Hacking EZ-Flash Junior Initialization Issue

[davidmorom]

Hi everyone!

I just get an EZ-Flash Junior, an after some testing I noticed a weird issue. My unit is working perfectly in the following systems:

• One Game Boy DMG-01
• One Game Color CGB-01, with board CGB-CPU-01 and SoC "CPU CGB B"
• Two Game Boy Advance AGB-001 modded with 101 display
• One Game Boy Advance AGB-001 modded with IPS display
• One Game Boy Advance SP AGS-101
• One Game Boy Advance SP AGS-001 modded with IPS display

In all of these systems the cartridge works perfectly. But I have another Game Boy Color, aparentyly with the same board (CGB-CPU-01), but with a different SoC, "CPU CGB" (without the B at the end). In this system, the EZ-Flash is unable to initialize the MicroSD. Most of the time it get stuck at the LOADING... message, sometimes it displays the MicroSD Initialization Error message, and very very few times it shows the OS INIT message, but freeze there.

I have tried the following with this system so far (none of them worked):

• A lot of MicroSD cards, with capacities of 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32GB.
• Format the MicroSD with and without partition table, with FAT16 and FAT32, and several cluster sizes.
• Thoroughly cleaned the cartridge slot, in both the console and the EZ-Flash
• Cleaned the whole console board.
• Powered the console trough AA alkaline batteries, AA NiMH batteries, and a workbench power supply limited at 750mA with voltages varying from 3.2V to 2.2V.
  
• Checked the connection of every pin between the cartridge and the board, with a multimeter.
• Monitored the 5V rail with an oscilloscope. Ripple and noise levels are the same in this board, and the one that works.

I have to say that this system works perfectly with every original game cartridge I tried (both monochrome and color games). Everything leads me to think that there must be some kind of incompatibility between EZ-Flash Junior and boards with the "CPU CGB" chip.

Is there anyone with the same board and chip, that had experimented the same issue? It would be nice to know if I am the only one having this problem. I read about people having problems with clones such as the GB Boy Colour, but no one having problems with an original Game Boy Color.

If there is, in fact, some kind of incompatibility, I hope the development team be aware of it and fix it in a future firmware update (if possible).

Thanks for your help.

 

[EZ-Flash2]

This kind compatible issue can be fixed by firmware update once we find the sample hardware, like the ags-101 issue if OMEGA.

 

[davidmorom]

This kind compatible issue can be fixed by firmware update once we find the sample hardware, like the ags-101 issue if OMEGA.

Good to know the problem is fixable. Any plans of looking at it in the near future?

 

[EZ-Flash2]

Good to know the problem is fixable. Any plans of looking at it in the near future?

it seems the board was the first batch of CGB production, it will need time to find a working one in China. as I said before, it will be fixed in minutes once we get the board.

 

[pustal]

it seems the board was the first batch of CGB production, it will need time to find a working one in China. as I said before, it will be fixed in minutes once we get the board.

Hi. How's this going? I know it's fixed on the beta firmware but a stable version hasn't been released for over 3 years now. Don't mean to sound blunt but can't you guys release a version with the stable fixes alone and leave the RTC stuff out or whatever isn't stable?