Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

The place for all discussion on gaming hardware
User avatar
IronGiant
Posts: 294
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 3:30 pm
Location: UK

Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by IronGiant »

Thought I'd give this thread a bump to see if there's been any progress, particularly regarding the work carried out by BuffaloWing.

What with 3D printers becoming better and cheaper I'm wondering if now would be a good time to start looking into the possibilities once again regarding replacing the top insert, cartridge flap and slot on a Super Famicom or European SNES to accomodate US carts.
Formerly known here as R-Typer

Arcade game board repairer (known as 'Irongiant' and 'Vectorglow' on other arcade forums)
User avatar
BuffaloWing
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2016 1:31 am
Contact:

Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by BuffaloWing »

IronGiant wrote:Thought I'd give this thread a bump to see if there's been any progress, particularly regarding the work carried out by BuffaloWing.

What with 3D printers becoming better and cheaper I'm wondering if now would be a good time to start looking into the possibilities once again regarding replacing the top insert, cartridge flap and slot on a Super Famicom or European SNES to accomodate US carts.
My last iteration can be seen here: https://www.shapeways.com/product/LP8W3 ... conversion. It's far from complete but at least I have an idea how much current professional print services will charge (Shapeways: no go for technical reasons, Sculpteo: maybe).

Frankly, this project will probably not completed in the near future as there are a few setbacks I need to overcome. First, I had to downgrade to earlier version of my CAD software of choice which will no longer allow me edit my files from future versions. So any new work will require me to start from scratch. Fortunately I still have all the reference dimensions to work with, but will take some time. Second, the cartridge tray as I had currently designed wasn't ideal. The current concept is a top cover, a cartridge flap, and a lower cartridge tray. After some considerations, it would seem more practical to have the tray integrated with the top cover.

As for 3D printer, I personally would prefer something from https://formlabs.com/ because their machines fit better with the types of work I'm interested in.
User avatar
BuckoA51
Posts: 3358
Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2010 10:08 am
Location: Ireland
Contact:

Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by BuckoA51 »

That's a shame, it looks quite promising from that prototype.
OSSC Forums - http://www.videogameperfection.com/forums
Please check the Wiki before posting about Morph, OSSC, XRGB Mini or XRGB3 - http://junkerhq.net/xrgb/index.php/Main_Page
User avatar
IronGiant
Posts: 294
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 3:30 pm
Location: UK

Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by IronGiant »

Thanks for the reply BuffaloWing, that's a real shame. But many thanks for what you've done.
Formerly known here as R-Typer

Arcade game board repairer (known as 'Irongiant' and 'Vectorglow' on other arcade forums)
User avatar
BuffaloWing
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2016 1:31 am
Contact:

Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by BuffaloWing »

If I lost my reference information, I'll probably abandon the project forever as I can't see myself re-measure every dimensions. I'm just glad I still have the ability to reconstruct it with I have left. One of these days I will resume the work. Thanks for the encouragements.
mvsfan
Posts: 1209
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 12:24 am

Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by mvsfan »

I like that laser 3d printer. Most 3d prints i see arent good because theyre not smooth, and people are too lazy to sand them.

I tried to get someone to make me a box for my GBS-8200 plus Mini-Slg and the result wasnt good.
mvsfan
Posts: 1209
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 12:24 am

Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by mvsfan »

Hey Buffalowing, do you think you could make me a box for my Gbs8200 + mini-slg, With 4 buttons on top for the controls? Ive bought your Nes top loader A/V panels before and they are very good looking. smooth. they dont even look 3d-printed.
User avatar
BuffaloWing
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2016 1:31 am
Contact:

Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by BuffaloWing »

mvsfan wrote:Hey Buffalowing, do you think you could make me a box for my Gbs8200 + mini-slg, With 4 buttons on top for the controls? Ive bought your Nes top loader A/V panels before and they are very good looking. smooth. they dont even look 3d-printed.
Do you plan to print the enclosure in home FDM printer or high-end commercial SLS printer (i.e. the type used for A/V panel)? On SLS printer the cost will be prohibitive. There are other ways to do a nice enclosure, but ultimately I think the material costs will be more than what you paid for GBS+min-slg combined.
mvsfan
Posts: 1209
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 12:24 am

Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by mvsfan »

I dont have a 3d printer.
neorichieb1971
Posts: 7668
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 1:28 am
Location: Bedford, UK
Contact:

Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by neorichieb1971 »

I think widening the console slot is a bad idea. It totally ruins the original console aesthetic. Does a Super Famicom actually look right with a US SNES cart stuck in it?

