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Woot! A new format for a new era. NSF has been around since forever, and it's certainly not the most efficient file format to work with, even if it's always been the de-facto standard. I'll do without NSF for what NTRQ can offer.

EDIT: what about powerpak firmware upgrade? That'd make it POWERPAK PLAYABLE. Also, why bother putting old NSF files into NTRQ, make new ones! I suppose someone creative could write an NSF to NTRQ format converter that runs on PC, that'd be actually useful to convert over to the better format.

EDIT2: I say it's better because from a computer-geek standpoint it is: it's supported by it's original developer, it's compact, it's efficient for use in an onboard editing setting like in NTRQ.

Well, for a few reasons-
-Because I'm not doing this to make lots of money, I'm doing it for the fun of hacking.
-Because the CIClone chips sometimes freak out
-Because using a donor cartridge will actually be less expensive than a custom PCB, custom case plastics, CIC, and discreets for the MMC1 board, plus my special modifications.
-Because NTRQ is technically only NTSC only right now anyways, and so at best using a PAL CIC chip is a hack.
-Because my current SRAM mod work is designed with the standard SKROM board in mind already.

Plus I like grey cartridge cases.

More or less this is right, but if you actually open a toaster-NES and look at the cart caddy part you'll see a metal strap which runs over the top. This gets in the way, and sometimes it's flexible enough (depending on year of manufacture) to just wedge the cartridge past, but usually not. This bar can be removed or bent upwards. However, I think I'll be doing my EPROM daughterboard design so the sockets and chips can be entirely internal, so this would not be a real concern.

Ah well. More is always better. I seemed to recall in one of your earlier beta discussions you said it could handle one... guess it's time to actually read the manual. *embarrassed*

I still think that 256K is alot better than 8K, you could hold so many more songs. (256, I should think) Hehehe. Anyways, the non-expanded SRAM seems far more viable knowing this, but now it makes the expanded SRAM seem even more cool!

One of the big reasons for people sending their own donors is that as a US resident I don't have easy access to PAL cartridges, so overseas users would be able to have matching lockout chips.

Esopus: the upgradable eproms are the kind which are installed in sockets, which means that they will protrude a bit from the front of the cartridge. This will make insertion into a toploader a bit more difficult, depending on the model. Toaster units can sometimes work without modification, if the metal bar on the deck is already bent a bit. With a toaster it's pretty easy to make the cartridge fit, you just reach in and push the metal top bar out a bit so the cart can slide past. The SRAM switcher, on the other hand, will be fully contained in the cartridge casing, and thus will not be an issue.

Custom cart tut is coming, yes. It's not that hard to do if you're careful, and the multiple SRAM hack is pretty cool. Well, it's considerably harder than a prosound, but most real hacks are. Roughly 6 re-traces for the EPROMs themselves, but unfortunately the SRAM-switcher rewire is a bit of a bear, but otherwise straightforward.

Oh rockin! I remember using Aldrin and I hated how it always crashed. This is exciting. I wonder, i might try it out after 10.4 comes out, but a 9.10 could be good since I just have a fresh install going now.

BTW, Paniq makes amazing music with Aldrin... this should be an excellent tool.

Burn baby (EPROM) burn! Woot! I'm really excited to be able to mess around with this stuff hopefully soon, presuming I did this donor cartridge right... next up, a multiple SRAM switcher circuit.