Famicom Disk System

I used to buy up a lot of Famicom Disk System games and would always wind up with bootlegs mixed in. Bootlegs are usually direct copies or have only slight changes. This hack however is quite a bit different, it is a Super Mario Bros hack called Fly Mario. Fly Mario is a lot fun, you fly (swim) all the time you cannot die (unless you go off screen) and have unlimited lives, the levels are also very different.

I dumped this back in 2005 and it still doesn't seem to have made its way onto the internet so here it is.

If anyone figures out how to get past 6-1 please let me know. :)

Triforce and Chihiro Firmware

Triforce firmware update, latest version for adding CF support. This update can be netbooted.
Download here.

Chihiro firmware update, latest version for adding CF support, two files one for 512mb motherboards and another for 1gb versions. This update can be netbooted.
Download here.

Happy Christmas.

Making Naomi CF images

Since posting my how to guide on making a CF reader and uploading the Naomi 4.02 firmware I've had a few people ask me how to make working cf images. All the details are explained on this wiki page, the original page is down but luckily google has a cached version here.

Tube Swap

It's alive!


The picture is slanted so the yoke needs to be adjusted slightly and the size pots need adjusting. There is no video connected to it yet as the Space Invaders board is fried, so I'll need to sort that before I can go any further with the monitor.

Here are a few pictures from the tube swap process









Original broken tube with yoke removed.









TV donor tube.








TV tube with monitor yoke fitted.

Tube Swap

This isnt much of an update I haven't had much time for projects recently. However I have finally tracked down a black & white tv that I have needed for years, it is for a Taito Space Invaders cocktail with a broken tube.


This tube is the correct size and neck type (CR-7) as the monitor in the Space Invaders (Toei GM-140) and although the TV tube uses 11v on the heater and the monitor uses 12v it should be a close enough match.

The yoke on the other hand is not even close so I will have to do my first yoke swap, which will be interesting. I will try and document as much of the yoke swap as I can as I go along even if it doesn't all go to plan.

For anyone interested in more info on the TV it is a Boots Audio 14, with a Mullan A34-510W tube. There's also an isolanted transformer inside the case which might come in handy, I haven't had a change to check it yet but I am guessing it's a 100v-120v step down.

JAMMA 2 SCART

Here is a basic image I have made to show you how to wire up a JAMMA board to a scart tv / monitor. This is how my supergun cable is wired and it is tried and tested on many different tvs. You might find that the 330R resistors are not required when using a crt tv but they are when using an lcd as the colours will be washed out without them.

You can get away with using +5v on pin 8 but depending on the tv it might display in widescreen, some tvs will not sync if there is no voltage on pin 8.

TV to Arcade Monitor

I have been checking a lot of 19/20" TVs in search of tube / yoke combos that will work as drop in replacements for Arcade monitors. Only four TV models to look out for so far but I will update this list if / when I find more candidates.

Make - Bush Model - 2075NTX Tube - Samsung - A48ECR143X55 Size - 19"
Make - LG Model - CI-20E20 Tube - Samsung - A48ECR143X55 Size - 19"
- Thanks Rossyra.
Drop in replacement for Hantarex monitors models MTC900, MTC900E, MTC9000 and Polo.

Make - Goodmans Model - 2065TS Tube - Orion - A48JLL90X0 Size - 19"
Make - Goodmans Model - 2045TS Tube - Orion - A48JLL90x02 Size - 19"
Drop in replacement for Wells Gardner monitors K7000 series.

You will need to change the yoke connector to match your chassis.

Happy Easter

Just a small update I have made the Naomi DIMM 4.01 update avaliable for download here. Check out the readme file for a little extra bonus. :)

Happy Easter guys.

TV to Arcade Monitor

I recently wrote up some success I had taking a TV tube / yoke combo and using them with an original Hantarex MTC9000 monitor chassis. Check it out
here on UKVAC forums.

Hantarex monitor connectors

I asked on UKVAC forum about replacement Hantarex connectors for a tube swap I am currently doing but didn't have much luck when it came to finding new stock. It seems most were under the impression that Hantarex used custom connectors not available to the public, it was pointed out there are compatible housings. The problem with the compatible housings is that they don't have the tabs to stopping you plugging them back to front.

This isn't good because if you plug in either the power or yoke connector back to front you are going to blow the chassis and maybe even the yoke also I am a bit of a perfectionist so back to the search :). Trying CPC first bought up nothing then on to RS, what a massive site! after about an hour of searching I found what I was looking for. They are made by Tyco Electronics (formerly AMP?) and still use the same part numbers used in the Hantarex manual, so why didn't a google bring up the RS page? arghh.

2way housing #280590 RS #509-1641 - used for the degaussing coil
4way housing #280591 RS #509-1657 - used for power
6way housing #280592 RS #509-1663 - used for video and yoke
crimper pins #280702-1 RS #668-9381 - used with all above

These connectors are used on MTC90/900/900e/9000 and 9110 after that came Polo which changed the power and degaussing coil connectors to molex but kept the video and yoke Tyco.

Naomi / Triforce / Chihiro Compact Flash

Here is the CF to Sega CF guide as promised. It doesn't have as many pictures as I would have liked or go into as much detail as I had planned. I will most likely update it in future but it has all the infomation you need to make your own. Also remember you can use any IDE CF reader, I just chose the Unitek as it came in a nice case. :)

download
Happy modding.

Naomi / Triforce / Chihiro Compact Flash

Sega recently released a Compact Flash device compatible with Naomi 1 & 2 / Triforce (Type 3) and Chihiro (Type 3). The idea is to replace the very unreliable and no longer supported GDROM drives with something a lot more reliable. It uses a custom Compact Flash reader which is pretty basic and a 512MB CF card to store the game(s).

Seeing how basic the reader was I decided to see if I could make my own using a PC CF reader. I wanted my version to be in a drop in replacement for the GDROM drive just like Sega's version. This means I had to add a SCSI-2 port for the data to go to the DIMM board and a 6 pin power connector to attach to the power splitter.

The project took about 3 days, 2 days to document everything and another day modding and soldering 40 odd wires to complete.

Here you can see my CF reader hooked up to a Triforce (Type 3).

I picked this Unitek CF reader even though it is sold as a SATA CF reader because it is about the only one that comes in a case that isn't USB. Also it has an unused IDE connector on the PCB which is ideal to solder the SCSI-2 connector to.

I have written a guide for this project and will be uploading it here once I have the time to finish it. Keep in mind you will need a official CF card for Triforce / Chihiro games to work. Naomi on the other hand does have a hacked DIMM firmware floating about which allows other CF cards to work.