My solution wouldn't be to touch the console, but the carts themselves. Just take out the PCB from the US cart, put it into an empty SFC shell, job done. Sure, you won't have a sticker on the cartridge with pretty glossy colours or anything, but you know it will work as intended by Nintendo.

The only other feasible option for me is to get another top bit with the wider slot as someone previously suggested. At least you still have all parts intact.

I bought a SFC about 2 years ago since the price of the US SNES was really high boxed. Along with 90% of them turning brown.
This industry has become 2 dimensional as it transcended into a 3D world.
User avatar
IronGiant
Posts: 294
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 3:30 pm
Location: UK

Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by IronGiant »

neorichieb1971 wrote:I think widening the console slot is a bad idea. It totally ruins the original console aesthetic. Does a Super Famicom actually look right with a US SNES cart stuck in it?
It looks fantastic if done really well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC9jJBzLi-s
My solution wouldn't be to touch the console, but the carts themselves. Just take out the PCB from the US cart, put it into an empty SFC shell, job done. Sure, you won't have a sticker on the cartridge with pretty glossy colours or anything, but you know it will work as intended by Nintendo.
I believe that many owners value the carts more highly than the console so I doubt if any would like to take the cart apart to transfer the PCB to a compatible cart size.
The only other feasible option for me is to get another top bit with the wider slot as someone previously suggested. At least you still have all parts intact.
This is my preferred option but we need somebody with the right skills to design and produce the relevant parts. Sadly I don't imagine that it would be cost effective.
I bought a SFC about 2 years ago since the price of the US SNES was really high boxed. Along with 90% of them turning brown.
Yeah, that's quite a problem. They can be cleaned up though with the right chemical.
Formerly known here as R-Typer

Arcade game board repairer (known as 'Irongiant' and 'Vectorglow' on other arcade forums)
jamesfmackenzie
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2015 12:14 am

Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by jamesfmackenzie »

BuffaloWing wrote:
IronGiant wrote:Thought I'd give this thread a bump to see if there's been any progress, particularly regarding the work carried out by BuffaloWing.

What with 3D printers becoming better and cheaper I'm wondering if now would be a good time to start looking into the possibilities once again regarding replacing the top insert, cartridge flap and slot on a Super Famicom or European SNES to accomodate US carts.
My last iteration can be seen here: https://www.shapeways.com/product/LP8W3 ... conversion. It's far from complete but at least I have an idea how much current professional print services will charge (Shapeways: no go for technical reasons, Sculpteo: maybe).

Frankly, this project will probably not completed in the near future as there are a few setbacks I need to overcome. First, I had to downgrade to earlier version of my CAD software of choice which will no longer allow me edit my files from future versions. So any new work will require me to start from scratch. Fortunately I still have all the reference dimensions to work with, but will take some time. Second, the cartridge tray as I had currently designed wasn't ideal. The current concept is a top cover, a cartridge flap, and a lower cartridge tray. After some considerations, it would seem more practical to have the tray integrated with the top cover.

As for 3D printer, I personally would prefer something from https://formlabs.com/ because their machines fit better with the types of work I'm interested in.
I’d be very interested to purchase something like this. Has any progress been made since last August?

Kind regards,

James
Bomb
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:03 pm

Re: Cartridge slot widening/cutting - Best method?

Post by Bomb »

I just registered to this forum despite lurking for years just so I could throw my hat into the cheerleading section and say that I'd find a replacement insert/slot & cartridge flap for the SFC and PAL SNES to be the most exciting SNES news since the adoption of the THS7374 amp for RGB bypass boards.

If BuffaloWing's progress has stalled, I hope maybe somebody else could pick it back up.
Post Reply