# sanni/cartreader

A shield for the Arduino Mega that can back up video game cartridges.

Repository: https://github.com/sanni/cartreader
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/cartreader
Language: C++
License: GPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: arduino
Archived: true
Last push: 2026-03-16T09:36:13+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 72, release rhythm 56, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3774, "days_push": 170, "days_rel": 214, "gap_med": 41.0, "n_releases_24m": 7}
- flags: archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2642, forks 267 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:06.592752+00:00)

## What it is
An open-source Arduino Mega shield and firmware for dumping video game cartridge ROMs and save files to an SD card without a PC. It supports dozens of retro consoles including NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, and Sega systems, with many more via adapters.

## Use cases
- back up video game cartridges to SD card
- dump ROMs from retro game cartridges
- back up game save files without a PC
- build a DIY cartridge dumper
- preserve retro game collections
- dump N64 and Game Boy saves

## When to choose
- you want a standalone, PC-free cartridge backup device
- you need broad console support with adapters
- you want a modifiable open-source hardware and software dumper

## When to avoid
- you want software-only ROM dumping on a PC
- you need a commercial plug-and-play product
- you don't want to solder or assemble hardware

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: embedded, file-system
- domain: gaming-tools, hardware, embedded-systems
- platform: embedded, cross-platform
- tags: arduino, cartridge-dumper, retro-gaming, rom-backup, arduino-mega, open-source-hardware, sd-card

## Member repositories
- sanni/cartreader (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:06.592752+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:19:03.524093+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/sanni/cartreader (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:06.592752+00:00, sha fa0000c18d12)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.