Hacking Another EZ Flash V 3-in-1 Plus issue

[suckerface]

So, before anyone says "Why don't you search the forums?" I have. Multiple forums and sites at that. Here's the deal...



I have a CycloDS Evolution for my DSL running firmware 1.56 beta 2, and for some reason neither it nor my DSL will recognize my EZFlash. I have the fan translation of Mother 3 flashed on it, and every now and then the DSL would recognize it, but that hasn't happened in months now. I get the usual "No compatible slot 2 device found" error when I try to launch a .gba game from the CycloDS, and when I use GBAExploader, I get the same issue.

Has anyone run into this? I took it apart last night and everything looks solid, but I'd really like to get this up and running again as I've been out of the homebrew scene for awhile.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

Mother 3 requires SRAM patching. You also have to put it in NOR.

 

[suckerface]

Yeah, the point is, the cart and game were working before, but nothing is recognizing the cart now. Doesn't matter about where it's patched/flashed to, the NDS, CycloDS, and GBAExpLoader all do not recognize the cart.

I'm wondering if anyone has seen any issues like this, or if my slot 2 cart is just fubar'd, which I'm hoping it's not, and someone can recommend a fix.

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

Then it would be a hardware issue, since you automatically claim its NOT to be a software issue and it worked before. That leaves you with a dead battery. AND YES WE ALL SEEN IT BEFORE. SEE my sig for link to 3in1, then follow the link at the very bottom of the first post for the battery replacement guide.

 

[suckerface]

Does the battery constantly have a load, even when not in use? I've only logged a total of about 2 hours of use with Mother 3 flashed on it, and at most an additional hour as RAM expansion with an SNES emulator.

Not doubting what you're saying, and I'll try the battery swap, but it just seems like that shouldn't have happened so quickly. I do leave it in my DS 24/7...

I'm not specifically saying it's NOT a software issue, just that all the software fixes and such I've tried do not work. Is there a way that I can try to re-flash the firmware on it or anything?

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

The internal battery in the 3in1 powers the SRAM used. It takes several years before the battery gives out, 2 to 3 years on average. If your 3in1 is either the first (v1) or second (v2) versions then the battery is well within reason of it failing. Anyone with the 3rd (v3), can't say that it is a faulty battery because it has not been even 1 year since the release.

Leaving the 3in1 in a DSL does not affect battery life normally. The only way to have this be the cause of your 3in1 failing would be use a non standard USB charger that puts out anything larger than 5V. In doing this, it would kill your DS as well.

There is no software that runs on the 3in1. It does what is called loader free, which boots directly to the ROM in NOR.


Try a different patcher, not all patchers work the same and work the same on all gba roms. Some people prefer certain patchers over others for reasons like what they like. A horrible standard for use, it is also short sited. It is better to note what differences there are between each pather on the gba roms on whatever flashcart. Try using the EZ4 Client program to patch the game. It will come closest to having less problems in this case most of the time.

Use a voltmeter on the battery to find out before you do the battery swap. Otherwise your expending effort on a non-cause.

 

[suckerface]

So, I dl'd the EZ4 client, like you said, and patched a ROM. Odd thing is, this morning when I powered on my DSL, guess what? The main DS menu is recognizing the GBA cart and will load the Mother 3 Fan Translation without a problem...Even though I did NOTHING to it since my last post....go figure...

 

[suckerface]

Heh, and two hours later, pick it up to see if my Cyclo will recognize it, and no dice.

I've figured out it's because the board isn't making full contact with the pins in the GBA slot. I took it apart, put it in there, and held it down and it works just fine.

Just have to figure out a way to actually get it to do so while in the housing. Any ideas/input would be appreciated. I've tried a piece of folded up paper, but that doesn't quite do the trick...at least not yet. It was a 5 min attempted fix...