Is it possible to fix this Pokemon Leaf Green cartridge?

RAR_ · Aug 15, 2022

I bought this original Pokemon Leaf Green cartridge last year and found a very weird problem that I will explain next and want to know if there's a fix or someone know what caused it.

The game works fine but freezes when I try to access PC. I didn't find any problem indication in the cartridge itself, so I used a tool called Gba Backup and a DS flashcard to backup the cartridge ROM and compare the binaries from this ROM with a working Leaf Green ROM.

There's only one diference between the two that I think is the reason of the freezes, but I have no idea what caused it (maybe a misuse of Action replay?) or how to fix (if there's a fix...).

Someone know if there's a fix for this?

zfreeman · Aug 15, 2022

Have you tried uploading a new save to the cart, or at least clearing the old save?

RAR_ · Aug 15, 2022

zfreeman said:
Have you tried uploading a new save to the cart, or at least clearing the old save?

Yes. I tried erasing and start a new one, getting one from internet then restore to the cartridge...

Even if I play de backup ROM in a emulator, the problem remains.

Fixing the diferent byte in the backup ROM the problem goes away but obviously I cannot write on catridge

zfreeman · Aug 15, 2022

Reflow the solder of the pins on the ROM chip. There's a possibility that a pin isn't getting continuity.

It is concerning that the bad dump is consistently the same. Usually, if it was a solder joint, the bad dump would be different every time, from the varied amounts of contact.

The fact that it is not changing could mean that the ROM chip itself is bad. Or there is something wrong with the DS, that would make it not dump properly (e.g., pins from console and/or cartridge not making proper contact).

elk1007 · Aug 16, 2022

RAR_ said:
Yes. I tried erasing and start a new one, getting one from internet then restore to the cartridge...

Even if I play de backup ROM in a emulator, the problem remains.

Fixing the diferent byte in the backup ROM the problem goes away but obviously I cannot write on catridge

Maybe the carts memory has a bad sector causing irreversible issues.
Does the dumped rom still freeze in an emulator?

Is it possible to fix this Pokemon Leaf Green cartridge?

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