(found) Source for 72-pin Connector

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(found) Source for 72-pin Connector
by on (#72039)
http://www.amazon.com/Pin-Connector-NES ... d_sim_vg_3

I found the above while looking for the special screw driver thingy to open up game carts (for battery swap, dev cart cannibalization, etc...). I can't find the bbs post, but someone here recently (a month or so) ago had requested a source for the NES's 72-pin edge connector.

http://www.amazon.com/Screwdriver-Secur ... d_sim_vg_2
Re: (found) Source for 72-pin Connector
by on (#72061)
clueless wrote:
I found the above while looking for the special screw driver thingy to open up game carts (for battery swap, dev cart cannibalization, etc...).
[...]
http://www.amazon.com/Screwdriver-Secur ... d_sim_vg_2

that game bit (4.5mm) is not for open up game carts, it's used for open up snes, n64 and game cube consoles. you need a 3.8mm game bit instead:
http://www.amazon.com/Steel-3-8mm-Screw ... y_vg_img_b

by on (#72065)
That type of replacement connector is common, pretty useful though if your NES won't connect reliably. The type I'm hoping to find sometime would be more like the connector used in the top-loading NES.

And yeah, might as well get both gamebits. But 3.8mm is all you need for NES.

by on (#72069)
Thank you for the info about the 3.8mm bit. I noticed that too before I submitted my order to my Chief Amazon Purchaser and Deal Finder, aka, my lovely wife :)

by on (#72208)
Memblers wrote:
... The type I'm hoping to find sometime would be more like the connector used in the top-loading NES.....



Me too, in both 72 and 60 pin varieties.

by on (#72214)
I'm sure you can order a 60-pin connector from Digikey and elsewhere with the standard 2.54mm pitch. I'm not sure about the board thickness they're made to accept (datasheet should say), or the board thickness of Famicom carts.

The 72-pin NES connectors are 2.5mm pitch, which is very non-standard.

by on (#72235)
oh well. I wanted a 72 pin without cannibalizing a game genie but seeing as how they are $5 on ebay, and in plentiful numbers it looks like my best source. I have in the back of my mind a custom built top loader with a 72 and 60 pin slot.

by on (#72288)
My 3.8mm bit driver arrived today.

Son of a bitch. The outside diameter is too wide for it to fit into the sunk hole that the screws are in.

Nothing is working for me today. 2011 sucks so far.

by on (#72290)
Yeah those things are a pain.. the one I had was barely usable until I had a friend grind it down. Before that it was the exact size of the hole, and could tear up the plastic easily. At least it worked though.

by on (#72291)
I don't know what kind of steal the bit is made of.

What kind of abrasive did you use to sand it down?

I'm guessing 150 or 220 grit sand paper.

by on (#72292)
It was a bench grinder I think, I'm not sure if it was sandpaper or a grinding wheel.

by on (#72295)
If you have a drill press, insert the bit, crank it up and take a metal file to it. You could use a handheld drill in a pinch. If you go that route, be sure to clamp the file down to a bench so it doesn't become a projectile.

by on (#72296)
I have neither a drill press nor a grinding wheel. But my neighbor does.

I don't need to open any carts today. I got the bit so that I can cannibalize some random sports game cart from the goodwill store to make a dev cart. I probably would have better off just purchasing a case + NROM dev board from retrousb and soldiering ZIF sockets to it. I still need an eprom programmer though.

A PowerPak is $135, plus I would need to get a CF card and a device to read/write a CF card on my PC.

The parts to build a dev cart probably won't cost more than $30, not counting an EPROM programmer and eraser (which I've not priced yet).

I need to price both options, as I want to test my game on real hardware.

I just dropped $700 on a new server (old one was dying), and now my main development PC is also starting to fail. Crap luck this year.

Blarrg, how is the boot cart project going?

Anyone: Any suggestions on a good EPROM programmer. I'd like one that works over USB or serial from Linux and Windows, but I suppose that I'll settle on windows only if I must to keep the cost down.

by on (#72311)
clueless wrote:
I have neither a drill press nor a grinding wheel. But my neighbor does.

I don't need to open any carts today. I got the bit so that I can cannibalize some random sports game cart from the goodwill store to make a dev cart. I probably would have better off just purchasing a case + NROM dev board from retrousb and soldiering ZIF sockets to it. I still need an eprom programmer though.

A PowerPak is $135, plus I would need to get a CF card and a device to read/write a CF card on my PC.

The parts to build a dev cart probably won't cost more than $30, not counting an EPROM programmer and eraser (which I've not priced yet).

I need to price both options, as I want to test my game on real hardware.

