Help: Unscrewing Super Famicom cart screws? PS: Super Famicom plastics suck

[Valkrazhor]

I bought a Japanese copy of Wild Guns recently but unfortunately the top spine of the back piece of the cart is yellowed. Luckily it's just the back piece so I can replace it easily with a crappy bargain bin game. I didn't notice it because the shops here in Japan wrap the damn things in layers of plastic and the price sticker was conveniently covering the yellowing. I've never seen just the top of a cart yellowed until now... So I wasn't even looking for it. It's weird too, I can see where the chemical stopped on the plastic because there is a clear line on both sides where the yellowing stops. Not so much a yellow either, more of a super abnormally light grey.

Anyway, I was hoping some members here that live in Japan can advise me on where in Akihabara or elsewhere in Tokyo that I can buy the screwdriver needed to open up Super Famicom carts. I've been meaning to buy one for a while anyway since I want to clean out the contacts of all my carts real nice at some point. I'm looking for the cheapest place of course.

I've heard that the Super Famicom cart screws have a unique shape. Is this true?

[JLukas]

You need what is called a 3.8mm security bit to open SFC carts. If you can't find any in hardware shops there, I'm pretty sure they're on Yahoo Japan auctions. On ebay they run about $5.

[Valkrazhor]

You need what is called a 3.8mm security bit to open SFC carts. If you can't find any in hardware shops there, I'm pretty sure they're on Yahoo Japan auctions. On ebay they run about $5.

Thanks for the tip. I took that info with me to Akihabara and found a bit which is perfect for the Super Famicom. Strangely all the bits they have here that work with the Super Famicom are 3.6mm but they still work just fine. The shop I bought mine from actually displayed a loose Zelda: LttP cart in front of the bits to show that they are for opening up Super Famicom carts. The shop is under the JR tracks near the "Electric Town Exit" if any of you Japan folks need one. A bit pricey though, 1,480 YEN in all three shops that had them. It's just like candy in a movie theater; nowhere else to buy it nearby and they know you need it so they sucker punch you. They aren't just the tips like the ones on Ebay though, a handle is attached to them. With these there is no need to buy a socketed screwdriver so that's nice at least.

[Ed Oscuro]

It's original, and you're putting the label and everything else in danger of being damaged. Why mess with it?

By the way, the yellowing should be reversible (http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/)...but I wouldn't bother. There's not really any evidence that it's hurting the strength of the plastic, and if that's a serious concern then you ought to take a step back and treat your games more carefully.

[Valkrazhor]

It's original, and you're putting the label and everything else in danger of being damaged. Why mess with it?

By the way, the yellowing should be reversible (http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/)...but I wouldn't bother. There's not really any evidence that it's hurting the strength of the plastic, and if that's a serious concern then you ought to take a step back and treat your games more carefully.

I'm not putting anything in danger because I simply unscrewed the back of another Super Famicom cart with a clean grey back and put it on my Wild Guns cart. Now the thing is mint instead of pee yellow. You would have to be the biggest clutz in the world to damage anything while opening up a Super Famicom cart. I will soon be opening all my games up anyways to clean them. I don't mind if the back piece is not the "original" one that came with it because the part, part number and even the warning sticker are identical with the one I replaced it with. Untraceable because it's an original Nintendo part. Like replacing broken sanwa buttons in an arcade cab with new sanwa buttons of the exact type or a cracked long box PS1 jewel case with one which isn't cracked. When they were mass produced random backs were selected anyway, it's not like its the front piece with the original sticker or anything. I would never take the label sticker off and place it on another cart if that's what you're thinking. I'd like to add that the doner game was a horrid game that nobody in their right mind would play anyway.

I treat my games nice which is why I'm doing this in the first place. Like I said earlier, when I bought it the top was yellow and I didn't notice it at the time. Plus, the games don't turn yellow from being mistreated, they just get scratched up. The yellowing is a chemical reaction which is why certain parts get yellow while others don't even when they have been in the same environment. Like how the front of my cart was mint but the back was horrid. As for the strength of the plastic, that's not why I said that Super Faicom plastics suck. They suck because they are so unpredictable in the colors they change, even more so than Super Nintendo plastics since they are a much lighter shade of grey to begin with.

[Ed Oscuro]

Right, I got Mega Drive and SFC confused for a second there.

I will soon be opening all my games up anyways to clean them.
They've got to be really pretty dirty then. Otherwise...again, wasting your time.

In any case the retrobright solution should still apply.

On the "untraceable" comment...you'd be surprised but people have been curious about whether certain games tend to have yellowed shells. For my money, it shouldn't make any difference because it's something entirely out of my control. It'd be like swapping out the cases for some of my X68000 games because the plastic has shrunk on some of them, how unsightly! LOL Then again, I don't have major yellowing problems with many of my SFC games, but I'd consider it "character" all the same.

[skaar]

I've had some perfectly normal games suddenly not work... then open them and they have freaking SALT WATER damage inside.

Weird shit happens to games. Unless you open them, you'll never know.

Someone still have that pic with the ant colony in the NES cart?

[Valkrazhor]

I've had some perfectly normal games suddenly not work... then open them and they have freaking SALT WATER damage inside.

Weird shit happens to games. Unless you open them, you'll never know.

Someone still have that pic with the ant colony in the NES cart?

A few years back a guy from the Neo-Geo forums posted pics of a dead cockroach he found inside his Neo-Geo AES console.The last thing I'd want to see when opening up an expensive piece of gaming equipment. I hope he got it on the cheap. Unfortunately I didn't save the pictures.

I'm curious to see this ant colony. Sounds epic.