How to find Famicom Converters inside of NES cartridges

[@Asystole44]

You earned a sub sir. I've been going down the rabbit hole of refurbishing my carts. Came across an oddity in my Pinball copy. When i obtained it i learned about 5 screw carts and that brief history. Little did i know about the convertor! I was wondering what the heck I was looking at. Great break down and thank you!

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that, and am happy you found the video useful. :)

[@777Eliyahu]

Several copies of Gyromyte would have been spared had I seen this video during my teenage years

[@Labyrnthdom]

I have 1 in mine. Ran across it 2 weeks ago. Didnt even know what it was until now. Awesome !

[@TheGameDisplay]

Congrats on finding a converter! I'm glad my video was able to clear some things up. :)

[@MilesLuigi]

In this video Andrew shows us how we may have treasure in our NES collection and not even be aware about it. You are the master Treasure Master.

[@TheGameDisplay]

Wouldn't it be crazy if the NES game Treasure Master had a converter inside? Unfortunately all copies of it have the clips on top of the cartridge, but it would have been neat if part of beating the game was dismantling the cartridge and finding something inside. I don't think a game has ever done that. :P Thanks for watching and commenting! :)

[@rustymixer2886]

@@TheGameDisplay great video

[@JessicaFEREM]

​@@TheGameDisplaythat would be kinda awesome. that reminds me of the potato chip in the dream cast VMU or the little halo logos on some of the xbox motherboards.

[@awesomelozinc]

I found one of these in a copy of Hogan's Alley I just bought second hand. After popping the game open for some cleaning I had no idea what on earth it was until I did some googling and eventually ended up here. Good stuff

[@TheGameDisplay]

That's awesome! Thank you so much for checking out my video. I'm glad it could shed some light on things. :)

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

The only carts like this were from the period when Nintendo didn't have enough NES carts to satisfy demand. So, they installed some of the famicom ones that they had in an adapter inside of the outer cover and sold those in the US as NES carts. Which for all purposes they were, but they did have a special adapter that can take any famicom game and run it with a bit of nondestructive tinkering.

[@TortureBot]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade gee, you didn't even make it past 1:40 in the video? He talked all about this in the video.

[@DragonHeartHisMajestyX]

I’ve never been lucky enough to find one of those converters in any of my black box NES games. 😔

[@TheGameDisplay]

It took me a long time to find my first one, too! They're surprisingly rarer than one might except. Keep looking and I'm sure you'll get one soon! Thank you so much for watching and commenting. :)

[@The90sGamingGuy]

Back when i was buying NES games i considered getting Famicom games and a converter but never got one. I'll be checking my NES games for a converter now.

[@shredbraahh8606]

Sooooooo freakin awesome. Just found one in my copy of "Pinball" for NES. Thanks for this!

[@TheGameDisplay]

I'm glad it could help! Thank you for watching. :)

[@Asystole44]

My pinball copy has one too! That led me to here. Great video! Cheers!

[@joyboibob]

My copy of Metroid had all of these qualities, 5 screw Flat top Pins to the side Nada.

[@TheGameDisplay]

Interesting! Thank you so much for watching and commenting. Perhaps there are rare exceptions with some of the very late 5 screw carts. I definitely associate this trick with black box games more than anything.

[@solidsnakeonaplane5925]

I probably should get me one of those Family Converters. I would like to play some Japanese exclusive NES games.

[@elvisrobotbeta3299]

Tantos años de coleccionar e incluso de saber sobre estos conectores ocultos en los primeros juegos del NES y es la primera vez que veo cómo se usan. ¡¡¡Simplemente increíble!!! Información de primer nivel👌🏻 Gracias!!!🤝

[@shanem.2984]

Another great video! Gyromite was the most common back in the day with converters, it seems.

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you! It's funny, because I've heard that as well, yet I've never found a Gyormite with a converter inside! Someone must be hoarding them all. :P

[@emmettturner9452]

I've found a few in Gyromite but it's also the one everyone tries to find one in because it's so cheap and usually orphaned from the required ROB the Robot accessory anyway. The only reason it was any more common than Excitebike, Pinball, etc is because it was a pack-in with the NES Deluxe Set. I believe the NES Deluxe Set with ROB, Gyromite, NES Zapper, and Duck Hunt was the only set that year and so they weren't even calling it "Deluxe Set" yet (early Deluxe Sets definitely do not say "Deluxe Set"). Unlike Stack-Up, the other ROB game, they kept manufacturing Gyromite for a lot longer. That means most copies of Gyromite are standard copies without the converter while every copy of Stack-Up has the converter. Stack-Up is a little rare though so it makes more sense to make one from another game with a converter than it does to salvage a converter from it. Yes, the Japanese version of Stack-Up is much cheaper and you probably want the stacking blocks anyway. :)

[@afriend9428]

*The game says Robo Gyro on the screen*

[@happycoolhayden8767]

@@TheGameDisplay Can you play FDS games on the NES with the Famicom to NES converter?

