New EZ4 SDHC in house at GBAtemp

FAST6191

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The EZFlash Team sent GBAtemp a sample of their new GBA cart size, microSD(HC) using EZ4 to test. This is the first GBA sized EZ4 model to use microSD size memory rather than the now hard to come by miniSD. Out of the box it supported a FAT32 formatted 8 gigabyte micro SDHC card, though now all models of EZ4 should support SDHC.

Full review coming up but we took some some photos in the meantime, including some shots comparing the new model to the original launch model of EZ4. You can see them in the FileTrip gallery

Update.
First impressions and chip listings now available.
 

DjoeN

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This is great :)
- Time to ditch my windows xp i kept only for flashing my old gba cartridge.
On the other hand, i bought most games i really wanted second hand (yes there cheap now if you do look around)
Still it's great to see EZFlash still thinking on all those GBA fans out there :)
 

link491

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If these are going to become readily available again, I'm gonna need to get my hand on a bunch of them. Such a useful little cart...
 

Vanth88

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Hopefully the compatibility is the same if not better than before. Did they say how much it'll cost? I tried looking around a little but I didn't see anything.
 

Harsky

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I've still got my original EZ4 which I've had for probably 9 years now. I am still wondering if there's any demand for a microSD SDHC version considering that you can fit all the must play games on a 2GB mini SD and have tons of room to spare. But I guess it is true that mini SDs are not as common as micro SDs nowadays.

I really hope for the following:

Real drag and drop play
Bigger NOR size
Faster loading times (because it gets tedious waiting for the save to write for the last game you play)
 

FAST6191

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First impressions.
New case design (ish), held together with snap tabs and a self tapping screw. The case is thinner than the original but by no means bad quality.

Has the new kernel on it and thus does not have a DS mode (flashme DS force booting DS mode on the GBA slot whitescreened)

Memory is the standard 16 megabytes of PSRAM and 32 megabytes of NOR (I tested Mother 3 and it fit as you can see in the gallery image of it)
I can not rule out being sent a nicely selected one (it did come with a small game on the NOR, presumably as a test) but let us not be too cynical.

PCB soldering quality is far better than previous images of the new EZ4. Outside edges are a bit rough but nothing to write home about.
Battery is a new size for the EZ4 (possibly explaining the modified front case) in being a CR2025 (previously it was a VL2020 for the originals and supposedly a non rechargeable 2020 for the later models)
SDHC slot is a side facing sprung loaded one, slightly fiddly to get to.

You have some PCB shots in the gallery for fans of numbers then on the back side there is
Right hand chip
M6MGT321S4TP
BG0 044B20P
http://www.digchip.com/datasheets/parts/datasheet/192/M6MGT321S4TP-pdf.php might be a datasheet. Looks like the standard NOR-SRAM combo they have used for years (though previous models might have been M6MGT321S8TP)

Left hand chip
Spansion 71WS512ND0BFWEP
844PP004 H
MALAYSIA
Copyright 05 Spansion
Possibly something http://www.spansion.com/Products/Memory/Parallel-Flash/Pages/Spansion WS.aspx
Seems popular among China/HK chip suppliers, http://www.datasheetarchive.com/dl/Datasheets-IS68/DSAH00171355.pdf would appear to be a datasheet.

The battery is right across the top side chip and I am not up for desoldering it for this. At first glance/comparing traces to my launch EZ4 it is a pretty similar chip, if it is was then http://uk.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Altera-Corporation/EPM240T100C5N/?qs=jblrfmjbeiHmgaW5DQXOiw== is the chip in question (an altera EPM240T100C5N CPLD). If mouser are still willing to sell me one (though with a decent lead time) then it is still possible that it or a pin compatible descendant are being used.
 

rainparadesamurai

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if the removable memory type is the only thing that's changed then I'll just wait till Krikzz releases the everdrive gba to get a gba flashcart.
 

BestR4i3DS.com

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Fast News!
Our New EZ-Flash IV microsd New stocks just arrived too,
Just took the pictures several hours ago:
new_ez4_microsd_03.jpg

More pictures here:
http://www.bestr4i3ds.com/ez4-ezflash-iv-ezflash-4-sltt2-gba-card-for-gba-nds-ndsl-p-101.html
 

FR0ZN

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Man they could have moved the SD slot out of the front while they were at it ... and what about a RTC?
Even with this, there is still a "perfect" GBA Flashcart MIA.
 

The Real Jdbye

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Sweet.
Great to see they still support old consoles.
MicroSD may be a small change, but it makes a big difference, what with how unreliable some of the adapters can be.
 

kuwanger

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Funny, I too recently bought (another) EZ Flash IV. The new kernel is rather nice, with much faster saving (for me from ~26 seconds down to ~3 seconds*), and it seems to have fixed several of the graphical glitches. I hope this means they'll work just that small bit more on themeing for the new EZ IV model and perhaps make the hard reset the default (as I've still yet to track down where the code for the soft/hard reset is).

FAST6191: Any chance you could pass upon that request to make hard reset the default? And, again, a request for the kernel source to be open? :) As it stands, I'm rather happy at just how much effort they put into it. Though this new model tends to explain the recent update.

* I had some trouble with my minisd adapater and reformed my 4GB card using SDFormatter, so it's possible a part of that is just better alignment or switching to a faster microsd card.

PS - A very nasty bug in their new boot loader. If you hold down R to update the ezfla_up.bin, it doesn't actually check that there's an ezfla_up.bin on the SD card. It'll just merrily erase the current loader, which can make it unbootable until you copy over the ezfla_up.bin and reinstall it. :~( I wonder if there's a way to fix that.
 

Disco

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Hmmm.... I already have EZ3in1 which I use in my DSL with Ak2i (Akaio), and good old M3 Perfect which uses standard size SD card and it works awesome...but I am considering to buy one of these :gba:
 

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