🎮 SF3000 Handheld: Custom Game Installation Guide (PS1 & GBA)

Welcome to the community guide for adding your own PlayStation 1 (PS1) and Game Boy Advance (GBA) games to the SF3000 retro handheld console.

Because the SF3000 uses a specific folder structure and relies on a database file to display games, standard drag-and-drop does not always work out of the box. This guide will walk you through the correct process step-by-step.

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📑 Table of Contents

1. Supported & Unsupported File Formats
2. Where to Download Games
3. Converting CHD to ISO/BIN (PS1)
4. Updating the filelist.csv (Crucial Step)
5. Adding & Resizing Game Preview Images
6. Troubleshooting: Corrupted SD Card Recovery

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📂 1. Supported & Unsupported File Formats

Ensure your games are in the correct format before transferring them to your SD card. The emulator running on the SF3000 is specific about what it can read.

PlayStation 1 (PS1)

• Supported: .img, .iso only (Highly recommended for games with multi-track audio).
• Unsupported / Problematic: .chd, .pbp,.bin / .cue. You will need to convert these formats (see Section 3).
• • Notes: .chd. Easier way to convert to .iso (highly recommend to find this format).

Game Boy Advance (GBA)

• Supported: .gba, .zip (The emulator can easily read zipped GBA files).
• Unsupported: .7z, .rar. You must extract these before transferring.

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🌐 2. Where to Download Games

If you are backing up your library or looking for homebrew games, the community generally uses the following resources:

• ROMSFUN.COM: (romsfun.com) Excellent finding games for PS1 & GBA ,& all others games.
• Vimm's Lair:(vimm.net) A trusted, preservation-focused archive for classic ROMs.
• Internet Archive (archive.org): mainly for PS1 games in .chd format (which convert to ISO - See Section 3).

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🔄 3. Converting CHD to ISO / BIN (PS1)

Many modern ROM sets use .chd (Compressed Hunks of Data) to save space, but the SF3000 struggles with them. You will need to extract them back to a .img or .iso format using a free MAME tool called CHD to ISO.

Step-by-Step:

1. Download CHDMAN (usually bundled with official MAME emulator releases or found standalone on GitHub). OR
2. Download CHD to ISO (refer to releases).

(FOR CHDMAN):

1. Place chdman.exe in the exact same folder as your .chd game.
2. Open your computer's Command Prompt or Terminal and navigate to that folder.
3. Run the following command:

   chdman extractcd -i "YourGameName.chd" -o "YourGameName.cue"
   

(FOR **CHD TO ISO **) -- HIGHLY RECOMMEND :

1. Refer to this Youtube video on how to use : ((https://archive.org/download/psx-roms-archive))

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📝 4. Updating the filelist.csv (Crucial Step)

The SF3000 does not auto-scan for new files. If you drag a ROM onto the SD card, it will not show up in the menu until you tell the system it exists via the filelist.csv database. This can be found inside the folder of PS folder (PlayStation 1 ) & GBA folder ( Game Boy Advance )

How to update it:

1. Insert your SF3000 MicroSD card into your PC.
2. Navigate to the specific console folder (e.g., PS or GBA).
3. Locate the filelist.csv file and open it using a spreadsheet editor like Excel or Google Sheets.
4. Formatting the rows:
   • Column A (File Name): Must exactly match your file, including the extension (e.g., Crash Bandicoot.img or Crash Bandicoot.iso or Pokemon Emerald.gba).
   • Column B (Display Name): The clean title you want to see in the SF3000 menu (e.g., Crash Bandicoot).
   • Column C (Chinese Text): You can safely ignore this or leave it blank.
5. Save the file (ensure it stays in .csv format) and safely eject your SD card.

Pro-Tip for Bulk Adding: If you are adding hundreds of games, open a command prompt in your ROM folder and type dir /b > roms.txt. This will generate a text file of all your file names so you can easily copy and paste them into Column A!

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🖼️ 5. Adding & Resizing Game Preview Images

To make your custom games look official in the UI, you need to add box art or gameplay screenshots.

1. Format & Location: Images must be in .png format. Place them in the images subfolder located inside your respective console ROM folder (PS folder (PlayStation 1 ) & GBA folder ( Game Boy Advance )).
2. Naming Convention: The image name usually needs to match the exact ROM filename (without the game extension). e.g., Crash Bandicoot.png
3. Resizing: The ideal resolution for SF3000 UI elements is typically 240x160 pixels or 320x240 pixels.
   • Windows Tool: Use PowerToys (Image Resizer) to batch resize hundreds of box arts in two clicks.
   • Web Tool: Sites like BulkResizePhotos allow you to drop images in, set exact dimensions (240x160), and download them as a zip.
   • Windows Photos App (Built-in for Win 10/11): Open your image in the default Photos app, click the three dots (...) at the top of the window, and select Resize image. Choose "Define custom dimensions", uncheck the lock aspect ratio box if necessary, set the width and height to 240x160, and save.

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🚑 6. Troubleshooting: Corrupted SD Card Recovery

It is highly recommended to replace the stock, unbranded MicroSD card that comes with the SF3000, as they are notoriously prone to failure and data corruption over time.

If your device is no longer booting, freezing on the loading screen, or missing files out of nowhere, your SD card has likely corrupted. Don't panic! You can easily fix this by flashing the operating system onto a new, reliable SD card (like a SanDisk or Samsung).

For a full step-by-step visual guide on how to restore your system, check out this video tutorial:

👉 Watch the SD Card Recovery Guide Here by Read Txt Msg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maNIt_O0rRs

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🎉 Thank You!

Thank you for checking out this guide! If it helped you get your favorite PS1 and GBA classics running on your SF3000, consider giving this repository a ⭐ Star at the top of the page or sharing it with others in the retro handheld community.

Happy Gaming! 👾