Topics

1

EverDrive N8 / Noticed something odd about the Everdrives and Clones

« on: August 06, 2018, 08:13 AM »

I have several Everdrives that I've purchased over the years.  This post is NOT a criticism, but seems to suggest an advantage over real cartridges in some situations.

An issue I've noticed is that some cartridges that will NOT play on one of my clones WILL PLAY as ROM images on exactly the same consoles through the Everdrive.

For example, my Castlevania 3 cartridge will not play correctly on my Retro Duo (revision 3), but it will play on my Everdrive as a ROM image on the exact same console. There is nothing wrong the Castlevania 3 cart. It plays fine on a real NES and some clones that were modified with an additional IC to support it.

Another example is that my copy of Super Street Fighter 2 for the Genesis has graphical errors on my Sega Genesis clone, but again will play perfectly as a ROM image on the everdrive using the exact same clone. Again, nothing wrong with the original cart. It plays fine on three real Genesis consoles. Only has issues on the clone.

To be clear, what I'm saying is that on some of my clone consoles, the games that do not work properly as real cartridges will play perfectly on the Everdrive.

Does anyone have an explanation for this? It isn't a criticism, but it is weird.

2

EverDrive N8 / Please someone else confirm that Commando doesn't work.

« on: April 15, 2013, 05:35 PM »

I've tried every version of Commando I could find on a real NES and they all freeze within the first level.

Someone else please confirm if this does or does not work.

Also tell us what version you are using (no intro, goodset, random find, etc).

3

Turbo EverDrive / Turbo Everdrive Region Free issue

« on: March 30, 2013, 09:20 PM »

The NEO PC-E 128M Flash Cart will not allow you to play US Roms on a Japanese PC Engine. Unless you have a region switch modification, it just doesn't work.

The Turbo Everdrive is completely region free. I can play all US Roms on an unmodified Core Grafx.

My question is:

Is the Turbo Everdrive managing this by modifying the Roms on the fly, or through hardware built into the card?

The reason I'd like to know is if it is somehow patching these US roms to work on the Japanese PC Engine, I'm wondering what process it is using to do this and if a US patched ROM could be dumped somehow.

4

Off Topic / Retron 5 Press Release appears to reveal it is Linux-based PC running emulators.

« on: March 26, 2013, 09:02 PM »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OcNy7t17LA

Quote from the developer :
"We are going to put out the best possible picture that the CPU (singular) can provide".

The Retron 5 appears to actually be a Linux-based PC inside of a console shell, with a custom GUI, that uses emulators to play actual cartridges, instead of roms like PC emulators do. This means that there will be no cloned 16-bit or 8-bit hardware. No discrete logic chips. No 8-bit CPUs. No 16-bit CPUs. No cloned hardware. At all.

Emulation has been around forever and is free. For instance, I can play every Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, Nintendo, Neo Geo, and PC Engine game in existence on my 32 inch LCD via HDMI from my PC. Each console will even have filters and scanlines to look as authentic as possible. All games are compatible. I've been able to do this since 1998 (mid 2000's for HDMI). Seriously. (In fact I can also play them from my Netbook)

However, because it is not the real hardware (or a clone approximate) none of the games quite look correct, sound correct, or play correct. Most people can't tell the difference. But the majority of consumers who would buy an Everdrive to play the games on the real hardware CAN tell the difference, that is why they buy the Everdrive instead of using their roms on an emulator.

5

Off Topic / I want one of these. Micro-Genius NES Clone

« on: March 19, 2013, 11:09 PM »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWZqw2xsgMw

It's an early NES clone, but unlike today's clones it uses discrete chips and duplicated all of the capabilities of the original Nintendo and Famicom hardware (at least in regard to playing cartridges). So the tint would not be off, and all games would work.

