What's your recommended NES to Famicom converter?

[DJ]

Hi, I'm new here.  I've been working on setting up a good single console to handle whatever I throw at it.

I'm curious about what is considered the best NES to Famicom converter out there.  I understand there's some shoddy ones and that many of the ones currently sold need modding to work on certain NES games.  I've heard the old Lik-Sang "Family Converter" (72-60 pin version) is probably the best, though I can't seem to track one of those down.  What do you recommend?

[aitsu124]

One thing about those converters is that people often overprice them. I recommend this one, which I had at one point and it worked great: https://store.retrofixes.com/products/nes-nintendo-famicom-console-game-adapter-converter-rare-super-cool-usa-seller?variant=5112571585  you'll just have to remove your NES's lockout chip, which is just a small snap of a pin, or the option with expansion sound (requires a further mod, and will never work on NES 2/101).

However, if you're trying to make some sort of super console, I recommend an AV Famicom. With the opposite converter and a couple of simple mods, it can do everything the NES and FC can, except for the microphone. One reason for this recommendation is that when trying to use an FDS on a toaster, I could never get it to work. I later found a detailed tutorial but it's extremely complicated. So unless you love doing mods, it won't be able to handle that.

[FAMICOM_87]

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20161122124623&SearchText=nes+to+famicom

[DJ]

Thank you for the suggestions, although I should clarify I'm looking for the best converter going the other way around, to plug NES games into a Famicom as was suggested in the first reply above.

I actually do intend on setting up an original Famicom as my "all in one" system, mainly because I value that microphone support (I MUST be able to haggle with shopkeepers and scream rabbits to death, this I swear), so if I can make sure I get an adapter that gets all NES games working correctly, I'd be well on my way to that.  Thanks again!

[P]

Although the AV Famicom can't have the microphone, the original Famicom (or Twin) can't have the start and select buttons on controller II (required by NES Battletoads for two player and Nintendo World Championships), so no ultimate Famicom or NES exists. But I agree with you that being able to scream at rabbits is a must for a Famicom, so the con II function buttons has to go.

Unfortunately there is no real good 72 to 60 pin converter, all of them seems to have some flaws. Some have a too thick edge connector or have a too tight grip on the cart, wearing it out, many have no outer shell, and all of them AFAIK bridges or doesn't connect the Famicom 45 and 46 pins (no expansion audio) and Famicom 48 and 49 pins (apparently breaks MMC5 games, Gauntlet, Rad Racer 2 and After Burner).

They can be modded though, so you may want to find a decent one with the correct thickness and cart grip and have it modded for expansion audio and the 48/49 pin fix.

[DJ]

I've been considering various cable mods to plug NES controllers into the Famicom, so I might presume that this would solve issues with start/select on player 2.  If there's currently no really good NES to Famicom conversion cart, I might just go with one and do the mod like you suggested.  Does this one have any major issues outside of having to do the pin mod?  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shielded-72-to-60-pin-adaptor-Converter-NES-Famicom-Console-system-NTSC-PAL-/222156312555?hash=item33b98c4feb:g:lWgAAOSwrklU7spq

[P]

I'm not sure if adding start/select requires some kind of additional circutry so I can't say anything.

I don't know about that 72-60 pin converter, but it looks very similar to the one Great Hierophant recommends here:
http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.se/2014/10/famicom-av-issues-and-solutions.html

[DJ]

Looks like that's the one I'll get then.  It really is a shame that these all seem to be so cheaply made.  Most of the ones I've seen don't even have a proper plastic housing, just a naked circuit board.  I mean, take some pride in your work peoples!  So, I'll go ahead with the mod for that specific converter you've listed and see how it goes.

[DJ]

I've received exactly that model converter in the mail and applied two of the three mods I've seen (MMC5 compatibility and copper tape along the back to filter noise).  I didn't feel the need to do the sound mod since I don't have a powerpack and that would be the only NES cart I can think of that used it, but maybe that's why the following issues are coming up.

So, every licensed NES game I've thrown at the converter on my Famicom has worked without issue (I tested every last one of my NES games on it, and along the way uncovered a number of them that need a good pin scrubbing, but all were ultimately compatible).  It ran Castlevania 3 and Laser Invasion with flying colors.  It has also worked just fine with all of my Tengen carts, namely After Burner and Gauntlet II, which had some graphical errors before the mods were applied.

However, my Codemaster games (two of the Dizzy games, one through the Aladdin Deck Enhancer) are having some pretty drastic issues.  The image is "rolling" over and over again, sorta like a channel not coming in right, and the Codemaster logo is completely corrupted.  Does anyone have any ideas on what the issue might be?

[P]

Did these games work before on the same TV on another system (like your NES)?

Codemaster games are known to use the forbidden black color $0D as black. Most licensed games doesn't use this color because it's known to glitch on certain TVs. Apparently these TVs gets confused because the color $0D has a lower voltage than the normal black color $0F so the TVs thinks it's the synchro-signal and therefore the picture gets messed up.

The Game Genie menu is also using the forbidden $0D as the backdrop color.

[DJ]

I know they work on my NES, but I can't remember if I tried on this particular TV (Sony Trinitron).  I'll get back to you.
Post Merge: December 01, 2016, 10:57:28 pm
I've tried my NES with the games on that TV and can report they work just fine on that.  The only difference in how I hooked them up was that I had the Famicom hooked up through RF (haven't done the A/V mod yet) and the NES hooked up through A/V.

[P]

What about trying RF with your NES on the same TV? Since the problem with the forbidden black is that it gets confused for the synchro signal, I'm thinking maybe it's only the RF-port that gets confused but not the AV.

[verteks]

I also have problems with Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy plugged through NES to Famicom adapter in AV Famicom - graphics gone crazy and after few seconds, game crashes. In standard NES console it's working without flaws.

[P]

Hmm besides the forbidden color $0D, there is one other thing that Codemaster games are known to do that may cause problems.

The PPU port register $2004 is write-only on earlier-to-mid Famicom PPUs. It became readable from PPU revision G-0 and later. Codemaster games relies on the readability of this register, and if it's write-only there will be graphical glitches and such. Micro Machine is jumpy in all menus but plays quite fine otherwise (I tested this on my own Famicom). Only late Famicoms and all NES systems has the newer PPUs with the readable $2004. You can tell what revision you have if you look on the label of the PPU chip.

If this is the case, there is nothing wrong with your adapter or Famicom, it's just that Codemasters made their games with poor knowledge of how the system works.

[DJ]

I've just gotten back and tested my NES using RF connection rather than A/V with the same results, it works just fine.

Thank you for the additional information.  I'll check and confirm my Famicom revision next and get back to you.  I'll be sure to edit this post instead of double posting when I do.

Edit: Okay, the board is a HVC-CPU-07 and the PPU is a RP2C02E-0 .