NES Hardware Explained
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- In this episode I tear down an NES and show you how to identify some of its major circuits.
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Music:
“Back To You” by Evgeny Bardyuzha
“Money Printer” by Notize
“High Roller” by Rex Banner
“Turbulence” by Ramol
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:50 NES Breakdown
2:30 Motherboard Circuitry
6:31 Reassembly & Testing
8:04 Conclusion - Наука та технологія
I've found that cleaning the 72 pin connector is far superior to replacing it. Aftermarket connectors have a harsh grip and are made with inferior and harder metals that will damage the pins on cartridges. I've cleaned 5 different OEM connectors and they work like a charm. Please just clean and not replace.
REALLY harsh. I got a new one and it had a death grip on the carts that required pliers to get the cart out. I ended up shoving an everdrive in there permanently to test ROMs I make. No way am I having it ruin my collection!
This is VERY true. The system I got for this video actually plays better than my “refurb” I bought years ago with its replacement connector.
I've seen some suggest to boil the original connector, I wouldn't recommend that. I think its just fine to get it a good scrub with alcohol and then slightly bending in the connectors inwards a bit to make better contact with your games.
Agreed. I replaced mine about 15 years ago and it is really hard to get cartridges in and out. On the plus side it works without pushing the cartridge down. Unfortunately I threw out my original connector back when I replaced it. Also, it worked better but was still finicky, so I'm glad I know about the alignment screws now. I'll get in there and try adjusting it.
@@nict2yes boiling works. It makes sure the plastic comes back to its molded form. This is how you revive lego bricks who dont stick on each other to. But be carefull, dont actually boil it, id say take water of around 75c.
yes we all want the expansion port video. please :)
Yes, please talk about the expansion port.
I've not seen anyone else cover the NES in such an in-depth and easy to digest way. Your videos have been a big push for me to get back into electronics and how systems work on a hardware level.
Also, would love to see a video about the Expansion Bus port. It's always interesting to think about all the things Nintendo could have done with it, and I'd love to see your take on it!
from what i've read, it seems to mostly be another set of connections same as the cartridge slot? if thats the case, it wouldn't open up anything remarkable.
I heard Nintendo made an add on device that never got out into the market that was supposed to connect to the internet so people could us the nes to do things like gamble or by lottery tickets. I think they were also thinking about creating a disk system attachment that played disks like on the Famicom Disk System too.
Would love to see an expantion port video.
I'd be interested in watching a video about the expansion port!
You have my sub from this great video!
A most excellent and informative exposition of the nes hardware.
I love how informative your videos are. Knowing what the individual components around the main chips do is a big help. Thanks!
A video on the expansion port would be wonderful!
I’ve always wondered what that little plastic piece I could clip off was for
These videos never get old. Watch them over and over. Super informative and actually makes me believe that I know what's going on
I defently want to know more about the extension port
Love the pace of the explanation. And I am curious about the expansion port.
I love videos like these. I remember as a kid looking at the board in awe thinking it was so complex and having no idea what the heck these different chips and components like the pot were for.
You are a master in your field. Keep posting these type of videos with this level of detail. Thanks
After almost 4 decades, finally.
Great video!! A great introduction to the internals of the NES. The dremel on the way to the connection port AHH!!
When I filmed the B-Roll for that shot all I was gonna do is show the removal of the little cover on the bottom. I just happened to see my dremel sitting on the workbench and I couldn’t resist 😂
I once popped it off with a screw driver as a kid, luckily I didn't damage the motherboard (at least at that point).
This is fantastic thank you! I love this format and implore you to make more like it
Awesome, well produced videos! Thank you for creating this content. Super great learning tools while being fast paced enough to be entertaining. Subscribed :)
It's nice to know that after all these years, I'm not the only one who is still fascinated by this piece of hardware.
Indeed, there are quite a few of us about
Great video ! A video going into the expansion port would be nice as well.
Loved the break down!
Thanks for the great video! I'd love a future video on the expansion port.
Woo, first vid of yours I've seen. Really clear and understandable, and sparks my curiosity. Nice job. Now to go watch your other stuff.
Yeah this is a pretty good one to start at, hope you enjoy my other videos!
@@NesHacker I have been! Looking forward to more details on the sound hardware. I stumbled in here with a mild interest in chiptunes.
