Hacking Flashcards life time

Omer · May 6, 2015

Hello, I was just wondering if there is a life time for video game flash cards like Gateway, DStwo , Ez 4 and Everdrive GB flashcards (I'm not talking about the micro sd or the SD cards that fit in the card and I'm not talking about the batteries (like the ez or everdrive) of the flashcard I'm talking about the card itself
Note: Mostly I'm referring to EZ4 and Everdrive GB because they have erasing-writing process to a physical memory in the flash[like NOR flash in EZ4] whenever you change the rom

The Real Jdbye · May 6, 2015

Short answer: No.
Long answer: They have no mechanical parts, technically the save chip will wear out over time but this also happens with a legitimate cartridge and it could be thousands of years before that happens.

sandytf · May 6, 2015

All electrical devices will, over time, wear out and fail. The exact life time is generally difficult to accurately estimate because it is highly dependent on how a device is used and the frequency of use. Often, the battery will be the first component to fail, but those are easy to replace. Extra care must be taken, however if the battery is rechargeable.

Omer · May 6, 2015

Some flashcards like EZ and Everdrive erase and rewrites data every time you choose a new rom , so it has a RAM or a physical memory to do that .I was thinking if that will limit it's life time according to the erasing rewriting processing number!

Zarxrax · May 6, 2015

Most flash carts will typically last for years. If it has a spring loaded socket for ejecting the microsd, that can sometimes fail.

Omer · May 6, 2015

Zarxrax said:
Most flash carts will typically last for years. If it has a spring loaded socket for ejecting the microsd, that can sometimes fail.

That's true .Happened to my DStwo but I don't consider this to be a limitation to the life span of the card , I mean something that make the card really useless

tony_2018 · May 6, 2015

There is no exact answer to something like this because there are variables that can alter the life

Technicmaster0 · May 6, 2015

Normally current DS flashcards should last serveral years. But Cheap r4 Clones often break very early.

samiam144 · May 6, 2015

I still got a perfectly working M3 Simply DS flashcard since 2007. I'd say flash and retail card lifetimes are nothing to worry about

Cyan · May 6, 2015

My DSTwo (2-3 years old) is showing dying sign.
The card doesn't always appear on the menu, and while playing it's freezing as if it were ejected.

or it could be my 3DS cartridge's contacts..
but 3DS cards are working fine.
DSTwo is very hard to remove from the 3DS cartridge slot, I don't know if it creates any issues.

Omer · May 6, 2015

Cyan said:
My DSTwo (2-3 years old) is showing dying sign.
The card doesn't always appear on the menu, and while playing it's freezing as if it were ejected.

or it could be my 3DS cartridge's contacts..
but 3DS cards are working fine.
DSTwo is very hard to remove from the 3DS cartridge slot, I don't know if it creates any issues.

Maybe its a micro sd card issue

VinsCool · May 7, 2015

I have a dstt from 2009. Still working flawlessly.

SaddQ · May 7, 2015

I recently used my DS with the EZ 3in1 GBA flash card. Hadn't used it for years and it still works like a charm. No battery problems whatsoever.

console · May 7, 2015

My two Acekard 2i (one is spring load and one is no spring load) still working since I bought in year 2011 from RealHotStuff. I never use much, just rarely use few months. No issues so far.

Only microSD, SD, USB thumb drive, and SSD have life cycle about between 10,000 - 15,000 write and delete then become worn out means going to dead need to replace. Almost same like hard drive and power supplies go worn out in few years. DS and 3DS retail carts had save chip would going worn out same like SD and SSD.

Did not apply to flash cards due to RAM. RAM had no limit cycles and don't store for to save files. When power go off, it clear memory when shut down to turn off and never affect life cycle. Same with computer memory RAM and video graphic card RAM.

xile6 · May 7, 2015

Hard to say how long it will last. A normal sd card has an amount of writes before they go dead. Even ram is the same. They just get old and burn out.
So hard to say how long something will last.

Also temperture can play a big part in this. Heat causes things to crack and solder to lift.

Sicklyboy · May 7, 2015

Cyan said:
My DSTwo (2-3 years old) is showing dying sign.
The card doesn't always appear on the menu, and while playing it's freezing as if it were ejected.

or it could be my 3DS cartridge's contacts..
but 3DS cards are working fine.
DSTwo is very hard to remove from the 3DS cartridge slot, I don't know if it creates any issues.

I've had two DSTWOs and they both did the same thing (one regretfully went to an ex-girlfriend). I think it has to do with the thickness of the cartridge.

thorasgar · May 7, 2015

Two acekards I had both crapped out within months of each other after about 3 years. Still use the same mSDs just have to format them every so often. Like all electronics you just never know when they are going to crap out. It could be a few months or you could be showing them to your grandkids.

Hacking Flashcards life time

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