Gameboy Development Forum
Discussion about software development for the old-school Gameboys, ranging from the "Gray brick" to Gameboy Color
(Launched in 2008)
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#1 2021-08-21 17:49:12
- popcalent
- Member
- Registered: 2021-08-18
- Posts: 12
Where to buy empty Gameboy cartridge PCBs?
I want to buy some 32KB cartridge PCBs for my homebrew game. I know there's the option to find a Gerber file and have it manufactured for me, then flash the ROM, solder it, etc. I'm not ready for that yet, although I'd like to design mine one day using through-hole components for a vintage touch.
Anyway, I found this website [1] where you can send your ROM and they'll flash it for you, confirm it works, and send you the PCB plus a cartridge housing. They do no reply to my emails though. It's a shame because that product is exactly what I'm looking for. Do you guys know of another site where they sell cartridge PCBs and will flash them for you? If possible within the European Union, so I don't have to pay the stupid ass-raping euro import taxes, but if it's outside the EU that's OK. Thanks!
[1] https://catskullelectronics.com/collect … 9491313742
Last edited by popcalent (2021-08-21 17:50:46)
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#2 2021-08-25 04:04:45
- gekkio
- Member
- Registered: 2016-05-29
- Posts: 16
Re: Where to buy empty Gameboy cartridge PCBs?
How many carts are you looking for?
I've got a couple of my GB-CART256K-A carts [1] left in stock I'm willing to sell for cheap (8€ each, shipping included). Shipped from Finland, so no EU import tax issues 
Larger than 32kB but it doesn't really matter, since the power consumption is barely affected [2], and you have the possibility of flashing a larger ROM if you ever decide to re-flash.
[1] https://github.com/Gekkio/gb-hardware#gb-cart256k-a
[2] https://gekkio.fi/blog/2021/power-consu … artridges/
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#3 2023-02-15 23:21:59
Re: Where to buy empty Gameboy cartridge PCBs?
If memory serves, don't all Game Boy cartridges exclusively use surface mount components? The pins on through-hole packages would raise the PCB away from the shell. Sorry, got off topic there.
Inside Gadgets can provide flashcarts with provided ROMs pre-written to them, but you would have to deal with shipping from Australia. He's who I went to for my first few flashcarts and my flasher so I could write my homebrew game to them. You can reach out to them to see if they have any distributors in the EU. I imagine anyone who carries their GBxCart RW flasher will probably have a couple of IG flashcarts in stock, too.
Last edited by Ardis (2023-02-15 23:22:29)
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