It would be hard for a technician to lose the cartridge when it is that large. If the testing equipment was the size of a standard GB cart, it could easily walk out the door with the customer.
Yeah plus why should Nintendo make different molds/forms for all the test cartridges instead of making one to fit the small and big test pcb's 🤷🏻♂️ That's just more economic
@John Martin Cantorne well for the cost of a tiny bit of extra plastic, but the savings of not needing to make an expensive new set of tooling for injection moulding, it did the job just fine. How would you propose they fixed it without spending too much cash?
This is exactly it. They made a single "whenever we're making a custom cartridge" mold that had lots of room for experimentation and non-optimized layouts, then churned them out in bulk. Then, whenever they're making a custom cartridge, whether it's for a test version of a game (see dig-dug cartridge in this video), or a test cartridge for repairs, they just use that piece of plastic to stick it in. Injection molding is incredibly expensive to set up, so they only made the one mold and just reused it for everything. The repair people don't have to carry the cartridges around, so they really don't need to be portable, nice looking, or efficiently packed with electronics. They sit on a shelf until they're needed 5 feet away, and that's it.
May be some psychological reason. If it is standard size, client: Are U a PRO?? You just plug a random game and press randomly, how can you sure everything OK, Don't trick me!!! If use a big one, client: Wow! that's a professional stuff.
The first set of katakana is "Controller" while the kanji translates to "inspection" and the last set of katakana is "Cartridge" "Controller Inspection Cartridge"
Mykel Hardin i think it’s because they already made the nice looking development kit and thought that it would be expensive to make a new molding so instead they just reused the molding which saved money and allowed them to stick huge boards in there or small ones without the need for new molds
I have a theory of why the case is so oversized, they might of had a lot os similar shells for development carts or something similar and just used the same shell to cut costs
the DMG-MBC1 multi checker cart uses the same shell but has sockets for three chips on that huge empty space. even though the name suggests it's a test cart, it apparently also serves as a dev cart and apparently dig dug was developed using one of these. www.nesworld.com/gb/pics/dmgmbs1-1.jpg
Its probably oversized so its easier to find in the factory during the testing phase. If you have hundreds being tested per day, having a larger place to grab and a larger object overall would be easier to find and easier to handle hundreds of times per day.
That's exactly the reason why, they reused the shells of the official development dev carts for their test hardware. Saves having to make a custom shell just for this board.
5:50 It's probably a 'standard' shell they use for developer carts, meant to accommodate _several_ large EPROMs. So, probably wanting to keep the software updateable, it was too large for a normal Game Pak, but only using the single ROM chip, it leaves the majority of this cart empty. 6:30 They don't 'do' anything, they're just vias, passing the signals from one side of the PCB to the other, for routing purposes. The extent of the cartridge's 'diagnostic' capabilities is a very simple piece of Game Boy software that graphically shows when a button is being pressed, and that's all. Nice and straightforward.
Such a "simple piece of software" is actually very useful. I require it for my game boy repairs, as sometimes buttons don't react as well as you want them to. Btw: How come a guy who repairs game boys does not know wtf a via looks like?
My guess is the size is for a couple of reasons, one they probably just used a similar design to prototypes to allow for updating as needbe in terms of chip space, another possibility is so it would be easier for people in test centers to keep track of it.
I think it's pretty obvious when they showed the developer copy of dig-dug that it's just the standard case they use for developer chips, also some of the other testers would have filled the whole shell out
Hey man just wanted to say that you inspired me to repairing and swapping parts from gameboys, I actually purchased a new gbc shell and buttons and used your videos for reference and help. Keep up the good work !
That dimple is absolutely from the injection molding process. They are known as a "gate" because they are formed where the mold and the nozzle that injects the molten plastic meet.
I would imagine that the size of the cart is due to exactly the same reason that the Dig Dug prototype is the size it is. It's easier to produce a single sized mould and die than it is to make a custom one that exactly fits the PCB and EPROM chip even if it happens to be smaller than the full case.
