Can I use ED Gameboy to backup Gameboy Camera?

[Sisee]

I'm nt expecting the Everdrive itself to be able to perform what I want.
Basicaly, I want to follow a guide (http://alt.pathawks.com/gameboy-camera) to save some pictures from my Gameboy Camera.

I have been watching the Everdrive progress for a while, and at some point would like to own several of the different carts available, including the Gameboy version.
The reason I am asking this question is because the guides I have been able to find to backup the Gameboy Camera all seem to use a the 'GB USB Smart Card' or a similar device.
These carts aren't expensive, but combined with buying the Mega Memory cart, its an expensive venture.
Especially as when I do get round to buying an Everdrive for my Gameboy, the USB cart would be only ever be used for this.

I'm just trying to save myself some money really.

It isn't drastically urgent that I can do this.
I'd just like to save some of the pictures before the battery runs dry.
The pictures (although extremely low quality) are very important to me. One of them is the very last known image to be taken of my Mother before she passed away. So, I'm sure you can understand the sentimental value it holds.

I digress.

So, simply;
Can the Everdrive Gameboy cart be used in place of the USB Smart Card in the Gameboy Camera backup?
If the answer is 'yes', then I'll order one as soon as I can. But if it's a 'no' then I'll be forced to get the USB Smart device instead.

Or, alternatively, does anyone else know of a simpler less costly method to accomplish what I want?
My limitations are that my computer is a Mac, so I'm limited to OS compatibility.
And out of all of the various hardware options I have not one has a parallel port. So the old Mad Catz link cable isn't an option.

If anyone can help me, I'd be greatly appreciative.

Thanks in advance.

[Mattroid]

Hmm. I can't say with 100% certainty, but I'm not sure if it will work with the ED or not. Hopefully someone else can say for sure or maybe even test for you. Even if it did, you'd still need the mega memory card...perhaps we can skip that part?

I assume you've seen other alternatives, but figured I'd link some just in case. I'm not familiar enough with these either, but they sound promising, and should allow you to skip the memory card step/purchase. If they don't have native OSX support, I imagine you could find someone with Windows to help you out...

This thread links to these:
http://www.bennvenn.com/ForSale.htm
http://asmretro.com/altane (out of stock currently, new product offering - I think we've talked about it on here before)

It looks like with one of those you could skip having to buy both a flash cart and the mega memory card but instead dump the save directly from the camera, then pick up at step 5 of that tutorial you linked.

I have an older GB cart USB linker that I think could do this, but I don't have a GB camera...maybe I can stop by the used game shop near here sometime this week and see if they have one I can pick up to test this with.

I'd say BennVenn's reader/writer is cheap enough to chance it. Just go for it

All that said, you should still buy an EverDrive GB when you can. It's pretty awesome

[trekeyus]

I can tell you with 100 percent certainly the Everdrive GB is incompatible with the Mega Memory Card. your best bet Is to look at the various dumbers available on the market as the previous poster posted linkes to.  You might also consider getting a Everdrive 64 and a n64 transfer pack assuming you have an n64. http://micro-64.com/features/gbromdumping.shtml

[saturnu]

i haven't implemented the gameboy camera mapper into libgbpak, so dumping it with the ed64 shouldn't work.
If you are familiar with a soldering iron, you could build a programmer by your own.

Home made programming systems
http://www.reinerziegler.de/readplus.htm

there is just windows/linux software but's there is a usb-version and it should be possible to pass your usb port into a virtual machine
like http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/4.3.26/VirtualBox-4.3.26-98988-OSX.dmg

[Mattroid]

i haven't implemented the gameboy camera mapper into libgbpak, so dumping it with the ed64 shouldn't work.

I wondered about this but wasn't sure so I didn't want to mention it. Thanks for chiming in saturnu

[gojira54]

I used a pentium 2 desktop from out of a skip to backup my pics with the madcatz cable :p
Would be fantastic to be able to transfer the pics using the n64 pak...

[Sisee]

Thank you all who replied.
Your ideas and suggestions were most enlightening.

