nitro2k01
Offline
Sweeeeeeden

Ok, here's the deal. A few of us in the  #gbdev IRC channel want to dump the ROM of the Gameboy test cartridge, since this hasn't been done. There are to ways this could be done. We know a person who owns this cartridge, and would need a dumper of some kind to dump this ROM. The person we're in contact would like to keep this dumper in exchange for the service. If you have a spare bleepbloop/smartboy flasher that you're willing to donate in the name of software preservation, please contact me.

Alternatively, if you own a copy of this cartridge and you're willing to dump it, please also contact me.

SurfaceDragon
Offline
USA

I wish I could help you out.

The ROM from the Game Boy Test Cartridge is pretty much the elusive white whale of Game Boy ROMs.

If you ever succeed in capturing the GBTC-ROM could you please hook me up with a copy of it.

12ianma
Offline

I have an emerger. don't really want to donate it, but it could get the Rom.

Apeshit
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I have a DIY cart flasher that I can send you if you want to finish assembling it. The etching is okay, but it's missing all the little components like caps and resistors and the inductor. Free if you want it. The IC is programmed and a socket is already soldered to it.

kitsch
Offline
matt's mind

just an update on this test cart.  well, not this exact one.

i managed to track one down, have a ROM backup now, and will upload it to somewhere for everyone's enjoyment.  it will need to wait until after blip though, i'm sort of scrambling getting ready, and don't want to deal with yet another thing to do.

at blipfest, i'll have a bunch of EPROM carts and a whole bunch of flashed copies of this.  took care of those a couple weeks ago. 

the guts of these carts, btw, is just one of the standard nintendo EPROM carts (different shape PCB), most of that big grey box is totally empty.  they reused that shell for more expansive test carts, for game development.  i have a fist of the north star dev cart in this same case, its board takes up the whole thing and has multiple sockets for proms.

anyways, thought you all may like to know the ROM is found and on its way smile  its really a great thing to have if you go flea marketing for consoles or anything.  goes through a lot of tests, from top of my head there is a SRAM test, video test, audio test, and a button test.

so, if you'd like a hardcopy, drop by the KB blip table, i think i've made ~20 to take of that ROM.  and, a bunch of other eprom carts too.

QueenOfTulips
Offline
Toronto

damn. i wish i could grab one off you but i'm stuck in canada. any chance i'd be able to get one somehow? :3

kitsch
Offline
matt's mind

right after blip the rom will be out, i'm already lining up the works for more eprom carts and eproms themselves, and i'll have all that done up on the site proper.  so for all the blip non-attendees who want one and can't pick one up there, no worries.

the ones at blip have either white or yellow pcbs, if it matters to you and you don't see both on the table atm.