I just dropped $700 on a new server (old one was dying), and now my main development PC is also starting to fail. Crap luck this year.

Blarrg, how is the boot cart project going?

Anyone: Any suggestions on a good EPROM programmer. I'd like one that works over USB or serial from Linux and Windows, but I suppose that I'll settle on windows only if I must to keep the cost down.


Look at this on eBay.

We have that, different newer case I think, but it does 27C64 to 27C080 and everything inbetween. Software is free online, NEVER had a bad burn. EVER. It's the greatest one you can buy IMO. Does everything you'll ever need for NES. It's awesome.


ASs for the NROM devboard, just take a NROM game and add a ZIF to it, they are a lot cheaper and need no rewiring. I understand if you don't want to do that, but it'll save money for buying chips and stuff. Just my thought. :)

by on (#72315)
3gengames wrote:
Look at this on eBay.

We have that, different newer case I think, but it does 27C64 to 27C080 and everything inbetween. Software is free online, NEVER had a bad burn. EVER. It's the greatest one you can buy IMO. Does everything you'll ever need for NES. It's awesome.

Although my current PC has the required LPT port, my next most likely won't. I've read that the USB <-> LPT adapter generally don't work well for devices that want to drive the LPT control bits in a non-standard (ie, non-printer) manner.

3gengames wrote:
ASs for the NROM devboard, just take a NROM game and add a ZIF to it, they are a lot cheaper and need no rewiring. I understand if you don't want to do that, but it'll save money for buying chips and stuff. Just my thought. :)

That was my thought. I would start by cannibalizing a compatible game. Heck, I could use an MMC1 if I needed to. So long as my NROM game doesn't attempt to write to PROG-ROM (which it doesn't), the mapper should be ignored. Or I could just "ifdef" the boot code to force the mapper to the mode that I want and then I can ignore it for the rest of the game.

I've yet to figure out if a PowerPak + CF card + CF reader is cheaper than an EPROM burner, EPROM eraser, ZIF sockets and optional "repropak" board from retrousb. The powerpak is probably cheaper and more reliable.

idk. Right now I'm arguing with Oracle over hardware support contract entitlements and questioning why I choose to get into IT instead of doing something different, like landscaping or join the Marines. Its hard to think about hobbies when I'm stressed out over a $32,000 server that is now sitting idle because the OS utils are dumping core while parsing their own config files. UGGHUGHUGHUGHGUHGUGHUGHUGGUGH

by on (#72320)
You can also get the gamebit in microdriver size if you shop around. You used to be able to find dedicated gamebit screwdrivers as well, once upon a time. I haven't seen them in years though.

As to the connectors, if you just want straight 72-pin connectors, I think I can order those. I need a source (manufacturer in China) for the ZIF slots so I can get them in bulk at an affordable rate.

by on (#72321)
Thanks for the hints and offers.

However, I don't need 72-pin connectors. Someone else posted a few months ago looking for them (I forget who). I found them while looking for the gamebit driver, so I posted.

I'll try to grind down my bit this weekend. The bit has a hexagonal "driver" end, that I can lock into my power drill's chuck. I'll use another drill to spin a circular sanding disk, and press the disk against the main bit try to evenly wear down the outside. If I screw it up, I'm only out about $7.00. With the luck that I've having this week, this will be the least of my problems. :(

by on (#72324)
clueless wrote:
I've yet to figure out if a PowerPak + CF card + CF reader is cheaper than an EPROM burner, EPROM eraser, ZIF sockets and optional "repropak" board from retrousb.

If you use flash instead of UV, you won't need a separate eraser. But I'd go with the PowerPak because that way you can have everybody else's homebrew at your fingertips too :-)

by on (#72327)
Yeah, I wouldn't bother with EPROMs, there's no need to use such an old technology if you can avoid it. Brand new 512kB flash chips should be around $2 each.

Even better is an EPROM emulator, but that may be $100-$200, I'm not sure.

Theoretically there might be a cheaper flash-only programmer, or at the very least with stuff like the Willem, you can power it off USB since it only needs 5V. I kinda doubt there is a super-cheap USB Flash chip programmer around. Since adding USB almost requires adding other stuff like an MCU to it (or writing OS drivers for more direct control) compared to simpler parallel-port programmers.

Using RS232->USB adapters should be safe, if something in RS232 flavor turns up.

I checked the grinder used on my gamebit BTW, it was a grinding wheel. Maybe I could do yours if you can't get it with the sandpaper.

by on (#72329)
Memblers, I would be happy to ship to you my 3.8mm bit, return shipping costs and a small "donation" if you would convert my bit into something usable.