What the hell is this?

hadokenhadoken
in Price Check
I recently acquired this PCB, but I don't what it is from, so I came to NA since I figured y'all know 'bout this stuff.

Pics of the top:
http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt229/sucksross/DSCN1103.jpg
http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt229/sucksross/DSCN1105.jpg

Pic of the bottom:
http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt229/sucksross/DSCN1106.jpg

Thanks in advance!
«1

Comments

  • nullendingnullending
    Hmm...almost looks like a converter of some sort. The top plug looks like a 60 pin used for Famicom, but the 36 pin connector at the bottom is a little puzzling. Could be used for testing or developing.

    Edit:
    Date on the board says 1993, so that's the time of the SNES. Maybe its a Famicom to Super Famicom adapter? Since some of the chips date back to the Famicom release?
  • vern77777vern77777
    Some sort of converter? Just a guess.
  • Koopa64Koopa64
    Hmm... One of the Nintendo chips is dated 1986. But the upper left part of the board is dated 1993. Very odd. Can't help but feel it has something to do with Famicom. Maybe late era?

    EDIT: Mistaken.
  • nullendingnullending
    Originally posted by: Koopa64

    Hmm... One of the Nintendo chips is dated 1986. But the upper left part of the board is dated 1993. Very odd. Can't help but feel it has something to do with Famicom. Maybe late era?

    EDIT: Mistaken.


    Looks like that chip on the bottom right of the board says 1988.
  • Koopa64Koopa64
    Damn, I think you're right. Couldn't see it clearly.



    Either way I'm betting it's some sort of late era Famicom dev board or something. The redesigned Famicom (and NES) was made in 1993 so it makes sense. The board doesn't look much like what you'd find on SNES. But you never know...



    I also notice a switch on the bottom right side of the cartridge slot. Wonder what that's for.



    Hadoken, do you have any early SNES carts (or ones without special chips like Star Fox or Super Mario RPG)? Maybe you could compare the SNES cart's edge connector with the dev board's slot. I don't know too many people with Famicom carts...

    EDIT: Forgot to add something...
  • hadokenhadoken
    I tried the 60 pin w/ a famicom (it's a fake one) and compared the 36 pin with a snes cart. I can't get the 60 pin to fit (expected that since it wouldn't make sense for that thing to be upside down) and the snes cart has more pins than the pcb. I wonder if this thing has any value to it.

    EDIT: Tried it with a snes mini, the 60 pin connector (and 36 pin) don't fit.
  • dangevindangevin
    Wow I'm baffled. Bunnyboy?
  • HerbalistHerbalist
    I thought for sure the bottom looked like a snes board and the top looks like a famicom game would click in... but it doesnt sound so.

    Can you snap some side shots please?

    Watch its some campus challenge prototype worth a gazillion dolalrs image

  • NewUser123456789NewUser123456789
    Isn't 36 pin something to do with Arcade machines?
    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/----36-pin-Edge-Connector-for--Video-Machine_W0QQitemZ150415965151QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxq20100222?IMSfp=TL100222132002r13373
    http://www.mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?sku=CEC36 ?  I dunno...

    http://lizardlick.com/images/parts/adapters/j2kon_thumb.jpg Shows a better shot of the connector, maybe I am wrong..  Seems like early Konami and Stern arcade machines used a 36 pin connector but it doesn't look right
  • hadokenhadoken
    The top (60 pin) is a male connector, which means it plugs INTO something.

    Side pics:
    http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt229/sucksross/DSCN1108.jpg
    http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt229/sucksross/DSCN1107.jpg

    EDIT: Meant male, added side pics

    Also, if it's for an arcade machine, that would be awesome. Famicom Wars with a machine would be chill.
  • HerbalistHerbalist
    I know it isnt this, but it almost looks like it:

    http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=67398
  • NewUser123456789NewUser123456789
    Can you take a better pic of the bottom of it? Is that some type of socket slot on the bottom?
  • HerbalistHerbalist
    It seems like the PCB from a system. A SNES mini? But he said carts dont fit... which is whats so weird.

