Linux Flash2Advance - if2a 0.2a Readme.txt

if2a 0.2a
~~~~~~~~~
Insane-f2a (might become Intelligent-f2a ;-)
http://deyv.free.fr/gba/f2a/

Tested Hardware:
- GBASP
- Flash2Advance USB Linker
- Flash2Advance 256Mbits cart

Software:
- Linux on i386
- Ezusb2131	http://ezusb2131.sourceforge.net/
- libusb	http://libusb.sourceforge.net/

if2a is a simple tool to easily upload rom file to F2A cart using F2A USB
linker. It is based on f2a-0.2. Thus, requirements, warnings and known
problems are the same as in f2a-0.2 (see README-f2a).

In addition to mb.bin and f2afirm.hex, flashcart's header (f2aloader.gba) is
included. It is extracted from the original F2AWriter3.0 win32 software. I
have no more copyright informations about these files than Uli (original
f2a-0.1 author).

What you can do with if2a is:

- Display your rom map from cart
	if2a -M
	
- Download romfiles from cart
	if2a -R

- Upload romfiles to cart
	if2a -d -W rom1.gba [rom2.gba [...]]

- Download savegames from sram
	if2a -r -b  sramfile.sav

- Upload savegames to sram
	if2a -d -w -b  sramfile.sav

- Get command-line help
	if2a -h

Block syntax is described by the if2a help option (same format as in
F2AWriter3.0 tool).
Before doing anything to your cart, you should always use the -dd option (no
read, no write), then the -d option (no write).

Detailed options:
	-M	display rom map
			Scan cart's rom and display rom headers.
	
	-R	read rom (and generate filenames)
			Scan and load ram's rom. Filenames are automatically
			generated (according to header data). Filenames can
			also be specified in command line. Special filenames
			with specific behaviour are
			- '.'	do not save
			- '@'	automatically generate filename
			ex: -R . @ @ newname.gba
			will not save the first rom, save 4th rom in file
			'newname.gba' and generate filenames for all other
			roms.
	
	-S      maximum rom size (suffix kb,mb,kB,mB, default 256mb)
			Specify cart size. Size can be specified in kilobits
			(kb/Kb), megabits (mb/Mb), kilobytes (kB/KB) or
			megabytes (mB/MB).  ex: -S 256mb or -S 8192kB

	-r	read sram
			Read SRAM in command-line filename. See option -b.
	
	-W	write rom
			This will burn romfiles in cart. Whole cart's
			content should always be specified on command line,
			since cart is updated by comparing command line
			files with cart's content.
			To be able to fit 4 big roms (4*64Mbits) plus the
			loader in 256Mbits, "emptyness" at the end of files
			are by default detected and removed if necessary. 
			Option -a always forces this detection, and option -s
			disables it (then last romfile might be truncated).
	
	-w	write sram
			Write SRAM from command-line filename, See option -b.
	
	-b 	specify block in sram.
			Format is the same as the one used in original
			F2AWriter3.0 win32 software. Try option -h to get
			more details.
	
	-s	do not try to reduce rom size (default: reduce to fit loader)
	-a	always try to reduce rom size (default: reduce to fit loader)
			See option -W.
	
	-d	increase dummy mode
			One -d disables any "write" operation. One more
			disables "read" operations.
	
	-v	increase verbose mode
	
	-c	(with -W) check whole file (not just borders) before burning
			-W compare romfile with cart's data to check if a
			file has to be burned. By default, only first and
			last 32kB blocks are compared. Option -c forces this
			comparison to the whole data.
	
	-n	do not insert f2a loader
			Normally, f2a's loader is automatically inserted in
			beginning of rom.  If you do not insert it, you'll
			be able to run only the first rom burned in cart.
	
Feel free to improve the code, send bug reports, suggestions, provide
informations (especially how to get a rom size, a cart size, a cart type).
Many thanks to Ulrich Hecht for providing f2a-0.1 (really :-).
Contacts:
	original f2a:	Ulrich Hecht [email protected] (see README.f2a)
	if2a:		David Gauchard [email protected]