Nintendo Teardown-3199 Datasets

Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) Teardown

Step 1 -

Our contestant hails from a mystical place, the land of the rising sun, Japan!

The Nintendo Family Computer, released in 1983 in most of Asia, is the overseas brother of the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Technical Specifications:

Ricoh 2A03 8-bit 1.79 MHz processor (MOS Technology based on the Motorola 6502 8-bit processor core)

2KB (16Kb) on-board RAM

2KB (16Kb) on-board Video RAM

PSG Sound

256 x 240 pixels resolution

Step 2

Backside ports include:

Why are you looking so scared, little buddy? Don't worry -- our hands are gentle. We won't hurt you.

AC adapter port

TV/Game switch

Channel selector switch

RF Audio/Video output

Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) Teardown

Step 3

Fully assembled Nintendo Famicom console.

The Famicom was the first console to popularize D-pad controllers to acquire user input. Departing from the era of joysticks, the inclusion of the D-pad allowed for quick and accurate controls.

The controllers are similar, but not the same...

The first controller boasts the traditional layout: Dpad on the left, "select" and "start" buttons in the center, and "b" and "a" buttons on the right.

However, the second controller has a built-in microphone and a volume switch at the expense of the central "select" and "start" buttons... Cool!

This is the only console we know of that has a microphone on one of its standard controllers.

Step 4

The Famicom's miniscule 4W power supply won't be popping fuses anytime soon.

Nintendo Famicom model number HVC-001, Made in Japan. We wouldn't want our Famicom any other way.

That's about 2.5% of the power that the Xbox 360 devours.

Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) Teardown

Step 5

A quick removal of six Phillips screws and the bottom cover lifts right off.

Just like the earlier retro consoles, Fami is super-easy to disassemble.

(yes, we named him Fami.)

Step 6

Two antiquated connectors exchange signals between the controllers and the board.

Controller II has an extra wire for microphone input and controlling the volume.

After disconnecting them from the board, the controller cables can be lifted out of the case.

Want to disconnect a controller? Gotta remove the bottom cover -- but that's pretty much it.

Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) Teardown

Step 7

Six Phillips screws secure the motherboard assembly to the outer case.

Lifting the assembly out of the case gives us a good look at the archaic silicon that makes this thing tick.

Two more Phillips screws secure the hefty power switch to the outer case.

Step 8

Notable chips on the board include:

Unsurprisingly, lead solder abounds on the bottom of the board. RoHS standards weren't established until 20 years after this puppy was made.

Ricoh RP2A03G 8-bit, 1.79 MHz CPU

Ricoh RP2C02G-0 8-bit, 5.32 MHz PPU

Toshiba TC40H368P hex bus buffers

Sharp LH5216D-12 static RAM

Hitachi HD74LS139P decoder/demultiplexer

Fujitsu MB74LS373

Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) Teardown

Step 9

Well hello there!

"Shall I compare thee to an Xbox 360? Thou art more lovely and more temperate...But thy internal structure shall not fade...Nor shall time brag thou wand'rest in its shade...So long as gamers can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."

Step 10

After the motherboard assembly is out, the reset and power button covers can easily be removed.

Unclipping a spring is all that's needed to remove the eject mechanism from the outer case.

Ejecting a cartridge is accomplished by pushing two inclined planes underneath the cartridge until it pops up off the connector attached to the board.

Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) Teardown

Step 11

Breaking Gently releasing the retaining clips holding the cartridge together reveals a 60 pin printed circuit board.

Front and back sides of the Famicom cartridges:

This PCB from a Tennis cartridge has two ROM packages -- totaling 24 KB -soldered to one side.

For comparison, a single layer Blu-ray disc has a 25,000,000 KB capacity.

Step 12

And there you have it - the Famicom in pieces.

Be sure to keep an eye on our teardown page for an inside-look at all the latest gadgets.

We're sad to say that we don't have parts for the Famicom, but we do have a brand new game console

parts store to help keep your (slightly more modern)

consoles running.

Keep an eye on our teardown page or blog for a detailed look at another retro game console tomorrow!

Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) Teardown

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.