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ChipMusic.org / Forums / Nintendo Handhelds / (noob alert!)beginner lsdj cartridge purchase advice needed
Hey! I've been fiddling around with lsdj for about a week on an emulator and decided to try it on an actual Gameboy Color. I need help deciding what cartridge to buy for starters. Here's what I'm looking at so far.
http://store.kitsch-bent.com/product/be … -cartridge
thanks in advance.. And plz.. Be gentle :3
The first link for the BennVenn cartridge is 265m which allows you to store multiple LSDJ Sav files on it, increasing the memory capacity of the cartridge. Also I've heard their reliability is better than the EMS cartridge. Downside to this cartridge is it is not USB compatible directly you have to buy the BennVenn cartridge reader as well (as specified in the item description) which increases your overall cost. I'm getting a BennVenn cart soon but I've only heard good things about it.
The second link EMS cartridge is what most people start off with (I have 2) it can be plugged into your computer directly via a mini usb cable which allows you to back up your sav files and write new ones to the cartridge. [This is done through Terminal on Mac or a specific flashing program on Win] Its fairly easy to get to grips with. Downside to this cartridge is that it is not as reliable, crashes are not uncommon but providing you back up regularly it should be fine!
I hope this helps 
This has been a really great help, thank so much! I'm probably gonna go with the BennVenn for starters then. o. o
Really, just spend the extra money and get this: http://derpcart.com/
It's the best cart money can buy. If you become a hardcore chiptune artist, this cart will last you for years and years to come. If you get sick of chip music and bail, this cart will actually retain some value and you will probably be able to sell it for close to what you paid for it.
Don't know how's today dev on the EMS carts, but the flasher software doesn't work on Windows 8. I have to use a virtual machine running WinXP to backup, flash, etc.
Really, just spend the extra money and get this: http://derpcart.com/
It's the best cart money can buy. If you become a hardcore chiptune artist, this cart will last you for years and years to come. If you get sick of chip music and bail, this cart will actually retain some value and you will probably be able to sell it for close to what you paid for it.
That would probably be the best choice in the long run..hm.. I need to have a talk with my wallet (x
Don't know how's today dev on the EMS carts, but the flasher software doesn't work on Windows 8. I have to use a virtual machine running WinXP to backup, flash, etc.
That is good to know! But yeah the ems cart just seems like too much of a hassle at this point o. o
Hold the phone guy.. Should I be considering one of these carts? http://www.ninstrument.com/?page_id=1758
Hold the phone guy.. Should I be considering one of these carts? http://www.ninstrument.com/?page_id=1758
That's the same cart as the kitsch bent one. Notice the name BennVenn.
Ah, I noticed that but didn't realize the Reader actually came with it! Btw is kitsch bent a credible site to order off of? Just wondering as it's my first time buying from them
Kitsch is one of two moderators of this site that are fairly active. I've ordered several times from him and never had any issues.
Yes, kitsch-bent is as credible as they come.
Never heard of the BennVenn. Sounds really cool. And you say that it's more reliable than EMS? I like the classic look of it. I see that the linker just allows you to transfer save files, and I'd need the reader/writer to actually flash roms to it, but still... seems pretty cool.
Last edited by SketchMan3 (Nov 10, 2015 8:13 pm)
You can also get the drag n' derps on amazon with free prime shipping, so if you go that route and you don't live in Australia that's your best bet.
With an EMS cartridge, iirc on Windows 8 or Windows 10, you can allow unsigned drivers to be installed opposed to running Windows 7 in "Test Mode" to transfer stuff in and out the cartridge so the GB_USB should work without an issue.
Drag'n'Derp also works very well if you don't want to mess with drivers.
The BennVenn linker is really cool for transferring GB Camera photos (and other saves) on the fly if you don't have that Mega Memory cartridge. Though with the BennVenn cartridge, I tend to have a difficult time loading up LSDj; sometimes the rom itself goes haywire when I'm switching between screens (i.e. song slows down, stops playing, glitchy noises). So I gave up, loaded up Beatmania GB, left it as is and decided to stick with my Bleep Bloop and EMS cartridges for making stuff on LSDj.
I can vouch for both BennVenn and Drag N Derp. Both are fantastic solutions. Keep in mind, if you go with the BennVenn Cart + Flasher option, that it can read and write a really large variety of cartridges and flash cartridges, plus the newest hardware/firmware allows you to pull realtime image data off of a Game Boy Camera, in case you wanted to experiment with that.
Last edited by jefftheworld (Nov 10, 2015 9:39 pm)
Hey aZu, I wasn't aware of my cart glitching out like that. Can you PM me with the specifics? If it's a bad cart I'll send you another.
Also, I may have found a cheaper source of flash carts. I've got some inbound for testing. If all goes well I'll have 1, 2 & 4 mbyte carts with 128k + 256k SRAM for half the price of existing BennVenn carts.