Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

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BuckoA51
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Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by BuckoA51 »

So with the modding work picking up a little bit here I think it's time I asked the communities opinion on the best way to do the whole cartridge slot widening/modding thing. I'm mainly thinking SNES here, though Megadrive needs work too and of course there's various other mods that require case cutting etc.

Now, I completely understand not everyone even wants this doing to their prized vintage consoles and that's fine, but I like to at least give people the choice.

So far, the standard approach seems to be Dremel and a lot of patience, but I'd like to know if there's a better way, especially if it gives a neater cut that only requires minimal filing/cleaning. Something like a router set up perhaps?

It always seems the case mods are the things modders dread the most, yet customers seem to think you should be able to do a perfect job and not charge very much since it's not skilled/difficult work to cut a case...

Anyway, I'd appreciate anyone's input.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Guspaz »

Wouldn't the simplest solution be a North American SNES with the tabs cut off? That should take any cartridge without visible modification.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Taiyaki »

I've never done this to my Super Famicom because of fear it would be open to gathering dust. I was always hoping at some point someone would have come up with a replacement dust cover slot to be used but never seems to have happened unfortunately.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by BuckoA51 »

Guspaz - Perfectly viable option of course but not everyone wants to buy a US SNES.

Taiyaki - I just keep a cartridge in mine at all times. As for a replacement slot cover, if someone could 3D print one I'd certainly be interested.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Guspaz »

BuckoA51 wrote:Guspaz - Perfectly viable option of course but not everyone wants to buy a US SNES.
I understand that to a degree, but even if you've already got a SFC, buying a US SNES would seem to be much cheaper than the cost of mailing your SFC to somebody, paying them to modify the shell, and then shipping it back. I guess it might make sense if there were other mod work going on anyhow.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by BuckoA51 »

I guess it might make sense if there were other mod work going on anyhow.
Well yes, that's often the case.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Taiyaki »

I sort of disagree. If you have a console with no issues you care for with it's better to work with that than buy a new used one on ebay.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by system11 »

Just buy a cart slot extender, then nobody needs to hack up anything.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by IronGiant »

system11 wrote:Just buy a cart slot extender, then nobody needs to hack up anything.
But who sells those at a reasonable price?


Also, they have been known to cause problems under some circumstances (unused tracks in the extender can act as an aerial and cause issues (if memory serves) - I vaguely recall this as about 20 years ago I had a cart extender and had to install a switch to basically "cut" the tracks which weren't in use depending on the game cartridge that was plugged in).
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Guspaz »

More than just being expensive, they're also really hard to find, and some of them don't route the enhancement pins.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by IronGiant »

I'm very surprised that nobody has come up with a viable and trouble-free modern extender.

There's this:

https://translate.google.co.uk/translat ... t=&act=url

(Google translated pages)

but I guess that particular example will still cause issues due to the "aerial" problem I mentioned in my last post.


Back to the issue of widening the cartridge slot - I do feel that there must be a relatively easy way to do this which will give a professional finish. But how?
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Guspaz »

There are several issues with that method:

1) It's fully DIY (not something you can buy) as you must source the parts yourself and assemble/solder it

2) It requires destroying an existing game

3) It lacks a support mechanism, allowing full torque to apply to the game/slot, making it easier to break games.

A practical adapter should come pre-assembled using all new materials, and should have a lip around the cartridge so that if you pull it forward it applies pressure to the face of the cartridge rather than the connector.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Taiyaki »

IronGiant wrote:I'm very surprised that nobody has come up with a viable and trouble-free modern extender.

There's this:

https://translate.google.co.uk/translat ... t=&act=url

(Google translated pages)

but I guess that particular example will still cause issues due to the "aerial" problem I mentioned in my last post.


Back to the issue of widening the cartridge slot - I do feel that there must be a relatively easy way to do this which will give a professional finish. But how?
Actually that's the very device I have (edit: no it's not, mine was a packaged product, this one is home made looks like). I've had it for ages, even bought a second inexpensively on ebay a while back.

