From: treed@bmt.gun.com (Timothy Reed)
Subject: SNES FAQ - SFC/SNES compatibility answers
Keywords: SNES SFC FAQ compatibility
Organization: J. Random Misconfigured Site
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 05:38:41 GMT
Reply-To: treed@bmt.gun.com
X-Posted-From: friday.bmt.gun.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

Hi,

I recently boldly and incorrectly stated that the SFC and
SNES are incompatible, and cited my recent experience
killing my SFC with a US cartridge.  I've gotten a lot of input
from the net, and have continued to investigate those whole
compatibility issue.  Here is the corrected skinny as I know it.  
I assume that this should be added to the FAQ list regarding 
the SFC/SNES compatibility controversy. 

SNES cartridges are rectangular, while SFC's are slightly
curved.  SFC cartridges will slide into the SNES slot, but not
lock in unless you remove two small plastic guides near the
circuit board's internal slot.  These two guides fit into the
SNES cartridges but do not serve any great purpose.  You can
remove these guides by grabbing them with a set of good
needle-nose pliers and twisting back and forth until the
guides tear off.  Take care not to damage the internal slot
that the game's circuit board fits into.  Once you remove the
guides, Japanese cartridges designed for the SFC will fit in
and run on the SNES, complete with Japanese interface.  You do
not need to purchase any additional hardware.  I have not
experienced any problems regarding the lack of lockout chip
on SFC carts.  FFIV, F-Zero, and Area 88 all run fine on the
SNES. 

SNES carts _should_ work fine on the SFC, but they do not fit
easily in the SFC slot.  I ended up filing around the 
robot-arm-compatible machine screws on the back of the SNES
cartridge until I was able to take the housing apart.  Be careful
not to twist the circuit board inside the housing; avoid this
by removing _both_ screws before you attempt to separate the front 
and back of the shell.  I ended up inserting the raw circuit
board from the US version of Contra III into the SFC, and
inadvertantly put it in backwards, frying the SFC.  If you do
remove the circuit board from SNES games to run on the SFC, be
sure that the ROM chips face _the back_ of the system.  If you
insert them facing front, you may also have the pleasure of 
inadvertantly frying your SFC as well.  You should probably
purchase a converter that extends the cartridge slot
from Honeybee.  You should be able to purchase one via
mail order from one of the video game magazines that offer SFC
carts, or fly to Tokyo and buy one in Akihabara; they cost about
$20, or Y3,000.  Using a converter is much easier and safer than taking
a cart apart, and recommended if you want to use SNES carts in a
SFC.  Note: I have not personally tested SNES carts on a SFC
(other than breaking my SFC when I inserted the SNES cart
incorrectly) so you're on your own. 

If you call Nintendo for confirmation or information
regarding compatibility, don't expect anything
resembling the truth.  When I called about SFC<->SNES
interoperability, they said that the SFC was not UL listed
and that it was illegal to import the SFC anyway.  They also
said that the absence of a lock out chip on the SFC carts would
make it impossible for Japanese games to run on the SNES.  This
is - so far - a lie. 

I used the following h/w and s/w in researching the above:

SNES box
SFC box
Final Fantasy II - SNES
Contra III - SNES
Area 88 - SFC
Final Fantasy IV - SFC
F-Zero - SFC

Thanks to the following for information and otherwise
setting me straight on a lot.  As always, the net rules: 

v089l3s3@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Jeremy B Horwitz)
tm@netcom.com (Toshiyasu Morita)
939messana@gw.wmich.edu (Ronin)

Good luck!
Tim Reed
---
Tim Reed, Black Market Technologies, Inc.
Voice: +1 718 522-5090 E-mail: treed@gun.com
Co-founder/director, Gotham Users of NeXT, Inc. (GUN)
"Written documentation is an admission of failure."
Newsgroups: rec.games.video