Difference between revisions of "User:Tk saturn"

Revision as of 18:26, 5 April 2010

Beginners guide to setting up your Acekard.

Note: In order for the Acekard 2i to work on a DSi or DSi XL with FirmWare version 1.4, you need to update the Acekard's internal firmware. This can only be done using a DS Phat/ DS Lite or a DSi with FirmWare version =< 1.3. All new DSi's or DSi XL's will come with FW1.4 preinstalled, so if you don't have access to a DS Phat/ DS Lite or a DSi with FirmWare =< 1.3 you *must* purchase your AK2i from a retailer such as 0ShippingZone or LeetMod who will update the cart to 1.4 before shipping. Even if you intend to use your AK2i with a DS Lite, you should still update the firmware incase your DSL breaks and you later replace it with a DSi. After updating the Acekard will appear in the DSi menu as Danny Phantom, on the DS Phat/ DS Lite it will still appear as Acekard.

[hr][/hr]Step 1. Extracting from Archives.[hr][/hr]

Most DS games/ software/ firmware are compressed into a single file to reduce their size to make it easier to transmit over the internet. These files will normally have the .7z/ .rar/ .zip file extensions. You will need to install an application to uncompress these files, you can use [url="http://www.7-zip.org/"]7zip[/url] or [url="http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm"]WinRar[/url]

[hr][/hr]Step 2. Setting up your MicroSD card.[hr][/hr] Most computer operating systems don't format SD cards to the SD association standards, this can cause problems later on. To avoid this problem, use the official SD association formatter (updated version of the Panasonic SDformatter) which can be downloaded from [url="http://www.sdcard.org/consumers/formatter_3/eula/"]here[/url]

When you want to remove your MicroSD card from your computer, it's important you goto my computer, right click on your MicroSD card and select Eject. This can prevent data corruption.

[img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/x/eject.png[/img]

You can give your MicroSD card a custom Acekard icon when inserted into a PC, this allows you to easily identify your Acekard's MicroSD card.

[img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/x/drives3.jpg[/img]

To download click on each image, and extract the downloaded archive to the root directory on your MicroSD card.

[url="http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/ak2i-3_iconTK_Saturn.zip"][img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/x/ak2i.png[/img][/url][url="http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/ak2i-4_iconTK_Saturn.zip"][img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/x/ak2i-4.png[/img][/url][url="http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/ak2i-5_iconTK_Saturn.zip"][img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/x/ak2i-5.png[/img][/url][url="http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/ak2i-6_iconTK_Saturn.zip"][img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/x/ak2i-6.png[/img][/url][url="http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/ak2i-7_iconTK_Saturn.zip"][img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/x/ak2i-7.png[/img][/url][url="http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/ak2i-8_iconTK_Saturn.zip"][img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/x/ak2i-8.png[/img][/url][url="http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/ak2iconTK_saturn.zip"][img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/x/AceKard2_Icon.png[/img][/url][url="http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/ak2_dark_icon_TK_Saturn.zip"][img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/x/ak2dark.png[/img][/url] Note: The last two Acekard icons are based on an image by ChaozGuardian.

You can change the MicroSD drive name by opening autorun.inf and editing "Acekard 2i" on the second line. Icons for other FlashCarts can be found in [url="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=213692"]this[/url] thread

[hr][/hr]Step 3. Installing AKAIO.[hr][/hr] There are two choices of software you can install on your Acekard: AKAIO and the official. Most people choose AKAIO because it's updated more frequently and hence more compatible with recent releases. It also has aditional features such as being able to update loaders/ cheats over WiFi.

Download AKAIO 1.6RC2 from [url="http://normmatt.com/forum/download/file.php?id=75"]here[/url] and extract to the root directory of your SD card. If done correctly you should see [i]akmenu4.nds[/i] and [i]__aio[/i] folder in the root directory of your SD card.

[img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/sdex.png[/img]

The latest version of AKAIO can be downloaded from the [url="http://normmatt.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=8"]AKAIO forum[/url]. The latest version of the official firmware can be downloaded from [url="http://www.acekard.com/download.php"]Acekard[/url]

Previous versions of AKAIO can be downloaded from [url="http://filetrip.net/file.php?id=10063"]filetrip[/url] Previous versions of official can be downloaded from [url="http://filetrip.net/f9100-Acekard-2-Official-4-21.html"]filetrip[/url]

[hr][/hr]Step 4. Installing Skins.[hr][/hr] There are many customized skins you can use from places such as [url="http://www.acekard.com/skin.php"]here[/url] which will change the way your Acekard looks. To install, download the skin and extract the downloaded archive to the [color="orange"]__AIO/UI/[/color] folder on your SD Card. Each skin must be in it's own folder.

