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58-853: Game Boy Game Pak is the brand name of the ROM cartridges used to store video game data for the Game Boy family of handheld video game consoles, part of Nintendo's line of Game Pak cartridges. Early Game Boy games were limited to 32  kilobytes  (KB) of read-only memory (ROM) storage due to the system's 8-bit architecture . Nintendo later incorporated a memory bank controller into cartridges to allow for more storage by switching between ROM banks . This change allowed Game Paks to reach 8  megabytes  (MB) of storage, allowing for more complex games. In addition to ROM, cartridges could also include random-access memory (RAM) chips that could be used for increased performance or to save game progress. A battery in

116-462: A DVD-ROM or CD-ROM . Techniques such as bank switching were employed to be able to use cartridges with a capacity higher than the amount of memory directly addressable by the processor. As video games became more complex (and the size of their code grew), software manufacturers began sacrificing the quick load times of ROM cartridges in favor of greater storage capacity and the lower cost of optical media. Another source of pressure in this direction

174-442: A floppy drive in a home computer; in a video game console, the cartridges are standalone. At the time around their release, ROM cartridges provided security against unauthorised copying of software. However, the manufacturing of ROM cartridges was more expensive than floppy disks, and the storage capacity was smaller. ROM cartridges and slots were also used for various hardware accessories and enhancements. The widespread usage of

232-543: A 16K (2K word × 8) bit Intel 2816 chip with a thin silicon dioxide layer, which was less than 200 Å . In 1980, this structure was publicly introduced as FLOTOX ; floating gate tunnel oxide . The FLOTOX structure improved reliability of erase/write cycles per byte up to 10,000 times. But this device required additional 20–22V V PP bias voltage supply for byte erase, except for 5V read operations. In 1981, Perlegos and 2 other members left Intel to form Seeq Technology , which used on-device charge pumps to supply

290-668: A Game Boy Pocket or Light, an error message would be shown on the screen. The Game Boy Advance used a significantly shorter standard cartridge design at 3.5 centimeters (1.4 in) high. The top of the cartridge was wider at 6 centimeters (2.4 in) wide to prevent insertion into older Game Boy devices, but the bottom retained the same width of 5.8 centimeters (2.3 in). The Game Boy Advance Game Pak could accommodate up to 32 MB of game ROM, although special Game Boy Advance Video cartridges could hold 64 MB of video on ROM. Cartridges could also include RAM, however these were mostly used to save game progress and not to increase

348-568: A chip called the memory bank controller (MBC) placed within the cartridge. A similar solution had been by previously used on the Nintendo Entertainment System Game Pak . The MBC chip acts like a traffic controller, switching between multiple banks of 32 KB each. Using this technology, Nintendo was able to create cartridges that used up to 8 MB of ROM, vastly expanding game size and complexity. Some Game Boy cartridges included random-access memory (RAM) to increase

406-460: A limited life for erasing and reprogramming, reaching a million operations in modern EEPROMs. In an EEPROM that is frequently reprogrammed, the life of the EEPROM is an important design consideration. Flash memory is a type of EEPROM designed for high speed and high density, at the expense of large erase blocks (typically 512 bytes or larger) and limited number of write cycles (often 10,000). There

464-506: A number of advantages over other methods of storage like floppy disks and optical media . As the ROM cartridge is memory mapped into the system's normal address space, software stored in the ROM can be read like normal memory; since the system does not have to transfer data from slower media, it allows for nearly instant load time and code execution. Software run directly from ROM typically uses less RAM, leaving memory free for other processes. While

522-463: Is available. Today, an academic explanation of the FLOTOX device structure can be found in several sources. Nowadays, EEPROM is used for embedded microcontrollers as well as standard EEPROM products. EEPROM still requires a 2-transistor structure per bit to erase a dedicated byte in the memory, while flash memory has 1 transistor per bit to erase a region of the memory. Because EEPROM technology

