OveNotesDs

OveNotesDS is a homebrew application for the Nintendo DS that lets you draw on the touchscreen and send your drawing as a PNG image to a server over Wi-Fi. It runs on actual DS and DSi hardware, and also works on the 3DS and 2DS family. Downloads are available as a ready-to-use ROM file for the handheld, plus companion apps for Windows, Android, and macOS that handle the server side of receiving the uploaded notes.

The app starts with a blank canvas on the touchscreen. You can pick a brush size, draw, erase, and when ready, hit an upload button. The device connects to your local Wi-Fi network, encodes the canvas as a PNG image in memory, and sends it to a configured server address via a standard HTTP request. A setup screen lets you enter the server address and port, along with the name of your Wi-Fi network. These settings are saved to the SD card so you only need to enter them once.

Wi-Fi support works differently depending on the hardware. On a DSi or when launched in DSi mode on a 3DS, the app can connect to modern WPA2 networks. On original DS or DS Lite hardware, which only supports older WEP or open networks, you would need a phone hotspot set up without a password. The app does not use HTTPS, so it is best suited for private local networks rather than the open internet.

The code is written in C and built with the BlocksDS development kit. It handles the DS hardware directly, including the touchscreen input, VRAM for graphics, and raw TCP sockets for networking. A debug log is written to the SD card to help trace issues. The project was built with AI assistance and is open to contributions from the Nintendo DS homebrew community.