Dream Mary on a Budget

[nurd]

I did this to my famicom version of the game. c:
I dont think i soldered it though, i think i taped a wire down. 

[nintendodork]

Will any old piece of copper wire work for that then, nurd?  If so, it just makes the mod that much more simple.  Use a straightened paper clip to cut the first wire, and tape a second wire on to V.

[133MHz]

Yep, anything that electrically bridges the contacts together will work. I wouldn't recommend taping down a piece of wire as a long term solution because if the tape ever comes off and the wire gets loose inside the cart who knows what kind of things could happen, but hey, whatever floats your boat dude .

[nensondubois]

Yep, buying a dream marry cart is still worth it. I could easily do the modification part but I'm not.

[cubelmariomadness]

Is there any other tool besides that nintendo screw that will open it up? Besides the melted pen too.

[nintendodork]

I've actually found a regular screwdriver with a small tip to work.  It worked for Stack-Up anyway, but since that's a 5 screw cartridge, I've never tried it on a regular game, so I can't guarantee anything.  If you have any screwdrivers with interchangeable heads, I suggest you find as many as you can and just keep trying different kinds.

[cubelmariomadness]

I'm not using a hammer! 

I just can't get it open.

[133MHz]

I can vouch for the small scissors method. When I was a kid I used to open SNES carts using a very fine-pointed scissor that I found on my mom's sewing kit.

[cubelmariomadness]

I'll try looking for some.

EDIT: I can't find any.

[DDCecil]

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9663/picture220i.jpg

My SMB/DH has a globtop. Would it be just as easy to do, or should I go for a non-globtop version if I attempt to try this myself in the future?

[NintendoKing]

Is there any other tool besides that nintendo screw that will open it up? Besides the melted pen too.

I only paid like 4$ for my 4.5mm Security bit and 6$ for my awesome black handled "gun shaped" crank screwdriver thing; I can take apart NES carts in record time.

The NES bit is worth having because it also takes apart SNES carts, N64 Carts, and I think GBA carts.

[nintendodork]

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9663/picture220i.jpg

My SMB/DH has a globtop. Would it be just as easy to do, or should I go for a non-globtop version if I attempt to try this myself in the future?

I've never seen a globtop SMB/DH board before!  Could it perhaps be a pirated board?  What does the cartridge look like?

[NintendoKing]

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9663/picture220i.jpg

My SMB/DH has a globtop. Would it be just as easy to do, or should I go for a non-globtop version if I attempt to try this myself in the future?

I've never seen a globtop SMB/DH board before!  Could it perhaps be a pirated board?  What does the cartridge look like?

He is from Switzerland, so the game could just be an official Euro/Pal NES game.

[133MHz]

My SMB/DH has a globtop. Would it be just as easy to do, or should I go for a non-globtop version if I attempt to try this myself in the future?

I think I can see the mirroring select pads on that one:



The picture is not clear enough so I could be wrong, but in the case that it really says H and V there, the only extra step would be to scrape off the green covering over the V pads to reveal the copper that's underneath so that the solder would stick to it.

I've never seen a globtop SMB/DH board before!  Could it perhaps be a pirated board?  What does the cartridge look like?

This is not as uncommon as you think. DDCecil's cartridge probably belongs to the very last production runs for the NES. When the technology is mature and a system is starting to die off, the manufacturers try to reduce costs as much as possible by reducing parts count. I presume that the last SMB/DH carts ever made used gloptops because of a business decision.

Same thing happened with SNES controllers. The very first ones used two chips, then they condensed the two chips into one, and finally when the SNES reached the end of its life cycle they started using gloptops.

He is from Switzerland, so the game could just be an official Euro/Pal NES game.

That seems really plausible too, especially considering that our European friends got their games later in time.

[NintendoKing]

My SMB/DH has a globtop. Would it be just as easy to do, or should I go for a non-globtop version if I attempt to try this myself in the future?

I think I can see the mirroring select pads on that one:



The picture is not clear enough so I could be wrong, but in the case that it really says H and V there, the only extra step would be to scrape off the green covering over the V pads to reveal the copper that's underneath so that the solder would stick to it.

I've never seen a globtop SMB/DH board before!  Could it perhaps be a pirated board?  What does the cartridge look like?

This is not as uncommon as you think. DDCecil's cartridge probably belongs to the very last production runs for the NES. When the technology is mature and a system is starting to die off, the manufacturers try to reduce costs as much as possible by reducing parts count. I presume that the last SMB/DH carts ever made used gloptops because of a business decision.

Same thing happened with SNES controllers. The very first ones used two chips, then they condensed the two chips into one, and finally when the SNES reached the end of its life cycle they started using gloptops.

He is from Switzerland, so the game could just be an official Euro/Pal NES game.

That seems really plausible too, especially considering that our European friends got their games later in time.

Yes, Yes. Sometimes Nintendo is really a jerk to our friends overseas.