Hacking EZ-FLASH Junior TestFlight

[Slowdoom]

I have a question. Is there any chance of bricking the actual cartridge itself, making it unplayable if I try these beta versions?
Or is the only thing that can happen is a corrupted SD card?

 

[Shadow#1]

I have a question. Is there any chance of bricking the actual cartridge itself, making it unplayable if I try these beta versions?
Or is the only thing that can happen is a corrupted SD card?

Yes

 

[Iggym32]

The clock is not working on my ez flash jr. When I power it off it then turn it on, the last time registered will still be there. Example: shut down at 430 and turn on at 830, the time on the cart still shows 430 and starts counting based off that. This is on new testflight version 5

 

[DrunkenMonk]

The clock is not working on my ez flash jr. When I power it off it then turn it on, the last time registered will still be there. Example: shut down at 430 and turn on at 830, the time on the cart still shows 430 and starts counting based off that. This is on new testflight version 5

Sounds like your RTC isn't powered whilst the cart is turned off, try replacing the battery? also latest testflight is embeded somewhere in the pages of this thread, not on the first page as far as I'm aware (if that's the one you mean by new version 5, since there's multiple version 5's and only one of them is bordering RC).

 

[paburo-san666]

Yes

how??

 

[paburo-san666]

I've been using 1.05e version of kernel, just to use SGB enhancements, but now I read that would break my cartridge. And on ez-flash site I read this too:

NOTE: This not a final release, If you are not in desperate need of playing RTC games or a user of a particular batch of Gameboy Color, please stay with Firmware 4 and Kernel 1.04e!
Known issue: if user does not have an enough fast speed SD card. it will halt in LOADING or OSINIT screen after upgrade.

I'm kinda scared now

There is something wrong with me using 1.05e version?

 

[Sotaeko]

Would it be possible to look into the saving issue for Network Boukenki Bugsite? Upon loading the game you end up on a black screen. I've tried loading a emulator save and when you save again it doesnt work.

 

[YYHH01]

Hi all, I have recently bought a Ez-Flash jr to play pokemon crsytal and crystal clear. Games with RTC.
I have updated the firmware to ezjunior-fw5-0918 using a GBASP. Everything works well using my GBASP. However, when i switch it to my GBC. I am unable to load the Pokemon Crystal properly.

I have attached the images. Basically, pokemon crystal will show up glitch after loading.
PS: GBC is able to load other games and flash cart.

any idea whats the problem here?

 

[Xalusc]

It's been a while since we got any updates.
I wonder if the final v5 firmware is ever going to come out...

 

[DrunkenMonk]

It's been a while since we got any updates.
I wonder if the final v5 firmware is ever going to come out...

Pretty sure the pocket dev stuff and RTC stuff was just a rabbit hole of debugging and fixing that it stopped becoming economically viable with the declining sales of the Jr to continue working on the firmware, a lot of people moved on from thinking a flashcart could sate their needs for RTC and just bought other carts from insidegadgets and etc instead.

EZflash haven't posted anywhere in over a month and there's been zero reassurance for anyone who's asked about it, which has definitely been read.

What we see is what we get with the Jr right now, the battery drains too quickly, firmware support is over, the only things we'll maybe see a fix for are huge critical bugs, even that's just a maybe.

Same reason development for gateway3ds to stop, the profit just simply wasn't there to incentivise.

Maybe we'll get lucky and there'll be a Jr Definitive edition that fixes all the hardware problems of the first one that can't just be patched out, and if they're really good with space, give us a 2032 coin cell holder. Cycle perfect RTC etc... We can dream

 

[hippy dave]

Same reason development for gateway3ds to stop,

Nah man that update is for sure coming soon

 

[kerobscure]

@EZ-Flash2 we need news, you can't sell a bugged product and dissapear.

 

[paburo-san666]

@EZ-Flash2 we need news, you can't sell a bugged product and dissapear.

HEY BUT WHAT THE HECK IT'S GOING ON
EXPLAIN GOD DAMN IT

 

[NomadoP]

I don't suppose they can at least regulate the voltage used by this vampire of a cartridge, or lower the power drain this causes? It's the worst one on the market in this regard.

Oh nevermind, support appears to have vanished, dropped a messy beta 12mth ago and radio silence ever since.

 

[ghjfdtg]

I don't think there is much they can do to reduce power draw. It's the hardware itself. They didn't use the most efficient components for the PCB. What they can do is optimize the internal FPGA design and microSD card access. microSD access is probably the biggest power hog (it even is on the Everdrives).

 

[YYHH01]

I think power consumption has to do with hardware components as well. They cant just release a firmware to resolve that. But what can do is at least ensure that their product works? Especially for RTC games as they claimed it works.

 

[NomadoP]

Yeah you're all correct. Sorry for the tangent, just was surprised that this cart caused twice the battery drain of Krikzz' products. Should have probably went with that because at least when he says RTC works it works and when he releases a model that it doesn't work on, the product page says so.

 

[ghjfdtg]

I do own a X7 and it works very well indeed. But considering the current price i can't recommend it. It was already expensive before krikzz raised the price but now it's ridiculously expensive if you can get one at all. So there is that. Not many alternatives besides the Jr.

 

[NomadoP]

I do own a X7 and it works very well indeed. But considering the current price i can't recommend it. It was already expensive before krikzz raised the price but now it's ridiculously expensive if you can get one at all. So there is that. Not many alternatives besides the Jr.

Considering the feature set, Jr. is the equivalent of the GB X5 because RTC doesn't work on the Jr. X5 is priced okay and I think you don't need to reboot for it to actually save. X7 for some reason is on some other planet price-wise, even more than the GBA one, and mainly just offers save states and working RTC. So GB X5 is what I'd recommend. Unless of course a firmware for Jr. releases out of nowhere, but it's looking rather abandoned to be honest.

 

[Haibuu]

Agree on the X5,
Depending on what you want to do with GB cards, X5 ($60?), X7($125?), or a MBC3000 RTC GBC card and an optional tool to flash it (29$-80$) are options.

The Ez flash JR is essentially a proof of concept, due to the instability and high power requirements I wouldn't expect a firmware solving the compatibility issues.