Building a big 100 Game NES Console!

morbidboy

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So lets say a guy wanted to build a giant Nintendo Entertainment System...

example: http://www.nationalgamedepot.zoomshare.com/2.html

but would like to install a Nintendo device that would play 100 different games. Have a clear plexiglass NES door to see the stacked game cartridges, Like a M82 Demo Unit.

What would be the best way to build it? The only two ways that I can see it done is:

1) you gut out 100 NES and stack the boards, plug in the games and build a A/V to switch between games.

or

2) hook up 100 NES 72 pin connectors to 1 Nintendo board... but how do/would you make a switch to choose with pin connector/game cartridge to play?


Just an idea if we got a bigger space to set up a play per hour retro game area. Any thought on how this could be done?
 
no mame. I would like for a customer/gamer to look in the Plexi-Glass Nintendo door and see 100 cartridges set up for them to choose to play.
 
so like a NES jukebox?? sounds cool but switching like you said seems to be the biggest problem. Not really sure how your gonna do it but best of luck and lots of pics please!
 
I think the idea behind it is more of a display piece, again like a jukebox.. anyone can have an ipod LOL

That makes sense, and would look cool.

Put a bunch of cartridges up for display and order your powerpak menu to be the same order as the cartridges and don't tell anyone that you are using the PowerPak to do the real work. :)
 
I wouldn't even know where to start on something like this, but it would be awesome. Would you have to build some mechanism in to blow some air into the cartridges to get them to work? :)
 
That makes sense, and would look cool.

Put a bunch of cartridges up for display and order your powerpak menu to be the same order as the cartridges and don't tell anyone that you are using the PowerPak to do the real work. :)

That's what I thought. Mame a machine and glue some nes games together and Bam! Done
 
So lets say a guy wanted to build a giant Nintendo Entertainment System...

example: http://www.nationalgamedepot.zoomshare.com/2.html

but would like to install a Nintendo device that would play 100 different games. Have a clear plexiglass NES door to see the stacked game cartridges, Like a M82 Demo Unit.

What would be the best way to build it? The only two ways that I can see it done is:

1) you gut out 100 NES and stack the boards, plug in the games and build a A/V to switch between games.

or

2) hook up 100 NES 72 pin connectors to 1 Nintendo board... but how do/would you make a switch to choose with pin connector/game cartridge to play?


Just an idea if we got a bigger space to set up a play per hour retro game area. Any thought on how this could be done?

I don't know much about it, but a lot of the home brew board switchers are relay-based. Been wanting to build one for fun.
 
I'm kinda sorta a smart guy. I'm sure that I can come up with something...

maybe hardwiring 100 nes game genie connectors to some sort of central switch box that's hardwired to the NES board... something like that.

oh shit thats it. making a slotted box that holds the cartridges attached to a 72 pin connector(s), then a spring loaded 72 connector (on a lower pivot) on the back of the slotted box. You hit the button and releases the spring loaded pivot pin connector, making a connection... but then I have to solder 100 wires to 1 main wire that get hardwired to NES board.
 
I'll use rubber gloves and wooden pole to turn it on.

I'll see if I can do 3 version first ( I think I have all the tools to test it out.). Make a balsa wood cart box and I have tons of 72 pin connectors laying around the arcade...

I think I can pull this off.


whatever you do, please have a fire extinguisher when you hit the on switch.
 
Actually, I had wanted to design such a thing sometime. Well, not with 100 slots, I never really tried to consider how far up it could scale. But I'm familiar enough with the NES hardware (and cartridge hardware). Basically you would include a lot of bus buffers and enable logic, and take a cue from the Playchoice-10. Except that what I would prefer, is to have the cartridge enable controlled by the NES CPU (by keeping the inside the NES's internal RAM, or mapping an extra ROM into a very rarely used area such as $4020 - $4FFF).

However, the thing with NES is that there are so many different cartridge types, you sorta have to bend over backwards to accommodate any given cart for every slot. The Playchoice carts have the advantage of having that enable logic onboard, tailored for every game. I've been working on an NES-to-Playchoice adapter, as part of that I'm making an interface that should allow any NES cart to work with any other NES/PC10 cart. I'll know pretty soon if it works.

You wouldn't need to use Game Genie connectors, so far in my (and others') tests, a normal 72-pin connector from Digikey has been working (even though the pitch doesn't match, it's centered enough to not short out).

Or you could cheat, use the PowerPak (but improve the awful menu), put all the NES carts in a plexiglass case. Unless you want LEDs to light up next to the selected game, who would know the difference? :p
I guess if you changed the menu code, you could control an LED light changer thing that tracks the menu (through the expansion port lines or something). Still totally fake though.
 
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You said "like a jukebox", so I'm thinking "exactly like a jukebox". Mount the carts on a wheel. You crank a handle to rotate the wheel. Push a plunger to engage a cart. Pull a handle to remove it. It could be pretty neat, show off the gears and parts.
Jayme
 
Whatever you design, you should incorporate 99 slots in a 3x33 layout, and then leave the last slot on the bottom out in the open. That way you can have 99 games on display in the plexi to choose from, and 1 more game that you can swap out in your final slot.

I always wished that the jukes BITD had this. A way to put your own record/disc in there to play your own song.

I think you should call this thing the JukeNES.
 
While I think it's silly, the whole idea...what about having one of those online PCB printers print out some boards that you can solder 72 pin connectors on?

Make a carousel with 10x10, design the boards to have ten 72 pin connectors mount on them, with a select line on pin 36 of the parts side(No +5v, no cart logic right?) to each port. The rest of the lines should just be a straight daisy chain right across the board, though you MAY want to put the 2 grounds on the select as well...or just the grounds and not the +5v.

www.benheck.com/Downloads/NES_Famicom_Pinouts.pdf

I'd test this idea with a few carts, wiring up a few ports in parallel with the +5v and/or Grounds selectable.
 
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