8bitcollective

What is this?
This is a follow up or progress report of the USB cartridge project.
http://gamemusic4all.blogspot.com/2007/ … ridge.html
http://www.8bc.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=350

For now...it's in development phase and there is a huge circuit board which will someday be shrinked into a gameboy cartridge you can put in a DMG, GB Color, GB Advanced, or DS.

Latest Pictures:
So I plugged it in and I got some lights!
http://www.8bc.org/images/BleepBloop/St … DATA+a+GO/

After hours of soldering very thin wires by hand. I need to solder ~20 more.
http://www.8bc.org/images/BleepBloop/Cr … +As+Usual/

The gameboy runs the internal check and fails. It will requiring some programming to fix that.
http://www.8bc.org/images/BleepBloop/60 … g+to+Boot/

More power! For hours of gameboy music / development action!
http://www.8bc.org/images/BleepBloop/We … +POWER%21/

Compact and Aesthetically pleasing prototype. Thank you Dremel, Loctite, Flux, Needle Nose and Diamond Cut Pliers, and my trusty helping hands. : )
http://www.8bc.org/images/BleepBloop/The+Setup/

This idea... got stuck in the gameboy connector. You need to have patience with loctite. A lot of it doesn't dry that fast.
http://www.8bc.org/images/BleepBloop/Wh … failed%3F/

So I used a dremel and cut the connector and backing off a gameboy.
http://www.8bc.org/images/BleepBloop/A+ … nector%21/

This project is in the hands of software now. The development hardware needs to be finished up a bit too.
http://www.8bc.org/images/BleepBloop/Ju … software./

Now In the Works
SD --> USB --> PC
The hardware is setup such that it will be capable of reading and writing a GB ROM ( LSDJ, Nanoloop, etc etc with proper approval) on and off the SD card. The 60mhz chip will read the ROM and "feed" it to the gameboy. Along with game data, save data will be written to and read from the SD card.

Tentatively in the Works
Audio IN from Gameboy Cartridge Connector --> USB --> PC
It might be possible to plug your gameboy into a computer and have it act as a sound card device. Not sure if we should even implement this feature for recording. Let me know what you guys think.

Possibly in the Future
Gameboy --> Audio IN from Gameboy Cartridge connector --> MP3 Decoder -X-> AudioIN --> AC97 Audio EQ --> Stereo Out
With an extension to the base cartridge, or maybe it will be built in. An AC97 EQ chip used in many soundcards and onboard audio can be added to the cartridge to gain Line In, Microphone, Line Out and Headphone out. There are MP3 Decoders available for the LPC2148 development board that allow you play MP3s directly off an SD card.

Thank you everyone who donated or added their suggestion to make this possible. Without you this would still be an idea in all of our heads. The development so far has been done on my own but I am very welcome to your input on how to make this more enjoyable for all of us.

You can Help
If you wish to donate please see the donate link on the bottom of the main 8bc page or send me an email at jose ( DOT ) torres ( AT ) 8bc (DOT) org.

Last edited by BleepBloop (October 29th 2007 11:55 AM)