I think the simplest, and most accessible option is to use one of the programmer devices Mattroid mentioned.
To be honest, thats exactly what I was hoping to find, but Google was not giving me any results regarding that kind of device.
Perhaps because I was specifically referencing the Gameboy Camera, and not all Gameboy carts in general.

I have contacted the BennVenn regarding his devices, and compatibility options.
So, hopefully I'll soon be in a state where I'll be able to do what I set out to in the first place.

It's a shame the N64 version of the Everdrive doesn't do this.
I have the Transfer Pak.
I even have a US console that I've never played (I live yin England, it's PAL here).
I bought it because of the RGB video capabilities, because PAL consoles are S-Video at best. I intended to get an Everdrive for it, but I never did.
I don't even know if the console works as I don't have any NTSC games to try it.
This would have been the tipping point on me getting the Everdrive for it, if it could backup the Gameboy Camera.

Of course, getting one of the BennVenn reader/writers means that I will be bypassing the need for the Mega Memory and a flash cart.
This doesn't mean I don't want a flash cart, I will still get Everdrive carts some time.
It's just a manner of having the money coinciding with availability.
I've been in several situations that I have had the money available, only to find that most places are out of stock.
Or the opposite, where everywhere will have them, but I don't have the money.
One day the dates will line up.

I have been an admirer of the devices since the beginning, when the original Everdrive MD (simply called the Everdrive back then).
One day I'll have one for all of my consoles.
Just a matter of time and money.

Thanks again for the replies.

[saturnu]

i found a gameboy camera reverse engeneering technical documentation. ^^
it looks like the mapper works nearly like MBC3.

now i could update libgbpak, but it would be cool if someone else with less important data on his camera could test it first. ^^

https://github.com/AntonioND/gbcam-rev-engineer/blob/master/doc/gb_camera_doc_v1_1_1.pdf

update:
testversion download:
http://krikzz.com/forum/index.php?topic=1548.msg28112#msg28112

[Mattroid]

testversion download:
http://krikzz.com/forum/index.php?topic=1548.msg28112#msg28112

Excellent work saturnu! I wish I had the means to test this I agree that a few more testers would be best before Sisee were to do so. I'd hate for those photos to be lost for some reason.

[StarDust4Ever]

I have a retrode cart dumper. I have no idea if it will work or not with the camera but the Game Boy addon can dump saves as well as write them back to the cart. I believe it can only write back SRAM.

Sadly the Retrode and Game Boy dumper addon is discontinued now but they might be useful to back up your saves to a PC.

You could also try printing them with a Game Boy printer or screen grabbing them with a Super Game Boy or Game Boy Player and a capture card...

[Mattroid]

So these things go cheap on ebay it seems so I just ordered both a GB Camera and N64 Transfer Pak for about $20 with free shipping. It may be fully tested before I get mine, but I'll be happy to test further if needed.

I still think the best option for Sisee in the short term is one of those other GB linkers. They're cheaper and hopefully immediately available, making a purchase decision easy. Who knows when the batter in that camera will decide to give out However, long term, it might be good to have the ability to do this via the ED64 + Transfer Pak. Besides, it's another selling point, yes?

[gojira54]

I just gave this a go... I haven't used any of the gb tools before.
It can dump the .gb & .srm files fine, but I can't see how this will allow you to see the album pics on a pc?
Run in an emu and screen grab?

EDIT:
OK rename srm file to sav and process using 'GBCameraDump'
Works nicely - nice one

[saturnu]

Ah cool thanks for the feedback.

[Traveller]

Hey

I have recently tried using this GB dumper, having some connection problems though. It seems to register Pokemon Blue ok the majority of the time, but the camera is never seen by the app. It always has the check connection error. I've cleaned off the contacts on everything except the Transfer Pak slot, but I figured it would at least connect sometimes if it was that.

I also tested Pokemon Blue on the Stadium GB Player and there was never any connection problems at all.

[saturnu]

i think there is nothing i can improve. Maybe i could make a version for port 2 which is controlled by the pad in port 1, so it isn't moved  while  pushing  buttons.