6

EverDrive N8 / Commando not working

« on: March 19, 2013, 06:44 AM »

Note: During the same few days that I tested Commando, I tested hundreds of other US NTSC Roms. Commando was THE ONLY one that did this. I also researched Commando and found that it is one of the most bug ridden NES games ever made, so it should be no surprise that it did not work. It also appears that on some consoles Commando does work (it doesn't crash on SkinnyV's system).

http://youtu.be/IdiNz1ICelk

If I seem a little annoyed in the video, it is because my camera battery kept dying. What you are seeing is about the fifth attempt at shooting the video.

Llet me state here that these roms all have a heading of iNES mapper 2, which is the mapper they are supposed to be using according to the bootgod database.

Here is a link to the bootgod entry:
http://bootgod.dyndns.org:7777/profile.php?id=478

I just found that Commando is not working. You start the game and it will freeze after playing for a little while. This game just doesn't work on the Everdrive N8 (YET).

I've added this to the bug thread, but thought I'd start a unique thread to get feedback about the issue also.

I've tested about fifty roms today. Fortunately, this is the only one I've run into that is having a problem so far.

This is on a US NTSC NES.

Same thing happens on the FC Twin Famiclone and Retron 1 Famiclone.

7

Off Topic / Neo PC-E 128M+Save Flash Cart --> Convert to normal 128M without Save

« on: March 18, 2013, 05:23 AM »

I have a Neo PC-E 128M+ Save flash cart.

Here is the scoop.

I know several people that have the PC-E 128M flash cart and it works in ALL of their Turbo Grafx systems.
I know several people that have the PC-E 128M + Save flash cart and it has problems working in some systems, causing freezing or graphics corruption.

I believe the save function is causing the game stored in memory to corrupt in some systems. I would like to convert my cart to a normal 128M flash cart that does not have the Save functionality.

Does anyone know how I would do this?

8

Turbo EverDrive / How to pre-patch roms with Magic Engine codes?

« on: March 18, 2013, 12:19 AM »

I understand that the Turbo Everdrive is not an emulator. Please don't take the time to explain that to me.

However, Magic Engine codes exist for many Turbo Grafx games.

I am wondering if it would be possible to pre-patch roms with these codes so that the changes will work with the Turbo Everdrive.

Many of the codes can be found on the old site version of Gamehacking(dot)org

What software would I use? Would would the basic process be?

Here is an example, invincibility on Kieth Courage would be F82048:2

How would I modify the rom so that that address change is in the rom?

Thanks in advance.

9

EverDrive N8 / NSF Support?

« on: March 05, 2013, 03:34 AM »

Someone outside of this site asked me if the Everdrive N8 supports "NSF".

What is NSF?

Does the Everdrive N8 support it, if not is there any plan to support it in the future?

I did Google it before starting the thread. It was not clear to me.

Nintendo Sound Format?

So this person was hoping you could play NES songs in NSF format?

10

Off Topic / Expansion sound possible on Famiclones?

« on: March 04, 2013, 08:13 AM »

http://youtu.be/QcYs6h_0LwY

This is relevant because the Everdrive N8 supports Expansion sound in several games, including the Japanese version of Castlevania 3 (Akumajō Densetsu). One of the more common clones is the Retron 1, which uses the same hardware as the RES and Yobo FC (there are different revisions of this hardware, but they can be found across all of these clones).

However, these clones are often missing features, such as expansion sound, accurate audio, and support for Castlevania 3. These features can be enabled and will work with your Everdrive N8. You will still have to connect certain pins on your adapter (as explained in another thread on this site).

ACE, the Famiclone expert, informed me that the expansion sound does work on the FC Twin and can also be made to work on the Retron 1 (RES).

Okay, to enable expansion sound on the Retron 1 or RES, you must connect pins 54 and 55 to the positive side of a capacitor labelled C3. It also is a good idea to add a 1.5k resistor to the same point and ground (this cleans up the audio)



You can also modify your RES or Retron 1 to support Castlevania III (and possibly a few other titles) by adding a 7404 inverter IC like so:


Ace from Sega 16 showed me how to do both of these.

