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[shanafan]

What's the best way to clean the carts?

I use Brasso metal cleaner and rubbing alcohol because that method has given me the best results.

I had a non-working cart and the eraser technique just did not work. I saw a lot of YouTube videos using the Brasso/alcohol technique and it got the cart to work.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Use metal polish as a last resort though.

 

[RadarScope1]

My typical method is just rubbing alcohol and a q-tip for the contacts. A warm, moist (but not sopping wet) rag and some elbow grease works for sticker gunk on the cart. Rubbing alcohol also works for most marker writing and grime, too. Just be judicious and take it in steps rather than pouring it on.

 

[OnPoint]

Here's my Bucky o Hare playthrough.

While I'm at it, here's also my no death Ninja Gaiden run.I do all NES, SNES, GEN and fighters in 60 fps as well, because lol 30 fps.

I still can't believe I did so good in 6-2, I mean, I only got hit once in that section.

I just clicked through that Ninja Gaiden playthrough and man, nice work. I'm gonna have to go through it again. So much fun.

Will watch the Bucky one shortly

 

[StevieWhite]

Here's a weird issue - pressing the A button on my NES Advantage occasionally registers as a press of the start button. Any idea as to why this might be happening?

 

[Timu]

Here's some NES games I plan to do playthroughs on:

Ninja Gaiden 2
Contra
Batman
Journey to Silius
The Adventures of Bayou Billy
Batman Return of the Joker
Silver Surfer
Ninja Gaiden 3
Ghost N Goblins
Battletoads
Super C

 

[ZealousD]

https://tulsa.craigslist.org/vgm/5101936019.html

Seems legit.

 

[JMDSO]

https://tulsa.craigslist.org/vgm/5101936019.html

Seems legit.

I'm hoping they just forgot a decimal point.

 

[TeaJay]

So, it seems like I'll be joining the cool kids club and ordered myself an AV Famicom. Now I just need to hope it'll turn up safe and sound. Gotta pick up a suitable euro power supply as well.

On a related note, I hate when the sellers on eBay update the status as shipped but the tracking number shows nothing after days ... and the seller has 100% positive feedback saying it shipped for sure, but the tracking is still dead. You want to believe him that it's just some mishap at the post, and you tell yourself there can be number of reason why the tracking won't show anything, but it still gnaws you a bit... even if it's just a 20 € game.

 

[Khaz]

On a related note, I hate when the sellers on eBay update the status as shipped but the tracking number shows nothing after days ... and the seller has 100% positive feedback saying it shipped for sure, but the tracking is still dead. You want to believe him that it's just some mishap at the post, and you tell yourself there can be number of reason why the tracking won't show anything, but it still gnaws you a bit... even if it's just a 20 € game.

If he gave you a tracking number, it means his post office gave him a tracking number in exchange for his parcel. Quite often the number isn't registered in the system until the parcel leaves the office, which can be as late as Monday afternoon now.

Also for international tracking, your local postal service won't recognise the number until it arrives at customs. Everything before has to be tracked with the sender postal service. Or an international tracking site like https://www.17track.net

 

[TeaJay]

Yeah, I know. Japan postal tracking usually works just fine, even showing me prefectures and arrivals at various checkpoints, so that's why I'm a bit on the edge. This has been a while already, so if the tracking has somehow gone missing, all I can do is to wait if the packet actually arrives at some point...

e: vv- I did ask him, and he said it was correct.

e2: And as soon I finished complaining about it, the damn thing updated the tracking page. It's still in Japan, but at least it's moving now (?).

 

[Khaz]

Maybe he got a number wrong? You can ask him to check again.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Is there a decent famiclone I could buy online from Canada? International shipping from Japan is OK if it's not too pricy. Something with original ports would be best.

AV Fami is $$$$ and the original is kinda crummy.

Or would I be better off just buying like a Retron1 + an adapter?

 

[D.Lo]

Pony up for an AV. You can get one for $50 if you pay attention to auctions.

I don't mind the odd Famiclone but they're never quite right. Retron 1 is just a rebranded Neo Fami anyway so is about standard for a clone.

My favourite clone is the Famulator, it looks nicest.

 

[RoryDropkick]

I'd have to say save up for an AV, really it's not going to be as bad as you think. I wish I could say "Oh hey! I have one I can sell you for cheap!" but sadly I don't. Sorry :/

 

[Teknoman]

Is there a decent famiclone I could buy online from Canada? International shipping from Japan is OK if it's not too pricy. Something with original ports would be best.

