Portable Nintendo project issue

Discuss hardware-related topics, such as development cartridges, CopyNES, PowerPak, EPROMs, or whatever.

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Patnukem
Posts: 93
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2020 11:16 pm

Portable Nintendo project issue

Post by Patnukem »

Hi all, I built a portable nes and it seems to be running 90% but there is one issues I can not figure out and wanted some help tracking it down. I’ve tried a few games so far Tetris (nintendo), Dr. Mario, Super Mario bros./duck hunt, TMNT, TMNT2, Kings quest (4 or 5 I forget the number atm), tengen afterburner, Tetris 2, Wall Street kid, Metroid. All of them work except

Dr. Mario starts and have sprites change to the wrong one then back.
FullSizeRender.MOV
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TMNT has major sprite issues after or on the title screen then eventually freezes, the sound also glitches.

Tetris had two issues the solder mask on the game over the pins so I removed that and not can get a garbled copyright screen but nothing else if I find the right spot in the system.

All the other games are totally playable as far as I can tell and no sound issues either. I have tested these games on another NES just to be sure there was no issue on the game end.

The system is running of USB battery pack connected to the 5v line, I previously had a lot of feedback on key presses on screen, I think I’ve resolved this for the most part because I tied all the grounds to one spot. I only have a few guesses, some issue on the nes like a bad chip or line. Not sure how likely that is based on the amount of working games. Could be a short between the connector and the board there is a ribbon cable connecting them to each other. May last guess is a power issue maybe the games draw more power and it’s a bit much for the particular usb setup I have, I could probably verify this by powering just the nes or trying a different 5v power source.

Any help I can get is appreciated, Thank you!
calima
Posts: 1745
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 10:16 am

Re: Portable Nintendo project issue

Post by calima »

If you have an Everdrive, those tend to draw more power than normal carts, so it would be a quick power test. In insufficient power, it would probably give SD card errors.
Patnukem
Posts: 93
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2020 11:16 pm

Re: Portable Nintendo project issue

Post by Patnukem »

Just a follow up, I rebuilt the 72pin connector wire harness with shielding that seems to have solved the issue. All games playing correctly now.
zombie343
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2015 12:16 am

Re: Portable Nintendo project issue

Post by zombie343 »

Glad you got it working! Were you able to source 72-pin connectors that are 2.50mm or 2.54mm in pitch? I'm trying to pick the right connector for a project as well.
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Ben Boldt
Posts: 1149
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 8:27 pm
Location: Minnesota, USA

Re: Portable Nintendo project issue

Post by Ben Boldt »

From my experience, definitely look into Kingworld on AliExpress:

Straight 72-pin 2.50mm (top-loader, clone style):
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32827561164.html

ZIF 72-pin 2.50mm (front loader):
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32828478418.html
Patnukem
Posts: 93
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2020 11:16 pm

Re: Portable Nintendo project issue

Post by Patnukem »

They are labeled as NES specific not sure the measurements but they work with every cart I’ve tried so far. Though the ones listed there look the same but a bit cheaper, should have looked a bit more I guess. I ordered a few since I have a Famicombox I need to replace one on anyhow.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrLeAfC
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