580-415: Is described in former section, old EEPROMs are based on avalanche breakdown -based hot-carrier injection with high reverse breakdown voltage . But FLOTOX theoretical basis is Fowler–Nordheim tunneling hot-carrier injection through a thin silicon dioxide layer between the floating gate and the wafer. In other words, it uses a tunnel junction . Theoretical basis of the physical phenomenon itself

638-478: Is no clear boundary dividing the two, but the term "EEPROM" is generally used to describe non-volatile memory with small erase blocks (as small as one byte) and a long lifetime (typically 1,000,000 cycles). Many past microcontrollers included both (flash memory for the firmware and a small EEPROM for parameters), though the trend with modern microcontrollers is to emulate EEPROM using flash. As of 2020, flash memory costs much less than byte-programmable EEPROM and

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696-447: Is the dominant memory type wherever a system requires a significant amount of non-volatile solid-state storage . EEPROMs, however, are still used on applications that only require small amounts of storage, like in serial presence detect . In the early 1970s, some studies, inventions , and development for electrically re-programmable non-volatile memories were performed by various companies and organizations. In 1971, early research

754-585: Is the only major company to exclusively use cartridges for their consoles and handhelds, as others such as Sony and Microsoft continue to use optical disc -based media for their consoles. In 1976 , 310,000 home video game cartridges were sold in the United States. Between 1983 and 2013, a total of 2,910.72 million software cartridges had been sold for Nintendo consoles . ROM cartridges can not only carry software, but additional hardware expansions as well. Examples include various cartridge-based chips on

812-413: Is the same as today's flash memory . But each FLOTOX structure is in conjunction with another read-control transistor because the floating gate itself is just programming and erasing one data bit. Intel's FLOTOX device structure improved EEPROM reliability, in other words, the endurance of the write and erase cycles, and the data retention period. A material of study for single-event effect about FLOTOX

870-535: Is used for some security gadgets, such as credit cards, SIM cards, key-less entry, etc., some devices have security protection mechanisms, such as copy-protection. EEPROM devices use a serial or parallel interface for data input/output. The common serial interfaces are SPI , I²C , Microwire , UNI/O , and 1-Wire . These use from 1 to 4 device pins and allow devices to use packages with 8 pins or less. A typical EEPROM serial protocol consists of three phases: OP-code phase , address phase and data phase. The OP-code

928-531: Is usually the first 8 bits input to the serial input pin of the EEPROM device (or with most I²C devices, is implicit); followed by 8 to 24 bits of addressing, depending on the depth of the device, then the read or write data. Each EEPROM device typically has its own set of OP-code instructions mapped to different functions. Common operations on SPI EEPROM devices are: Other operations supported by some EEPROM devices are: Parallel EEPROM devices typically have an 8-bit data bus and an address bus wide enough to cover

986-477: The Atari 2600 released the following year. From the late 1970s to mid-1990s, the majority of home video game systems were cartridge-based. As compact disc technology came to be widely used for data storage, most hardware companies moved from cartridges to CD-based game systems. Nintendo remained the lone hold-out, using cartridges for their Nintendo 64 system; the company did not transition to optical media until

1044-521: The Game Boy Camera , boasted custom-designed, larger casings to accommodate special features. On the original Game Boy a plastic tab slid across into a notch at the top of the cartridge when the console was powered on. To save space, this locking mechanism was removed from all subsequent devices. The notch was not present on Game Boy Color Game Paks to prevent them from being used in the original Game Boy. If these Game Boy Color Game Paks were inserted into

1102-833: The 1980s, before Yamaha's Music Cartridge was introduced. Models that used these cartridges were in the Casiotone line of portable electronic keyboards. Amstrad Atari, Inc. Bandai Blaze Entertainment Coleco Fairchild Camera and Instrument Fisher-Price IBM Interton LeapFrog Magnavox / Philips Mattel Milton Bradley NEC Nikko Europe Nintendo Sega SNK EEPROM EEPROMs are organized as arrays of floating-gate transistors . EEPROMs can be programmed and erased in-circuit, by applying special programming signals. Originally, EEPROMs were limited to single-byte operations, which made them slower, but modern EEPROMs allow multi-byte page operations. An EEPROM has

