Hacking Is there a "idiots guide" to this flash cart thing

[orionsmamma]

I just got my ds lite a week ago, and have been reading about these "flash carts". Being brand new to the ds, and not knowing the technical lingo, I REALLY need help here! I really want to be able to use the Day planner program on my ds, along with some of the other homebrew apps that were listed.

As a side not, what is a ROM? I am not asking for one, just trying to understand wtf it is

I really just need the idiots guide to this flash cart/ROM thing!

Any help is mega appreciated!!

 

[fischju]

There is a wiki. Pretty much the same thing.
http://wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

 

[sasuke_kun12]

http://forum.bamboogaming.com/viewtopic.php?t=312

I made this one for bamboogamings forum. I even made a little recommendation list for those who are wanting to buy one

 

[orionsmamma]

Thanks for the crash course! I think Im after the r4, next challenge: WHERE TO BUY???

 

[science]

"A idiots guide" lolol

 

[Rhuarc]

Well, I just received my 3in1 yesterday, and I think I have things pretty much figured out when using it with my DSTT running YSMenu. Just two questions:

1) Is there any way to get the 3in1 to work with sleep mode? I'm not flashing the games to NOR, just running them from PSRAM, and maybe sleep mode isn't compatible with that. The game just keeps on running even after I close the lid! I did see something about a Sleep mode Patch in GBATA, but I can't seem to figure out what it actually does once I use it on a running ROM. It puts the ROM to sleep, but whe I close the DS lid the DS stays on.

2) None of the Simple NES series seem to work even after patching them. I did find an IPS patch that seems to work. What is different about these games that they need an IPS patch to work?

 

[DanTheManMS]

1) Think about it: the GBA has no lid to close. When running the DS in GBA mode, it doesn't even know the hinge exists. Sleep mode on the GBA is usually activated via an in-game function (maybe in the Start menu for instance), but unlike the DS, not all games include a sleep option. GBATA's patch allows you to use a certain button combination to put the GBA to sleep and another one to wake it back up, even if the game doesn't include the function in the first place.

2) I'm not really sure, but they've been troublesome on nearly all GBA flash carts, not just the 3in1.

EDIT: to further clarify my first point, there's no way to make the DS recognize that you're closing the hinge when you're in GBA mode. Therefore, even if you use the GBATA patch to put it to sleep, the backlight will still stay on even with the hinge closed. I don't think there's any way to control the DS backlight from GBA mode at all, even through homebrew.

 

[Rhuarc]

1) Think about it: the GBA has no lid to close. When running the DS in GBA mode, it doesn't even know the hinge exists. Sleep mode on the GBA is usually activated via an in-game function (maybe in the Start menu for instance), but unlike the DS, not all games include a sleep option. GBATA's patch allows you to use a certain button combination to put the GBA to sleep and another one to wake it back up, even if the game doesn't include the function in the first place.

2)Â I'm not really sure, but they've been troublesome on nearly all GBA flash carts, not just the 3in1.

EDIT: to further clarify my first point, there's no way to make the DS recognize that you're closing the hinge when you're in GBA mode. Therefore, even if you use the GBATA patch to put it to sleep, the backlight will still stay on even with the hinge closed.  I don't think there's any way to control the DS backlight from GBA mode at all, even through homebrew.

1) I see what you mean, but I seem to remember that on my DSPhat that when I had a regular GBA cartridge inserted that it would indeed put it to sleep when I closed the lid. Maybe that was my imagination. If the backlight stays on even after you put the game to sleep using the buttom combination from GBATA then what is the point in that functionality?

2) Ok, thanks! =)

On another note, does anyone have any idea if the DSTT menu system YSMenu is ever going to support clean GBA roms? It seems I have two choices now.

1) Use YSMenu on patched ROMS using GBATA.
2) Use GBALoader on clean roms.

I really like the thought of using clean roms, but at the same time I like being able to launch GBA roms right from the YSMenu. LoL, if only YSMenu would build in the functionality from GBALoader!

 

[DanTheManMS]

1) I see what you mean, but I seem to remember that on my DSPhat that when I had a regular GBA cartridge inserted that it would indeed put it to sleep when I closed the lid. Maybe that was my imagination.Â
Must have been, yes. In GBA mode, there is no access to any of the DS-specific features. No Wifi, no extra resolution, no extra buttons, no touchscreen, and no hinge access.

QUOTEIf the backlight stays on even after you put the game to sleep using the buttom combination from GBATA then what is the point in that functionality?

It still saves battery power. Keep in mind that the original GBA had no backlight after all. I don't think GBA mode has access to the backlight switch in the DS (or the GBA SP or GBM for that matter) so even if the programmers wanted to turn it off they couldn't.