gameboy micro taking gb(c) ?

[ShinyRayquaza]

Is it possible to hack a gameboy micro so it can take the original Gameboy or Gameboy Color cartridges?
Has anyone tried that already?

[NiCEL.2X]

I'm pretty sure this is impossible i think the correct hardware is missing.

[Bibin]

It's possible, but I am way too worn out today to explain. Maybe another day.

[eurddrue]

I believe that the gbm has the ZN-80 prossesor in it, but you'd need some software to get to it or something. A dev team was working on it, but they dropped off the face of the internet.

[samjc3]

ZN-80 prossesor

polycase makes processors!?!??!

[Bibin]

I believe that the gbm has the ZN-80 prossesor in it, but you'd need some software to get to it or something. A dev team was working on it, but they dropped off the face of the internet.

It's The Zilog Z80.

[eurddrue]

I believe that the gbm has the ZN-80 prossesor in it, but you'd need some software to get to it or something. A dev team was working on it, but they dropped off the face of the internet.

It's The Zilog Z80.

But I was right for the most part?

[XCVG]

IIRC Nintendo removed the Z80 and all the GB(C) hardware in order to shrink the device and reduce power consumption. It is incapable of playing GB(C) games. You have only one option to play GB(C) games on it. Get a flashcart, I think there is an emulator availible.

[Bibin]

The GBZ80 is present in the micro. People (including myself) have successfully managed to mess with it to the point where the Game Boy color logo played, and you could adjust the screen with L and R like on a regular GBA. This could not happen without the Z80, which is why this fails on a DS.

However, getting it to read the cartridges is very difficult, as while we've managed to kick it into GBC mode the cartridge interface is still in GBA mode, with the 3V vs 5V issue being just one issue among others. This is where the mod gets tough and impractical.

IIRC Nintendo removed the Z80 and all the GB(C) hardware in order to shrink the device and reduce power consumption.

Sorry, you don't remember correctly. That wouldn't save power anyway, as in GBA mode the GBC hardware wouldn't be powered on in the first place.

[eurddrue]

IIRC Nintendo removed the Z80 and all the GB(C) hardware in order to shrink the device and reduce power consumption. It is incapable of playing GB(C) games. You have only one option to play GB(C) games on it. Get a flashcart, I think there is an emulator availible.

OBJECTION! It IS present, it's just kind of hidden a bit. It won't read the games, it just boots in GBC mod. And yes, you can emulate the GBC games, but crystal doesn't work very well if my sources are correct, which is the whole point of having a GBC

In other words, what Bibin said.

[palmertech]

There was a big thread about this a while back, somewhere around here.

What bibin says is correct.

[ShockSlayer]

Of course, bibin is smartiest. Now, tell me HOW you did it, I've done my fair share of micro modding.

SS

[Bibin]

Of course, bibin is smartiest. Now, tell me HOW you did it, I've done my fair share of micro modding.

SS

I got it to crash into GBC mode with a simple program DWedit wrote; no hardware hacks done. Let me dig it up.

Thread: http://boards.pocketheaven.com/viewtopi ... =micro+gbc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Homebrew GBC-mode entering app: http://www.dwedit.org/dwedit_board/atta ... p?item=127" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

THEORY: What might work is to cut the trace that supplies voltage to the cartridge, and manually apply 5V to the cart slot once it cuts into GBC mode. The GBA flash cart must take 3V though, so be quick with your switching by hand.

Further explanation:

Fact:
If it's showing the GBC bios, then there is a GBZ80 in there.

Speculation:
Nintendo didn't bother changing the GBA chips at all, and left everything alone. It would probably cost more to change stuff than to make special reduced-functionality versions.
I haven't looked at a GB Micro circuit board but I suspect that Nintendo just removed all the GBC traces on the PCB, and related components, leaving the GBC mode still intact in the main GBA processor.