Using a CopyNES or other NES dumping device

[mrmark0673]

Hi folks,

I posted in the "Dumping Resource" thread without a response after a few days and figured that asking here may get me an answer quicker. I have a few carts that I need to dump and I was thinking about purchasing a CopyNES unit to dump the games. How user friendly is the unit? Is it something that someone with pretty much 0 knowledge of ROMs or EEPROMs can use and successfully back up a game? If not, are there any other units for sale that are easier to use for those less ROM savy? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

-Mark

[TheRedEye]

What kind of games are we talking about, is the million dollar question.

If you're dumping stuff you could buy in stores, or licensed prototypes, it's pretty easy; as long as you're able to open the cartridge and look at the board. If you're trying to dump bootleg multicarts and stuff, no, it's not easy at all.

[mrmark0673]

So lets just assume I was going to dump something from a store or a licensed proto, what will I need to identify after I open it up? Is there a guide on how to use a CopyNES after I have access to the ROMs/EEPROMs and the board?

[TheRedEye]

NES games use tons of different circuit board types, you need to know which kind of board the game you're dumping uses so you can select the proper plugin.

That's the only "hard" part, the rest is cake.

[jajaja]

I dumped all my NES protos not long ago. All i did was to load the retail ROM with a emulator to find out what mapper the games uses and then select the same mapper in the CopyNES software and dump. Some of the protos are on TKROM (or something like that, big boards atleast) boards, but i still just chose which mapper and it dumped 100% fine.

[mrmark0673]

Sounds good, I'll try that out. Another quick hypothetical question; What if I happened to have, say, a PAL only proto in NTSC form. Would it use the same mapper as the PAL release? Thanks again for all your help guys, I really appreciate it.

-Mark