M3 DS Real won't boot

I've got a strange problem.

I bought an M3 DS Real and followed all necessary steps in order to get it working, but when I start up my DS, it just goes to the main DS menu, showing nothing is inserted in slot 1.

Yet when I put the card into another DS, it dóes boot up the m3 menu right away! My DS reads official slot-1 games without a problem, yet the DS Real it doesn't notice? It seems to fit in well, doesn't move about.

Does anyone have a clue what's going on? I used to have a M3 Mini SD, for which I flashed my DS. The other DS I tried it on (on which it díd work) is also flashed however, so I doubt that's the issue here. Does anyone have a clue?

edit: I reflashed my DS from flashme_stealth v7 to flashme v8, but it doesn't change a thing. It just won't even try booting it up.

edit 2: Errrr. I put some tape on the back of the M3 card, in order to more firmly push the contacts against the DS's. Et voila, it works. My DS is Dutch, the other's Australian. I guess small design differences are responsible for my own DS needing a little push in the back to function.

Leading me to another, less panicky question: is having tape there a risk, in terms of overheating, for example? It's just a small layer of transparent tape, thickening the cartridge, but I don't know anything about electronics so I'm just asking to be sure.

 

Its called the paper shim trick and is commonly used on a lot of flashcarts, I had 2 flashcarts from the same batch, put them into the same DS 1 showed up one didn't!.

I now put the paper shim in all the flash cart to ensure there will be no issues - electrical tape - no issues at all will work fine

 

im having the same problem. i dont know if it's my ds, the m3 card, or the sd card. i have the new m3 real that loads the sd on the side, and a cobalt/black ds lite. every time i try to use my m3 it just takes me to the main ds menu.

 

Have you tried the paper shim trick??

 

i tried the paper shim. it worked, but games get stuck on a white screen after loading.

 

White screen usually means that the software cannot play the games. The latest is either 4.2e or Sakura 1.34 (the later being far better) both sites in my signature host the firmware make sure you have the latest

 

i have the latest firmware, but i still get the white screen.

 

Take the SD card out of the M3 card

Put the M3 card (no SD) into the DS and turn on, if the M3 card is OK you should see the M3 logo in the bottom right hand corner of the bottom screen, then after 5 - 10 seconds the screen should say no sd card found

If you get this then the M3 is working - if not then it is faulty.


If working, format the SD card and put on the software
The software should be a single folder (SYSTEM) and the whole folder should be put onto the card, create a second folder (NDS) all capitals but not the () put a single game (ending .nds) into this folder and put back in the M3 and into the DS - what happens??

 

everything is set-up correct. after sakura loads the rom the screen goes white. i tried it with the original m3 real firmware and the same thing happens.

 

What Rom are you using and what size is the memory card. With Sakura you will need several MB free space to allow the rom to start.

 

mario kart ds and a 4gb card

 

The 4GB card should have no issues, the only thing I would suggest is to start again. Format the SD (ideally with Panasonics SD Formatter - especially if you have a Kingston card) put on the software and just the single rom and see if it will boot then,

if not go to the site in my signature (that hosts all the firmware), in the M3 real software there is a version called isakurareal 1.4 try this - this is unofficial but it is region free and if this loads and works it will prove that the M3 is ok

 

tried it... the firmware runs fine, but the games don't run at all