Hey guys. My name has been thrown around in this thread here and there, so I thought I'd chime in. I'm not here to try and argue with any one, I just wanna tell you my personal thoughts on the matter.
First off, now that Retro Zone has the Star Ocean reproduction available, I will no longer be modifying Star Ocean carts with the DeJap patch (the one that was gonna go to mgalekgolo will be the last one I sell). I agree, there's no need to mess with a real Star Ocean cart when an actual reproduction is available.
Not to derail the thread into debate, but I don't consider putting the DeJap translation on a Star Ocean cart to be butchering the cart (unless you ruin it in the process). It ends up being the same game, just in a language that more people can understand. I don't cut out mask ROMs or anything like that, so they can always be restored to stock. Still, I would rather people buy the reproductions than having to modify carts. Especially for all the people that will try to modify a Star Ocean cart and end up ruining it.
That being said, I have no moral qualms about modifying any Super Famicom cart with the game's English translation patch, but only when the game was not released outside of Japan. Again, I save the mask ROMs, they can always be restored if need be. As long as it remains the same game, only translated, I'm OK with it. But for example, I've turned down many people asking me to put Earthbound on a Mother 2 cart for them.
Yes, I have used donor carts in the past. I will admit. When I first learned about what the internet mostly calls "reproduction carts," the allure was strong. But I've only ever made games that were unreleased or not released outside of Japan. And I have never used a donor cart and tried to pass it off as a super rare real deal, and I've never sold a cart on eBay. The only time I've modified a cart, if not for myself, is when some one asked me to. The only time I've put modified carts up for sale (on a forum) is when the requester flaked out on me.
On that note, I have realized the ugly side of using donor carts a while back. And actually, I've been pretty outspoken against it. I've always advocated the use of flash carts over "repros", even before I realized how bad the use of donor carts really is. I'm all about playing and enjoying the games, which is why I got into modifying carts. But since I'm for the games, that includes preserving them. That means no donor carts.
What I have been working on for a while now is SNES cart PCBs. For the people that just can't use flash carts, a PCB so people can make their "repro" without having to use a donor cart. Measures will be taken to prevent the carts from being passed off as an official cart. I guess these would compare to the NES boards that are for sale on Retro Zone, only for SNES games.
I agree with what MottZilla said about the mess of wires. And while I have wired in EPROMs like that before, I've found out that the 29L3211 for Star Ocean is a much better option. You just have to step the voltage down to 3.3v (picture). And then there's the TSOP adapters for the regular carts. As long as you know what you're doing with a soldering iron, the quality of the build using these two methods would be as sound as anything. Don't use the 29L3211 in this way, it can damage the ROM or possibly the console over time.
I guess this is more about rep than anything else
but... As far as my quality is concerned, I'm not a professional, but I've been soldering electronics for about 10 years now. In the past few years I've also been soldering plumbing. So I believe I have a good knowledge of soldering. I also stand by my work. ::Knock on wood:: I don't believe I've ever had to repair something of mine because of a faulty soldering job.
Anyways, I don't want you guys thinking I'm just another d-bag out there trying to sell his repro carts just for the money. I got into doing this to enjoy the games, and on real hardware. I started doing it for my friends on Racketboy so they could enjoy the games as well. The money I charge some one is for the parts and the time I spent doing the work. I have pretty much only made or modified carts for the regulars on my home forum (Racketboy) by request. Occasionally my name gets dropped, like it did here, and I get inquires from outsiders. But honestly, I don't have the time to be making these carts all the time. I've decided to limit myself to modifying SFC carts for Racketboy regulars only (upon request). If a regular wants to send me their SFC cart to put the translation on, fine. And that will no longer include Star Ocean. Anything else will be referred to my SNES PCBs, if that ever comes into fruition. If not, oh well.
Kindest regards ~ Ziggy
