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The challenge was set, to back up LSDJ, or die trying! As some of you may know my madness has no limits! And as it was written, in 04' the year of the almighty DMG-01, the valiant challenger will be defeated - the gods have willed it to be so. Anyone else seen Troy yet? Anyway, maybe I should start where all good stories start: at the beginning.




Just before success-hk dropped their back-up gear I was going to buy a gamejack, and a thing called a CHALLENGER, I didn't really expect the challenger to work, because I didn't think that my back up gear (a PC-linker, and a e-merger.) would copy to the standalone CHALLENGER, because they both have a start-up ROM that loads a screen where you pick what game you want to load, and therefore I wouldn't be able to load the LSDJ ROM. But, never the less, I was going to buy one anyway and see what it could do. Before I could do so, success pulled all their back-up gear. So that lead me to think that basically there wasn't anyone else on the web selling GB back up gear. Since then I've proved my self wrong, plus some other people have also. Regardless, I was still bent on making my own carts. Scouring the web, I looked for all types of homemade GB back up nonsense. Here is some of the links I have found: http://pc1-archbo.bot.unibas.ch/~lukas/GBprojects/GB.html http://uk.geocities.com/gameboycartsuk/index.html Ziegler, duh! Jeff Frohwein's GameBoy Tech Page(old school) There I was minding my own business, cursing the web, looking for whatever, you know just looking around gameboy sites (what else is there?), and I happened upon a website: http://www.merconnet.com. They still have some back up gear! But they only had the CHALLENGER, so what? I ordered two just to make sure I would get my share. And, you know what? With a little tinkering it paid off. This is how, you too can get a copy of v3+ on your gameboy: First, buy a bunch of CHALLENGER carts. Or how ever many you need. Second, buy a EPROM programmer, you will be glad you did - trust me. Third, buy a ROM+MBC5+RAM+BAT cart, examples of these. I used Game & Watch Gallery 2 because it houses a Sharp LH538 ROM, and it's pinout matches a 27c801 EPROM exactly. That EPROM is exactly 8Mbit, so it can hold exactly one copy of LSDJ v3+. Forth, do this: This is a photo of a Dip-socket soldered to the pins where the original nintendo ROM was. Oh, by the way, I WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING YOU DO WITH THIS INFROMATION. DAMAGE TO YOUR SELF, OR GAMEBOY, OR ANYTHING IS NOT MY FALT. I DO NOT ADIVICATE PIRICY, THIS IS MEARLY A TUTURIAL ON HOW TO MAKE LAGITIMATE COPIES OF LSDJ! DON'T RIP OFF OTHER PEOPLES HARD WORK!!! That said, you can get the original ROM off with a razor blade. Or you could de-solder it, but that would take all day. Once you get the dip-socket soldered to the board, burn the ROM image of LSDJ to the EPROM with your nifty new EPROM programmer. Again, I used a 27c801, so make sure if you are following this Tutorial that you’re programmer can program this type of EPROM. And please don't e-mail me asking me if such, and such EPROM will work with such, and such cart. I don't know, I only know that this setup worked for me. I might be able to speculate if it would work or not, but I'd need pinouts of both the EPROM you are going to replace the one on the cart with, and the one on the cart. The only pinouts of the ROMS on the gameboy I know of are here. Lastly, put the EPROM into the dip-socket, and then plug the cart into a gameboy, any gameboy will do, I left the front off of the cart while plugging it in, just to make sure I had all the connections done right, so if I didn't I wouldn't have to open it back up, needless to say it helped me out a few times. That said, if it boots up you should get some garbled screen with what looks like LSDJ running. You could try to restart the memory, but most of the time it wont even let you into the main menu to do so. This is probably because I used a EPROM with only 90NS delay, and the nintendo ones are less (I'm guessing here), plus the wires I used are kind of long (I'm guessing here too). So now you are all thinking: where the hell is my LSDJ? I did all this to get a garbled screen, that doesn't even look like LSDJ? NO, silly! This is where the Challenger comes in! That was just a test to see if you got the solder points working. Like I was saying earlyer the reason you cannot directly copy from a Commercial cart (like EMS, or pc-linker) to a Challenger is because they use start up ROMs, and you just end up copying that. Now we have a cart with only the LSDJ ROM on it, plus the MBC5 back-switching chip that will enable a correctly copied ROM to the CHALLENGER! So pull out your trusty Challenger, and copy away. At first you will be disappointed with a garbled screen again. This time when you do a clear all memory in the menu screen, [select]+[A] on the yes, you will get a brand-spanking-new copy of LSDJ! Yeah! You are all done! Things I have to say: This venture isn't for everyone. Know your limits. I'm sure an easer way to make these carts is just around the corner. Hell, someone might produce them (a lot more of them than I will) within the year. Thanks to interesting ideas in from the lsdj-backup list, even I have had some new ideas, I'm sure someone else is way ahead of me, so if this project isn't with-in your means - just sit tight. Some thoughts on a EPROM programmer: They are expensive. One way to get around this problem is to build one your self, or from a kit. Mine came in a kit from http://batronix.com/. They also sell completed models for those who are not so technically inclined. One thing about batronix, is that (at least with my v3.2 programmer) it is hella buggy. Works sporadically in XP, and mine has been know to wreck EPROM’s by writing 00 to the first bit of data. Remember that the 27c801s cost like $10/each USD, and you can feel my aggression. But that might just be me, and they have newer versions of the programmer out now, so maybe you will be luckier. Just remember if something sounds to good to be true, like a EPROM programmer for $80, it probably is. But at the same time I don't want to make this sound like there is no way to do this cheaply. The kit was only the second thing I ever put together electronic wise, and it was the first kit I put together. So this is a great starter project, just be careful not to take on too much, like buying all the parts your self for 40 bucks and thinking you can put it together on breadboard and presto, you’re in business. That's what I did, and wasted 40 bucks in the process. Although everyone needs to get their feet wet somehow. ***Update about the programmer. 09/18/04*** Bastian Müller - http://turbo24prg.c3d2.de/ Was kind enough to bing a webpage: http://www.mikeg2.freeserve.co.uk/eprom/eprom.html to my attention. This is a 27801 Eprom programer that was built for less than 15 pounds! Plus it's totaly DIY. How could you go wrong? Direct any and all questions to the LSDJ-Backup group: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/lsdj-backup/. I would like to thank the creator of LSDJ, Johan Kotlinski, for being a cool dude and letting me sell the project I just described how to build, on e-bay. Search LSDJ, not there yet? It will be. And, as always, every member of the LSDJ community. You guys freaken' rule. DJNTD