4score for famicom

Elrinth · Post by **Elrinth** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 4:22 pm

Hi guys!

I've got a Sharp Twin Famicom and I've successfully modified my PAL 4-score to allow me to plug it into my extension port and into the 4score two external controllers or supposedly a zapper in port 2 (can't test because I don't own a zapper, mine was lost in space and time). However! My question is about 4-player support: If and how it's possible to modify my 4score to get it working!?

ericj over at famicomworld told me to ask around here to see if someone knows anything about it... Here's my thread and progress so far: http://www.famicomworld.com/forum/index ... .msg108165

Currently my only game at disposal to try 4-player is Super Spike V'Ball (PAL). I did try it, but it doesn't allow me to choose 2v2. and playing 1v1 and putting controllers into third and fourth slot will only make player 1 and player 2 move... Obviously I figured as much as I'm basically sending same signal from both.

Having read: http://nesdev.icequake.net/ffpa.txt

I saw that famicom games were programmed in one way, and nes games in another way. So my question is... Will I be able to somehow shift the bits coming from p3 and p4? Because according to that txt (if I understand it correctly), all data is sent over p1 and p2. even p3 and p4, just that the data is added to p1 and p2. p1 and p3 share the same clock and p2 and p4 share the same clock. I'd like to have it working for both japanese and european games ofc, but if one of them works, it's great.

But I can't simply connect a cable between p1 and p3 data, because I'd be sending the exact same data. Pushing right on p3 would be the same as pushing right on p1, exact same data? Right? I'm not really great with this, but there should be some way without modifiying my Sharp Twin Famicom inside to get this working, or?

According to a guy over here (look at bottom): http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/sh ... p?p=264070
I'd need to modify famicom expansion port inside my sharp twin famicom with some IC called: 74LS368 in order to create the proper signals for port 1. o_O

Please respond here and not over there!

FARID · Post by **FARID** » Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:16 am

This my my Famicom

:

Post by **tepples** » Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:46 am

The Famicom expansion controllers and the NES Four Score use different protocols, as you realized.

The NES Four Score:

$4016 D0: player 1, then player 3, then signature
$4017 D0: player 2, then player 4, then signature

The Famicom expansion controllers:

$4016 D0: player 1
$4017 D0: player 2
$4016 D1: player 3
$4017 D1: player 4

Famicom games that don't support four players ordinarily allow player 1 to use either player 1's hardwired controller or player 3's detachable controller, and likewise for players 2 and 4. This might explain your behavior of player 3 controlling player 1.

Elrinth · Post by **Elrinth** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 7:31 pm

@FARID: Niiice famicom, but it looks like a snes! o_O Also it's got 3 ports in the front? Where's the famicom disk reader?

or do you have an external for that?
Data 3 and Data 4 aren't sent over expansion port afaik. In order for them to send, I'd have to modify inside my Sharp Twin Famicom, right?

@Tepples: Thank you for the informative answer. Do you think it's possible to get either four player modes working by modifying the 4score? If it is, then I think I'm going to try to focus getting it working with the japanese 4 player in 1st case. As I don't really own any 4player games yet. super v spike ball (eu) is borrowed from a friend.

I've got super dodge ball (fami) incoming, so I've finally got some software to try this on.

FARID · Post by **FARID** » Sat Feb 25, 2012 11:58 pm

Niiice famicom, but it looks like a snes!

It is a FC Clone, Made in Tiwan, Model : FUMA, CPU : UM6561F-2

o_O Also it's got 3 ports in the front?

Originally, the function of these three ports were like this :
Port1 : 9pin : Pad1 - Port2 : 15pin : Zapper - Port3 : 9pin : Pad2

Where's the famicom disk reader? or do you have an external for that?

I don't have any Famicom Disk Reader. Any outstanding advantage? Does it worth to work on it? Someone asked about if it is possible to make it with PC FDD

Data 3 and Data 4 aren't sent over expansion port afaik.

I found out that for Pad 3 and Pad 4 I can use shared lines of Pad 1 and Pad 2 : +5V, GND, Latch, Clock
Then I just looking for Data 3 and Data 4 on CPU side and I found them floating on my FC CPU, so I desolder Zapper port and I replaced it with 15 pin male socket, as you can see I used screw to keep it there. The pinout of it, is custom and made by flying wires, as you can see in the picture. [To see the large image just click on it]

In order for them to send, I'd have to modify inside my Sharp Twin Famicom, right?

Please take a picture of your Famicom, tell me the CPU part number, maybe you can also find Data 3 and Data 4 directly from it.

By the way : The worthy 4 Player games are Japanese region, so forget about PAL and USA region, as I don't know any outstanding 4 player game for those region.

Elrinth · Post by **Elrinth** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 8:47 am

@FARID
Advantages of the disk reader? Not many

But it does have it's own soundchip. There is a few fun games for it. One in particular called Ai Senshi Nicol (Love Warrior Nicol) which I really like.

As there is the hori 4 players adaptor.. there really has to be a way to do this without modifying my console. I might already have been successful

I'd rather not open up my sharp twin famicom just yet. If this 4player thing can be fixed thru the expansion port, then it's great.

Karatorian · Post by **Karatorian** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:10 am

FARID wrote:Someone asked about if it is possible to make it with PC FDD

I've thought about it. I've got some preliminary ideas of how to clone it. But nothing concrete (and neither does anyone else, that I'm aware of). Or did you mean "Is it possible to mod a FDS to use a PC drive?"