nesdev.org

I am using a USBCopyNES to dump a copy of a game that I own. I do not want to say the name of the game because I support the developer and don't want to get requests for a rom if I am able to dump it. I just want the .nes for my own personal use. The game is 512kb and I think the mapper is either UxROM or UOROM (I'm leaning toward it being UOROM since the demo rom used that mapper). USBCopyNES will not output a file that large using either mapper. Is there a way to dump this board's contents?

You'll need to write your own dumping script. It should be only a small modification to the one provided by boodgod here:
http://bootgod.dyndns.org:7777/plugins.php

lidnariq wrote:You'll need to write your own dumping script. It should be only a small modification to the one provided by boodgod here:
http://bootgod.dyndns.org:7777/plugins.php

I'm a noob when it comes to modifying a script. Is there a recommended program for opening and editing the UNROM.BIN file? Also, what would I need to change in it?

Actually, it looks like the one there already supports 512KiB UxROM.

serpentor wrote:I'm a noob when it comes to modifying a script. Is there a recommended program for opening and editing the UNROM.BIN file? Also, what would I need to change in it?

It's not a script file - it's a plugin. You would need to download the ASM file, edit it (it's 6502 assembly code), then run it through an appropriate assembler (which I believe is this one) to produce a new .BIN file.

Fairly sure there is some hardware copynes dump protection used on that cart to prevent you from dumping it with copynes.

proveaux wrote:Fairly sure there is some hardware copynes dump protection used on that cart to prevent you from dumping it with copynes.

Huh? on UOROM??? doubtful... Early CNROM boards had some anti-dumping diodes on the CHR. But UOROM? If the copyNES can't read the rom for dumping then the NES wouldn't be able to read the rom to play the game.

Not hard to guess what cart this is.

Quietust wrote:

serpentor wrote:I'm a noob when it comes to modifying a script. Is there a recommended program for opening and editing the UNROM.BIN file? Also, what would I need to change in it?

It's not a script file - it's a plugin. You would need to download the ASM file, edit it (it's 6502 assembly code), then run it through an appropriate assembler (which I believe is this one) to produce a new .BIN file.

Okay, I have opened the UNROM.ASM in ASM Editor but I'm not sure what needs to be changed. I'm new to all of the behind the scenes of how all of this works. In the past I have just used the wiki at nesdev to find the correct mapper, selected it in USBCopyNES, and made my backups without really understanding how I am very sorry to be a bother, but what am I looking for in the ASM? I see several references to 128k, but I don't think it is as easy as just changing all of those to 512k.

To lidnariq, I tried using the UNROM.BIN without editing it but it only supports up to 256k.

Thanks to both of you! Your help getting me this far is appreciated, I feel like I'm this [----] close!

thefox wrote:Not hard to guess what cart this is.

Not at all. I think.

infiniteneslives wrote: Huh?

I could definitly be mistaken. Wouldn't be the first time or last.

When I tried to dump with CopyNes, believe I ran into the issue listed by OP but not 100% positive. Will try again when I get a chance. If I have same issue, will put game on test cart and see how CopyNes does. That, I would guess, would tell if it is a hardware protection on cart or plugin issue with CopyNes?

proveaux wrote:

thefox wrote:Not hard to guess what cart this is.

Not at all. I think.

So is the copy protection just the fact that it's not a common mapper? Because it's still nothing special aside from non-standard mapper...

If it's not really a UOROM, it's probably something equivalent but with registers or values scrambled in some way to prevent exactly what you are trying to do. Options:

1. Use the CopyNES debugger to walk through the startup code. This will be very, very slow, but you might be able to get to the bankswitch code to figure out how it's different from UOROM. Then you can build a custom dump plugin for that mapper.

2. Desolder the ROM chips and dump them with a ROM reader/burner. If you do this, you can reverse engineer it with an emulator instead, which will be much easier.

3. Just download somebody else's rip of it from the web.

(Edit: new claims that it's actually a normal oversize UxROM.)

rainwarrior wrote:It's not really a UOROM. Probably something equivalent but with registers or values scrambled in some way to prevent exactly what you are trying to do. Options:

1. Use the CopyNES debugger to walk through the startup code. This will be very, very slow, but you might be able to get to the bankswitch code to figure out how it's different from UOROM. Then you can build a custom dump plugin for that mapper.

2. Desolder the ROM chips and dump them with a ROM reader/burner. If you do this, you can reverse engineer it with an emulator instead, which will be much easier.

3. Just download somebody else's rip of it from the web.

Options 1 and 2 are above my level of ability currently, and I've searched to the ends of the Internet for Option 3 . It looks like I'm tied to an original NES with this game. I really wish RetroUSB would include a digital download with these.

If you send me a picture of both sides of the PCB (not the cartridge as a whole) I might be able to decipher how it works.

Well, this is good way to learn, if you want those abilities. Otherwise, I dunno, maybe there's somebody here you can mail it to that would like to take on the challenge. I think I could do it, and it would be a fun challenge, but my interest in this is only at the spectator level.

I'm a little curious, though, how come you have a CopyNES? I presume you didn't buy and install it just to try and dump this one cartridge. It sounds like you don't do NES programming. What use do you get out of it?

Edit: ah yeah, lidnariq makes a good point, if it's just discrete parts in there it might be decipherable just from looking at it. I was thinking of RetroUSB's MMC style repros which have a CPLD on there that requires much more than visual inspection.