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Hm, it gives me no error with CIC OFF, just a black screen, as if it refuses to run (but is still powered on). If I switch the CIC on, no video signal comes to the TV.
(The CIC ON scenario is same with all other NTSC titles, but they run if CIC is OFF ).

And the part about detecting the adapter freaks me out

Bregalad wrote:My PAL DKC works without the universal adapter only on my PAL SNES, and gives me an error message if I make it trough the adapter. The game somehow detect the adapter, I don't know how.

The game doesn't detect the adapter, but the video system. In the PAL version there is a piece of code that reads register $213F and checks one bit to recognize the hardware it is running on (PAL or NTSC). If the flag doesn't match with the game region, it resets or prints out a message. Secret of Mana had the same protection, and some others games too.

When I run my PAL Donkey Cong Country with my PAL SNES with an adaptater with a PAL cartridge in the B-SLOT, I get the error message.

Maybe it's because my adapter hack the $213f registers to make NTSC games read that they're on a NTSC system ?

Bregalad wrote:When I run my PAL Donkey Cong Country with my PAL SNES with an adaptater with a PAL cartridge in the B-SLOT, I get the error message.

Maybe it's because my adapter hack the $213f registers to make NTSC games read that they're on a NTSC system ?

Maybe, it makes sense... but that implies the adapter has some logic on it (some circuitry) and therefore is more advaced that mine: I own a HoneyBee that has only paths on the PCB (no circuitry on it), which route the CIC signals from slot B to the SNES control deck.

Yeah I don't know if my adapter has some circuitery on it I'd have to check that !

shiny wrote:Apparently, I've got NTSC Donkey Kong Country, which does not run with either CIC disabled nor enabled (on PAL SNES). Is that game known to have some additional region checks, or could it be that the cart is borked?

The latter is likely. DKC should run fine on a lockout-modded PAL SNES, at least in 60 Hz mode. Under 50 Hz, it will present the Rare and Nintendo logos and then give you an error message (unless you have region-deprotection circuitry in your adaptor, of course).

Would resoldering the CIC from my PAL Super Mario World to this kart make any sense?

Not really. The best idea would be to test the cart on a NTSC console to see if it works at all.

I just wanted to say that now that I could test it with my super-powerpak I confirm that my adapter definitely somehow highhacks tha $213f register to make games think they're on a NTSC SNES.

So for region locked games... I have to play NTSC games with the adapter, and PAL games without it. For non-region locked games, it's a non-issue.
I also confirm my Power Pak works fine with my adapter so people who have it could spare $3 for the CIC (which I didn't - I went the safe way).

There is also semi-region locked games such as Megaman 7 and Mega Man X, they print a warning message if the wrong region but the game still runs.

Despite the warning, unlike the NES, it's extremely rare to find a game which runs into NTSC/PAL problems with the SNES. The only problem I've ever found was with Chrono Trigger's intro where the music has to find it's way to the ending, some tracks ends while others continue to loop and it sounds ugly. There is probably other games with issues tough I didn't encounter them.