1160-564: The 1980s, such as the DX1 , DX5 and DX7 and their PSR keyboard lineup in the mid-1990s, namely the PSR-320, PSR-420, PSR-520, PSR-620, PSR-330, PSR-530 and the PSR-6000 . These keyboards use specialized cards known as Music Cartridges , a ROM cartridge simply containing MIDI data to be played on the keyboard as MIDI sequence or song data. Casio has also used similar cartridges known as ROM Pack in

1218-480: The Game Boy Color and subsequent systems, the device applies a limited color palette (typically dark green) using four to ten colors to enhance games originally intended to be presented in four shades of gray. Many games were programmed to call for a default color palette. However, for games without a default, users could choose from 12 different palettes using button combinations. A dedicated palette option replicates

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1276-752: The Game Boy Color and subsequent systems. They boast a wider color range (up to 56 colors) and benefit from the increased processing speed and memory introduced with the Game Boy Color. Because of this reliance on the newer hardware, these games are incompatible with the older monochrome Game Boy models. Certain cartridges also had additional features to enhance gameplay, including rumble feedback, utilized in Perfect Dark , and tilt sensors, employed in Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble . Most original Game Boy Game Paks were encased in translucent plastic, but similar to previous generations, some were released in special colors that match

1334-411: The ROM cartridge in video gaming applications has led it to be often colloquially called a game cartridge . ROM cartridges were popularized by early home computers which featured a special bus port for the insertion of cartridges containing software in ROM . In most cases the designs were fairly crude, with the entire address and data buses exposed by the port and attached via an edge connector ;

1392-595: The Rumble Pak in Pokémon Pinball and infrared communications in Robopon Sun, Star, and Moon Versions . Although most color-enhanced Game Boy Game Paks were encased in black plastic, some used special colors that matched the game's theme, including notably Pokémon Yellow and Pokémon Gold and Silver . The Game Boy Color Game Pak (also known as class C or clear cartridges) introduced unique features for players on

1450-741: The Super NES , the SVP chip in the Sega Genesis version of Virtua Racing , and a chess module in the Magnavox Odyssey² . Micro Machines 2 on the Genesis/Mega Drive used a custom " J-Cart " cartridge design by Codemasters which incorporated two additional gamepad ports. This allowed players to have up to four gamepads connected to the console without the need for an additional multi-controller adapter . Storing software on ROM cartridges has

1508-540: The button was replaced with a solid piece of plastic, preventing older Game Boy cartridges from fully inserting. Excluding game-specific variations, there are four types of cartridges compatible with Game Boy systems: The original Game Boy Game Pak (also known as class A or grey cartridges) is compatible with all Game Boy systems, excluding Game Boy Micro. All original Game Boy games are of this type. The games on these cartridges are programmed in monochrome (using four shades of grey or green). When these games are played on

1566-507: The cartridge was memory mapped directly into the system's address space such that the CPU could execute the program in place without having to first copy it into expensive RAM. The Texas Instruments TI-59 family of programmable scientific calculators used interchangeable ROM cartridges that could be installed in a slot at the back of the calculator. The calculator came with a module that provides several standard mathematical functions including

1624-559: The cartridge would keep the RAM powered when the Game Boy was off. Later cartridges could also include real-time clock functionality that could keep track of time even when the device was off or a Rumble Pak to add vibration feedback to enhance gameplay. Game Paks for the Game Boy Advance , which uses a 32-bit architecture , could accommodate up to 32 MB of game ROM. The Game Boy Advance

1682-471: The cartridge's corners. When inserted into a Game Boy Advance, these notches avoid pressing a switch (called a shape detector) within the slot, allowing the device to boot into its native mode. When an older Game Boy cartridge was inserted, this switch would be pressed, triggering the device to boot into its backward compatibility mode. The Nintendo DS retains backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance cartridges but not older Game Boy games. To accomplish this,

