How To Make a Reproduction Cart

[mavrick]

So I am new here and I tried using the search feature but nothing would answer my questions. So here goes ...

1) Is there a good website that gives information on how to make your own reproduction cart? I've been looking around but I never get clear information on how to not destroy a perfectly good game. Im thinking I would start with maybe Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy V, since all I have is the japanese versions of both.

2) I've been cleaning up a few manuals I got off the internet and im curious as to how to set it up so that they can be printed, double sided, and ready to be stapled down the middle as a normal game manual would be.

Any help would be great.

[Ed Oscuro]

0) When you write a topic title, it's courteous to make it descriptive.

1 and 2) A lot of folks really don't like dealing with anything that takes value away from the original print runs of the games. I don't know what these manuals are, but anything that can pass for an original = you're on your own as far as I'm concerned. See here for a short discussion about the max DPI DP Forumer Stonic is taking scans at to prevent piracy while still allowing people the use of the manuals.

Shockboxes (click) and things that are obviously not original are another story entirely (because people can tell those apart).

Sorry for the negative response, I just hope you see the issues here.

Welcome to the Retro Roundtable, by the way

[mavrick]

Im not sure how me making a translated english version of a game into a cart for playback on my own snes is taking away from everyone else. I've seen at least two other posts by someone who made repro's and people were applauding him, even drooling over his work.

Its all for my own use, not the use of others (well i could make the manuals downloadable if someone else needed to get a clean one). Thanks anyways, im sure i'll eventually find it.

[horseboy]

The difference is in what you are reproducing. The other threads feature people reproducing games that never had a US/English release. You are talking about reproducing Chrono Trigger. Chrono Trigger had a proper English release and is a pretty pricey game to pick up. Helping you reproduce that game is potentially helping you rip some people off with fake Chrono Triggers. The fact that you want to make a manual makes the situation even more suspicious.

[mavrick]

Chrono Trigger had a proper English release and is a pretty pricey game to pick up. Helping you reproduce that game is potentially helping you rip some people off with fake Chrono Triggers. The fact that you want to make a manual makes the situation even more suspicious.

So because I want to make a reproduction cart of games which are never going to be available and use CT as a example, you think I am going to go and sell 'bootlegs' which (if caught) could land me in jail?

Its obvious I will find no help here. Your assumptions are not only undeserved, but insulting. Thank you and good day.

[Jorpho]

So because I want to make a reproduction cart of games which are never going to be available

CT is already available. It's just expensive.

you think I am going to go and sell 'bootlegs' which (if caught) could land me in jail?

I really, really doubt that anyone will ever go to jail for making a bootleg or two of Chrono Trigger or any other SNES cart. The local authorities have much bigger problems to deal with.

[horseboy]

So because I want to make a reproduction cart of games which are never going to be available and use CT as a example, you think I am going to go and sell 'bootlegs' which (if caught) could land me in jail?

Its obvious I will find no help here. Your assumptions are not only undeserved, but insulting. Thank you and good day.

To me you are just some dude with 3 posts asking how to make a snes repro. Everybody else that talks or asks about repro games is interested in making repros wants to reproduce a game that wasn't released at all or wasn't released in their region/language. You want to reproduce a game that can be had at any given moment on ebay. No offense to you personally, but that is a little suspicious. Have we had some kind of business transaction in the past? Have you done something to gain my trust? Why shouldn't I be suspicious of your strange request?

On top of all that, with a little patience, Chrono Trigger can be had for around $25 on ebay. I can't imagine it is worth the trouble to make a repro.

[gokugohandave]

Seriously, itll cost you WAY more than that in time, labor and parts, just to go and play a game that like horseboy says, can easily be had for 25 bucks with a little patience. I think I paid 30 bucks shipped for mine. Spend your time on making something that actually doesnt exist already over here.

[mavrick]

Spend your time on making something that actually doesnt exist already over here.

I think I may have gotten off on the wrong foot and took something a bit more personally then I should have. All I want to do is take the translated Bahamut Lagoon rom, which is already properly formatted and copied to a eprom, and turn that into a playable game on a real live SNES. I have a Japanese version of the game, and its not currently translated into english and available for sale by the manufacturer. I have seen examples of other peoples work, so it must not be 'against the rules' or anything. Is there a guide, or website, that will point me in the right direction?

As for time, nothing good comes quickly, it takes time and patience. I don't buy something from someone else if I can learn to do it myself. I have about 30 duplicate snes games from purchasing through ebay and if I can turn Shaq Fu into something worth playing, why not try. If I end up skrewing it up, well, the game sucked anyways.

