I think it would actually be more difficult and more expensive to find one-time programmable ROM chips of a suitable size and voltage tolerance, than to find flash ROMs. The reason being, that there were heaps of suitable flash chips made some 10-20 years ago for things like holding a computer BIOS or for use in PDAs, so there's still a lot of those chips around. Even when the 5V chips run out, there will be suitable lower voltage flash chips that can be used by using voltage level converters. Whereas if people wanted that much constant data say 10 years back and didn't want to use flash, they would order a mask ROM form a manufacturer, which only makes sense for very large quantity. High setup cost and low per unit manufacturing cost.

Mask ROM: a ROM chip where the contents are etched onto the die in manufacturing, rather than being programmed in later.

that brings an interesting point. Now that LSDJ is more or less stablized, would it ever make sense to make cheap rom carts, and use an altane to save/backup ram? Or is the price difference not that much different?

No, you can't write to what is a ROM (read only memory) chip. There are way of converting a game cartridge into a flash cartridge by replacing the chip, however, but be prepared to flex your soldering muscles.

(Of course, technically, it can write save RAM to cartridge with save RAM, which technically counts as writing, but that's obviously not what you were asking.)

With the Altane, is there going any way to write to old DMG carts?

The smartboys I have don't always successfully read / write and I'm pretty sure its the case design + cart connector.. put a little weight on it at the right angle and the success rate is higher. Aesthetic quality is low but they "work"

Altane is the way to go! Support for tons of carts (the cheap ones) so you aren't tossing a $100 dollar cart (derp, everdrive gb) in your backpack or glove compartment or whatever to get effed up.

if your dead set on making something that sounds good, get a derpcart or have a pro mod a bleepbloop cart with software up on it that will write to flash memory... also the modded bleepbloop holds more saves. memory is everythimg. if you spend up to 8 hours on a song you better remember how to make it again because your junky ems cart sure as fuck wont.nothing like getting friends hyped up about your new songs then telling them oops they wont load...

Well you technically can use a USB BB cart as a flasher (after some mods) and just have the edge connector cradle. I had to do this before I had my own flasher, it was surprisingly useful for being such a workaround.

One of the most obvious advantages is that IT ISNT EMS OR PARALLEL PORT GARBAGE. and can read old game saves and gb camera dumps. (

(Like has been previously stated)

The EMS cartridge is using a propietary driver, which is less likely to work correctly for each new version of Windows. ALTANE is using an FTDI virtual serial port chip and corresponding driver, which is likely to keep working in future versions of Windows. For this reason you may want to get one to reduce possible future headache.

Also, ALTANE can back up/restore save data from game cartridges and GB Camera, which a USB cartridge of course can't.

Not really, other than the altane flashing software looks much nicer than the EMS. I use the drag and derp exclusively atm.

So there'd be no reason for me to get a flasher since i got a ems and dragnderp? (As long as their usb ports work etc)

nonusb carts are cheaper. You might already have them. Maybe the usb part of your cart died. Maybe the connector broke. There are way more nonusb carts in circulation than usb ones, You can use a flasher to back up commercial carts like the gb camera.

...but why would i want to use a flasher instead of just hooking my cart up with a usb wire? What are the pros and cons of that?

that depends on the cart...?

The advantage lies in the flasher, not in the carts. So compare flasher for flasher, not flasher to carts

I meant to say: what are the pros and cons of using altane (with a compatible cart) instead of ems/dragnderp?

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