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Daniel | March 23, 2021

Leandro | Feb. 4, 2021

Brett | Jan. 31, 2021

William | Dec. 17, 2020

Vojtěch | Dec. 11, 2020

Jamie | Dec. 1, 2020

Useful device

Thank you for this, I had just tested this earlier after figuring out that to use the device you made and sold to me works after installing the drivers then using the software which loads up with command prompt in Windows. :)

I have a question though, this doesn't allow erasure of official carts does it? I don't want to accidentally delete the data on one of my cartridge someday so this would be important information to know so I can make sure to go steady on the copy ROM procedure for archiving my favourite games. If official carts are read only then there would be no issue there. I'm sure the erase feature is only intended for use with flash based cartridges that hold custom ROM's in them.

One issue not related to this I have tho is the cartridge slot is a little stiff, considering the intended use case it didn't really need to have a tight hold on the carts,

the PCB is also exposed, but I can get some insulator tape to cover up the circuits myself, that isn't a big deal.
On the whole it has more pros than cons, I'm gonna need to get some rubber gloves because the open circuitry does worry me lol
I know USB 2.0 is 5 volts 500mA, but given the reported rare circumstances where people have received electrical shocks from USB devices it doesn't feel safe.
Plus I don't want to short out the components on it and fry it or the cartridge that is attached, either by my clumsiness with ESD or sweaty hands.

Great OS compatibility btw.

Response from Sega4ever | Dec. 2, 2020

Hi Jamie,

You cannnot rewrite official game cartridge it's not the same technology.
Official Sega Megadrive games use One Time Programmable EPROM you can't even erase them it works only on read mode.

Reflashing options is for Third party cartridge based on EEPROM/Flash technology.
It's usefull for developper who whant to test homebrew on the real hardware.

About power consumption the little ARM processor inside the board use very low energy even with the must powerfull cartridge i have ( Sega Virtua Racing ) the max i have recorded is 120 mA.
So it's far from the warning rating.

I don't use any big charging capacitor in my design so even if you touch chips when it's powered you can't have electric shock , keep in mind everything is powered in 5V.

Thank you for taking time to write this full feedback.

Antonio | Sept. 30, 2020

Nicholas | Aug. 11, 2020

Brett | Aug. 4, 2020

Eric | June 23, 2020

M.A. | June 6, 2020

Awesome but simple tool for dumping Sega MD Cartridges

I'm a serious collector of Sega Mega Drive games and wanted to make my own back-up of my complete collection of cartridges.

I found some other tools on the Internet, but I think this one is the most easy to use and very nicely priced.

The installation of the software is very simple and the manual on this site provide you with enough information to get you started.
I already dumped some of my cartridges and I found it to be amazingly simple.
Just connect the device with a cartridge inserted into it to an USB-port on your PC, start the program and just a couple of keypresses later the cartridge is dumped.

I tested the ROMS with Retroarch and my Analogue Mega SG, and they all worked like a charm.

I'm also very interested in the inner workings and the coding on the Sega Mega Drive, and maybe this tool can help me with my investigation.

Congratulations on a job very well done!

Response from Sega4ever | June 6, 2020

Hi,
Thanks you very much for your positive review !
I'm very pleased to read you use my product easy.
You can use MD Dumper for rewrite home made flash cartridge.
I will made a new product soon for helping beginner and advanced Sega Megadrive developper.
Wish you a great day !

Taro | March 20, 2020

A great solution for dumping MD cartridges

Very much appreciated for designing the device and making available it in Tindie!

Works as described! Worked perfectly for JP version cartridges. Super easy to dump. Dumping is done in only a couple of seconds and very quick. Reasonable priced. It is tight to remove the cartridges though it isn’t a big issue. Communication would have been appreciated after the order until shipping.

The dumped data can be played with Gens emulator on PC and compatible with the SPFM light and the YM2612 sound board which is fantastic.

Many thanks

Response from Sega4ever | March 20, 2020

Hi Taro,
Thanks you very much for your good review.
I'm new on Tindie and it's very important to have customer review.

I have take some time for write a complete user manual for basic instruction info ( see documentation).
Everyone can send me a message if you need any help or have question about these product , please Ask me.
About cartridge slot , it's a new connector and not a chinese clone , so more you use it more it will be easy to insert or extract cartridge.

Wish you great day and good dumps !