Hacking Finally ordered an EZFlash 3 in 1!

[Nero]

Yep.. My R4's Slot2 buddy is coming soon. I'm gonna smash my Opera RAM and wonder why I even bought it.

I ordered from DX, so it's gonna take a minimum of 2 weeks.

But hey, it's worth waiting for GBA games.

I have a few concerns about it though.. They never really got answered either.
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1.) Does the 3 in 1 drain the battery of the DS? (I want to play as long as possible)

2.) I use NDStation on my R4 to Flash GBA roms onto the 3 in 1, right?

3.) Is there GBA to NDS linking? (Pokemon R/S/E to Diamond)

4.) Is there a number of times GBA roms can be flashed to NOR/PSRAM before it dies?

Thanks.. And sorry for posting this here, at least it has to do with my R4. (And the EZFlash board moves as fast as a snail going up a hill.)

~Nero

 

[Grimalkin]

1) It drains slightly
2) You can use NDStation or Rudolph's tool. I like using NDStation but it Flashes the roms to NOR so it takes a little longer.
3) As far as I know, no there isn't.
4) Umm... no limit, but the battery will die for the saves after about 3-4 years.

(NOR requires no power to hold information)

 

[nexus7412369]

A slot 2 drains more power than a slot 1. You lose about an extra 45 minutes.

 

[Nero]

A slot 2 drains more power than a slot 1. You lose about an extra 45 minutes.

That is quite a lot of time drained...

What if I'm not playing my 3 in 1 but it's still inserted into my DS?

Thanks for the answers Grimalkin. What's the difference between writing to NOR and PSRAM?

~Nero

 

[Grimalkin]

PSRAM is loads faster, and game data is wiped everytime you power off your device but can only hold smaller games. NOR memory can run the larger games like Yggdra Union or Kingdom Hearts but takes longer because you need to flash the entire rom to memory. Also, NOR data is not removed on power off, so if you run the same rom it'll load instantly.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't take any power unless you have apps that run with the external memory.

 

[nexus7412369]

A slot 2 drains more power than a slot 1. You lose about an extra 45 minutes.


That is quite a lot of time drained...

What if I'm not playing my 3 in 1 but it's still inserted into my DS?

Thanks for the answers Grimalkin. What's the difference between writing to NOR and PSRAM?

~Nero

I'm pretty sure it will only drain if you boot it with Rudoph's tools.

 

[LokusT]

It is actually possible to transfer Pokemon from the GBA versions to Diamond and Pearl but it can only be done by transferring to a patched Diamond/Pearl ROM and not to an official cart.

http://ezflash.sosuke.com/viewtopic.php?t=5342&start=0 - this thread has details of the patch. 4th post down for the instructions. The link for the actual working patch can be found at the top of the second page. .

Several edits: All typing and no sleep makes LokusT talk bollocks.

 

[leetdude_007]

This device is great for homebrew. From the top of my head DSLinux and SNES emulator have utilized the RAM

 

[MaHe]

I don't want to open another thread, so here goes:
I recently bought a beautiful Crimson DS Lite and I love it's black matte shell. The question I have is: Is EZ3-in-1 glossy or matte? I'm just a perfectionist, and something shiny would probably bother me a bit.

I'll buy it anyways (after all, a casemod should be pretty easy), but if you can answer me, I'll be glad.

 

[nexus7412369]

This thread just got hijacked

Oh and the EZV 3-1 is not shiny. Tis dull white or black

EDIT: well actually its kinda glossy

 

[Grimalkin]

The part where you can see isn't glossy

 

[Nero]

PSRAM is loads faster, and game data is wiped everytime you power off your device but can only hold smaller games. NOR memory can run the larger games like Yggdra Union or Kingdom Hearts but takes longer because you need to flash the entire rom to memory. Also, NOR data is not removed on power off, so if you run the same rom it'll load instantly.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't take any power unless you have apps that run with the external memory.

Wait, let me get this straight.

Games written to PSRAM can't save, correct?

~Nero

 

[myuusmeow]

Not correct.

 

[Grimalkin]

Not correct. Both NOR games and PSRAM games save. PSRAM and NOR memory are needed for the game to dump and run. SRAM is used for saving.

From the GBATEMP Wiki about the 3-in-1:

Hardware Features

* 256 Mb (32 MB) of NOR Flash Memory. This type of memory is able to retain data without requiring uninterrupted power. Depending on data size, writing may take up to several minutes. One typical use includes copying over a GBA ROM, thereby allowing the 3-in-1 to act like a real GBA cartridge.
* 128 Mb (16 MB) of PSRAM. This memory does not retain data when the power is turned off. However it can be written at speeds much faster than NOR memory.
* 4 Mb (512 KB) of battery backed SRAM for save data. The battery is necessary to retain data.
* Programmable embedded "rumble pak" (haptic feedback) device

 

[Nero]

Ahh.. Ok, I gotcha now.

Hmm.. So should I use NDStation, Rudolph's tools, or the Boot Slot-2 on my R4 to use my 3 in 1? I heard there were differences between booting the 3 in 1 with these tools, but I'm not sure.

~Nero

 

[Grimalkin]

I use NDStation personally, cause I don't really care about how long it takes to Flash NOR. NOR makes the game act the closest to a real GBA Cart.

Also, make sure you SRAM patch all roms that use FLASH for saves with GBATA.
Well, generally, just patch all of them just incase.

 

[myuusmeow]

Use Rudolph's Tool. It can flash to PSRAM and NOR, and let's you turn on rumble. Boot slot-2 only works if you have a game flashed to NOR, then it launches it.

 

[Nero]

I use NDStation personally, cause I don't really care about how long it takes to Flash NOR. NOR makes the game act the closest to a real GBA Cart.

Also, make sure you SRAM patch all roms that use FLASH for saves with GBATA.
Well, generally, just patch all of them just incase.

Alright. Thanks for answering all my questions!

And yeah, I was preparing for my EZFlash so I downloaded the EZ4 Client and GBATA.

Hey, is it normal if it's still processing the order? It's been about 3-4 hours now.

I don't know about my R4, I didn't really check when it was done processing.

~Nero

 

[myuusmeow]

Also, make sure you SRAM patch all roms that use FLASH for saves with GBATA.

Also those that use EEPROM to save.

 

[Grimalkin]

I use NDStation personally, cause I don't really care about how long it takes to Flash NOR. NOR makes the game act the closest to a real GBA Cart.

Also, make sure you SRAM patch all roms that use FLASH for saves with GBATA.
Well, generally, just patch all of them just incase.


Alright. Thanks for answering all my questions!

And yeah, I was preparing for my EZFlash so I downloaded the EZ4 Client and GBATA.

Hey, is it normal if it's still processing the order? It's been about 3-4 hours now.

I don't know about my R4, I didn't really check when it was done processing.

~Nero

Usually, on the weekend it takes longer to process. I ordered mine on a Saturday and it got processed on Tuesday, but it came within 10 days.