Mouse 1351 FIX
28 August 2023
Amiga500 PSU FIX
10 November 2023
Abbreviated by all into SNES has as its product code.
SNS-001 while its Japanese version, called Super Famicom, has product code SHVC-001; it is Nintendo's second "living room" console and was released, depending on the country, between 1990 and 1992.
In the image, from left to right, we have: SNES JAP [SHVC-001]- SNES USA [SNS-001]- SNES EUR [SNSP-001]
The protections
CIC
The reasons that made this system necessary are always the same and you can read them here on the right ->
– to prevent pirate cartridges from booting on the system
– to make it easier to lock out games from different regions
The chips found are as follows:
D411 (NTSC cartridges)
D411A (NTSC cartridges)
D411B (NTSC cartridges)
D413 (PAL cartridges)
D413A (PAL cartridges/consoles)
D413B (PAL cartridges/consoles)
F411 (NTSC console)
F411A (NTSC cartridges/consoles with SuperFX chip, OBC1, maybe others)
F411B (cartucce/console NTSC con chip SPC7110, forse altre)
F413 (PAL consoles)
F413A (PAL cartridges/consoles with SuperFX chip, OBC1, possibly others)
F413B (PAL cartridges/consoles with SuperFX chip, OBC1, possibly others)
D = tipologia Through Hole Mounted
F = tipologia Surface Mounted
411 = NTSC
413 = PAL
A/B = chip revision
US and JAP use the exact same chips so the cartridges, with appropriate modification to the console slot (see below), work reciprocally.
And here are the decoded lock/key codes:
D411
KEY: b14f4b57fd61e98
LCK: _9a185f11e10dec
D413
KEY: b14f4b57fd61e98
LCK: _6a185f11e10dec
Another bypass system was offered by "adapters" that contained the valid CIC for specific region into which the cartridge of a different region could be inserted.
PHYSICAL PROTECTION
REGION SIGNAL CHECK
NTSC video signal is at 60Hz while PAL video signal is at 50Hz; some games (e.g., Donkey Kong Country, Earthbound, Tetris Attack, Megaman X, Super Metroid) check the console's video signal and if it is different from the region for which the game is programmed the game does not start showing an error message programmed into the game.
This check could be bypassed with a hardmod that
added a switch to change between 50Hz and 60Hz.
Or by using a PIC to avoid having to install a switch.
SOFTWARE PROTECTIONS
Finally, programmers can indulge in how to control hardware and program by, for example, inserting checks on the presence and size of save memory (against pirate cartridges) or by checking game data to prevent tampering with code to bypass other checks and add features that make the game unplayable or even interminable !
