Hacking Acekard2i and large .NDS files.

[RandomRedMage]

Hi there everyone, I've done some serious digging around recently since I had bricked my Acekard2i. There was a rather big argument between Acekard users and their cards getting bricked and not getting bricked while using the same game. I myself decided to do a little testing after I had the incident myself. Games that are 512MB brick Acekard2i...

Well not completely and not for everyone.
What I noticed while reading through several threads between multiple forums, is no one was giving enough information and everyone was calling each other a liar. In so many words. Well I decided to end this thought for myself and others who didn't figure it out and are still sad about not being able to play some games. MAINLY because no one wants to have to buy yet ANOTHER flash cart to play just ONE game. It's a hassle and defeats the purpose of buying the first flash cart in the first place.

The game in question I am using an the example, as this is the game that I had the incident with:

Love Plus Plus. A Japanese "Date Sim" Sequal to the head turning Love Plus.
The game is 512mb in size the largest size an NDS game is capable of being.

Going through I decided to give this a major testing. I used 3 NDS files each from a different download source. I also used 1 DSi, 1 DSL, and 1 DS Phat.
This is my result.

The Hardware [aka the version of DS you are using.] Is irrelevant to the outcome.
The MicroSD card however is the KEY.
When playing the game on any system using a MicroSD card formatted in FAT32, on each system resulted in a BRICK.
After unbricking the Acekard for the third time, I reformatted my MicroSD card to FAT [also known as FAT16] and tested again.
When playing on any system, Using a MicroSD card formatted as FAT, you do NOT get bricked.

So looking back at the issue I saw, no one who got bricked ever mentioned what their SD cards were formatted as. In kind those who were not getting bricked ALSO did not state what their SD card was formatted as.

I am going to say thank you to Bloodlust who posted in one of the threads that Formatting to FAT16 will fix the issue, as it was this statement that I could not put much faith behind as the statement wasn't too indepth and had no sources behind it to state where he got the information or anything else.

And Thanks to tk_saturn for his Updating AK2i guide for without it I am sure a LOT of people would have likely thrown out their acekards after a brick.

So final words: To play 4Gbit games [512mb] you must have a FAT formatted SD card.

 

[Memino]

Thanks for the info, I'll be careful when playing games that big in future. So fat16 format didn't brick at all?

 

[twiztidsinz]

Not to knock on your post, but... this has been said before.
Also, if I recall correctly, not all MicroSDHCs need to be FAT/16 to run the game. It's only the MicroSDHCs that have the problem. I also believe that Normmatt said he could probably fix the problem, but he doesn't have a MicroSDHC that has the issue, though I'm not too sure on this so don't quote me on it.

 

[SparkFenix]

If you use the SDFormatter it will automatically set the microSD to FAT

 

[Clookster]

What exactly do you mean with "cards getting bricked"?

 

[SparkFenix]

I think he means, they dont work anymore simply

You need to reflash/unbrick them again so theyll work

 

[RandomRedMage]

@Memino

Nope, I've been playing it for a while now and, intentionally saving and turning off periodicly to check and no bricked AK2i. So FAT16 is safe from bricking on the SDHC cards that suffer this.

@twiztidsinz

Well, to be frank with you, if I may, not everyone is aware of this. And while not ALL sdhc cards may have this issue. It is a SAFE action to have your card formatted in FAT16. I myself was unaware of this issue untill It happened to me when I played LovePlus+. So kudos to you for being one of those who is already aware of this issue, obviously your not the target audience of this post of mine.

In continuation; Not all users have a second card, or a friend with a card to allow them to repair a bricked card. I was lucky in the fact that I DO have one friend that I game with on occasion that also has a flash cart.

As well since there is no warnings of this nature on any of the flash cart sites, and GBATemp is a popular site for people, knowledgeable and not. It seemed appropriate to post a formal warning to the uneducated.

Though to be honest I was unaware that this was restricted to only SOME Micro SDHC cards. As I only have the one. So thanks for that extra tidbit of knowledge.

@DarthTheufel

When a card gets "bricked" I am referring to the bootloader being overwritten. The bootloader is on the flascart itself, not the microsd card, so without being able to reflash the cart, it is as useless as a 'brick' Years back when homebrew was just starting someone made a homebrew that 'bricked' the NDS console itself, these bricked consoles has an image of a brick wall when you turned them on.

Anyway bricked = broken, though in this case still reparable.

