Hi,
I tried testing a few cartridges on a very old Asian NES console(original). These cartridges work ok on my NTSC NES but not working on the asian console. All I get to see is the blinking LED of the console.
Before I bought this console it was fitted in an arcade box. The age of this console should be close to 20 years. The cartridge connectors inside the console look real dirty.
What could be the actual problem: Dirty connectors, regional lockout or something else???
Waiting for advices so that I get it running.
Cheers.
What are you talking about? There is no such thing as an Asian NES, that would be a famicom and American cartridges would not even fit in them since the cartridge connector is larger.
peppers wrote:
What are you talking about? There is no such thing as an Asian NES, that would be a famicom and American cartridges would not even fit in them since the cartridge connector is larger.
That is indeed an NES!
I have 2 consoles. I got one from the US pretty recently. and the one I am talking about is absolutely identical to the US one. NES is written on the main board.
I have played on a real famicom and I can recognise that red & white console ver well.
There were Asian NESes, for example, the official Korean version and Hong Kong too (I reckon). See here for example:
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/sh ... php?t=8641
well OK then......., NES'es do have a Regional lockout so that would be a factor and also if the cart connector is in bad shape you might need to put a new one on or at least clean it.
Nadia wrote:
What could be the actual problem: Dirty connectors, regional lockout or something else???
If the cartridges that came with the NES (if any) work, or if you can see the game trying to start before it gets reset, then you have a regional lockout problem. This can be worked around: open the NES with a Philips screwdriver, locate the lockout chip, and cut pin 4.
tepples wrote:
Nadia wrote:
What could be the actual problem: Dirty connectors, regional lockout or something else???
If the cartridges that came with the NES (if any) work, or if you can see the game trying to start before it gets reset, then you have a regional lockout problem. This can be worked around: open the NES with a Philips screwdriver, locate the lockout chip, and cut pin 4.
I did not get any carts with the console. I had a look at the board. I could see one pin cut already(I dont know which one).
I will try posting pics of the board in a while.
Here are the pics of this console
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53206308@N07/4913942182
I dont know which pin's what...
Nadia wrote:
Here are the pics of this console
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53206308@N07/4913942182I dont know which pin's what...
If you look at the IC that is the CIC, you'll find either (or both) a circular depression next to one pin, or a U shaped depression at one end. Pin 1 is next to the circular depression, or to the left of the U shaped depression. Pins then count upwards going counterclockwise.
Like this, right?
Code:
,-U-.
1 -| |- 16
2 -| |- 15
3 -| 3 |- 14
4 -| 1 |- 13
5 -| 9 |- 12
6 -| 3 |- 11
7 -| |- 10
8 -| |- 9
`---'
I guess the region of his CIC should be either 3194 or 3196.
3193 is USA, 3197 is Oceania, UK & Italy ("mattel" territories) and 3195 is the remaining of Europe (don't ask me WHY they didn't make them the same CIC).
The PAL NESes are all identical exept their CIC, so no matter if they're British, Europan, Asian or wathever - they are identical but Nintendo just made different lockout by pure sadism.
Bregalad wrote:
3197 is Oceania, UK & Italy ("mattel" territories) and 3195 is the remaining of Europe (don't ask me WHY they didn't make them the same CIC).
I'm guessing Mattel's exclusive distribution deal required such sadism.
Bregalad wrote:
I guess the region of his CIC should be either 3194 or 3196.
Yes!
3196A is written on it.
tepples wrote:
Nadia wrote:
What could be the actual problem: Dirty connectors, regional lockout or something else???
If the cartridges that came with the NES (if any) work, or if you can see the game trying to start before it gets reset, then you have a regional lockout problem. This can be worked around: open the NES with a Philips screwdriver, locate the lockout chip, and cut pin 4.
the game is trying to start but can't.
so this has to be a regional lockout problem. Also, the topmost right pin is already cut (what for??):
Code:
,-U-.
