proto question

[SlappyMcCracken]

I've recently heard that there is a shelf life for eproms (think that's the name - the flashable roms inside most prototype and development carts) of about 25 years and after that they will degrade and ultimately loose the information stored on them. Is this true? is my proto ultimately going to be worthless? or is someone yanking my chain?

[jajaja]

Its hard to say exactly how long they will last, but nothing lives forever. I suggest you to dump/burn every proto you have so it wont be lost forever.

One thing i wonder, when a proto dies and you have a repro or a burned CD. Will this still be worth the same? Would you pay the same amount for a dead prototype + 1 copy?

[ProgrammingAce]

The average lifespan of a UV eprom is 15-20 years. you can tell a UV eprom by a glass window in the middle of the chip, or a sticker covering said window.

If you dump an eprom, then the original bitrots you'll be able to reflash the original eprom with the backup. In otherwords, if you backup your proto, you can have it forever. The average UV eprom can be written to hundreds of times, so if you have a backup your cart can outlive you.

EPROM = Erasable Programmable Random Operating Memory
EEPROM = Electronic Erasable Programmable Random Operating Memory

EPROM != EEPROM

[SlappyMcCracken]

thanks for the info folks, my next question then would be, how do i go about backing up my proto?

[MichaeltheGreat]

What system are we talking about? I'd be happy to back up a proto for you, and I'm sure there are others that would too. If you can find someone near you, that's great. If not you might have to ship it to someone who can back it up for you. If it's a pretty rare item and you don't want the rom floating around everywhere, just make sure that you find someone trustworthy.

[SlappyMcCracken]

it's a copy of bionic commando, so im pretty sure that it's not that rare, is there anyone in the western washington area that would be interested in helping me out?

[Necrosaro420]

it's a copy of bionic commando, so im pretty sure that it's not that rare, is there anyone in the western washington area that would be interested in helping me out?

I am able to dump (backup file) NES games. But I am no where near Washington =)

[jajaja]

You can also buy a CopyNES for $200. Then u can dump it yourself. Might be alot of money to spend just to dump 1 game tho.

[idrougge]

The average lifespan of a UV eprom is 15-20 years. you can tell a UV eprom by a glass window in the middle of the chip, or a sticker covering said window.

If the window isn't covered up (stickers will often peel off after so many years), cover it up immediately. It is erasable by light.

[supaevil]

Ha! this is one of the reasons i sold my Lobo genesis proto i couldnt have it just turn to nothing on me.

[chaoticjelly]

Is it really so hard to remove the eprom, dump it onto your PC with a $20 eprom burner and then archive it onto a CD or several?

[rbudrick]

You can also buy a CopyNES for $200.

Actually, if you have a spare NES, you can buy the CopyNES kit for $45 if you are good with a soldering iron. Also, I believe Kevin Horton will install the whole thing for you for $125, iirc, provided you supply the NES.

Bionic Commando proto, huh? Considering it's in Washington, I wonder if it came from Nintendo HQ...

-Rob