Low cost Flash Hucard

[spenoza]

Hello,

i want to understand , why it's difficult to get a 16mbit ?
It's possible to get same 32 mbit ?

The HuCard format only has enough address lines to support 8 mibit. In order to have more data, like Street Fighter II, you have to have memory mapper hardware on the card.

[JoshTurboTrollX]

Might make the jump and try one of these out in the coming week if they're still available!!

[roflmao]

While I can see the draw to having a flashcard that holds every game imaginable, I really like this one.  I have a pretty sizeable library as it is and it's honestly not often that I drop a commercial game I don't own on my Low Cost Flash Hucard.  Usually it's a homebrew (played a lot of Contra recently) or a US version of a PCE game I have to get past a part I'm stuck in.  I've fiddled with Magical Chase and a few other games I'd like to have, but it's just not the same as having the actual Hu.

So that's my .02 thus far.

[Keith Courage]

This flash card is awesome. I use it for the few translated to english pc engine games that are out there.

[Paddyfitz18]

I've fiddled with Magical Chase and a few other games I'd like to have, but it's just not the same as having the actual Hu.

I agree with that, call it getting the "authentic experience" or whatever and my guess is a lot of folks around here are like that.  My game library isn't anywhere near as extensive as I would like (whenever I see pics that are posted here and there, of someone's ridiculous collection, I get both exhilarated and depressed at the same time.) Anyway, I am fortunate to have most games in original format which I personally enjoy the most and that I play regularly.

That said, a good flash card like this and for that price is awesome. This kind of thing always gets me thinking that: If  quality, easy-to-use flash cards like these could be fabricated on a larger scale and made more widely available, and the word got out to more "layman" TG-16/PCE gamers about their low cost and availability, there could be some money to be made there.  Really what surprises me though is that with all the ways available to access the NEC game libraries, and to play them, why the market for U.S. hucards is remains so high.

Wanting to own and use the original physical media to play the games, probably a prevalent idea in this forum, me included, in the bigger picture imo it has to be just a niche.

Wikipedia tells me that 2.5M Turbografx-16 consoles were originally sold in the U.S.  Not sure what this includes, or if it accurate.  Does anyone have a reliable number of total U.S. TG-16's and U.S. Duo's that were sold?

I am just going to say a total of 2M for now.  So even as unsuccessful as the consoles were in the U.S., that is still 2M people out there in 'merica who owned one of these. I wonder if a portion of these folks, by now maybe getting a little nostalgic and also reached a point where they have decent exependable incomes, not hardcore people but TG-16/Duo players nonetheless, got into the market.

Leaving the legal component of this aside, and I know there is a question of legality involved here.  But just for argument's sake: if you went to those folks in large numbers and made them understand in unequivocal and simple terms:  "Here is a device that, using simple software, you can load on to it any TG-16 game you want, and play it on the original console, and this device only costs around $30.00.  Furthermore, you can in fact acquire bascially the entire NEC U.S. catalog of games, for free, from a variety of online sources" would that attract enough interest to decrease demand on the actual Hucards and normalize the prices for the original games somewhat?

There will always be the collector, for example, people who get pissed if there is a dent in the box of the game they bought, because it doesn't look as good sitting in their glass case.  But maybe they would go away in larger numbers if the games didn't appear to them to be such a good "investment."  That would be good news to me, because I get my value out of playing the games, rather than resale values or what not.

[PunkCryborg]

Id buy one if the become available again

[wildfruit]

I am wanting one of these now

Sent from my Lumia 520 on Scabb Island using Tapatalk

[NecroPhile]

... would that attract enough interest to decrease demand on the actual Hucards and normalize the prices for the original games somewhat?

Nope.  Flash carts (and CDRs) have been available for years (the price cut is meaningless compared to the cost of games), yet game prices are higher than ever.

[Paddyfitz18]

^ yeah, I suppose that is true.

[roflmao]

Not to take this tangent too far off topic, but I think a lot of us feel like we're "cheating" by using a flashcard or cdr to play a commercial game.  I've developed a lot of low budget dvds for clients over the years and I hate hearing when they are pirated. So  that was never my intention when I got this. Though I do think there's some merit to the "try before you buy" saying.  I've picked up  a number of pce games because I loved trying it out on the flashcard.  However I have an Ys IV cdr sitting in my cd wallet practically unplayed because I don't own Ys IV yet.  The same went for Rondo.  I've had a cdr of it for ages, but never dug into it until I bought the real thing.

Also, I love looking through the manuals.  Even if they are pce and I don't understand everything, I appreciate all the effort that was put into them.  That's one of the things I miss about music and PC games being so readily available as a digital download - no kickass manuals.

[gameofyou]

Hey all,
 
I know it has been a very long time.  I only have a few bare PCBs left from my original order.  I have come to the conclusion that I will no longer have the time to build these.  So my plan is to, very soon, post the schematics, BOM, Gerbers, ...ect, on my web page.

So, basically, anyone who has the time and skills can build these cards up, as many as they want.

I will still provide the microcontroller (which will be pre-programmed).  This way I can still make a couple bucks to reimburse my prototyping and design time.  I think that is a fair solution, and hopefully everyone will be satisfied with that solution.
 
It will probably be a couple months before this happens, and I'll post here when I have my web page updated.
 
Honestly, I didn't think there would be much demand, once the Everdrive was released.  But I still get many requests for this card, so I figured it is time to pass the torch.

[SignOfZeta]

I eventually found the Windows 7 netbook (Shortest lived fad in computing history, netbooks? Maybe.) and made an attempt to flash something new onto my card. However it doesn't work, for some reason. The card no longer has Logic on it but I can't seem to get anything to flash now. The card was working perfectly until I tried to change the game.