To change skins, within AKAIO press (start), select [i]System Options[/i], and your skin can be selected under [i]Interface Theme[/i]

[img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/IMG_3302.png[/img]

AKAIO can use the same skins as the official firmware

[hr][/hr]Step 5. Updating Loaders.[hr][/hr] Loaders are what AKAIO uses to load games and to circumvent any AntiPiracy protection present in the games. As new games are released, loaders may need updating if you want to play the latest games. The latest loaders can be downloaded from [url="http://akaio.gbatemp.net/nloaders/"]here[/url], extract these to the [color="orange"]__AIO\LOADERS\[/color] directory on your SD card.

There is another loader directory on your SD card named [color="red"]__AIO\AK2LOADER\[/color]. Do not get [color="red"]__AIO\AK2LOADER\[/color] and [color="orange"]__AIO\LOADERS\[/color] mixed up. In [color="red"]__AIO\AK2LOADER\[/color] you can optionally place the the loader from the official software. Just place akmenu4.nds from the official software into this folder, you can rename [i]akmenu4.nds[/i] [whatever you want][i].nds[/i]. Pressing the (Y) button on a selected rom will then allow to use the AKAIO loader, or any loader present in [color="red"]__AIO\AK2LOADER\[/color]

Loaders can also be updated over WiFi. From within AKAIO press (start), select [i]More ->[/i], select [i]WiFi update[/i]. On the next screen next to [i]File to Download[/i] select [i]Update Loader[/i] and press (A).

[img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/IMG_3295.png[/img]

Atleast until the final release of AKAIO 1.6, the latest loaders are included in the AKAIO archive. There is [u]no[/u] need to update them.

You *must* be using the latest version of AKAIO if you want to use updated loaders.

To setup WiFi on the DS Lite so AKAIO can update, you must run the WFC setup present in a WiFi game such as MarioKart. AKAIO will then use these saved WiFi Settings

[hr][/hr]Step 6. Updating Cheats.[hr][/hr] By default cheats are disabled. To enable cheats globally, within AKAIO press (start), select [i]System Options[/i], press the (L) button and next to [i]Cheat code usage[/i] select [i]enabled[/i]. Press (A).

[img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/IMG_3305.png[/img]

Alternatively you can enable cheats on a per game basis, to do this press the (Y) button on a selected ROM, press the (Y) button again, next to [i]Cheat/Action Replay[/i] select [i]enabled[/i].

Cheats codes are updated regularly. To update download [url="http://cheats.gbatemp.net/Temp/files/TEMP_USRCHEAT.DAT.zip"]this[/url] file from the [url="http://cheats.gbatemp.net/"]GBAtemp Cheat Database[/url] and extract it to the __AIO/CHEATS/ directory on your SD card.

Like the loaders these can also be updated over WiFi. To do this from within AKAIO press (start), select [i]More ->[/i], select [i]WiFi update[/i]. On the next screen next to [i]File to Download[/i] select [i]Show on Load[/i] and press (A).

[img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/IMG_3293.png[/img]

When you get the AKAIO Updater screen popup, next to [i]File to Download[/i] select [i]Cheats[/i] and next to [i]Which Cheat DB?[/i] Select [i]TempDB[/i], and press (A).

[img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/IMG_3296.png[/img]

[hr][/hr]Step 7. Putting games onto the Acekard[hr][/hr] You can copy your nds files to the root directory, or place them in subdirectories. For example you could have a directory for each game genre (Adventure, RPG, racing etc), by alphabetical (A-C,D-G,H-I etc) or just put them all in a [i]games[/i] directory. [b]Do not ask or post links to commercial roms on here, or you will be banned.[/b] The Acekard cannot load games from archives, you must place the nds files themselves on the SD card.

Roms can be reduced in size by using trimmer such as TokyoNDStrimmer, these remove the padded space from the roms. If you trim a DSi enchanced game, you will end up with a bad rom so don't do it until the trimming tools have been updated.

You can use software such as RToolDS or Rominator to manage your roms and copy them to your SD card, you can also use software such as NdsCRC or OfflineList to rename/ repackage your roms (into archives).

RtoolDS: [img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/rtoolds.jpg[/img]

Homebrew should normally be placed in the root directory, as there are one or two that expect that to be their file location.

[hr][/hr]Step 8. Updating the Acekard 2i's firmware.[hr][/hr] Download this file from [url="http://www.mediafire.com/?n4nm0i5dmtm"]here[/url] and extract the contents to your SD card. You should have two files [color="red"]ak2ifw_update_14_DS[b]i[/b]_new.nds[/color] and [color="blue"]ak2ifw_update_14_DS[b]L[/b]_new.nds[/color]

[color="red"]ak2ifw_update_14_DS[b]i[/b]_new.nds[/color] is used to update a single cart, and can be used on the DS Lite, DS Phat and DSi FW =< 1.3. In most cases this is the file you should use because there's less chance of anything going wrong.

