Gyromite NES Import Adaptor Guide

[CRTGAMER]

I just want to warn people that while there are other games besides Gyromite with adapters (I got mine in a copy of Pinball), they're strictly limited to the early Black Box titles. You might find a copy of a "silver box" game like Metroid or Kid Icarus that has 5 screws and off-center contacts, but it will NOT have an adapter. I found that out myself recently.

Here is a comparison of the Silver and Black Label carts. I never noticed the background before on the five screw non hinged NES carts.

NES Silver and Black Labels.jpg (155.19 KiB) Viewed 4484 times

I just confirmed this, opened up a Metroid Silver Label cart. Note the Metroid PCB at the right in the pic below. The contacts have the pins to one side just like a Nintendo Import Adaptor.

NES Metroid Inside.jpg (159.38 KiB) Viewed 5093 times

How to spot the difference
The Metroid PCB has extra chips and is heavier then most NES carts. It is as heavy NES import adaptor game cart. Strange that there are two solder pads made for a CR2032 battery, perhaps the same PCB is used on other games.

On the Metroid cart PCB, the end edge contact (at the bottom left of the pic below) has the pin point in the center of the edge of the contact. It is the little tip right on the end of the connector contact of the PCB. The Nintendo Import Adaptor has the pin point at one side on all the edges of the contacts.

[vlame]

How to spot the difference
On the Metroid cart PCB, the end edge contact (at the bottom left of the pic below) has the pin point in the center of the edge of the contact. The Nintendo Import Adaptor has the pin point at one side on all the edges of the contacts.

what do you mean by this?

[CRTGAMER]

How to spot the difference
On the Metroid cart PCB, the end edge contact (at the bottom left of the pic below) has the pin point in the center of the edge of the contact. The Nintendo Import Adaptor has the pin point at one side on all the edges of the contacts.

what do you mean by this?

Bottom Pic Closeup
Look at the tip of each contact connector strip, there are thin notches right at the edge. The very bottom contact pin on the Metroid cart has the tip towards the middle, not the edge as in the other individual contacts. NES Import adaptors has that notch at one side all the way across.

[vlame]

i see what you mean but you can tell a converter if the contacts are entirely gold don't forget the other (metriod you showed) notched ones are only half gold.

[Ziggy]

Strange that there are two solder pads made for a CR2032 battery, perhaps the same PCB is used on other games.

A lot of early NES games had password functions instead of saves like their FDS counterparts. Metroid for the FDS saved instead of utilizing a password function. But from what I've heard, Nintendo couldn't get it just right in time for the NES cart release so they had to use passwords instead. That's really funny though, that there's a spot for the battery. I'm guessing that they really, really wanted to use the save function but then were forced to use passwords last minute, while the boards were already made.

[CRTGAMER]

Updated the OP

A difficult cart to find
I just picked up another Gyromite Cart with an Import Adapter. One thing I noticed is the tips are hard to see when the cart edge is worn down or has dirty contacts. A magnifying glass helps, but then too obvious indicating a serious collector buyer. This might end up as a raise in prices, even if the seller is unaware of the Import Adapter.

Note the 10NES chip location: Adaptor on the left and the game PCB on the right

Gyromite Cart 01.jpg (157.91 KiB) Viewed 4258 times

I confirmed that all non hinge cases with either the Import Adaptor inside or a newer NES game PCB are interchangeable. This can lead to confusion of what is inside if the original case has been traded to another case.

Cart Weights
The weighing or center of balance check is a guesstimate without a proper scale. At under an ounce difference, might be hard to spot. Some game titles have extra chips inside that sometimes throws this off.

I weighed these game carts with a postal scale:
Import Adaptor Gyromite Cart: 4.30 Ounces
Regular Gyromite Cart: 3.50 ounces
Regular Metroid Cart: 3.90 Ounces
Regular Mario Duck Hunt Cart: 3.00 Ounces
Super 66 Games Bootleg Cart: 4.15 Ounces
110 Games Bootleg Cart: 4.50 Ounces

ROB Robot Icon on the Cart Label
The Gyromite Import Adapter cart Label ROB Icon has a slightly darker blue color, but not always an accurate assessment. Both types of Gyromite carts have to be on hand to spot the difference. This does not always work, especially when some labels are more faded then others. Also the fact that cart cases can be swapped.

Import adapter with slighter darker blue ROB Icon on the left

Gyromite Cart 03a.jpg (192.56 KiB) Viewed 4255 times

Another Label Method
I don't know why I never noticed this before, maybe because it is so small and easy to miss? Look at the Gyromite text, notice how both Gyromite carts have a blue TM Trademark logo? Now look at the Yellow Entertainment System text below the Gyromite title. The Import Adapter Cart has no yellow TM, the newer Gyromite game without the Import Adapter has the yellow TM logo! Not an absolute since there might be a chance of different labels, but a very solid indicator.

If a Yellow "TM" logo then very likely no Import Adaptor inside.

Gyromite Cart 04.jpg (247.04 KiB) Viewed 4254 times

Indicators to Watch
1. Black background label indicates a Launch game cart, only some carts have the adapter.
2. All Launch games are five screw, but later ones are five screw or three screw hinged.
3. Gyromite with no Yellow TM logo though not absolute, a good sign of an Import Adaptor.
4. The best method for a confirm, ALL Contact Tips to one side, check first and last pins.

[vlame]

Dear vlame1988,

Thank you for the info. With my new found knowledge of what the adapter inside can do I had to raise the price of it to starting bid $19.99 and a buy it now $24.99 with free shipping. I'm sorry I had to do this, but I just did 2 hours of research and I can't give this away so cheap anymore. Thank you again for helping me.

- spcctoys

fucking ebayers.

[vlame]

just got a quad confirmation on: SYSTEM not being TM'd = converter.

[Hobie-wan]

just got a quad confirmation on: SYSTEM not being TM'd = converter.

FWIW my 2 Gyromites with convertors have no TM either.

[vlame]

picked these up today. no SYSTEM TM and no converters.