Chip pinouts on non-Nintendo Famicom carts

Time to sail lesser charted waters... the next cart I plan to install a translation into is Minelvaton Saga, one of Taito's RPG releases that happens to use one of their own mappers versus Nintendo's MMCs. Anywho, what I am here to ask is if boards such as this use the "standard" mask ROM pinout, or does each manufacturer have their own set ways. I know Konami does their own thing, but what about the rest? Anyone had a similar experience reproducing these types of carts?

http://bootgod.dyndns.org:7777/profile.php?id=3955  <--------- Cart and data

What's gonna be neat is stuffing a 32 pin EPROM into a 28 pin MASKROM socket. Doesn't seem too hard, just lose the unused pin, both programming pins and tie OE to ground as usual.

Any help or pointers would rule all. Either way, I will post my results to the Brewery. Thanks!

Comments

  • It may be both, since one chip is 28-pin and the other is 32 though but both are the same size. Not sure 100%, but I know Konami games use the same Nintendo mask ROM pinout though.
  • Originally posted by: 3GenGames

    It may be both, since one chip is 28-pin and the other is 32 though but both are the same size. Not sure 100%, but I know Konami games use the same Nintendo mask ROM pinout though.

    last I checked nintendo maskroms have different pinouts depending on the size of the maskroms.
  • Nintendo and some Konami use different non standard pin-outs. Is there not a Taito mapper doc on NESDev?
  • Originally posted by: 3GenGames

    It may be both, since one chip is 28-pin and the other is 32 though but both are the same size. Not sure 100%, but I know Konami games use the same Nintendo mask ROM pinout though.


    If I omit VPP, PGM, the unused pin and tie OE to ground, that leaves 28 pins to be allocated. Everything on that front works itself out from there.

    What I really want to know is if Taito used Nintendo's pinouts on their MASKROMs or if it is something completely different just because they could. I could always take a multimeter and go from chip pin to cart/mapper pin, but that is a LOT of work.
  • Useless post, edited for content.
  • I dunno, how many companies pulled a Konami and used Nintendo pinouts even for famicom games? Just because the board doesn't say Nintendo doesn't mean that they didn't follow those "rules".



    And that link you linked to marvelous is an 8KB ROM. Those were never rewired, as it's under 64KB.



    And I found this on bootgod's PCB list, looks like it needs some minor rewiring. Hope you can take it after this...



    http://bootgod.dyndns.org:7777/pcb.php?PcbID=227+494+443+449+450+452+582+465
  • Originally posted by: 3GenGames

    I dunno, how many companies pulled a Konami and used Nintendo pinouts even for famicom games? Just because the board doesn't say Nintendo doesn't mean that they didn't follow those "rules".



    And that link you linked to marvelous is an 8KB ROM. Those were never rewired, as it's under 64KB.



    And I found this on bootgod's PCB list, looks like it needs some minor rewiring. Hope you can take it after this...



    http://bootgod.dyndns.org:7777/pcb.php?PcbID=227+494+44...

    I never considered it being under 64K good point. My apologies.


    I have never really gone into the depths of Bootgods site, that search you brought up was interesting. http://bootgod.dyndns.org:7777/image.php?ImageID=3949 hopefully this helps a lot more than my previous post. Thank you 3gen.....

  • Got my cart today and started following traces to edge pins and mapper (nesdev.parodius.com has a pinout of the mapper chip... VERY USEFUL!) and from what I can see, its lining up as per the 128KB Nintendo mask ROM.
  • They shove all kinds of parts numbers on those "datasheet" sites....but could be true, maybe...I mean, one point of mask ROM's is they're not programmable....
  • From everything I am seeing from following traces and referencing the mapper, those pinouts are accurate. They also match Nintendo's normal 128K DIP 28 pinouts.
  • Since I was working on Minelvaton Saga I decided to repro its sequel, Silva Saga.



    http://www.romhacking.net/translations/1394/



    One thing to note is that the translation patch for this particular game doubles the size of the PRG binary to 512K from its stock 256K. Keep that in mind when buying your chips!



  • Success!



    Instructions:





    First and foremost: http://bootgod.dyndns.org:7777/imagegen.php?ImageID=10206&width=600



    See the little blue capacitor in the middle-left of the board? He is in the way of the EPROM you need to install (the EPROM is 32 pin versus the MASKROM's 28). Remove that capacitor and resolder it on the opposite side of the board.