I literally bent pins in the cartridge connector up just a little so they would touch the cartridge without having to push it down at all. Worked for 20 years without ever having to blow in a cartridge. Was also a board I had to replace a chip on from another broken system. Was either the hex inverter or the lockout chip iirc. I was 14 at the time.
I would love to see a video regarding the expantion port on the bottom of the NES. Awesome videos!
So happy you are back my mannn
Broseph, it’s like 3 videos in a row and I’m working on the next… I’m on what scientists call “a roll” :P
@@NesHacker yeasssssh keep em coming 🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟😎😎😎
Excellent video, thank you very much
Hey man, I just wanted to say, I saw a video from 2 years ago, and then this video. And you look a lot healthier and better, love your videos
Thanks so much. Yeah a few years ago I was very very thin, I’ve built up quite a bit since then :)
This is super interesting! I always wondered how it worked.
Amazing, very good!!
Great video awesome editing great commentary
Fantastic video! 👏👏👏
Imagine going back in time and watching this as a kid in the late 80s.
Honestly, I wouldn't have understood it.
On a pretty deep level I think I make these videos to delight eight year old inner child :)
@@NesHacker Which is prob the same logic why I love your content :D
I just got over a cold and I am now dealing with a dog that has diarrhea. I’m having to lay awake. Waiting for the vet to open.
But I have this video and it is making my night so much better
I did an incredibly simple mod to get expansion audio working on one of my NES consoles. Weird that it was as simple as jumping a few points on the motherboard together with a small resistor. That said, I really have no idea why that it works. Looking forward to the episode where you explore the unused expansion adapter at the bottom of the motherboard.
I'm also excited for him to cover that. I would really like to know what's going on in the NTSC NES in regards to that. As far as I understood, the expansion port was always functional, they just disabled/moved most of it since most NTSC games weren't published with the expanded chipsets that would've utilized it.
The amount of subscribers you have is so criminally low. A lot of "millionaire" channels don't have a fraction of this juicy quality that your videos do. Seriously amazing stuff; and educating, too (even though I'm too stupid to understand like 99% of it).
Well… hopefully I can keep bringing the content and the channel will grow super big someday. I think a lot of 1M+ channels refocus on growth which means targeting more general audiences and eventually “dumbing down” the content. My hope is that the quality and content of my videos can continue to carry me, without having to resort to such tactics :)
Would love to know more about the workings of that unused expansion port !
Great intro, you have my attention 💃
Good stuff
I've fixed a lot of NES back in my time but I didn't needed to know that much, the majority of defects were in the voltage regulator 7805 by overheating it and that chip is present in every retro consoles so I was easy to find and replace, that's before parts were easy to buy online or at a near store
Fantastic content. I am a huge fan.
Good stuff! I bought a motherboard alone for fun to go with my (complete) NES, and it was great to see an explanation of all of the components.
I am curious to hear more about how the cartridges act as extensions to the motherboard, i.e. the NES is actually not a complete computer without a cartridge. I know you covered cartridges before, but I mean more about how they work with the main board. This would inevitably lead to how mappers work.
I believe the Sharp SM590 is technically a microcontroller (not a CPU / microprocessor), i.e. it has its own RAM / ROM and only performs a single task, sort of like an Arduino / Atmel chip.
I actually meant to say “Microcomputer” chip cause that’s how they marketed them back in the day, but yeah it’s basically a microcontroller :)
That's a fair assessment, if you turn the console on the CPU will try to look for the Reset vector at the end of the memory space, but of course without a cartridge it will just find nonsense there, or maybe all zeroes? I'm not sure. But either way it will try to execute starting from that address and there will most likely be garbage instructions there or a zero, which is the opcode for BRK, so eventually it will end up in an endless BRK loop and it will keep overflowing the stack. Not that it will be able to communicate that to you in any way, but that's what will happen on the inside.
I'm not sure how complex you could potentially make a program that loads itself into the 2kB RAM and runs from there without needing the cartridge after copying itself. Interrupts can't be used anymore like that and the PPU will see garbage open bus data so drawing anything meaningful might be impossible. Not to mention that the cartridge has to connect the "CIRAM" pins to decide whether the internal VRAM is used or the cartridge provides its own. Without a cartridge bridging that connection in some way you basically have no nametable memory either.