I'd bet money on it. The more advanced models likely needed more ROM chips and memory for the features, it's clearly injection molded, so they made millions of those plastic shells, for test carts but also for beta cartridges probably. That would also explain the fancy design and branding, so that they came across as professional and not just some shady overseas scam when dealing with game makers as well. Nintendo wasn't a huge company yet at this point, they were big but this was the era of the NES, SNES, and first Gameboy. The whole industry as a whole was just starting out then, a lot of people figured videogames would be a fad like pet rocks.
Hey Elliott. Please read my response to you in Kevin’s video yesterday. I would never accuse you of shilling. You are a great man and always up when someone send something for review. I’m so sorry for the confusion. Please let me know you read it. Thanks man. I love your channel man.
6:45 You should call it by it's name, it's an EPROM = Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, today rather EEPROMs are in use, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, so you can easily update your BIOS for example.
2:10 I know someone who has one of these. Oddly enough, the tech has not increased in value all that much. The value of these is in the 80-150 USD range, but initially, the cost of manufacturing would of been about 200 USD. 4:20 That particular test cartridge is the one that actually has a value range of 300-500 USD. 6:48 That is called an EEPROM. 8:12 You two are so kyuute together, trying to skate, hold one another and pose for the cam. lolz Seriously though, that controller testing cartridge (that's what it says in Japanese), it is really cool to have, and it would of been nice for Nintendo to of resold it to the public for self-repairs/diagnostics later on.
For anyone wondering about the Japanese text on the button-pressing screen: "指示に従って押してください" (シジニ シタガッテ オシテクダサイ, shiji ni shitagatte oshitekudasai) translates to "Please press as instructed"! I suspect they wrote it in the Katakana writing system simply because it would be easier to program and read than a complicated kanji, like "指" (シ, shi) for example.
Cool .. Thank you for the information : ) Why are there different forms of writing styles in Japan ? Is geography based or different times in Japan's history ?
@@chazzlucas6395 From my understanding, the two non-kanji writing systems (Hiragana and Katakana) developed at the same time. Katakana is sort of like the Japanese version of italics! So like, it's used to emphasize words, show onomatopoeia, and replace obscure or hard-to-read kanji. ie. The kanji "蜥蜴" (tokage, meaning "lizard") is super hard to read and kinda just looks like two white boxes, so you'll most likely see it written as "トカゲ" !
@@zuruithescrunkler Great I've heard about the different writing styles in Japan but never looked up the reason for it.......... thank-you for the reply, kind helpful persons do still exist on RU-vid : )
That was really good. I'm dying to know: were you two just hamming it up, or are you both actually that bad at rollerskating? Either way, kudos for doing the ad that way, and not minding looking silly on camera!
That board is actually pretty handy for testing/making your own ROM images on a standard size EEPROM chip. Kinda neat. Wish someone would create Repro's of just that board.
The golden points on the board are so called VIAs, they are there to get the signals (which ran on traces on the board) to the opposite (other) side of the board. Near the EPROM there are two jumper pads (those bigger round looking ones, a bit H shaped like golden contacts on bottom left corner of the chip), probably to set the ROM (EPROM) size. You can cut those blobs in the middle, or solder them together later to connect them again. The ROM itself is an EPROM, it can be burned (and also re-written or deleted) with special equipment. So you can update the software. Its also used for smaller production runs, as a real ROM chip would require a "mask" to produce it - using a standard EPROM is cheaper in small production, while it is harder to handle in huge production runs where you typically use non-universal, non-rewriteable ROMs (Read Only Memory vs. EPROM = Earaseable Programable ROM). The print A-G-I-N-G on it probably just mean what it says: The English Word AGING: For testing of aging contact pads. But that is just my assumption.
Making a custom injection mold is so expensive that they simply decided to use the same for development and repair ! Also they definitely can't be confused with actual product ! Neat cartridge !
Just a FYI but back in the day, especially with electronics, if the device felt light or was small in size people largely wouldn't buy it as they assumed it was cheap/unreliable. They used to put dummy weights via large steel bars inside various electronic devices just to add perceived value. Some still do this. Crazy times.
The reason its so big - It was to prevent technicians accidently leaving the cartridge in the Game Boy. In addition it prevented them getting lost in the repair facility.