1740-533: The company's shift away from their own proprietary optical disc -based media after last using them in the Wii U in favor of small cartridge-based media. These cartridges are known as Game Cards like previous Nintendo handhelds, and are much smaller and thinner than previous cartridges for consoles as well as Nintendo's own Game Cards for their DS/3DS handhelds. It uses a form of flash memory technology similar to that of SD cards with larger storage space. As of 2024 , Nintendo

1798-697: The complete memory. Most devices have chip select and write protect pins. Some microcontrollers also have integrated parallel EEPROM. Operation of a parallel EEPROM is simple and fast when compared to serial EEPROM, but these devices are larger due to the higher pin count (28 pins or more) and have been decreasing in popularity in favor of serial EEPROM or flash. EEPROM memory is used to enable features in other types of products that are not strictly memory products. Products such as real-time clocks , digital potentiometers , digital temperature sensors , among others, may have small amounts of EEPROM to store calibration information or other data that needs to be available in

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1856-419: The contacts with an isopropyl alcohol solution typically resolves the problems without risk of corrosion. ROM cartridges typically have less capacity than other media. The PCjr-compatible version of Lotus 1-2-3 comes on two cartridges and a floppy disk. ROM cartridges are typically more expensive to manufacture than discs, and storage space available on a cartridge is less than that of an optical disc like

1914-545: The data retention periods and the number of erase/write cycles. Most of the major semiconductor manufactures, such as Toshiba , Sanyo (later, ON Semiconductor ), IBM , Intel , NEC (later, Renesas Electronics ), Philips (later, NXP Semiconductors ), Siemens (later, Infineon Technologies ), Honeywell (later, Atmel ), Texas Instruments , studied, invented, and manufactured some electrically re-programmable non-volatile devices until 1977. The first EEPROM that used Fowler-Nordheim tunnelling to erase data

1972-417: The device's performance and allow game progress to be saved. This memory typically came in the form of an 8 KB EEPROM chip, a 32 KB SRAM chip, or later, a 128 KB flash memory chip. SRAM chips required a battery to retain data when the Game Boy was powered off. These batteries had a limited lifespan and needed to be desoldered for replacement. The SRAM chips were later phased out in favor of

2030-410: The device's performance. This memory typically came in the form of an 4 or 64 KB EEPROM chip, a 256 or 512 KB SRAM chip, or later, a 512 KB or 1 MB flash memory chip. SRAM chips required a battery to retain data when the Game Boy was powered off. These batteries had a limited lifespan and needed to be desoldered for replacement. Game Boy Advance cartridges included notches on

2088-403: The electrons in the floating gate, lowering the window between threshold voltages for zeros vs ones. After sufficient number of rewrite cycles, the difference becomes too small to be recognizable, the cell is stuck in programmed state, and endurance failure occurs. The manufacturers usually specify the maximum number of rewrites being 1 million or more. During storage, the electrons injected into

2146-411: The event of power loss. It was also used on video game cartridges to save game progress and configurations, before the usage of external and internal flash memories. There are two limitations of stored information: endurance and data retention. During rewrites, the gate oxide in the floating-gate transistors gradually accumulates trapped electrons. The electric field of the trapped electrons adds to

2204-514: The expense of not being able to utilize the handheld's increased processing speed and memory. Some color-enhanced games, like Wario Land II and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX were colorized re-releases of originally monochrome games, however, Nintendo insisted that developers include gameplay enhancements (beyond simply adding color) to differentiate the games from their monochrome counterparts. Some color-enhanced cartridges also boasted features later seen in clear cartridges, such as

2262-414: The flash memory chips, which can store data without the need for a battery. Later revisions introduced even more functionality. Real-time clock capabilities kept track of time using a crystal oscillator . Rumble Pak cartridges added vibration feedback to enhance gameplay. The standard cartridge measured 5.8 centimeters (2.3 in) wide and 6.5 centimeters (2.6 in) high. However, some games, such as