11

EverDrive N8 / Games Not Working / Bug Reporting Thread

« on: February 27, 2013, 05:11 AM »

SkinnV Compatibility Thread (with link to current table)

Some examples of mappers (source: Retrozone):
#    DESCRIPTION                    GAMES
1    Nintendo MMC1 Chipset    1942, Bomberman II, Mega Man II ...
2    ROM (PRG) Switch             Konami games like CastleVania and Stinger
3    VROM (CHR) Switch             Twin Bee, Q*Bert, and many japanese games.
4    Nintendo MMC3 Chipset    Super Mario Bros 2 & 3 (Most used mapper)
5    Nintendo MMC5 Chipset    CastleVania III: Dracula's Curse
7    32kb ROM (PRG) Switch    Wizards & Warriors, Marble Madness, etc.
9    Nintendo MMC2 Chipset    Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, and Punch-Out!!
10    Nintendo MMC4 Chipset    Japanese Punch-Out!!, and japanese games.
11    Color Dreams Chipset    Crystal Mines, Tagin' Dragon, Babyboom, etc.

No-Intro NES Header Fix

Based on the information above, you should get a rough idea of potential compatibility.

Please take into consideration that this thread is not intended to criticize the Everdrive product. The purpose of the thread is discuss games with supported mappers that are not working. Hopefully, once we have a list of games on the supported mapper list that are still not working properly, patterns will become obvious to the more advanced users, enabling for improved compatibility in the future.

Obviously, technically advanced users are not obligated to fix non-working games, although it is appreciated if they do. Again, the main purpose of this thread is to make existing problems known. This will save time for trouble shooting purposes and will stop people from thinking that they have bad rom dumps, when a specific game is simply not fully compatible yet.

SkinnyV's list (above) shows which games have supported mappers; it does not state that those games actually work (though one would expect they usually will).



Here is an incomplete list of games that should be supported, but due to whatever idiosyncrasy in the way the code is implemented, they don't work properly:
* Commando (English and Japanese versions): iNES mapper 2 --->Game crashes shortly after starting.-->Reported to work on some consoles and not others.
* Ai Sensei no Oshiete - Watashi no Hoshi - reported not working by other users


Hack available for clone consoles:
* Rad Racer 2: iNES mapper #4 (MMC3B) --->unique implementation distinguishing it from other MMC3B titles (there is a hack available that makes this work (on clones)!!)

Note: List above assumes nesos-s2m3 & n8-bios-v4
Note: There are games that are not on the supported mapper list. They will not be discussed here.

Fixed (or discovered working):
No-Intro NES Header Fix
Gauntlet (Tengen) iNES mapper 206 (according to SkinnyV) - Fixed in s2m4. Will not play in clone consoles.
Rad Racer 2: iNES mapper #4 (MMC3B) ---> Fixed in s2m4. Will not play in clone consoles (patched version I find will play in clones).
Abadox: iNES mapper #1 (MMC1B2) ---> This game DOES work, you just need to enable the reset.
Karnov : iNES mapper #206 (Namcot 109)---> Game starts, then the graphics are corrupt // SkinnyV fixed it
Super Xevious: iNES mapper #206 (Namcot 109)---> Game starts, then the graphics are corrupt // SkinnyV fixed it
Babel no Tou (Japan)   (Incorrect mapper, mapper #4 instead of #206)
Family Jockey (Japan)   (Incorrect mapper, mapper #4 instead of #206)
Family Mahjong (Japan)   (Incorrect mapper, mapper #4 instead of #206)
Family Pinball (Japan)   (Incorrect mapper, mapper #4 instead of #206)
Side Pocket (Japan)   (Incorrect mapper, mapper #4 instead of #206)
Super Chinese (Japan)   (Incorrect mapper, mapper #4 instead of #206)
Super Xevious - Gump no Nazo (Japan)   (Incorrect mapper, mapper #4 instead of #206)
Valkyrie no Bouken - Toki no Kagi Densetsu (Japan)   (Incorrect mapper, mapper #4 instead of #206)


Related threads:
http://krikzz.com/forum/index.php?topic=393.0
http://krikzz.com/forum/index.php?topic=335.0
No-Intro NES Header Fix

Tools (hex editors, etc)
NES header repair discussion
ines-header-fixer/
Nintendulator

Thanks to SkinnyV, Jimmy, and other contributors, for their guidance.

