Yeah that sounds excellent, I've sent you a PM!

If the problem is the soldering, simply adding more solder could potentially offer a permanent fix. I have some tools to diagnose which address line the cartridges are failing at if a visual inspection isn't enough.

If you have an external cartridge programmer, I'd also check to verify that it isn't the programmer circuit that failed in the bleepbloop.

If you'd like me to have a look, I'd be happy to diagnose the issues at no charge.

@Apeshit That's a really kind offer! What do you think would be the best long-term solution?

These cartridges are notorious for cold solder joints. It could be due to the fact that the components are pulled from genuine parts with lead solder, and then re-soldered with lead-free solder.

Some of these also did not opt for ENIG plating, so the cartridge connector is plated with solder, and it oxidizes very fast. I have some cartridges like this, and I can get them working temporarily by blowing on them, because of the moisture. This isn't generally advisable, but it would at least help diagnose the problem.

I'd be willing to repair them for you. Or I could trade you some working Fightercarts, or maybe an ALTANE.

That's the USB Cartridge Programmer. It came with the cartridges when I got them those 10 years ago. I think it was even on a CD!

What program is that?

I've been having two separate problems with my old USB BleepBloop cartridges.

1) The UCP cart programmer software is "timing out" when I try to load new ROMs onto the cart (or to erase the old ones):

Does this have to do with the filesize? The program I'm using? (I'm attempting to load a copy of LSDJ modded with littleFM. Tried to load a friend's GB Studio rom also. Same result.) It writes SAV files just fine.

1.5) Here's the cartridge I'm trying to use. This works fine on my Game Boys but I can't upload a different ROM onto it, as I said. It's the same exact cartridge type as the ones that have this next problem.

2) A couple other BleepBloop USB cartridges of mine display this screen when I turn on a DMG. I can't use them at all.

If I'm lucky, I can get it to run on a GBA. If I'm unlucky, it just shows the GBC startup screen with the Nintendo logo looking like a reduced version of this. (same problematic result on a GBC.) This happens no matter how far in I put the cartridge. If I take off the top shell and just slide the PCB and back-layer of the shell into the console, this still happens.

On one of my cartridges, an early one with a red PCB, I followed some old, forgotten advice from nitro2k01 and loosened the security bit screw. Now it works!--on this one cartridge. This does not help with the other ones with the white PCBs, however. I even changed the battery on them for fun, but no change.

"sounds like you have a lot of cartridges, Sloopy" yes, yes I do. But I use them all... all the ones that work!