CycloDS Evolution Cart Troubleshooting

   Defective Cyclo DS Evolution Cards

If your CycloDS Evolution stops functioning correctly, then it is likely that you have a defective unit. If this is the case, then please contact us to get a replacment.

Symptoms of a defective card would include:

- Not recognizing any MicroSD
- Not recognizing the CycloDS Evolution in the main DS menu, or not booting directly to the card
- Randomly crashing the NDS at any point while running the CycloDS Evolution

  General Troubleshooting

Q1: How to update the firmware of the CycloDS Evolution:
A1: Simply drag and drop the 'update.evo' file to the root of the MicroSD, insert it into your CycloDS Evolution, turn on the NDS and boot to slot-1.

You will have a prompt asking whether you want to update or not.

If you press A, it will begin the updating process. If you press B, it will cancel the process. Once the process completes, you can turn off your NDS by pressing A or holding the power button. Keep in mind, if you complete the process, it will erase the 'update.evo' file from the MicroSD, however it will not erase the 'update.evo' file if you cancel the update.

If your CycloDS Evolution does not allow the upgrade process to complete or if you receive an "Integrity error" message then your copy of 'update.evo' is probably corrupt. Please try re-downloading the firmware from the Cyclo DS Evolution firmware download Page.

Q2: What to do when ROMS aren't recognized:
A2: Check the integrity of your MicroSD, ROMS or Homebrew, and check to see that the NDS ROMS/Homebrew have the ".NDS" file extension.

If your ROMS or Homebrew do not have the ".NDS" file extension, they will not be recognized by the CycloDS Evolution - it can only recognize this file format, and not ROMS which are compressed with WinZip or WinRAR for example. Further, if an "NDS" file is incompatible or damaged, it will most likely not show in the file list either.

If your MicroSD is somehow corrupt, you can try putting it in your computer and running a scan on the MicroSD.

If you don't know how to do this, or have tried with no apparent issues, you can copy/move all the contents of the MicroSD to your hard disk, and FORMAT the MicroSD (FAT32 mode recommended for higher compatibility with homebrew applications, with no effect on NDS ROMS), then copy/mode all the contents back to the MicroSD again.

Q3: What to do when a game doesn't save:
A3: Ensure there is enough space on the MicroSD

Each save file takes up 512KB, or 0.5MB or space. Each time you run an NDS ROM, it will automatically create a .SAV for you. If there is not enough space on the MicroSD, it will not make the file, and you can't save. When this happens you will be presented with an error screen, usually "save memory related error -1". If you receive this error then simply freeing up some space on your MicroSD card is usually enough to remedy the situation.

If there is already a .SAV for that particular ROM, and is named accordingly to the exact same name as the ROM, then make sure the .SAV file itself is NOT SET TO 'READ-ONLY' and that it can be modified.

Q4: What to do when a game is not working, has bugs, or crashes:
A4: Install the latest CycloDS Evolution Firmware and make sure your MicroSD is clean and verified so by a scan or by a fresh FORMAT (FAT32 recommended for higher compatibility with homebrew applications, with no effect on NDS ROMS), and verify you are using a perfect NDS ROM dump

If you have installed the latest CycloDS Evolution Firmware, and a game is still not working, please verify that the NDS ROM in question is a good dump. Get a different/new dump of the ROM in question and test that one.

If it still doesn't work, then kindly post the bug on the "CycloDS Evolution Bug Section" with regards to the bug you are experiencing, and if the game doesn't work on the current firmware, a fix will be worked on for a future firmware release.
Also check the integrity of the MicroSD to see it isn't corrupt in any way, and format the card if you have to, backing up the data first (if possible) then putting it back on.

The issue could also be the speed of the MicroSD itself causing the freezing in a very very small amount of games - one known as of now: CastleVania: Portrait of Ruin. If this is the game that is freezing, or suspect it is of the same reason, then please see t " Best MicroSD/HC To Use" below.

Q5: I'm having a problem with the features/functions of the card, like skins, cheats, enhanced mode, moonshell, and others:

A5: Please check General Overview on Functions and Features or the answers pertaining to those questions.

Q6: How to get the Opera Web Browser to work on the CycloDS Evolution without the need for the Official RAM Expansion Pack:
A6: Have an CycloDS Micro/MiniSD Slot-2 Flash Cart or EZ-Flash 3-in-1 Slot-2 Flash Cart with the CycloDS Evolution v1.2 Firmware or higher installed.

As of the CycloDS Evolution v1.2 Firmware, you can run the Opera Web Browser with a CycloDS Micro/Mini Slot-2 Flash Cart, or EZ-Flash 3-in-1 Flash Cart inside Slot-2 without the need to patch the Opera Web Browser ROM beforehand.

Any other Slot-2 Flash Cart or prior firmwares will require you to apply a patch to the Opera Web Browser ROM beforehand, corresponding to the Slot-2 Flash Cart in question. Not all Slot-2 Flash Carts are supported for the patching method.