AV Fami is $$$$ and the original is kinda crummy.

Or would I be better off just buying like a Retron1 + an adapter?

Or you should just get an NES and a Famicom adapter. Never go with a clone. NEVER.

 

[D.Lo]

Clones have their appeal to me, especially retro clones. I love how pretty much every system ever has a Famiclone in its shape, all the way up to PS3 and Wii. And it's interesting how they all behave.

But as your man system? No way.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Or you should just get an NES and a Famicom adapter. Never go with a clone. NEVER.

Well the clones I was looking at were super cheap. Like I figured I could start with that, have something to actually run the handful of famicom games I have, and if I end up getting more upgrade to something better.

But... I took another look at ebay and found an AV famicom listed as "New Famicom" (with no mention of AV, but clearly an HVC-101) for $70US which wasn't too bad so I went for it.

 

[D.Lo]

Yes AV Famicom is a colloquial term. Technically it's just known as 'Family Computer', just like the original.

 

[catabarez]

I paid about $80 for mine. Works very nicely.

 

[OnPoint]

Had a real fun panic moment tonight. Neither of my modded NES consoles with BlinkingLightWins would work. It was super weird -- neither would register the controllers. I tried several different controllers.

Disassembled both of them. Cleaned every contact. Reassembled them. One of them is now back to working order, perfectly. The other has a dead controller port 1. Which is weird, but at least I can listen to my NSF files using controller slot 2. Not sure why this happened. Was pretty uncool though.

I also noticed that one has red text on the back and one has yellow text. I'm going to Google why that is now.

 

[ultimos]

Had a real fun panic moment tonight. Neither of my modded NES consoles with BlinkingLightWins would work. It was super weird -- neither would register the controllers. I tried several different controllers.

Disassembled both of them. Cleaned every contact. Reassembled them. One of them is now back to working order, perfectly. The other has a dead controller port 1. Which is weird, but at least I can listen to my NSF files using controller slot 2. Not sure why this happened. Was pretty uncool though.

I also noticed that one has red text on the back and one has yellow text. I'm going to Google why that is now.

I've had this happen a couple times when reassembling NES consoles for various reasons. Turns out I had pinched the colored wires that go from the controller port to the motherboard. Just a tiny pinch seems to kill the ports. Make sure they have room to breathe and that might fix your problem.

 

[OnPoint]

I've had this happen a couple times when reassembling NES consoles for various reasons. Turns out I had pinched the colored wires that go from the controller port to the motherboard. Just a tiny pinch seems to kill the ports. Make sure they have room to breathe and that might fix your problem.

Oh no foolin. Thanks for the tip, I'll give it a shot when I get home from work!

 

[entremet]

Any of you ballers picking up an Analogue NT?

I think I might just for contingencies. Never hurts having extra hardware since new NES/Famicoms aren't being made and stock will continue to decline over the years.

 

[D.Lo]

Any of you ballers picking up an Analogue NT?

I think I might just for contingencies. Never hurts having extra hardware since new NES/Famicoms aren't being made and stock will continue to decline over the years.

You realise it is just a bunch of repurposed used Famicom chips in a new shell?

 

[Mzo]

At a ridiculous price.

 

[BocoDragon]

Any of you ballers picking up an Analogue NT?

I think I might just for contingencies. Never hurts having extra hardware since new NES/Famicoms aren't being made and stock will continue to decline over the years.

You realise it is just a bunch of repurposed used Famicom chips in a new shell?

Yeah if anything, Analogue NT speeds up the diminishing pool of Famicoms out there. They have stated they were broken consoles, but still, it's coming from the stock out there in the wild.

But putting that aside, there are so many NES/Famicoms out there I wouldn't think to worry about them becoming rare. Having a new one seems irrelivent to me.

 

[Bodacious]

I highly recommend putting the cash together for an AV Famicom. Whatever you buy is gonna be with you for years, so cry once and smile forever after. It's not like they cost all that much anyway. I am fortunate that I get to go to Japan ever 2-3 years, but with the internet these days pretty much anything is available.

Semi-stealth brag post -- I just got back from Japan last week. Most of the game stuff I picked up this time was for Super Fami, Saturn, and Gamecube, and most of my personal spending this time went to headphones and japanese whiskey. But I did snag this gadget in Osaka. It's not perfect but compared to the rest they had on sale, it's pretty nice. (The gold anodizing gets flaky and shitty looking after longterm use)

I was in Tokyo two years ago and bought this, in the box with matching manual (serial numbers) for $85. It's a thing of beauty.