I've never had a single problem with them all these years but you have to be careful not to touch it when it's on or you can cause it to act up and reset the game as the connection isn't anywhere as solid as when directly into the cartridge slot.
Last edited by Taiyaki on Mon Feb 01, 2016 11:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Pasky »

Just take the damn top of the case off if you're just gonna hack it up. What's the point in leaving a giant gaping hole you need to cover up with a game when you can just undo 6 screws and play with the case off, then pop it back on when you're done leaving the screws out.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Guspaz »

... Taking the case off a SNES whenever you want to play out-of-region games is a really terrible solution...
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Pasky »

Guspaz wrote:... Taking the case off a SNES whenever you want to play out-of-region games is a really terrible solution...
So is buying a SFC only to leave an out of region game in it at all times to cover the massive hackjob you did. Why not just buy an out of region SNES?
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Guspaz »

That's what I'd suggest, but the original dust cover doesn't leave much gap after the slot has been expanded:

Image
(source)

Using your SFC all the time with the case off or not attached is really worse than just leaving the tiny gaps.

Or you can do what this guy did and just make a custom slot cover:

http://zoki64.deviantart.com/art/Custom ... -446378411
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by system11 »

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ACCESORIO-HONEY ... 1960231686

There, they've got 5 for 25 euros each.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Pasky »

But I already has a dremel ;____;
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Guspaz »

system11 wrote:http://www.ebay.com/itm/ACCESORIO-HONEY ... 1960231686

There, they've got 5 for 25 euros each.
That adapter is missing pins, and as such won't work with games that use enhancement chips like the SuperFX. Better than the DIY adapter posted earlier for torque protection, but does not encase the cartridges as much as the real cart slot on a NA SNES does.

25 euros is a lot of money for the target use case (as a simple passive adapter), and that particular adapter seems intended to circumvent region limitations by hanging a second cartridge off the back, so I'd imagine it's not a simple passive converter.

EDIT: 35 euros, actually, it seems a 10 euro shipping to anywhere outside of Spain, or 15 euros to North America.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Taiyaki »

That kind of home made door is the ideal solution. As Bucko said, someone ought to 3D print these. ^^
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by BuckoA51 »

I think I've had issues with those piggy back adapters confusing the SuperCIC too, but I wouldn't swear to it. Either way, with their other inherent problems they aren't really a viable solution. I can't imagine many folks would be happy just leaving the case off their SNES either. I know some people don't like it, but I don't find that the extra gap is too offensive, and somehow I've managed not to get it full of dust just by hoovering the room once a week :)

Has anyone tried something like a router and a template to get a nice, clean cut?
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by BuffaloWing »

BuckoA51 wrote:Has anyone tried something like a router and a template to get a nice, clean cut?
If you do a lot slot widening jobs, it make more sense to have a routing jig built to give you consistent cuts and save time. A template is only good for outlining a shape whereas a jig physically guide the cutting tool (a router in this case). I think that's what you have in mind, right?
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by BuckoA51 »

Sounds good but I know nothing of these things! Tell me more?
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by IronGiant »

Taiyaki wrote:
That kind of home made door is the ideal solution. As Bucko said, someone ought to 3D print these. ^^
That would most certainly be the ideal solution. Not easy though as you'd also need to make a new slot flap, could work out expensive.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Xyga »

That's one really sexy Super Nintendo mod here. <3
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by system11 »

IronGiant wrote:That would most certainly be the ideal solution. Not easy though as you'd also need to make a new slot flap, could work out expensive.
If expensive is a problem it would be better to just get a yarr-matey cart or a different console.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by IronGiant »

system11 wrote:
IronGiant wrote:That would most certainly be the ideal solution. Not easy though as you'd also need to make a new slot flap, could work out expensive.
If expensive is a problem it would be better to just get a yarr-matey cart or a different console.
Good point. Presumably any dedicated SNES collector wouldn't object to paying (at a very wild guess) maybe £20 or £30 for a nice, neat new slot flap ..... along with perhaps replacing the whole dark grey plastic area (which clips in/out). If somebody made such items of course.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Taiyaki »

IronGiant wrote:Good point. Presumably any dedicated SNES collector wouldn't object to paying (at a very wild guess) maybe £20 or £30 for a nice, neat new slot flap ..... along with perhaps replacing the whole dark grey plastic area (which clips in/out). If somebody made such items of course.
I agree. There are Super Fami fans located on practically every retro gaming forum and that's always what comes up as their only complaint, having to use a cartridge adapter for American games.
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Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by mvsfan »

if someone made a new plastic trim and flaps it would solve this problem.

the superfami underneath has the same cart slot width as the us snes, minus the tabs.

you could just take the dark grey trim off.
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