Final Fantasy III Gameplay "Hangs"

[DarkGTX88]

UPDATE: I finally got around to checking the continuity on the board and found no issues, so I decided to do a reflow on the chips. Unfortunately, the game is still hanging after the first dialogue box.

I only have one other game for my Famicom right now -- Mah-Jong (HVC-MJ) and it works perfectly but I'm wondering if it could be my console. I'll need to get another game to test, I suppose, or else find someone with another Famicom to test my copy of Final Fantasy III on.

If you wizards have any additional suggestions, please let me know. Would love to get this game working!

Shorter version: Recently acquired Final Fantasy III cart starts and even loads save games but hangs at various points, usually when a dialogue box appears. Music continues to play and the screen stays on. Battle sequences work, menu will not open. I've tried cleaning my Famicom and the cart itself, but it still hangs frequently, making play impossible. What can I try to fix this?

Longer version: I recently fulfilled a lifelong dream by purchasing a Famicom system! I also bought Final Fantasy III, one of my favorite RPGs, although I had only ever played the DS remake.

The Famicom system I purchased was sold "as-is." The condition looked very good aside from dust, dirt, grime, and the usual yellow plastic. I have cleaned it up since purchasing it through eBay, taken it apart and carefully inspected the electronics inside. Everything looks good, no swollen capacitors or burn marks on the PCB. I gently cleaned everything with 91% isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs.

The FFIII cartridge also appears to be in good condition. The gold contacts on the cart look a bit worn to me. They were dirty and so I carefully cleaned them (also with 91% isopropyl and cotton swabs). I was able to open the cart using quick grips.

There was some "gunk" on the PCB near the battery solder joint. This was easily removed with alcohol and cotton swabs. Battery seems to be in good condition by visual inspection and the cart loads saved games without issue.

When loading a saved game, the game loads but menu is inaccessible. Battle sequences seem to work fine. Walking into certain places will cause the game to hang, but music still plays and video stays on. This seems to happen when a dialogue box appears. No matter what button I press, the box will not disappear and I'm stuck, no way to keep playing.

Starting a new game hangs at the first dialogue box after you fall down the hole.

Everything looks pretty good inside the cart to me though. Any ideas on how to fix this? I have tried cleaning the cartridge slot on the Famicom itself also using alcohol, a business card, and a very thin cloth.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Pictures for reference:

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[TDownit_Strider]

I'm going to give you the usual advice first.

First off, if you haven't tried it yet(and as silly as it can sound if you haven't before), try rubbing the cart's contacts with a rubber eraser. Usually, this can get off some extra marks. After, buff them with some qtips. Though, this is normally for when things don't load, so I'd recommend reflowing the chips, if you're comfortable with that. It may seem simple, but a reflow has fixed most problems I've had with cartridges!

If that doesn't work, you could see if it's something in the Famicom itself. You'd just need another game to test with-although, I really think reflowing could work. Best of luck!

[DarkGTX88]

I'm going to give you the usual advice first.

First off, if you haven't tried it yet(and as silly as it can sound if you haven't before), try rubbing the cart's contacts with a rubber eraser. Usually, this can get off some extra marks. After, buff them with some qtips. Though, this is normally for when things don't load, so I'd recommend reflowing the chips, if you're comfortable with that. It may seem simple, but a reflow has fixed most problems I've had with cartridges!

If that doesn't work, you could see if it's something in the Famicom itself. You'd just need another game to test with-although, I really think reflowing could work. Best of luck!

Thank you for the quick reply!

I cleaned the contacts with an eraser, as you suggested, and the contacts did appear a bit more shiny after buffing with cotton swabs.

However, the game is functioning the same as before.

Do you have a write-up you could link me to on performing a reflow? Do you bake the board in the oven like a PC mobo? My soldering skills are mediocre at best, but I'm willing to try just about anything because I really want to get this cart working.

Thanks again!

[TDownit_Strider]

Well, I've not heard of the baking method(I'd be too scared to try XD), but what I did is to take the game pcb, heat up your soldering iron, and just drag it along the pins with some extra solder. Just make sure you can see the solder connecting the pins INDIVIDUALLY(this is important, you don't want to make any connections between pins) to the pcb. Do this will all the pins on the game, and try it again. Keep in mind, I did this for a gbc game, so if the pins on a Famicom game go through holes, just reheat and add more solder to those holes. Feel free to follow up with questions, I have nothing but time. Good luck!

[DarkGTX88]

Well, I've not heard of the baking method(I'd be too scared to try XD), but what I did is to take the game pcb, heat up your soldering iron, and just drag it along the pins with some extra solder. Just make sure you can see the solder connecting the pins INDIVIDUALLY(this is important, you don't want to make any connections between pins) to the pcb. Do this will all the pins on the game, and try it again. Keep in mind, I did this for a gbc game, so if the pins on a Famicom game go through holes, just reheat and add more solder to those holes. Feel free to follow up with questions, I have nothing but time. Good luck!

I've looked up a few videos doing this on GBC carts. Do you use liquid flux or the paste flux beforehand? Or something else or nothing? Thanks!

[TDownit_Strider]

Well, I personally haven't used any flux when reflowing carts so far, but with the experience I have now, I'd recommend using liquid flux in the area you solder in. Should take a half hour,  around. I think that's all you need to know to do it. Any more questions, I'm still here.

[DarkGTX88]

UPDATE: I finally got around to checking the continuity on the board and found no issues, so I decided to do a reflow on the chips. Unfortunately, the game is still hanging after the first dialogue box.

I only have one other game for my Famicom right now -- Mah-Jong (HVC-MJ) and it works perfectly but I'm wondering if it could be my console. I'll need to get another game to test, I suppose, or else find someone with another Famicom to test my copy of Final Fantasy III on.

If you wizards have any additional suggestions, please let me know. Would love to get this game working!

[DarkGTX88]

3/13/2021 UPDATE:

I got my hands on a supposedly "working" Dragon Quest cart. I cannot get past the title screen, however. This reinforces my thought that there is something wrong with the Famicom itself.

If anyone is able to help me narrow down the possible causes of these issues, I would greatly appreciate it.

Audio works great. No glitches.

Picture also looks good, with no graphical issues. This leads me to believe the PPU is working just fine.

Final Fantasy III works until the first dialogue box appears when starting a new game. When loading an existing game, the game works until a dialogue box appears. Also, the menu will not open.

Dragon Quest boots to the title screen. Music plays. The logo is animated (shining "T" sword). I cannot move the cursor or select anything from the title screen.

My Mah-Jong game (HVC-MJ) seems to work fine. No issues.

I'm thinking maybe this is a RAM issue.

I have tested continuity on the board, including all chips, and found no issues.

I may just start with the first chip and work my way down until the issue is resolved. Any better ideas or suggestions?

Thanks!