The reason for a case like that makes me think that the ones with the larger board came first, then smaller version came out, but it didn't make sense to build a new injection mold so they kept using the larger one.
Hahahaha!!!! Video? Great! Interesting! But, the gem was absolutely, you and Emily in the sponsor portion. Audible should double, whatever their sponsoring entails. 🤣🤣
The casing was probably massive due to being in a workspace. Workers would lose it within minutes. Having a nice brick to look for is likely much easier.
those "presumed buttons" are just the PCB traces switching sides through vias (metal plated holes) to reorder them because the pins on the chip are in a different order than the pins on the cartridge header.
One assumes Nintendo used a single type of housing for these, special cartridges, one that could house a large development board like the one shown. Just easier to manufacture lots of these, then plop whatever is needed inside. Side benefit, doesn't get lost easily. :) Can also confirm, words are small. Nice 4:3 aspect ratio on the bit. :)
The size is just for ease of access if your testing multiple devices a day you want your tool to be easily accessible to insert and remove aswell as just not losing track of it
Those dots you saw on the board are just vias. They connect a trace on the bottom of the PCB to the top. They're there to change the pinout of the EPROM to match a Gameboy cartridge's pinout. Also, that UV LED used in the picture you showed *will not* erase a UV EPROM, no matter how long it's exposed. The UV wavelength needed to erase them is in the UVC range (about 270nm) and the pictured LED has that purple colour of UV around 400nm. You'd be better off exposing it to sunlight on a window sill for a few days to weeks. A sterilization UV bulb (for aquariums or water treatment) will do it in a few minutes though. There are UVC LEDs, but they cost a couple of hundred dollars _each_ last I checked. Edit: Turns out prices for UVC LEDs have dropped dramatically since I last checked.
Most likely manufacturing costs are why they put such a small board in that large case. They figured they would have something that needed all that empty space and then just mass produced it because it's cheaper than having to create new dies to make different sized cartridges for different types of boards. Then they just create the board based on the space they have. You find shoes do the same thing, they'll fit a box to the largest shoes and then keep that size for all the sizes before it (except for Nike...).
i have a normal cart-size repro of a test cartridge using a dump of an official ROM someone must have dumped (wasn’t me, i dont own a real one of these, sadly) i bought when i modded DMGs more actively. it’s just a burnt rom chip on a board and its ugly-looking, but it’s function over form. it’s the one with the menu. edit: i got to the part where you mention it! mines a very simple one from kitsch-bent but at the time it was under $10, so i don’t have any complaints. i recognised the cart art on the second one. that looks like it was by ASM (apeshit mods), and he hasn’t been super active in the GB hardware community for a while now, as far as i remember (Retro Modding carries stuff he developed now I think). he made these gorgeous daughterboards to replace the headphone amp with one that had a second audio out for a line-out mod (prosound). you would just have to carefully dremel a hole in a case (usually there were spares around, like 10 years ago there weren’t too many replacement shells being made and they definitely weren’t just something you could just get on aliexpress back then), and the mod would look pretty much stock, as good as the stock headphone jack. nobody would notice you’d modded it very quickly unless they were in the modding/chiptune scene. he’s a really cool guy. he put a backlight in one of my extreme green game boy pockets that has a pixel art chikorita painted on it (dont worry, that gb wasn’t near mint like my other 2 extreme greens, and collecting was a lot easier/cheaper even just 10-12 years ago. i mostly collected earlier than that, and got a lot of hardware and games out of curbside trash during spring cleaning. i would probably get an aftermarket shell if i wanted another extreme green game boy pocket, and i’m pretty sure the repros made in china glow under blacklights, so bonus!) and did an awesome job. im just starting to get back into this stuff (i have a lot of similar interests to eliot but my main focus interest will often shift slightly for a while) and it’s nice to have these memories.
Very nice cartridge! Although it is just a test cartridge, Mario smiles to me. We can feel that how Nintendo's engineer enjoys their work. Good history and it makes me smile. (And the advertise is nice too!)
