Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Super Nintendo, 1996) Won't Work at All

[Videogamerdaryll]

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Super Nintendo, 1996)

To make a long story short..a friend of mine who's fallen on bad times gives me this game to sell for him and I can't get it to work..
I've cleaned the contacts something I know very well how to do but no matter what it won't start,I just get a Black Screen,and no audio..

I know the question on how to repair these games probably has been asked here a thousand times..(feel free to link me to a thread)..But I'm not having any luck finding info nor on youtube.
Youtube actually has posts with people having the same issue with this very game but the answer always is clean the games contacts or a lead to sell the person a cleaning kit=UGH!!..

This game has a battery,I've yet to check it for voltage..Before I change it I'd like to know first if a dead battery would cause the game not to work or is this game just dead..?

This is not the only game I have that's dead,I also have a SNES Mario All Stars/Super Mario World cart..it also won't start,black screen..

Thank you for any help..




http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v21/Chris1/Chris1004/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6014_zps558550cc.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Chris1/media/Chris1004/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6014_zps558550cc.jpg.html)

[Niku-Sama]

I've never herd of a dead battery causing a game to not work, just to lose the saved games on it...

how ever theres a first time for everything.

not other physical funkiness on the board?

[Videogamerdaryll]

Thank you..

I looked this game over very well and can't find a thing wrtong with it..
The oval punch holes are quite weird..the trace lines look to go nowhere but it looks factory done.

The camera may cause things to look cracked but they aren't.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v21/Chris1/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6015_zps2fe330f6.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Chris1/media/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6015_zps2fe330f6.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v21/Chris1/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6016_zpsddc81f9b.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Chris1/media/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6016_zpsddc81f9b.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v21/Chris1/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6015_zps2fe330f6.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Chris1/media/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6015_zps2fe330f6.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v21/Chris1/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6017_zpsa1612cfb.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Chris1/media/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6017_zpsa1612cfb.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v21/Chris1/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6022_zpse7f8e02b.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Chris1/media/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6022_zpse7f8e02b.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v21/Chris1/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6021_zpsaf86836a.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Chris1/media/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6021_zpsaf86836a.jpg.html)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v21/Chris1/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/th_SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo 1996020_zps07d8c548.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Chris1/media/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/SuperMarioRPGLegendoftheSevenStarsSuperNintendo199 6020_zps07d8c548.jpg.html)

[8-Bit Archeology]

I have a feeling it may be C1, the 22µ cap. The only reason i think that is my turbo express and a friends non shvc snes had those kind of surface mount caps and replacing them fixed all problems in both cases. Its just a guess, but those style caps have a reputation for going bad. Good Luck.

[APE992]

I have a feeling it may be C1, the 22µ cap. The only reason i think that is my turbo express and a friends non shvc snes had those kind of surface mount caps and replacing them fixed all problems in both cases. Its just a guess, but those style caps have a reputation for going bad. Good Luck.

A cartridge and a console is a very different set of beasts.

I've had similar things happen with this game and freezing, have had some success fixing it but plenty of failures. If it doesn't work the mask rom could be bad, the SA-1 chip is bad, a trace is broken, soldering is cold somewhere, etc. Could be a thousand things.

[Niku-Sama]

yea it could be a thousand things, you could try replacing the battery and if it didn't work then I would just sell it as a non working unit and maybe some one might pick it up to see if they can get it to work or use for parts.

people like that are out there. I mean hell I bought a non working famicom from overseas just to see if I could figure out a better way for the A/V mod so who knows.

p.s.
not much luck on that but there has atleast been some progress

[goodtofufriday]

Looking at my own copy, your leads on the SA1 chip seem way wonky. I'd try and resolder them across the bottom line.

[8-Bit Archeology]

Any Luck? If not what console are you testing it on. IDK but I know that my SNES is SHVC, and that there are NON-SHVC. Again no idea if it matters but something that rang a bell. Also there is supposed to be a ground spring on the back cover that contacts one of the metal squares on the PCB. If it wasn't grounded that could cause an issue. Just throwing that out there.

[Niku-Sama]

didn't think about that. No ground no worky. need an example pic on that one?

[8-Bit Archeology]

didn't think about that. No ground no worky. need an example pic on that one?

Sorry I couldn't find a better example but...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SNES-SFAM-Cartridges.jpg

The famicom cart on the bottom shows it. its a little metal piece that rests against the snes console pin connector frame.

I went through my collection and found out that some of the games I have; Doom, Super Mario RPG, Yoshis Island and Starfox have it. I didn't check all of them but that will give you an idea.

[APE992]

Those don't have anything to do with an actual grounding line, plenty of that on the edge connector. Without cracking open a SNES cart I'm hard pressed to say what their purpose is because I don't recall anything resembling a metal shield over the cart anywhere on any SNES cart I've had.

[Videogamerdaryll]

Sorry for the delay..

I tested this game on a standard SNES console and a FC Twin Clone ..


The carts shell has some metal parts that look to create some type of ground to the metal of the system connector..


Over the weekend I was trying to get another SNES console just to try another system but flea market vendors are nuts on price.


Still messing with this game.

[goodtofufriday]

Sorry for the delay..

I tested this game on a standard SNES console and a FC Twin Clone ..


The carts shell has some metal parts that look to create some type of ground to the metal of the system connector..


Over the weekend I was trying to get another SNES console just to try another system but flea market vendors are nuts on price.


Still messing with this game.

Ive got a snes thats beat to hell but still works if you wwant cheap

[Niku-Sama]

you know its possible due to the extras crammed into that cart that it needed a external ground to work properly and that the standard ground through the cartridge connector may not have been enough.0

that SA-1 was kind of a beast, almost a console in it self if you kind of think about it and it would have required more juice than a normal cart and the more juice needs more grounding hence the metal tabs. of course this would change depending on revisions of the PCB and/or chips used.
its hard to say at the same time regarding revisions if an earlier revision or a later revision would be better.

the first run may have not had all that it needed and was revised to add more grounding
at the same time though its possible that as revisions went along that extra grounding wasn't needed and was revised out to save costs.

either way is a double edged sword but when I tinker with electronics, cant have too much ground.

don't doubt the worm

[Videogamerdaryll]

I just wanted to UPDATE and thank everyone for their help..


What I have discovered is the Original SNES I was trying this game is was problematic and the game won't work whatsoever on an FC TWIN,Clone SNES system..

I got another(two tone SNES) over the weekend and the game works..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v21/Chris1/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/httpwwwebaycomitmDonkey-Kong-Land-Nintendo-Game-Boy-1995-28120018_zps64754007.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Chris1/media/2012%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/2013%20PICTURE%20ALBUM/httpwwwebaycomitmDonkey-Kong-Land-Nintendo-Game-Boy-1995-28120018_zps64754007.jpg.html)

http://youtu.be/6iCNBqHie0A