@All

If you already knew this, feel free to ignore it, if you didn't I ope this warning saves you from a bricked card. And if you only have one card, that can be a BIG help. :3

 

[doyama]

If you use the SDFormatter it will automatically set the microSD to FAT

It might do that by default, but then you could only format the thing to 2GB max. So most people would end up converting to FAT32 anyways to use anything higher than 2GB

 

[haroon90]

i never come across a game over 128mb,anyone haev a short list of games over 128mb?

 

[twiztidsinz]

i never come across a game over 128mb,anyone haev a short list of games over 128mb?

There are quite a few 256MB games out there now.

From: http://advanscene.com/html/dbsearch.php

Spoiler: Size 2048Mbit (256MB) - 105 Entries

5168 Signal Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
5129 Infinite Space Europe Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
5123 Dragon Quest IX - Sentinels of the Starry Skies Europe Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
5075 Dragon Quest IX - Sentinels of the Starry Skies USA Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
5047 Let's Play English Word with Picture Korea Eeprom - 4 kbit 2048 Mbit
5043 Aodon DS - Hanabi no Kiwami & Hanabi no Takumi Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
5032 Datenshi no Amai Yuuwaku x Kaikan Phrase Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
5000 Pachi-Slot Kouryaku Series DS Vol. 5 - Shinseiki Evangelion - Tamashii no Kiseki Japan Eeprom - 4 kbit 2048 Mbit
4941 Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - World Championship 2010 - Reverse of Arcadia Korea Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4901 America's Test Kitchen - Let's Get Cooking USA Flash - 4 Mbit 2048 Mbit
4874 Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - Stardust Accelerator - World Championship 2009 (v01) Korea Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4863 Hudson x GReeeeN - Live! DeeeeS! Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
4852 Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - World Championship 2010 - Reverse of Arcadia Europe Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4804 Infinite Space USA Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4803 Lecons de Cuisine - Qu'allons-nous Manger Aujourd'hui (v01) France Flash - 2 Mbit 2048 Mbit
4781 Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - World Championship 2010 - Reverse of Arcadia USA Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4756 Tennis no Ouji-sama - Motto Gakuensai no Ouji-sama - More Sweet Edition Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4744 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna IV - Daiyonkan - Kizuna Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4737 Super Robot Taisen OG Saga - Mugen no Frontier EXCEED Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
4721 Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - World Championship 2010 - Reverse of Arcadia Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4707 Quiz Magic Academy DS - Futatsu no Jikuuseki Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4657 Sands of Destruction USA Flash - 2 Mbit 2048 Mbit
4623 Band Hero USA Eeprom - 4 kbit 2048 Mbit
4613 Will o' Wisp DS Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
4612 Saikin Koi Shiteru Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4611 Dear Girl - Stories - Hibiki - Hibiki Tokkun Daisakusen! Japan Eeprom - 4 kbit 2048 Mbit
4610 Kurayami no Hate de Kimi o Matsu Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4565 Kalle Kunskap - 4-7 Ar Europe Eeprom - 4 kbit 2048 Mbit
4493 Strike Witches - Soukuu no Dengekisen - Shin Taichou Funtou Suru! Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
4492 Layton Kyouju to Majin no Fue Japan TBC 2048 Mbit
4485 LEGO - Rock Band Europe Eeprom - 4 kbit 2048 Mbit
4430 Band Hero Europe Eeprom - 4 kbit 2048 Mbit
4414 LEGO - Rock Band USA Eeprom - 4 kbit 2048 Mbit
4370 Summon Night X - Tears Crown Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
4336 Nintendo Presents - Style Boutique (v01) Europe Flash - 2 Mbit 2048 Mbit
4262 Kingdom Hearts - 358-2 Days Europe Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4249 Inazuma Eleven 2 - Kyoui no Shinryakusha - Blizzard Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
4248 Inazuma Eleven 2 - Kyoui no Shinryakusha - Fire Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
xxxx Level5 Premium Platinum (Demo) Japan Eeprom - 4 kbit 2048 Mbit
4225 Kingdom Hearts - 358-2 Days USA Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4208 Arabians Lost - The Engagement on Desert Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4207 Ookami to Koushinryou - Umi wo Wataru Kaze Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
4187 Idolmaster - Dearly Stars, The (Dsi Enhanced) Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4152 Love Plus Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
4119 Fushigi Yuugi DS Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
4090 Tsukibito Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4088 Item Getter - Bokura no Kagaku to Mahou no Kankei Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4038 Hisshou Pachinko Pachi-Slot Kouryaku Series DS Vol. 4 - Shinseiki Evangelion - Saigo no Shisha Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