@@vuurniacsquarewave5091Oh god… Now I wanna see just what could be done with only the 2K of ram…
@@NesHacker Sounds should work just fine, but even that's out of the question for the Famicom, which needs the cartridge to complete the circuit and tie the audio output and the input pins together.
New to your channel. Can't wait to see more.
Well you’re in luck cause I am working on the next video right now 😊
@@NesHacker I still have my power glove in the box, and power pad.
I just learned 6502 assembly in one of my comp sci classes. This is insanely cool!
Oh man, you’re gonna love the next video, haha 😂
a breakdown of the nes-001 would be great
YES PLEASE make a expansion port video
Really COOL VIDEO!😎👍
Thanks for watching!
I noticed you didn't talk much about the RF box... but it's got the bridge rectifier and the 7805 regulator in there too.
Even if you mod your console to output HDMI or component video, you can't just rip the RF box out without replacing the 5V circuit that feeds in and out of those thick chunky pins.
I fabbed up a PCB a couple years ago that takes a USB type A cable, it seems to fit nicely in the square hole where the barrel plug used to go, and solders back up to the original pins.
Yeah I am pretty crap with power electronics in general, so I chose to leave it the deep dive for a future episode while focusing on the digital electronics which I have a much better grasp on.
I should totally do my homework and make a follow up though.
More things to note:
They can be from either Alps or Mitsumi.
They do not use the same quality capacitors, which often fail.
The capacitors used by Nintendo on the main PCB rarely fail.
lol, the sneaky dremel was a nice touch.
I love that shot 😆
Not too sure if you know this but that cartridge elevator has a tab on the front that slides underneath the motherboard. You shouldn't need to mess around with those screws if you have that tab under the board.
Hm, well yes it does slip on like that, but the tightness and balance of the screws definitely affects the ability for games to easily play.
@@NesHacker Yeah? Hmm. I tighten mine down like any other screw and it always works first try. This is with perfectly clean games and with an OEM 72 pin connector that I re-bent the pins on to put them back to as close to factory as possible.
@@NesHacker I had my cartridge slot improperly on and I found fiddling with the screw tightness did the same thing until I realized my error when I watched some how-to video a ways back on how to rebuild an NES. If your cartridge slot is perfectly flush with the board making sure the tab is secured (not sandwiched between the connector and the motherboard at the end, it's supposed to wrap around) you may find that you don't need to "tune" it anymore. You may want to update your video to include this detail
@@werdsupAh heck, well you can’t really update videos on UA-cam. Maybe I could do a short about it? 🤔
@@NesHacker good idea! I was thinking you could annotate the video but this issue probably warrants its own coverage
Throughout summer 2022, I have opened a few Famicom consoles and one NES console. I even did a mod that allowed cartridge audio (but I only tested with my Everdrive N8 Pro).
This is so good!
Try aligning the cartridge tray while the board is outside of the case. It's much easier that way. All you have to do is make sure that the loading tray is flush and holes centered on the main board to ensure proper alignment. Once that is done then put two screws into the back position, one on each side of the 72 pin connector to buckle it down before putting into the case. This is pretty much how they were assembled on the line.
Nice 👍🏻
Someone's 35 year old NES is now famous.
I would love to see an expansion port video.
I'm very curious about the Expansion port. I'd assumed no hardware was ever produced to utilize it, but I'm curious what it might have been capable of.
Very nice.
I installed a Blinking Light Win in my NES years ago. Games boot up every time and no need to push down the cartridge anymore. 👍
I would love a video on the expansion port. I know it wasn't officially used, but are there any 3rd party accessories new or old that used it?
I remember my uncle coming over to modify my NES to accept a 13 in one game. Worked great!
I'm crying of joy ! 🤓
"I bought a cheap maybe working NES on Ebay"
This dude has a great sense of humor.
Thanks!
In retrospect, there's a lot of screwing around in this episode :|
yes!! extension port video!! what is / was/ possibility, intention for??
The big problem with the cart tray is the tab on the bottom that needs to go under the system board. Unless you're mindful of that tab, it's very easy for it to end up on the top side and cause problems like what you were showing, all the way to the tray not even being able to lock down. This is due to the fact that the once you start tightening it down, you warp the cart tray. You shouldn't have any issue just tightening the screws on the tray down snug as long as you've got that tab under the board, your 72-pin connector is working properly... as well as the game.
