This device is focused on being an experimental software development tool, allowing to execution games, this is not a toy and is not recommendable to leave kids alone using it, because small parts may come off. On the other hand, despite the open-source "spirit" of this project and easiest to modify it, so it's under your responsibility any kind of damage or bad usage performed on your device. Please have a caution on any modification.
On the next points, you will learn how to use your microByte and some advanced feature such as software development tools or microPython.
Please read carefully all the instructions and take special attention to the Prepare the SD card point.
On the next images you can see the different parts of the device:
- Direction button: Use to navigate on the menu/games.
- Action buttons: On the menu, it's only used A to confirm an action, and B to cancel/return.
- Start/Select: Only use on games.
- Menu button: Open the in-game menu when you're running a game.
- Shoulder buttons: Only implement for custom applications or future emulators ports.
- Power button: Switch to turn on/off the device.
- USB connector: USB type c to only charge the device.
- Battery Charge LED: This LED shows the status of the charging process, shinning in RED when the device is charging the battery and turn off when the charge is ready.
- Device status LED: This blue LED creates animations to show the device status.
- microSD card slot: Slot to insert the microSD card.
Very important notice! Please take care of the orientation of the microSD card when you insert it on the device, the connector part of the card must be looking to the top part of the device.
(Sorry for the bad quality of the images)
The main menu is split into three tabs and a status bar that shows information about the system:
This tab contains the list of emulators that are available to use:
Inside of each console you can find the games that you've added to your library, if you push A in one game, it will appear a menu showing if you want to start a fresh game, or in the case that you already save a game, it will show you if you want to resume the game or delete the state save.
You can find here a list of compatible .bin files. Just push A on any of the files and the application will be executed.
Note: Depend on the size of the file, it could take a while to execute it.
Here you can find a set of different configuration and information options.
- About this device: Tell you the hardware specs and the firmware version.
- Update firmware: It will show a list with the updated files available on the SD card.
- Brightness: You can configure the brightness of the device. The changes will be saved even if you turn off the device.
- GUI Color Mode: You can change the interface color to a light or dark theme.
- Volumen: Set the sound level of the device.
- Disable/Enable Button State Save: This disables the instant save/load function from the X & Y buttons. If this option is enabled and you are playing a game, you can save the state of the game by pushing the button x and save the state game by pushing the button Y. -Battery status: Show detailed info of the battery.
- Sd card Status: Show detailed info of the microSD card.
Note: If you have a premium version, you can skip this point because your microSD card is ready to work.
- microSD card class 10. (It should work with any size by I didn't test with very high capacity cards such as 256GB or 512GB)
- A PC(This tutorial is focused on Windows, but it's possible to do on any OS)
- microSD card reader.
Introduce your microSD card on your PC, check if the PC has detected the card. Once the card is ready, we will proceed to format it. To do so, go to My Computer, and right-click on the card, and select the option Format. It should appear a window like the next image:
(Tamaño de asignación predeterminado = default allocation size )
Be sure that you have the same configuration has on the image (red line), once you've set the right configuration, push Init button and it should take a few moments to complete. Once it's done a success message will appear.
The next step is to create the folder tree on your SD card. With your microByte turn off introduce the microSD card on the SD slot. Then turn on the device, probably the device will reboot a few times. Once the menu appears, check if the SD card icon appears on the top bar.
To be sure that everything goes fine, turn off the microByte and extract the microSD card, then connect it to the PC and open it. If everything goes fine, should appear the next folders inside the card:
All right, now your microSD card is ready to be use on your microByte!
** Please, be sure that you did the previous step of prepare the microSD card **
Insert your microSD card into your PC. Once you open it you will see the next folder structure:
- apps
- Game_Gear
- Save_Data
- GameBoy
- Save_Data
- GameBoy Color
- Save_Data
- Master_System
- Save_Data
- NES
- Save_Data
- SNES
- Save_Data
To add a game, just open the folder of the console that you want to add a game, and copy there the uncompressed ROM file. Also, you can manage to find you save state game on the Save_Data folder.
Once you insert again the MicroSD card on your device and turn it on, it should appear on the console tab.
Disclaimer I don't provide any game ROM or file, the games that you add must be freeware or must owned by you previously.
** Please, be sure that you did the previous step of prepare the microSD card **
Insert your microSD card into your PC. Once you open it you will see the next folder structure:
- apps
- Game_Gear
- Save_Data
- GameBoy
- Save_Data
- GameBoy Color
- Save_Data
- Master_System
- Save_Data
- NES
- Save_Data
- SNES
- Save_Data
You just need to copy your .bin file to the apps folder. The binary application should appear on the External Applications menu.
You can check the latest versions of the microByte firmware on the next link: Firmware releases.
To install new firmware or simple a different one, you just need to the next steps:
- Download the
microByte-vX.X.binfile. - Extract the microSD of your microByte and insert it into your PC.
- Copy the firmware file to the root folder of the microSD card.
- Extract the microSD card and insert it again on the device(The device must be power-off).
Then turn on the device and do the next steps: (Interface structure)
- Go to the configuration tab.
- Inside of it, go to the
Update firmwarebutton. - If you push it, a list of the available .bin file should appear.
- Select the firmware version that you want to install.
- Be patient because it could take a few minutes to complete.
Once the installation is ready, the device will reboot and appear on the main menu.
You can find tutorials the next tutorials on the next repository:
- Build and flash the binary.
- Basic microPython ussage.
- Create games with Stage library.
- Known issues.
microPython for microByte port
You can find all the information of how to developed your custom software on the next tutorial: Flash a new firmware