Yarg! unprotected EPROMS!!

[eightbitonline]

today i was cleaning some old NES multi-carts in preparation for selling them, and when i opened one (not a multi-cart actually, but a concorde/supervision ver. of the konami arcade title "pooyan") and flipped the board over to my surprise there were uncovered EPROMs inside!!

i've heard about EPROM's being used in pirate carts because they were cheaper or something, so i'm not trying to assert this is a prototype by any means.

i only brought it to the prototype forum for the EPROM expertise you guys have. my question is: have i just ruined the game? or do EPROMs have to be exposed to high intesity UV spectrum light to be erased/reprogrammed?

also, since i was planning to sell it in the first place, are EPROM-based pirates neccesarily more or less valuable than normal pirates?

[DogP]

You don't really have to worry about the EPROMs being covered since the plastic shell was covering it. It takes a few minutes of intense UV light to erase the EPROMs fully, but several days of direct sunlight, so just keep it out of the sun for long periods of time and you should be good.

DogP

[lurpak]

Ive been trying to erase some eproms without success by exposing them to sunlight & uv light of my fishtank...so a few moments in exposure isnt going to do them squat damage IMO.

[ProgrammingAce]

To erase an eeprom, you need high intensity UV light for 20-25 mins. Generally speeking though, UV eeproms only last 15-20 years.

I don't think i'd expose the eeprom to any flash photography, but if you're concerned about ambiant light, put a pice of masking tape over the window.

[NeoSNightmarE]

from modding xboxes and stuff, i can agree with what was said by saying that it takes intense UV light to clear it completely....some regular light shouldnt do anything as far as i could think.

[rbudrick]

I've often wondered...since EEPOMS only last 15-20 years, can I back up an EEPROM, erase it, and then restore it with the backup to get another 20 years out of it, theoretically?

-Rob

[ProgrammingAce]

I've often wondered...since EEPOMS only last 15-20 years, can I back up an EEPROM, erase it, and then restore it with the backup to get another 20 years out of it, theoretically?

-Rob

Yes. This is one of the arguments for backing up proto games. When the eprom "fades", you'll be able to reflash it.

[Bratwurst]

I've often wondered...since EEPOMS only last 15-20 years, can I back up an EEPROM, erase it, and then restore it with the backup to get another 20 years out of it, theoretically?

Yes, the same principle also applies to magnetic media. The charge (be it electrical or magnetic) is being reinvigorated.

Granted you can only erase an EEPROM so many times before it's gone for good, but that's after quite a few erasing/rewriting sessions..