dillingerradio
Professional
Hello folks!
This is the last in a trio of posts surrounding my acquisition of NBA JAM T.E.. The previous two can be found here:
We now dive into the final operation: Conversion over to NBA JAM S.E. 5.02 (AP / GitHub). Overall, this is a super easy operation, but it does require some specialty tools (primarily an IC programmer).
Tools / Equipment Needed:
The appropriate replacement chip for the ROMs I'll be replacing is the M27C4001-12F. I purchased mine from eBay and it worked out to about $1.80/ea. For an eraser, I use a Samsung Qi Wireless Charger and UV Sanitizer. For removal, I use an IC pry bar.
With that covered, time to start on the task at hand.
NBA JAM SE is a fan-made update to a special version of NBA JAM that Midway created and gifted to Gary Payton and Ken Griffey Jr. with their home cabs. It never originally saw public release; but, thanks to tremendous effort made by KLOV user Asure, the source has been recovered, updated, recompiled and brought to the masses! It introduces new players, and brings back a number of secrets, easter eggs, and features that Midway removed from the public arcade. Conversion is a simple matter of replacing the requisite ROMs on an NBA JAM T.E. set.
I'll start with the CPU board, since that's the more complex. The CPU board has a host of ROMs which contain the game data, neatly arranged in two rows. To begin the conversion, I'll be swapping out just the program ROMs. The two program ROMs on the NBA JAM T.E. board are located in spots UJ12 and UG12. They're easy to identify thanks to the fact that they're slightly separate from the main block of ROMs.
The software for my programmer is Xgpro, which I'll be using to burn the new ROMs. I blasted the two replacement ROMs in the UV eraser and loaded one into my programmer. After verifying it was blank, I used the default settings and burned the first of the two program ROMs (the ROM files are all labeled according to their positions on the board, making programming a breeze.) While it was burning, I took the opportunity to print out a label for it (masking tape and pen also work great). I repeated this process for the second chip (and its appropriate file,) then I removed the original chips and stored them in an anti-static tube (this conversion will be entirely non-destructive and fully reverseable.) Finally, I installed the new ROMs.
With the two new program ROMs firmly in place, I booted up the unit. The purpose of replacing just the program ROMs is to allow the diagnostic to then flag which game ROMs have updated information and will need replacement (sparing me from burning any unnecessary chips.) As shown below, diagnostics indicated I also needed to burn ROMs: 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, and 23 (in both groups UJ and UG.) At that point I pulled the unit off power, and removed the designated chips, replacing them as I completed each new one.
At this point, I turned my attention to the sound board.
The sound board contains a few more ROMs. The two to be concerned with for the purposes of this conversion are U12 and U13. The special boy in slot U3 is actually a slightly different chip type (27C010A-12,) but thankfully does not need replacing. As with the CPU board, the same process applies here: burn a new chip, pop off the old and store them safely, then replace with the new. Unlike the CPU board, though, the sound board doesn't have a fancy visual ROM test. Instead, its diagnostic uses audio beeps to indicate test results. With that in mind, I installed a Midway Knob mod in position P5 of the audio board, which completes the audio system.
On first boot, the system failed to initialize, showing garbled lines and flashing. I chalked it up to the power supply delivering slightly under the necessary 5V, took the opportunity to dial it in to 5V, then reset the unit. This worked a treat and the unit initialized as expected; however, I observed a grey screen with a garbled line running through the middle of it where I expected a warning screen. A quick review of the NBA JAM S.E. thread reveals that this is a known bug that will be fixed when time permits. I launched into the service menu and the audio diagnostic returned a single tone (indicating a good audio board check.) I also played a few random sound effects just to verify, and everything sounded good.
Subsequently, it was time to jump in! A few minutes later, and the sights and sounds of NBA JAM S.E. were quickly luring me away from the rest of the work I had to do. I reluctantly powered the game off, satisfied that this conversion is complete.
Thanks to @Asure for their hard work in making S.E. a reality, and everyone else for reading along. I hope this helps if you decide to try the same (and I definitely think you should if you've got NBA JAM T.E.!)
What if I only have NBA JAM?
That'll work too! If you head over to the S.E. thread, you'll see recent replies from users who have had success converting their NBA JAM over. It looks like the only additional step is that they also had to burn off the "special boy" audio ROM at U3 on the sound board. It's only special in the sense that the chip for that is a 27C010A-12 (as opposed to the rest of the ROMs which use M27C4001-12F,) otherwise the process is exactly the same as for all the rest.