[esadajr]

I eventually found the Windows 7 netbook (Shortest lived fad in computing history, netbooks? Maybe.) and made an attempt to flash something new onto my card. However it doesn't work, for some reason. The card no longer has Logic on it but I can't seem to get anything to flash now. The card was working perfectly until I tried to change the game.

Seems to be a common occurrence with these unfortunately. I got two back in the day and both had the same issue, after a few write cycles they wouldn't erase. Gameofyou stood behind his product in both occasions. Since I gave them away I don't know how the repairs held.

It is a great idea though and I hope someone picks up this project in the future.

[gameofyou]

I eventually found the Windows 7 netbook (Shortest lived fad in computing history, netbooks? Maybe.) and made an attempt to flash something new onto my card. However it doesn't work, for some reason. The card no longer has Logic on it but I can't seem to get anything to flash now. The card was working perfectly until I tried to change the game.

Yeah, I have seen this happen on a few cards.  I have never been able to determine if the bare pcb's are to blame or the soldering process.  Usually the cause is that a connection has opened up (either a pcb via, or a cold solder joint).  This prevents the erase cycle from happening, as it should.  You will know this if the led begins flashing right away after clicking download.  Normally, there will be a few seconds where the flash is erased, before the led starts flashing.

Reflowing the solder to the microcontroller and the flash chips might fix it.  You could maybe even do this in a toaster oven, if you can't solder small pins.  You can also try putting light pressure against the microcontroller and flash chips, with your fingers, while the download is happening.  Sometimes this works.

[SignOfZeta]

I'll look real close at it. I can solder almost anything.

I really only need it to write once more. After that it can happily retire from flashing and just be...Magical Chase or something. I'm not much of a "channel flipper" with games so just having it be one massively unaffordable game is fine with me. Maybe Bomberman User Battle.

[Arkhan Asylum]

One dude's card, you could just press down on the flash chip and it would erase/flash.

Mine seems to be holding up fine over here.  It was a very handy device for Atlantean development.

Much better than that shitheap NeoFlash garbage

[SignOfZeta]

Oh yeah, I have a broken one of those.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Oh yeah, I have a broken one of those.

Everyone has a broken one of those

they're total garbage and that USB connector that comes with it is the dumbest idea of all time.

[esteban]

Oh yeah, I have a broken one of those.

Everyone has a broken one of those

they're total garbage and that USB connector that comes with it is the dumbest idea of all time.

The NeoFlash card that I could never get to work....it might not have been 100% due to my incompetence?

[NecroPhile]

My NeoFlash took some work to get running, but it's been rock solid since; and as an added bonus, it doesn't get hit by the power switch like my TED does.

[esteban]

My NeoFlash took some work to get running, but it's been rock solid since; and as an added bonus, it doesn't get hit by the power switch like my TED does.

Then there *is* hope for me.

I still need to get the stupid card reader/writer (and a card) for TED.

And if I am doing that, I may as well attempt to get all my flash cards operational (Neo, gameofyou)...

Sad.

I am stoopid.

[NecroPhile]

I need a new sd card for my TED, as I recently destroyed mine trying to whittle it down enough for the power switch to slide by.

If you've ever wondered how much extra plastic is in one of those things, the answer is "not fricking much". 

[esteban]

I need a new sd card for my TED, as I recently destroyed mine trying to whittle it down enough for the power switch to slide by.

If you've ever wondered how much extra plastic is in one of those things, the answer is "not fricking much". 

Hahahhahahajja.

...and you are the one who is supposed to have *finesse* when it comes to these sorts of projects.

[Gredler]

Hah thanks for the suggestion necro, and more so the warning - sorry for your loss. Maybe it would be worth applying that same technique to the power switch? It's just to prevent the chip from  sliding out while power is on right? Like the slot on gameboy games that allowed the power button to slightly overlap it?

Seems like 3D printed power switches would be a low cost and rudimentary production?

Edit: I suppose it could also have been for copy protection, my point is the plastic part of the switch that sits over the sd card would not be needed for the games to run right?

[spenoza]

Fortunately, the entire PCE HuCard collection fits on a 2GB card, no problem, so it'll be a cheap replacement.

[NecroPhile]

Yarr, it's no big deal.  The time wasted trying to shave it down was probably worth more than the card.

I did look at trimming off the horizontal portion of the L shaped power switch, but disassembling the system looked like too much effort if the card trimming would've worked.

[Keith Courage]

I eventually found the Windows 7 netbook (Shortest lived fad in computing history, netbooks? Maybe.) and made an attempt to flash something new onto my card. However it doesn't work, for some reason. The card no longer has Logic on it but I can't seem to get anything to flash now. The card was working perfectly until I tried to change the game.

Yeah, I have seen this happen on a few cards.  I have never been able to determine if the bare pcb's are to blame or the soldering process.  Usually the cause is that a connection has opened up (either a pcb via, or a cold solder joint).  This prevents the erase cycle from happening, as it should.  You will know this if the led begins flashing right away after clicking download.  Normally, there will be a few seconds where the flash is erased, before the led starts flashing.

Reflowing the solder to the microcontroller and the flash chips might fix it.  You could maybe even do this in a toaster oven, if you can't solder small pins.  You can also try putting light pressure against the microcontroller and flash chips, with your fingers, while the download is happening.  Sometimes this works.

I figured out why windows 7 was giving me issues. Turns out all I had to do was change my comport number using the device manager. Com was set to com11 prior so the software couldn't find it. I simply changed the com port to com2 and now it shows up right away in the software.