I’d like to announce Richard Hutchinson’s latest creation, the FlashBoy Plus! This new, second entry to the FlashBoy family expands the previous design by an internal save battery and will finally allow Virtual Boy homebrew developers to make use of game saving mechanisms in their games. Or, better put, it will finally allow people to actually use save game functionality of homebrew and commercial games on hardware.

This marks the end of the “old” FlashBoy line, none of those will be produced anymore. The last ever “old” FlashBoy (#284), which was meant as the main prize for the PVB Coding Competition 2010, is being auctioned off. The competition winner will receive a FlashBoy Plus instead.

This also means that the previously announced upcoming new FlashBoy batch will in fact be FlashBoy Plus units. Those 50 units will be available to those who preordered approximately in early October. The price will stay the same at 90 Euro.

Everyone who did not have luck this time should be happy to hear that we plan to create another batch of FlashBoy Plus units at the end of the year.

Here’s how the box of the Plus will look like. (Kudos to Hedgetrimmer for the fantastic cart renders on the back!

Attachments:

1. 

   fb-plus-back.jpg
   

2. 

   fb-plus-front.jpg
   

I hope my cart donation puts me atop the list for the 2nd batch… 🙂 Do the site donations go toward donor carts?

Did you ever send those carts, Sam? I can’t remember receiving any. @_@; Please PM me.

Site donations are not used for donor carts, as all costs for parts are included in the 90 Euro for a FB.

@Vaughanabe13:

See: http://www.planetvb.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=9551#forumpost9551

I think it would be best to just take a male<->female USB cable, cut it in the middle and attach a link port connector to the cut ends.

I don’t think reusing a USB plug in a non-standard way is a good idea…

Also, it would be easier and cheaper just to make one type of “extension lead” and either make it able to connect to itself (using a so-called “hermaphroditic” connector) or use a male connector and a “bridge” containing two female connectors (but not standard ones, unless they’re not (or no longer) commonly used on PCs, like an RJ25, or some-such.

That way, you could sell two different kits: A cheaper one with just a USB adapter and single cable, and one with the adapter, two cables, and a bridge.

We should write to Nintendo saying we wish to produce a new VB game on cartridge. I bet anything they are sat on thousands of cases and connectors.

Aww, I lost the FlashBoy auction… 🙁

Alright, who outbidded me and won? (don’t worry I won’t spam or stalk you, I’m just curious 😛 )

So happy about this news.

Question for everyone. Is it worth me building another batch of FlashBoy+ carts ?, or would you prefer to wait for Vaughanabe13’s cart (which is more advanced) ?

Well, Vaughanabe13’s carts wont use donor carts and will be able to store more than one VB game

However, FlashBoy plus has already been designed so they would be sold earlier than when Vaughanabe13’s carts can be right?

Final thought: I just want to play Bound High! (and Homebrew games) on my Virtual Boy someday, with any (either) cart as long as it functions right 😀

I only see two pros for Vaughanabe13’s cart compared to the FlashBoy, but also cons.

+ loading games from SD
+ backing up of saves
– no cart shell
– not available anytime soon
– no box (I guess)

So, I definitely still want a FlashBoy+! Please make more! :thumpup:

For sure make more FlashBoys. How many projects actually get done around here? Right now he is at the point where he doesn’t yet know what he is getting into. You would be able to get at least 2 batches out at your current pace before he would have anything ready to sell, and I think the market would be sad if they had to wait that long.

It’s 2mm between pins side by side but apparently only 1.4mm between the two rows.

The connector I used for my single 27C160 UV ROM cart, that Krisse linked to earlier, has 2mm in both directions but the holes are larger so it will work.

I had to bend the connector pieces a little individually for a better fit and also sand down the sides for a less tight insertion. So for manufacturing this should be seen as a last option as it’s very time consuming. But if you build one yourself and don’t have a donor cart – it’s a decent option.

I’ll send the CAD drawing to my Thai contact as soon as I get them and try to get an estimate of manufacturing costs of the cart shell as well as the connector and dust cover. I’m guessing that the mold manufacturing cost will be extreme and pretty damn high for each part… But we’ll see.

I’m thinking all black pieces and no logos anywhere where it previously said Virtual Boy or Nintendo.

I’ve already told Minestorm how I feel about this. I told him he shouldn’t stop making Flashboy cartridges just because I’m working on something different. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I “don’t know what I am getting into” but I will say that there is no timetable for my project, since I am also going to school and working part time. Basically, if you want a flash cartridge anytime in the next 6 months-year you should get one here. I can’t make any guarantees about my project at this point.

Please Please Please make more Flash Boys!!! Mr.Minestorm I know lots of people who want you to make Flash Boys. I hope to see Flash-Boy Plus soon. Don’t stop becuase a little bump in the road. Vaughnanabe13’s cart is the bump… I believe that Flash Boy making is your god given talent!

How is my project a “bump” exactly if we are all trying to achieve a common goal? Perhaps I should just drop all work on the project right now?

Please don’t, its a very awesome project 🙁

NOOOOOOO thats not what I mean but i belive that two poeple trying to do the same thing never works out…Like Nikola Tesla and Guglielmo Marconi trying to make the radio only one person got to pattend the radio….What I mean to say is that having two people on the same website and same idea isnt good…and I think that you should make this and I believe that one person shouldnt like the Flash Boy more that your product then vice versa so…. I am sorry if I have afended you in any way 😐 …so… I do have one Q what is your project or product name?

OK, another batch it is. I just needed to be sure before I bought all the components. It’s a big layout of cash for me if the carts weren’t going to be sold. I don’t know how many folk are still left on the pre-order list (I’ll ask Chris), but I will try and get another 50 made in the next couple of months.

I’m curious about why the UPC from a British car part was used on the box…

http://www.upcdatabase.com/item/5012345678900

😉

’cause you can play VB racing on it? 😛