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Disable the NES Lock Out Chip
When Die Schlumpfe (The Smurfs) game landed itself in my game collection, I just had to play this game. Too bad for me, my NES is the NTSC version, not PAL. Since Die Schlumpe was a German game release, it was obviously a PAL game.
I remember back in the early 90s when American Video Entertainment (AVE) ran into problems revolving around Nintendo's lockout chip. They developed a way to disable the Nintendo lockout chips in Revision 11 Nintendo units. This means of disabling the chip seemed a little bit complicated so I took a look a Mark Knibbs' method of lockout chip bypass and I combined parts of each.
I have tested this method on my one NTSC game unit; this *should* work on either Pal or NTSC units allowing gamers to play games from varius other countries. I will not take any responsibility for problems that may occure when doing this; it worked fine for me. With this all said, onto making your NES console universal. Things needed:
Philips Head Screw Driver
Small Knife/Pliers
Turn your NES unit over so that the bottom is facing up. Take the philips head screw driver and unscrew the six screws holding the casing of the NES shut. Set the screws aside and pull the two halves of the NES case apart revealing the "guts" of the NES system.
Well not really. Lifting the casing off reveals a few interesting things on the circuit board, mostly a metal shroud (in gray) covering the main components. Using your philips head screw driver, unscrew the seven screws holding the metal shroud on the board. Carefully lift the metal shroud away from the board. -I *think* the shroud cannot be removed on the NTSC consoles, move it away as much as you can.-
Now the main part of the NES is accesible. You can see the cartridge slot etc. Remove the 6 philips head screws as marked and lift the circuit board out of the case. Carefully turn the board over 180 degrees once it is out of the case.
Once the circuit board is face up, look for a ROM chip marked with a few letters/numbers and the words (C) Nintendo. This is the lockout chip. Take the knife or pliers and cut the 4th pin from the left. Once this pin is cut, reassemble the NES in reverse order. Clean your console, hold your breath, try to play your import games. 98% of the games should work. Now you have a universal NES system!
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