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@happycoolhayden8767 Yes, but you'd need to remove the plastic interconnection and flip it upside down so as to get the mounting tabs out of the way and I don't think that the cartridge cover will fit like that. But, people do do that. The connector can also be a bit tight as it's not really intended to be removed and they didn't want people to have to deal with support calls about a cartridge with an internal cart that got loose.

[@NESADDICT]

I made a video similar to this a few years back. It’s always fun looking for famicom converters in NES games.

[@emmettturner9452]

The little feelers coming off each pin are used for gold electroplating. They need to energize every pin at once while the large panel with several game PCBs is in the emulsion so they are all connected with traces that will be broken. When the individual boards are cut out of the panel the traces that connected them are also cut.

[@TheGameDisplay]

Interesting! Thank you for the insight, and for checking out the video. I hope you enjoyed it. :)

[@steelcircleguild]

Did not know this was a thing, so thank you for making this video! Wouldn't have known without it since this is so obscure!

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you so much for watching! I'm really happy I was able to introduce something new to you. :)

[@emmettturner9452]

Early 3-screw games had the same slotted screws as 5-screw games but, yeah: you shouldn't find a converter inside a 3-screw game. I actually found a heavy 3-screw copy of Golf once and knew it had something even more interesting inside. It verified that it weighed 50% more than it should so I made sure to have the camera rolling when I opened it. Turns out that all the extra space inside was being used to smuggle drugs overseas and the video went viral! Found a copy of Pinball with the converter the following week and it ended up being the most disappointing follow-up video ever. :)

[@TheGameDisplay]

No way, that way you!? I saw that story, and I'll admit it crosses my mind whenever I check the weight if an NES game now. Thank you so much for checking out my video! I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. :)

[@emmettturner9452]

@@TheGameDisplay Yep. April 1st, 2018... of all days to find something crazy like that. :) Maybe I should've waited a day to open it but I had promised the vendor I would let him know what I found ASAP.

[@NESADDICT]

You can hook the famicom adapter and game to a game genie to get it out easier.

[@ChristianAlvey]

Awesome Video as always! I already knew about the 5 screws and the weight difference but not the off set pins. That makes it a lot easier to find a 60 to 72 pin converters. Out of the 16 NES games I own the only one that has the converter is also Excitebike.

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you so much for watching! That's awesome to hear that you have one as well. I know that these days it isn't really that practical, and buying a 3rd part converter is probably simpler and more convenient, but I'm really glad that you and so many others have enjoyed hearing about this. :)

[@ChristianAlvey]

@@TheGameDisplay I also have some questions about the AV Famicom. Can you use the normal North American NES wall adapter? Will it work with S-Video cables? And do you have any good recommendations for 72 to 60 Pin Converters? Anytime I try and look for them online all I find is 60 to 72 pin converters Thank you for your time Andrew.

[@TheGameDisplay]

@@ChristianAlvey Do not use the NES adapter, it will blow the console up. I use a Sega Genesis model 1 power adapter and have been absolutely fine even during long gaming sessions. It does not have a spot for S-Video cables on the back. The 72 to 60 pin converter I use was actually picked up second hand. I unfortunately don't have a recommendation for one to buy new. I hope that helps! :)

[@ChristianAlvey]

@@TheGameDisplay Doesn't the AV Famicom have the same

[@TheGameDisplay]

@@ChristianAlvey The same?

[@scottlinux]

Another thank you for this video. I found I have a five-screw 10-Yard Fight cart that has the Famicom converter inside. Very cool stuff!

