FrotzNet GBA Development Goodies

What is this?

These are the tools we use to download code to and test on the Gameboy Advance. They're unix hosted tools (tested on FreeBSD and Linux) but could be ported to other platforms by the adventuresome. The only cable you need (once you have slave.mb in flash) is a GBA<->Serial cable which you can easily build with a MAX3232, DB9 connector, 1/2 of a GBA link cable, 4 .1uF caps, etc.

Releases

  • remote/ -- latest release, web browsable
  • 030728 - added schematic for cable (by Dark Fader)
  • 011030-0 neat new features
    • Boot Menu - start images in Flash using Up/Down/A
    • Cosmetic Tweaks
    • More robust cart header ID
    • more generous timeouts in 'remote'
  • 011028-1 added commands to control Visoly/FA memory remapping
  • 011028-0 initial release

Screen Shots

Unix Host Program (remote):


GBA Slave Program (slave):

Why Bother?

The MBV2 is super-handy for multiboot support and was essential to bootstrapping this project, but I wanted to be able to do asynch bi-directional communications for debugging and adapt some tools I've used for various embedded projects. You get serial debugging, the ability to program flash (Only supports FA Turbo 64 & 128M carts, and only tested on the 64 so far). You don't need a setuid root program, a parallel port, etc. Full sources for the host program allow you to add your own debug commands or other goodies.

What do you need to use it?

  • a GBA
  • a flash cart (though you can use the MBV2 to check it out)
  • a Linux or FreeBSD machine with a serial port
  • a GBA<->RS232 cable

What does "slave.mb" do?

This is a GBA resident debug loader. It relocates itself to 0x03001000 on startup (no matter where it's started at -- you can multiboot it, flash it to rom, etc). It displays a banner screen and configures the GBA for UART comms at 115200bps, 8 bits, 1 stop bit, no parity and waits for the host program ("remote") to talk to it.
  • press L + R + START + SELECT to reboot the GBA
  • use UP & DOWN to select a rom image and A to start it
  • use the host program (remote) to do all kinds of neat stuff by sending commands over the serial port

What does "remote" do?

This is a curses-based console to control the slave.mb program over a serial port. "help" will get you a list of commands. In a nutshell, you can "load" a binary to 0x02000000 (or some other address), "call" an arbitrary address, "erase" a 256k block of flash, "write" to flash from 0x02000000, dump memory (by byte, word, or halfword), and set the contents of a byte, word, or halfword. It has infinite scrollback of debug/status messages, command history, etc.

Thanks

  • Jeff Frohwein for the MBV2, cartlib, and answering a bunch of questions
  • Ziegler Reiner for his documents on the Special Visoly/FA Mapping Registers

Links (More GBA Dev Stuff)

Your Hosts

This nifty software was developed by Brian Swetland and Victoria Lease for our own evil purposes. You can send us feedback via the email alias below. If you find this stuff useful or have comments or suggestions, please let us know.


gbadev@frotz.net