SNES Repros

[astaroth]

Hi,

Have browsed this forum many times but never had anything interesting to say! :)

I've started dabbling in the art of SNES cartridges. So far i've managed Starfox 2 and am in the process of Secret of Mana 2. I've used many old threads from this board as research and they have helped me greatly, but i don't see much about this subject recently.

I was just wondering if there are still active users on here still partaking in this craft? Or is it a banned subject now?

Would like to discuss the subject with people with more experience than myself so i can move on and make other unreleased games.

Oh, and i have no intention of making protos of released games, just the ones we couldn't get.

Also, im UK based if that helps? :)

Thanks in advance.

[shadowkn55]

It's not so much taboo but there are more cost effective ways to achieve the same end result. The information is out there and so if you take the time to read and understand, you should have everything you need to build almost any working repro.

[astaroth]

Do you mean tototek boards?

I'm not looking to build any released games, just the unreleased or jap translated games.

Or am i missing a new revolutionary technique of making my own playable carts?

[APE992]

Do you mean tototek boards?

I'm not looking to build any released games, just the unreleased or jap translated games.

Or am i missing a new revolutionary technique of making my own playable carts?

He sounds like he is of the persuasion that reproduction carts < flash cart.

Which is for the most part true until you run into Star Ocean and Star Fox 2. Besides, cost effective isn't on everyone's agenda.

[Darko]

There are people on these boards that do just what you're looking for. I've ordered a few here and there. I have Star Ocean (translated), Zelda: Parallel Worlds, and one of the Mario World re-makes. They are all solid. The only real problem is finding someone to do really high quality labels for your games.

[shadowkn55]

There's the everdrive and snes powerpak. They run off flash based media so you can effectively store the entire library on them.

I prefer the convenience of dedicated repro carts myself. I lost countless hours of progress playing rpg's because I forgot to do the "hold reset" part of the powerpak save function.

[astaroth]

Ah that's clearer. Thanks for the info, i'll look out for what you have mentioned.

I guess i should have stated that i'm a collector. Having something "uncommon" (i don't like to say rare for Starfox 2 and Secret of Mana 2 as, effectively, anyone can make them) is perfect to add to my collection. Eventually i'd like to have them complete in boxes (ebay has a guy with very good quality boxes and manuals, but i'd prefer to make mine more personal to me!).

I'm also a tinkerer, so i very much enjoy using a soldering iron etc, so making repro carts of originally non-existant games is something that interests me very much!

Darko - Those games interest me a lot. I'd love to have them (make them myself!) but i can't seem to find any guides other than those at snesdev. This is the main reason for my thread as i'd like to get as much info as i can on the subject.

If you don't ask, you don't get! :)

Thanks to all that have replied so far.:bday:

[marvelus10]

Head over to Nintendoage and check out thier brewery section and I also beleave one of thier Ezines had an article on how to do this. Its a fun little hobby, I like to make my own NES repros of prototypes and translations.

[Darko]

I'll get into making them myself some day, but I just haven't found time to sit down and learn it all.

When you start making your own...don't turn into this guy: http://cgi.ebay.com/Terranigma-NTSC-U-RARE-mint-SNES-RPG-/300541745403?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item45f9af18fb#ht_1136wt_881

[astaroth]

I'll get into making them myself some day, but I just haven't found time to sit down and learn it all.

When you start making your own...don't turn into this guy: http://cgi.ebay.com/Terranigma-NTSC-U-RARE-mint-SNES-RPG-/300541745403?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item45f9af18fb#ht_1136wt_881

I assume he's passing off repros as genuine articles? That's bad form...... :(

[shadowkn55]

Most likely. He doesn't make any attempt to prove otherwise.

[Darko]

And the fact that there were never any legit US carts of Terranigma in circulation. Enix closed up shop in the US about a month after the game released in Japan in 1995 and didn't come back until what....98-99?

I'm 99.9% positive that it was originally from gamereproductions.com. Some d-bag is just pawning it off as a hidden RaRe gem :) Too bad whoever paid for it didn't know the website sells them for $102.50 less.

[marvelus10]

I agree with you on the selling and over pricing of these it is slimy. But seriously if you had something in your hand that you payed a dollar for and knew someone would pay 10 for it why wouldn't you. Yes these auctions do mislead and for that the seller should be condemned.

