Why Did Gamepark Chose Smartmedia As Its Memory?

[lol2232]

They should have used compact flash its cheaper and not that much bigger in size...

Does anyone know if there is an adapter that enables you to use compact flash?






Thanks,
Tom Sawyer

 

[saintdragon]

They should have used compact flash its cheaper and not that much bigger in size...

Does anyone know if there is an adapter that enables you to use compact flash?






Thanks,
Tom Sawyer

​

even if there was a adapter it most prob wouldnt work...

sorry ifr i'v broken ur spirits

 

[trooper]

Well, Afaik, 3-4 years ago when the GP32 was first available SMC`s were the cheapest and most popular flash media back then. Compact flash was way more expensive than it is now and SD/MMC were not as popular or readily available either.

Who know`s, Maybe if and when the successor to the current GP32 is released, Support for more modern flash media will be an option.

Trooper

 

[vic20-ian]

They should have used compact flash its cheaper and not that much bigger in size...

Does anyone know if there is an adapter that enables you to use compact flash?






Thanks,
Tom Sawyer

​

Probably the voltage reasons derived from battery spec, cost also a likely factor.

 

[Digitalrat]

As far as I know the access time from SMCs is the fastest. A fast access time is needed because of the relative little RAM of the GP32.

 

[onionfrog]

Back when the gp32 was first released, the other flash media formats, were far more expensive...

 

[Squidge]

SMC cards are easy to connect up electronically and can be connected directly to the processor for even more cost savings. The processor doesn't even have to support SMC's.

Compact flash, on the other hand, is hell when you think about talking to it as it's basically a PCMCIA card. So many connections, and not that easy to talk to without a dedicated controller (=more cost).

So, when the GP32 was developed, SMC was the best flash storage available.

And before you ask, yes, most of the convertors work, but they will not allow more than 128mb regardless as that is the limit of the gp32, and no, you can't hack the bios to increase the support.

 

[trooper]

SMC cards are easy to connect up electronically and can be connected directly to the processor for even more cost savings. The processor doesn't even have to support SMC's.

Compact flash, on the other hand, is hell when you think about talking to it as it's basically a PCMCIA card. So many connections, and not that easy to talk to without a dedicated controller (=more cost).

So, when the GP32 was developed, SMC was the best flash storage available.

And before you ask, yes, most of the convertors work, but they will not allow more than 128mb regardless as that is the limit of the gp32, and no, you can't hack the bios to increase the support.

​

Well, Someone seem`s to think it`s not impossible. :rolleyes:

http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showt...ndpost&p=220479

Trooper

 

[Blah]

Also the CPU Game Park chose has "SMC functionality" listed in its specs on Samsungs web site.

 

[FabreNZ]

Digitalrat - who told you that? AFAIK, SMCs are slow. That's why GBA games etc can't be streamed straight from the SMC, and must be loaded into a buffer.

 

[shinneri]

Digitalrat - who told you that? AFAIK, SMCs are slow. That's why GBA games etc can't be streamed straight from the SMC, and must be loaded into a buffer.

​

Not fast. I think he means just faster than the other flash medias.

 

[Drag]

If you ask me, I think it's because they're conveniantly easy to program.

I'd rather be able to copy my games onto a SMC, rather than have to burn a rom and put it on a PCB.

And it also makes the homebrewers' lives easier.

That's probably what Gamepark was thinking too.

 

[Fishbong]

Digitalrat - who told you that?  AFAIK, SMCs are slow.  That's why GBA games etc can't be streamed straight from the SMC, and must be loaded into a buffer.

​

:lol: Don´t make me laugh. Don´t you know the difference between ROM (that´s, in this case, the SMC) and RAM (you know what this is, yes???)?
You could as well whine about your computer´s harddisk being slower than your computer´s RAM.

However, the GP32 was not designed for being a multimedia and homebrew platform, but as a gaming device just as the GBA, so there was no need for sophisticated data storage systems.

 

[moz]

They should have used compact flash its cheaper and not that much bigger in size...

Does anyone know if there is an adapter that enables you to use compact flash?






Thanks,
Tom Sawyer

​

ah the wonders of hind sight

 

[Digitalrat]

Digitalrat - who told you that? AFAIK, SMCs are slow. That's why GBA games etc can't be streamed straight from the SMC, and must be loaded into a buffer.

As shinneri mentioned I just wanted to say that SMCs are faster than other flash medias and I think I read it in the documentation of the gba-emulation. GBA-games are loaded completly into the RAM first and GP32-games are loading from the SMCs while playing (so a fast access is needed)... At least that is what I've read.