Backup save from GBC repro

[dysphoria]

Got this cheap Pokemon Yellow repro without a battery. Seems to be that it works like GBA repros where the save is saved inside the rom. I wonder if there's a way to backup the savefile so I can transfer my Pokemon team to modern systems. I suppose I need some kind of GB flasher to extract the rom, but I don't have one. I only have another Game Boys and a Link Cable. I've found a tool called gb-save-manager, but seems to be that it doesn't work with these repros.

Is there another way I can backup the rom or the save without a GB flasher? Like a tool for extracting roms using the Link Cable?

The other solution I was thinking for was to trading my Pokémon to an original cart (kinda pricey) or a flashcart, and extract the .srm file from there. But in that case, my save will be trapped in the repro cart forever.



EDIT: Thanks for your flasher recommendations, but I've found another way to preserve my Pokémon

Thanks for your flasher recommendations, but after all, it's kinda a big expense for what I intended ^^

At the end, this is the method I used to preserve my Pokémon Yellow team (and legendaries, why not). I used a Link Cable and a EDGB flashcart.

• Create a new save file in the flashcart
• Trade/Clone Pokémon from repro to flashcart.
• Save the game in the flashcart.
• Extract the .srm.
• Convert it to .sav.
• Put it on my 3DS SD Card.
• Open it with PKSM.

I wanted to try the official method using Pokébank by injecting it to the official VC release, but I read that Mew obtained by the famous glitch isn't considered legal, so I ultimately used PKSM.

As for the save in the repro cart... I think I'm fine about losing it, if my Pokémon team are already preserved.

And fun fact, my Pikachu turned out to be female lol

View attachment 498820View attachment 498818

 

[hippy dave]

You can dump the cart using a DS/Lite or a cart flasher, they're cheaper than they used to be. Once that's done there's info and possibly tools online for extracting the save, I've seen it discussed here before.

 

[Kwyjor]

You can dump the cart using a DS/Lite or a cart flasher, they're cheaper than they used to be. Once that's done there's info and possibly tools online for extracting the save

But the DS and DS Lite cannot normally read GB/GBC cartridges. Or are these reproductions just that different?

I've seen it discussed here before.

There are indeed numerous threads on the topic.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/gbc-save-dumper.650099/

 

[hippy dave]

But the DS and DS Lite cannot normally read GB/GBC cartridges. Or are these reproductions just that different?

There are indeed numerous threads on the topic.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/gbc-save-dumper.650099/

Oop sorry you're right, it didn't click that we were talking about a GBC cart. Think you'll need a flasher then.

 

[RAHelllord]

You'll definitely need a flasher if you want to be on the safe side and not risk losing your save. I would recommend InsideGadgets GBxCart RW. Handles all game boy games including pretty much every single reproduction cart ever made.
The creator of the currently recommended software for the thing is also more than happy to add new repro cards to the list if yours somehow isn't included yet.

 

[Greninji88]

Seeing as it looks like a GBA cart, you could try putting it in a DS/DS Lite, or you could just buy a GBC flasher. Once you've got the ROM, check and see if the ROM has a save file when you run the ROM without the external .sav file. If it still contains your save without needing the .sav, that means the save is in the ROM. There is a tool called Repo GBA save extractor on Google. You should be able to find it. Then, you load the ROM, click extract, and now your save file will be extracted. You can inject the save into the ROM later, and re flash.

Also, I don't think it's possible yet to extract a GB/GBC save file with original GameBoy hardware.

 

[Kwyjor]

Also, I don't think it's possible yet to extract a GBA/GBC save file with original hardware.

Dumping GBA games and GBA save data on a DS is trivial.

As for GBC data, that is discussed in the other thread I linked to.

 

[dysphoria]

Huh, I think I'll use a better alternative. I'll just trade my Pokémon team to a flashcart and then transfer them to later generations with the SRM file. I realized that I need a flasher anyway, so I'll keep it simple.

I also found out that it's really easy to clone Pokémon in this repro because the way it saves, so I can just keep my original team on that cart while a "cloned" one is in modern games.

Changing subject, does anyone know what's better for transferring them? The official 3DS Pokémon Transporter or PKSM?

 

[Kwyjor]

The official 3DS Pokémon Transporter or PKSM?

