I got my 16 bit programming adapter (DIL version, already got the TSOP32, 40 and 48 set) and four 27C160 eproms today – so I’m probably trying this on a real unit later tonight. 😉

Does it lock up on other Virtual Boy units as well?

Perhaps it can be reproduced in Reality Boy as well, is it possible to change data in the debugger version and then keep on playing?

I got the cart today and was happily surprised it was shrinkwrapped and never opened…

Too bad he shipped it wrapped in only bubblewrap and thin paper – it’s now a concave box. 🙁

DIP-swithes in the middle routed just fine with a 6mil standard trace width.

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I have spent a lot of time trying to get a good layout with ram as well but it was hard using the minimum standard measures that my PCB-manufacturer uses.

When stepping down one step in size though it routed very quickly, I could even place the ram on the top layer with the other components.

I’m thinking of moving things around, the dip-switches in the middle perhaps so you don’t risk changing them while it’s inserted…

Current pcb DIP:s and FerroRAM not in the 3D library:

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http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220549559755

Games include “Mario Land”,”Mario Clash”,”Red Alarm” and “Teleroboxer”. All four are new in the original boxes and factory sealed. Also included is a Nintendo Virtual Boy AC Adapter Set which has been opened but is in the original box.

1. You need to be in “grab mode” to hit collect a “$”. (press A or B and then run over the $.
2. “E” stands for enemy. 🙂

It probably helps to read the instructions on screen… 😀

Here’s a recording that shows the glitch twice, at 4 seconds and at 12.

If you could clear the screen after the fadeout is done it would remove that glitch from Reality Boy (I think)… If you can find the time. If you write the new screen and then fades it in it solves the problem too I guess.

BTW I won the game! 😉

I tried it in Reality Boy and when it said “press anything” I tried squeezing my wife but nothing happened…

😀

… first thought was if you fade out the intro screen you should fade in the next screen. It also looks like the old text appears again before the new screen is displayed – vould be an emulation bug I don’t know but otherwise a screen clear command could be issued after the fade-out. So fade out, erase, draw new screen and then fade new screen in…

When I crash with the $-signs the game ends, when I crash with the “E” the E disappears, wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around?

Great work by the way, I couldn’t have done it in that amount of time!

Which is this one, right?
http://www.vr32.de/modules/catads/

There are none when you look at completed listings, only two boxed VB:s with M.T. included.

I’ve noticed that my first login never works…

After a few hours I try to reload the page that’s open but I have been logged out for some reason and the page reloads with a login-prompt.

So I fill in alias and password in the header and press enter… then I get the faulty login message and have to do enter alias and password again – then it works – and starts in my profile view instead of the page that was originally displayed.

The first three times I thought I misspelled the password or something but this time I’m 100% sure it was correct.

Sh*t, that’s a lot of money.

But I guess the price per unit was cheaper than with other methods. You can order 3D-printed plastic stuff, it’s really expensive though…

Go right ahead, just upload and pay.

3D Printing Service Online

http://www.shapeways.com/tutorials/supported-applications

If I recall correctly this “musette” cost $260
http://www.shapeways.com/model/5129/musette.html

You can open up a shop and sell your design to other people as well. It would be fun to see what a reasonably look-alike pair of V.B. cart halves would cost. They’re about 6,3×7,5×0,5…
If “Grey Robust” plastic material is chosen it could come out at an OK price.

Anyone good at 3D-CAD:ing?

Sure, it’s no big deal, you “just” make a cad-file of the two parts and send it to China for injection molding, there are internet-pages where you can make requests – but you need to order quite a lot to get a good price per piece. If I remember correctly they did that with some Vectrex-carts, I have the Sean Kelly multicart for Vectrex and I believe it’s newly produced. It’s close to an original but if you hold them side by side you’ll see the difference.

Also NES carts, the PowerPak is in a custom made shell.

All that is needed is someone who has a lot of money to spare. 😉

I was thinking that perhaps it would be possible to make a mold and cast the whole pcb in epoxy or similar. But that would probably also be more expensive than using donor carts.

Like someone mentioned, who needs thousands or at least hundreds of Virtual League Beaseball carts? It would be fun though to get a sealed 48 pcs box and save it for 20 years and see if it was worth more or less than today.

I bought the connector at elfa.se
https://www1.elfa.se/elfa~se_sv/index.jsp?ignorecookie=true

One of them cost 95SEK (almost €9), if you buy 100 or more from them (which you don’t cause they are not cheap) they cost 41SEK each (€3.80). I saw 2×30 somewhere else but I can’t remember where it was… My guess is that they are cheaper anywhere else than elfa.se – it’s just convenient as they have a store downtown. It bothers me also that the VAT is not included in the prices on their webpage.

Both the upper versions are for a standard 2mm 2×30 connector. The connector can be seen in the upper paper-cart-picture. I don’t know if it works yet, it looks like it could… It would help production not having to desolder connectors but cart shells are still needed so it won’t save on any carts, and as I mentioned before, the connectors are probably more expensive than getting a batch of brand new boxed cart.

I finished routing the version with ram, it looks like it’s possible.

It would be fun to have a prototype made and try it out.

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I managed to squeeze in an SRAM replacement also… FerroRAM, holds the memory without battery.

Only two jumpers so far, but the regulator is still not wired properly and I guess the level shifting hasn’t been finalized yet – I have just put resistors in series with all 25 signals and also the tracks might need to be widen or thickened, I’m thinking of the ground, vcc and +5V.

Would be really neat with all games on one cart and also “sram”. It has more than double the needed ram so there’s actually nine free slots for other programs.

I’ll try and spread things more evenly and try different placements for the nonvolatile ram and try a little harder…

Paper cutouts in an original shell (yes they’re up-side-down for a better view).

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[e5frog]

Sure, just desolder an eprom, put it in your TSOP56 adapter and reprogram it with your eprom programmer…

The PCB is quite full as it is, I’m not sure it would be possible to add support for it to be reprogrammable. Perhaps it would be possible to route VPEN and /WE to cartridge connector pins and then it would be possible to reprogram by connecting the cartridge to an eprom programmer. But I guess that’s too much work for most people and there’s no physical room for a USB-interface.

This is meant to be the whole collection in one cart.

I guess you need a FlashBoy as well.

Here’s an almost working version, the second one is for the original connector. The dip-switches I chose was apparently not in the parts library for the 3D rendering:

• This reply was modified 16 years, 6 months ago by e5frog.
• This reply was modified 16 years, 6 months ago by e5frog.

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I’ll wait for an answer from Numonyx and if the circuits arrive before that I’ll do the test – if I abort before I reach the maximum allowed level of 5,6V I should be safe…

Thanks for the information, I just kind of splurred out a bunch of stuff without even thinking about it.

The diode resistor looked like a good solution:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/tutorial_info.php?tutorials_id=65

Image sucks though:

The diode prevents interference from the 5V device and the pull-up to 3.3V holds that signal high until there’s a zero from the 5V device, then the voltage drops to the diode’s forward voltage – if I got it correctly. Schottky diode is recommended.

Any ideas of what value is needed for a dip-switch pull-up resistor? I used 2k2 ohms for the really old TTL-circuits… I’m guessing a higher value is enough. It’s just to hold the address pins high, I’m leaning towards 10kohm?

Diodes on the databus then?

They’re only going to be used as outputs and the diodes will protect them from 5V levels on the databus…

Are you a software and hardware guru as well?