"you should return it for a replacement. i have 4 acekard kits a none of them do that."
It's probably more cost/hassle sending it back to DealExtreme, but I've considered it.
"there is a locking arm that holds the kit when its pushed in by the spring. some kits hit it different and make it click LOUDER, but its nothing to worry about. "
The metal thing that slides against the cartridge as you look into the DS? I think that's it. Well I noticed that and was worried for it as it slid past the plastic clips on the cartridge.
"if your pcb isn't clearly black in color you don't have the new 2.1 you have the older one."
Basically, mine looks like this:
The 'green/grey' colour is under the contacts.
"the black you see above the contacts might be discoloration as with the first 2.1 i received which was a green (modded) pcb."
No, it's not discolouration, it looks like jet black paint / lacquer (shiny, applied accurately). It can be seen in that pic. Above the contacts.
"the green 2.0 were fixed and then stickered 2.1. after that the box was redesigned and the black (cheaper, better power consumption, custom controller chip) pcb was released. this also has the 2.1 sticker. if you are unhappy with it send it back and ask for a replacement."
I consider myself an average user. The fact that that we have to go through this maze (and the fact that the older ones are still selling) is not ideal, but I appreciate your advice. Similar issues have come up with other carts, too (like CycloDS). So I guess it comes with the territory.
"you should contact the people who complain and see if they are talking about the black pcb 2.1, the green or the original ak2. they all have different build qualities (oddly enough). "
To be honest, I don't care about it that much. I was just sharing my experiences with it in the hopes that someone might benefit from it.
"my 2 and 2.1 green fit smoother than the black with better spring response. but the black is error free according to what team acekard has to say about it. again you can't expect perfection on something that (i know for a fact) cost $3 to make. "
It's unreasonable to expect perfection. It's not unreasonable to expect a fitting shell. I have no doubt yours work fine. As a customer, it's none of my concern how much it costs to make. I buy it, I expect it to fit. Perfection has never been one of my demands when buying the AceKard.
2.1 they threw it up in the old 2.0 spot so the original comments are usually about the 2.0. when the 2.0 hit the scene it came in the tails of the cyclo, r4, etc. all of which have a sturdier build quality. i think people were just taken back by it and didn't give it a fair chance."
One of the 'not fitting' comments was from November 2 (less than 2 weeks ago). Whatever vesion mine is, it disappointed me. I don't think I have to compare it to others to know that something should slide in and eject successfully as a bare miniumum.
"the idea behind acekard is to make a kit that functions the way it should at the cheapest price and offer the best customer support. they do all of those things. "
Actually it's not the cheapest, at least not at DealExtreme:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15613
Based on my experiences so far, I can recommend that product without reservation, but not the AceKard. Maybe if I'm feeling adventurous I will buy a second AceKard to see if I get another dud, but that's only if I'm feeling particularly adventurous.
"when you have a problem you can email them ([email protected]) and they try to make it right. they have provided me with information on the kits, the make up, the build, game fixes (by setting save type in akaio), information and where to get more information, etc. the kits play every homebrew i have put on them and 99% of dumped roms. there are a few problem roms which can be fixed manually by setting the save type, and/or turning on/off patches. patching happens just before the game launches but after its loaded into ram. if the game requires the part of ram that holds the patch the game will fail. this is one aspect where some other companies have found ways to implement fixes. acekard leaves the firmware up to the opensource community and only updates the official loaders as need be. if you want to provide input and ask questions stop by #acekard on the gbatemp irc server. norm, smiths and gelu all idle."
Great info, thanks. Haven't tested their support or anything else, and I am really not concerned with a few games not working, to be honest. The carts these days are nearly all close to perfect as far as compatibility goes, at least in my experience.
"i look at it like this.. you paid for a kit to do gaming on the go. you bought it for the change in your pocket and out of the box it does what it says it will. the few quarks can be over looked because it wasn't a 60$ kit."
I've gotta disagree here because I view fitting properly as not a quirk, but a most basic requirement not being met. That's all my issue is with it so far... the fit and the shell.
"i'm happy to have more than 1 flash kit so i don't have to rely solely on my acekards. but i can tell you that since i received my 2.1 review sample it has been in my ds constantly. "
Review sample. No doubt things are checked. Retail samples, perhaps not... and perhaps it's just a luck of the draw thing and I got burned with mine.
"i recently loaded up a msd full of 100 dsdoom iwads and put it on my ak2. before that i had it loaded full of videos and mp3s, etc. so far i haven't had a single problem."
I don't doubt that. Software issues I have yet to see, even though I have used it only very little since I got it.
"i hope you come to enjoy it as much as i have."
Me too, and believe me I want to love it. After seeing the (innovative, nice) GUI and skins, and the speed of the menu as I scrolled down, it made me feel somewhat sane about the bad experience with the plastic shell, but to be honest I'm still wary of putting the thing in; the fit on my cart is still a bit too tight for my liking but at least it's ejecting now. As I say, I *may* get another just for kicks, and to see if I get shell problems again... but right now I'm tempted to sit tight and wait things out (and save some money, I guess).
Thanks for your comments.
