FDS Super Lode Runner 2 - issue with Side B

[Eikekusch]

Hi!
I just registered and this is my first message.
This site and forum are really useful!

I have an issue with Super Lode Runner 2 on FDS

I have a legit disk, side A works fine, but when I change to side B the screen have greyish blocks and still displays "loading" , but nothing is loading and the FDS doesn't move.

I also have a FDS Stick and tried the following things:
- extract the disk image and tried it on an emulator : WORKS
- put the extracted disk image on the FDS Stick and run it on the FDS ( new famicom and RAM adapter)from the FDS Stick: WORKS
- tried to rewrite the image on the disk: Doesn't work (same issue)
- I thought it was due to a bad disk so I copied the image on another disk: doesn't work (same issue)
- I wrote both the original disk and another disk with a disk image found online (the one with(b)) : doesn't work (same issue)

What could be the problem?

Thanks!

[zmaster18]

Try cleaning the disk with a Q-tip and alcohol. The dirt that would be on the disk would show up as light brown.

[Eikekusch]

Thanks for your reply, I'll try it.
Do you think it can solve the issue, since the same problem occurs with 2 different disks?
I also forgot to mention, but I tried to write Metroid on the other disk to check if the disk was at fault, but Metroid worked without any issue..

[zmaster18]

I've written many games before, and usually the weirdest problems occur with dirt. Since side B is acting up, you actually must clean the disk with side A facing you, as it is actually written to the opposite side of what you see!

My theory is that lots of side B's get dirty because people left their disk unprotected with side A facing up.
Post Merge: April 15, 2018, 04:14:09 am
If it still doesn't work, then I suppose it's the ROM. I could have sworn that I got Lode Runner 2 written on a disk before...

This may be a calibration issue as well with your drive. How many other games have you tried on this drive?

[VegaVegas]

Are you sure your FDS system is all fine?? It might be bad SRAM chip in the console or something. At this point I'm not sure how to check for that, maybe there are some diagnostic tools around the web

https://www.famicomworld.com/forum/index.php?topic=696.0

[Eikekusch]

Thanks for your reply!
I will definitely try the qtip with alcohol!

I don't think it's a calibration issue because I've tried on the 2 FDS I have, and I've already tried and played successfully all my other 50 ish games with no issues at all.
Post Merge: April 15, 2018, 05:19:29 am
Thanks , I didn't know that diagnostic tool!
I'll try later today and post the result.

[Eikekusch]

Hi guys,

Here's an update with my issue.
It seems the RAM adapter was the culprit.

I tried the diagnostic tool you indicated, and everything was ok, so I tried to clean the RAM adapter pins.
Result: no change, ALL my FDS games work (even my 2 Metroid) EXCEPT Super Lode Runner 2 side B again.

I tried the second RAM adapter I have and....side B works!

I'm glad I solved my issue, but I still wonder why this particular one game wouldn't work (again, all my other 50+ disks work flawlessly) and why the FDS Stick image works with that RAM adapter and not the disk as the RAM adapter is supposed to handle it the same way, is it correct?

[P]

Certain RAM Adapters may have problems with certain games or in certain situations or in combinations with certain Famicoms. It is a very peculiar problem, and I'm not sure if it's fully understood. Supposedly it is due to degraded RAM-chips in certain adapters. The self-test in the RAM Adapter doesn't seem to be able to detect the problem. Some people seems to have fixed it by adding pull-down resistors on the data lines. Another fix may be to change the RAM-chips for new ones.

Side B might be using those RAM registers that gone bad for something important. Other games don't show any problems until you come to a place when those RAM registers are used. But in your situation why it works on the FDSStick is beyond me.

[VegaVegas]

The real reason here is probably because this is old and used stuff (no reason). Every day you get any old hardware, incompatibilities are always there. The more explained reason I can come up with is maybe something is bad inside your RAM adapter but the test doesn't detect it (the test might test only certain functions but not all of them)