Weird Game Boy cart Motherboard

[neojapan]

I was cleaning some Game Boy games I got from a trade in and I stumbled upon this weird one, dunno what it is, I guess it must be some kind of pirate cart.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r28/faramith/cart.jpg

any idea what it is?

peace

[Loremaster]

That right there is a EPROM chip. Usually those are found in prototype carts, but that doesn't look like a prototype [though I could be incredibly wrong]. Did you actually play it yet? Is the game actually what the cartridge says it is? It might be a pirate or a homebrew hack.

[Ed Oscuro]

You ought to cover that EPROM window back up before the data is wiped.

[neuropolitique]

I would agree that is probably a pirate. Is the label glossy with the numbers stamped into it?

[Ed Oscuro]

The label doesn't look glossy and is notably too short. So yeah probably a pie rat.

[GameBoyGeek]

Odd I've never seen a pirate game boy game before well at least not from the inside. Better start doing my home work on this a bit more.

[DreamTR]

Definitely a pirate

[neuropolitique]

The label doesn't look glossy and is notably too short. So yeah probably a pie rat.

yeah, it's also cut wrong on the left side. But I still ask. I'd also say that EPROM is already wiped, from the flash if nothing else.

/me puts down $1 bet

[Ed Oscuro]

Woops I should be calling that an EEPROM (...and here I thought I was correcting bad past habits; EPROM is good too though), but anyway:

I assumed a camera flash emits mostly visible light, whereas you need UV to wipe an EEPROM. Some flashes do (it's all wasted power and light since it doesn't show up in normal photography), like Xenon tubes, emit some UV, maybe enough to wipe an EEPROM. Could be an interesting experiment.

[PapaStu]

You can tell the shell is wrong at the top where it says Nintendo, that awesome solder job and the circuit board isn't right...

[Ed Oscuro]

Was that picture used for Batman on the Game Boy? It's the same as Batman 2: Return of the Joker on NES.

[Loremaster]

Woops I should be calling that an EEPROM (...and here I thought I was correcting bad past habits; EPROM is good too though), but anyway:

I assumed a camera flash emits mostly visible light, whereas you need UV to wipe an EEPROM. Some flashes do (it's all wasted power and light since it doesn't show up in normal photography), like Xenon tubes, emit some UV, maybe enough to wipe an EEPROM. Could be an interesting experiment.

No, you were right. It is EPROM [Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory]. EEPROM does not have a UV window, as it is erasable electronically.

He's right though, you should probably put some tape over that chip.

[Gameguy]

Was that picture used for Batman on the Game Boy? It's the same as Batman 2: Return of the Joker on NES.
It's a copy of Batman: Return of the Joker for Gameboy. The photo doesn't show the rest of the label, but to the right of the word "BATMAN" is a little box that says the rest.

I do think that's a pirate, though that particular one looks more legitimate than most I've come across before.

[Ed Oscuro]

No, you were right. It is EPROM [Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory]. EEPROM does not have a UV window, as it is erasable electronically.

He's right though, you should probably put some tape over that chip.
Cool, just read something that confused me again somewhere down the line. Got 'em straight again, now. 8)

In any case the data should be fine...if it's like most other EPROMs of the era it probably takes days in sunlight to erase, more if indoors. The light and even some UV from the flash won't do much to it.

Edit:
In case anybody was interested, this guy (http://members.misty.com/don/xesafe.html) says that the glass in cheap flash units absorbs the shortwave UV from your flash. Can't make them out of plastic so that should mean flashes are essentially safe for even open EPROM windows (but ambient lighting might not be).

[Profoundemonium]

It's a pirate cart. I have one quite similar:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gV4FssII-sQ/SvLL-nK2jjI/AAAAAAAAANU/Qd__4gsEzsA/s400/100_1619+%28small%29.jpg

You can view the insides of a few other carts at my blog (http://obscure-gaming.blogspot.com/search/label/Pirate%20Cart) if anone is interested.

[johndarkness]

All legit carts have nintendo code on pcb (DMG-...) and a chip with Nintendo text on it.

[Profoundemonium]

Here's a bunch more Gameboy carts with interesting innards:

http://i41.tinypic.com/i6dmr8.jpghttp://i42.tinypic.com/1zdtczm.jpghttp://i41.tinypic.com/v8pt8y.jpghttp://i43.tinypic.com/33xhcht.jpghttp://i41.tinypic.com/dqp5j5.jpghttp://i39.tinypic.com/j9x2ty.jpg

Unlicenced Sachen cart:

http://i43.tinypic.com/er9xdg.jpg

And one of those big carts:

http://i40.tinypic.com/bhbuv.jpg

[Kitsune Sniper]

Wow, what games does that last cart have?

