NES ROM Dumping Help

Discuss technical or other issues relating to programming the Nintendo Entertainment System, Famicom, or compatible systems. See the NESdev wiki for more information.

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eagle3ye
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue May 10, 2016 1:51 pm

NES ROM Dumping Help

Post by eagle3ye »

Hi all,

Trying to dump my NES collection with Kazzo (latest firmware and using INLRetro command line) and getting stuck on one cart... Baseball Stars. This is the info I'm finding for it:

Baseball Stars 128k PRG / 128k CHR V MMC1 (1)

I'm using this command to try to extract the ROM:

inlretro -s scripts/inlretro2.lua -c NES -x 128 -y 128 -m mmc1 -d J:\Desktop\Games\NES_Cart\poo.nes

When trying to verify the ROM file using clrmamepro and romcenter with the latest no-intro dat, it doesn't find it. It won't even load in Retroarch using either the mesen or nestopia cores.

Any suggestions as to how I might dump this and any other troublesome carts I may encounter?

Thanks a lot.

EDIT: Also, would desoldering the battery do anything at all? From what I understand, the battery backed memory doesn't do anything to affect the ROM file. Just thought I'd ask.

Pic of the board if it's helpful:
IMG_5709.jpg
lidnariq
Posts: 11432
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:12 am

Re: NES ROM Dumping Help

Post by lidnariq »

Please PM me the dump it did generate.

The battery should be entirely unrelated.
lidnariq
Posts: 11432
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:12 am

Re: NES ROM Dumping Help

Post by lidnariq »

Your dump is ... confusing. Somehow it contains the correct dump, but in the wrong order.

If you divide the game into 32KB chunks, your dump's PRG contains the 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, and 4th banks in that order, instead of 1,2,3,4 as it should.

CHR is even more fractured, containing 4KB chunks in this order: 1st 13th 1st 25th 17th 11th 7th 11th 4th 11th 10th 23rd 13th 23rd 7th 28th 2nd 4th 19th 4th 10th 14th 27th 16th 25th 16th 13th 31st 20th 28th 31th 28th.

My only guess is that maybe the cartridge edge needs cleaning? Or else the MMC1 IC is broken.
eagle3ye
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue May 10, 2016 1:51 pm

Re: NES ROM Dumping Help

Post by eagle3ye »

That's really interesting. I've scrubbed with 91% isopropyl multiple times. Are there any more intensive cleaning solutions you might recommend?

EDIT: Just tested the cart in my NES without any perceptible issues. If the MMC1 IC is damaged, the game wouldn't load in a console, right?
lidnariq
Posts: 11432
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:12 am

Re: NES ROM Dumping Help

Post by lidnariq »

Correct, if the IC were broken it wouldn't work in the console.

I'm really not clear why you're so close to a valid dump but it's wrong in subtle ways (assuming that you've successfully dumped other MMC1 games).

Maybe it's that the connector you're using there is a standard 0.1" spacing one, but the NES uses nonstandard 2.5mm spacing pins? You could see if you get a different dump if you push the PCB to one end or the other.
eagle3ye
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue May 10, 2016 1:51 pm

Re: NES ROM Dumping Help

Post by eagle3ye »

lidnariq wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 2:29 pm Maybe it's that the connector you're using there is a standard 0.1" spacing one, but the NES uses nonstandard 2.5mm spacing pins? You could see if you get a different dump if you push the PCB to one end or the other.
I've successfully dumped several other MMC1 games. When you say push the PCB, do you mean physically shifting the board from the left side of the connector to the right (and vice versa)? It does barely move (maybe a centimeter), but the result when attempting to dump is the same. :(
lidnariq
Posts: 11432
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:12 am

Re: NES ROM Dumping Help

Post by lidnariq »

Yeah, if both ends give you the same wrong dump, I have no idea what could be going wrong.

Sorry I couldn't help you.
eagle3ye
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue May 10, 2016 1:51 pm

Re: NES ROM Dumping Help

Post by eagle3ye »

No I really appreciate you looking into it. I going to invest in the new INLRetro Dumper once they improve support for some other systems. Maybe I'll have better luck on the new hardware. :)
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