 

[Timu]

At a ridiculous price.

Yep, a modded NES with RGB is still cheaper!!!

 

[World SkiFree]

What is the best web source for the most current value of NES games? I suppose a rarity list would suffice but I am hoping for something that updates regularly.

 

[ZealousD]

What is the best web source for the most current value of NES games? I suppose a rarity list would suffice but I am hoping for something that updates regularly.

http://videogames.pricecharting.com/

 

[D.Lo]

Yep, a modded NES with RGB is still cheaper!!!

An RGB modded NES could be as little as 1/3 the price.

 

[World SkiFree]

http://videogames.pricecharting.com/

Awesome, thank you.

 

[catabarez]

I definitely recommend getting an AV Famicom. Such a great piece of hardware.

 

[Eraser_Arcade]

Anyone here have any experience with gluing broken pieces of an NES cart back together? One of the NES games I've recently purchased has a cracked piece at the bottom of the cart which can be popped off. I'm going to try and glue it back in place from the inside of the cart; I have a security bit screwdriver so that shouldn’t be an issue.

However, I'm debating on what type of glue I should use. Anyone here have any suggestions? I have a bottle of gorilla glue, but it always leave a white residue when it hardens. Which I would like to avoid if possible. Also I want to make sure whatever glue that I do use, it will be safe for my NES consoles.

 

[Rich!]

Anyone here have any experience with gluing broken pieces of an NES cart back together? One of the NES games I've recently purchased has a cracked piece at the bottom of the cart which can be popped off. I'm going to try and glue it back in place from the inside of the cart; I have a security bit screwdriver so that shouldn’t be an issue.

However, I'm debating on what type of glue I should use. Anyone here have any suggestions? I have a bottle of gorilla glue, but it always leave a white residue when it hardens. Which I would like to avoid if possible. Also I want to make sure whatever glue that I do use, it will be safe for my NES consoles.

Don't bother.

Buy a cheap NES game from eBay and use the cart shell from that. Replace the label with the original or reprint a new one.

 

[D.Lo]

Don't bother.

Buy a cheap NES game from eBay and use the cart shell from that. Replace the label with the original or reprint a new one.

To get the label off, use a hair dryer to loosen the glue on a corner, and get under it with a razor or very sharp knife. Keep hair dryer on it while slowly peeing off.

Nintendo labels come off quite cleanly with a firm pull after that, but getting a corner free without damage is the trick.

EDIT: Lone Ranger, cool game.

 

[Zing]

You realise it is just a bunch of repurposed used Famicom chips in a new shell?

This is disingenuous. You could make similar comments about anything.

The "new shell" is a stylized aluminum shell with region-free support for FDS and microphones, offers four controller ports, two cartridge slots, and native component or HDMI output. The fact that this is possible using an OEM CPU and PPU is amazing.

 

[Khaz]

This is disingenuous. You could make similar comments about anything.

The "new shell" is a stylized aluminum shell with region-free support for FDS and microphones, offers four controller ports, two cartridge slots, and native component or HDMI output. The fact that this is possible using an OEM CPU and PPU is amazing.

It's not amazing at all. You can already do everything the NT can with an original console and some modding.

All they did was to design a new board and a shell to house it. Designing the board is super easy, as they only had to replicate Nintendo's design. The only things difficult to replicate with off-the-shelf components are the CPU and PPU, which they salvage from original consoles. The second cartridge port is a duplicate of the first one with traces doubled, adding it is as easy as designing a cartridge adapter. Same goes for the four controller port which is a hidden multitap. The various Video out are mods made by the community, they stroke a deal with the original modders (Viletim and Kevtris) to use them in their box.

Their genius was to put everything in a pretty box and being able to sell it at an outrageous price. They are good designers and salesmen, but there is nothing technically amazing in what they did. Not from their part anyway.

 

[Eraser_Arcade]

Don't bother.

Buy a cheap NES game from eBay and use the cart shell from that. Replace the label with the original or reprint a new one.

To get the label off, use a hair dryer to loosen the glue on a corner, and get under it with a razor or very sharp knife. Keep hair dryer on it while slowly peeing off.

Nintendo labels come off quite cleanly with a firm pull after that, but getting a corner free without damage is the trick.

EDIT: Lone Ranger, cool game.