1 -| |- 16 XXX (already disconnected)
2 -| |- 15
3 -| 3 |- 14
4 -| 1 |- 13
5 -| 9 |- 12
6 -| 3 |- 11
7 -| |- 10
8 -| |- 9
`---'
So I need to cut pin 4(even if the chip reads 3196A). right?
Yes. Pin 4 on a 319x series IC in the NES Control Deck selects between "lock" behavior (in the Control Deck) and "key" behavior (in the Game Pak), and if it's cut, the behavior defaults to key. Because there is no lock in the circuit, there is no lock-up, as if the game were running on a top-loading NES. I know of only one NES game whose mapper requires a signal that the key chip has recognized a lock, and it was never sold at retail. (The Super NES, on the other hand, had two or three coprocessors in ordinary games late in the console's life that required a valid lock for initialization.)
tepples wrote:
Yes. Pin 4 on a 319x series IC in the NES Control Deck selects between "lock" behavior (in the Control Deck) and "key" behavior (in the Game Pak), and if it's cut, the behavior defaults to key. Because there is no lock in the circuit, there is no lock-up, as if the game were running on a top-loading NES. I know of only one NES game whose mapper requires a signal that the key chip has recognized a lock, and it was never sold at retail. (The Super NES, on the other hand, had two or three coprocessors in ordinary games late in the console's life that required a valid lock for initialization.)
thanks Tepples, cutting pin 4 did the trick. But I did something really wrong before that. By mistake I cut down pin 4 of U9-8909H(which is 74HC004AP)
Despite U9 pin4 being cut, the game looks to be starting ok. What affect could this accident have on the working of this console?
74HC04 is an inverter, used to buffer the controller signals. Unless you repair pin 4 with solder, you might find that player 2 doesn't work or that extension controllers (Zapper, Power Pad) don't work.
tepples wrote:
74HC04 is an inverter, used to buffer the controller signals. Unless you repair pin 4 with solder, you might find that player 2 doesn't work or that extension controllers (Zapper, Power Pad) don't work.
isn't that u8?
i'm pretty sure pin 4 on u9 is the slave cic clock signal and you might want to repair that pin, IIRC the cic overheat if it's clocked to slow (or not clocked at all)
hyarion wrote:
tepples wrote:
74HC04 is an inverter, used to buffer the controller signals. Unless you repair pin 4 with solder, you might find that player 2 doesn't work or that extension controllers (Zapper, Power Pad) don't work.
isn't that u8?
i'm pretty sure pin 4 on u9 is the slave cic clock signal and you might want to repair that pin, IIRC the cic overheat if it's clocked to slow (or not clocked at all)
I did not have a small wire cutter to cut the pin. So I instead used the tip of a tiny wine opener(spiral shape). It took out the pin4 of U9 out from the IC. So I fear there is any possibility of soldering it back.
Anways, U9 chip(i.e. 74HC04) can be bought externally. Will it be ok to replace the chip with a new one.
Yes of course you can just replace the chip. BTW if the console works fine with that pin cut you'd not even need to do this - you'll have to see if there is a wire going somewhere from that pin. If there isn't the pin isn't even used at all so there is no point in replacing the chip.
(I'm to lazy to open my NES and check what is this circuit used for).
Nadia wrote:
Anways, U9 chip(i.e. 74HC04) can be bought externally. Will it be ok to replace the chip with a new one.
try to find a 74HCU04 if you can, 74HCU is more similar to 74LS in speed than to 74HC, you might be able to use an LS instead if you can't find a HCU.
would also be possible to solder pin 12 on U10 (or pin 6 on the cic) to the pad for pin 4 on u10, both pins have the same signal and should be able to drive the clock pin for both CICs
but before you do any of this you might want to check if the CIC in the cartridge gets overheated at all. the pins CIC pins aren't connected on famicom(cartridge)->nes(system) converters (and probably not on the top loaded NES units) so I might be wrong