Homebrew GBA Macro Firmware

[cody64n]

One day when I was watching Youtube I saw People making Gameboy Advance Macro's out of their old DS/DS Lites and that when it got me thinking "Why don't we make a firmware for the Macro!"

Is it possible?

 

[MichiS97]

What do you mean by firmware?

 

[cody64n]

Like a Custom firmware for the DS

 

[huntertron1]

last i checked you can flash your ds to make its region worldwide. i think im wrong though that might be for the ds download station.

 

[Jhynjhiruu]

Custom firmwares for DS do exist, like FlashMe, but it would require someone to write it.

 

[MassExplosion213]

Flashme would actually be perfectly fine outright.

 

[Jhynjhiruu]

Flashme would actually be perfectly fine outright.

FlashMe works quite differently to what OP was suggesting, if I read it correctly

 

[tech3475]

If by CFW you mean the ability to run homebrew/games, the closest is Flashme which can remove the RSA checks for downloaded DS software and enable a quick boot to a flash cart with some other features e.g. brick protection

 

[Minox]

The main problem with Flashme as I understand it was that the amount of space that could be used for new functionality was so limited that they could barely implement anything extra. I imagine what the OP would like to do would be something along the lines of taking out the DS-specific functionality and then implement extra GBA functionality instead.

 

[cody64n]

The main problem with Flashme as I understand it was that the amount of space that could be used for new functionality was so limited that they could barely implement anything extra. I imagine what the OP would like to do would be something along the lines of taking out the DS-specific functionality and then implement extra GBA functionality instead.

That was what i was thinking.

 

[DinohScene]

The only thing FlashMe really does is remove the H&W screen, autoboot a GBA flashcard in NDS mode and make the handheld brick proof (if you brick it with one of the 2 DS brickers, you can flash FlashMe back to the unit with a GBA cart)

Unfortunately, there's very little, if anything that can be added to the GBA mode of the DS.
The hardware is simply to weak and there's no ports that GBA mode can access.

last i checked you can flash your ds to make its region worldwide. i think im wrong though that might be for the ds download station.

DS is region free.
DSi is the only DS with a region lock.

 

[FAST6191]

Unfortunately, there's very little, if anything that can be added to the GBA mode of the DS.
The hardware is simply to weak and there's no ports that GBA mode can access.

If flashme can force boot the DS in various slots and modes then force booting GBA slot is doable enough (you are not doing any functionality, probably just adding a few NOPs to the boot slot loop to force GBA mode on GBA slot) and as you can already select the GBA screen in firmware that too is just going to be forcing a certain outcome for a loop/check.

I would certainly like some kind of terminate and stay resident or active mods, the DS side of things of http://fwnitro.caitsith2.net/ had something but GBA mode is a reboot affair so that might be harder.

That said if you are certain DS mode will not be used again you might be able to snag some of the space used by the wifi settings (the DS was so touch and go they added wifi to later games presumably so as to avoid having to pay out for the wifi intellectual property).

 

[cody64n]

yeah true