RF Generation Message Board

We've all been there, I'm sure: You're playing an old school game and suddenly you see thick green lines a kin to rectangles appearing on the screen and other times you see purple...and other times you see both.

Some research I did indicates that it's usually the power adapter, the TV or RF (or in my case the AV cable).  What's interesting though is that I have a little over 20 Super Nintendo games and this problem occurs in only two of those games:  Kirby Super Star and StarFox.

At first I thought it was because the only copy of Kirby Super Star I could afford had severe smoke damage on the front of the cartridge (got it for 30 bucks as a result) but I just received a used copy of StarFox in the mail today.  The cartridge looks brand new like I'd just bought it and taken it out of the plastic wrap covered box.

So my question is this: If the problem is only present in certain game cartridges what is the exact problem and how can I fix it?

Seems like you may have a problem with how the cartridge is seated in the console. I'm sure if you were to move it around a little bit, you'd likely see changes in the picture quality (if you didn't outright crash it, like mine did all the time).

I just got the game today.  And the lines were visible from the moment I put it into the system.  I dunno if that tells you whether or not the cartridge is crashed.  Is there a video that shows how to move the cartridge around a bit?  (Like keep it in system and move or eject and reinsert)

I bought the game off a used gaming outlet called Lukie Games.  My first time purchasing something other then gaming accessories (like dust protectors for cartridges) off the website.

First thing I'd try is cleaning the contacts.

EDIT: Just Googled it myself. Hmm... That's not a dirty contact issue.

I hope it's something that can be fixed.  It doesn't obstruct the game, but on loading screens it does burn my eyes a little.  The colors of the glitchy lines are just so vibrant and not in a good way :/

EDIT: I moved the cartridge around to change the picture quality.  Nothing happened.  The green and purple lines are still there.

I've never seen this issue before. Pictures/video?

I'll see what I can do about both pictures and video.  Should I just use the StarFox cartridge or should I show a cartridge that isn't displaying the lines as well for comparison?

If you're seeing lines, can you verify you have a 1st party power adaptor?

I don't think it's first party.  It's one of those adapters that can plug into multiple consoles.  It works with NES, Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis.  But if it's the adapter why are only Kirby Super Star and StarFox affected? :/

Also I texted some photos to my friend from my primitive flip phone.  She's gonna email them to me, I'll upload them to my photobucket and post them here so everyone can see what they look like.  Maybe that'll help shed some light.

The power adapter could possibly cause issues with add-on chips if it isn't supplying enough amps. I'm guessing that is what Shadow is thinking of, but maybe he has other thoughts.

Well I'm pretty sure it's not a first party power adapter.  I also don't have access to one and since I'm moving on June 30th, I'm prioritizng my finances and spending right now.  I have 90 days from the game's arrival to get a refund or replacement so I went and asked for a replacement.

When the replacement comes in, what I'll do is I'll see if the same issue is happening.  If it is, I'll look for a first party power adapter in June when I have the extra money to spend on Amazon and eBay shipping costs and see if that fixes the problem.

In the meantime here are some images of the graphical glitch:

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i281/BleedingBlackBlood/image1_zpsecbol9ik.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i281/BleedingBlackBlood/image2_zpsjliliycc.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i281/BleedingBlackBlood/image3_zps75pinttx.jpg

Forgive the quality of my phone.  The second image is the Nintendo Presents logo that starts before the StarFox title screen appears.

Okay... THAT is strange...

This sounds plausible. Both games do use the additional contacts.
@Atari6600 Have you got any more games that have extra contacts? Try them in the console.

Very strange indeed.  I've never seen that big of a glitch in a game before.

To my knowledge, no.  Unless F-Zero's Mode 7 counts.  But F-Zero doesn't give me any graphical glitches of any kind.  I'm hoping it's as simple as just getting a different adapter.  I contacted the company that sold me the game, they said they can test the replacement copy once they see the original cartridge was delivered.

If they reach the conclusion the adapter is the problem I'll just search for cheap first party brand adapters and hopefully that fixes it altogether.

Look at the contacts on the cartridges. (Bottom one in this pic has the extra contacts)
[img width=512 height=272]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/SNES-SFAM-Cartridges.jpg/640px-SNES-SFAM-Cartridges.jpg[/img]

I highly doubt both cartridges would be bad.

I highly doubt it too, but there's no reason not to suspect the adapter.  Duke, raises a good point when he says it could be the Super FX chip and not getting enough amps.  If the replacement cartridge works with the current AC Adapter I'm using though, that'll definitely help pinpoint that the problem is internal with the cartridge.

I'd guess the power adaptor as well.

Just to clarify, Star Fox has an Super FX GSU-1 chip, while Kirby Super Star just has an SA1 chip, so I doubt it's due to that. However, Star Fox in particular has problems because of additional metal pins inside the cart to help ground it. I don't know if Kirby Super Star is the same.

But...yes, it's due to amperage. Extra chips WOULD likely increase it, but it doesn't mean the chips are always in use. Kirby Super Star puts high stress on the system, as does Star Fox. I have an extra AC adapter around the house if you need.

I'll be curious to see the outcome. I would think that insufficient amperage would just cause a failure to boot, but perhaps the power may be just low enough to affect a video encoder. If you had a multimeter around we'd know pretty quickly.

I've seen similar issues caused by some of the extra pins not connecting correctly as well. I'd suspect the power supply first though.

According to this, KSS does have extra contacts: http://www.snescentral.com/pcbboards.php?chip=SHVC-1L3B-02
Or... were you referring to the little tab like on the rear of the bottom cartridge in this picture? KSS has one too.
[img width=512 height=272]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/SNES-SFAM-Cartridges.jpg/640px-SNES-SFAM-Cartridges.jpg[/img]

Finding pics of the contacts is surprisingly difficult...
KSS: http://otaku.com/files/images/fullsize/89375T.JPG
SF: http://techforums.nintendo.com/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/2-92113-7284/S5030277.JPG

I was referring to the tab on the rear of the bottom cartridge.

why not just get a first party power adapter and forget about returning the cartridge? worse case scenario, you've got the same problem and now the proper adapter. returning the cartridge when there's a high chance it's not the problem is just going to force the seller to take a loss on the fees and shipping for no reason.

Well I just discovered the root of the problem.  Turns out it is the adapter.

However, high stress on the system doesn't sound good to me :/ Especially considering this is the very Super Nintendo me and my best friend from childhood played on when we were seven.  I keep it in good condition and I don't want any extra stress destroying the system :/  It's lasted for 21 years now only needing AV cable and AC adapter replacements when the cables stopped working.

it's made to work with all the cartridges that were officially released, i can't imagine it breaking down solely due to a certain cartridge being run on it.

True, just the phrase "high stress on the system" puts my semi-overactive imagination into play.  Like, I know there's nothing to worry about but it still pans out nightmarish images of the system breaking down from using StarFox or Super Star too much.  Silly to worry about, but I'm weird like that.

Regardless, I'm glad I got to the root of the problem.

I wouldn't consider it stress, but simply more amps required. Carts with a co-processor will draw more power. This won't cause any problems using an original AC adapter, or a high quality replacement that delivers enough amps.