2320-462: The floating gate may drift through the insulator, especially at increased temperature, and cause charge loss, reverting the cell into erased state. The manufacturers usually guarantee data retention of 10 years or more. Flash memory is a later form of EEPROM. In the industry, there is a convention to reserve the term EEPROM to byte-wise erasable memories compared to block-wise erasable flash memories. EEPROM occupies more die area than flash memory for

2378-464: The game's theme, including notably Pokémon Emerald . ROM cartridge A ROM cartridge , usually referred to in context simply as a cartridge , cart , cassette , or card , is a replaceable part designed to be connected to a consumer electronics device such as a home computer , video game console or, to a lesser extent, electronic musical instruments . ROM cartridges allow users to rapidly load and access programs and data alongside

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2436-611: The game's theme, like Pokémon Crystal. The Game Boy Advance Game Pak (also known as class D cartridges) is half the size of all earlier cartridges and is compatible with Game Boy Advance and later systems, including the Nintendo DS. Some Advance cartridges have built-in features, including rumble features ( Drill Dozer ), tilt sensors ( WarioWare: Twisted! , Yoshi's Universal Gravitation ) and solar sensors ( Boktai ). Although most Game Boy Advance Game Paks were encased in dark grey plastic, some used special colors that matched

2494-444: The gameplay experience on the Game Boy Color and subsequent systems while maintaining compatibility with older monochrome devices. These cartridges can use the full color capabilities of the Game Boy Color and subsequent systems, displaying up to 56 colors simultaneously out of a palette of 32,768 while remaining compatible with the original Game Boy where they were presented in four shades of gray. However, this compatibility comes at

2552-488: The high voltages necessary for programming E PROMs. In 1984, Perlogos left Seeq Technology to found Atmel , then Seeq Technology was acquired by Atmel. Electrically alterable read-only memory (EAROM) is a type of EEPROM that can be modified one or a few bits at a time. Writing is a very slow process and again needs higher voltage (usually around 12 V ) than is used for read access. EAROMs are intended for applications that require infrequent and only partial rewriting. As

2610-655: The original Game Boy's grayscale experience. Additionally, a limited number of cartridges released between 1994 and 1998 feature enhancements compatible with the Super Game Boy . Although most original Game Boy Game Paks were encased in grey plastic, some used special colors that match the game's theme, including notably, Pokémon Red , Blue , and Yellow and the Donkey Kong Land series, which utilized yellow cartridges. The color-enhanced Game Boy Game Pak (also known as class B, dual mode, or black cartridges) improved

2668-557: The release of the GameCube in 2001. Cartridges were also used for their handheld consoles, which are known as Game Cards in the DS/3DS line of handhelds. These cartridges are much smaller and thinner than previous cartridges, and use the more modern flash memory for game data rather than built-in ROM chips on PCBs for the same purpose. The release of the Nintendo Switch in 2017 marked

2726-444: The same capacity, because each cell usually needs a read, a write, and an erase transistor , while flash memory erase circuits are shared by large blocks of cells (often 512×8). Newer non-volatile memory technologies such as FeRAM and MRAM are slowly replacing EEPROMs in some applications, but are expected to remain a small fraction of the EEPROM market for the foreseeable future. The difference between EPROM and EEPROM lies in

2784-569: The solution of simultaneous equations. Other modules were specialized for financial calculations, or other subject areas, and even a "games" module. Modules were not user-programmable. The Hewlett-Packard HP-41C had expansion slots which could hold ROM memory as well as I/O expansion ports. Computers using cartridges in addition to magnetic media are the VIC-20 and Commodore 64 , MSX , Atari 8-bit computers , TI-99/4A (where they were called Solid State Command Modules and were not directly mapped to