4037 Doki Majo Plus Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3982 Genso Suikoden Tierkreis Korea Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3966 Dragon Quest IX - Hoshizora no Mamoribito Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3932 Really! Really! DS Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3926 Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - Stardust Accelerator - World Championship 2009 Korea Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3846 Mugen Kouro - Infinite Space Japan Flash - 2 Mbit 2048 Mbit
3833 Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - Stardust Accelerator - World Championship 2009 USA Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3822 Rhythm Paradise Europe Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
3819 Kingdom Hearts - 358-2 Days Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3815 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna - Dai 3 Kan - Rasen Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3773 Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - Stardust Accelerator - World Championship 2009 Europe Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3725 Vampire Knight DS Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
3724 Tokimeki Memorial - Girl's Side 1st Love Plus Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
3718 Ouran Koukou Host-Bu DS Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
3699 Rhythm Paradise Europe Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
3628 Eiken Kakomon Daishuuroku - Eiken DS 2 Deluxe Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3593 Suikoden - Tierkreis USA Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3563 Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - Stardust Accelerator - World Championship 2009 Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3516 Bakumatsu Renka - Shinsengumi DS Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3512 Suikoden - Tierkreis Europe Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3487 Kimo Kawa E Japan Eeprom - 4 kbit 2048 Mbit
3194 Pachi-Slot Kouryaku Series DS Vol. 3 - Shinseiki Evangelion - Yakusoku no Toki Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3178 Gensou Suikoden - Tierkreis Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3174 Tales of Hearts - CG Movie Edition Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3169 Tales of Hearts - Anime Movie Edition Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3147 Personal Trainer - Cooking USA Flash - 2 Mbit 2048 Mbit
3112 Blazer Drive Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3068 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna - Dai 2 Kan - Sou Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
3049 Layton Kyouju to Saigo no Jikan Ryokou Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
3007 Quiz Magic Academy DS (v01) Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
2971 Star Wars - The Clone Wars - Jedi Alliance Europe Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
2906 Star Wars - The Clone Wars - Jedi Alliance USA Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
2700 World Destruction - Michibikareshi Ishi Japan Flash - 2 Mbit 2048 Mbit
2667 Shinreigari - Ghost Hound DS Japan Eeprom - 4 kbit 2048 Mbit
2657 Quiz Magic Academy DS Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
2618 Shinseiki Evangelion - Ayanami Ikusei Keikaku DS with Asuka Hokan Keikaku Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
2592 DS de Yomu Series - Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori - Daisankan Japan Eeprom - 4 kbit 2048 Mbit
2591 DS de Yomu Series - Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori - Dainikan Japan Eeprom - 4 kbit 2048 Mbit
2590 DS de Yomu Series - Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori - Daiikkan Japan Eeprom - 4 kbit 2048 Mbit
2586 Tokyo Majin Gakuen - Kenpuuchou Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
2584 Harukanaru Toki no Naka de - Yume no Ukihashi Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
2548 Moesta - Moeru Toudai Eigojuku Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
2538 San Goku Shi Taisen Ten Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
2525 Doki Doki Majo Shinpan 2 Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
2422 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna - Dai 1 Kan - Tatari Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
2379 Kochkurs - Was Wollen Wir Heute Kochen Germany Flash - 2 Mbit 2048 Mbit
2375 Cocina Conmigo! Que Preparamos Hoy Spain Flash - 2 Mbit 2048 Mbit
2374 Cooking Guide - Can't Decide What to Eat Europe Flash - 2 Mbit 2048 Mbit
2372 Lecons de Cuisine - Qu'allons-nous Manger Aujourd'hui France Flash - 2 Mbit 2048 Mbit
2371 La Guida in Cucina - Che si Mangia Oggi Italy Flash - 2 Mbit 2048 Mbit
2363 Pachi-Slot Kouryaku Series DS Vol. 2 - Shinseiki Evangelion - Shito, Futatabi Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
2348 Hiiro no Kakera DS Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
2331 13 Sai no Hello Work DS Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
2205 VitaminX Evolution Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
2032 Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 2nd Season Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 2048 Mbit
1934 Sunrise Anime Duke - Sunrise no Joushiki - Minna no Hijoushiki - Vol. 1 Japan Eeprom - 512 kbit 2048 Mbit
1458 Ash - Archaic Sealed Heat Japan Flash - 2 Mbit 2048 Mbit

