NES Controller/accessory compatibility on AV Famicom

[nerdynebraskan]

I just discovered my NES Zapper won't work on my AV Famicom. (This isn't news to those who post in this forum, but I'm relatively new to the Famicom.) And after a bit of searching the archives, the same is true of the Power Pad, right? (I had actually tried to play a Family Trainer game on my AV Famicom with my Power Pad with no luck, but I didn't think much of it at the time. I mean, I needed a manual for World Class Track Meet before I could play that on my NES.)

I've got some questions, and I can't find answers on either the main site or in searching the forum archives. So, please help me out here.

1) Which NES accessories will or will not work on an AV Famicom? Will turbo controllers like the Advantage and Max work? Do the multi-taps (Four-Score, Satellite)? (I'm not super-worried about obscure third-party controllers.)

2) I've noticed that there is a recommended mod on the main site as far as adding a connection to make the controller port 2 on an AV Famicom work the same as an American NES. However, I'm reluctant to modify my AV Famicom for a few reasons. What are my alternatives?

I am thinking of importing an original Wild Gunman-style Famicom light gun, especially since I'm a light gun-nut. But I don't think I want to import a Family Trainer mat, or a multi-tap.

Is there any kind of external adapter that I can buy/have made for me? Something that I could plug my NES accessories into on one end and plug into my Famicom on the other? My technical skills are limited, but I may know someone nearby who could do the work if I had specs. I may also be able to pay a fair price for the work if anyone here has done something like this.

3) Could I at least, say, play Family Trainer games normally on my NES with my Power Pad and a 60-72 pin adapter?

[Pikkon]

Adding zapper support to the av famicom is super easy,it's just two wires.

[P]

1) I bet turbo controllers works as it's functions are handled by the controller itself. Multi-taps should work with an adapter to the ext port at least. I don't know if it works in the NES controller ports. Remember they can't be used for 3/4-player Famicom games, only 3/4-player NES games with a 72>60 pin adapter (and it's actually required) because the games are coded differently for 3/4-player.

2) I answered this pretty much in another thread http://www.famicomworld.com/forum/index.php?topic=9382.msg133372#msg133372.
For the Family Trainer mat you might have to make changes to the adapter though. I read somewhere about making a NES Powerpad/FamilyFunFitness mat work on a Famicom but you'll have to search for that.

3) I don't see why it shouldn't work since I guess the mats are probably very similar, but this is just pure guessing.

[nerdynebraskan]

Well, I played some Mad City (including the Zapper stages) on my NES (with Famicom adapter). Would the Power Pad basically work the same way for Family Trainer stages? I'll probably try for myself in the next few days, but honestly the floor in front of my TV is too messy to put the mat down and I'm too lazy to deal with that today.

And what's this about differences in 3/4 player games from NES to Famicom? What would it take for me to be able to play those on my AV Famicom? Is it even possible to play them on a US NES?

[P]

I didn't know there where Family Trainer stages in Mad City. Ericj has both mats and he said both forks for both compatible Famicom games and compatible NES games (with the appropriate pin adapter) so there is no different between how they work electrically, just the connector is different. I don't know what you need to do to hook it up to a Famicom though.

About 3/4 player games, this is just what other people said what works or not, and I don't have a multi-tap so I don't have any first hand experience of this. 3/4 player Famicom games always require you to use the extension port for extra controllers on both Famicoms and NES consoles (I guess you could use an Enio to play them on a NES) and won't work with the NES multi-taps. 3/4 player NES games on the other hand requires the NES multi-taps on both consoles.

To summarize, Famicom and NES multi-taps functions differently electrically and the games are programmed differently. Thus the NES version of Bomberman 2 must have had its 3rd controller programming re-programed to work with the NES multi-taps when it was localized for NES.

[nerdynebraskan]

Mad City has light gun stages. I played it with a Zapper on my NES. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough on that. I'm hoping to play some Family Trainer games in the next couple of days, after I clear a path for my Power Pad on my game room's floor.

I don't know much about 3/4 player FC games or their appropriate accessories. I definitely need to look into that more.

[P]

Yeah I know about the light gun in Mad City, but I thought you said something about "Family Trainer Stages". Maybe stepping forward on the mat is for kicking I thought. lol

I would also like to know more about famicom multitaps. 3 player Famicom games just need you to connect a third controller into the EXT port for player 3. For 4 player games there are adapters that splits the port into 2. One called Joy Pair and another one called Hori Twin. I have also seen that some third party controllers with a second EXT port so that another controller can be connected into it. Hori also made a multitap with 4 ports into it. No idea if all 4 player games supports all methods though.

[UglyJoe]

The EXT port has no designated "Player 3" or "Player 4" inputs.  It simply has the ability to receive inputs.  How the input is interpreted is up to the game. 

In Moero Twinbee (FDS), for example, a controller plugged into the EXT port is player 1 in single player mode, player 2 (I think) in two player mode, and player 3 in three player mode.  (It's been a while since I tested it, but I know that it changes depending on how many players there are).

[nerdynebraskan]

Well, I tried my couple of Family Trainer games on my NES top loader via FC adapter to try them with my Power Pad.  The Power Pad did respond, but I'm not sure if it worked properly. The control was pretty odd, and I'm not sure if it's because these games have odd controls or if there was some possible issue with the combination of US console, US Power Pad, and JP games.

[LittleNinja]

Wouldn't recommend importing an original Wild Gunman-style Famicom light gun. They are way too expensive, costing around at least 80 to 100 bucks. The solder option is easy, and doesn't hurt the Famicom at all. I would do that to my own Famicom, IF I have access to soldering tools.....  xD

[MarioMania]

Is there a Multi-Tap for the Famicom for Bomberman?

[nerdynebraskan]

I do think I'm going to end up buying a Famicom light gun. It'd be a nice addition to my collection, especially since I'm something of a light gun-nut. Luckily, they don't seem as pricy as LittleNinja suggests (at least not loose). I saw one with a Hogan's Alley FC end at about $35 shipped a couple of days ago. I'm just a little strapped for cash right now, and the Famicom gun isn't really a priority for me at the moment.

I think I'm also going to need a Famicom multi-tap. What are the options for those?

And it seems from another thread that the Power Pad and its games aren't truly compatible with the Family Trainer and its games. What a shame! I'll have to figure out if it's really worth the expense and space in my game room to import a Family Trainer, or if I should just give up on playing FT games.

[ebinsugewa]

Sorry to somewhat hijack the thread, but the discussion made me remember something I wondered about: is it easy to mod the NES Advantage to work on the Famicom? It's my favorite joystick for the system, but all the guides/discussion I've ever see on it say that it's possible, but don't really describe how to do it.

[P]

You'll need to connect it through the EXP port (unless you want to modify the Famicom itself to take NES controllers). It will work like normal expansion controllers so it will not work in those games that doesn't support that (works in most Japanese-made games though) and it should work as player 3/4 in 3/4 player mode of games that uses the EXP port for that. Follow the link in the third post of this thread for instructions on how to make the adapter. I have only wired NES controller II in that diagram (for Zapper use) so I can't garantee it, but it should work.

Is there a Multi-Tap for the Famicom for Bomberman?

Bomberman 2 has a 3 player mode. No multi-tap needed for that game, you just use the exp port for player 3.