My NES Four Score makes my AV Famicom crash...

Started by bozo55, April 08, 2014, 02:25:35 pm

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bozo55

April 08, 2014, 02:25:35 pm Last Edit: April 08, 2014, 04:17:24 pm by bozo55
Hello everyone, bozo55 here, new to the forum.  Been a Nintendo faithful since 1987 and finally got myself a Famicom AV to complement my NES.

I bought a NES Four Score off LukieGames and just received it in the mail today. 

It works... sorta.  Well, it works fine in my NES (CPU-04 NTSC US model). 

But in the AV Famicom (HVCN-CPU-02) I have to avoid plugging it in all the way or it crashes the system...  Wiggling the plug will cause it to crash too.

I can plug it in the NES fully and wiggling it does not crash it.  Although removing and reinserting the Four Score will crash the NES.

I figured that maybe my controller ports on the AV Famicom needed to be reflowed, but upon inspection they seem just fine. 

I've tried a couple different AC adapters and that didn't help (one was a Japanese 3rd party adapter from Answer Co. for Famicom and Super Famicom, 100-240V in, 10V out, and my model 1 Genesis AC).

I only have 2 carts to test with and it happens on both (Lagrange Point and Famicom Everdrive N8)

Thanks so much for reading and any advice is appreciated.

Edit:  I have since taken a multimeter to the Four Score cord (since it's detachable) and verified that all the pins are functioning.

Post Merge: April 08, 2014, 04:17:19 pm

I noticed that the plug on the Four Score is not as solid as the standard nes plug...  I guess My only choice is to rewire this onto new plugs?

zmaster18

I'm not certain, but I believe that a 4-player adapter must be connected to the 15-pin expansion controller port on the side of the AV Famicom. Since this isn't possible with the NES controller plugs, you might have to solder a jumper wire between somewhere on the expansion port to the regular controller port. There is a mod just like this for getting a Nintendo Zapper to work on the AV Famicom's NES ports. I don't know the specifics, but someone else here should know what to do. I'm pretty sure there is instructions for a mod for making an adapter cable for the 4-Score using a 15-pin cable that fits in the expansion port.

bozo55

^Thanks for your reply.

So here's the thing.  If I back out the plug by 1mm, it works fine.  If I plug it in completely, it will freeze and it won't even boot a cart.  Every time.

So this Zapper-like mod will make this more reliable?  

I'm not against modding the Four Score with a 15 pin cable, but I'm worried that game compatibility will change since I've heard that some games don't recognize controllers plugged into the 15 pin port...

Once again, thanks so much, and any other advice would be much appreciated.

P

Zmaster means that you might have to mod the controller ports on the Famicom AV unit itself if you want to be able to use 3/4-player mode, not the Four-Score. Games that supports the Four-Score can't use the Famicom 4 player adapters and vice versa (although there are games that support both). You'll need to solder the wires that the Four-Scores uses to the Famicom AV controller ports (that's not already soldered) (Edit: 4 players should work without any modding). All this is beside the point however.

The crashing sounds like maybe something is being short-circuited. I would check all the pins in the controller ports and the Four-Score with the multimeter and see if any of them are shorted to each other somehow. Does it not crash when you stick in a normal controller into the controller ports?

Dendy

I use fourscore with my famicom av every time. Don't have any problems. I know that some games are not compatible with it, but nothing that makes it freez.
At Classic Nintendo Gaming Forum we play nes/famicom games! Join us at http://www.nintendoforum.nl

P

Can you play 3/4 players with it, on NES games that supports that on your Famicom AV?

bozo55

April 09, 2014, 12:28:16 pm #6 Last Edit: April 09, 2014, 01:14:03 pm by bozo55
Quote from: P on April 09, 2014, 12:04:18 am
The crashing sounds like maybe something is being short-circuited. I would check all the pins in the controller ports and the Four-Score with the multimeter and see if any of them are shorted to each other somehow. Does it not crash when you stick in a normal controller into the controller ports?


Thanks for the advice, P.  I put 2 NES-004 controllers in the AV Famicom ports and wiggled vigorously.  No crashes.  I think it's the Four Score that's causing the problems and not the console.