Spoiler: Size 4096Mbit (512MB) - 5 Entries

5056 Inazuma Eleven 3 - Sekai e no Chousen!! Spark Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 4096 Mbit
5055 Inazuma Eleven 3 - Sekai e no Chousen!! Bomber Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 4096 Mbit
5033 Tokimeki Memorial - Girl's Side 3rd Story Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 4096 Mbit
5026 Love Plus Plus Japan Eeprom - 4 kbit 4096 Mbit
4854 Hakuouki DS Japan Eeprom - 64 kbit 4096 Mbit

 

[Princess Rozalin]

Oh not this Topic Again i made this same topic a Month or Two Month Ago.Im sorry but it be best to Search Topics before you make another topic

PS: I Tested 512 MB games and so did Elixer there was No Bricking whatsoever.

 

[haroon90]

Wow i never knew that many games used over 128mb,however i'm glad most of the games on that list i don't wish to play so leaving me more room on my Microsd card

I wonder if pokemon black/white will use a 512mb card,with the new pokemon and animations for each one i think it must be on at least 256mb...

 

[RandomRedMage]

If you use the SDFormatter it will automatically set the microSD to FAT

It might do that by default, but then you could only format the thing to 2GB max. So most people would end up converting to FAT32 anyways to use anything higher than 2GB

Actually my 4 gig SDHC card it formatted in FAT16 and has no issues. :/ also no size restriction down to 2 gigs.

and...

@Princess Rozalin

I did do a search. thank you very much. I did a LOT of searching before I finally got the information that allowed me to run large games without bricking my card. As for YOUR testing and not getting bricked your lucky, guess what? I DID GET BRICKED, so remember your experience is NOT the same as everyone else. Until you realize this fact your input is nothing but a failure.

 

[twiztidsinz]

@twiztidsinz

Well, to be frank with you, if I may, not everyone is aware of this. And while not ALL sdhc cards may have this issue. It is a SAFE action to have your card formatted in FAT16. I myself was unaware of this issue untill It happened to me when I played LovePlus+. So kudos to you for being one of those who is already aware of this issue, obviously your not the target audience of this post of mine.

In continuation; Not all users have a second card, or a friend with a card to allow them to repair a bricked card. I was lucky in the fact that I DO have one friend that I game with on occasion that also has a flash cart.

As well since there is no warnings of this nature on any of the flash cart sites, and GBATemp is a popular site for people, knowledgeable and not. It seemed appropriate to post a formal warning to the uneducated.

Though to be honest I was unaware that this was restricted to only SOME Micro SDHC cards. As I only have the one. So thanks for that extra tidbit of knowledge.QUOTE(RandomRedMage @ Aug 26 2010, 10:56 AM) and...

@Princess Rozalin

I did do a search. thank you very much. I did a LOT of searching before I finally got the information that allowed me to run large games without bricking my card. As for YOUR testing and not getting bricked your lucky, guess what? I DID GET BRICKED, so remember your experience is NOT the same as everyone else. Until you realize this fact your input is nothing but a failure.

The point both Princess Rozalin and myself were making is, this exact same type of post, warning people about certain games bricking the AceKard has already been made.
More detail and longer discussion had already been gone into about the cause and solutions than you have made in your post.

I think this is the 4th post I've seen regarding this very issue (and I honestly haven't been looking, especially at other sub forums) and the 3rd to offer formatting to FAT16 as a solution. Making 20 more posts like this isn't going to help because they'll eventually drop from the front page and the people who don't bother to look won't find them, while the people who DO look can/will find one of the other topics.

 

[RandomRedMage]

And the point that I was making is that I DID search and the only information I found on the topic was in a coupple of posts about specific games bricking the cards, and the FAT16 format being a solution was mentioned in only ONE post and the thread washed over it like it was irrelivent and instead an argument continued on over weather or not the people claiming to have gotten their card bricked were lying or not. And as this is something I would consider important to have well known I made a post myself.

Now put yourself in the shoes of a NEW USER, unaware of the situation gettng their card bricked, and the poor quality of the search engine here. If there are in fact a hand full of threads made already to warn users that large games can potentially brick their acekard, then you would THINK at least one of them would be in a sticky.

But whatever its obvious we see things from different angles here, So please do not respond anymore. An argument over weather or not this is a valid post to make is now is ridiculous. Now if this was say, a millionth post asking how to setup an acecard or asking how to unbrick it then yes you can be all blahblahbah about we have a million posts describing how to fix it.

