Technical and Repair Assistance

[fredJ]

I have your Typical Twin Fami problem. Changed belt and now only error.

I get error 22 no matter what. Even if I cover the lens with tissue paper. I can't get the glue of the screw to adjust the head so I only adjust the motor.

Is there a point in me to continue trying with the motor speed? Or should I try to get the clue of the screw, or maybe something else?

[ericj]

Check out the belt replacement info I have on my site HERE.

Getting Error 22--the problem is most likely the alignment of the spindle hub in relation to the read head, or the magnetic head is dirty (clean it with a q-tip & isopropyl alcohol).

[fredJ]

Your guide was very helpful to me. I found it already yesterday through Google.

I have tried the suggestion you gave. Still getting error 22, so I'll leave it be for now. But thank you.

[Hemlock]

Surprising...  I have an old original famicom and I am having difficulty finding a tutorial on how to swap out an old 60pin cartridge slot for a new one, and even where to buy a new 60 pin cartridge slot.  I see plenty of stuff about 60 to 72 pin converters and what not but not what I'm looking for.  Sorry, I'm usually good as searching for stuff. 

[ericj]

You can buy a new 60 pin cart slot at Tototek.com. Get desoldering braid and desolder the old one and solder the new one in place.  It doesn't require a tutorial, which is why you haven't found one.

[Flip]

Anyone have advice for a material to replace a disk system belt with? Thanks.

[ericj]

A new belt. You can buy one at Tototek.com for $6.

[Xious]

Always use good, correct belts! Don't try to make one: They need to be EXACTLY the right size, shape and tensile strength, or you'll be in for a world of nightmares... The ones that Tomy at tototek sells are great: I also have some to sell if you want one faster, and I do full FDS servicing and restoration (w/ 1-Year warranty) if you want it done by a professional.

FYI, Err 22 is caused by about seven different potential problems. It indicates a problem reading the data block sequence.
NEVER, for ANY REASON should you adjust the factory setting on the read-head!

Sites that suggest that are giving very bad, misinformation based on a poor translation of tech docs in Chinese.

Out of hunderds of drives, the only ones on which I've had to adjust the head were units that the previous owner altered; had to reset them to factory spec and reseal them with red wax.

I'm also working on providing a full line of replacement reproduction  FDS parts. I have all but one screw-type available now and I'm waiting to receive a package of custom-made springs to verify that they are correct.

I still need a source for the Mitsumi microswitches: Those are next.

Anyhow, if you need FDS/Twin service, P.M. me or ring me at 260-FDS-DISK.

[Ice Man]

Hello to everybody from Italy.

I am interested in starting a Famicom collection, but I also want to play with the games I will buy.

I am going to buy a Famicom AV, can I use a PAL SNES power adapter to give it power? If I use a PAL SNES power adapter, do I have to use a stepdown converter?

Does exist any difference between PAL SNES power adapters of different nationalities, or can I use a French or German one without worries here in Italy?

Thanks for your answers.

[fredJ]

Xious,

thanks for the advice. There is a popular pdf document that suggests to adjust the factory settings on the read head as a way to fix all problems, by correcting the distance with the help of a micrometer.

But as you said, there are many suggestions on how to fix the disk system.

A popular youtube video by lukiegames (luke morse?) suggests to cut your own belt from a piece of rubber. But he also unscrewed everything when he replaced the belt so I don't know how reliable he is.

I'm not sure if you are offering your services to me or to someone else here. Thank you. I might have been interested if I didn't live on a different continent.

Ice Man:
Will answer you too

No, the AV Famicom uses 9V DC (also check the polarity). The PAL SNES uses AC. If you put the AC adapter in the AV Famicom you might ruin it. But you can use a Sega Master System or Mega Drive adapter with the AV Famicom.

I know we can use the German adapter in Sweden, so I guess you could use a German in Italy too. But the UK is different.

[Ice Man]

Thanks, I asked about the PAL SNES adapter because I use one to power my Super Famicom without needing stepdown converters, and I thought it would be fine for the Famicom AV too, but I was wrong.

Talking about SEGA adapters, are any of them ok for Famicom AV? To be honest, I feel a little strange to mix components from SEGA and Nintendo. 

In the end I think I will simply use a stepdown converter, are 45W enough for Famicom and 16 bit consoles?

[fredJ]

I don't know about step down, I use a 9V DC adapter for all my Japanese consoles. Just remember that the Twin Famicom has a different polarity.

[Xious]

Xious,

thanks for the advice. There is a popular pdf document that suggests to adjust the factory settings on the read head as a way to fix all problems, by correcting the distance with the help of a micrometer.

But as you said, there are many suggestions on how to fix the disk system.

A popular youtube video by lukiegames (luke morse?) suggests to cut your own belt from a piece of rubber. But he also unscrewed everything when he replaced the belt so I don't know how reliable he is.

I've seen the videos and had a hearty laugh. making your own belt is asking for disaster to strike, and adjusting the head position is more-so. When I service drives, I tear them down completely and restore every part, so unscrewing everything isn't a matter for concern. Cutting your own rubber belt as he did though is the cheapest way to make your drive unusable. These things rely on precise timing and calibration of all the components, and if it's off even a little, some (if not many or all) games won't load.

Most of these how-tos are done by people citing the same original sources and FAQs, written by people (outside Nippon) who were tinkering that simply don't understand how the FDS is calibrated. I've serviced hundreds of drives and  I'll admit though, the cancerous spread of mis-information is good for me... I charge extra for additional services, like recalibrating  (or sometimes completely replacing) the head after a user messes it up.

I repeat: The only drives that I've serviced that required me to recalibrate the head position were drives where the customer or previous owner tinkered with it before sending it to me. In those cases, the sealing wax was already clearly broken... If the seal is intact, leave it alone! (Unless of course, you prefer to have a Nintendo doorstop.)

If you ever decide to give upon it, and want it serviced or wish to buy a restored drive mechanism (less expensive to post back and forth across the Atlantic), let me know.

[fredJ]

I fixed it. Just needed to fasten all the screws (I'm lazy).

[Cheetahmen]

I have a bit of a problem with my AV Famicom. The sound has gone completely kaputt and now only emits a loud buzzing noise. I checked the connection with the AV cables and the TV and that's definitely not the problem. I believe the cables aren't properly connected to the console (not an expert on the matter, TBH) and need to be soldered to it again. I'd check this, but as far as I'm aware I can't open the console without a special screwdriver end which I don't have.