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Epicenter
10-12-2003, 05:31 AM
I picked up an .. interesting cartridge at a used games store today, it looks at first like a VOLLEYBALL NES cartridge. But, there are some .. oddities about it.

1. The VOLLEYBALL name on the label (top and front) has been crossed out with black permanent marker
2. In the same marker, written on the front is scribbled "KARATE CHAMP".
3. It appears something else was written on the other side of the front. It's been smeared off with a chemical or something, and it's also been scraped out partially with a flathead screwdriver.
4. The cartridge's previous owner's name is scribbled on the back
5. The back of it has 5 screws, not the Security bolt in most cartridges .. it's a flathead-like screw with a circle in the center. Nothing I am familiar with, but a friend of mine's seen it before.
6. The PCB has 2 EPROM chips on it and a logic chip, both chips are labelled with "NES-" followed by a part #.
7. One of the EPROMs is not soldered properly, it's shifted up at an angle as though it was incorrectly attached

Looks to me like whoever made this cartridge desoldered the chips from a VOLLEYBALL PCB, soldered in pirate EPROMs, and closed it back up, then so it to someone, or a used games store .. judging by the # of screws and the odd type, it almost sounds like they were TRYING to keep someone from opening it, which'd make sense ..

Definitely strikes me as a tribute to pirating at its laziest ..
nildem
10-12-2003, 05:09 PM
We need pictures!
RoboticParanoia
10-12-2003, 05:24 PM
I'd like to see this.
Sylentwulf
10-12-2003, 05:54 PM
it REALLY sounds to me like someone got bored and started screwing around with their nintendo games, then sold them at some point, and you happened upon one of them.
Epicenter
10-12-2003, 09:31 PM
Hard to say. I just took some photos w/ my friend's digital camera. Once he returns, I'll get the cable and upload 'em. Will add a reply w/ photos ASAP. Probably tonight.
Epicenter
10-13-2003, 06:10 AM
http://host.xen-tech.com/epicgaming/junk/cartpcb.JPG
Cart and PCB.
http://host.xen-tech.com/epicgaming/junk/cart.JPG
This thing has seen better days.
http://host.xen-tech.com/epicgaming/junk/pcb.JPG
Just the PCB.
http://host.xen-tech.com/epicgaming/junk/chips.JPG
Note the chip on the right, shifted up at a highly-noticable angle ..

Sorry about the blurriness of the pictures. Lighting conditions weren't very good, so the shutter speed suffered.
Oobgarm
10-13-2003, 07:38 AM
Have you attempted to play it? What's on it?

I agree with Sylentwulf on this one, unless the game is a freakish 5000-1 cart or something.
pango
10-13-2003, 09:17 AM
well concidering the size of the chip, it could very well be a multicart
sisko
10-13-2003, 10:05 AM
Those screws are nothing major. It has been my experience that those type of screws are on all of the earlier cartridges.
Epicenter
10-13-2003, 01:32 PM
Have not tested it yet, as my NES is still in the mail. It should arrive in a day or two, though. Up until now my friend and I have shared a NES, but I decided to get my own when I went to college. Once it arrives I'm also working on some hardware modifications to it, I will keep you posted on that ;)
Raccoon Lad
10-13-2003, 01:38 PM
Those look like ROMS, not EPROMS, and it's possible this was just a case of someone opening up 2 carts and switching the PCB's, of which one was manufactured poorly.
Raedon
10-13-2003, 03:08 PM
nothing unusual about that.. it's no pirate cart that I am sure of.
DogP
10-14-2003, 12:44 AM
What are the numbers on the chips? They could be OTP EPROMs since they don't have a window, but they look like mask ROMs to me... if you had a better pic we could tell for sure... an EPROM should start with 27Cxxx, and it could also be a flash ROM, which would probably be 29Fxxx. But if you're replacing the mask ROM with an EPROM, you'd have to change where a few of the pins go, because an EPROM has more functioning pins than a mask ROM...

DogP