Gaming Write GBA roms using Nintendo DS?

[Sliter]

well I think this can be possible but not sure id someone are up do make it happen XD

 

[Sliter]

yeah, that's what made me think it would be possible from the beginning to use a DS since it's already using the GBA as the actual flasher

I saw it have a hardware, isn't only a USB>gba thing .. but we can't to something with using an usb and a link cabe? and with a software to do so?
I'm on this idea using anything that can get the gba cart/console + link in something (like on DS,GC/wii or just usb ) :B
I know there was an "cart" that sue a simple usb>gamelink cable and a cart to use the GBA as controller on PC (QBUS GBA)...
Or I should give up and look for an writter? XD

(plus question/idea: linking on a GBA can we extract/put save games? Not only for gba games, but also GB/C ? )

 

[FAST6191]

You seem to be wondering what you might be able to do to have a DS flash can old NOR style GBA cart, but one that used some form of cable rather than a linker/cradle a la http://s186.photobucket.com/user/trikon000/media/gbatemp/ez3.jpg.html

The answer is... I am going to have to see the electronics.
It is not even a theoretical possibility -- the EZ 3 in 1 is designed to do nothing but work in that manner.
However the cart as most understood it during the GBA era would never have to be written to in hardware. If it was written to via the GBA link port then there is an option for the DS to do it. If it was written to by a cable that plugged directly into the flash cart it is still possible but it is also possible that it worked another way.

If I know the protocol (and for most of these you could probably summarise it in a paragraph -- it is usually something like "write to this address/do this thing to enable writing, now write what you need in ? bit chunks, then disable write mode and you are good") then yeah I could probably get it working with an evening's fiddling with any of the 3 in 1 tools that are open source. The trick is finding out this protocol in the first place and that can be annoying, especially if you do not have a working setup to observe in the first place.

On USB then USB is both a very dumb protocol and with just enough smarts that it is a pain in the arse for this sort of thing. It is why loads of people play with USB to serial adapters, programmable devices like the arduino and whatever else where years ago it would have been a simple serial cable doing things. There are some cheaper entries into some of those but again if your options are those or buy a nicely made flash cart all designed to handle it then the only reason to not a get a flash cart is you are curious enough about it to otherwise work it up.

Good stuff to read on mutliboot
http://reinerziegler.de/GBA/gba.htm#Multiboot
http://www.devrs.com/gba/files/mbv2faqs.php

On the matter of the GBC then it used a different voltage level so link cables get tricky there.

 

[mammastuffing]

If I know the protocol (and for most of these you could probably summarise it in a paragraph -- it is usually something like "write to this address/do this thing to enable writing, now write what you need in ? bit chunks, then disable write mode and you are good") then yeah I could probably get it working with an evening's fiddling with any of the 3 in 1 tools that are open source. The trick is finding out this protocol in the first place and that can be annoying, especially if you do not have a working setup to observe in the first place.

That's what I figured too. Unfortunately I couldn't find any documentation of the flash memory in the cart so I figured I'd try to find the address which would enable writing. I wrote a program which I think wrote 0x00-0xFF to every address on the GBA cart. After each written byte it made a check to see if any values had changed when reading the cart, with no luck unfortunately.

 

[Sliter]

There are some cheaper entries into some of those but again if your options are those or buy a nicely made flash cart all designed to handle it then the only reason to not a get a flash cart is you are curious enough about it to otherwise work it up.

As I said, consider the idea of recicle non-wanted-bootlegs XD For example burning an translation and giving as gift to a friend :v
But I can tell you that curiosity is the bigger factor here ... I'm all " man how they can burn a flashcard/reburn a bootleg directly on the gba?? " lol XD
I remember you helping me about the idea of DIY GB/GBA cable (and I still want to do it, just have to get the right components :v), then you told me how the GBA and GBC differ one from other (that btw I want to test it too) o3o these stuff are all interesting xD

kinda offtopic, I saw on that album there's a photo of a GBAmicro link cable, that have an out adapter to a gba standard... there are any inverse way adapter ? (standard> micro)

 

[FAST6191]

As far as I was aware the GBM was electrically compatible with the GBA (and http://problemkaputt.de/gbatek.htm#auxlinkport appears to back me up), however presumably as the standard GBA slot would also take a GB/GBC cable then they did not want people putting the GB/GBC voltages into the GBM. Either way there were various third party cables at the time that did things.

Also I know it was probably a typo but " DIY GB/GBA cable". I recall the Gamecube to GBA cable stuff, GB/GBC to GBA would be a considerably harder task (not to mention no games would do much here).

Recycling non wanted bootlegs, not good enough for me I am afraid. If you don't want to play it and it does not appear to be a simple 3 in 1 then chuck it or give it to someone that does want to play it.

 

[Sliter]

well recycling I could change that spongebob into an fan translated to Portuguese harvest moon and it be more enjoyable XD
and also cheaper... if I'm lucky to find 3 bootleg that can be rewritten, and do it with a DSlite/something I have/simple to do, gonna be cheaper than any GBA flashcard here, like less than the half of the price... I know i'ts risk that the cart can't be rewiritten, yeah o3o
But getting a gba flashcard are on my future plans anyway :v (unless something like this really get out and work like the keikaku xD)

Also I know it was probably a typo but " DIY GB/GBA cable".

yes it was... I meant GC > GBA... :x but yeah the major use for it would be zelda foursword adventures xD And Know of I can make crazy stuff work ,yeah XD
Bu the way the things goes on these pieces would be sued as preposition anyay :B

 

[unf]

I'm pretty sure my cartridges were programmed in situ. Mainly because the address select pins are not in order of the MSP55LV128 chip, this can be seen in the enclosed image. So when the GBA is requesting data it's probably not continuous data on the chip, but data is rather fetched randomly all over but the GBA get's what is expected as the data has been programmed in that order.

View attachment 26527

.

I think I shouldn't be reviving dead posts, but since I'm trying this exact same task, working on the exact same bootleg cart, I'm taking a chance here.

Where did you get the image from?
I have the exact same Bootleg cart and I'm trying to map all the 22-pin address bus.
Using only a multimeter I'm having no luck. Can only find a signal for the Data Bus.

My goal is to, using a NDS, swap the bits on the flash commands addresses and data, just like the Cart has.