Yeah that seems to be the case, though I’ve not done too much experimenting with my systems. I’m gonna mess with it some more and do a follow up since this wasn’t entirely clear to me when I made the video. Thanks for letting folks know! 😀
@@NesHacker No problem. I remember when I opened up my first NES back in the 90s and had all these problems after putting it back together and just kinda' dealt with it. Wasn't until I couldn't stand it anymore and figured I screwed something up, opened it up and found that darn tab.
Yes. Please make a video about the 001 extension port.
Viewers may wonder why the NES is so large compared to the board it contains. Maybe it has something to do with part availability, something just stuck out and it wasn't practical to make it smaller. Or maybe it had to do with plans for future internal expansion. Or maybe it was a heat exchange thing. Or maybe . . .
Nope. It was just big because they thought it would sell better if it looked more like a VCR, and those were big. That's also why they called it an "entertainment system" instead of a video game console. See, it wasn't a video game, it was a multifunctional entertainment suite with games, toys, painting programs, and more! OK, actually it only really played games in the U.S. (The Japanese Family Computer (Famicom), which was the _right_ size for its board, did get some weird peripherals like a modem that allowed you to buy, and sell stock (?!?), but these were never released in the U.S. and are technically not compatible with the NES, though some very minor changes allows them to connect.) But it was important for marketing, because the video game crash of 1983 had made U.S. distributors unwilling to sell or market video consoles. In 1985, many electronics gurus insisted that video games were a dying fad, so a new console was a hard sell in the American market. Hence R.O.B. the robot and other silly novelties, as well as the VCR-sized NES and what Tom7 calls "the SUV of cartridges" (NES cartridges are enormous for no good reason).
All that said, the NES is still superior to the Famicom in two important ways: its controllers were not wired directly to the console but could be unplugged, and their cords were much longer. That first one is big; I can't understand how they thought hardwired controllers were ever acceptable. I guess it was a different time.
Yeah I touch upon this in the CIC video from last year :)
Where have you been all my life!? Seriously! This is some of the best sh*t I've seen. Anywhere. Keep it up and expect a Patreon subscription in a not too distant future. Thanks so much
Having had an Atari 2600, Odyssey 2 and Atari 5200 prior to the launch of the NES, the NES was simply mind blowing to us at the time of release.
Yeah, no offense to those other systems… But the graphics, sound, and games for the NES were just out of this world in comparison.
I love this channel
D’awww shucks 🥹
I have never seen this guy before but my first impression is man this guy looks smart
This was very interesting, except I have a Japanese Famicom, so I would think there are some differences with that system(not the main components ofc though). I usually do a tear down of the systems I get but I haven't with the Famicom yet as it was sold as refurbished and AV modded and so didn't want to mess around with it lol(and it does run great too).
What is the small portable TV that you connect the NES to to test it?
Please make an extension port video!
These non-smd components look so cute )))
Haha 😂
Good thing that Famicom and NES-101 exist. This cartridge connector is more troublesome than I thought.
TIL that the cartridge tray can be adjusted as soon as you remove the plastic top.
There is no adjustment and, no, there is still a metal shield over it when you remove the top. ;) The reason people think there is an “adjustment” is because they put the screws back in with a tab in the wrong place. As the screws tighten down the tab deforms the tray causing issues, like a latching mechanism that will not latch. Since loosening the screws appears to fix the latching issue, people who don’t know the real reason assume it was an adjustment issue. Eventually they began telling others and the misinformation spread.
All you have to do is make sure the tab is under the main PCB while the rest of the cartridge mechanism is on top. You have to remove the 6 tray screws and lift the whole PCB out of the bottom to slide it forward so that the tab is past the edge of the PCB and the tray can drop all the way down. Once the tab is off the PCB you can push the whole tray back and the tab will slot under the PCB. Then you can put all six screws back in and tighten them down fully.
That shirt is dope AF.
FYI for anyone who wants to bench-power an NES: It uses 9v AC, not DC. I'm not sure about this, but I think it's possible to damage an NES if you feed it DC into the barrel jack.
yes
Indeed
Since you can’t edit please write and pin a correction/explanation regarding reassembly.
There is no “adjustment” during reassembly. Some think otherwise because their cartridge mechanism is positioned incorrectly and only latches down when they loosen screws. “Adjusting the screws” has morphed into a common bit of misinformation, seemingly validating others who experience this without ever coming across the correct explanation.