I don't think anyone posted the text on the screen and its translation. It reads: KEY TEST シジニ シタガッテオシテクダサイ Kanji: 指示に従って押してください Romanized: shiji-ni shitagatte oshite-kudasai Literally: As instructed, accordingly press, please Naturally: Please press according to the instructions
Probably just a universal case for all early development of games. If one development cartridge needs that much space, they all do. It’s cheaper to produce 1000 large ones than 1000 individual sizes.
The reason for the cartridge size compared to the actual PCB inside is that injection moulds cost A LOT of money to develop, so it makes no sense to design and create a new one for this test cartridge. So they just used the one already created for prototype games. Ta da.
I turned off my gameboy pocket and I heard a loud pop coming from the inside of the system. Now the system won’t turn on and I have no idea what’s wrong with it. Any suggestions on what it could be or what I could do to fix it?
I would guess its larger so that you could wiggle it in the cartridge slot to test the pins for contact and perhaps a solder joint if that's what it uses, I've never had one apart.
Looks like those are multihead screws, like underneath the slot, it's also designed to accept another type of screwdriver, lik inner hex or something like that. The PCB does nothing interesting, it just flips the bus around, because the chip is effectively on the wrong side of the board, because they wanted to keep the protrusion on the casing facing you rather than away from you.
As far as I know those giant cartridges were just generic shells used for game developers. Development cartridges usually fill the whole shell as they often have multiple roms on 1 board.
Interesting how similar the design is to the Gameboy Game Genie 🤔 The creators of the Game Genie must’ve seen/had one of these and took inspiration from its design
I like how all the comments about the ad gets liked from the creator, so I’m just gonna say. I was Vibin pretty hard during that ad, Ngl was playing Xbox with the homies.
So my thoughts on the design of that cartridge. I think you answered the size reasoning with that pic you found. Regarding the added ribs and the Nintendo logo, to add those features to the mold is not that hard, so it is not a big deal from the manufacturing side. However, what the added ribs and logos do is make it difficult to knock off by another company, it adds a layer of identification if that sticker wore off, and lastly if someone made a cartridge that looked just like it, logo and all, they would be infringing on the trademarked Nintendo and Gameboy logo. So a copy would clearly be a fake with no logo and Nintendo would have a way to immediately shut down someone who is trying to copy it. Or the designer of the plastic case is a big a nerd as the rest of us and he just thought it would be cool.
Regular games also have the Nintendo Game Boy logo embossed at the top of the cartridge, so that's no different from a trademork point of view. Besides, no one would have wanted to copy the cartridge at the time it was in active use, because it was such a niche use. The more likely option is that it's shaped like this for usability reasons. Imagine this being used in the factory to quality control the outgoing units. Having something that you can grab with one hand would speed up the process. You could leave it lying on the table and essentially slide the Game Boy onto the cartridge.
@@Gameboygenius the logo on the regular cartridge has nothing to do with it, you are missing my point. As a repairman, do you want an officially designed test cartridge from Nintendo or some knock off test cartridge? It is far easier for Nintendo to go after a cartridge with their Logo on it instead a blank version.
@@SteveCole73 As a technician/shop owner, you are likely to know that you're buying a knock-off simply because you didn't buy it from Nintendo directly, whether or not it has the logo on the shell. Some might be ok with that and some not, and arguably as a technician you are in the best position to judge whether a knock-off of an item like this would work for what you do. (Hint: It's just a ROM chip on a circuit board, so there's not much to go wrong with a knock-off and you can open it up to inspect it if needed.) The logo really only plays a role in confirming authenticity for end consumers, who don't communicate with Nintendo directly and have to rely on the look and feel of the product and the trust of the seller.
Maybe to prevent theft and to make handling easier if you are testing a ton of gameboys in a tow. That's why I'd imagine making it big like that makes sense. Imagine inserting the smaller cartridge hundreds of times a day. It would get annoying.
I'm pretty sure you are THE most adorable couple I've ever seen. When do you plan on linking Mighty Morphin Matrimonial rings to create some weird singularity of eight-limbed cuteness?
I am going to guess they used that large shell because they were all-ready making them for the dev carts. It would be cheaper to just wast the space than to have to re-design and re-tool for a different cart.