This is the last in a trio of posts surrounding my acquisition of NBA JAM T.E.. The previous two can be found here:
We now dive into the final operation: Conversion over to NBA JAM S.E. 5.02 (AP / GitHub). Overall, this is a super easy operation, but it does require some specialty tools (primarily an IC programmer).
Tools / Equipment Needed:
- IC Programmer
- Replacement chips
- UV Chip Eraser
- IC Pry Bar / Remover
The appropriate replacement chip for the ROMs I'll be replacing is the M27C4001-12F. I purchased mine from eBay and it worked out to about $1.80/ea. For an eraser, I use a Samsung Qi Wireless Charger and UV Sanitizer. For removal, I use an IC pry bar.
With that covered, time to start on the task at hand.
NBA JAM SE is a fan-made update to a special version of NBA JAM that Midway created and gifted to Gary Payton and Ken Griffey Jr. with their home cabs. It never originally saw public release; but, thanks to tremendous effort made by KLOV user Asure, the source has been recovered, updated, recompiled and brought to the masses! It introduces new players, and brings back a number of secrets, easter eggs, and features that Midway removed from the public arcade. Conversion is a simple matter of replacing the requisite ROMs on an NBA JAM T.E. set.
I'll start with the CPU board, since that's the more complex. The CPU board has a host of ROMs which contain the game data, neatly arranged in two rows. To begin the conversion, I'll be swapping out just the program ROMs. The two program ROMs on the NBA JAM T.E. board are located in spots UJ12 and UG12. They're easy to identify thanks to the fact that they're slightly separate from the main block of ROMs.
The software for my programmer is Xgpro, which I'll be using to burn the new ROMs. I blasted the two replacement ROMs in the UV eraser and loaded one into my programmer. After verifying it was blank, I used the default settings and burned the first of the two program ROMs (the ROM files are all labeled according to their positions on the board, making programming a breeze.) While it was burning, I took the opportunity to print out a label for it (masking tape and pen also work great). I repeated this process for the second chip (and its appropriate file,) then I removed the original chips and stored them in an anti-static tube (this conversion will be entirely non-destructive and fully reverseable.) Finally, I installed the new ROMs.
With the two new program ROMs firmly in place, I booted up the unit. The purpose of replacing just the program ROMs is to allow the diagnostic to then flag which game ROMs have updated information and will need replacement (sparing me from burning any unnecessary chips.) As shown below, diagnostics indicated I also needed to burn ROMs: 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, and 23 (in both groups UJ and UG.) At that point I pulled the unit off power, and removed the designated chips, replacing them as I completed each new one.
At this point, I turned my attention to the sound board.
The sound board contains a few more ROMs. The two to be concerned with for the purposes of this conversion are U12 and U13. The special boy in slot U3 is actually a slightly different chip type (27C010A-12,) but thankfully does not need replacing. As with the CPU board, the same process applies here: burn a new chip, pop off the old and store them safely, then replace with the new. Unlike the CPU board, though, the sound board doesn't have a fancy visual ROM test. Instead, its diagnostic uses audio beeps to indicate test results. With that in mind, I installed a Midway Knob mod in position P5 of the audio board, which completes the audio system.
On first boot, the system failed to initialize, showing garbled lines and flashing. I chalked it up to the power supply delivering slightly under the necessary 5V, took the opportunity to dial it in to 5V, then reset the unit. This worked a treat and the unit initialized as expected; however, I observed a grey screen with a garbled line running through the middle of it where I expected a warning screen. A quick review of the NBA JAM S.E. thread reveals that this is a known bug that will be fixed when time permits. I launched into the service menu and the audio diagnostic returned a single tone (indicating a good audio board check.) I also played a few random sound effects just to verify, and everything sounded good.
Subsequently, it was time to jump in! A few minutes later, and the sights and sounds of NBA JAM S.E. were quickly luring me away from the rest of the work I had to do. I reluctantly powered the game off, satisfied that this conversion is complete.
Thanks to @Asure for their hard work in making S.E. a reality, and everyone else for reading along. I hope this helps if you decide to try the same (and I definitely think you should if you've got NBA JAM T.E.!)
What if I only have NBA JAM?
That'll work too! If you head over to the S.E. thread, you'll see recent replies from users who have had success converting their NBA JAM over. It looks like the only additional step is that they also had to burn off the "special boy" audio ROM at U3 on the sound board. It's only special in the sense that the chip for that is a 27C010A-12 (as opposed to the rest of the ROMs which use M27C4001-12F,) otherwise the process is exactly the same as for all the rest.
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