So... making Super NES repro carts

[MrPopo]

Well, the only copy of SMT for the SNES/SFC on eBay was a new copy for $20. If IDK how to do this and had the potential for fucking up, would it be a good idea to buy it?

And also... how much empty space is in a SNES/SFC cart?

We'll have to let Ziggy answer this one. It sounds like the only screw ups you can do that would cause you to lose the game entirely would be removing the existing chip and adding in your new chip, since you can reburn the EPROMs all you want if you have an eraser. I've never opened up an SNES cart myself, but I'd suspect that the board takes up most of the cartridge size (maybe it varies depending on the game).

[REPO Man]

Well, the only copy of SMT for the SNES/SFC on eBay was a new copy for $20. If IDK how to do this and had the potential for fucking up, would it be a good idea to buy it?

And also... how much empty space is in a SNES/SFC cart?

We'll have to let Ziggy answer this one. It sounds like the only screw ups you can do that would cause you to lose the game entirely would be removing the existing chip and adding in your new chip, since you can reburn the EPROMs all you want if you have an eraser. I've never opened up an SNES cart myself, but I'd suspect that the board takes up most of the cartridge size (maybe it varies depending on the game).

Well, if that's the case, then I should say that I also imagined trying to make new cart shells JIC. I mean, just something to accomodate giving the chips their own spot while being wired to the donor board.

[Ziggy]

There is some negative space inside the case, but not much. You have enough to fit an EPROM though. I was even able to fit a low profile battery holder in my Star Ocean carts. There's some plastic you can cut away from inside the case, it creates more space to fit everything inside of it.

About fucking it up, that's a hard question to answer. Have you done this kind of work before? Because if the answer is no than you'll probably end up fucking something up. I'm just assuming, since you wanna do this, that you have soldering skills and some experience working on PCBs.

Making them is probably the hardest thing I've ever done with a solder iron. If you don't have steady hands and perfect eye sight, don't even bother trying. Pulling the mask ROMs off is a delicate procedure. This is what I use the dental picks for, lifting the legs of the mask ROMs. You have to have a steady hand, patience, and delicacy because you really DON'T wanna bust a solder pad. It starts to strain your eyes because it's VERY small. Attaching a wire to each solder pad is even worse. It's the same deal, but your hands have to be steady even more so. It's also very time consuming. I highly recommend taking small breaks to give your eyes a rest. Again, I don't use a magnify glass (I really don't like looking through them), maybe my eyes wouldn't be strained so much if I did.

[REPO Man]

So... maybe I should consider finding someone to make some for me?

GameReproductions.com can possibly do them.

It costs more, but there's a lesser chance of fucking up.

God, I wish they sold the stuff to do this stuff. I mean, they got the stuff for NES games, but not Super NES games? That's bullshit.

[Ziggy]

So... maybe I should consider finding someone to make some for me?

You really don't think you can do it?

GameReproductions.com can possibly do them.

Heh, good luck. I emailed that guy once and he never got back to me. Do me a favor, if you contact him and he gets back to you, let me know.

God, I wish they sold the stuff to do this stuff. I mean, they got the stuff for NES games, but not Super NES games? That's bullshit.

Tell me about it.

[REPO Man]

So... maybe I should consider finding someone to make some for me?

You really don't think you can do it?

I just think that something so difficult should be left to the pros.

GameReproductions.com can possibly do them.

Heh, good luck. I emailed that guy once and he never got back to me. Do me a favor, if you contact him and he gets back to you, let me know.

I e-mailed him AND got a response.

Custom games for SNES will be same price as other SNES games, depending on the amount of chips required. If you want to send the roms this way when I get a chance ill take a look at them to see if I can do them. Thanks!

God, I wish they sold the stuff to do this stuff. I mean, they got the stuff for NES games, but not Super NES games? That's bullshit.

Tell me about it.

Okay. With Super NES inching towards the 20th anniversary, they should start selling that stuff. But then again, with the NES, Nintendo forgot to renew the copyright on the hardware, and I'm pretty sure that they didn't do that with the Super NES, so they're gonna hold the copyright for a while now.

[Ziggy]

I can't believe he got back to you and not me! What a @#$%*&@# ! Even if he emailed me back with "fuck off" I would have appreciated THAT over nothing. Let me know the price he quotes you though and I'll tell ya what I think about it.

[REPO Man]

I can't believe he got back to you and not me! What a @#$%*&@# ! Even if he emailed me back with "fuck off" I would have appreciated THAT over nothing. Let me know the price he quotes you though and I'll tell ya what I think about it.

He said that they're roughly the same price as the SNES carts that he already sells, and those are $37.50 to $45.

So in theory that's a lot better than buying the stuff to make my own.

[Ziggy]

Yeah, but I don't know what to expect from that dude. He has Star Fox 2 for $100, but that's only a one chip game. Clock Tower would need 4 chips, and the FF's are 3 or 4 I think. And I'm not ruling out him giving you an inflated price for a "custom" job. Although, who's knows, maybe they'll just be $45.

[Ziggy]

Just as a reference as well, would you make a repro. with NVROM's if requested?

Yeah, I can use OTP chips, but the failure rate pisses me off. Last time I programmed a 27C801 it took three times! Better programmers are suppose to be more accurate/reliable but they cost several hundred dollars.

So I found out the failure rate was my fault. I feel like an idiot. The 27C322 programming voltage requirement is 12v, I was just assuming that the 27C801 was the same. Turns out it's 12.75v, and even though it has a tolerance of .25v, it's surprising I was able to program it at all with the 12v adapter I was using. Anyways, I'll have to pick up a 12.5 or 13v adapter then I should be good to go. Failed burns should be a thing of the past.