Contra Spirits (SNES NTSC-Jap) Not booting

[Ric]

Hi there

I recently bought a Japanese NTSC version of Contra Spirits with two other Japanese NTSC games.

I have a PAL SNES with a universal adaapter and it plays all my NTSC games perfectly

However, I have had no luck with the contra. The cart itself has now been extensively cleaned however will just not boot. The other two carts I bought both work.

The cart itself is not "firm" in that when I put it in the slot it wiggles quite a bit. Can anyone offer any suggestions?

The solder tracks I thought were broken have tested ok on the multimeter.

It doesn't look like any other cart I have seen online.

Small daugter-board with a NE556N bipolar timer chip on it and a single chip on the back (i presume this is the main rom)? I have attached pics on the front and back of the cart.

Perhaps the timer chip has had it?

I have googled and had no luck so far with finding any info on this

Anyone had any issues with Contra before?

Thanks

Ric

[Ziggy]

Looks like a bootleg. Maybe that's why you're having trouble playing it on a PAL SNES with an adapter.

[Hobie-wan]

Looks like a bootleg. Maybe that's why you're having trouble playing it on a PAL SNES with an adapter.

No doubt about it that's a bootleg. If you've already checked iffy looking traces and the discrete components on that daughterboard, you're probably up the creek.

[emwearz]

Have you tried disabling your Lockout chip (with a double throwy so that you can turn it back on whenever), that would be the next thing I tried.

[Ziggy]

Yeah, that might do it. My suspicion is that the bootleg game doesn't like the universal adapter. If you disable the lockout chip and plug the cart straight into the console, it might work.

http://www.mmmonkey.co.uk/console/ninte ... ches-1.htm

Or you could just scrap the bootleg and buy a real cart.

[Ric]

Wow

firstly, thank you for the replies. They are greatly appreciated.

secondly, whilst I could not find any pics on the net, I hadn't put two and two together that it is a bootleg. The cart itself looks legit and there are no other outward signs to suggest it is a bootleg.

I think the cart may not be salvagable and was not a pricey ebay purchase so I guess it is one of those live and learn and be totally surprised type of situations.

Given that it is a bootleg, could it be tricked into thinking it is a pal game by putting a PAL CIC chip in place of the crazy daughterboard? I guess the only issue is I hae to sacrifice a PAL game for that.

I will look into the modded snes however I am not sure I want to play with the innards of my snes for the sake of one game...

Thanks again.

Ric

[Ziggy]

Given that it is a bootleg, could it be tricked into thinking it is a pal game by putting a PAL CIC chip in place of the crazy daughterboard?

I would say no. That doesn't look like a Nintendo CIC chip that they used, they found some way to circumvent it which is why your universal adapter wont work with it, and is also why you can't simple replace it with a Nintendo CIC chip. At least, this is my suspicion. If it IS at all possible to swap that board out with a Nintendo CIC chip, I'm sure some rewire would have to be done.

But for that same reason, it is why the cart might work if you make your console region free. However, I agree with you that it might not be wise to take a risk modifying your console for the sake of a bootleg game. Especially when you could pick up a real copy of the game for not so much.