Overview: Multi-function NES game cartridges aren’t exactly a new concept. In the late 80s, for example, Nintendo released the Action Set bundle in North America which included Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt on a single cartridge. Two games on a single cart felt like magic at the time, but what if you could play your entire NES library on a single cart (without ROMs)? That’s exactly what one YouTuber recently set out to accomplish.
As James Channel explains, NES carts have a good bit of empty space inside – partly for aesthetics and also for future-proofing. The old copy of NES Open Tournament Golf he had on hand doesn’t use the smallest PCB but it’s all he had to work with.
Modern NES consoles are much smaller than the original, and that’s especially true of knockoffs that use system-on-chip components. The console clone used here came from AliExpress and although it has multiple PCBs, only the main one with the cartridge slot is needed.
To get everything to fit, the YouTuber had to remove several plastic standoffs inside the Golf cart, cut holes for the controller ports, and trim them down into “slim” versions. For A/V, the modder used an old headphone jack and a headphone-to-RCA cable to plug it into his TV.
The next order of business was addressing the 5V regulator. Instead of reusing the original one, James Channel opted for USB which “supplies regulated 5V straight away.” He also had to do a lot of work on the cartridge slot to reduce clearance so it wouldn’t stick out of the cart. Additionally, provisions had to be made for the power switch and reset button.
With everything wired up, it was time for the moment of truth. And… nothing. What fun would it be if everything worked right the first time?
Upon further inspection, a couple of issues were discovered and ultimately ironed out and in the end, it all worked beautifully. Golf was able to fit into a standard NES, regular NES games were playable on the cart console, and he even rigged up an adapter to play Golf on the cart.
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