Prototype or just a damaged cart?

[Mad Q]

I’ve seen a lot of people/auctions lately having carts with no labels and selling them as Prototypes. How are you supposed to know if it actually is a prototype and not a just a regular cart that someone has ripped the label off of? I mean the carts themselves aren’t anything special, no notable markings on them, so how do you tell the difference between a badly damaged cart and a prototype?

[davepesc]

I'm no proto expert, but I think you would need to see the EPROM inside to be sure, and even that's not always 100%

[jajaja]

Ye, thats the only way to see if its a prototype. You must see the circuit board. The best is to compare it with the original and check for missing/extra transistors, weigh it, wires etc.

[s1lence]

Unless it has verified/visual documentation that it truely is a proto. I tend to stay away from those on ebay, to much chance of being a shady deal.

[rbudrick]

There was a somewhat heated debate here a little while back semi-concerning this issue (let's not beat that thread into the ground again though, please, heh heh):

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=69671&postdays=0&postorder=asc

Basically, the bottom line is get enough proof to satisfy you. If they won't provide it, they are full of shit, generally.

-Rob

[swlovinist]

I would not want anyone on this board to get ripped off. I have seen it time and time again, do not bid unless they show you the circut board inside the cart. There are many fakes out there, and it is easy to get scammed...