[Profoundemonium]

The title is "Super 181 in 1", but it just has the same games repeated, starting at different levels or with extra lives. There are actually only 12 games included;

1. Double Dragon 2
2. Star Wars
3. Lethal Weapon
4. Terminator 2
5. Mickey Mouse 3
6. Duck Tales
7. Sanrio Carnival
8. Tom & Jerry
9. Dragon Knight
10. Gremlins 2
11. Flipull
12. Alleyway

Here's the front (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gV4FssII-sQ/SpbuFug41lI/AAAAAAAAAIw/-eDyvTe7cH8/s1600-h/Super+181+in+1+%282%29.jpg).

[csgx1]

Quite interesting and unique. They even made a custom sized protective case for that cart.

I can't imagine playing that extra long cart on an GBA SP. It probably would jab you in the stomach...lol


The title is "Super 181 in 1", but it just has the same games repeated, starting at different levels or with extra lives. There are actually only 12 games included;

1. Double Dragon 2
2. Star Wars
3. Lethal Weapon
4. Terminator 2
5. Mickey Mouse 3
6. Duck Tales
7. Sanrio Carnival
8. Tom & Jerry
9. Dragon Knight
10. Gremlins 2
11. Flipull
12. Alleyway

Here's the front (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gV4FssII-sQ/SpbuFug41lI/AAAAAAAAAIw/-eDyvTe7cH8/s1600-h/Super+181+in+1+%282%29.jpg).

[Nintega Grafx-16]

Quite interesting and unique. They even made a custom sized protective case for that cart.

I can't imagine playing that extra long cart on an GBA SP. It probably would jab you in the stomach...lol

Yeah it would make you have a rectangular dent in the abs. It'll look like a cartridge slot. lol

[Profoundemonium]

Yeah it would make you have a rectangular dent in the abs. It'll look like a cartridge slot. lol

It actually doesn't work properly on an SP, I'm not sure why. It works fine on the Gameboy Original and the Super Gameboy though. Just to show what a monster it is:

http://i41.tinypic.com/1fiaet.jpg

[neuropolitique]

edit - it helps if I look at pics, dang.

[ProgrammingAce]

A lot of times those larger pirate carts don't work on the SP is because the casing prevents the cart connector from making contact.

[Profoundemonium]

There seems to be some sort of contact, since the "Nintendo" screen loads fine, but then the game starts up with a weird monochrome effect only showing certain sprites (though the game can still be controlled). It does the same thing in a Gameboy Color and GBA, though not a Pocket, Original or on the SNES. Maybe the cartridge slots are a slightly different size or something, either way it's pretty strange.

[csgx1]

It actually doesn't work properly on an SP, I'm not sure why. It works fine on the Gameboy Original and the Super Gameboy though. Just to show what a monster it is:

http://i41.tinypic.com/1fiaet.jpg

Thanks for posting this pic....I was really curious on how the cart would look in an SP. Kind of reminds me of when I tried using a original Gameboy Game Genie with an SP.....wasn't pretty looking.

Even if it did work properly on an SP, it's definitely not the most comfortable system choice for such a long cart.

[Callin]

It actually doesn't work properly on an SP, I'm not sure why. It works fine on the Gameboy Original and the Super Gameboy though. Just to show what a monster it is:
The edges of the cart seem rounded.

Does it load with the GBA startup or the GBC startup?

The reason I ask is that the advanced models have a small pin in the cartridge slot. An older cartridge will press down on the pin, and it loads in GB/GBC mode. But the advanced cartridges have a small indentation on their edge which does not press down the pin, so it loads in GBA mode. If this cart's edges are rounded, then maybe it's not pressing down the pin, and the gameboy mistakenly loads in GBA mode.

[Profoundemonium]

The edges of the cart seem rounded.

Does it load with the GBA startup or the GBC startup?

The reason I ask is that the advanced models have a small pin in the cartridge slot. An older cartridge will press down on the pin, and it loads in GB/GBC mode. But the advanced cartridges have a small indentation on their edge which does not press down the pin, so it loads in GBA mode. If this cart's edges are rounded, then maybe it's not pressing down the pin, and the gameboy mistakenly loads in GBA mode.

Ah, I wasn't aware of that. I tried it out again anyway and it does load in GB/GBC mode, so I guess that's not the problem. The bottom half of the cart is the same as any regular GB game. I've also noticed that Sachen carts don't work on GBA's either. They wont even work on a Super Gameboy, but they work fine on an original GB. It's quite a mystery.

[Famidrive-16]

Do they use smaller chips for GBC pirates? I have a color pirate which has a transparent design and the chip's pretty tiny.

http://i40.tinypic.com/33xbyv9.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/6dvnyu.jpg

[Profoundemonium]

Do they use smaller chips for GBC pirates? I have a color pirate which has a transparent design and the chip's pretty tiny.

The GBC pirates tend to have smaller chips, but it's not always the case. I have a cart with an identical case to yours, though the inside is a lot bigger. I love to see how they vary, it's becoming a bit of an obsession..

http://i40.tinypic.com/wqr2pl.jpg