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How to split a nes file
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 6:11 pm
by jdmonly
Hello I'm new here and to this retro thing any way I hope I'm in the right section . How do I split a nes file into a prg an chr file
Re: How to split a nes file
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 7:30 pm
by 3gengames
Download this tool:
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 25&t=28549
And for windows, you can just drag the ROM to the program, or you can run it in a batch file with:
Code: Select all
ReadNES3.exe ROMNAME.NES [Number of times to repeat program bank] [Number of times to repeat character bank]
If you're in linux, I think I added a linux file to that ZIP, but if not the source is there, just compile and do the same. Shell script would just be:
Code: Select all
./ReadNES3 ROMNAME.NES [Number of times to repeat program bank] [Number of times to repeat character bank]
That should be all ya need. Good luck.
Re: How to split a nes file
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 7:38 pm
by jdmonly
Ok I will try tomororrow it's bit late thanks
Re: How to split a nes file
Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 8:42 am
by jdmonly
i tried to split a nes file which was legend of zelda then looked for a Donor Cart and it is a snrom according to this link
http://www.thenesdump.com/Mappers/SNROM.htm it has no CHR rom so i think i do not need to split zelda hope you understand first time playing a nes last week i was born in 1993 so this is very very new to me thanks
Re: How to split a nes file
Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:52 am
by tokumaru
Even if a ROM has no CHR-ROM (meaning it uses CHR-RAM), you still have to "split" it in order to remove the iNES header (i.e. the first 16 bytes of the file).
Re: How to split a nes file
Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 10:33 am
by jdmonly
so just split the Nes file and burn the prg file to an eprom and that's it ready for the donor cart and what eprom do i use thanks
Re: How to split a nes file
Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 10:57 am
by tokumaru
Yeah, just burn the PRG-ROM. Most 8-bit EPROMs will work, just keep in mind that EPROM sizes are specified in Kilobits, not Kilobytes. Take a 27C256 for example: it holds 256 Kilobits, which is 32 Kilobytes. If the PRG-ROM is 128 Kilobytes, you need a 27c010 (the 010 stands for 1024).
Also, you can't just drop the EPROM where the original Mask ROM was, because the pinouts are not 100% compatible. You have to compare the pinouts of both chips rewire anything that doesn't match.
Re: How to split a nes file
Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 12:51 pm
by jdmonly
OK thanks for the help i know i have solder and wire the chip in i was wondering if you could use a zif socket and then just swap the chip to another snrom chip like Bard's Tale is that possible thanks
Re: How to split a nes file
Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 3:02 pm
by tokumaru
jdmonly wrote:i was wondering if you could use a zif socket and then just swap the chip to another snrom chip like Bard's Tale is that possible thanks
Yes, that would work fine.
Re: How to split a nes file
Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 5:00 pm
by jdmonly
that's good whats the best site to get eproms
Re: How to split a nes file
Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 5:09 pm
by 3gengames
Just google for the ROMS. You can't post any copyrighted ROMS here though!
Re: How to split a nes file
Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 6:10 pm
by infiniteneslives
3gengames wrote:Just google for the ROMS. You can't post any copyrighted ROMS here though!
Guessing you read it too fast

For EPROMs, ebay is decent one of the sellers there also has their own site but they ship from china 'buyicnow' I think I've got good stuff from them in the past. Someone else might have a better supplier stateside if you don't want to wait as long.
Re: How to split a nes file
Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 6:29 pm
by 3gengames
Haha, I read it thinking he really meant ROMS, heh. My bad. But Futurlec has some ROMS, Ebay, Digikey maybe.
Re: How to split a nes file
Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 12:42 pm
by jdmonly
does anybody here use the GQ-4X PROGRAMMER is it worth £80 is there other ones that does the job for less then £80
Re: How to split a nes file
Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 2:06 pm
by proveaux
Yeah. It works well. I haven't any problems with.