12

EverDrive N8 / Star Tropics I & Star Tropics II -->PARTIAL WORKING. STILL NO WORKING. NO SOUND.

« on: February 26, 2013, 11:51 PM »

Okay, based on the discussion in the bugs report thread, Star Tropics uses the MMC6 Mapper, but is being included in the similar MMC3 mapper category (MAPPER 4). This results in the game not working because MMC6 doesn't handle wram in the same way (or something like that).

The consensus seems to be that the developer will have to create an exception and augment his mapper system in someway to support these games.

The Star Tropics games were some of the best Action RPGs on the NES and are classic. I think it is important that the Everdrive N8 eventually support them.

http://www.youtube.com/v/8b7x30_E0Ko?hl
------------

I downloaded several versions of both of these games (Star Tropics I & Star Tropics II) and while some versions start, they cannot be played.

This was later verified by a few other users.

It appears they are handled like MMC3 games, but are MMC6 and require an additional 1KB of memory for saves. As that isn't being handled, they can't be played.

I'd really like to see these games supported as they are pretty fantastic NES games.

13

EverDrive N8 / Confirmed working in CLONES: FC Twin & Retron 1 (AKA RES)

« on: February 26, 2013, 08:03 AM »

I can confirm that this does work in the following clones:

(1) Yobo FC Twin
     * Uses a similar type of NOC to the FC3 Plus, Retro Duo, and Retron 3 (so those may also work)

(2) Hyperkin Retron 1
     * Internally identical to most versions of the Retro-bit RES

I had difficulty getting it to work in my real NES.
Note: However, I found that I was able to get the cart to play consistently by sticking a piece of cardboard underneath the cartridge. I don't have to do this for other cartridges, but once I get all of the games on the thing I should not be taking it out very often. This should save me the trouble of having to modify the console.

I removed my cartridge connector and placed it in container of boiling hot water for four minutes, took it out to cool off, then got the water boiling and did it again. Now it has no trouble playing the flash device. If I were to keep taking out and putting in cartridges it is likely it would warp again and stop working, but with the everdrive N8 I don't need to take the cart out.

Both the FC Twin and Retron 1 can be modified to improve compatibility.

14

EverDrive N8 / Is there an NES version?

« on: February 06, 2013, 09:57 PM »

Update: USA NES version in testing.
http://krikzz.com/forum/index.php?topic=502.0

I just ordered this and I read that it was compatible with the Famicom, NES, and someclones.

Today I noticed an Astrisk stating that I would actually need a converter to use this with an NES.

Where would I get the converter?

Is there every going to be a straight NES version?

I remember seeing online that some very old NES games have some type of adapter in them already and you just need to disassemble them to get the adapter. I'm not sure if I'll be able to find one.

15

Turbo EverDrive / Turbo Ever Drive is a great product.

« on: January 26, 2013, 06:27 PM »

Turbo Ever Drive is a great product.

This device is SOOOOOO much better than the NEO PCE Flash Cart.

(1) I supports larger capacity, so you don't need to constantly flash the device to change the roms. I could only put around 20 games on my other flash device.
(2) The games don't need to be modified. With the other flash carts you have to alter headers, mirror roms, etc.
(3) It is completely region free. You can play US games on a Japanese console with no modification.
(4) It more reliable. My PCE 128+Save flash device only works on consoles without a CD-ROM, if there is a CD-ROM present the games corrupt.
(5) Superior support.