    PRG (You will need a 2M chip for this)



    Lift pins 1, 2, 24, 30, 31 and 32



    When you insert this chip, there will be four pins overhanging the socket on the left side. Basically, match up the ground pins and install it that way.



    Solder pin 32 to hole 28 (VCC)

    Solder pin 2 to hole 22 (A16)

    Solder pin 24 to GND

    Solder pin 30 to pin 47 of the X1-005 chip (A17)



    CHR (You will need a 1M chip for this)



    Lift pins 1, 2, 22, 24, 30 and 31

    Solder pin 2 to hole 24 (A16)

    Solder pin 22 to hole 31 (CE or CHR /A13)

    Solder pin 24 to hole 2 (OE or CHR /RD)




    EDIT: (Yeah, not my best solderjob, but it works!)

    image
  • what the heck is that massive chip above the eproms? Looks like the vr6/7

    *edit* the X1-005....sounds explosive!

  • Originally posted by: Drakon

    what the heck is that massive chip above the eproms? Looks like the vr6/7


    That is the Taito X1-005 mapper chip.
  • Originally posted by: Sabz5150

    Originally posted by: Drakon

    what the heck is that massive chip above the eproms? Looks like the vr6/7


    That is the Taito X1-005 mapper chip.


    In other words no way in hell you'd find a nes donor for this cart
    is Minelvaton Saga: Ragon no Fukkatsu the same game or is this a different one?  Gonna look this game up..

    can't find any footage of silva saga for nes or famicom on youtube....someone must upload!!

  • Originally posted by: Drakon

    In other words no way in hell you'd find a nes donor for this cart

    is Minelvaton Saga: Ragon no Fukkatsu the same game or is this a different one?  Gonna look this game up..

    can't find any footage of silva saga for nes or famicom on youtube....someone must upload!!


    No US game used that mapper.

    Yes, the game is Ragon no Fukkatsu.

  • does this game have the same idol system as Silva Saga? if it does I'll have to make myself one of these.
  • Originally posted by: rokubungi

    does this game have the same idol system as Silva Saga? if it does I'll have to make myself one of these.


    Not entirely sure. I know there are "idols" in there, though.
  • Hi, please, I need some help. I followed the Sabz5150 post to do the translation of this Minelvaton cartridge, but when I turn the Nes on, only the sound is playing ok, and the graphics are completely broken, full of artifacs and garbage.



    I checked all the connections described by Sabz5150 and I'm doing exactly the same, so someone knows the reason for this kind of behavior?



    Thanks.......

  • Originally posted by: Sabz5150



    Success!



    Instructions:





    First and foremost: http://bootgod.dyndns.org:7777/im...



    See the little blue capacitor in the middle-left of the board? He is in the way of the EPROM you need to install (the EPROM is 32 pin versus the MASKROM's 28). Remove that capacitor and resolder it on the opposite side of the board.





    PRG (You will need a 2M chip for this)



    Lift pins 1, 2, 24, 30, 31 and 32



    When you insert this chip, there will be four pins overhanging the socket on the left side. Basically, match up the ground pins and install it that way.



    Solder pin 32 to hole 28 (VCC)

    Solder pin 2 to hole 22 (A16)

    Solder pin 24 to GND

    Solder pin 30 to pin 47 of the X1-005 chip (A17)



    CHR (You will need a 1M chip for this)



    Lift pins 1, 2, 22, 24, 30 and 31

    Solder pin 2 to hole 24 (A16)

    Solder pin 22 to hole 31 (CE or CHR /A13)

    Solder pin 24 to hole 2 (OE or CHR /RD)





    EDIT: (Yeah, not my best solderjob, but it works!)



    image



    Sure this may be an old post, but I'm hoping someone reads this.

    I've done quite a handful of NES carts, but I still consider myself a bit of a NOOB when it comes to the tech aspects.

    Anyway, I wanted to make my first english patched famicom cart and I didn't wanna be a jerk and just make a whole new post, hoping I could find the information on my own.

    I wanted to do Dragon Scroll, which is a Konami Mapper 23 VRC2 board

    Problem is, I haven't been able to find a pinout for it. It uses 28pin 128k roms, so I'm going to have to do pretty much what you did to this one, which is why I think I'm on the right track.

    So do you know if the pinouts are the same as this board here?

    And on the picture, you've got a wire running across the mapper. Is that the ground or something?

    Any help would be awesome.
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