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you so much for watching! Was this recently linked somewhere? I appreciate the views and comments! I'm glad you found it helpful. :)

[@emmettturner9452]

I recognize the Warioland VB intro music. :)

[@TheGameDisplay]

I think you might be one of the first people to point that out! I absolutely love VB Wario Land, and I thought the title theme fit well with my intro. Thank you for watching! :)

[@emmettturner9452]

@@TheGameDisplayLOL! I still have my box on the shelf next to me from the copy I bought in the mid '90s. :) Unfortunately, I had to buy the game again and get another VB because I loaned it to someone with my VB and never saw them again. :(

[@rustymixer2886]

Great video never knew about this

[@NewAgeRed]

Hah cool this is neat info. I never knew. Whoa! the Salamander cart for Famicom is awesome! :o

[@TheGreenLightningMRT]

Cool. You always find some interesting bits of trivia to talk about.

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you so much! I'm really happy that you found this video interesting. :)

[@Yipper64]

gonna be looking out for this next time I go to my retro games store. I know they have a giant pile of golf nes carts so I guess ill get one. I want to replace it with mario 7 in 1 as thats the only famicom game I want to play, because 7 grand dad mehmeh

[@UndeadSpaceMonkey1]

Hey Andrew, the video clip at the beginning of the old Nintendo manufacturing, can that be found on the internet somewhere? would love to watch the full thing Thanks

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thanks for watching! It's from a news report that can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6WXfHpvnsdriZY

[@EternalLordRuby]

Most interesting. This was probably a bit more expensive than producing the regular cartridges, but that can still be a good business decision for managing that Christmas' demand spike. I'd be scared of harming the circuitry when doing that, but I guess it's more resilient than it looks.

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you for watching! I wonder what the difference in cost was like, but I suppose maintaining that market share and not having a shortage was of course the most important thing! And I haven't heard of anyone having any issues while doing this, but of course do it at your own risk and take precautions!

[@plazmacube6167]

One main reason that Nintendo put these Famicom Converters inside of their cartridges was because Nintendo was in a large rush to get these cartridges out in North America, so rather than making brand new boards for their games, they made the adapter so they could just re-use Famicom Boards.

[@TheGameDisplay]

One thing that I forgot to mention is that from what I've seen, just about every single copy of Stack Up has a converter inside. It was an NES launch title that didn't have the longest production life, so it makes sense when you think about it! Thank you for watching and commenting. :)

[@plazmacube6167]

@@TheGameDisplay No problem. I thought that every copy of Stack-Up had one inside. You do awesome work man!

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@TheGameDisplay I'd wager it probably also explains the lower quality of finish on the connector side.

[@leroysalas4185]

Can you try to live stream donkey kong country 4 fan game

[@TheGameDisplay]

Hi there! I was actually looking into this recently. What is the latest version of the game? I saw a demo that was released a few years ago, although wasn't sure if that was the latest release or not. I don't want to look into it too much as not to spoil anything!

[@charlesw1259]

How do I make a case for the converter and avoid it being stuck in the console?

[@CarterGregg25]

This was epic

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you! I'm glad that others find this as cool as I do. :)

[@asherael]

that honey bee sure looks like the hudsoft logo

[@eddieshields7596]

Can you open the Famicom game and put it in an NES cart and play games?

[@TheGameDisplay]

If the Famicom board is small enough that it fits! Unfortunately, Famicom carts are pretty tough to open so it's not something that you can just do for fun from time to time. Thank you for watching! :)

[@VinnytotheK]

I have 4 black label games that are on the list of games which may have the adapter, 4 of them with 5 screws, but none had it... :^ (

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

I was lucky, I got one on my second try without even trying. But, then again, Excite bike was something I only ever saw at the home of a family friend that bought the system pretty close to launch. I wonder if that copy was also one with the adapter.

[@VinnytotheK]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade Sweet! I still haven't gotten one, but bought a Nes to Famicom converter to play NES games on my toploader Famicom!

[@retroman7331]

Very interesting!

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you! I'm glad to hear that. :)

[@afriend9428]

*Philips screw driver kids* 💡

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

If they were really cool, they would have used a JIS head.

[@luiscortazar6291]

Say I have an NES Top loader would I be able to combine two NES to Famicom converters to be a makeshift adapter for a game genie?

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Honestly, it's best not to use the game genie in the front loader as it does put a bit of strain on the connectors since the system wasn't intended to have such a long cartridge inserted.

[@Audispeedquattro]

Cool greetings from germany thanks

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you for watching! I appreciate the support from Germany. :)

[@toxikbot5780]

I'm not sure if i remember right as a kid but I remember playing a sega game on snes

[@TheGameDisplay]

Was it perhaps one of the Tengen releases such as After Burner? I don't believe there is a way to play actual Sega cartridges on the NES.

