brendano Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Has anybody been able to add an NES cartridge slot to the Flashback 1 or seen any instructions? I think it would be awesome if there was such a mod because: -There would be know cartridge loading problems, it would be like all the other top loading NES systems. -It would take up much less space -The Flashback controllers are awesome in my opinion -I would like to see my FB1 go to some real use. Could you use a game genie for a slot, Is anybody even willing to try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 (edited) Curt stated in an earlier post somewhere in this forum that a testbed FB1 was equipped with an NES cartridge port at Atari. I posted a similar request some months ago because, like you, I'd love to use the FB1 for more than just the built-in games. I never got a response, so I can only assume that the modification hasn't been figured out yet by a third party. Now that the FB2 has been available for some months and the FB1 is essentially a dead product, I'm hoping that Curt or someone else can share this information with us; it can help remedy the biggest problem with the FB1 (which is its okay but subpar software). Edited February 27, 2006 by jaybird3rd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro Rogue Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 My guess would be that it would entail the same process of cutting the menu chip out of the circuit, though I don't know if the FB1 circuitry was laid out with hacking in mind like the FB2 was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 My guess would be that it would entail the same process of cutting the menu chip out of the circuit, though I don't know if the FB1 circuitry was laid out with hacking in mind like the FB2 was.1025390[/snapback] I wondered about that, too, but looking at the mainboard inside the FB1, I noticed a large number of exposed solder pads just like the ones for the cartridge slot inside the FB2. I actually posted a picture in the other thread: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendano Posted March 21, 2006 Author Share Posted March 21, 2006 I sent a PM to Curt and he said that he would try to make an instruction page for this particular mod like the one he made for the FB2. If this mod does become available will you be able to use the controllers and light guns from other famiclones with the same 9-pin connector? I would love to play duck hunt with some of the hand guns i have seen available for the famiclones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I sent a PM to Curt and he said that he would try to make an instruction page for this particular mod like the one he made for the FB2. If this mod does become available will you be able to use the controllers and light guns from other famiclones with the same 9-pin connector? I would love to play duck hunt with some of the hand guns i have seen available for the famiclones.Thanks for the update; I'm looking forward to seeing that instruction page too! You wouldn't be able to use any NES controllers with the Flashback without an adapter of some kind because the controller ports are different. Unless I'm missing something, making an adapter should be as easy as getting some NES extension cords and adding a DB9 connector to one end of them, but I'm sure that Curt will provide that information (including pinouts) when the time comes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 You wouldn't be able to use any NES controllers with the Flashback without an adapter of some kind because the controller ports are different. Unless I'm missing something, making an adapter should be as easy as getting some NES extension cords and adding a DB9 connector to one end of them, but I'm sure that Curt will provide that information (including pinouts) when the time comes. I belive he is refering to the fact the most famiclones actually do have a DB9 for the conector just like the FB1. I asked curt even before the FB2 was out about getting a pin out for the 72 pin adaptor for the FB1, hell I'd even go for a 60 pin setup for a famicom slot as I have ALOT of fami multicarts I would love to slap into it for my kid as she has my FB1 in here room for playing warlords. She hates paddles so I moded some NES controllers to work on the FB1 for her and I'm sure Mario would get alot fo use on the cart sloted FB1 also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendano Posted March 28, 2006 Author Share Posted March 28, 2006 Could you use a game genie for a slot If you simply solder each pin from the circuit board side of the game genie to the correct pad on the main board wouldn't it have the same functionality as a regular NES cartridge slot with a Game Genie in it? It would be cool to use my GG because then it would always start with the cheat screen and if I wanted to bypass that I would simply press start. Would it work? Can anybody think of a good way of mounting it to the console? I belive he is refering to the fact the most famiclones actually do have a DB9 for the conector just like the FB1. Yes, most of them do. Alot of the top loading decks available on eBay use the same connector as the Flashback and I have a small light-gun for a famiclone that has that connector and I was wondering if It would work for duck hunt because I cant find an extension cord to tear apart and I don't want to hack up a Zapper. But are the pinouts the same or does every pirate use a different pinout? Infact, the only new clone I can think of that uses the original NES connector is the Generation NEX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmetal88 Posted April 29, 2006 Share Posted April 29, 2006 Has anything more come of this? I'm interested in putting my Flashback 1 to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendano Posted May 1, 2006 Author Share Posted May 1, 2006 Unfortuneatly it has been a few months since Curt said he would