Building a Game Boy Cartridge from Scratch: A Deep Dive into Hardware and Software
2025-07-23
Allison Parrish's multi-year journey to build a Game Boy cartridge from scratch is documented in this comprehensive article. It details the inner workings of Game Boy cartridges, explaining concepts like memory mapping, Memory Bank Controllers (MBCs), chip select, and buses. The article dives deep into the specifics of various MBCs, particularly the MBC5, and addresses challenges like using flash memory instead of ROM and resolving conflicts between flash and MBC protocols. Hardware aspects such as battery-backed SRAM persistence and voltage conversion are also explored. This in-depth technical guide is perfect for anyone interested in Game Boy hardware and software development.
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