[color="blue"]ak2ifw_update_14_DS[b]L[/b]_new.nds[/color] is used to update multiple carts and also unbrick an Acekard previously bricked by either update. This file only runs on the DS Lite or DS Phat.

Make sure your DS is fully charged or running from mains before attempted to update the firmware. Interuptting the flashing may cause your AK2i to become bricked.

[u]Updating a Single cart:[/u]

Boot your Acekard and run [color="red"]ak2ifw_update_14_DS[b]i[/b]_new.nds[/color]

It takes you straight to the firmware update screen

[img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/IMG_3122.JPG[/img]

Press (start), after the update is complete it gives you the following message:

[img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/IMG_3121.JPG[/img]

You can now power off the console.

[u]To update multiple carts or to unbrick a previously bricked cart.[/u]

Boot your Acekard and run [color="blue"]ak2ifw_update_14_DS[b]L[/b]_new.nds[/color]. This can also be run on any working cart, doesn't have to be an Acekard because it's not going to update the cart you launch it on. You are just using it to get the update into the DS's memory so you can eject the cart.

After you've run it you will get the following prompt:

[img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/IMG_3124.JPG[/img]

Eject your cart and insert the cart you wish to update or unbrick. Press (B) and you get:

[img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/IMG_3125.JPG[/img]

Press start. Once the update is complete you get the following message:

[img]http://www.themolehole.eclipse.co.uk/IMG_3126.JPG[/img]

Important: If this was the only cart you wanted to update, power off now! [b]Do NOT press (start)[/b].

If you have another cart to flash, eject the cart and insert another. Press (start) and it will start flashing immediately, it will give no warnings, prompts or ask for confirmation. Repeat the process for as many carts as you have.

[hr][/hr]Troubleshooting[hr][/hr] Problem: [i]My Acekard sits on a blue loading when it boots[/i]: Your MicroSD cart isn't making contact with the Acekard.

Problem: [i]No cart is present in the DS/ DSi menu when my Acekard is inserted[/i]: Your Acekard isn't making contact with the slot-1 cart slot.

Problem: [i]When I try to boot my Acekard in my DSi I get the error "An error has occurred. Press and hold the Power Button to turn the system off. Please see the Nintendo DSi Operations Manual for help troubleshooting." [/i] Your Acekard hasn't been updated to 1.4, while your DSi has.

Problem: [i]When I try to update my Acekard to 1.4, it sits on 0% progress forever.[/i] The 0% progress is a known problem and has been fixed by a new updater, use the one provided above.

[hr][/hr]FAQ's[hr][/hr][list] [*]Yes, the AK2i works on the DS Lite and DS Phat. [*]Yes, it works on the DSi XL/ LL too. [*]No, it can't use the DSi's additional features. [*]Yes, it will run DSi enhanced games, but in DS mode. [*]Yes, Zelda Spirit tracks works (including clean rom). [*]Yes, Pokemon SS/HG works (including clean rom). [*]No, there's no way to update the firmware other than using a DSL/ DSP/ DSi FW =< 1.3. [*]No, you don't need to update the firmware if you will never use it on a DSi. [*]The largest MicroSD supported is 32GB. [*]No, Class 2 cards are normally fine while playing games. The games will just take a longer to load. [*]No, there's no way of changing the Danny Phantom icon. [*]Yes, it will connect wirelessly to the wii. [*]Yes, it will connect wirelessly to other people using retail carts (over WFC you may need to be running the ROM of the same region) [*]No, it doesn't bypass the health and safety screen, Yes you will still have to tap the screen. [*]Yes, you can use Action Replay codes. You will need to use R4CEE, guide is in [url="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=95774"]this[/url] thread. [*]No, it doesn't work with WPA/WPA2 security. You will need to drop your routers security back to WEP. [*]Soft Reset key combination is (L)+®+(B)+(A)+(Down). By default it's disabled, you can either enable it globally in system settings or per rom by pressing (Y) twice on the selected rom. [*]Yes, Download Play is supported. By default it's disabled, you can either enable it globally in system settings or per rom by pressing (Y) twice on the selected rom. [*]Yes, you can use [url="http://www.pocketheaven.com/ph/wiki/SavSender"]SavSender[/url] to transfer saves to and from your retail carts (but not Pokemon HG/SS) [/list]If you are stuck, many of your problems can be solved by consulting the [size=2][url="http://wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/index.php?title=AKAIO"]AKAIO WIKI[/url][/size] It has everything you ever need to know about an Acekard.

Template:Acekard 2i: Updating to FW1.4