Yes, it can load/save the SRAM from any cart running the patched version of LSDJ. Or you could grab a Reader/Writer from Ninstrument.com and get direct access to all the saves on any flash cart

Ok that's clear, thanks.
So it will be possible to switch the LSDJ version, load a sav, make changes, and write the sav back to the cart?
So to sum up difference with the littleFM/dragn'derp combination, if I'm right :

* cons:
- 4 save slots instead of 8
- no gb to gb copy of sav files
- no standard usb mass storage

* pros:
- several different versions of lsdj in parallel
- ability to use other roms as well
- cheaper

About the linker, will it be able to load/save the SRAM from other carts?
Thx

Cyberic,

The Bennvenn(256) can store 3 versions of LSDJ (Can fit 4 with a patch) which will store 4 128K saves (And many many other ROM's)

I can work on a LittleFM style program to provide the same features LittleFM does, but I think a Link port dongle is the way forward. Makes for easy transfers, backups and sharing as well as a whole lot more storage and isn't limited to the derp (which is one of the more higher priced carts)

Yes, though no current link cables I have found have the pin fitted, and needs to be fitted manually. I've just used the GND pin, relocated it to pin one and use the shield as GND. Seems to work OK, though a corroded Link port might cause problems. I might just sacrifice one plug to make up 4 others with pin 1 fitted.

http://chipmusic.org/forums/topic/15933 … ck-linker/

The DMG link port also has power on pin 1.
if you use a cable from an 4 player adapter that should work. or some after market cables that have pin 1 connected.

I' m little confused about the BennVenn(128):
does it run littlefm?

With the dragn' derp and littlefm, I' ve got 8 128k-slots, with 32 songs max each.

But I can only run one version of LSDJ and no other ROM.

how does it compare to BennVenn?

Thx

Xuriik, my Lego Block Linker can transfer a 128K save in or out of the Gameboy in under 30seconds, I'd say the dongle would match if not beat that speed as it's not having to re-transmit over serial.

I'll start a new thread documenting the entire design and construction process. There are a few options to consider, mostly power (not a problem with the GBC as 5v is fed out the port - but becomes a bit more creative on the DMG) Anyway, Keep an eye out in the next day or two for the new thread

Ben

From experience, this is true. I'll back savs up, leave it for a few months, come back and they're gone.

That's a very interesting idea. I'd take one just for emergency purposes.

Edit: hell, I'd take 3 now that I think about it

YES, YES, YES. I just found a cheap Mega Memory Card on ebay and got it for than purpose, but I've heard those are dodgy and often fail. They probably can't fit 2M of data on them, either. And they're hard to find for under 25$. So that would be very handy.

I'd have to ask about speed, though. Can't imagine the link port to be too fast at transferring files that big.

Would a USB drive style dongle that can save and restore multiple .sav files via a link port be handy? The focus would be on keeping the price down. 16 x 128k save files. USB stick size device. Aiming for $10-12 per unit. Could make sharing tracks a little easier? Or perhaps for swapping out saves on a longer DJ set?

This way it doesn't just apply to the one cart like LittleFM, but instead can be used on all Flash carts

I can see a use for that
I do dj sets with lsdj song files. For me it's really useful to have 8 (I believe it was 8?) save files accessible on a single cart.

But I guess 4 sav's is enough for most people.

I like the drag 'n derp because it's instant plug and play, but it's a bit pricey indeed.

The BennVenn(64) as it is available now provides a patched version of LSDJ with 128K of SRAM, allowing the use of the LSDJ file system (16-18 average length songs)

The BennVenn(256) as it is available now can support up to 3 patched LSDJ ROM's each with their own access to 128K SRAM, and the remaining ROM space can be packed with whatever other ROM's you want to store on the cart (each with 32K access for saves)

The cart Reader/Writer sold with the carts has the software to build multiple ROMs with a boot menu, all automatically. SRAM is managed automatically also with human intervention if/when needed.

As far as I know, the 256M cart has the largest Flash volume of any GB cart (Please correct if I'm wrong) allowing instant access to multiple ROM's and Saves without the need to transfer from USB or SD card.

The USB Linker supplements the carts by giving quick, reliable, convenient access to the .Sav's on the cart (Or any cart flashed with my patched LSDJ ROM) while in the gameboy.

A utility similar to LittleFM was being developed for my carts until the 128K patch was released. I really can't see the need to archive .Sav's to the carts Flash when a Linker can send them to your PC for reliable storage.

There may be situations when the USB64M or Derp have the edge... The Everdrive-GB supports Mappers 1,2,3+5 whereas the USB64M, Derp and Bennvenn only support MBC5. This becomes an inconvenience when playing certain games written for earlier mappers or that require an RTC and is not a problem with LSDJ or other Chip music ROM's.

Derp uses FRAM in place of USB64M, Everdrive and BennVenn's SRAM, so no battery is required and the possibility of data loss due to a flat battery is removed. The typical lifespan of a quality lithium coin cell in this application is anywhere from 3-10 years (My original GBCam battery is still good almost 20 years later!) The benefit of FRAM is for you to consider...

Once the ROM is booted, no cart can perform any faster or slower than another.

Other differences between carts include the ROM transfer method.

Drag-n-Derp and USB64M as the name suggests uses a USB cable to transfer the ROM to the cart
Everdrive uses an SD card which you fill with ROM's and insert into the cart. A boot menu then copies the ROM into Flash.
BennVenn carts use an external writer to transfer ROM's and SRAM. (Or by Linker cable*)

There are other carts out there, the older Bung/Mr Flash carts can sometimes be found on auction sites or forums though the hardware used to flash these carts is difficult to use on a modern PC and even harder to find (This is where the Altane is useful) . These carts are typically very small and contain only 32K SRAM.

I think this thread is a great idea, I'd like to learn more about the Nanoloop & kk_gb_8m hardware and whatever other carts are floating about

Ok, according to my understanding, one .sav, as long as the sram on the cart is 128K, can fit around 16-18 average songs.

Derp is best because littleFM can pull some sram trickery and compress multiple .savs onto a single cart. Your memory would basically be infinite, but I'd still recommend frequent backups, so if you don't need more than 20 songs on the cart at any one time, you could save some cash and get a bennvenn or a USB64M.

BennVenn(64) used to only support 4 32K .savs for LSDJ, which meant one song per save, which meant 4 songs total. But it recently got updated and now uses the entire 128K instead of splitting it up into chunks, so that means you've got the normal 16-18 song limit on one of those for half the price of a derp.

USB64M has the same 128K, and the same 18-or-so song limit as the bennvenn. There's two "pages", but that's just how the multirom works, the ROM memory and the SRAM memory are completely separate and shouldn't be mixed up. So, with USB64M, you can put one rom on page 1, and the rest (saveless games/programs) on page 2.

You can put multiple roms on bennvenn, too, but I don't know if it supports multirom out of the box, or if you have to manually patch all of your roms into one big rom file, or how the sram fragmentation works, or what. It's a relatively new cartridge, and I don't own one (yet).

Feel free to point out any misconceptions I may have, or add to this body of information. I think we need more info about all of the available cartridges in a centralized post somewhere. There's also the GB_everdrive(how do it's savs work?), the kk_gb_8m, and some SD card carts floating around/in development; and I'd love to know more.

Come to think of it Solarbear's last album had at least one track that was more than one sav big.  I can't even comprehend that.  My stuff has like 10 chains max lol.