Problem with pirate multicart
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Problem with pirate multicart
Hi.
Some days ago, this multicart was working just fine.
Yesterday, I tried it and got many vertical lines on screen: Other games are running fine on this and in the other clone I have, so the probability of this being a console's problem is very thin to none.
I continuity tested all CHR ROM lines, (I did the best I could, since it's an epoxy blob) no problem detected.
Tried an educated guess and added a thin layer of solder on CHR-D2, no difference.
Tried D3, D1 and finally all the CHR-ROM data lines, same thing.
What could be wrong? Maybe a defective CHR ROM?
Thanks in advance.
Some days ago, this multicart was working just fine.
Yesterday, I tried it and got many vertical lines on screen: Other games are running fine on this and in the other clone I have, so the probability of this being a console's problem is very thin to none.
I continuity tested all CHR ROM lines, (I did the best I could, since it's an epoxy blob) no problem detected.
Tried an educated guess and added a thin layer of solder on CHR-D2, no difference.
Tried D3, D1 and finally all the CHR-ROM data lines, same thing.
What could be wrong? Maybe a defective CHR ROM?
Thanks in advance.
- krzysiobal
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Re: Problem with pirate multicart
Something wrong with CHR-D5. Check it against short-circuit with respect to VCC/GND or trace broke.
Re: Problem with pirate multicart
Thanks for the info!
Unfortunatelly, I couldn't solve the problem
I Had made a bridge on the CHR-D5: Got the same results.
An interesting thing is that if I don't fully insert the board into the cartrige's slot and press it forward (to the label side), I get less vertical lines: I have no idea of what this would mean... if means anything other than I have a bad CHR ROM.
I really would love if I could fix it without exchanging the entire CHR-ROM.
Unfortunatelly, I couldn't solve the problem
I Had made a bridge on the CHR-D5: Got the same results.
An interesting thing is that if I don't fully insert the board into the cartrige's slot and press it forward (to the label side), I get less vertical lines: I have no idea of what this would mean... if means anything other than I have a bad CHR ROM.
I really would love if I could fix it without exchanging the entire CHR-ROM.
- krzysiobal
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Re: Problem with pirate multicart
Maybe the silver plated connector is dirty and needs alcohol cleaning?
Please use multimeter on DIODE function test and tell me the value between:
CHR-D5 and GND,
CHR-D5 and VCC
(where u put + and - of multimeter should ont make any difference)
Please use multimeter on DIODE function test and tell me the value between:
CHR-D5 and GND,
CHR-D5 and VCC
(where u put + and - of multimeter should ont make any difference)
Re: Problem with pirate multicart
With the - probe on Vcc and the + probe on D5 I've got a .7520 reading.
I've got no reading otherwise. I was using the diode test function of the multmeter.
The silver plate on the connector is a thin layer of solder I've added.
I've made it thicker with no change on the results.
I've got no reading otherwise. I was using the diode test function of the multmeter.
The silver plate on the connector is a thin layer of solder I've added.
I've made it thicker with no change on the results.
- krzysiobal
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Re: Problem with pirate multicart
Do you have kazzo? Can you dump PPU $0000-$1FFF ?
Re: Problem with pirate multicart
Unfortunatelly, I don't have a Kazzo.
I can try to dump the whole ROM and see what happens.
I can try to dump the whole ROM and see what happens.
-
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Re: Problem with pirate multicart
I was always under the impression that glob tops aren't reliable and can go bad after a certain amount of time. Perhaps that could be the issue? I'm not 100% sure of this, but I read about others not trusting glob top multi-carts in the past before flash chip multi-carts started being produced (those are also not reliable either, so I've read). The best quality multi-carts were the late 1980s to early 1990s multi-carts that used through hole chips.
I could be wrong about the glob top going bad, but just throwing that out there.
I could be wrong about the glob top going bad, but just throwing that out there.
Last edited by roadkill908 on Wed Jun 28, 2017 3:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
- krzysiobal
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Re: Problem with pirate multicart
I had exactly same vertical bars on Robocop 2 which was also built on glob tops (the problem was with CHR-D2, not D5 instead). The problem existed for 10 years and one day all of the sudden those bars disappear. You are in good situation because your CHR-ROM glob is surrounded by dip holes so you can cut off glob and solder ordinary 27512 EPROM.
Re: Problem with pirate multicart
I share this opinion too. At first I thought changing the memory was the only plausible solution, but asked in case of someone had a better idea.roadkill908 wrote:glob tops aren't reliable
I literally have a pile of games, all with glob tops, that just don't works.
In some of them I replaced the glob tops with flash chips and everything worked just fine.
On the other side, I have a couple of glob tops that are OK.
Guess I should repare myself for a sudden death of them soon, since they're over 30 years!
That's nice and can make things easier.krzysiobal wrote:your CHR-ROM glob is surrounded by dip holes
I'm willing to redo the whole multicart, since I don't like much of one of the games and the other I already have in other multicart. By the way, this is a 4 in 1 reset based multicart.
The Super Mario Bros on this multicart has the stage selection enabled by default and I don't wish to lose this feature, since the kids just love to "continue" where they stopped last time.
Unfortunatelly it has some sound problems too, but the kids just don't care.
Does someone know of a hack of SMB that has this enabled?
- rainwarrior
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Re: Problem with pirate multicart
On the regular SMB you can continue from the world you died by holding A when you press START. It's not a level-select but it helps a little.Fisher wrote:Does someone know of a hack of SMB that has this enabled?
Re: Problem with pirate multicart
True, but SMB prior to the All-Stars port loses this information on a power cycle, and I read "where they stopped last time" as implying that a power cycle takes place.rainwarrior wrote:On the regular SMB you can continue from the world you died by holding A when you press START. It's not a level-select but it helps a little.Fisher wrote:Does someone know of a hack of SMB that has this enabled?
Re: Problem with pirate multicart
Yes, that's what I meant.tepples wrote:implying that a power cycle takes place.
The kids just love this feature, specially when they need to stop to got to school, sleep, etc...
They learned to count, among some other things by playing videogames.
I think that if porperly supervisioned, videogames can be a nice learning tool, be it to kids learning the basics or adults learning computational related stuff.
Re: Problem with pirate multicart
I finally could find the ROM that's on the pirate cartridge.
Unfortunatelly, it has problems with the sound at the sea and bowser levels.
I have no idea if a fix is possible, and even how/where to begin.
Can someone please fix this to me?
Here is the IPS file:
Thanks in advance.
Unfortunatelly, it has problems with the sound at the sea and bowser levels.
I have no idea if a fix is possible, and even how/where to begin.
Can someone please fix this to me?
Here is the IPS file:
Code: Select all
Original ROM:
Super Mario Bros. (JU) (PRG0) [!].nes, CRC32 = 3337ec46
Target ROM:
CRC32 = 2dd3606b