    The only other cart console nintendo made as N64, did you see how those pins match? (sorry if this is dumb i have very limited n64 knowledge)

    The switch on it just seems like it could be a power switch or something.

    The PCB also has those little spots where a ribbon cable or something would connect, like a system pcb would.

    *back to research*

    EDIT: If its a system it shoudlnt have that 64kb CHR ram chip like a game would (i think)
    So now I'm not so sure if its a game or a system :X
    Some funky arcade thing seems likely
  • hadokenhadoken
    Bottom pics:

    http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt229/sucksross/DSCN1112.jpg

    http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt229/sucksross/DSCN1111.jpg

    http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt229/sucksross/DSCN1110.jpg



    I can't find my n64, so I can't test that. I don't think it's from a system (since when does a system have a MALE connector?). I think the biggest question is why there are 2 sets of pins on this thing.
  • HerbalistHerbalist
    I googled one of the chips and it returned a hit to an auction on Korean ebay thats ended.

     
    Titled: Unkown nintendi hvc-gcn-12 pcb development or what

    "Here are the Nintendo chip sets & S-RAMs on the PCB:- x1 RF5A18 x1 RF5C66 x1 CCR-01 LH5323MI x1 8633AN (All above with Nintendo mark on it) ...

    EDIT: http://www.gamesniped.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-5607.html
    ^^^ Here they say it fits into a famicom
  • hadokenhadoken
    Well, I have a fake famicom (it's called micro genius), so I don't know if that would substitute for a real famicom. Also, I like how that thread has almost the same title as this thread.
  • nullendingnullending
    I counted 60 pins on the top connector, so that's why I assumed it was a Famicom connector. The SNES is like 44 pins or something so I guess I just wasn't thinking. Maybe you should PM BeagalPuss or MrMark to take a look at this thread. They deal with a lot of proto and dev stuff.
  • HerbalistHerbalist
    I think this thing could be worth a hefty chunk of coin if you could determine what it does and it actually works.
  • NintendoLitchNintendoLitch
    Allright, without holding the thing in my hands and running some tests, I can only guess at its function, however...



    1- HVC is the product code for the Famicom, not the Super Famicom (SNES). HVC = Home Video Computer. (The Super Famicom is SHVC)


    2- The size of the board and the connector lead me to believe that it is some kind of developer board product for the Famicom A/V.



    3-That 42-pin connector reminds me mostly of the 48-pin expansion bus connector of the American NES.



    3- It looks like it could plug into the top of a Famicom A/V unit, although that doesn
  • ars2pdars2pd
    I know they made a NES / Sharp combo TV, did they manage to do this with the fami?



    I know the super fami made it into a console / TV production, and it was toploading (as was the original fami). Could this have been the guts out of a TV? Without looking more into it, IDK.
  • HerbalistHerbalist
    Very interesting thought.

    This would require a little time but what about checking to see if the vertical connector would fit in the expansion bay on the bottom of a US toaster. To try thos you either have to take the board out of your toaster or crack the plastic off the bottom. Its easy enough to just open it up.

    If it indeed fit and this was perhaps some prototype of a unknown device which would have utilized that expansion bay that would be unreal.

    The port on the bottom may be shorter then im imaging though. It would have to be less wide then a fami board im sure, so chances are it wouldnt fit. Maybe the bottom part woudl though? Gah, who knows.

    According to a site top loaders " sold since December 1, 1993 for ¥6800."
    This likely is something to do with toploaders.
    As was said it must be from the famicom line of products if it bears the HVC
    HVC-GCN-012 - im curious what GCN is
    GCN is the abbrev for gamecube, imagine this is a fami player for gamecube! lol
    HVC-012 is rob, maybe its someting to do with ROB?

    I like the top loader idea though.
  • ars2pdars2pd
    Some history:



    http://www.gamesniped.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5607
  • HerbalistHerbalist
    Just notice this was posted in price check.

    Should it maybe it moved over to The Brewery?
  • NintendoLitchNintendoLitch
    It's not HVC-GCN-12, it's HVC-FCN-12. I can only guess at what the FCN means, but I'd bet on Family-Computer-N???.
    The -12 in the part number is probably its revision number, not an associated part number.