Now I'll politely ask a Moderatr to LOCK this, Deleteit or whatever they want, and PLEASE sticky at one of the threads that warns users about the potential hazard of large games bricking the acecard with some micro SD cards.

 

[SgtThom]

Wow i never knew that many games used over 128mb,however i'm glad most of the games on that list i don't wish to play so leaving me more room on my Microsd card

I wonder if Pokemon black/white will use a 512mb card,with the new Pokemon and animations for each one i think it must be on at least 256mb...

How could 2D sprites with some animation take up that much space?Unless there uncompressed high quality and with LOTS of animation I don't think they would use a 256MB cart.They can easily fit it on a 128MB cart since GF won't be using voice acting or FMVs.

 

[Zurren]

If you use the SDFormatter it will automatically set the microSD to FAT
If that's true (for all sizes of MicroSDHC cards), then there should be no problems as long as everyone follows the instructions on the Wiki. Still...
QUOTE* What should I use, FAT16 or FAT32?

The File Allocation Table FAT (also known as FAT16) standards were developed before large devices existed. Without getting into the specifics, the general rule of thumb is to format your 2GB or less microSD cards at FAT16. Anything equal or over 4GB should be formatted using FAT32. While you can force some formatters to format a 4GB card at FAT16 you will see a significantly negative performance impact. In some cases, on slower 2GB or less microSD cards you can adjust the cluster size to improve performance. (IE: format G: /Q /A:64k /FS:FAT). For more information please read the File Allocation Table article.

So, I'm not sure. Most people should have MicroSDs of 4GB and up, right?
Just for the sake of curiosity, RandomRedMage, what's the size of the card you used?

By the way, this bricking issue hasn't happened with any 256MB ROMs so far, right?

 

[tk_saturn]

If you use the SDFormatter it will automatically set the microSD to FAT

If that's true (for all sizes of MicroSDHC cards), then there should be no problems as long as everyone follows the instructions on the Wiki. Still...

MicroSD cards, not MicroSDHC cards.

The SD Formatter will format:

MicroSD => FAT16
MicroSDHC => FAT32
MicroSDXC => EXFAT

If formats them acording to the SD association's standards.

 

[tomrev]

This problem still have no really proof. There was a poll show that acekard isn't bricked when play Love Plus + (a 512MB large rom game) much more. There is a video (thanks for upload!) show that play Love Plus + without problem while playing or after reseting the system. I still doubt between brick or not but tend to believe this problem is only fairy tale . If anyone have capability to capture the bricking procedure and post on this forum, I would like to thanks for your effort a lot.

 

[RandomRedMage]

Well I wouldn't bother to talk about the acekard and it getting bricked if I didn't actually experience the problem. I mean I may act like a troll when someone is clearly being an asshat, but I am not one to purpetuate a false situation.

I also don't think I'll be reformatting my Micro SD back to FAT32, JUST to take a video of my card getting bricked by Love Plus + ... Because ya'know, I formatted to FAT16 after recovering my Acekard 2i for the fourth time. [since I didnt actually learn my lesson the first few times lol] But sure if I had a DSLite and another Micro SD card, and second Acekard2i I would GLADLY brick one of them for giggles while recording it all. But seeing as I only have a DSi and I cant use a DSi to recover a bricked Acekard, I kinda have to play it safe. Since I have already commandeered a friends M3iZ + DSL enough times this month.

Those who didn't get bricked were either already formatted in fat16, or they had one of those few SD cards that don't actually get the AK2i bricked. OR they were not using an AK2i in the first place. Ad I know some of these asshats cant seem to tell the difference between an R4 and ANY OTHER CARD ON THE MARKET. >.>;

Seriously have you seen some of the comments R4 users make?

@Zurren

When I had the bricking issue, I was using a Lexar 4 gig Micro SDHC 4gig formatted to FAT32, I then Formatted this 4gig SDHC Card to Fat16, and now I do not get the problem. Before and now I never had any issues with a 256 megabyte NDS file. ONLY with 512 Megabyte NDS files.

Also, Just since some people seem to think formatting a 4 gig card to FAT16 will make them lose storage space... thats false, I still have access to the full capacity of my Micro SD card.

Also I doubt it matters but for documentation purposes, I am using a Hardware ID 80, GREEN PCB AK2i that does not have a microchip window behind the sticker. :3 Also running, AKAIO 1.7.1