Hacking Clean rom playing, low battery consumption flashcart

[onegi]

Sorry to make a topic like this. After scanning through the forums for a few weeks, a topic similar to this comes up almost everyday, but i haven't seen any answer this.

What is the best cart that can just play DS games and has the lowest battery consumption?
I already own a CycloDS, and i love it. I know there is no better for functions and support. I have not had one problem with it.
But.... That all said, i am looking for a cart that has minimal battery consumption, but still 100% (or close to) rom compatibility. Due to owning the CycloDS, i am not to interested in other functions as i already own the best for it.

Would it be the R4? I have looked around at almost all cards there are, but non ever talk about battery life.

 

[Gore]

I don't really think battery consumption differs too much between cards.
The number one is to always use the lowest level backlight.
I guess the DS-X is the biggest power hog, due to it's LEDs..
If I had to guess based on nothing, I'd say Acekard 2 might last a bit longer. Based on nothing.

So... use low backlight, don't use DS-X.

wait... this isn't pinglike
DS-XTREME P0WNS BATTERY LIFE

 

[DeMoN]

I think any other flash card besides one with NAND (Ackeard RPG, G6Real) would use up less battery life than the Cyclo. This is because the Cyclo has on-board memory, which most other flash cards do not have. This said, your best bet is to go with a budget card like the EDGE or DSTT. Not the AK2 because there have been many problems with them dying completely.

 

[onegi]

What about the iTouch? I am aware that it is very cheep. But it claims to have good battery life.

 

[Narin]

All flashcards have abut the same battery life, theres really no noticeable difference between them. What effects battery life though is the MicroSD card you use. MicroSD cards tend to draw less power than MicroSDHC cards. Also the higher the capacity of the MicroSD card, the more energy it tends to use. Build quality also plays a small role as well in the power consumption of MicroSD cards.

I have seen some poorly made, high capacity MicroSDHC card cut the playing time of the Nintendo DS by 1-2 hours. Also turning down or off the sound and turning the backlight down will both extend the playing time. Also note that if you use a flashcard, it will still draw power even if you put the Nintendo DS into sleep mode. So its best to save and turn the Nintendo DS off before you close it for extended periods of time to conserve battery life.

 

[weebwobb]

I have a cyclo and r4 and the r4 does get at around 2-3 hours more battery life but that's with an SD vs. SDHC mem card. The r4 is not really a good choice for a new card these days with so many better alternatives. I'm in the same boat as you.. love the cyclo but disappointed with its battery life. Recently ordered an AK2 for a friend so hoping it gets the longer life since it doesn't have the internal ram. Anyone else?

 

[SkankyYankee]

i went for the r4 for that reason specifically cause i originally got the DS for waiting in line. It surpasses my older Max Media Dock by leaps and bounds. I dont play 100 games at once either so i'm happy.

Rumble and brightness do make a difference in consumption though.

 

[Bri]

Many people think the R4 consumes less battery, but that is likely only because it doesn't support SDHC and therefore people are comparing a microSD card to a microSDHC card. As Narin said, flash carts consume about the same amount of power, although carts with extra on-board flash memory might use slightly more power than carts that don't have it.

Rumble and backlight settings can also affect battery usage. The addition of a slot 2 GBA expansion cart may also increase battery usage slightly.

BTW, the problems with recent batches of the AK2 seem to have been fixed in the latest batches, so that's shouldn't be much of a concern if you buy from a reputable seller.

-Bri

 

[IOwnAndPwnU]

I thought the AK2 did pretty well in battery life. But then again, I used a SDHC 4GB and I kept the brightness minimum (or 1 level higher). It lasted pretty long. I recharged it like every other day for playing about 2-3 hours myself and my sisters 1-2 hours.

 

[KTC]

I've got a M3 DS Real, and when I put it in sleep mode, it eats the battery in no time.
Is this really because of the MicroSD (SDHC) alone, and does this mean that every card on the market would suffer from the same issue?

How about the flashcards with built in storage? Do they also eat the battery in sleep mode?

