The Retrode SNES/SFC/Genesis/MD USB ROM Dumper

[nintendodork]

So basically what this does is that it lets you dump and rewrite the ROM and SAV/SRM file of any SNES, SFC, Genesis, or Mega Drive cartridge onto your computer and back to the cartridge through the simplicity of USB.  It's got two cart slots; one for SNES/SFC games, and the other for Genesis/MD games.  It costs $92, which is understandable because this is by far the simplest way to dump game data onto your computer and back.  This would be pretty cool if you have a modified save file on your computer and want to play it on a real cartridge.

The original site: http://www.retrode.org/wordpress/
Buy it at StoneAgeGamer: http://stoneagegamer.com/retrode.aspx
Watch Gamester81's review here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjulOK9gMuo

I wouldn't buy this because I don't have anything of value to dump, but this would still be nice to someone ho has lots of prototypes DreamTR or anyone else who has something that hasn't been dumped before.

The creator also said he's working on a similar device (not sure if it'll be an add-on or a completely new piece of hardware, because he's releasing new firmware that supports his new ideas) for GB and N64 games.

[nensondubois]

Yeah, I saw a Youtube video on this a few hours ago. My Burn-in Test Cart was dumped with this device and it came out all corrupted. Piece of shit. It may be worth $92 if you want to transfer saves, but that's about it. Don't expect to dump even a simple game. The Genesis part seems remarkably flawless though. That's my review.

[satoshi_matrix]

I hope an NES/Famicom version is devolved so we can dump those crazy pirate games and hopefully reverse engineer them!

But yeah, I saw this and think it's pretty cool, but a better investment would be to spend about $50 more and buy an SNES Powerpak that allows you to freely exchange saves with friends in flash memory format, which is obviously a lot more reliable than old CR2032 batteries.

[ericj]

I think you can already dump Famicom carts with a CopyNES (with pin adapter) from RetroZone, among other methods.

[satoshi_matrix]

True, but it requires quite a major modification of an NES and it hooks up to a PC via parallel cable.

[ericj]

It does require some rework of the NES (nothing too extensive from what I can tell) and there is a USB version that aviods the parallel port compatibility issues.

[nensondubois]

Yeah, a retrode USB for the Famicom/NES would be great. I don't want to modify either of NESes.

[satoshi_matrix]

It does require some rework of the NES (nothing too extensive from what I can tell) and there is a USB version that aviods the parallel port compatibility issues.

You have to drill holes in the NES casing
Desolder and remove the PPU and CPU
Reinstall the chips in the CopyNES

You don't consider that an extensive mod?

[ericj]

You don't consider that an extensive mod?

I've read the installation document (http://www.retrousb.com/downloads/usbcopynesinstall.pdf)

The instructions look really easy to follow. The only way they could have made it easier would be to send someone to your house to install it for you.

And, no, I don't consider it to be too extensive or difficult.

You only remove the CPU btw, not the PPU. And you install a socket in its place. Add a wire, cut the lockout pin, exchange a cap, and cut a hole in the back of the NES for the usb. With a little re-work of the USB connector (desolder the connector & solder in a usb cable) on the CopyNES unit, you could get away with not having to cut a hole in your NES. This way, you could always put your NES back into original condition if you really wanted to. Not sure why you'd want to, since they can be had pretty cheaply anyways (~$15 usd).

The hardest part would be desoldering the CPU, but with desoldering braid, it wouldn't be that hard at all. At least I think it looks easy, but then again, maybe that's just me. I think the Famicom AV mod would be harder for most people to perform than installing this.

[nensondubois]

It does require some rework of the NES (nothing too extensive from what I can tell) and there is a USB version that aviods the parallel port compatibility issues.

You have to drill holes in the NES casing
Desolder and remove the PPU and CPU
Reinstall the chips in the CopyNES

You don't consider that an extensive mod?

That's point-ass extensive modding!

[Matthias_H]

Piece of shit. [...] Don't expect to dump even a simple game.

Luckily, the vast majority of user reports says otherwise. May I ask for some basic details about this one SNES cart you tried? Thanks, Matthias

[nensondubois]

It's the SNES Burn-in Test cart. I wanted to be the one who dumped it, but it didn't work. There are no special chips in the cart that I'm aware of.

[ericj]

That's point-ass extensive modding!

I know you can construct a better sentence than this. What are you trying to say?

[Matthias_H]

It's the SNES Burn-in Test cart. I wanted to be the one who dumped it, but it didn't work. There are no special chips in the cart that I'm aware of.

If this thing is really just another ROM, then it should be fairly possible to dump it. I had a bunch of reported failure cases but they could all be fixed through minor firmware updates. So if you're still interested, please follow http://www.retrode.org/wordpress/documentation/troubleshooting/ and I'll see what I can do for you.

Matthias

[FamicomFreak]

Is there a GBA/gameboy color version of this?