NCard help

[LunarPurin]

So I managed to find an Ncard GBA pack on eBay (Not including the DS cartridge sadly)

I was intending to use it to overwrite bootleg DS carts since they're often NCard clones. All discussion on these I can find (Admittedly at a glance) dates back decades with dead links everywhere.

Is there anything I need to install on my PC, any extra physical hardware I need?
I don't own any bootleg carts yet, and I can't verify on my own if I have everything needed for my project. All I have is the GBA cart, a DS/DS Lite and a mini USB cable.

What else do I need? Can it be used to anything besides NCard writing? Just to check if it even works?

 

[SylverReZ]

Is there anything I need to install on my PC, any extra physical hardware I need?
I don't own any bootleg carts yet, and I can't verify on my own if I have everything needed for my project. All I have is the GBA cart, a DS/DS Lite and a mini USB cable.

What else do I need? Can it be used to anything besides NCard writing? Just to check if it even works?

You need to have a Windows XP machine, a physical one at most, since I cannot get the update software to work under virtual machines. The software can be downloaded here. https://github.com/m4x10187/fire-ca...re Link/Firmware/DS_Fire_Link_v1.45_v2.55.rar

When you connect the GBA adapter from your DS to your PC, it will instantly recognise it as a mass storage device for you to transfer ROMs directly.

 

[LunarPurin]

You need to have a Windows XP machine, a physical one at most, since I cannot get the update software to work under virtual machines. The software can be downloaded here. https://github.com/m4x10187/fire-card-archive/blob/main/DS Fire Link/Firmware/DS_Fire_Link_v1.45_v2.55.rar

When you connect the GBA adapter from your DS to your PC, it will instantly recognise it as a mass storage device for you to transfer ROMs directly.

Ah, I have a distinct and profound lack of a physical machine running Windows XP

I'm guessing that means this thing is useless to me then? :c

 

[SylverReZ]

Ah, I have a distinct and profound lack of a physical machine running Windows XP

I'm guessing that means this thing is useless to me then? :c

Well that's for updating the card. If you have a regular PC, then you can connect to the N-Card normally.

The update software relies on Windows only. Its a command-line based tool.

 

[LunarPurin]

Well that's for updating the card. If you have a regular PC, then you can connect to the N-Card normally.

The update software relies on Windows only. Its a command-line based tool.

I see, forgive me if I'm stupid but it doesn't seem to be registering with my PC at all when the mini USB is connected.
Is there a program I need to run from my laptop to access it?

 

[SylverReZ]

I see, forgive me if I'm stupid but it doesn't seem to be registering with my PC at all when the mini USB is connected.
Is there a program I need to run from my laptop to access it?

Is the GBA adapter connected to your DS and plugged into your PC?
If so, power on the DS then select the N-CARD icon. When the menu appears, tap 'USB MODE' and it should be connected.

 

[LunarPurin]

Is the GBA adapter connected to your DS and plugged into your PC?
If so, power on the DS then select the N-CARD icon. When the menu appears, tap 'USB MODE' and it should be connected.

It's registering as a DS Option Pak
I don't have an N-Card slot 1 cartridge, only the slot 2

I'm guessing there's not much I can do to check if it works without an slot 1 cart, I've heard those Pokemon bootleg copies tend to be Ncard clones though

 

[SylverReZ]

It's registering as a DS Option Pak
I don't have an N-Card slot 1 cartridge, only the slot 2

I'm guessing there's not much I can do to check if it works without an slot 1 cart, I've heard those Pokemon bootleg copies tend to be Ncard clones though

Oh? I thought you mean you have both the slot-1 and slot-2 cards on hand. You need to find a DS Fire Card, N-Card or the many other clone variants to get this to work.

 

[LunarPurin]

Oh? I thought you mean you have both the slot-1 and slot-2 cards on hand. You need to find a DS Fire Card, N-Card or the many other clone variants to get this to work.

Nah, was only able to find the slot 2 cart but had heard that many bootleg carts are actually cloned NCards

I've got one of them in transit at the moment, guess I've got nothing more to say than that I'll see how it goes