[@toxikbot5780]

She took apart the sega game and took a couple trys feeding it but it worked! I had forgot everything till I saw your video! Brought those nice memories back.

[@toxikbot5780]

I believe it was earthworm or Aladdin!

[@hatednyc]

Good stuff

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you for watching!

[@sampicou7534]

Looks like the Canadian carts have the converters

[@TheGameDisplay]

In this case that was true, although I don't think every Canadian copy will have one, and that a US copy will never have one. Definitely something worth looking into though! Thank you for watching. :)

[@sampicou7534]

@@TheGameDisplay not a problem, good Intel to have being a collector thanks.

[@travisthomas3945]

is there a price difference in one with it and without it?

[@TheGameDisplay]

The ones with converters often go for a little bit more, but it's not a massive difference. Thank you for watching! :)

[@mattsmedley.onehandedgamin9029]

Has there ever been a convertor to allow the playing of NES games on the Famicom?

[@Mr_x_19922]

yes

[@NL_the_Godfather]

Nice, i never knew this existed. Do you know if these also get shipped to Europe?

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

I doubt it. These came into existence because Nintendo had a shortage of cartridges for America when the demand greatly outstripped their estimates. Since Japan uses similar power and video standards, I'm sure it was a fairly straightforward process to build a simple adapter for the carts. (Admittedly the power and video are slightly different, but pretty close)

[@michaeltepaurel2257]

HoneyBee NES to FC game adapter, not Jollibee.

[@shuheihisagi7514]

Just bought a copy of Pinball with a convertor inside. I looked at the pins and sure enough there was one

[@TheGameDisplay]

Nicely done! Thank you for watching and for sharing. :)

[@mrwang420]

Nintendo: NO! STOP IT! *cries

[@Gameboy_1992]

Yeah, but these are way to rare

[@DecibelAlex]

never heard about this. sure that's not just a bootleg cart? the label looks a bit off in my opinion. also seems odd that they would sell famicom adapters and not even use security screws

[@emmettturner9452]

All of the 5-screw NES games had those flathead screws including some early 3-screw games.

[@emmettturner9452]

The label is different because it's the Canadian version. Says right there on it: "CAN" Same deal with his two copies of Golf.

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you for watching, and thank you Emmett for the explanation. These sure are interesting and quite out of the ordinary, so I don't blame you for having questions! All of this is 100% real though. Take care. :)

[@DecibelAlex]

​@@emmettturner9452 I've seen many cartridges in my life and I own a 'little' personal collection too, but never have i came across carts like that here in Europe

[@emmettturner9452]

@@DecibelAlex That would explain it. Nintendo was done with 5-screw carts and before it even launched in PAL territories. Though the vast majority are 3-screw with gamebit in North America, there are still plenty of 5-screw slotted carts from the early years (1985, 1986, etc). FWIW, the slotted screws are very different from your typical slotted screw in that they have kind of a center hole. The hole doesn’t affect anything as long as your slotted screwdriver spans across it and into the slotted sides of the screw head. The transition to gamebit screws happened so soon after the transition to 3-screws that many NES collectors never even noticed that slotted 3-screw carts exist, but they do.

[@toxikbot5780]

Is there any truth behind this??

[@emmettturner9452]

Of course. This is why the title screen to Gyromite says "Robot Gyro" (the Japanese name). The game Stack-Up always has the converter inside. You can even check the scans at BootGod NES cartridge database.

[@DecibelAlex]

I don't know but looks like a bootleg cart to me

[@emmettturner9452]

@@DecibelAlex I don't know why people like you feel compelled to chime in when you admit you don't even know. The fact that you don't know means no one should ever listen to your assessment of what may or may not be bootleg because you are simply too ignorant of what constitutes a bootleg and unwilling to learn. People like you cause unecessary conflict and strife by pointlessly seeding fear and distrust in the collector community. When someone asks "is this a bootleg?" I sure hope you keep your yap shut. You literally have the information right in front of you to 100% confirm that this is real along with mountains of reason not to think they are bootlegs even without this info. What is your excuse?

[@Gelo.Hernandez]

Too much talkies

[@shoeflaps]

Why didn't you just pause and get a drink of water man?

[@cali4484]

👎👎