Trying to work original r4 card for downloading saves.

[neroics]

I have the pictured R4 card, currently with the files also pictured including the original zip file that I got the files from.
I wanted to use it to get the saves from my pokemon Gamecards. I couldn't get that to work, so I was trying to get the card at least to work in general, so I thought this was the problem, but even that I cannot get to work so I'm stuck on all sides. [the reason why I thought adding these files might help is because my nds wouldn't see the card at all with just the files for the GBA backup tool.]
Can anyone help me? is this a lost cause?
Thanks

 

[Sanrasxz]

I don't know why you're trying to run YSMenu on this tbh. Go grab WoodR4 1.62 instead.

Reformat the SD card, make sure it's 2GB or less in size, and then download this kernel file: https://flashcard-archive.ds-homebrew.com/R4_original_M3_Simply/R4DS_Wood_R4_1.62.zip

Extract the contents to SD root.

 

[Kwyjor]

I couldn't get that to work
...
even that I cannot get to work

These are not useful phrases. What exactly did you try, and what happened when you tried it?

I suppose if you're trying to back up GBA saves, you're using this in a DS Lite? Are you inserting the cartridge before turning on the unit, or are you trying to insert the cartridge after turning it on?

 

[neroics]

I don't know why you're trying to run YSMenu on this tbh. Go grab WoodR4 1.62 instead.

Extract the contents to SD root.

I've done this. It will not see the R4 card at all in that case.

Post automatically merged: Nov 22, 2023

These are not useful phrases. What exactly did you try, and what happened when you tried it?

I'm sorry, this is my first time doing this so I don't know what is useful to say or not.
I reformatted the 2-GB card to fat32, then extracted the files from the GBA_Backup_tool_0.1 (though I tried the other versions too by repeating the process.)
Then I inserted it into the R4 card, and turned on the Original NDS. The menu implied that the card slot was empty every time.

I suppose if you're trying to back up GBA saves, you're using this in a DS Lite? Are you inserting the cartridge before turning on the unit, or are you trying to insert the cartridge after turning it on?

I'm using an original Nintendo DS. The fat one. Before getting to the GBA cartridge, it will not show up on the NDS cartridge reader at all, so I cannot activate anything to begin with, it shows it as if you don't have a game inserted at all.

I then thought to try making at least a viable DS cartridge to begin with so that it might be able to read it, so I repeated the process by deleting the current files on the SD card, unzipping and putting in some of the files that I saw on the internet worked for others to make it launchable. Among which the first shown files, and WoodR4. But while YSMenu boots at the very least (getting stuck on loading), the WoodR4 files don't show as content at all either.

 

[JaapDaniels]

I don't know why you're trying to run YSMenu on this tbh. Go grab WoodR4 1.62 instead.

Reformat the SD card, make sure it's 2GB or less in size, and then download this kernel file: https://flashcard-archive.ds-homebrew.com/R4_original_M3_Simply/R4DS_Wood_R4_1.62.zip

Extract the contents to SD root.

you forgot to tell filesystem should be fat (preferably fat16)

 

[Kwyjor]

you forgot to tell filesystem should be fat (preferably fat16)

Indeed, I'm not sure if this will work if the card is formatted as FAT32. A 2 GB card should be formatted as FAT16.

 

[neroics]

you forgot to tell filesystem should be fat (preferably fat16)

Indeed, I'm not sure if this will work if the card is formatted as FAT32. A 2 GB card should be formatted as FAT16.

Ah thank you, then I wil definitely try that!

Post automatically merged: Nov 22, 2023

Ah thank you, then I wil definitely try that!

Well I tried it, and it loads up, but it has the same issue that its stuck on 'loading...' when I start up my DS

 

[JaapDaniels]

Ah thank you, then I wil definitely try that!

Post automatically merged: Nov 22, 2023

Well I tried it, and it loads up, but it has the same issue that its stuck on 'loading...' when I start up my DS

that could mean 2 things:

• Your kernel is a mismatch to the r4.
• Your card has timebomb, try revert the date of your NDS to purchase year of your R4 card.

 

[Apache Thunder]

Is it an OG R4? They are known to have thin PCBs and have trouble making contact with the slot pins in some consoles. I suppose this could impact the original DS too. Try inserting a few slips of paper between the label side of the cart and the cart slot when you insert it. If it works that's your issue. The perma fix is to take the cart apart (should be screw on reverse side that holds it together, no need to disturb the label) and cut paper down to fit underneath the PCB and the label side plastic. This should compensate for the thin PCB.

 

[neroics]

that could mean 2 things:

• Your kernel is a mismatch to the r4.

How can I know what kernel I need to use?

• Your card has timebomb, try revert the date of your NDS to purchase year of your R4 card.

I tried this, but it changed nothing to be honest. It just stays on loading...

Is it an OG R4? They are known to have thin PCBs and have trouble making contact with the slot pins in some consoles. I suppose this could impact the original DS too. Try inserting a few slips of paper between the label side of the cart and the cart slot when you insert it. If it works that's your issue. The perma fix is to take the cart apart (should be screw on reverse side that holds it together, no need to disturb the label) and cut paper down to fit underneath the PCB and the label side plastic. This should compensate for the thin PCB.

I tried this multiple times, with some levels of thickness. Sometimes it did nothing, or left it impossible to read, with one time it not saying 'loading' but instead saying something along the lines of 'sd card unreadable/undetected' which was.. odd.

 

[JaapDaniels]

How can I know what kernel I need to use?


I tried this, but it changed nothing to be honest. It just stays on loading...


I tried this multiple times, with some levels of thickness. Sometimes it did nothing, or left it impossible to read, with one time it not saying 'loading' but instead saying something along the lines of 'sd card unreadable/undetected' which was.. odd.

Somewhere on the PCB, the shell or the sticker should be a website mark.
You need the exact R4 kernel for your R4, so when it says WWW.R4ISDHC.IT, it means WWW.R4ISDHC.IT.HK will not be close enough.
Each R4 card brand uses his own HWID, and it must match the kernel.
If this does not the chain of trust (security of NDS checking if the card is "legit" enough to boot in to code excecution) will fail, and so will the card not being able to boot.