start trying to put together his FB1 mod. If nothing surfaces from Curt I'll e-mail him soon and ask him if he is anywhere closer to finishing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Vendel Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 Hi all... Sorry for the delay on this, I am awaiting a response on getting legal clearance to post this info up if allowed, please be patient, as this takes a considerable amount of time for legal to come back to me and give an all clear or not. Curt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Come On Curt Whats The Update? Legal Clearence Yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Come On CurtWhats The Update? Legal Clearence Yet? Come now, let's be patient. The ball is in the lawyers' court now, so any delays at this point aren't Curt's fault. I'm just grateful he's pursuing the issue even though he really doesn't have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendano Posted May 9, 2006 Author Share Posted May 9, 2006 I'm not worried about it at all. I'm sure that Curt will obtain the legal clearance he needs. Remember the Pocket Famicom, Nintendo took them to court, the court ruled in favour of the company making the Pocket Famicom and now they are legally sold across Japan and Europe. I'm sure that the patent for the NES hardware has expired or something by now. And I have no problem waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FujiSkunk Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 I'm not worried about it at all. I'm sure that Curt will obtain the legal clearance he needs. Remember the Pocket Famicom, Nintendo took them to court, the court ruled in favour of the company making the Pocket Famicom and now they are legally sold across Japan and Europe. I'm sure that the patent for the NES hardware has expired or something by now. And I have no problem waiting. It isn't just Nintendo you have to worry about. If Atari were concerned about that, the Flashback wouldn't have been released with NoaC technology in the first place (assuming Atari isn't paying any license fees to Nintendo, which I'm sure is a safe bet). Atari's lawyers are probably trying to decide if Curt's schematics could somehow infringe on Atari's own intellectual property. You know, heaven forbid we find out what's in that menu chip and somehow use it to bankrupt Atari... I mean, further bankrupt Atari. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 It's easy. Mr. Vendel just emails the schematics to someone. They post it on a different forum other than AtariAge and bam the world has a MOD for the FB1. Sounds easy to me and Mr. Vendel doesn't get his hands dirty either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendano Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 Atari's lawyers are probably trying to decide if Curt's schematics could somehow infringe on Atari's own intellectual property. You know, heaven forbid we find out what's in that menu chip and somehow use it to bankrupt Atari... I mean, further bankrupt Atari. O dear, next thing you know average joes are making famiclones with corrupt rom files, cheap plastic made to look like real consoles and selling them at flea market. Oh the horror Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendano Posted July 9, 2006 Author Share Posted July 9, 2006 Curt just PM'd me: I have asked the engineers that did the FB1 PCB layout numerous times if they would release a copy of the PCB layout to me, however I think that they are a bit peeved at Atari for not fully paying them for their services on Flashback 2, so they haven't responded, if I could get the pcb layout files, combined with the chip pin-outs I could pinpoint where on the boards you could tap the cartridge bus lines. Unfortunatly it looks like we arn't going to see this mod anytime soon, unless a real wiz can do it through a long process of trial and error. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fujivox Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 A company called LEGACY ENGINEERING made these if I'm not mistaken. Curt just PM'd me: I have asked the engineers that did the FB1 PCB layout numerous times if they would release a copy of the PCB layout to me, however I think that they are a bit peeved at Atari for not fully paying them for their services on Flashback 2, so they haven't responded, if I could get the pcb layout files, combined with the chip pin-outs I could pinpoint where on the boards you could tap the cartridge bus lines. Unfortunatly it looks like we arn't going to see this mod anytime soon, unless a real wiz can do it through a long process of trial and error. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 A company called LEGACY ENGINEERING made these if I'm not mistaken. Legacy = Vendel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 A company called LEGACY ENGINEERING made these if I'm not mistaken.Legacy = VendelAnd 'fujivox' = troll. Too bad about the FB1 cartridge mod, though. I would have loved to be able to breathe new life into my FB1 with an NES cartridge slot, but unless I can figure it out myself (or unless someone in the know happens to "leak" the information), it probably won't happen. I'm surprised that Ben Heckendorn or one of the hardware hackers on his website/forum hasn't figured it out already; it must be something more complicated than the FB2 cartridge mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jferio Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 I expect that there are two reasons why Curt hasn't been able to get back to us with either the 'nay', or the schematics. One: Lawyers are pretty slow when it comes to something dealing with aftermarket (i.e., outside their 'paid' duties), and, Two: Considering the company's financial woes right now, this is a pretty minor issue for the lawyers, period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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