Square button / buttoned Famicom

Started by Japan-Games.com, May 24, 2009, 12:26:35 am

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Japan-Games.com

I just got a Square Button Famicom in and I opened it out to check the boards.  It has this one:



I read your description about square button famicoms here:  http://www.famicomworld.com/Articles/Square_Button_Famicom.htm/

Just how certain are you about the 06 boards?  The Famicom I have has the glossy bottom, not rough.  It's also missing the red text sticker near the accessory port in front.  I can understand someone changing out controllers, but changing out the bottom of the console and removing the stickers?  It seems more likely that this is an original...  I'm going to list it for sale but I wanted to see if there is any new information available.

Thanks!

JC

Featherpluckinfilms took those pics and said that's what he thought. Not sure, really, unless you find brand new square-button Famicoms.

Japan-Games.com

I was wondering if someone opened up a round-button console, saw the board, and assumed that all of the round button consoles had that board in them.  My guess is that the 06 boards from 1983 could be in both....

JC

Yeah, very possible. I don't know how many feather opened to come to his conclusions.

featherplucknfilms

I guess some clarification is due towards the basis of this information.  I don't think I originally intended it to be told as a fact but that's how it seems on the article, so here is my logic and findings that led me to believe this info to be true. 

My only verification for the info was the limited knowledge I have on the history of the square button and a personal survey done by opening up multiple round and square button famicoms that I came upon over time.  II believe  I opened about four square button ones and four or five round buttons.  In the squares I found a black 05 (1983), a blue 05 (1983), and I think two of them had the GPM-02 (1989) in it. Also, another member of Famicom World had purchased one previously and it turned out to have a GPM-02 in it, which obviously is not original since the copyright date.  This is the basis for believing that the motherboards could easily be switched and people have done so. 

The 06 was the one I was not completely sure about.  I found one in a round button casing and wasn't sure why someone would swap that out if the 06 was originally in a square button.  Since it has a 1983 copyright date and the parts look exact to the 05's it could lead you to think it may also have been used in the square button.  However, I thought that the square buttons were only available for a limited run before they were recalled for the freezing motherboard issue.  That led me to believe that it happened in 1983 and was the cause for a quick change in motherboards.  Possibly the 06 could be in both the last runs of squares and first runs of rounds since Japan-games has found an 06 in a square button casing, but that would mean there were two rounds of improvements, first changing the motherboards and then later changing the buttons.  This then would still make the 06 not the original motherboard that the Famicom used, but it would make the 06 motherboard be original in some square buttons. 

So as you know, it's hard to find info about this.  The info here on FW is some of my detective work and logic based on my knowledge, experience and findings opening up multiple systems.  If any of you find any additional that would help solve this let us know!  If any of you have any square button Famicoms, open them up and let us know what's inside!

EarthwormJim55

does anybody here have a famicom with square buttons? but mine has round ones.

L___E___T

I have a boxed square button famicom I got from Japan Games, I've not hooked it up yet though.
Round butons definitely makes more sense in terms of play though.
My for Sale / Trade thread
http://www.famicomworld.com/forum/index.php?topic=9423.msg133828#msg133828
大事なのは、オチに至るまでの積み重ねなのです。

phatphunk

I recently got a used square button Famicom. The upper shell has yellowed to almost an orange color, the plastic appears to be very brittle. There were cracks everywhere. Fortunately, the bottom shell and the pads were in excellent condition. I opened her up and it yields the same CPU-06 1983 that Japan-Games.com found in his. I can't really compare cause his picture now doesn't load, but in mine, the PPU has a rubber base underneath which acts like a heat sink of some kind. I gave it a few test runs, and it seems to play most games ok except for one game - Recca. There were graphical glitches especially the bottom HUD which flickers from the original position to the middle of the screen. The serial number of mine was H2xxxxx. I had an earlier Boxed Square button FC which unfortunately had it's mobo and pads swapped. The serial number is H1xxxxx. I'm guessing that model was manufactured earlier, and had the original CPU-05 1983 mobo, which probably was too buggy that the owner decided to send it back to Nintendo and have them swap the mobo and pads.

So this is my own interpretation of what I feel happened during the early years of the FC..

CPU-05 1983 (Black or Blue Pin) - Very low Serial Number - Square button, smooth bottom
CPU-06 1983 (Blue pin) - Square button, smooth bottom
CPU-06 1983 (Blue pin) - Round button, rough bottom
CPU-07 1984 (Blue pin) - Round button, rough bottom

It may seem that Nintendo first revised the Mobo and continued using the Square button designs for awhile, before updating it to the Round buttons with the same CPU 06 mobos. Also I did noticed about the Square button instruction manuals. There are 2 revisions of it. The earliest one (which I believe came with the original CPU-05 1983 mobos) only had the Nintendo logo at the bottom right in the front page. Where as the later ones, have Nintendo Co. Ltd in the middle...

Just thought I'd share my investigation to you guys :) Let me know if this applies. However, I'd like to know what are the bugs found for the original CPU-05 mobo. Has anyone here experienced it? The square buttons aren't too bad really. It feels odd, definitely, but once you get use to it. You won't notice anything. Also I noticed the D-pad was alot stiffer!


fredJ

August 09, 2012, 01:27:55 am #8 Last Edit: August 09, 2012, 01:35:52 am by fredJ
I got a boxed one (NM), and saw that it was sold on Feb. 28, 1984.
Wonder how long they were sold?
Also wonder about the box design. This one has 10 games on the small picture. Later models had more, but how many different pictures are there?


Btw, I love it.


Selling  Japanese games in Sweden since 2011 (as "japanspel").
blog: http://japanspel.blogspot.com

Frank_fjs

I reckon I spotted that one on Yamatoku recently. If that's not where it's from, they had one just like it.

fredJ

No it's not from Yamatoku...  what did it sell for?
Selling  Japanese games in Sweden since 2011 (as "japanspel").
blog: http://japanspel.blogspot.com

Frank_fjs

Just looked it up, $112.50 US. Also noticed that the console was very yellowed, not clean like yours.


famiac


Frank_fjs

This one was yellowed but it did have the box and manual, no RF or PSU though.

fredJ

Thanks for looking it up.

Mine is nearly mint.  :D
Selling  Japanese games in Sweden since 2011 (as "japanspel").
blog: http://japanspel.blogspot.com