There's no resistor on the board sadly. There are a few capacitors, might be worth checking if any of those is fried but I don't have the tools to do it myself... Like I said though I don't have much hope, and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have to buy a new one next year when my friend goes back to Japan.
Maybe I'll take the opportunity to do a smuggling run and buy a few more for interested people. I'll update this thread if I ever do that.
Right, so my friend asked me to run a few tests for him, and I reported back. He reckons the problem is more minor than I thought, and he might be able to repair the unit. So all hope is not lost after all.
I'll update this topic when I have relevant information to share. I'll also start the TNS-HFC3 smuggling topic when I'm 100% sure my other friend is willing to order a few more units for me (getting this one unit I have was a lot of trouble so I wouldn't blame her for refusing to go through that again). If she doesn't want to help, I'll explore other alternatives.
The top-of-the-line model (with support for expansion audio and up to 1,024 KB NSFs) costs 9,980 JPY, plus shipping from Japan to me, plus shipping from me to you. Expect to pay about $160-$170 CAD total (USD is on par these days anyway), in advance, via PayPal.
Well despite the terrible news, I'd still be interested in hearing these two nsfs played with the power pak (4-channel/8-channel N163) just so I can get an idea of what the power pak emulation differs in from the real N163.
When/if you get your TNS-HFC3 fixed you may want to look into certain Dodge Danpei, Gremlins 2, and Dynamite Batman carts. They have Sunsoft-5A or FME-7 chips in them. There is not much known about Sunsoft-5A. It may have expansion audio hardware in it or it may be the previous version of FME-7 with almost the same or exact functionality.
Dongling one of those carts and playing a test Sunsoft-5B NSF with a Sunsoft-5A cart may determine a few things that inquiring minds would like to know.
Edit: As you may know, Gremlins 2 and Dynamite Batman have also at times been reported to have Sunsoft-5B chips in them; even though we know they contained no extra sound channels.
Sunsoft-5A may in fact be the first or second version of the Sunsoft-5 family without certain bugs or glitches worked out; perhaps related to the planned audio hardware expansion. FME-7 is obviously the economy and latest revision of the family with audio expansion removed. I figure that Sunsoft believed they could do better just with the DPCM channel.
I did consider getting Gremlins 2, and I weighed that against making a homemade circuit using a YMZ284 (thanks to the invaluable help of my friend jarhmander), but in the end I decided in favour of the latter for two simple reasons, mainly that for one, the Gremlins cart, no matter whether it contained a 5A or 5B, would not contain the audio circuitry to play the (hypothetical) extra channels, and would require some very precise soldering, which is something that falls outside my capabilities. The second reason is that I've already spent well over a thousand of my own dollars on NES and Famicom equipment, and frankly, I could do without buying an extra cartridge in the hopes that it might confirm or debunk a certain piece of information. I figured a rideshare trip to Sherbrooke, QC and a 5$ YMZ284 would end up costing less for what I really need (something that'll play 5B NSFs with moderate faithfulness to the original hardware).
Now, if someone is willing to purchase one of these carts and send it to me (either temporarily or as a gift), or send a few dollars to me to contribute to the cause, then I'll be more than happy to test it, but right now as a student with minimal income, I cannot afford to take one for the team.
Sunsoft-5A may in fact be the first or second version of the Sunsoft-5 family without certain bugs or glitches worked out; perhaps related to the planned audio hardware expansion. FME-7 is obviously the economy and latest revision of the family with audio expansion removed. I figure that Sunsoft believed they could do better just with the DPCM channel.
The 5A and 5B were released respectively. That means the A did have extra audio channels. All three versions have the same pinouts which is why they are wired the same in the "Gremlins" and "Dodge Danpei" carts.
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I also saw that thread a few weeks ago, and that is what I would expect anyone to believe, but the truth is that it's difficult to know for sure without testing it, and as of this moment no one has tested a 5A to confirm whether it does contain extra audio channels or not.
Furthermore, there are no known copies of Gimmick! with a 5A in them, so we cannot assume that it has the YM2149F without proper testing.
