nesdev.org

Hey all I've been lurking these boards since as long as I can remember. I have an issue and maybe some light could be shed on it for me as I am at a loss for words pertaining to the FDS system. My issue with the system is that I cannot get, the only FDS game I own, Metroid to work on it. The dude I received the system from claimed it worked never had a problem, and it was "collecting dust" as to the reason why I took it off his hands in the first place. Enough rambling for now here's the skinny on it.

The drive belt seems to be in alright shape, it's not frayed or melted.
The power board on the other hand seems to be damaged somewhat. as the person did a sloppy job modding the powerboard. The board's been cut in two areas.


This seems to be what someone attempted to do.
My Power board is revision 5 the last one.

Apart from that the drive itself seems untouched.
I have attempted to wire past the two cuts with wire to where the traces on the power board were supposed to go and I have had no luck.

I'd also like to say that i would have gone to the famicom board with the issue, but it is in Japanese and I don't speak it.

The first thing I'd check, is, are you powering your Famicom Disk System properly ?

You need to plug in an external supply - i.e. the RAM adapter cable alone won't power your FDS drive.
The supply has to be between 9V to 12V DC (maybe up to 15V) with the ground INSIDE the jack cable (those could also be called -9V or -12V DC). Most common power supplies have the ground outside the cable, so they won't work.

When I bought my FDS it came without any kind of supply, thanks god I have in my house a huge box filled with dozen of supplies, and one of them happened to be perfect for my FDS.

If all else fails, you could always power it with batteries - I know it's stupid and anti-ecological considering the system is not portable anyway but Nintendo is to blame for this poor design choice.

I've been using batteries since the adapter I got with it is a 50hz famiparter plug.

Nintendo figured the batteries were a good idea because at that time, typically you only had 2 electrical outlets, and they were both being used by the TV and the Famicom already. Before the time of having surge traps/power strips so common now.

Plus one set of the batteries will last a really long time.

FDS systems can be really annoying. If they don't wanna work, diagnosing the problem can be hard. But if you have the time to put into it, you can probably get it working again.

...or you do what I did: get rid of the broken FDS (I gave mine to Matt Conte) and get another one.

BTW, I do have an official Nintendo FDS AC adapter (NTSC/Japanese model). Specs written on the adapter itself:

Model HVC-025
Input: AC, 100V, 50/60Hz, 9VA
Output: DC, 9V, 400mA

I am always very, very wary of using any sort of third-party AC adapters on products, specifically because in my experience both voltage and amperage greatly matter; often when people tell me "oh don't worry about it" they're stating that under the assumption that the underlying device has proper circuitry to keep damage from occurring, which is not the case. For example, Demi (of Neo Demiforce fame) blew up 3 separate Famicom systems when he attempted to use a NES AC adapter on his Famicoms. The part that blew up (literally into pieces) was a voltage regulator/VRM of some sort.

It's true almost all power supplies are protected against short-circuit, some are protected from overvoltage and overheat, but few are protected against reverse-polarity voltage, which can be just as nasty as the above problems.

Nintendo figured the batteries were a good idea because at that time, typically you only had 2 electrical outlets, and they were both being used by the TV and the Famicom already.

Mmh, before you also needed outlets for your 93 other gaming consoles, 'cause the Famicom was the only (decent) one, right ?

What about their VHS recorders ?

At least here in the States, a lot of VHS decks and cable boxes have a 2-prong outlet on the back for plugging in a TV.

tepples wrote:At least here in the States, a lot of VHS decks and cable boxes have a 2-prong outlet on the back for plugging in a TV.

I thought that was with stereo systems with cd/tape/aux.

Ratix wrote:

tepples wrote:At least here in the States, a lot of VHS decks and cable boxes have a 2-prong outlet on the back for plugging in a TV.

I thought that was with stereo systems with cd/tape/aux.

Yes, those too often have them. But what Tepples said is valid; some VCRs do have them as well, as do some set-top cable boxes (I know of some old ones which did, not sure about the present-day digital ones).

This is how you *properly* disable the security on a FMD POWER-05 board:



Remove the IC and the two related 10K resistors. Remove the clock generator parts too if you need the parts, but you may leave them in place if you wish. Put the two wire jumpers as shown on the picture. No traces are cut.

Ratix wrote:Hey all I've been lurking these boards since as long as I can remember. I have an issue and maybe some light could be shed on it for me as I am at a loss for words pertaining to the FDS system. My issue with the system is that I cannot get, the only FDS game I own, Metroid to work on it. The dude I received the system from claimed it worked never had a problem, and it was "collecting dust" as to the reason why I took it off his hands in the first place. Enough rambling for now here's the skinny on it.

The drive belt seems to be in alright shape, it's not frayed or melted.
The power board on the other hand seems to be damaged somewhat. as the person did a sloppy job modding the powerboard. The board's been cut in two areas.


This seems to be what someone attempted to do.
My Power board is revision 5 the last one.

Apart from that the drive itself seems untouched.
I have attempted to wire past the two cuts with wire to where the traces on the power board were supposed to go and I have had no luck.

I'd also like to say that i would have gone to the famicom board with the issue, but it is in Japanese and I don't speak it.

What is the ERR code?

there is no error code it locks up the entire system upon insertion of the disk i can wait, wait forever and the screen will still be locked up. drive motor might be shot but if it was i would not be able to have the drive heads move wouldn't i?

I'd suggest you obtain a FDSLDR cable or a known good FDS drive and test your RAM ADAPTER.

l_oliveira wrote:I'd suggest you obtain a FDSLDR cable or a known good FDS drive and test your RAM ADAPTER.

that is something i had totally forgot about.
i believe i can make one since i do have the cable for the printer and i have a spare snes i can sack. unless someone else makes them. i plan on heavily using the FDS if the ramcart is ok

Ratix wrote:there is no error code it locks up the entire system upon insertion of the disk i can wait, wait forever and the screen will still be locked up. drive motor might be shot but if it was i would not be able to have the drive heads move wouldn't i?

Can you check voltages and clean up slot connector?