Using cart_save to read GBA save files

A how-to guide on using Chishm's cart_save program to dump a GBA save file to a DLDI-capable slot-2 device in GBA mode.

I again apologize for the poor video quality. My camera does have a close-up mode but only when shooting the entire video in that mode. Since I needed to focus on both my monitor and the DS screen, I couldn't use the close-up mode.

Programs I mention in the video:
1. cart_save - http://chishm.drunkencoders.com/SendSave/index.html#cart_save
2. Rudolph's GBA Backup Tool
3. EEPINATOR

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• gba
• cart_save
• cart
• save
• dump
• restore
• chishm
• eepinator
• gamesave

[PublicBob09]

Warning to potential EZFlash IV buyers: mine is exhibiting the same problematic behavior as the Supercard discussed in the vid, and I have yet to successfully work around it to back up any of my saves via my original model (fat) GBA.

[DanTheManMS]

@PublicBob09 I was never able to get this to work on my original GBA either. Only the DS Phat allowed me to use the "push right side in first and go really slowly" trick. People have tried covering up everything except the power pins in the cartridge and it still resets the console.

[vegetasayinprince10]

Hey can you do the opposite of this. Like can you get a game save from the pc and put it on the GBA

[DanTheManMS]

@vegetasayinprince10 There is an option to do that, yes. For EEPROM saves you might need to reverse the order of every 8 bytes but I'm not entirely sure.

[antoniostanss]

Does this work for game boy original games?

[DanTheManMS]

No, there's no way to access a GB/GBC cartridge from within GBA or DS mode. You'd need a dedicated GBC copier hardware thingy for that.

[PublicBob09]

@PublicBob09 If anyone's interested, I'm going with an EZ Flash IV (make sure it's not Lite if you want it for GBA), but I think there's also a Supercard of some kind available as well. Feel free to ask me for more details.

[PublicBob09]

About time I found a video guide like this. Thank you so much! Would you care to recommend a GBA flash cart specifically for this?

[DanTheManMS]

I assume you mean the M3 Real GBA expansion pack, which unfortunately has no filesystem whatsoever. Since cart_save cannot save to SRAM, there's no way to use your equipment with this program. Look into Rudolph's GBA Backup Tool instead, which you should run directly from the slot-1 M3 Real.