PSA: Multicarts and Everdrives may be destroying our hardware

[RevQuixo]

https://db-electronics.ca/2017/07/05/the-dangers-of-3-3v-flash-in-retro-consoles/

This is a major bummer. Not sure where the Neo SD stands, but it looks like most 161-in-1s are pretty well garbage. (and most of the ever drives out there could be problematic).

 

[Dr Shroom]

Ah well, nothing lasts forever.

 

[Neo Alec]

The Neo multicart issues are already somewhat known in this forum. I never really thought about the Everdrives before. I hope they fix them going forward.

 

[fake]

Link doesn't work.

 

[RAZO]

Doesn't work for me either.

 

[RevQuixo]

Doesn't work for me either.

Site is no doubt being slammed due to the panic in the community. Basically the use of a certain type of flash chips (3.3V) being used with systems not intended to run 3.3V is causing stress on components among other problems. Some cartridges are properly made to take into account this situation, but most aren't.

I'd imagine things are going to get ugly soon enough.

 

[fake]

Site is no doubt being slammed due to the panic in the community. Basically the use of a certain type of flash chips (3.3V) being used with systems not intended to run 3.3V is causing stress on components among other problems. Some cartridges are properly made to take into account this situation, but most aren't.

I'd imagine things are going to get ugly soon enough.

Oof! Glad I haven't jumped into the Everdrive deep end. (I just have the GBA one.)

 

[3rdStrikeMike]

Seems like the link is working now. I'd love to see how the Neo SD would be rated. I guess we just need to take out a second mortgage and buy full game collections instead of everdrives/flash carts

 

[NeoCverA]

It's a conspiracy to protect the 1% holding 95% of inventory. They can't have the value of their stockpile of outdated cartridges plummet. I mean wtf are you going to do with 60 copies of MSX homecart?

If you are smart, you'll start buying up all the hardware.

 

[ShootTheCore]

It's a conspiracy to protect the 1% holding 95% of inventory.

Hardly a conspiracy - more like Electronics 101. Rene knows his shit, and his article states quite clearly how and why the circuits being used aren't suitable for handling 5.0V of current going into a 3.3V flash memory module.

 

[NeoCverA]

Hardly a conspiracy - more like Electronics 101. Rene knows his shit, and his article states quite clearly how and why the circuits being used aren't suitable for handling 5.0V of current going into a 3.3V flash memory module.

I never read it. I just can't stand those fucking twats that are reading this article laughing their asses off. Cuz the flash tech spilling to NEO got some old men with a lot of old ass shit nervous as fuck. And I loved it.

 

[ChuChu Flamingo]

unstable voltage

that podcast was pretty good. Scart cable makers are also getting some heat now to not properly attenuating TTL sync, sometimes amplifying it or just putting stupid shit in in.

 

[RAZO]

Been using Flashcarts since the 1st Nes Powerpak which I still own and use also with the same hardware for a very long time and never had any hardware issues. When the Console go's, I'll just buy another console. Beats spending a small fortune to acquire your favorite original games. Both Original Hardware and Roms aren't meant to last forever anyways.

 

[madman]

Been using Flashcarts since the 1st Nes Powerpak which I still own and use also with the same hardware for a very long time and never had any hardware issues. When the Console go's, I'll just buy another console. Beats spending a small fortune to acquire your favorite original games. Both Original Hardware and Roms aren't meant to last forever anyways.

This. My Genesis consoles have only ever seen one legit cart and this is going back to the 90s using console copiers, who knows what kind of crazy Chinaman design those used internally though yes I'm aware they didn't use flash memory. I'm not saying this guy doesn't know his shit, but until we start seeing mass failures of consoles/EDs, I'm not going to buy into the hysteria. I will sit back and michaeljacksoneatingpopcorn.gif though.

 

[ChuChu Flamingo]

Been using Flashcarts since the 1st Nes Powerpak which I still own and use also with the same hardware for a very long time and never had any hardware issues. When the Console go's, I'll just buy another console. Beats spending a small fortune to acquire your favorite original games. Both Original Hardware and Roms aren't meant to last forever anyways.

I think the whole point of the article is to show where things can be improved so this is a non-issue. Let us just say hypothetically 20-30 years from now this shit is still like this, do you think consoles will be cheaper than they are now? Like the scart Csync not being properly terminated I mentioned above to 75 ohms there really is no telling how much damage is being done/lifespan reduced. People have already had their Framemeisters die probably due to this and some guy on shmups plugged in a probably incorrectly wired Csync Genesis cable blowing out his scart connector on his Loewes crt. Either that or bad luck.

I wouldn't be worrying about it much, but it is a growing concern as time goes on.

 

[FilthyRear]

Good.

Let it die.

 

[madman]

Let us just say hypothetically 20-30 years from now this shit is still like this, do you think consoles will be cheaper than they are now?

How many people on here will still care about this in 30 years? I'll be surprised if I still own all this shit in 10 years.

 

[Gamefan]

This seems to me like a plug for his degree. Buy it, don't buy it, it will all be garbage in 10 years anyway.

 

[RAZO]

This. My Genesis consoles have only ever seen one legit cart and this is going back to the 90s using console copiers, who knows what kind of crazy Chinaman design those used internally though yes I'm aware they didn't use flash memory. I'm not saying this guy doesn't know his shit, but until we start seeing mass failures of consoles/EDs, I'm not going to buy into the hysteria. I will sit back and michaeljacksoneatingpopcorn.gif though.

"I have already heard from several friends that their NES consoles have died most likely due to their admittedly heavy use of cheap multicarts."

This is a bold statement because I haven't heard of one friend who had a Nes die on them because of Flash Cart use. Also, we don't know what kind of Psu's his friends are using to power their consoles. It could be some after market piece of shit psu for all we know and they are blaming it on the flash cart. I agree, this guy clearly knows his shit but this won't keep me at all from buying any flashcart. As far as those bootleg Multi-Game carts go, I never cared much for them.

 

[RAZO]

I think the whole point of the article is to show where things can be improved so this is a non-issue. Let us just say hypothetically 20-30 years from now this shit is still like this, do you think consoles will be cheaper than they are now? Like the scart Csync not being properly terminated I mentioned above to 75 ohms there really is no telling how much damage is being done/lifespan reduced. People have already had their Framemeisters die probably due to this and some guy on shmups plugged in a probably incorrectly wired Csync Genesis cable blowing out his scart connector on his Loewes crt. Either that or bad luck.

I wouldn't be worrying about it much, but it is a growing concern as time goes on.

Just pick up a spare console for each system you own and put them in storage. So incase your flash carts finally kill your consoles 5-30 years from now, you'll have a spare to play on.

 

[NeoSneth]

maybe if i was playing with my Wondermega i would care....
but these consoles are meant to be thrown away anyways.

 

[RevQuixo]

Just pick up a spare console for each system you own and put them in storage. So incase your flash carts finally kill your consoles 5-30 years from now, you'll have a spare to play on.

Hopefully by then FPGAs will be fully developed and it will at be moot.

 

[egg_sanwich]

I've yet to hear of one person experiencing console failure as a result of everdrive use. Whose to say that those consoles that did fail weren't set to fail anyways?

Remember when you were a kid you would leave the console paused with the tv off while you went to school, etc?

 

[wyo]

Zero evidence of actual problems caused by flash carts.

 

[ballzdeepx]

I can believe this for sure. I recently plugged my fleshlight into a legacy USB port by mistake. After initial insertion I felt a jolt in my testicles followed by a puff of smoke and my penis no longer works.