NeoGeo CD optical drive replacement - SD card game loader
Meet . Why Baking Soda Works (It’s Not Magic, It’s Chemistry) Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a mild alkali. When combined with another common household ingredient—white vinegar (acetic acid)—it creates a fizzing, bubbling chemical reaction.
Before you reach for that industrial-grade, fume-belching chemical cleaner (and spend $15 on it), step away from the cabinet. The best drain cleaner might already be sitting in your pantry next to the flour. baking soda for cleaning drains
We’ve all been there. You’re brushing your teeth, and you notice the water is taking a little too long to disappear. By the time you finish your morning coffee, you’re standing in a mini-pool of soap scum. You’re brushing your teeth, and you notice the
Have you tried the baking soda and vinegar trick? Did it save you a service call? Let me know in the comments below Use this as a preventative measure
Do not pour baking soda and vinegar into a clogged toilet. The reaction creates gas. If the toilet is fully clogged, that gas has nowhere to go except back into your bathroom. You do not want a fizzy toilet geyser.
Also, avoid this method if you have just poured a chemical drain cleaner down. Mixing chemicals (even natural ones like vinegar) with leftover commercial acids can create dangerous chlorine gas. Wait a week before switching methods. Once a month. Use this as a preventative measure, not just a rescue mission. A monthly baking soda flush keeps biofilm from building up in the first place. It’s cheaper than a plumber and safer than bleach. The Verdict Does baking soda work as fast as Liquid Plumber? No. You have to wait 15 minutes. But does it work as well for organic gunk (hair, soap, food)? Absolutely.
The Neo CD SD Loader could be called an ODE (Optical Drive Emulator) because the benefits are similar, but technically speaking it isn't really one. It doesn't simulate an optical drive. It provides the console with a direct interface to an SD card and patches the BIOS to load games from it instead. From an user standpoint though, the functionality is the same !
Front-loader |
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Top-loader |
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CD-Z |
 Maybe one day |
Installation requires some soldering, but nothing too hard except one delicate part (see instructions). There's no need to cut the plastic shell of the console.
If ever needed, the whole kit can be cleanly removed and the console restored to its original form.
Yes, just like you could run them by burning CD-Rs. The loader doesn't circumvent any anti-piracy features since the NeoGeo CD doesn't really have any. However, some games implement copy-detection measures that may be triggered. Patched versions of the games do exist.
If you like indie games, please buy them :)
Yes. The original CD drive can be kept operational if needed but you will only be able to use microSD cards, not full-size ones.
No, except if a conversion exists. A few games have been converted by enthusiasts, but not all.
The loader can't automatically split a cartridge game to add in loading screens.
This is a very complex process which can't be done automatically.
No, however the loader's menu itself brings similar features such as cheats, region and DIP-switch settings.
The full NeoGeo CD library fits in a 64GB SD card. Speed (class) isn't important, any will do.
Installs on which the CD drive is kept in place only allow microSD cards.
Only SDSC, SDHC and SDXC cards are supported. WiFi-capable and other weird SDIO cards may work but are NOT tested.
Both can be updated by placing an update file on the SD card. Updates are provided for everyone and for free.
Yes. If you burn it to a CD and it works on an un-modded console, then it will work with the loader.
No guarantees that it'll work perfectly if you only tried it in an emulator. Making it work on the real console is up to you !
The firmware doesn't rely on a list of known games. It will load any CD image as long as its file structure matches the one required by the console's original BIOS. This means existing and future homebrew games can be loaded without having to update the firmware.
Using an ultra-fast luxury SD card won't improve loading times. The speed is limited by the console's memory. Even my oldest and slowest 128MB card currently isn't maxed out.
No. The devices may serve a similar purpose (replacing a storage medium with a more modern one) but the companies and people involved are different. The NeoCD SD Loader only works on CD systems.
No. I only keep an anonymous list of the serial numbers of the kits I built. This is used to keep track of which hardware version is each kit to make customer service easier.
Yes, see https://github.com/furrtek/NeoCDSDLoader. Be sure to read the rules !