That depends entirely on your end goal. The official 3DS Pokemon Transporter will allow you to transfer your Pokemon to Pokemon Bank, while PKSM will let you transfer your Pokemon to the Gen 2/3/4/5 games.

I don't know the details, but I expect PKSM uses the same algorithm as the official app for updating Pokemon.

 

[dysphoria]

That depends entirely on your end goal. The official 3DS Pokemon Transporter will allow you to transfer your Pokemon to Pokemon Bank, while PKSM will let you transfer your Pokemon to the Gen 2/3/4/5 games.

I don't know the details, but I expect PKSM uses the same algorithm as the official app for updating Pokemon.

As long as the Pokémon are not detected as ilegal when I transfer them to Home, I'm fine. I just have no idea if using PKSM to convert them, transfer them to Gen 7 and then to Bank makes them legal or illegal.

 

[Jayro]

You'll definitely need a flasher if you want to be on the safe side and not risk losing your save. I would recommend InsideGadgets GBxCart RW. Handles all game boy games including pretty much every single reproduction cart ever made.
The creator of the currently recommended software for the thing is also more than happy to add new repro cards to the list if yours somehow isn't included yet.

This.

The GBxCart RW software has the ability to detect save files written back to the ROM chip, and rip or write those save files to and from the ROM's FLASH chip. The GB Flash and Joey Jr may also be more cost-effective flashers for you, and they also work with FlashGBX (after FlashGBX patches the firmware).

 

[dysphoria]

Thanks for your flasher recommendations, but after all, it's kinda a big expense for what I intended ^^

At the end, this is the method I used to preserve my Pokémon Yellow team (and legendaries, why not). I used a Link Cable and a EDGB flashcart.

• Create a new save file in the flashcart
• Trade/Clone Pokémon from repro to flashcart.
• Save the game in the flashcart.
• Extract the .srm.
• Convert it to .sav.
• Put it on my 3DS SD Card.
• Open it with PKSM.

I wanted to try the official method using Pokébank by injecting it to the official VC release, but I read that Mew obtained by the famous glitch isn't considered legal, so I ultimately used PKSM.

As for the save in the repro cart... I think I'm fine about losing it, if my Pokémon team are already preserved.

And fun fact, my Pikachu turned out to be female lol

 

[squall1989]

Got this cheap Pokemon Yellow repro without a battery. Seems to be that it works like GBA repros where the save is saved inside the rom. I wonder if there's a way to backup the savefile so I can transfer my Pokemon team to modern systems. I suppose I need some kind of GB flasher to extract the rom, but I don't have one. I only have another Game Boys and a Link Cable. I've found a tool called gb-save-manager, but seems to be that it doesn't work with these repros.

Is there another way I can backup the rom or the save without a GB flasher? Like a tool for extracting roms using the Link Cable?

The other solution I was thinking for was to trading my Pokémon to an original cart (kinda pricey) or a flashcart, and extract the .srm file from there. But in that case, my save will be trapped in the repro cart forever.

View attachment 496726

for those batteryless patched rom, which put the save inside the rom, if you want your save, you will need to dump the entire rom out, then open it with an emulator, the emulator when read the rom, will execute the code inside the rom, which have the correct address of the save they put into, load it and you can have the save to play in your emulator, however, as the way the rom is coded, you can't save with the emulator. After you get your save to work in the emulator, you can export it to file, then keep it save somewhere in your backup hdd. When you want to use the save, you can flash it to your retail cart. Hower, if you plan to play a lot with gb/gbc, buy a flasher is worth it. Of all the flasher out there, i suggest you take bennvenn 's joey Jr, it has the advance of you don't have to go dump the whole rom, put rom in emulator and export save process, you can just put your batteryless repo in the joey jr, it will load the rom and save to your pc as a usb drive, you can copy rom and save file out without any extra work. If you want, you can just double click the rom, and a emulator will run your game right away, when you save, the save will go off to your catridge (If you ever wanted to write a save file to a batteryless repo catridge, you will find out that it's involved dump the rom, load into emulator, export save, use hex editor to find where all part of the save are in the rom, change the save, then insert the save into the rom, replace the old save, part by part, if the old save is break into 4 part into the rom, you will have to break your new save into 4 part too, then insert it into the rom with a hex editor, part by part, it's not that hard, just if you want to mess arround with it a bunch of time, it's a time consume work, which you can just by pass with the joey jr)