Hacking Acekard 2i & EZflash 3in1

[Belga]

Hi everybody !

I've just bought an Acekard 2i and a EZflash 3in1 for my DS light.

Acekard works great, with the original firmware (4.13) and AKAIO one (1.3rc1).
EZFlash works with the original Acekard firmware and GBA ExpLoader 0.58b, but only to launch GBA games (NOR/SDRAM).

When I use the AKAIO firmware, I try to toggle the 3in1 option but it tells me "3in1/EWin not found !", and I can't access the third menu in GBA Exploader (the one with Rumble/Ram extension)
When I use the orginal firmware, I can go to this menu, and select Rumble or Ram extension, but I cannot toggle the option in games nor launch Opera.

I tried with/without the soft reset option, no result...

So here is my question(s) : is Acekard 2i truly compatible with EZflash 3in1 or not (yet) ?
What do I have to do in order to use the Rumble/Ram extension ?

Any idea ?

 

[Smiths]

wonder why it tells you 3in1 not found.

detection is in there for all 3in1 models... interesting.

 

[logical thinker]

Your problem is similar to this: http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=126122&st=0
Is there a new version of the EZ 3-in-1?

 

[Another World]

using my ak2 and rpg i've never had the 3rd option. opera auto patches for ram before it runs in akaio so i never worried about it. i know you can dump the firmware and rename it to get those features. i just forget how to do it or what you have to do exactly. hopefully someone else can post more info on it.

also i know that you need a game flashed to nor for the pack to be seen correctly in the nds. i don't know why and i never bothered to research it. make sure something is in NOR then try running a clean version of the browser directly inside AKAIO.

-another world

 

[Belga]

Well, actually, there is a game in the NOR (I can launch it from the DS menu) but still I cannot use Opera, nor the rumble function.

Is there a way to know the version of the EZ 3in1 I have ? I believe I have to open it.

If it should recognize it when I try the 3in1 option in the firmware menu, maybe the card itself is damaged, so should I send it back for an exchange ?

 

[JLsoft]

...hopefully someone else can post more info on it.

Another World, see http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=124086

--


Also, just to add to the Opera discussion a bit, on my AK2, it worked fine with 1.3b2, but now both clean and already-patched-for-the-3in1 roms return white screens with 1.3rc1&2. One thing I noticed when it was working was that the AKAIO loads the Browser ROM and shows the blue 'LOADING' screen like it does for homebrew, but not ROMs, which makes it sound like there's something about the ROM that it's detecting wrong or something...but it worked.

...anyway, now to get Opera to work on 1.3rc*, I found that if I take the 3in1 out and launch a pre-patched-for-the-3in1 copy of the Browser, AKAIO will show the LOADING screen...at which point I quickly insert the 3in1. The LOADING text will turn a darker blue, and the ROM starts right up

 

[Belga]

I have no white screen, AKAIO seems to load the ROM correctly, but then I am asked for the Ram extension cartridge.

I found that if I take the 3in1 out and launch a pre-patched-for-the-3in1 copy of the Browser, AKAIO will show the LOADING screen...at which point I quickly insert the 3in1.
That didn't work for me. Maybe I'll try again the official firmware (v. 4.13), but I don't think it'll change anything.

1.3rc1&2
Where can I download the 1.3rc2 version ? I cannot find it...


Another thing, the changelog for AKAIO 1.3rc1 shows :
QUOTE

AK2i support (options that could potentially harm AK2i are disabled)

Maybe the use of the EZ 3in1 was disabled ? I cannot see how it could harm a DSi since there is no slot 2, but you never know...

 

[JLsoft]

Belga, sorry, I'm on crack today...I meant just 1.3rc1 :I

 

[Santee]

in the gbaxploder does it say that it''s the plus cause maybe the acekard2i might not recognize it

 

[Belga]

What do you mean by "it's the plus" ?
It still doesn't work, but still, when I try with the official firmware, and GBAxploader, I can access the third screen with the three rumble options and the Ram extension. When I choose one of the rumble options, the cartridge rumble a bit before the reset, so I guess this is not a material problem. Still, after the reset, it is not recognized as a rumble cartridge by the games...

 

[artlan]

What do you mean by "it's the plus" ?
It still doesn't work, but still, when I try with the official firmware, and GBAxploader, I can access the third screen with the three rumble options and the Ram extension. When I choose one of the rumble options, the cartridge rumble a bit before the reset, so I guess this is not a material problem. Still, after the reset, it is not recognized as a rumble cartridge by the games...

He means in GBAxploader it shows up as "3in1pls", which mine does also. I'm having all the same problems with my AK2 on a DSLite.

 

[Smiths]

hmm
i ported in the 3in1+ source code that EZ released.
perhaps they didn't give everyone all the source needed?

 

[Belga]

Oh yeah, i didn't see that earlier, it's recognise as a "3in1Pls" by GBA ExpLoader. Is there a specific source that I an build for it to work ?

Edit : Ok, I just read this article (http://ezflash.sosuke.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=13482), it seems that this is the same problem. I guess I'll have to wait for a firmware update...

 

[Smiths]

the latest beta though has the routines ported in from that source. the reading, writing, detection, etc. are all in there.

 

[Diosoth]

This issue, coupled with all the other problems I've read about concerning the 3-In-1(dead/nonfunctioning save batteries especially), are making me quite glad I spent the extra cash to get the EZ-Flash IV GBA-sized cartridge instead... I miss out on rumble and RAM, but rumble on DS is a feature I don't need or want, and nothing I run needs the RAM. I've found the EFIV to be quite a nice little GBA device.

 

[Belga]

So it may be the cartridge that has a defect. I think I'm going to send it back for an exchange.

Or maybe it's the version of the firmware I use that is wrong, the latest are 1.13 for the original firmware and AKAIO 1.3rc1, aren't they ?

 

[kakujo]

I'm actually having the same problem. That and only some of my gba roms work with the same setup (I'll get a white screen on ones that don't work).

It must be incompatibilities with the ak2i, as I'm using it on my dsl.
Both my GF's and mine act the same way.

Just waiting for firmware update...

 

[Smiths]

if it's the 3in1+ who knows.
apparently those are silently shipping now?

 

[kakujo]

Must be, because I don't remember ordering the "+".

Kind of frustrating, that.

 

[Another World]

i have opera running on my rpg using various builds of the beta firmware after 1.3rc1 with no issues. i do not have the 3-in-1+ however. that is looking like it is your problem. perhaps we need another donation to get smiths a 3-in-1+ when they are listed as such on DX.

-another world