomb is a method to softbrick your cart after a certain date. You can avoid it by either putting ysmenu as your kernel or rolling back the clock on your 3ds

timebombs only affect r4isdhc.com carts, not r4i-sdhc.com or r4isdhc.com.cn

Edit: I should mention this only affects r4isdhc.com carts that are 2014 and higher

My r4i 3DS B9S from r4i-sdhc.com has a timebomb.
Another way to avoid it is to always update to the latest kernel.

 

[Adeka]

My r4i 3DS B9S from r4i-sdhc.com has a timebomb.
Another way to avoid it is to always update to the latest kernel.

this is the newest cart from last month?

the point of the timebomb is so the cart makers can stop updating the kernel, forcing you to buy a new cart

 

[Technicmaster0]

this is the newest cart from last month?

the point of the timebomb is so the cart makers can stop updating the kernel, forcing you to buy a new cart

Yes it's the new card from last month but I'm pretty sure that R4i 3DS RTS cards from the same website are affected, too (tho I don't own one - I can't test it on my own).

That's a wild guess by you. We can only speculate about the reason for the timebomb. Another reason might be to force users to update the kernel so that there are no issues by outdated kernels.

 

[guyman70718]

Noobs will get them anyway.
It's just the way how they are.

Not just noobs. I got mine for $15 new and it works on 3DS. If I can just use unofficial software to get a $15 flashcart I'll do it.

 

[Dante2405]

Not just noobs. I got mine for $15 new and it works on 3DS. If I can just use unofficial software to get a $15 flashcart I'll do it.

Same here but have to admit I didn't know about time bomb.
Use to have a DS flashcard like 10 or 15 years ago. When I bought one a few months ago, I didn't think such things would exist.

Still don't understand the purpose of it since it is so easy to by pass.
Got an R4 sdhc RTS 2017 working like a charm btw. Price wise I'm not disappointed.

 

[Marcoon]

I’m planning to buy 5 of different R4 cards from different websites. So if it’s from ᖇ4ᑕᗪᕼᑕ.ᑕOᗰ it has a timebomb unless ysmenu is my kernel?

 

[Technicmaster0]

I’m planning to buy 5 of different R4 cards from different websites. So if it’s from ᖇ4ᑕᗪᕼᑕ.ᑕOᗰ it has a timebomb unless ysmenu is my kernel?

Yes, you should not get a R4i from r4isdhc.com or r4i-sdhc.com (or r4i-gold.eu or r4i-max.com). Better get a R4i Gold 3DS Plus or another good card.

 

[John256145]

What's the purpose of a time bomb, anyway?

 

[JSMastah]

I'm curious as to why they have so many websites for litterally the same brand of products. I find it confusing.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[SCOTT0852]

It's not the same brand, the original card (at least, that I remember) was called the R4.
Then a bunch of other companies essentially made knockoffs, although they do have some benefits over the original card, like supporting larger microSD cards or making it easier to switch between NTRboot and the normal flashcart mode.

A timebomb basically just means that if your DS clock is past a certain date, it just stops working. You can always get around these by setting your system clock back, if your card has one.

 

[TyDye]

WOW! this got a lot of reply. honestly originally i thought my flashcard was a actual bomb i was worried lol

 

[Crimsonite]

I bought my R4I card from newegg.ca
Does anyone know if it comes with a time bomb?

 

[Alex4nder001]

Just get the same flashcart I use: R4i Gold 3ds RTS plus. I've never had any issues with it, and it certainly doesn't have any kind of timebomb. (Get the Kernel from here, not from r4ids.cn as that one doesn't seem to work).