I've been searching everywhere for an answer to this problem, as I didn't notice problems like this with my good old Slot-2 M3 Perfect. Why shouldn't it suffer from the same problem?

I am considering buying another flashcard like the Cyclo or Supercard DS One, but if they have the same issues, I will just have to stop using sleep mode for good...

 

[kobykaan]

Lost count of how many times I tell my kids that using their lites using the 2nd or 3rd and not full brightness level and lower their sound or even turn it off with games that don't really need sound or have the mind numbing endless looping annoying as hell music ...

that they will get a bit longer battery life out of their consoles ..although its not a massive amount it does get that little bit more between charges

 

[Swip]

I've got a M3 DS Real, and when I put it in sleep mode, it eats the battery in no time.
Is this really because of the MicroSD (SDHC) alone, and does this mean that every card on the market would suffer from the same issue?

How about the flashcards with built in storage? Do they also eat the battery in sleep mode?

I've been searching everywhere for an answer to this problem, as I didn't notice problems like this with my good old Slot-2 M3 Perfect. Why shouldn't it suffer from the same problem?

I am considering buying another flashcard like the Cyclo or Supercard DS One, but if they have the same issues, I will just have to stop using sleep mode for good...
Go for the Cyclo if you want sleep mode

QUOTEWe have added an EXPERIMENTAL battery saver mode which when enabled will allow
you reduce battery consumption, resulting in longer play times in-between
charges. The amount of additional play time varies depending on several factors
including the LCD backlight brightness, the condition of your NDS battery, the
game you are playing and your MicroSD card. The battery saver mode also will
significantly extend the amount of time your NDS will last if left in sleep mode.

 

[Seven]

Yep, CycloDS has finalized the battery saving feature in BETA 4, so it should be pretty obvious what you'd want to get if you put the thing on sleep often.

 

[Rayder]

Yep, CycloDS has finalized the battery saving feature in BETA 4, so it should be pretty obvious what you'd want to get if you put the thing on sleep often.

Thing is though, the Cyclo, before the battery saving feature, used to kill the battery really quick......at least compared to my old R4 anyway. I think the Cyclo is about on par with other flasharts in terms of battery life now.

 

[UltraMagnus]

If current flashcards don't work, i would imagine it would be more by coincidence than anything else. nintendo don't give a damn about pirates, they know that 99.99% of the people that buy DSs are too stupid/lazy/ignorant/alloftheabove to know about or buy a flashcard. and they know that the 0.01% that do pirate tend to be students that wouldn't pay anyway.

Nintendo has far bigger problems than us, mostly the massive amount of casual gamers that they have attracted that only buy 1 or 2 games that are making them losses because the actual consoles are sold as loss leaders.

 

[Rayder]

If current flashcards don't work, i would imagine it would be more by coincidence than anything else. nintendo don't give a damn about pirates, they know that 99.99% of the people that buy DSs are too stupid/lazy/ignorant/alloftheabove to know about or buy a flashcard. and they know that the 0.01% that do pirate tend to be students that wouldn't pay anyway.

Nintendo has far bigger problems than us, mostly the massive amount of casual gamers that they have attracted that only buy 1 or 2 games that are making them losses because the actual consoles are sold as loss leaders.

Nintendo is one of the only companies who DON'T sell their hardware at a loss. I'm surprised more people don't know that.

 

[UltraMagnus]

If current flashcards don't work, i would imagine it would be more by coincidence than anything else. nintendo don't give a damn about pirates, they know that 99.99% of the people that buy DSs are too stupid/lazy/ignorant/alloftheabove to know about or buy a flashcard. and they know that the 0.01% that do pirate tend to be students that wouldn't pay anyway.

Nintendo has far bigger problems than us, mostly the massive amount of casual gamers that they have attracted that only buy 1 or 2 games that are making them losses because the actual consoles are sold as loss leaders.

Nintendo is one of the only companies who DON'T sell their hardware at a loss. I'm surprised more people don't know that.

Really? hmm, never knew that. I am sure they still used to in the n64 days, but i could be wrong. I doubt they make much/any profit on hardware nonetheless.