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opa
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Super Famicom & Super Game Boy 2

by opa Sat Jul 11, 2020 9:07 am

Skimming a random nintendo wiki I read this about the Super Game Boy 2:
Functionality-wise, a game link port and LED power light were added to the hardware, and the firmware gained 5 new screen border graphics that could be displayed while playing a game. Most notable, however, is the addition of an internal oscillator (clock chip) on board, which means the Super Game Boy 2 can run games at the original 59.7 Hz of the original handheld (as opposed to the original Super Game Boy, which lacked its own oscillator and thus ran games at the frequency of the console it was plugged into)


I've played a North American Super Game Boy but the games do seem kind of jittery at times. If the SGB2 runs them at the original speed I'd be interested in getting a Super Famicom. Anyone own the Super Game Boy 2 and done a comparison? Also, does anyone know if the SGB2 is region-free? I know Game Boy carts themselves are but not sure if that specific hardware is.
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Re: Super Famicom & Super Game Boy 2

by Ziggy587 Sat Jul 11, 2020 9:55 am

Like all SFC carts, the Super Gameboy 2 will run on a North American SNES just fine. You just have to break the tabs out of the cart slot (this can be done easily with needle nose pliers if you don't want to disassemble the console). No need to get an actual SFC. Unless you want to, they do look cool.

Removing the tabs from a NA SNES will make it compatible with every SFC cart including the SGB2. This is because the NA SNES and SFC use the same lockout chip, so the only "region lock" is a physical one. The NA SNES carts are too large to insert into a SFC (although you can use adapters or widen the cart slot) and the NA SNES has those tabs which prevent a SFC cart from being inserted. Outside of this, they're 100% compatible with each other.

The PAL SNES, on the other hand, uses a different lockout chip. To mod for NTSC/PAL requires a little more work. I actually have a PAL SNES that I scored for cheap, it turned out to be a 1-chip model. I ended up modifying it to be NTSC and I widened the cart slot.

There's a few videos on YouTube comparing the speeds against each other. Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alV7QTMewSA

Notice that when the time runs out on the Super Gameboy, there's still 15 seconds left on the clock on the Super Gameboy 2. So it took over 11 minutes to get 15 in-game seconds ahead. Personally, I've never noticed a difference using the slightly faster Super Gameboy. It's not fast enough to make an impact on gameplay.

You can also modify the OG Super Gameboy so that it will run at the proper speed.
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Re: Super Famicom & Super Game Boy 2

by opa Sat Jul 11, 2020 4:05 pm

Thanks for all the help!
I do have a regular Super GB I could put the board on (I don't really want to alter it at the moment).
Any advice on getting a Super Famicom? I've kinda always wanted one and may wind up getting the SGB2 (wouldn't mind trying out the link cable capabilities).
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Re: Super Famicom & Super Game Boy 2

by Ziggy587 Sat Jul 11, 2020 5:00 pm

I'd say just hunt eBay until you find one that's the right price and condition for you. I just checked, there's a bunch right now with a $20 BIN and $20 shipping from Japan (would probably take 1 month to come in by sea because of the pandemic) but with various bits that are yellowed. If you're willing to Retr0bright it, that's not a bad price.

The original Retr0bright is for a gel or cream, and so that's what a lot of people do. David, The 8-bit Guy, uses a high strength peroxide in hot water in the sun and gets good results. He's done it a number of times since his first video. A few times he didn't completely reverse the yellowing, but could have if he repeated the process. Doing it this way is easy (pour some peroxide in a clear tote with hot water and leave it in direct sunlight for hours, make sure the pieces don't float). You could also substitute sunlight for UV light, if you got it, which would make the process go faster (as well as not be limited to certain times of the day). Anyway, I mention Retr0bright because this is how you can score a SFC the cheapest.

