Micro Machines lockout chip circumvention investigation.
As a follow up to a previous topic I posted, I have been researching the circumvention method employed by this cart to get around the lockout chip. The reason for this is I want to make sure I don't blow up my NES, as I have disabled the lockout chip on my system, and such problems have been reported in the past.
So, what I have discovered is that there are a number of revisions to circumvention method employed by codemasters/camerica. Now many of you will be familiar with the switch on these carts, and several have speculated as to the purpose of these. Certainly it seems to have something to do with ensuring compatibility with later revisions of the NES. Kevtris notes on his site that flipping the switch to the B position actually connects the negative straight to the cart edge, leading to significant power draw on toploaders (and presumably frontloaders with disabled lockout chips). This, he claims, is how damage to such systems can occur! http://kevtris.org/mappers/lockout/camerica.html
Now, there are also codemasters/camerica carts without the switch, and this is what I have. These seem to be later releases, my Micro Machines is the PAL version, it is dated 1992, and it has the Aladdin style black case. If you look in the photos I have taken of my own board, you will see the lockout circumvention circuit in the top left. It would appear to be a simpler and less messy looking than the one pictured on Kevtris' site.
My question is, would this newer design be more or less likely to cause damage to the NES than the old one? Without the switch, is it more likely to be set in the A position, the B position, or something else entirely? I have actually played this game on my NES with lockout chip disabled, and it didn't blow up! Is it safe to continue to do so?
So, what I have discovered is that there are a number of revisions to circumvention method employed by codemasters/camerica. Now many of you will be familiar with the switch on these carts, and several have speculated as to the purpose of these. Certainly it seems to have something to do with ensuring compatibility with later revisions of the NES. Kevtris notes on his site that flipping the switch to the B position actually connects the negative straight to the cart edge, leading to significant power draw on toploaders (and presumably frontloaders with disabled lockout chips). This, he claims, is how damage to such systems can occur! http://kevtris.org/mappers/lockout/camerica.html
Now, there are also codemasters/camerica carts without the switch, and this is what I have. These seem to be later releases, my Micro Machines is the PAL version, it is dated 1992, and it has the Aladdin style black case. If you look in the photos I have taken of my own board, you will see the lockout circumvention circuit in the top left. It would appear to be a simpler and less messy looking than the one pictured on Kevtris' site.
My question is, would this newer design be more or less likely to cause damage to the NES than the old one? Without the switch, is it more likely to be set in the A position, the B position, or something else entirely? I have actually played this game on my NES with lockout chip disabled, and it didn't blow up! Is it safe to continue to do so?
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I have heard some rumors that some WERE released with either a genuine or clone CIC acquired from somewhere, and also ones with other weird modifications to the board, but never seen photographic proof of these...