My Super Mario Cart won't play???

[linkandzelda]

Hello everyone,
I'm new here and this is my first post.

So, I'll get right to it. I have an NTSC Super Nintendo, a Poke Fami DX, and an NTSC Super Mario World cart. The cart works fine in the clone system, but not at all in the actual console. I have other games and carts in good and very poor condition, and they all work in both the console and the DX.

I've cleaned the cart, it's pretty much brand new with sparkling gold connectors. It never fails to work when put into the DX, just never, ever, works in the real console.

Things that I think are of note: the console is not using the original power plug, since it's an NTSC console and I'm in the UK, running it off a normal transformer that happens to fit and match the original voltage. I thought it might be a power issue but if it can play Starfox which uses the super FX, then I guess not. I assume since the Super FX would take more power than a standard cart that it would be a good enough test for that.

Well, what can I do? I'm new to retro gaming, I missed the whole era as I wasn't allowed to play games as a kid.

Thanks in advance,
Link

[flojocabron]

Hi new person! Welcome to Racketboy

the older stuff needs a little more tlc.

Some SNES being from the early 90's , has more sensitve contacts. Your clone is newer so the contacts are better. This is only one piece of the problem.

There may be a problem with the step down converter/power adapter you're using.

Voltages can be tricky. Another person here some time ago had somewhat the same problem as you. Look up a Green Lines SNES thread. He was using a non original plug and it was causing problems.

This may be something thats happening to you.

Some other people here have more expertise on the subject.

I'm sure some more answers will come up.

[linkandzelda]

Hi new person! Welcome to Racketboy

the older stuff needs a little more tlc.

Some SNES being from the early 90's , has more sensitve contacts. Your clone is newer so the contacts are better. This is only one piece of the problem.

There may be a problem with the step down converter/power adapter you're using.

Voltages can be tricky. Another person here some time ago had somewhat the same problem as you. Look up a Green Lines SNES thread. He was using a non original plug and it was causing problems.

This may be something thats happening to you.

Some other people here have more expertise on the subject.

I'm sure some more answers will come up.

Thanks for a response, I'll check that out and see if I can relate to it. Might just buy a real UK power adapter and use that, hopefully it would work.

[flojocabron]

please remember the different voltage ratings.

You dont want to fry the console or US 120V plug.

[linkandzelda]

please remember the different voltage ratings.

You dont want to fry the console or US 120V plug.

Well, I'm not using any step down converter with it, I'm just using a standard UK 3 pin transformer that outputs 9v which is not a SNES one. I'm hoping that getting an official 3 pin SNES UK 3 pin plug would solve it.

[Hobie-wan]

The US SNES has a different power plug from the rest of the world, so a UK one isn't going to fit. You might just need to clean the console connectors. Unplug everything and cut some thin cardboard from a clean food box that's the same width as the contacts in the cart. Double or triple fold it so it is about the same thickness as the the cart contacts, grey/brown side out. As I'm assuming you don't have any contact cleaner around, dampen the cardboard a bit with rubbing alcohol, push the door open, and carefully slide the cardboard in and out of the slot a few times. If you get a bunch of gunk, repeat a few more times. Prop the door open with a pen or something and let it dry for at least 20-30 minutes. Then have another go.

[Ziggy]

Well, I'm not using any step down converter with it, I'm just using a standard UK 3 pin transformer that outputs 9v which is not a SNES one. I'm hoping that getting an official 3 pin SNES UK 3 pin plug would solve it.

The official NTSC-U SNES power adapter outputs 10v 850mA. So if you're using a 9v adapter then it's not supplying enough voltage. It's worth noting that a lot of us have used power adapters that output less voltage than the original/official power adapter for various consoles and gotten away with it, but that's not always the case.

The official PAL SNES power adapter outputs 9v 1.3A, so again, less voltage than the official NTSC-U power supply. But that's not your biggest concern. It uses a much different plug for the console, it wont fit in the NTSC-U console.

Which makes me think... are you sure you have a North American NTSC-U SNES? This kind...

Because the NTSC-U SNES uses a very funky power input plug, which I believe is proprietary. It's a much different tip than the PAL SNES and Japan's Super Famicom. If you're using a PAL type power adapter (inputs 240v) and it fits a NTSC-U SNES, well, something doesn't add up. I don't see how such a power adapter would be in existence. Unless that tip isn't actually proprietary.



Pictures would help, if you can.

edit: If you can locate a PAL power adapter that outputs 10v ~850mA, then you can try this out:

http://www.mmmonkey.co.uk/power-adapter ... ican-snes/

[linkandzelda]

Well, I'm not using any step down converter with it, I'm just using a standard UK 3 pin transformer that outputs 9v which is not a SNES one. I'm hoping that getting an official 3 pin SNES UK 3 pin plug would solve it.

The official NTSC-U SNES power adapter outputs 10v 850mA. So if you're using a 9v adapter then it's not supplying enough voltage. It's worth noting that a lot of us have used power adapters that output less voltage than the original/official power adapter for various consoles and gotten away with it, but that's not always the case.

