Seibu SPI Hardware Error 81

XianXi

Member
Joined
May 23, 2007
Messages
801
Reaction score
4
Location
Honolulu, Hawaii
Anyone know what this error means?

Fixing a board for someone that had a LOT of damage to the pins on almost all the QFPs. Before it would only shows vert lines and now after I fixed all the pins it now says "Hardware Error 81"

Game is Viper Phase 1, the cart label looks reprinted so maybe region change if it applies.
 
Unsure on that one... triple check the soldering on the SMT customs and check the sound Z80 to see if it's OK.
 
On one of the customs, someone bridged 3 pins with solder. Removed the solder and now I get scrolling lines red green and blue.
 
Hardware Error 81 is what you will get if the region stored in the flash RAM doesn't match the region of the cartridge. One of the common reasons for this error when you do have matching boards and carts is that someone cut the power while the game was doing it's initial load after changeing cartridges. The way the new cart is flashed into the RAM is by first erasing all the existing information (including the region code) and then loading the new code in. The region code is apparently one of the last bits of information loaded into the RAM so if power is cut before the load is completed the mainboard is toast.

You can remove the LH28F008SAT-85 flash RAM at location U1053 and change one of the bytes to a value matches the region code value from the cartridge if that is the reason for it. I am pretty sure channelmanic has fixed some of his boards like that.

I have two SP1 boards with that error, I just haven't gotten around to trying the fix (complicated by the fact that I don't have the add-on for my Q4X programmer to do TSOP flash RAM).

*Edit*

I just had a thought, check to make sure there aren't any bridged pins or shorts at U1053 and U1054. Those are the two chips that the game loads into. If they are good then my money is on needing to reflash U1053.

Brian.
 
Last edited:
I can program you a chip with the region code in the first bytes but the rest being blank... or a chip with the region code and with the rest code from RF2.

That way you just need to pull the other chip and solder a replacement in.

They will be pulls but the bottom surface of the legs will be in good enough shape to sit on the pads properly and be reflowed into place.

RJ
 
I can program you a chip with the region code in the first bytes but the rest being blank... or a chip with the region code and with the rest code from RF2.

That way you just need to pull the other chip and solder a replacement in.

They will be pulls but the bottom surface of the legs will be in good enough shape to sit on the pads properly and be reflowed into place.

RJ

I'll take it, let me know how much.
 
Hardware Error 81 is what you will get if the region stored in the flash RAM doesn't match the region of the cartridge. One of the common reasons for this error when you do have matching boards and carts is that someone cut the power while the game was doing it's initial load after changeing cartridges. The way the new cart is flashed into the RAM is by first erasing all the existing information (including the region code) and then loading the new code in. The region code is apparently one of the last bits of information loaded into the RAM so if power is cut before the load is completed the mainboard is toast.

You can remove the LH28F008SAT-85 flash RAM at location U1053 and change one of the bytes to a value matches the region code value from the cartridge if that is the reason for it. I am pretty sure channelmanic has fixed some of his boards like that.

I have two SP1 boards with that error, I just haven't gotten around to trying the fix (complicated by the fact that I don't have the add-on for my Q4X programmer to do TSOP flash RAM).

*Edit*

I just had a thought, check to make sure there aren't any bridged pins or shorts at U1053 and U1054. Those are the two chips that the game loads into. If they are good then my money is on needing to reflash U1053.

Brian.

Are the lines I see now a product of the region not being correct?
 
If there were no graphics corruptions when you got the "Hardware Error 81" then I would assume they were supposed to be shorted. The lines are not from an incorrect region.

If you let me know which chip it was I can take a look at my boards and see if they are shorted on working boards. I should mention that all four of my SP1 boards are the second version (doesn't have a jumper for enabling the initial cartridge write).

There are also several chips that are jumpered pin to pin by small resistors, you will want to make sure they aren't missing.

Brian.
 
It's the QFP between the board connects. I doubt they were supposed to be connected since they were connected at the top of the legs.
 
I should mention that all four of my SP1 boards are the second version (doesn't have a jumper for enabling the initial cartridge write).

This board has a red jumper that was in the left position when I got it, when I read on line about it taking about 10 minutes to load I left the system running for about 20 minutes. Maybe that's why I see lines now?
 
Checksum error is a problem with the flash being corrupt or the cart being the wrong region for the board.
 
Just installed the reflashed U1053. Do I just leave it running for 10-15 minutes or do I need to do anything else?
 
Just installed the reflashed U1053. Do I just leave it running for 10-15 minutes or do I need to do anything else?

There is a countdown timer when a new game is flashed to the board. If that has gone down to "000" then you can safely turn it off and it will reboot into the game from now on (or until you put a new cart on there).

Brian.
 
The new cart is in, the only thing I am seeing is a screen with white and yellow blocks with a few small blue and green ones.
 
The new cart is in, the only thing I am seeing is a screen with white and yellow blocks with a few small blue and green ones.

You've still got some other problem. Check for bent or missing pins on the cart.

I've gotten a screen like that when the cart isn't making good contact.

There is some type of failure before there is any type of region or flash ROM check, though.

Brian.
 
Back
Top Bottom