Quote from: Dendy on April 09, 2014, 01:09:08 am
I use fourscore with my famicom av every time. Don't have any problems. I know that some games are not compatible with it, but nothing that makes it freez.


Thanks for your reply.
I'm starting to think that there's some shorting going on in the actual Four Score cable, since the cable has several very hard bends in it.  But it works fine everytime if I make sure the plug is out by 1mm...  So strange!
EDIT: I tested for shorts where the cable connects to the PCB.  I didn't get any continuity between these 7 points.

Quote from: P on April 09, 2014, 02:06:58 am
Can you play 3/4 players with it, on NES games that supports that on your Famicom AV?


I tested it successfully with Super Spike V Ball in 2 vs 2 mode. I didn't have anyone to test with me but I tried moving all four players with the controllers and it worked.

I think I might need to open the Four Score plug and inspect the contacts.  But I can't figure out how to open it.  It feels like if I force it it will break.

P

Quote from: bozo55 on April 09, 2014, 12:28:16 pm
I'm starting to think that there's some shorting going on in the actual Four Score cable, since the cable has several very hard bends in it.  But it works fine everytime if I make sure the plug is out by 1mm...  So strange!
EDIT: I tested for shorts where the cable connects to the PCB.  I didn't get any continuity between these 7 points.

Could you test it while wiggling it or squeezing or something? Ideal would be if you could test it while it's plugged in all the way, the same way as when the game crashes.

Quote from: bozo55 on April 09, 2014, 12:28:16 pm
Quote from: P on April 09, 2014, 02:06:58 am
Can you play 3/4 players with it, on NES games that supports that on your Famicom AV?


I tested it successfully with Super Spike V Ball in 2 vs 2 mode. I didn't have anyone to test with me but I tried moving all four players with the controllers and it worked.

I think I might need to open the Four Score plug and inspect the contacts.  But I can't figure out how to open it.  It feels like if I force it it will break.

Good, that means you don't need to mod it or anything on a Famicom AV.

I'm not sure you CAN open it can you? In worst case you might have to replace the plug head.

bozo55

April 09, 2014, 06:27:52 pm #8 Last Edit: April 09, 2014, 07:15:59 pm by bozo55
Quote from: P on April 09, 2014, 02:04:07 pm
I'm not sure you CAN open it can you? In worst case you might have to replace the plug head.


I'm afraid I have no choice but to open it.  I'm convinced I figured it out.  The Plugs on my AV Famicom are more snug than my NES, so the Pins inside the Four Score plug move more and somehow touch each other.

Quote from: P on April 09, 2014, 02:04:07 pm
Could you test it while wiggling it or squeezing or something? Ideal would be if you could test it while it's plugged in all the way, the same way as when the game crashes.


Wires 3 and 6 of the Four Score are shorting (thanks for giving me that idea, P). Pulling out the plug head 1mm relieves it a bit and prevents the pins inside the plug from shorting  I guess.  I can get it to happen too on the NES, but it requires some wiggling/tilting of the plug to get it to short.  My NES ports are older and much more worn so I guess it's more forgiving that way.

So basically I have a shoddy Four Score plug...  I need to clean/insulate the Four Score connector pins so that they don't short when aligned in the console controller ports.

Anyone successfully open one of these?  I've seen some pics that show it opened but I don't know how they did it and if it got destroyed in the process.

http://casemod.wikia.com/wiki/Sxerks-NESPC/CT?file=Sxerks-NESPC-181.jpg

P

I'm glad you found the problem.

It looks like it fits together by tabs. Those can be pretty tough I imagine, so you'll have to use some tool and carefully try to bend them up maybe.
If you break them you can still get new plug heads from NES controller extension cables.

bozo55

Good news, I figured out how to open it easily.  I used a small flathead screw driver and twist pried it open right where the cord enters.  Opened effortlessly.

It didn't take long to find the culprit: a strand of wire from one pin was touching another pin.  I trimmed away that strand and now she's running great  ;D

Thanks to everyone who helped me figure this out!


Dendy

At Classic Nintendo Gaming Forum we play nes/famicom games! Join us at http://www.nintendoforum.nl

P

I see that often all it takes is some orthodox trouble shooting. I'm glad you solved it. :)

Death_Devil

What the series number on your NES four score, and which region: US or EU?