[shadowkn55]

The selling for profit aspect doesn't really bother me. It's the non-disclosure that they aren't authentic in any way.

This seller is beyond scum. He pretends that it's prototype of some sort.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280651770072

[astaroth]

The selling for profit aspect doesn't really bother me. It's the non-disclosure that they aren't authentic in any way.

This seller is beyond scum. He pretends that it's prototype of some sort.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280651770072

That cart was pointed out to me by a friend. Bidding went up to £155 but never met the reserve so now they have put a BIN on it.

Put your hands up if you think it has 4 EPROMS in it? :)

Seller is scum. His story is complete bull and the fact the cart label is pretty much identical to all others on the market proves they are a liar.

Fingers crossed it won't sell!

Speaking of SoM2, i'm having trouble fitting it all in! :( Piggybacking the chips only seems to make the case bulge. Going to test it first to see if it works (which i doubt!), but should it work i will need to look into a different way of setting the chips out, maybe 2 lots of 2 piggybacked?

The good thing about doing the SoM2 cart so early is that when i go back to Starfox 2 now it seems oh so easy! :bday:

[shadowkn55]

He even has the author's name in the title. That already is an admission of deception. The repro sellers should put some sort of marking on the label so it can be easily identified. Something like "repro" in all capitals where the fake part number goes.

As for the bulging, you can only stack the eproms 3 high. The fourth one needs to go in the mask rom socket.

[Darko]

I agree with you on the selling and over pricing of these it is slimy. But seriously if you had something in your hand that you payed a dollar for and knew someone would pay 10 for it why wouldn't you. Yes these auctions do mislead and for that the seller should be condemned.

The misrepresentation is my issue here, not the profit. If the buyer didn't want to get ripped off, they should have done a little research before bidding.

[astaroth]

As for the bulging, you can only stack the eproms 3 high. The fourth one needs to go in the mask rom socket.

Now that would make more sense! :)

Couldn't get Secret of Mana 2 to run so have abandoned that for now. Also i couldn't get Star Fox 2 to run on a Stunt Race FX board, but ran perfectly fine on a DOOM cart???????????

A lesson to be learned. Always check a cart works before stripping it! :puppydogeyes:

[shadowkn55]

I hate to call out a fellow member but wingzrow doesn't make an attempt to say it's non-original.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380329215804

[astaroth]

Ok, so Secret of Mana is completely doing my head in now! :(

On attempt number 2 now and i know for sure the wiring is correct and top notch this time. Continuity checked everything and everything is how it should be, yet it just will not work.

All chips have been programmed and all verified ok.

The only thing i can think of is that the split files are wrong? When i open them in a hex editor they all seem fine to me. But, when i use a file checker called examdiff, .2, .3 and .4 files all compare fine as hex, but when i compare .1 file, it says something along the lines of "no new line at end of file" then brings up two text files?

I've tried many, many different times to split the files and have used differnet ROMs but always the same text compare file with error.

Seeing as it verified ok i just assumed it would work fine. Obviously i was wrong.

Can anyone help? Has anyone got a .1 file i can compare to? Or can someone point me in the right direction please?

I'm begging now as i don't want to see a second IoT cart fall to bits. :puppydogeyes:

[astaroth]

Update - It seems i have programmed two of the chips with headers....... :puppydogeyes:

Quite how headered split files got into the folder i keep the files in, i do not know!

So, have split and ensured all files are correct. have broken down cart and will be reprogramming all 4 chips tomorrow, hopefully.

I managed to get a few pics to show what is happening with my .1 file in case it is needed. I'll upload them asap.

[astaroth]

ExamDiff reads my .1 file as:

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/4391/textjv.jpg (http://img825.imageshack.us/i/textjv.jpg/)

ExamDiff warning message:

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/2295/photo23cl.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/i/photo23cl.jpg/)

My 4 split files all seem ok to me:

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/225/photo24y.jpg (http://img684.imageshack.us/i/photo24y.jpg/)

Lastly, the wiring:

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/3120/photo25a.jpg (http://img199.imageshack.us/i/photo25a.jpg/)

[Mayhem]

Holy crap that's a lot of wires :p

[shadowkn55]

What kind of eproms and address decoder are you using? There looks to be too much stuff to be an SD3 cart.