The official PAL SNES power adapter outputs 9v 1.3A, so again, less voltage than the official NTSC-U power supply. But that's not your biggest concern. It uses a much different plug for the console, it wont fit in the NTSC-U console.

Which makes me think... are you sure you have a North American NTSC-U SNES? This kind...

Because the NTSC-U SNES uses a very funky power input plug, which I believe is proprietary. It's a much different tip than the PAL SNES and Japan's Super Famicom. If you're using a PAL type power adapter (inputs 240v) and it fits a NTSC-U SNES, well, something doesn't add up. I don't see how such a power adapter would be in existence. Unless that tip isn't actually proprietary.



Pictures would help, if you can.

edit: If you can locate a PAL power adapter that outputs 10v ~850mA, then you can try this out:

http://www.mmmonkey.co.uk/power-adapter ... ican-snes/

It's definitely an NTSC SNES, just like the one in the picture. I had to get that one since the Poke Fami DX is NTSC only, so my whole collection ended up being NTSC games. As for the power adapter, let me take a picture of it so you can see what I'm using.

As you can see it's just a standard power transformer with a changeable voltage giving out 600ma, with a changeable plug that happens to fit the NTSC super nintendo.

Would I use a stepdown converter? I'm worried about using them, since I use one currently with my Sega Genesis (same story with NTSC games as I have a Nomad) but, the stepdown converter gets incredibly hot and smelly, and makes noises when its on. So I'm a little worried about going down that route. Granted it was only £6 from eBay but still lol, maybe using a more expensive stepdown converter would be safer?

As for the issue at hand, I can see that there is a missing 250mA here, as well as 1 volt compared to what the SNES is expecting to get, so lucky that it does boot with this loss lol.

[Ziggy]

As you can see it's just a standard power transformer with a changeable voltage giving out 600ma, with a changeable plug that happens to fit the NTSC super nintendo.

From my experience, those power adapters with selectable voltage are usually cheap junk. And it doesn't help that it's not outputting the required power specs.

Would I use a stepdown converter? I'm worried about using them, since I use one currently with my Sega Genesis (same story with NTSC games as I have a Nomad) but, the stepdown converter gets incredibly hot and smelly, and makes noises when its on. So I'm a little worried about going down that route. Granted it was only £6 from eBay but still lol, maybe using a more expensive stepdown converter would be safer?

Well if it was only 6 pounds, it can't be very good. I mean, you said it gets really hot, smells, and makes noises, so we know it isn't very good.

As for the issue at hand, I can see that there is a missing 250mA here, as well as 1 volt compared to what the SNES is expecting to get, so lucky that it does boot with this loss lol.

Right. Like I said in my last post, some of us have used power adapters for various consoles that output less than the required voltagage, more or less of the required amperage, and gotten away with it. Some times though, we're not so lucky. A perfect example is a cheap Chinese 9v adapter I was using with no problem for my Famicom. I tried using it with my model 1 Genesis, and it work, but the audio was heavily distorted. I found myself a better quality power adapter, and the console turned out to work fine.

From all the information you have supplied, here are my suggestions: Get an official (which might be hard) NTSC-U SNES power adapter and use a voltage converter of decent quality. This would be the easiest solution, though probably the more expensive.

My other idea will probably be a lot cheaper for you, but will require a little work and some know-how. The plug that you're using now, it has a tip that fits the NTSC-U SNES. So you got the hardest part out of the way. As long as the tip fits snug and makes proper contact, there's nothing wrong with it. The problem is with the power supply itself, it doesn't output the correct requirements and the quality of it is questionable. Just find yourself ANY power adapter that outputs the required specs, or as close as you can get. I would recommend hitting the voltage dead on, and trying to match the amperage as close as possible. For example, I searched "10v 850ma" on UK eBay and found this...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DVE-DV-10850- ... 53edf55335

I never heard of that brand, DVE, but I also don't live in the UK. Perhaps that's a decent and trusted brand name there. So I'm not suggesting that you buy THIS particular power adapter, I'm just using it for an example.

Also note that 1000mA is 1 amp, so you could try searching for .85a instead.

I searched "10v 900a" on UK eBay and found more results. This one for example...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Akura-AEC1008 ... 46059313bf

Again, Akura, I don't know if that's a decent brand or not. But by now you should get the idea. Don't just limit yourself to eBay, you can hunt thrift shops or whatever local online shops you have by you.

For example, the power supply I ended up using for my model 1 Genesis was a Casio brand. It outputs the correct voltage and about the same amperage, and Casio is a decent brand. Another example was an HP power adapter I got that was for some old scanner.

Anyway, long story short, find an appropriate power adapter. But pay no attention to the tip size/shape. Just make sure it inputs 240v and outputs 10v ~850mA. After you get your new power adapter, assuming the tip wont fit the NTSC-U SNES, cut the tip off of the plug. Then cut the tip off of the selectable voltage adapter you're using now (the one that fits the NTSC-U SNES). Leave yourself a decent length of wire to work with. Splice the tip onto the new power adapter, and make sure you get the polarity right. And that's all there is to it!


