FDS Ram Adaptor Help

Started by xwred5, October 02, 2016, 07:54:27 pm

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xwred5

October 02, 2016, 07:54:27 pm Last Edit: October 02, 2016, 08:04:14 pm by xwred5
 :help:

#1 I am a Famicom Noob
#2 I have a burning desire to make a FrankeNES-- basically a front loader that does everything and has about every MOD in it that make sense (high def NES is ordered).
#3 I am not a great solder, but I am familiar with the basics-- and my soldering is ugly :-)

To get the front loader to run the FDS, I looked for a Honeybee Family Adaptor but gave up and decided to make my own.

Repro cart + honeybee clone + ribbon cable + 60 pin connector + lots of soldering. I decided not to remove the connector from the converter.

Anyhow, carts run fine (Tested Castlevania 3, Splatterhouse, and Kid Dracula). The FDS ram adaptor boots fine. With the FDS stick, the graphics get wonky, flicking between two random sprits. The actual FDS gives me an Error 27. I tried two RAM adaptors, checked for 100% continuity and solder bridging. I also checked the 5 volt rails and they measured 5.02V.  Attached are photos of the graphical error with the FDS Stick.

My logic is fix the FDStick then worry about the disk drive...

Any thoughts would be appreciated....

Post Merge: October 02, 2016, 08:04:14 pm

I think I found my issue... http://www.famicomworld.com/forum/index.php?topic=10607.30

Thanks guys!

aitsu124

Error 27 on your FDS normally means that your belt needs replacing. However, I used to have a couple of disks that would, every now and then, give me Error 27. It's likely the first cause, though.

Also, I never understood how to make the RAM adapter run on a front loader. Whenever I'd try try it, it wouldn't load, and I figured it was because the whole setup wasn't pushed down far enough. How are you doing this?
Increasing source of obscure Japanese information...and interface.

xwred5

October 03, 2016, 09:50:19 am #2 Last Edit: October 03, 2016, 09:58:05 am by xwred5
I'll check the belt. Should be new. I am going to attempt to "fix" the ram adaptor first, I ordered a 4.7kOhm resistor array that'll be here in a few weeks -- wife would kill me if I spent another day on this project anytime soon  :bomb:

Adaptor Parts List (excluding some misc items) -- not necessarly where I bought them from. I do have the ENIO board installed for expansion audio and I disabled the lockout chip on the NES motherboard.

Honeybee clone:  http://gamedoctorhk.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=72_1_17_121&products_id=1641

60 pin socket: http://gamedoctorhk.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=72_1_17_121&products_id=1996 (optional if you remove the connector from your honeybee clone -- I thought about laying out a PCB when I bought a ram adaptor from gamedrhk and picked up a few of these.

Cartridge Shell:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/NES-Shell-Case-Cartridge-Housing-For-Nintendo-Entertainment-System-With-Screws-/222176991327?var=521016987383&hash=item33bac7d85f:g:2dQAAOSweWVXdzFb

Ribbon Cable: (mine had > 60 pins.. I didn't realize until I got done soldering and had extra wires... http://www.ebay.com/itm/IDC-Color-Cable-Ribbon-Cable-Roll-3-Feet-60-Pin-From-USA-/331902244949?hash=item4d46ea5855:g:UZYAAOSwXeJXfXWZ

Steps

  • Dot a top side on everything. Don't want to get things flipped around (NES shell, Honeybee clone, board, connectors)

  • Cut slot in the cart shell

  • Feed ribbon through cart shell.

  • Tape the ribbon, or else the ribbon will separate too far

  • Separate and strip each wire on one side.

  • Solder to honeybee clone

  • Cut other end to length (recommend going longer than I did......... )

  • Separate and strip each wire on the other side.

  • Solder to 60 pin socket

  • Test/rework.

  • Place socket in honeybee clone shell. Hold with superglue. I used hot glue around the connectors and some gorilla glue.





Place cart in NES and use the extended famicom connector.

P

Technically error 27 is CRC error according to Enri, but yeah like many other FDS errors it can happen in many situations.

Does all FDS disks throw  this error?

xwred5

Okay I tried my Castlevania disk -- I was hesitant due to my other issues and it works fine.

I guess I have a bum doki doki panic disk :-( Is it "legit" to try to write over it with the FDS stick? I have a 7201 (or so I am told... I need to open it)

famifan

Quote from: xwred5 on October 03, 2016, 05:50:22 pm
I guess I have a bum doki doki panic disk :-( Is it "legit" to try to write over it with the FDS stick? I have a 7201 (or so I am told... I need to open it)

unless you're going to sell/distirubute it, i think yes. for your personal needs you can try to restore your bum disk with the same game it had before.

it's called "fair use". however, the legitness of such rewriting may differ from country to country. you'd better contact the layer for sure :)

xwred5

Thanks, sorry didn't mean to get into any grey areas here.  :-[

P

Also you may want to label it as a rewritten disk somewhere, to help people in the distant future.