[Jorpho]

As for time, nothing good comes quickly, it takes time and patience. I don't buy something from someone else if I can learn to do it myself.

But how much is your time worth? What if it takes hours and hours of painful frustration from which you learn almost nothing?

Anyway, my understanding is that all you really need is a cartridge with exactly the same ROM layout. (I guess in the case of Bahamut Lagoon, since there's no special chips involved, it would be some other battery-backed 24 MBit game.) Pry out the old chips and stick in the new ones.

[skaar]

Dude you did NOT just slam Shaq-Fu

Anyway one option is a SNES Powerpak... www.retrousb.com

I've looked at doing this myself with some of the japanese carts I've got - japanese RPG for the SFC are worth as much as Madden games are here. I've been completely discouraged from doing so, however. Flashcart + BSNES for me. Good luck!

[mavrick]

But how much is your time worth? What if it takes hours and hours of painful frustration from which you learn almost nothing?

Ah but when you finally succeed and can actually play said game on a real snes... well that makes it all the more sweet.

For those who were concerned, I did end up getting an american chrono trigger for 10 bucks over at the thrift store. I also managed to get, in bulk, about 70 snes games which have missing labels, damage, etc. I'll have to make a new label for chrono trigger but, well, it was only 10 bucks.

Good thing is I have 4 shaq-fu's to destroy.. i mean learn from.

[Joshie]

http://nintendoallstars.w.interia.pl/romlab/sneslab.htm is the source for most people gathering information on making their own carts.

http://snesdev.romhack.de/ has some easier to follow directions.

However, each of these sites might inhibit your understanding of what exactly is going on behind the scenes. I suggest you research the concepts parallel addressing and data buses, then see how it applies to the SNES.

[mavrick]

However, each of these sites might inhibit your understanding of what exactly is going on behind the scenes. I suggest you research the concepts parallel addressing and data buses, then see how it applies to the SNES.

You sound like someone giving homework.

I did check out both sites but the info seems out dated. For example, it says to use 3x 8mbit eproms, where as it might be cheaper and easier to use 1 32mbit eprom. Looking at the inside of those chrono trigger cart (im cleaning the connector to a polished state so it doesnt fudge up my snes) there doesnt seem to be alot of room for 3 eproms stacked on each other.

[Joshie]

You're going to have a hell of a time finding 32mbit eproms
Flash on the other hand... 29f032 is cheap enough, but doesn't come in a dip form factor. Easiest way to acquire it is in a tsop form factor, but man is that hell to work with.

I use m27c322's and octal transceivers, because that combination is dirt cheap. (however, it is 16 bit memory, so you have to be creative).

The problem is, a lot of the more abundant (and cheaper) chips are not 5v, which is required (again, you can circumvent that requirement with some clever circuit I'm sure, but it isn't worth it)

As for fitting it, if you affix it to the back side of the pcb (or use wires), you should be able to fit more then 3 easily

[mavrick]

Thats good to know before I foolishly order the incorrect eproms. I think I have alot more research to do on the subject before trying it.

Is there a chance that a cart can fry a snes? Hate to see my snes go away, its still white and not yellow.

[Joshie]

I've never heard of a cart frying the snes. It is a passive circuit so I can't see that ever being an issue. Worst case I would imagine is tying the cart's vcc to it's ground, but that would simply result in a black screen without any long term damage.

Now, if you purposely wired a great power source to random pins and crammed it into your SNES... you probably deserve a non-working one

[mavrick]

I suppose that if you were dumb enough to do something like that then you indeed deserve to have a dead snes. I've got a yellow snes sitting here that still works, and about a dozen others which dont work at all.

Its too bad no one ever came up with a modification where you can remove the cart slot and replace it with a hdd. Or at least none that i could find. I did see rumors of a SNES CDROM, but i think they were talking about what eventually became the playstation.

[Jorpho]

Its too bad no one ever came up with a modification where you can remove the cart slot and replace it with a hdd.

An HDD for that purpose would be overkill! The SNES copiers of the day frequently used floppy drives! Even N64 copiers stopped at Zip drives. A flash cart is a different matter.

[Joshie]

An HDD for that purpose would be overkill! The SNES copiers of the day frequently used floppy drives! Even N64 copiers stopped at Zip drives. A flash cart is a different matter.

back before flash was common... an hdd mod could have been nice. the floppy loaders blew. this is also completely possible.