Bod2019 Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 Anybody have any opinion/insight on reproduction cartridges? I've seen a couple of titles I wouldn't mind having, which have started reproduction, are they generally safe to use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krslam Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 Unlike originals, repros (counterfeits) have no collectability value. If you just want to play the games without going the emulation route, you're better off investing in an Everdrive or similar and loading it up with the games that interest you. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bod2019 Posted March 16, 2019 Author Share Posted March 16, 2019 I understand there will be no value retained in them. I also like listening to/collecting vinyl records which is why I like the individual carts I think, the whole tactile thing of handling. The Everdrive look good, but I think I like the whole process of selecting and handling a cartridge. Guess I was wondering if there were potential electronic pitfalls by using repro cartridges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 I've seen some repro carts have thicker PCBs, thus stressing the console's contacts/connector more than normal. How widespread this problem is (or isn't) I have no idea. I've also seen it on plug-in ISA cards for vintage PCs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 I understand there will be no value retained in them. I also like listening to/collecting vinyl records which is why I like the individual carts I think, the whole tactile thing of handling. The Everdrive look good, but I think I like the whole process of selecting and handling a cartridge. Guess I was wondering if there were potential electronic pitfalls by using repro cartridges? 3.3v ROMs in a 5v system can (over time) cause stress to both your consoles and the repro carts UNLESS the cart is built with 5v in mind. Much more here: https://db-electronics.ca/2017/07/05/the-dangers-of-3-3v-flash-in-retro-consoles/ So you just gotta be aware of how well the cart is built. Stuff like this makes me very leery of even supposedly-premium reproductions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bod2019 Posted March 16, 2019 Author Share Posted March 16, 2019 3.3v ROMs in a 5v system can (over time) cause stress to both your consoles and the repro carts UNLESS the cart is built with 5v in mind. Much more here: https://db-electronics.ca/2017/07/05/the-dangers-of-3-3v-flash-in-retro-consoles/ So you just gotta be aware of how well the cart is built. Stuff like this makes me very leery of even supposedly-premium reproductions. Thanks for the information. This was the sort of thing I guess I was being apprehensive about, seemed too good to be true. My intention is to run this through a Mega SG once received, even so I'd prefer not risk nothing the thing out, or wrecking the cart slot/pins. Probably end up using the SD slot and purchasing the official versions of games I can justify picking up for my collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 For the non-technically inclined. The extra electrons from mis-matched parts burn holes in those parts over time. And your vintage consoles are delicate enough as it is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 (edited) 3.3v ROMs in a 5v system can (over time) cause stress to both your consoles and the repro carts UNLESS the cart is built with 5v in mind. Much more here: https://db-electronics.ca/2017/07/05/the-dangers-of-3-3v-flash-in-retro-consoles/ So you just gotta be aware of how well the cart is built. Stuff like this makes me very leery of even supposedly-premium reproductions. I thought PikoInteractive would be producing better quality stuff? What a surprise on my part. No pun intended. And use of 3.3v logic and hot-melt glue for the shells? Ughh.. Thanks for the heads-up. Further down in https://mobile.twitter.com/HDRetrovision/status/1083531016067842048 the thick PCBs are mentioned. These simply place undue wear and tear on the console's connector and soon enough correctly spec'd cartridges will become loose-fitting. Edited March 16, 2019 by Keatah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Thanks for the information. This was the sort of thing I guess I was being apprehensive about, seemed too good to be true. My intention is to run this through a Mega SG once received, even so I'd prefer not risk nothing the thing out, or wrecking the cart slot/pins. Probably end up using the SD slot and purchasing the official versions of games I can justify picking up for my collection. Thats what I do with an Everdrive, too. No repros for me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+-^CrossBow^- Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 I have an Everdrive X7 and also several repros. However, I only buy repros of games that were never released here in the US and only repros that are complete with case, manual, and the cart itself of course. Additionally, the 2 primary places I've gotten my repros from actually used old PCBs with new cart shells (in most cases). So there isn't an issue with the thickness or 3.3v parts being used in the carts. Obviously they won't be nearly as valuable as my actual carts, but it would actually be safer to play the games from the repros I've bought vs my X7 since the ED X7 doesn't have proper voltage parts in it either technically. I use the ED X7 to check out games I'm interested in physically owning or for demoscene stuff, WIP homebrews. I've never felt that my everdrives can replace my physical copies of the games and I don't see my attitude on that changing anytime soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonGrafx-16 Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 (edited) I have a few