Hacking R4i running on a 1.4J DSi

[FluffyLunamoth]

What you update is the firmware. Not the files. The firmware INSIDE THE FLASHCART. And the only way to do that with, say, the Acekard, is by being able to actually RUN the flashcard. Which is why 1.4X will not work.

 

[jbach44]

What you update is the firmware. Not the files. The firmware INSIDE THE FLASHCART. And the only way to do that with, say, the Acekard, is by being able to actually RUN the flashcard. Which is why 1.4X will not work.

ok and what u are saying is, the r4i-SDHC can't be updated this way?

with the others all it takes is inserting it into a DS or DSL and running it? (sorry, making sure I understand is all)

 

[jbach44]

Basically there is a part of the flash cart that holds the boot code, firmware, boot strap, kernel, whatever you want to call it. This is separate from the firmware files on your MicroSD, it is pretty much the most important part and what allows it to boot.

The problem with R4i SDHC (though this hasn't been confirmed, we just assume) uses a chip that can only be written once, think burning a CD, you can only write the code once. So now that the method the cart uses is blocked by the new firmware, you need a new boot strap to run the cart. The R4i SDHC uses a chip that can only be written once, so, you can't rewrite it anymore, thus, you are pretty much screwed in that sense. Although again, we are assuming the R4i SDHC isn't rewritable. It could be... just unlikely.

The AceKard 2i however has a chip that can be rewritten, over and over, think a USB thumbstick. Obviously the cart costs more because this kind of chip costs more (which is why an AceKard 2i is more expensive than say... the DSTTi). What it can do is it can boot up on a DS Lite or a pre-1.4 DSi console, and then you can run a program to rewrite the bootloader on this rewritable chip.

So pretty much, to update the AceKard 2i and the EZ Flash Vi, you need the cart to be able to turn on and run a program, or well, the program that will rewrite their code. So it doesn't matter how you do it, but most people say that you need the DS Lite and DS phat for obvious reasons.


EDIT: So to make this clear, R4i SDHC is unlikely to be updated that way. The truth is we don't know because they never made a statement, however it seems that the R4i Gold Box is shipping out new carts with 1.4 support rather than updating the old ones, which suggests one time writes, and also the R4i brand is pretty tarnished as is. The thing is the R4i's are designed to saturate the low end market, they sell lower than others, and the cost cuts have to come from somewhere. There is a lot of basis for the idea that the cart can't be updated that way, but again unless the team says it concretely, we really don't know. One shred of hope is that the R4i SDHC red box version, the one that you have, is often considered one of the better clones, one of the luxury or more expensive versions. So there is a chance that it won't follow the same path as the R4i Gold Box.

ok thank you for explaining it, now it makes sense. while I admit to having some rom files on my card, my main intent was video and homebrew, but yeah, the roms are tempting lol

for now i'll just 'wait and see' what happens with my card, and the others, then i'll purchase a new one (if that ends up being what's needed) (that or a used DS or DSL lol) either way.
again, thank you for explaining it clearly