But also, use Hobie's suggestion to clean your console good. I'm not saying that the power supply IS definitely your problem with Super Mario, but it's just a possibility. These are just my tips to find yourself a proper power adapter.

[linkandzelda]

As you can see it's just a standard power transformer with a changeable voltage giving out 600ma, with a changeable plug that happens to fit the NTSC super nintendo.

From my experience, those power adapters with selectable voltage are usually cheap junk. And it doesn't help that it's not outputting the required power specs.

Would I use a stepdown converter? I'm worried about using them, since I use one currently with my Sega Genesis (same story with NTSC games as I have a Nomad) but, the stepdown converter gets incredibly hot and smelly, and makes noises when its on. So I'm a little worried about going down that route. Granted it was only £6 from eBay but still lol, maybe using a more expensive stepdown converter would be safer?

Well if it was only 6 pounds, it can't be very good. I mean, you said it gets really hot, smells, and makes noises, so we know it isn't very good.

As for the issue at hand, I can see that there is a missing 250mA here, as well as 1 volt compared to what the SNES is expecting to get, so lucky that it does boot with this loss lol.

Right. Like I said in my last post, some of us have used power adapters for various consoles that output less than the required voltagage, more or less of the required amperage, and gotten away with it. Some times though, we're not so lucky. A perfect example is a cheap Chinese 9v adapter I was using with no problem for my Famicom. I tried using it with my model 1 Genesis, and it work, but the audio was heavily distorted. I found myself a better quality power adapter, and the console turned out to work fine.

From all the information you have supplied, here are my suggestions: Get an official (which might be hard) NTSC-U SNES power adapter and use a voltage converter of decent quality. This would be the easiest solution, though probably the more expensive.

My other idea will probably be a lot cheaper for you, but will require a little work and some know-how. The plug that you're using now, it has a tip that fits the NTSC-U SNES. So you got the hardest part out of the way. As long as the tip fits snug and makes proper contact, there's nothing wrong with it. The problem is with the power supply itself, it doesn't output the correct requirements and the quality of it is questionable. Just find yourself ANY power adapter that outputs the required specs, or as close as you can get. I would recommend hitting the voltage dead on, and trying to match the amperage as close as possible. For example, I searched "10v 850ma" on UK eBay and found this...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DVE-DV-10850- ... 53edf55335

I never heard of that brand, DVE, but I also don't live in the UK. Perhaps that's a decent and trusted brand name there. So I'm not suggesting that you buy THIS particular power adapter, I'm just using it for an example.

Also note that 1000mA is 1 amp, so you could try searching for .85a instead.

I searched "10v 900a" on UK eBay and found more results. This one for example...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Akura-AEC1008 ... 46059313bf

Again, Akura, I don't know if that's a decent brand or not. But by now you should get the idea. Don't just limit yourself to eBay, you can hunt thrift shops or whatever local online shops you have by you.

For example, the power supply I ended up using for my model 1 Genesis was a Casio brand. It outputs the correct voltage and about the same amperage, and Casio is a decent brand. Another example was an HP power adapter I got that was for some old scanner.

Anyway, long story short, find an appropriate power adapter. But pay no attention to the tip size/shape. Just make sure it inputs 240v and outputs 10v ~850mA. After you get your new power adapter, assuming the tip wont fit the NTSC-U SNES, cut the tip off of the plug. Then cut the tip off of the selectable voltage adapter you're using now (the one that fits the NTSC-U SNES). Leave yourself a decent length of wire to work with. Splice the tip onto the new power adapter, and make sure you get the polarity right. And that's all there is to it!


But also, use Hobie's suggestion to clean your console good. I'm not saying that the power supply IS definitely your problem with Super Mario, but it's just a possibility. These are just my tips to find yourself a proper power adapter.

Funny you should say that, as today my Mega Drive model 1 UK power adapter arrived, and it works obviously with the model 1 genesis. I thought I might as well check out the power that the model 2 Genesis adapter gives, and guess what. It gives 10v 850mA.

From this, I think I could do a test. Since I only use this Model 2 power adapter when running the Nomad, I can safely cut this up and rewire it to fit the SNES. As I run the Nomad on 6 AA batteries anyway, which actually makes it 9V or even less when running rechargeable. Point being, I have a spare adapter I can cut up and try on my "smelly" step down converter. I'm just suggesting that as a test since I don't have to spend any more money to see if this _is_ is the solution to the problem, if that makes any sense. It could turn out that I tried this with an official NTSC adapter that I find for SNES and it ends up not working. At least with this test I know all I need is a better step down converter to be happy.

Do you suggest I cut this thing up and give it a go? I guess it also means cutting up the power cord of the one I'm currently using. But it's just cables that can be rewired right, nothing to lose?