2842-405: The standard size of optical media dictates a minimum size for devices which can read discs, ROM cartridges can be manufactured in different sizes, allowing for smaller devices like handheld game systems . ROM cartridges can be damaged, but they are generally more robust and resistant to damage than optical media; accumulation of dirt and dust on the cartridge contacts can cause problems, but cleaning

2900-410: The system bus) and IBM PCjr (where the cartridge was mapped into BIOS space). Some arcade system boards , such as Capcom 's CP System and SNK 's Neo Geo , also used ROM cartridges. Cassettes and floppy disks cost less than ROM cartridges and some memory cards were sold as an inexpensive alternative to ROM cartridges. A precursor to modern game cartridges of second generation video consoles

2958-412: The way that the memory programs and erases. EEPROM can be programmed and erased electrically using field electron emission (more commonly known in the industry as "Fowler–Nordheim tunneling"). EPROMs can't be erased electrically and are programmed by hot-carrier injection onto the floating gate. Erase is by an ultraviolet light source, although in practice many EPROMs are encapsulated in plastic that

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3016-476: Was disclosed by Fairchild and Siemens . They used SONOS ( polysilicon - oxynitride - nitride - oxide - silicon ) structure with thickness of silicon dioxide less than 30 Å , and SIMOS (stacked-gate injection MOS ) structure, respectively, for using Fowler-Nordheim tunnelling hot-carrier injection . Around 1976 to 1978, Intel's team, including George Perlegos , made some inventions to improve this tunneling E PROM technology. In 1978, they developed

3074-489: Was introduced with the first generation video game console Magnavox Odyssey in 1972, using jumper cards to turn on and off certain electronics inside the console. A modern take on game cartridges was invented by Wallace Kirschner, Lawrence Haskel and Jerry Lawson of Alpex Computer Corporation, first unveiled as part of the Fairchild Channel F home console in 1976. The cartridge approach gained more popularity with

3132-452: Was invented by Bernward and patented by Siemens in 1974. In February 1977, Israeli-American Eliyahou Harari at Hughes Aircraft Company patented in the US a modern EEPROM technology, based on Fowler-Nordheim tunnelling through a thin silicon dioxide layer between the floating-gate and the wafer . Hughes went on to produce this new EEPROM devices. In May 1977, some important research result

3190-575: Was patented by Fujio Masuoka , the inventor of flash memory , at Toshiba and IBM patented another later that year. In 1974, NEC patented a electrically erasable carrier injection device. The next year, NEC applied for the trademark "EEPROM®" with the Japan Patent Office. The trademark was granted in 1978. The theoretical basis of these devices is avalanche hot-carrier injection . In general, programmable memories, including EPROM, of early 1970s had reliability and endurance problems such as

3248-608: Was presented at the 3rd Conference on Solid State Devices , Tokyo in Japan by Yasuo Tarui, Yutaka Hayashi, and Kiyoko Nagai at Electrotechnical Laboratory ; a Japanese national research institute. They fabricated an electrically re-programmable non-volatile memory in 1972, and continued this study for more than 10 years. However this early memory depended on capacitors to work, which modern EEPROM lacks. In 1972 IBM patented an electrically re-programmable non-volatile memory invention. Later that year, an avalanche injection type MOS

3306-476: Was that optical media could be manufactured in much smaller batches than cartridges; releasing a cartridge video game on the other hand inevitably includes the risk of producing thousands of unsold cartridges. Besides their prominent usage on video game consoles, ROM cartridges have also been used on a small number of electronic musical instruments, particularly electronic keyboards . Yamaha has made several models with such features, with their DX synthesizer in

3364-521: Was the last major handheld device to use cartridges as its primary storage format. Later systems, like the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS , use game cards , which are similar to SD cards . The Game Boy Game Pak cartridges store the game's code and data using ROM chips. However, the original Game Boy's 8-bit architecture limited the CPU's access to just 32 KB of ROM at a time, restricting early games to this size. Nintendo overcame this limitation with

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