Hacking did i buy a good DS card?

[eskro]

hi guys!

i bought this DS card for my nephews NDSI XL

http://www.r4card.ca/3ds-dsi-dsi-xl/r4i-gold-plus/r4i-gold-plus-deluxe-edition-for-3ds-dsl-dsi-dsi-xl.html



did i made a wrong choice?

anyone uses that one? i got some questions...

thanks!

 

[insidexdeath]

Yes you did. The only R4i Gold cart you should get is the one from this site: r4ids.cn

 

[The Catboy]

I have never used the R4i Gold plus (I plan on testing it soon though) But I would really suggest buying this one, it works with WoodR4 and gets plenty of updates

 

[jimmyemunoz]

It's a very good card, but the real time save programming is in it's infancy. The team behind that card is trying to make a name for themselves and has been pushing out updates frequently. Some people have complained about the user interface, not that it didn't work, just the aesthetics.

 

[RupeeClock]

That particular flashcart is the sponsored prize for the arcade competitions held recently. It sounds like a reasonably good flashcart, but it's not one of the most commonly recommended flashcarts such as the Original R4DS or R4i Gold from R4iDSN. Those particular ones are compatible with Wood R4 firmware, R4i Gold plus is not.
Better recommendations yet, the Acekard 2i or Supercard DSTwo.

Still what baffles me is that you choice to buy it, THEN asked if it was a good thing to buy.

Anyway it may be yet another R4 branded cart, but it does look like they're making an effort with this one. Especially with the USB flasher instead of using a DS system.

 

[eskro]

thanks for all your answers guys!

I've been searching for a good DS card for a little bit and,
honeslty, i`ve been away from video games for like more then 10 years now so,
i feel kinda rusty with video game related stuff and hacks...

and honestly, there's like so many DS cards
that its insanely confusing...

which one? why? advantages? works or not?
poor support? any tutorials? and so on...
see what i mean...

so yeah, after searching for awhile,
i found this R4i Gold Plus Deluxe Edition and it seemed good enough...
hopefully...

so i wanted to get it from a Canadian Retailer.
and i found the one which i link to in my 1st post.

and i found this forum too late as purchase was made..
:/

i just hope my nephew will be able to enjoy it nevertheless...

i also had questions about how to make it work overALL...
cant seem to find a tutorial for it specifically...

i know i have to update the cards FIRMWARE to v1.7 & use KERNEL v2.5 ,,,
hope that'll go well...

and after that, i need to know where to place the R4 roms on my microSD card...
i think that card wants the roms on the root...

i dunno,,, not sure,,,

 

[jimmyemunoz]

You put the roms in a folder, or many folders, at the root of your micro sd card. I use one folder for each game console (I have emulators on my DS).

 

[eskro]

perfect thanks!

and if i can ask also, im sure u know better then me

i need to update my R4i's firmware using "update.bin" (v1.7)
and using the "usb firmware writer device" that shipped with card.

the part that im not sure is this...
lets say i have a 4GB Kingston MicroSD card which contains the following:

- Kernel v2.5 files/folders
- all my R4 roms

now, to update my R4i's firmware to v1.7,
can i use my 4GB Kingston MicroSD card altho it contains stuff already on it?
and simply put "update.bin" on its root?
then place it in R4i microSD slot?
then place R4i in Firmware Writer device?

or it will delete/format all the stuff i have on my microSD card?

thanks

 

[jimmyemunoz]

You have the kernel along with the update.bin file at the root of your micro sd card. Leave the games offf your micro sd card when you update (it's more safe)

 

[eskro]

hold on, to update the firmware of my R4i,
all i need is my 'update.bin' file right?

i dont need KERNEL files right?

also, any recommedation on a microSD card and its speed?
class 4 at least?

thanks!

 

[jimmyemunoz]

No! You need the kernel, as well as the firmware update. All this information is available on the FAQ of the flash card manufacturer's website www.r4ids.com

Class 2 would even be good enough if it's made by the right manufacturer. Get a Transcend or A-Data 4 to 8GB Class 4 to 6, and you will be happy with the results. Stay away from Kingston and Sandisk and ebay micro sd cards.

 

[eskro]

oh, really!?
i thought one coudn't go wrong with Kingston or SanDisk!
Never thought Transcend or A-DATA was better!
Ok, will do, i'll go get one of those.

about 'how to update my flash cards firmware'
i'll double-check on the manufacture's website.
i thought i've read that i only need the 'update.bin' file..

and i thought that the kernel files had to sit on the root of the microSD card that holds my roms..
again im wrong?

thx!

 

[jimmyemunoz]

The kernel files do go on the root. Let me elaborate, all the kernel consists of is two folders and one r4.dat file. However, if you don't want to use moonshell, then you could trash the mooshl2 folder, and it would be only 1 folder/1 file. If you go to the manufacturers website, look at the pictures showing how to update the firmware. You will clearly see the kernel PLUS the update.bin file.
A-Data and Transcend aren't better, per se, just more compatible. Enjoy, and read up on this stuff. If you do, it will be a breeze for you in the future if something were to happen. Also, make sure to download the "Panasonic SD Formatter v3.1" to format your micro sd card. In the past, using Windows OS to format, caused many problems.

 

[eskro]

ok, so, once firmware is updated on my R4i,
i can remove the 'update.bin' + 'kernel files' from my microSD card?
i can just leave roms on it then?

i got some reading to cach up i guess...
there's no easy way out

about that Panasonic SD Formatter, i do have it installed on my PC.
however, when i format my old 512MB flash card,
i expect windows to see it as FAT file system.

instead, windows reports RAW as file system...

also, again, once formatted,
when i double-click on my flash card in MY COMPUTER,
windows returns me a message saying, NOT FORMATTED..

so i cant just right-click on the root of it and create a new folder example..
windows wont let me till i format it....

dont know why windows sees it as RAW file system
instead of just FAT...

any idea what can it be?

thanks

 

[jimmyemunoz]

Windows wasn't programmed to format micro sd cards. It's as simple as that. The sd card association has their own specifications for formatting, and Windows OS currently doesn't support those specifications. Use the Panasonic SD Formatter v3.1, to format your old 512MB micro sd card, and the problem is solved.

 

[eskro]

ok, so, once firmware is updated on my R4i,
i can remove the 'update.bin' + 'kernel files' from my microSD card?
i can just leave roms on it then?

and, also, i need it to be in FAT32 and not FAT,
as the manufacture said on its website..

Note: When upgrading TF card, please use FAT32 file format. Advise reformatting TF card before upgrading.

Panasonic SD Formatter format in FAT only... not FAT32..

 

[Rydian]

You need the kernel, the kernel is the operating system.

FAT32 often just is called FAT. There's more filesystems like NTFS and stuff, those are what you shouldn't use.

 

[eskro]

ok, wow, talk about getting confused

so, once firmware is updated on my R4i,
i can remove the 'update.bin'
but i have to keep the 'kernel files' on mymicroSD card along with some roms?

thx

 

[Rydian]

Yes. The kernel is the OS, you always need that.

 

[eskro]

ahh, perfect, im all set, i hope

ok i bought this TF card ADATA 8GB microSDHC Class@6

hope compatibility is good
and that i wont have any issues!

thanks to u all for the help!