AV cables, power adapters and controllers... The SFC uses the same AV cables as the NA SNES, so you're good there. As for the AC/DC power adapter, you're good with anything that would work for the model 1 Genesis. As for controllers, you can use any NA SNES controllers with the SFC. However, to match aesthetics, you might want an actual SFC controller (the SFC and PAL SNES controllers have blue, green, red and yellow buttons to match the logo while the NA SNES has the light and dark purple buttons). Just note that the official SFC controllers have short cable lengths. If you find that annoying, you can either get an extension cable or a different controller. I recommend the Cirka S91, which comes in both color schemes. They are VERY good controllers, it's all I've been using since getting one!

https://stoneagegamer.com/snes-s91-cont ... cirka.html
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Re: Super Famicom & Super Game Boy 2

by opa Sat Jul 11, 2020 8:28 pm

I think I'll just look into a cosmetically okay - yet yellowed - console. I'm not picky about that stuff. I'll have to post pics but my launch purple GameCube is starting to turn a weird shade of brown-purple. lol
I'm not sure of the true efficacy of retrobriting any way. I haven't looked deep into it but I think it's a safe assumption that it will just yellow again. I can't think of any reason it can't as you're not changing the chemical composition of the plastic itself. I guess we'll see in twenty or thirty years if this stuff changes color.
Thanks for the link. I'll check it out.
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Re: Super Famicom & Super Game Boy 2

by Ziggy587 Sat Jul 11, 2020 9:14 pm

opa wrote:I'm not sure of the true efficacy of retrobriting any way. I haven't looked deep into it but I think it's a safe assumption that it will just yellow again.


Keeping it out of sunlight will stop it from yellowing again.
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Re: Super Famicom & Super Game Boy 2

by opa Sun Jul 19, 2020 11:09 am

Ziggy587 wrote: As for the AC/DC power adapter, you're good with anything that would work for the model 1 Genesis.

Would something like this work for a SFC? I only have a model 2 Gen.
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Adapter-GENESIS-nintendo-entertainment-system/dp/B001S2VT6I/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=genesis+power+adapter&qid=1595171318&sr=8-2
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Re: Super Famicom & Super Game Boy 2

by Ziggy587 Sun Jul 19, 2020 12:09 pm

Yep, sources say that the SFC uses the same power adapter plug size as the model 1 Genesis, so that one you linked should work. Although, I cannot comment on the quality of RetroBit product, just that the specs fit the bill. IIRC, the RetroBit power adapter doesn't use a transformer (it's incredibly light compared to what you'd expect) but I can't remember if it had noise or not. Some cheaper power adapters can cause problems on consoles. For example, a bad poor power adapter can cause audio distortion on a model 1 Genesis, or lots of jailbar noise on a Famicom. I've had both of these problems myself, I just can't remember if it was with the RetroBit adapter or not. Even then, the SNES might not care.

The plug size is 5.5 x 2.1 mm, you want 9v and at least 850mA (I'm just guessing with the power draw, but I know that 850mA will work, I just don't know how low you can go). This is such common specs for a power adapter so you could also try hunting old ones on eBay. The one that I used with my model 1 Genesis, Famicom, and Sega CD for the longest time is actually a Casio brand power adapter from some old keyboard. There is the less common tip size 5.5 x 2.5 mm, which is what the PAL SNES uses, but it is very uncommon to find this on a 9v adapter (at least from my experience in the USA). If you find a 9v adapter on eBay and the plug looks like it's 5.5 x 2.1, then it probably is.

edit: Forgot to mention, it needs to be center negative. You could always splice the wire to reverse the polarity if need be. That said, even if it has the wrong plug size you could splice on the correct size.

Check out eBay item number 402321007443, that looks like it has a 5.5 x 2.1 mm plug. It's center negative, 9v 850mA. And it's a Panasonic brand (probably from a land line phone or something).
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Re: Super Famicom & Super Game Boy 2

by opa Mon Jul 20, 2020 10:17 am

Thanks for all the info!
I also found this, ebay 202715025602. Dubious aftermarket quality aside, it looks like it matches up?

Also, I may have found a Model 1 Genesis power brick I can borrow. So at least I can test the system when I get one.
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Re: Super Famicom & Super Game Boy 2

by Ziggy587 Mon Jul 20, 2020 11:05 am

opa wrote:I also found this, ebay 202715025602. Dubious aftermarket quality aside, it looks like it matches up?


Yep, that's the same compatibility as the Retro Bit one, but I think it might be better quality.
I'm parting with some duplicate Blu-Ray and DVD movies. Check out this thread if interested.
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