[DrWho198]

I knew it was a 3.3v, but I think that wouldn’t be too much of a problem. I don’t know what the wait state is about. Does that mean that it takes another cycle to read these as they are too slow?

If it technically would be possible in PP mode to use it as flash memory then I guess this one should do the trick:
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/flash-memory-chips/7238849/

If these would not work then I would have to turn to a tsop package which I do not have an adaptor for. In that case it would be best to make a dedicated writer that could rewrite the cards if possible. But I was hoping to not needing to go there yet. Although a tsop would make it possible to make even bigger cartridges with a single memory chip. It would also mean a cartridge would cost moe to produce.

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Funny how this forum keeps stacking up my edits… since I edit my posts often this looks a bit weird 😛

• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by DrWho198.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by DrWho198.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by DrWho198.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by DrWho198.

[DrWho198]

I had a look around today, and I got my eye on these for a programable cartridge:

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/flash-memory-chips/7238839/

These should provide 1 megabyte of flash memory each. A pair would give me 2 megabyte. They have a PLCC32 package which I have an adaptor for and should be able to program.
But they are not exactly Flash memory and I wonder if it would be possible to use them as such. Does anyone know more about these?

• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by DrWho198.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by DrWho198.

[DrWho198]

An IR led is indeed a wild guess… but I still find this circuit too complex for blinking. You can’t look through the pcb very well. But I can easily distinguish at least 12 lines comming from the blob. Not to mention that you can even more easily see there are 12 square pads above it.

What I find even stranger is the fact that after repair, you can not see a visible blink. The batteries though don’t puzzle me as you can see that some are put parallel instead of in serries. This clearly suggests that it is done to get it running longer.

For me it remains a mystery.
If you wich to know if the led was ir or not, and if you still have it. Then you could hook it up and look at it through your mobile phones camera. If you see it light up in the camera then its IR… if not then it’s probably dead.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by DrWho198.

great help.
But in the end I’m aiming to use smd’s as these fit in the case.

Great info, I don’t know why… but somehow I thought there were only 21 address lines.

check this post for instance:

http://www.planetvb.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=6348&post_id=33931#forumpost33931

Well, i’m new to this scene and I actually do not know bigmak.
I’ve been reading about the flashboy, and it’s on my mind. But I’m a DIY kinda guy. And part of this journey is about the experience. I’ve made cartridges before, made my own pcb’s (someone else’s schematics though) but the PCB design was mine and I got them made in china. Now I have my own A2600 cartridges with bankswitching. I feel comfortable that I could pull this one off too. So right now I’m looking at the possibilities.

Sure, I would love the nicely boxed repro’s that have been sold before. But it all depends at what price and what quality. And I’m sure once they hit E-bay prices will be too high and shipping even more. So until I stumble on a bargain, I wanted to try out reproduction myself.

Programming for the VB seems interesting too, but I have little time to spare, so I doubt that I’ll ever succeed in that.

So…
I ask questions to find out more about how the VB cartridges work. This is a really nice supportive forum. But looking up information in here is pretty hard if you just enter this scene. And in the mean time I throw out a question if there are still people actively making Repro’s, because I’m a collector aswell in the end.

I hope this clarifies what direction i wanted to go with this thread. But I have been i this scene for only a few days and already things get me excited more then I imagined it would. So by all means… please continue with your suggestions because they might interest me even if it wasn’t really what I wanted to ask.

Thank you for the info, I’m looking into it right now. Although my goal would be a cart that looks like a retail cartridge. Your findings are very helpfull though.

Are there no bankswitching methods used on VB?

Thanks, I already contacted him. It turns out he has a few that are on the way for repair already. I’m considering doing this myself. But is seems to be a weird way to solder… ‘just melting away’ the cable to free up tge copper wires.

A blob always means an IC is used. but what kind is unknown. If you say the other button blinks then that’s probably what the IC is for. But if this Led doesn’t ‘visibly’ blinks then the IC in that blob has a different use. Its hard to be sure judging by that picture, but it sure seems like a lot of traces going to the IC. Which would suggest something more complicated.

Again… only by viewing these pictures, it even looks like there is an array of pads above the blob. What are they doing there? connect to something? Maybe to program the IC? Who knows. The thing with blobs is that what lies below is always a mystery.

[DrWho198]

It’s hard to be sure looking at these pics. But if you look at the PCB then it seems like there is a blob at the other side. Which would mean there is an IC there. Not SEEING light doesn’t mean there is no light. I just wonder if it wasn’t IR light. What the purpose of this would be is unknown to me. But with an IC and a IR led you could send out a IR signal that can be received by another device.

Maybe some kind of stunt in which the badge is the key in making something happen.

I know this is a long shot… but it’s all based on it being a blob on the other side of the PCB and the led not giving any light. Although leds do die easily in some conditions.

Edit:
Also, the traces that apear through the PCB do not make any sence when it would only be to light up the led. There must be more to this button like device then just a led lighting up.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by DrWho198.

ebay from Japan:

VUE-S-RA(JPN)
V10105167

@Lovethrash:
Well, I have it confirmed. The unit was not tampered with but the problem is likely the ribon cable. Swapping the 2 displays moves the problem from one eye to the other. Right now I see more of the typical horizontal lines. I guess I need to get them fixed some how.

I will find out soon if someone already opened it up. About vibrations… well I don’t know… I tried tapping it at that side while playing to see of the distortions would change and they don’t. But swapping left and right displays still seems the best option to find out the problem.

Does RunnerPack still help out people fixing the displays?
I think the displays will have to be repaired at one time anyway.