Gameboy Development Forum

Thank you for the reply Tauwasser

I managed to flash this cartridge with Auto settings when I got the ALTANE but I was running Windows 8.1 then
and I have no clue if Windows 10 has anything to do with the problem but I'll give you more details

I can't remember where I bought the cartridge but it had a Sticker on it which I tore off to see what chips it had.
If I remember correctly the sticker said something about 32. I've been trying to google it but can't find anything
simular to my cartridge. Here is a photo of mine: https://www.dropbox.com/s/w11bc5oxby8tl … 4.jpg?dl=0

About the settings I've tried.
When I connect the flash cart to ALTANE the sofware displays:

This is still beta software. If you encounter a problem, please report it!
Attempting to open serial connection...
Current firmware version: ALTANE000002
Handshake OK

Cratridge settings turn automatically to these:

Flashcart (VIN)
MBC: Auto
ROM size: Auto
Save RAM: I select 128 kiB cause I'm using LSDJ
Flash Method: VIN
Flash chip: uknown
Special power: None

If I try the above settings the software displays:

**  Do: flash ROM.
**Flash info
Cartridge type:  06 (Flashcart (VIN))
Manufacturer id: 89 (Intel)
Device id:       89 (Unknown, 0 B)
Lock info:       14
Reserved byte:   00
**The ROM file doesn't fit the flash on the cartridge. ROM file size: 1 MiB Flash memory size: 0 B

So I check out what chips I have and select them under Cartridge settings:

Cartridge type: EMS 32M/64M
MBC: Auto
ROM size: 1Mib (LSDJ 4.7.3. is 1,024 KB)
Save RAM size: 128 kiB (as above)
Flash method: /WR (have not tried that yet)
Flash Chip: E28F320J5 (as is in my cartridge)
Special power: EMS multicart Capability (came with the EMS 32M/64M preset)

**  Do: flash ROM.
**Flash chip doesn't match selection, or other error. Aborting.

so that one didn't work

I know that the other presets don't mach my cartridge type so I'll leave them for now.

Hope the link to the picture works
And thank you for helping me out
cheers
Arni Geir

I can also confirm that that's what an EMS32 cartridge innards look like. Those messages are encouraging. It means your cartridge isn't broken.

It looks like the ALTANE software is reading the CFI record wrong. Device manufacturers sometimes use the lowest address bit, A0, to read the manufacturer information, sometimes they use A1 as lowest address bit.

28F320J5 uses A1 as lowest bit, but ALTANE tries to access it using the A0 method.

Manufacturer id: 89 (Intel)        <-- Correct
Device id:       89 (Unknown, 0 B) <-- Manufacturer ID again
Lock info:       14                <-- Device ID

If you were successful before, that means you can switch the modes that ALTANE tries to read the CFI record.

I don't have access to ALTANE, as it's apparently only ever distributed via e-mail or link to download in e-mail. Try looking for a setting that mentions CFI. Try also looking at the ALTANE more closely. There's apparently a solder link on the bottom, which may influence how it works.

cYa,

Tauwasser

No one objected to the screen-shot so I'll post it here.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ptok79moc6oz3 … 1.jpg?dl=0

I've looked thoroughly after CFI record options but it doesn't seem to be available.

Do you know of any other method I can read the CFI record of the cartridge.
I have the bulky Gameboy Transferer 2 laying around somewhere.
But Then I'll have to salvage an old PC tower with a parallel port.
I think it is worth the hassle
Plus it's been a very long time since I used that program and I can't remember
how that stuff works.

It would be awesome if the ALTANE software had that CFI option (hint hint  to the developers)

Reading and dumping games work well with other cartridges. I've managed to copy all my Final Fantasy games
and they seem to work well on the Emulator.

If anybody is interested, my chiptunes: https://soundcloud.com/rni-geir-l-russon

There were two bugs involved here.
1) The autodetection algorithm took the wrong path, so that EMS 32M cartridges in particular were misidentified.
2) When changing the flash method manually, this would not be properly forwarded from the GUI. Otherwise, it would have been possible to select VIN shift (the correct option in this case) and then flashing would have worked despite the auto detect failure.
VIN means that the Vin pin is used for the write signal to the flash chip. Shift means that the address pins are "shifted", aka the cartridge is using an x16 flash chip in x8 mode.

I've sent (Casette) an updated version via e-mail.

To answer tauwasser's (implicit) question: The software is not planned to be open sourced, but the software and better documentation will become publicly available once the next production run goes for sale, sometime during this fall.

(Casette) wrote:

IT WORKED!

Good thing you got that working

nitro2k01 wrote:

To answer tauwasser's (implicit) question: The software is not planned to be open sourced, but the software and better documentation will become publicly available once the next production run goes for sale, sometime during this fall.

Maybe I'll make it explicit then: Why not? Is there any reason you care to publicly share? Are you afraid of reverse engineering of altane?

cYa,

Tauwasser

Sorry for the double post, but I have finally found my EMS32 flash carts, but neither of them work either, same issues as (casette).

I have had my Altane for ages now and am still unable to flash anything with it...

nitro2k01, any suggestions? I would love to get some use out of it.

Thanks