Famicom FM audio not working through nes to Famicom converter.

[bradhig1]

I just got an Nes to Famicom covertor today and when using my everdrive n8 the fm audio doesn't work on games like castlevania 3.  How do I fix it?

[DavidD]

4 hours ago, bradhig1 said:

I just got an Nes to Famicom covertor today and when using my everdrive n8 the fm audio doesn't work on games like castlevania 3.  How do I fix it?

I might be wrong, but I thought the problem was that the NES doesn't contain the audio in lines on the NES cartridge port -- it's literally impossible to play it on real NES hardware without some fancy modifications.  I believe some folks have done it, but it requires routing those audio pins on the Famicom cart over to the expansion port?

[Tanooki]

@bradhig1 @DavidD

What David said is correct, but there's another step too.

 

1) The NES needs an external or internal mod where it reconnects the broken connection that allows for that added expansion audio to pass through.  The system is capable, just wasn't enabled.  I need to get this myself, but I want one that is internal as I'm not happy about the external I can find.  External is plug and play with the bottom port, but it needs you to cut the plastic away from the cover over the port the NES has to keep people out of it from in the day.

 

2) NO CONVERTER SUPPORTS EXTENDED AUDIO - They can, they just do not.  I have a vintage honeybee and a couple months back I saw a quick and easy way to scrape and solder a wire in there that allows games with expanded audio to have the music run through they honeybee and work on a US NES.  I did this.  But, as I don't have (#1) the internal (or external) NES audio restoration fix to the console it's sending a single to a dead end currently for me.

 

The mod is actually very easy, if you're not doing it from scratch.

 

I wish castlemania games hadn't run out, and they won't respond to my emails asking if it'll come into stock again, but this was the cheap and easy internal fix for audio, yes, THIS easy.

https://castlemaniagames.com/blogs/news/voultars-nes-expansion-audio-board-is-headed-to-the-castle

https://twitter.com/Voultar/status/1508885206241005569

 

The other best choice is the ENIO expansion board, this snaps in into that cut space I mentioned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfVia-SwRCg

 

 

There is yet a variant of this I HATE and it has an audio bypass with a stupid jack and phones port off the side of the thing having to run your audio off the bottom of the NES instead of the usual audio channel as it cuts that off entirely.

That mess you can see here: https://www.reddit.com/r/retrogaming/comments/117otf8/installed_the_expansion_port_sound_module_epsm_on/?rdt=59109

 

 

Hope this helps... I really wish I could find voulars fix, not sure why castlemania dumped it and ghosts people asking, someone else should start pumping them out. :\

[bradhig1]

The adapter holds the NES carts tight. Will that damage the contacts on the carts?

[Tanooki]

I've never had a problem, still using a vintage honeybee I wire fixed to get the full audio, not that I do, because I'm having a hell of a way to source upgrading my action set to do it.

[bradhig1]

I am running the everdrive n8 on my famicom not my nes.  Maybe I need a famicom flash cart?

[Tanooki]

Hold it...

You're using the Everdrive N8 NES style 72pin

 

This is put into a 72 to 60 pin converter

 

And it won't work?

 

Having now become more researched on this and because I now am an AV Famicom owner I felt the need to, I have your answer.

 

I'm not going to paste this images and all, but this is the problem.  The Famicom has a few things bridged and/or disabled that causes things like the Everdrive, MMC5 and a few other chips(Tengen on in Gauntlet) not to work, nor would expansion audio either if you used an Everdrive (NES) to run Castlevania 3 JP too.

 

All  your fixes for full support and full audio are in this post: https://krikzz.com/forum/index.php?topic=5189.0

 

If I could just get some resistors somewhere I'd upgrade my converter as I have the shielded one in this very post.  It's fantastic, but like all, flawed because of the Famicom design more than itself.  I also re-connected the controller port 2 on my AV Famicom to the db15 on the side so I can use the american Zapper, vaus, power pad, etc accessories as they're locked out too otherwise.