    I think there was a Famicom TV unit, but it may have been unlicensed. Even so, it was pre-1990 at the latest if it was even made my NCL and this is from 1993-4.
    [EDIT[ There is a Famicom TV unit, made by Sharp in 1983. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C1_NES_TV


    The 1993 date is what further leads me to believe it is a developer board or prototype product in the same vein as the Famicom A/V. I tried ringing NCL to see if anybody there can cross-reference the part number, but it was already after-hours in Kyoto when I called.



    My guess is that it is a tie-in board for the A/V that allowed developers to attach external debugging devices to the A/V units, possibly for burn-ins, but the odd shape of the card seems more likely to belong in some sort of case. Of course, burn-in modules can be cased, as can developer modules, so this is clearly incomplete.


    It's also possible that this is part of an A/V-system prototype and that the 36-pin connector went to a second unit, or even to a display adapter, however I can't read the numbers on the components, so I can't tell if there is a CPU or PPU on the board. I hazard to guess that the blue connector on the side is +5V/+9V in.


    Or, it could be something completely different.


    I suggest mentioning this on NesDev as well. Additionally, some more photos, especially close-ups of the components would be helpful.



    -Xious
  • NintendoLitchNintendoLitch
    Holy Guano Batman!

    I think I know what FCN stands for
  • hadokenhadoken
    Wow. Thanks for figuring that out. It looks awfully similar in shape to this:

    http://cgi.ebay.com/Nintendo-Network-System-for-Famicom-modem-unit_W0QQitemZ320489174466QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4a9ea4b5c2

    However, it is copyrighted at 1988 (the board says 1993, super famicom era?) Also, the part numbers don't match up, so I wouldn't be too certain. However, nice find!
  • Brion SohnBrion Sohn
    Originally posted by: hadoken

    Wow. Thanks for figuring that out. It looks awfully similar in shape to this:

    http://cgi.ebay.com/Nintendo-Network-System-for-Famicom...

    However, it is copyrighted at 1988 (the board says 1993, super famicom era?) Also, the part numbers don't match up, so I wouldn't be too certain. However, nice find!


    The switch on the bottom of the board near the main connector is correct with the picture on ebay and the shape of the board would allow for the RJ Plugs to be placed as they are on the one on ebay as well I would figure that the 18 pin circuit board based connector would be for bench testing (burn in) as it doesn't look like it goes anywhere in the Network adaptor. the Surface mount LEDs are in the correct place as well..

    To me it IS a Famicom Network Board.. To many of the main parts that are exposed to the exterior are in the correct places, Xious got it right...
  • NintendoLitchNintendoLitch
    The "18-pin board" is actually a 36-pin edge connector that probably goes to the dialer and RJ leads on the back of the unit. The part numbers of a complete Nintendo product never match the internal components. For example:



    The American NES2 is Part No. NES-101. The logic board for that unit is part No. NESN-CPU-01 (NESN is "NES New").



    It may be nothing special, or it may be an interesting find, as I doubt that the 1988 version uses SMD components like this one plainly does, so it's possible that this version either was unreleased, or used only in a very limited number of units. It's clearly a redesign in any case from the original board, and probably died a horrible death due to the Internet boom of 1994-5.



    -Xious
  • hadokenhadoken
    Ok I got another board. What is this worth and is this a prototype(It seems to be an SNES Game since it has the same amount of pins, but I can't fit it in due to lack of a cart this size)?

    Pics:

    http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt229/sucksross/DSCN1116.jpg

    http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt229/sucksross/DSCN1117.jpg



    And yes, I know those are EPROMs, so I have put them in the shade.

  • BeaglePussBeaglePuss
    First off, it is 100% a prototype. If I were you I would place some stickers over those windows to prevent any damage to the data.



    As for price, it depends on the game. If it's a sports title it may be worth $50. If it's an unreleased RPG, it could be worth $2K.



    Slap that bad boy in an SNES and tell me what you've got!


    Edit:  EPROMS FACE THE BACK!  For SNES prototypes, the EPROMs face the back of the system when you plug them in.  It's the opposite for most other platforms.

    Just want to make sure you don't damage the game at all.
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