Author Topic: NES to Famicom Converter in NES Carts  (Read 43371 times)

Re: NES to Famicom Converter in NES Carts
« Reply #15 on: April 19, 2014, 09:11:02 pm »
I've gone through so many 5-screw carts and haven't found a single converter.  :-[

megasilverx1

Re: NES to Famicom Converter in NES Carts
« Reply #16 on: May 11, 2020, 01:33:33 am »
In case anyone is wondering.  Here is a list of games that are known to have Famicom Converters in them. 


1942
Clu Clu Land
Donkey Kong Jr.
Duck Hunt
Elevator Action
Excitebike
Golf
Gumshoe
Gyromite
Hogan’s Alley
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
Pinball
Raid on Bungeling Bay
Rygar
Soccer
Stack Up
Tennis
Urban Champion
Wizards and Warriors
Wrecking Crew

I see this list on pretty much every website that mentions Famicom adapters in NES games, but I have to wonder if some of these games would actually have one inside. Games that'd had to be translated into English like Rygar, Wizards & Warriors, and Punch-Out seem like really unlikely games to have adapters in them. Also a game that was never released in Japan like Gumshoe also seems just as, if not more unlikely to have an adapter in it. I'm a little curious as to where this list originated from and it's validity since, like I mentioned, I've seen it on many retro game focused websites.

Regardless, I did end up getting a copy of Hogan's Alley that had a Famicom adapter in it years ago and I did notice a few differences between it and my other copy of Hogan's Alley that didn't have an adapter in it besides the slight difference in weight and in how the cart pins look. Not sure if it would help, but I can list what differences I noticed:

  • The adapter copy is a 5 screw cartridge while the non-adapter copy is a 3 screw cartridge.
  • The end label on the 5 screw copy has the ™ trademark symbol after Hogan's Alley while the 3 screw copy does not.
  • The 5 screw copy does not say "Made in Japan" and is missing the item number NES-HA-USA below the Nintendo seal.
  • The ® right reserved symbol is missing at the end of the Nintendo Entertainment System logo that is below the game's title on the 5 screw copy's label.
  • The 5 screw copy seems to have more stars (the white dots in the background of black box game covers), but really looking at these two close up, it looks like the print job on the 5 screw copy is a little more clean. Like the printer making these labels in the factory was slightly misaligned when making the label for the 3 screw copy and blurred some of the smaller stars to the point of making them practically non-existent.
  • The sticker on the back of the 3 screw cartridge has REV-A and ⓂNintendo® while the 5 screw cart has no revision information and the Nintendo branding is © Ⓜ NINTENDO 1985.
« Last Edit: May 11, 2020, 02:34:04 am by megasilverx1 »

turf

PRO Supporter

Re: NES to Famicom Converter in NES Carts
« Reply #17 on: May 13, 2020, 11:05:13 am »
In case anyone is wondering.  Here is a list of games that are known to have Famicom Converters in them. 


1942
Clu Clu Land
Donkey Kong Jr.
Duck Hunt
Elevator Action
Excitebike
Golf
Gumshoe
Gyromite
Hogan’s Alley
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
Pinball
Raid on Bungeling Bay
Rygar
Soccer
Stack Up
Tennis
Urban Champion
Wizards and Warriors
Wrecking Crew

I see this list on pretty much every website that mentions Famicom adapters in NES games, but I have to wonder if some of these games would actually have one inside. Games that'd had to be translated into English like Rygar, Wizards & Warriors, and Punch-Out seem like really unlikely games to have adapters in them. Also a game that was never released in Japan like Gumshoe also seems just as, if not more unlikely to have an adapter in it. I'm a little curious as to where this list originated from and it's validity since, like I mentioned, I've seen it on many retro game focused websites.

Regardless, I did end up getting a copy of Hogan's Alley that had a Famicom adapter in it years ago and I did notice a few differences between it and my other copy of Hogan's Alley that didn't have an adapter in it besides the slight difference in weight and in how the cart pins look. Not sure if it would help, but I can list what differences I noticed:

  • The adapter copy is a 5 screw cartridge while the non-adapter copy is a 3 screw cartridge.
  • The end label on the 5 screw copy has the ™ trademark symbol after Hogan's Alley while the 3 screw copy does not.
  • The 5 screw copy does not say "Made in Japan" and is missing the item number NES-HA-USA below the Nintendo seal.
  • The ® right reserved symbol is missing at the end of the Nintendo Entertainment System logo that is below the game's title on the 5 screw copy's label.
  • The 5 screw copy seems to have more stars (the white dots in the background of black box game covers), but really looking at these two close up, it looks like the print job on the 5 screw copy is a little more clean. Like the printer making these labels in the factory was slightly misaligned when making the label for the 3 screw copy and blurred some of the smaller stars to the point of making them practically non-existent.
  • The sticker on the back of the 3 screw cartridge has REV-A and ⓂNintendo® while the 5 screw cart has no revision information and the Nintendo branding is © Ⓜ NINTENDO 1985.

Most of those differences that you're noticing are because the copies with the Famicom converter are first printings.  As the legend goes, there was a shortage of NTSC PCBs so these games were made with JAP PCBs and a 60 to 72 pin converter was used. 

As for the list, it was just a compiled from experience.  Folks got together and listed all the ones they personally had.  This is just a known list.  There may be more, but definitely not less. 
I can confirm personally:
Stack-Up
Soccer
Golf
Gumshoe
Gyromite
Excitebike