repros: Gun-Nac (NES) New Ghostbusters II (NES) Grind Stormer (Genesis) Override (PC-Engine) - just got the shipping notification... can't wait to play it! Also with Genesis repros... if the board is too thick you can gently sand down the edges of the board around the pins. I did it with Grind Stormer and it goes in and out like an original cartridge now. Luckily this game did not use a flash board so I don't have to worry about mismatched voltages. Edited March 17, 2019 by DragonGrafx-16 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PikoInteractive Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 (edited) I thought PikoInteractive would be producing better quality stuff? What a surprise on my part. No pun intended. And use of 3.3v logic and hot-melt glue for the shells? Ughh.. Thanks for the heads-up. Further down in https://mobile.twitter.com/HDRetrovision/status/1083531016067842048 the thick PCBs are mentioned. These simply place undue wear and tear on the console's connector and soon enough correctly spec'd cartridges will become loose-fitting. Hi, that was a 2014 release, now since 2017 and on shells are different model (a lot more durable) and with screws. The problem with PCBs getting stuck was not the thickness, but the side edges, once that was found out problem was fixed. Using 3.3v parts will not damage your console at all. The engineer at our factory has made sure the voltage coming from console going into pcb is within the manufacturer's recommended capacity. If anything would damage the pcb first. At least our factory guarantees us that our PCBS will last 10+ years of normal use. Edited March 21, 2019 by PikoInteractive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homerhomer Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Does that include earlier released games like Water Margin? I held back buying it because I heard the quality of the cartridges and labels want any better than a AliExpress game. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PikoInteractive Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Does that include earlier released games like Water Margin? I held back buying it because I heard the quality of the cartridges and labels want any better than a AliExpress game. Thanks WM was our first release back in 2014, so it did had a lot of problems. The current version has the new quality cases, and new labels that fit correctly. However we still have some left over PCBs and the older shells. But soon those will be sold out and we'll re-print with our new Shell and PCB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 So you're going to continue to sell known-problematic carts without addressing the issues? Did I read that right? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PikoInteractive Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 So you're going to continue to sell known-problematic carts without addressing the issues? Did I read that right? Nope you did not read that right. Those work without any problem and will not generate any problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 WM was our first release back in 2014, so it did had a lot of problems. The current version has the new quality cases, and new labels that fit correctly. However we still have some left over PCBs and the older shells. But soon those will be sold out and we'll re-print with our new Shell and PCB. Nope you did not read that right. Those work without any problem and will not generate any problem. What are these leftover PCBs referenced in your prior post? Not the older design? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 I've seen some repro carts have thicker PCBs, thus stressing the console's contacts/connector more than normal. How widespread this problem is (or isn't) I have no idea. I've also seen it on plug-in ISA cards for vintage PCs. I bought a copy of smart mouse from piko and you are right the cart pcb is twice as thick. No word of a lie, I had to put my foot on the console and use both hands to get it out. My SNES homebrew didn't have this issue from piko but the genesis ones are definitely thick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PikoInteractive Posted March 24, 2019 Share Posted March 24, 2019 I bought a copy of smart mouse from piko and you are right the cart pcb is twice as thick. No word of a lie, I had to put my foot on the console and use both hands to get it out. My SNES homebrew didn't have this issue from piko but the genesis ones are definitely thick It was not the pcb thickness, it was the corners of the pcb pins. Unfortunately even Retrostage pcbs had this problem. If you sand off a bit those corners it won't get stuck. The new PCBs do not have this problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homerhomer Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 WM was our first release back in 2014, so it did had a lot of problems. The current version has the new quality cases, and new labels that fit correctly. However we still have some left over PCBs and the older shells. But soon those will be sold out and we'll re-print with our new Shell and PCB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homerhomer Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Thanks for being honest. Sounds like I will have to wait for the re-print to get the newer shell and PCB board. Hmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Thag Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 I generally get repros of games that are stupidly overpriced and unavailable elsewhere. Plenty of places sell nice, high quality stuff now too. They're great for putting english translations of overseas games on actual hardware too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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