[David Shadoff] has a clear soft spot for the NEC console systems and has been collecting many tools and data about them. When developing with these old systems, having a way to upload code quickly is a real bonus, hence the creation of the PC-FX Dev Cart. Based on the Raspberry Pi RP2040, the custom cartridge PCB has everything needed to run software uploadable via a USB-C connection.

While the PC-FX is a CDROM-based system, it does sport a so-called FX-BMP or backup memory port cartridge slot, which games can use to save state and perform other special functions. Under certain circumstances, the PC-FX can be instructed to boot from this memory space, and this cartridge project is intended to enable this. Having a quick way to upload and execute code is very useful when exploring how these old systems work, developing new applications, or improving the accuracy of system emulators. The original FX-BMP cartridge has little more inside than a supercapacitor-backed SRAM and a custom interfacing IC, and of course, it would be quite a hassle to use this to develop custom code.

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