Here’s the trick:
The cartridge tray doesn’t just sit on top of the NES board. The front is supposed to hook the circuit board with a small lip on the front that fits underneath. There’s even a gap in the shielding to allow this. When you incorrectly position it with the lip on top it will deform the tray mechanism as you tighten it down.
This won’t solve connection problems like cleaning, tweaking the contacts, boiling, or replacing the connector might but at least you aren’t introducing a new variable that affects reliability based on how many turns you put to some screws.
Corrections are probably the most constructive thing to put in a comment section but I had to scroll through hundreds of comments to find anyone else mentioning this.
Wow. Bangin' ass video. Looking forward to more.
Do you know much about the Atari 7800? Would love to know about that console from a fellow nerd!
1:11 I swear I heard "are longer than the claw of a predator" (thinking of a velociraptor's claw)
Congratulations
Can you do an NES Explained video on each opcode used in NES assembly?
Hmmm a whole video is on each opcode would be tough, cause there’s not that much to explain. A video that does all the op codes might be too long and dry for most viewers.
But how about a series of shorts that describes them all?
@@NesHacker You're probably right that a full video for each opcode would be too short, and again that a video containing every opcode would be too long. But I don't believe the shorts format is conducive to learning. What you've described would probably be a good reference material (even if I disagree with the format on principal due to the fact that it's often used manipulatively). However, I was hoping for something that explained not only what each opcode does in a vacuum, but also how they interact - examples of how they can be used in different situations. This would provide a greater frame of reference for NES assembly as a whole.
What about a series containing full length videos about categories of related opcodes?
Probably inverters are used as amplifiers to protect chips?
wait what about the lock out chip? I've heard if you cut a certian leg also helps with games working better on troublesome NES consoles.
Kinda but it’s a bit more complicated. It will definitely disable the CIC but honestly having clean carts and connectors does much more to remedy the issue. I’ve got a video planned where I show how to disable the chip without snipping leads or doing permanent damage as well, so keep an eye out :)
Can you make a video covering the sega genesis, I know asm but I'm unfamiliar with the hardware itself
I’m honestly considering doing one soon, that thing is such a beast 😂
4:44 This 7404 have something to do with the jail bars (vertical lines) issue on the Famicom. Because Famicom do not have this chip and greatly suffers this video issue , and NES doesn't. I traced the pin 22 on PPU on the Famicom it goes directly to the 5V , and in the NES it goes to that 7404 chip :) and this is next to the pin 21 the video output
On NES-101 the jailbars are due to the composite video traces from Pin 21 passing under the CPU where it picks up digital switching noise. IIRC, the HVC-001 Famicom had this problem too. The HVC-101 AV Famicom was eventually updated with the CPU and PPU positions reversed but early units had this same issue. An extremely rare version of the NES-101 with AV output instead of RF also has this fix but it seems it was only offered as a replacement to some Nintendo customers who complained about the NES-101 video quality.
Hello..I have a collection of nes...I made the rgb mod on two of them and still managed to put snes control.If I connect two processors in parallel, like one on top of the other?? Can I improve performance ??? Is it possible??
Nope.
Shimmy, shimmy shake, blow. Power on, power off. Rinse, Repeat till game loads.
Dude, where did you get that shirt?
No clue, I've had it for years
1:22 what kind of monitor is that?
Check the video description, I have an Amazon link to that exact monitor in there. If you use that link and purchase one, it helps support the channel :)
You may want to put your Patreon link on your videos. :-)
Oops! I usually do, I’ll fix it when I get home 😂
Sad to think that that NES he's tearing apart was someone's childhood. :(
Hey that's not fair! I cleaned it all up and put it back together and even adjusted the tray so it would play games more easily 😂
@@NesHacker :D LOL Oh for sure! No diss on you at all! Just would love to know the backstory on that machine!
Oh that’s kinda a cool idea, I wonder if the person I bought it from on eBay was the original owner 🤔
NES Extension Port...... Yes, yes 🧿
Both hardware and software hacking is a thing you have to experience, especially as a retro lover. And I guess it’s just like owning classic cars, at some point you need to get out a screw driver to keep it going.
Yeah the biggest difference about owning classic cars is that it’s probably *way* more expensive 😆
@@NesHacker I guess so... I am not a car guy :D
Imaging somebody make a complete new motherboard of PCBWay and complete new cpu and ppu and vram/sram chips for the NES