[astaroth]

4 x 27C801-120 and a single 74ls194.

Everything in there is needed. It's also the only way i can get everything to fit inside the cart.

I'm 99% sure the wiring isn't the problem, unless i'm missing something regarding the bottom left hand corner (pins 33 to 36) or something on the address decoder?

I'm more worried about the .1 file.

[astaroth]

Is it possible to "check" the split files after splitting? For instance, if i played the .1 file in snes9x should it run fine? Or would it not work as it is a split file?

[shadowkn55]

You need to use a 74LS139 as the address decoder. The only way to check the cart is to dump it with a copier or something like a retrode.

[astaroth]

Sorry, i meant a 74LS139! Was typing too fast for my memory to keep up!

Well i'm erasing the EPROMs now, will then reprogram them with the newly split files minus their headers, and will give it another try to see if it works. If this doesn't work then i have no clue where i'm going wrong!

Followed the guide to the letter.......

[shadowkn55]

Ok. Judging from your picture, it looks like you are following the guide on romhack. I tried the way he hooks it up and it never worked for me. Just use the address decoder in the normal way.

pin 1 - /OE
pin 2 - A20
pin 3 - A21
pin 4 - eprom 1
pin 5 - eprom 2
pin 6 - eprom 3
pin 7 - eprom 4

Ground and Vcc still need to be hooked up.

[astaroth]

Ok. Judging from your picture, it looks like you are following the guide on romhack. I tried the way he hooks it up and it never worked for me. Just use the address decoder in the normal way.


pin 1 - /OE
pin 2 - A20
pin 3 - A21
pin 4 - eprom 1
pin 5 - eprom 2
pin 6 - eprom 3
pin 7 - eprom 4
Ground and Vcc still need to be hooked up.

/OE, is that the same as "doe" on the snesdev site? All i saw were two doe connections so hooked those up to one another. Does that mean that pin 1 on the decoder goes to /OE on the PCB?

Apologies if i sound thick. :oops:

So the decoder goes:

pin 1 - /OE - ?
pin 2 - A20 - PCB pin 1
pin 3 - A21 - PCB pin 2
pin 4 - eprom 1 - eprom 1 pin 24
pin 5 - eprom 2 - eprom 2 pin 24
pin 6 - eprom 3 - eprom 3 pin 24
pin 7 - eprom 4 - eprom 4 pin 24
pin 8 - ground
pin 9 - n/a
pin 10 - n/a
pin 11 - n/a
pin 12 - /OE - ?
pin 13 - ground
pin 14 - RCO - CIC pin 15
pin 15 - MOE - MAD pin 4
pin 16 - vcc



Sorry for the questions but it now seems like this is where my problem lies!

Thanks!

[shadowkn55]

Pin 1 goes to MOE. You can leave pins 9-15 unconnected.

[astaroth]

Pin 1 goes to MOE. You can leave pins 9-15 unconnected.

I think you may have just solved my problem! You my good sir are a legend! :bday:

So this is essentially wrong then?

http://snesdev.romhack.de/som2_diagram.png

So leave pins 9 - 15 unconnected on the decoder, and tie pin 1 to MOE, and connect all other wires as shown in the above diagram?

If this works, there will be a virtual pint on it's way to you shadow! :popcorn:

[shadowkn55]

Just do that and you'll be fine. I also hope you didn't replace the CIC with a 74LS161. I also tried that in the past and it was wrong.

[astaroth]

Just do that and you'll be fine. I also hope you didn't replace the CIC with a 74LS161. I also tried that in the past and it was wrong.

I've kept the original cic and haven't replaced it. Should i have replaced it then? Ok, now i'm confuzzled! @_@

:)

[shadowkn55]

I just said not to. What is there to be confused about?

[astaroth]

I just said not to. What is there to be confused about?

Wasn't sure if i was meant to replace it with something else! :(

Going to give this a bash tonight. Thanks again for the help shadow. Will let you know the result! :)

[astaroth]

shadow, seriously, i could kiss you! Followed your instructions and BOOM! SoM2 cart done! So very happy right now! Hope you have a great weekend fella!