NGPC USB Flash Cart project

[_SD_]

I've wanted a flash cart for my NGPC for a long time. I know that Bung made one years ago, but the software was crap and it used a parallel port connection.

Over the past couple of years I've seen USB flash carts for the ColecoVision, ADAM, Virtual Boy etc. Hell, everything except the Neo Geo Pocket it would seem.

Are there any other members here that would be interested in a project to create an open source USB NGPC flash cart?

[MoBoRoS]

ABSOLUTELY ME!
Count me in whatever it takes! NGPCs are my passion.

[Calpis]

If you wanna do it, do it :nod: NGP carts are very simple, just a linear 1-4M x 8 ROM, 512K-2M x 8 Flash and an address decoder; the cart might not even need programmable logic if you program it out of system.

[karsten]

if you are interested in having moderate sales you might consider SD/micro SD card compatibility... it might bring some homebrew games too.

in any case keep us informed, it's an interesting project even tought i don't have a NGPC :D

[neogeocdworld]

very interesting project because the linker of the NGPC are "rare"

[_SD_]

Thing is, I have no idea whatsoever about address decoders and very little knowledge about RAM/ROM chips :( This is why I'd like to do a group project so people who do know about this stuff can hopefully contribute. I'm not expecting everyone else to do all the work, I will help as much as I can and possibly even learn something.

I'd like it so that the schematics and parts lists were freely available for everyone to download. If it did get to a point where it was worth getting a small run of PCBs pressed I'd be more than happy to pay for that. I have no interest on making any profit, just getting my cash back and enabling everyone to play Card Fighters Clash 2 in English on real hardware.

[Calpis]

I think the first step will be to determine the hardware in 32M and save cartridges. Do you have Densha de Go! 2, Metal Slug 2nd Mission, SVC: Match of the Millennium or any games with save memory (I presume any Card Fighters)? Nobody is biting at my PCB scan thread: http://assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19622

[_SD_]

I think the first step will be to determine the hardware in 32M and save cartridges. Do you have Densha de Go! 2, Metal Slug 2nd Mission, SVC: Match of the Millennium or any games with save memory (I presume any Card Fighters)? Nobody is biting at my PCB scan thread: http://assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19622

I have Metal Slug 2 and the incredible MotM. The cartridges use the tiniest torx bit that I've ever seen iirc. I'll see if I can get my hands on one over the next day or two and crack a couple of games open.

Thanks to the ever useful GamesX, we have a cart pinout diagram too.

[Calpis]

PCB pics are still needed to determine which of the last two signals is A21 and the different hardware necessary for saving. I suspect the last pin is a flashrom select signal, but since the Pocket Flash cart contains a CPLD.. well, it could be a bit more complicated than that.

[ASSEMbler]

ABSOLUTELY ME!
Count me in whatever it takes! NGPCs are my passion.

haha! Just WAITING all these years huh?
Nice to see some enthusiasm.

the tiny toerx can be found at a lowes
pretty cheaply.

[MoBoRoS]

Yo! I got Some pix for you...

Motm front:




Motm back:


Hope this helps..

[ASSEMbler]

goddamn that's a simple design

[MoBoRoS]

OMG!!!!
Denzetsu no Ogre Battle has an EVEN simpler structure!
Front:


Back:

[MoBoRoS]

Opened up almost all of my games (13 are remaining)
till now:
Simple Structure:
Densetsu no Ogre Battle
Azteca
Party Mail
Ward of Lights
Fatal Fury
Biomotor Unitron
Dark Arms
Sonic Pocket Adventure
Faselei!
Megaman: Battle And Fighters
Metal Slug 1st mission
King of Fighters R-2
Samuraii Shodown 2
Gals Fighters Clash
Last Blade

"Dual Structure" till now:

Motm
Metal Slug 2nd Mission

[ElBarto]

PCB pics are still needed to determine which of the last two signals is A21 and the different hardware necessary for saving. I suspect the last pin is a flashrom select signal, but since the Wonder Magic cart contains a CPLD.. well, it could be a bit more complicated than that.

NGP cart use flash chip.
The save is in the flash.
That's why you find dump on the web with save inside and it's a big problem for getting clean dumps cause some game write some data at first boot.

[karsten]

incredibly easy structure and i would guess incredibly easy to reproduce too!

[Calpis]

NGP cart use flash chip.
The save is in the flash.
That's why you find dump on the web with save inside and it's a big problem for getting clean dumps cause some game write some data at first boot.

If the games are entirely flash, then well, there's no need to make a flash cart, you could just reprogram commercial games with a "linker". So I guess the last signal is not A21 but rather a second ROM select used for 32M games. I really don't understand the CPLD now, unless the flash commands have to be faked.

[ElBarto]

If you just want to make a single game cart yes.
But if you want to put more than one 32M game.

The best will be to have a 1M chip for bootmenu and a 128M flash chip(or more).

[Calpis]

Is having multiple games worth a power-draining CPLD, having to manufacture new boards/cases, buy flash? I'd just get a cheap game nobody likes and write over it. Heh with a CPLD and 1G flash you could have a multicart of the entire library with room to spare!

[karsten]

mmh so if someone makes a flasher, you can change you game into another one just by flashing over? and what would happen if both games have save feature? overwrite at boot?

in any case this is a thing that might create some kind of homebrew community for the NGPC!