I might try & do that at some other time (even though I'm not exactly comfortable with the idea of peeling off the label), but for now I decided to just glue it with super glue. Which worked as well as I hoped it would. While the crack is still noticeable, the piece is stuck firmly in place.
As for the game, I haven't played much of it yet. But so far, it seems like it's going to be a real fun game to play. I always like finding hidden gems like this.

 

[D.Lo]

This is disingenuous. You could make similar comments about anything.

The "new shell" is a stylized aluminum shell with region-free support for FDS and microphones, offers four controller ports, two cartridge slots, and native component or HDMI output. The fact that this is possible using an OEM CPU and PPU is amazing.

I was responding to the idea that it somehow deals with 'the diminishing pool of Famicom/NES consoles' when it salvges parts from them, making that point 100% moot.

The rest of your post sounds like a sales pitch. 'Region free'? The Famicom is already region free. I've been playing NES games on my Famicom with a $5 pin adapter for 20 years. Component (which is just transcoded RGB) is someone else's work (Tim Worthington), not theirs. I cannot believe they make a big deal out of the microphone when not a single game makes good use of it.

Hey whatever floats your boat, if you like the craftsmanship, and it looks like a nice box. But there is literally nothing amazing about it.

As for the game, I haven't played much of it yet. But so far, it seems like it's going to be a real fun game to play. I always like finding hidden gems like this.

No worries, it's definitely a hidden gem.

 

[DracoBlade]

I have a question for you guys since i'm now about import some famicom games to play on my frontloader nes

When it comes to enhanced games like Castlevania III, will my American NES play it in all its nippon aural glory? In other words is it something built inherently in the Akumajo Densetsu famicom cart that differs from the audio capabilities of the American Dracula's Curse, Or is it depedent on extra hardware chips/bits lol I'm tired....

 

[D.Lo]

I have a question for you guys since i'm now about import some famicom games to play on my frontloader nes

When it comes to enhanced games like Castlevania III, will my American NES play it in all its nippon aural glory? In other words is it something built inherently in the Akumajo Densetsu famicom cart that differs from the audio capabilities of the American Dracula's Curse, Or is it depedent on extra hardware chips/bits lol I'm tired....

You'll have to mod the converter and the console for it to work, but they're simple mods (no expensive parts).

Usually converters need a couple of traces re-mapped, and the NES needs some resistors and wires added between some expansion port connectors.

 

[DracoBlade]

You'll have to mod the converter and the console for it to work, but they're simple mods (no expensive parts).

Usually converters need a couple of traces re-mapped, and the NES needs some resistors and wires added between some expansion port connectors.

Thanks!

Was kinda hoping it wouldn't require modding :/ but seeing as you say its not to difficult or pricey I'll look into it, any comprehensive guide you happen to know/frequent i should look into?

 

[OnPoint]

Thanks!

Was kinda hoping it wouldn't require modding :/ but seeing as you say its not to difficult or pricey I'll look into it, any comprehensive guide you happen to know/frequent i should look into?

This is what I did to my two NES consoles to play expanded sounds and it works great.

http://www.retrofixes.com/2014/05/open-hidden-sound-channels-in-nes.html

 

[entremet]

At a ridiculous price.

How so?

Once you figure you do an RGB mod plus get a Framemeister and it's pretty comparable in price. Subtract the rest for convenience and it doesn't seem like a terrible deal honestly.

 

[Zing]

Once you figure you do an RGB mod plus get a Framemeister and it's pretty comparable in price. Subtract the rest for convenience and it doesn't seem like a terrible deal honestly.

It reminds me of the "Apple products are overpriced" sentiment.

I am definitely part of the target market. I would vastly prefer this product over buying a famicom and shipping it to people for the mods required and then using a converter. I am happy with my toaster NES and CRT, but if these were readily available, I would seriously consider buying.

 

[ToastyFrog]

But putting that aside, there are so many NES/Famicoms out there I wouldn't think to worry about them becoming rare.

Yeah, Nintendo manufactured about 50 million of them. I think we're gonna be OK.

 

[Mzo]

How so?

Once you figure you do an RGB mod plus get a Framemeister and it's pretty comparable in price. Subtract the rest for convenience and it doesn't seem like a terrible deal honestly.

A framemeister would work with all your old consoles and would be a much better investment.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

^Why do these older consoles have such bad input lag when played with composite cables on HDTVs? If you are using a CRT it's a nonissue, right?



Also I heard rumors of someone making an entirely new mechanism for the front loader to replace the original mechanism for loading carts. Idea was to fix the issue that wore out the pins.


Any progress on that?