Can N64 games work without the CIC chip?

GuntzGuntz
in Help Wanted!
I've got a dead Killer Instinct Gold cart, probably posted about it here before. I opened it up again and the top of the NUS-6102 chip looks darker than other N64 cart chips I've seen, including a second NUS-6102. I'm wondering if that chip got burned out somehow... Would a dead CIC cause an N64 cart with good Mask ROMs to stop working? If I had a logic probe or oscilloscope I'd know for sure...

Comments

  • DxSDxS
    Yes, the game won't start with a bad CIC. I'm pretty sure I have a few replacement 6102s, you could have one for the price of shipping.
  • GuntzGuntz
    Oh well that's encouraging. Hopefully it's just a bad CIC that's holding this cart back. Can you ship to Canada? It probably wouldn't cost much to ship a tiny little chip like that. I appreciate the offer!
  • DxSDxS
    Shipping to Canada would be no more than $3.15.



    Does your TV screen stay the same when you try to start the game? If it changes color your CIC may still be good.
  • GuntzGuntz
    Well, I've tested the game on a 32" RCA brand CRT, with it's default color set to blue (wasn't a fan of black). The screen never turns black when I turn the game on. Every other working cart I have turns black, then the game starts.



    I've also tried it on an older JVC 27" CRT, with a default black screen. Working games have a sync "flicker" appear twice before graphics appear. KIG only ever flicks once... If you've seen a console switch video resolution during operation, like the Saturn, then you'll know what I mean by a "flick" on the screen.
  • DxSDxS
    The screen would stay Blue with a bad CIC, but you could say the same about the MASK ROMs. It could also be a bad connection, or one of the smaller components on the board. Do you have a Multimeter you could use to check all of the connections?



    Also, I've never played Shining Force.
  • GuntzGuntz
    I've visually inspected the PCB and the only physical problem is the CIC and the cartridge edge, which has the usual wear and tear. Everything else looks good, such as the little DIP-8 chip (4Kb EEPROM right?) and the two Mask ROMs. I could snap a pic if that helps. Also, when connected to this amp I have, sometimes the subwoofer "engages" like it does with all my working games, so Killer Instinct Gold is probably making correct connection with the console.



    At some point I really need to get a logic probe / oscilloscope, either of the two. That way I can power stuff on and check if there's any activity with suspect chips. That'd be the fastest way to determine where the problem lies... But, just on visual inspection alone, I don't trust the CIC.
  • ShinjuShinju
    Wonder if that is the problem with a couple of DOA N64 carts I have.



    Rayman 2 and San Fran Rush 2. Both of them look find to the naked eye internally but neither one of them boot up.
  • GuntzGuntz
    Anything in the cartridge can short out, so technically the best way to diagnose the problem is with a logic probe or an oscilloscope, neither of which I have. Sucks that those games don't work, I hear they're pretty good. I don't know if Killer Instinct Gold is any good, but it's from 1996 and it's worth $15 - $20 so it'd be nice to fix it.
  • DxSDxS
    It's definitely an EEPROM, but I'm not sure about the size.



    PM sent.
  • ShinjuShinju
    I have a Digital Volt Multimeter, But I never bothered to hook it up to see. I got these games for 2.50 each so its not a big deal if they are toasted if anything if I find replacements that have cracked shells or torn labels I could just swap them out
  • GuntzGuntz
    I got a bit impatient waiting for the CIC from DxS to arrive, so I went and swapped the CIC between Pilotwings and Killer Instinct Gold. Strangely, nothing changed at all. Pilotwings still works and KIG doesn't... I figure that game is just toast.



    And then I went to the post office and the CIC came in... Oh well, at least I have a spare.
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