Game Boy Camera

[XCVG]

The other day I got a Game Boy Camera for $10. It's really fun and takes pretty cool images. There's one problem though...

The images are stuck on it. There's no way to transfer them to my PC. And the thing only holds 30 pictures.

I've tried to scan the GBC (yes, I'm using a GBC, and yes, it's still B&W) but it failed. I've heard of using some sort of backup unit to download the contents of the RAM, but the devices are no longer made. Most interesting is the link->PC cable and printer emulator software. Is that the best route to go or is there a better way?

 

[Bibin]

Interestingly, scanning an older black and white unit works great. Grab a Game Boy Pocket and scan with those if you can't figure out how to dump the images.

 

[XCVG]

I don't have a Game Boy Pocket. I could get a DMG/GBO for $10 but I'd rather not spend the money. So far I've been using a GBC. It works with a GBA too but sticks out too much for my liking.

 

[jleemero]

Well, you can backup your SRAM from the camera with any Gameboy Cart Reader.

Transferrer II is only around $35 now, and you could make a very simple cart reader for even less than that.

But then, that's just the SRAM, as for getting the pictures from that...

 

[XCVG]

I've seen a guide on that, and a program to extract and convert the pictures. Don't want to blow $35 on a transfer unit, but I'm interested in the homebuilt one. Link?

 

[jleemero]

Look at either the GB Cart Flasher: http://www.reinerziegler.de/readplus.htm#GB_Flasher
Or CartIO, the original one anyway: http://www.reinerziegler.de/cartio.gif

There are others, but uh...
No.

 

[Mario]

I have one of these:

It's a GameBoy printer emulator for PC.

More info in a review: http://gear.ign.com/articles/306/306589p1.html

It works pretty well. Though I can't find any for sale on the web. It's just a 1-chip design , so I'll see if I can reverse-engineer it.

 

[XCVG]

I've seen a diagram for a homemade one! It's just a transistor and diode; in fact apparently neither component is necessary on some but not all computers.

I'll try to find it again...

 

[Mario]

I've got the software if you can find that schematic!

 

[Mario]

Hey is this it?

Also, this looks useful: http://skyscraper.fortunecity.com/macro/730/

 

[jleemero]

Nope, that's not it.


That's just a general purpose I/O connection to your computer.

Only GB-Basic ever used it.

 

[Mario]

It looks like the software I linked to uses it.
I'm going to try it.

 

[jleemero]

It does not.
Have fun hurting your gameboy.

 

[J.D]

Umm, why are you taking pictures with the Game Boy Camera? If I take a picture of a county fair, archeologists are going to think the Game Boy Color existed in the 19th century.

 

[XCVG]

Umm, why are you taking pictures with the Game Boy Camera? If I take a picture of a county fair, archeologists are going to think the Game Boy Color existed in the 19th century.

Because it's unique and cool. Why do people take pictures with Holgas? Same reason. This thing is like a Holga, but 100 times worse.

Nope, that's not it.


That's just a general purpose I/O connection to your computer.

Only GB-Basic ever used it.

Jlee, can you explain why it does not work? I thought that this just linked the computer and gameboy and everything else was done in software.

EDIT: From the manual of the emulator software:

A Gameboy connector cable (Gameboy to Parrallel port)

I constructed a cable a bit like the one used with GBBasic execpt I joined the clk to pin 13 instead of pin 2, this allows the PC to read the CLK instead of sending it.

Note : When constructing a cable I noticed the colours of wires differed to what was outlined in a diagram describing the GBBasic cable.

Is that why?

 

[jleemero]

Nope, that's not it.


That's just a general purpose I/O connection to your computer.

Only GB-Basic ever used it.

Jlee, can you explain why it does not work? I thought that this just linked the computer and gameboy and everything else was done in software.

Completely different cable, works differently, has a different purpose.
The MadCatz cable had extra hardware that served a purpose.

 

[samjc3]

i have one of those cameras! assuming i can find my dmg, that is. is the one for the gbc higher quality than the dmg one? because, if it isnt, i fail to see why you would want to dump the images.

 

[XCVG]

It's the same camera, just using it in a GBC because I don't own a DMG.

Of course I want to dump the image, they are really cool! Crap, but cool nonetheless.

Nope, that's not it.


That's just a general purpose I/O connection to your computer.

Only GB-Basic ever used it.

Jlee, can you explain why it does not work? I thought that this just linked the computer and gameboy and everything else was done in software.

Completely different cable, works differently, has a different purpose.
The MadCatz cable had extra hardware that served a purpose.

What is actually in the MadCatz cable? A logic chip or some fancy IC that doesn't really do anything?

 

[jleemero]

It's the same camera, just using it in a GBC because I don't own a DMG.

Of course I want to dump the image, they are really cool! Crap, but cool nonetheless.

Nope, that's not it.


That's just a general purpose I/O connection to your computer.

Only GB-Basic ever used it.

Jlee, can you explain why it does not work? I thought that this just linked the computer and gameboy and everything else was done in software.

Completely different cable, works differently, has a different purpose.
The MadCatz cable had extra hardware that served a purpose.

What is actually in the MadCatz cable? A logic chip or some fancy IC that doesn't really do anything?

Exactly.

 

[Mario]

I tried the cable, and my GBC was fine. I tried to transfer, and it mostly worked. It would stop in the middle of it, and the resulting downloaded image would be garbled. I found out the problem was interference between the wires. I got one successful transfer after fiddling with them but nothing else.