Hacking AceKard 2i Purchase

[shazbot]

I'll vouch for the fake Acekards, sadly. I orded two Acekard2i's last week. They arrived today and both cards have security codes that have been checked more times that can be assumed to be accidental: 11 for one card, 27 for the other, and both dating back many months.

I'll be contacting them immediately and requesting replacement/refunds, and will reply in this thread with an update regarding their response.

EDIT: As I updated below, I just want to add in this post for people skimming, RHS has sent me two replacements in what must be record time and without hassle. I can wholeheartedly recommend them. Angry posts on the internet abound, but companies ought to be congratulated when they help their customers as well.

Yes, the site is very reputable.

Other members may not think so due to the fact that a while go they sold fake Acekards. However, this was not there fault; their supplier was misinformed. They no longer do this and the site is still a great place to buy from for a US-based store.

AKAIO is the software, its lies on the SD card so it can be installed from any computer. AKAIO will work so long as the bootloader is able to boot on the console.

 

[Another World]

I'll vouch for the fake Acekards, sadly. I orded two Acekard2i's last week. They arrived today and both cards have security codes that have been checked more times that can be assumed to be accidental: 11 for one card, 27 for the other, and both dating back many months.

I'll be contacting them immediately and requesting replacement/refunds, and will reply in this thread with an update regarding their response.

acekard is not using a unique code for each acekard they produce. they are instead recycling the codes and printing them on more than one flash kit. your card is probably legit but your code has already been printed (and checked) on 11 and 27 other cards.

it is possible that it is fake. you should try akaio 1.8.8 for a few weeks. test it heavily by running a bunch of homebrew and a bunch or roms. play a few hours each night. if the card saves, soft-reset works, the AP patching works, etc, its more than likely not a fake acekard.

the only way to know for sure is to crack it open. all of the current acekards are glued shut, if you open it you will have a very hard time getting it exchanged for another. if you do open it take some photos of the PCB (front and back) and post them here. we will verify for you if the card is real.

with that said, i've recently been told about an acekard that is as real as it can be but is having issues with some things. it could be the microsd but the guy who has it said he tested with more than one micro sd. its looking like a really good clone but we aren't 100% sure that it isn't just user error.

part of me wants to stock up on acekards for the future. i love my ds systems and i love homebrew. but its so hard to know what you are buying and that is completely acekard’s own fault. they should have NEVER sold the design of the ak2i actel chip to 3rd party developers. granted it lead to the r4 ultra (made by acekard), the r4idsn, the r4igold (a wonderful alternative to expensive flash kits with wood support), etc, but it has also lead to cloned ak2i cards which use a variety of chips.

-another world

 

[shazbot]

Wow, I had no idea the codes were being reused or that they sold the chip design and dug themselves into such a hole!

I am happy to report that RHS has already processed my support request - writing polite, detailed support requests beats the hell out of angry ranting - and replacement chips are on the way. A shame if it turns out that these are in fact genuine acekards, but I expect they'll open them first thing for inspection upon arrival. I'm a bit disappointed in acekard themselves for making the code check page sound so doom-and-gloom upon acknowledgement of a previously-registered code. They certainly don't imply that they are recycling codes!

I would have no qualms about cracking open the cases myself, but these acekards are intended as gifts. My own chip is a cycloDS from 2008 and I'll admit to not having really followed the scene too closely since then. After some reading to update my understanding of the scene today, they seemed to be a perfect fit for their intended users. I will definitely test the replacements heavily.

Much obliged for the insight, Another World. That is some equally fascinating and tragic stuff. Now I rather wish I had kept my head in the scene. I expect I would have cheered and facepalmed often, and likely in equal measure!

I'll vouch for the fake Acekards, sadly. I orded two Acekard2i's last week. They arrived today and both cards have security codes that have been checked more times that can be assumed to be accidental: 11 for one card, 27 for the other, and both dating back many months.

I'll be contacting them immediately and requesting replacement/refunds, and will reply in this thread with an update regarding their response.

acekard is not using a unique code for each acekard they produce. they are instead recycling the codes and printing them on more than one flash kit. your card is probably legit but your code has already been printed (and checked) on 11 and 27 other cards.

it is possible that it is fake. you should try akaio 1.8.8 for a few weeks. test it heavily by running a bunch of homebrew and a bunch or roms. play a few hours each night. if the card saves, soft-reset works, the AP patching works, etc, its more than likely not a fake acekard.

the only way to know for sure is to crack it open. all of the current acekards are glued shut, if you open it you will have a very hard time getting it exchanged for another. if you do open it take some photos of the PCB (front and back) and post them here. we will verify for you if the card is real.

with that said, i've recently been told about an acekard that is as real as it can be but is having issues with some things. it could be the microsd but the guy who has it said he tested with more than one micro sd. its looking like a really good clone but we aren't 100% sure that it isn't just user error.

part of me wants to stock up on acekards for the future. i love my ds systems and i love homebrew. but its so hard to know what you are buying and that is completely acekard’s own fault. they should have NEVER sold the design of the ak2i actel chip to 3rd party developers. granted it lead to the r4 ultra (made by acekard), the r4idsn, the r4igold (a wonderful alternative to expensive flash kits with wood support), etc, but it has also lead to cloned ak2i cards which use a variety of chips.

-another world

 

[Themanhunt]

Install the latest updates on any 2i and if it works and you HW version is above 44 then it's legit.

 

[Another World]

i'm getting mixed information now. some sources are saying the codes are recycled and some are saying they are not. i've tried to contact acekard about it but have yet to get a reply. RHS recently sent out an email that they sold fake 2i kits by mistake. they said in the email that acekard told them the codes are unique.

at this point i'm fucking confused. i'm so sick of the 2i clone/fake problem. its all acekard's own fault for selling the design of the actel chipped 2i to "r4" teams.

when i find out for sure i'll post back. but right now it looks like returning it is the correct thing to do.

-another world

 

[shazbot]

Another update:

The replacements for the two possible-fakes have arrived. Both codes register as legit and having never been checked before. Perhaps RHS were indeed given a counterfeit batch of acekard2i's. Kudos to Real Hot Stuff for the prompt and hassle-free replacement.

As for acekard and the prevalence of fakes, this does seem like one huge mess they've created for themselves.

stuff

 

[kevan]

Just a quick note, I can fit 50 games on a 2gb card so yeah

 

[Another World]

looks like i forgot to apply back to this thread.

i did contact acekard and they said each code is unique. if your code has been checked multiple times then your acekard is a 1:1 hardware clone using a fake sticker.

-another world