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I had discussed this with Omar a while ago and he suggested I mention it here, so here's a little writeup about ROMs used in SMS carts.

All of Sega's program ROMs have a string that looks like this:

<type>-<number>

The ROM type can be the following:

EPR - EPROM
MPR - Mask ROM
OPR - One-time programmable ROM

The number can be 4 to 5 digits (only the earliest arcade games have 4-digit values) and have an optional suffix for program revisions. No suffix is the first revision, then they go from A, B, C, and possibly higher.

What's interesting is that Sega uses the scheme for everything they've made: the ROMs in SMS, Genesis, and 32X carts, the BIOS ROMs in consoles like the Saturn, and of course in all of their arcade games. This number is always unique, so it might be a good way to start keeping track of games and which ones have been dumped.

The numbers are not assigned relating to time (they generally get bigger, but later revisions of some games have had smaller numbers than their 'parent' set) but can be used to find gaps where other undumped/unknown games fit in.

For example, I recently dumped a Alien Storm MegaTech cartridge, the part was MPR-11194. This turned out to be the same chip in the Alien Syndrome cart recently featured at SMS Power. Different system, but same program code so no new number was used.

My suggestion is that we all start opening our cartridges and listing the numbers. ;) There has been a lot of work to keep track of the numbers used in arcade games, but no effort for SMS or Genesis/32X carts so far.

Some later games using ROMs made by Macronix (such as Majesco's GG games/re-releases) do not have this number, it's exclusive to Sega.

Another topic is that a subset of the mask ROMs used in Sega games, produced by Fujitsu, have a part number that indicates their size.

These mask ROMs are unique in that they have a vertical line going down one side of the chip body and a circular indentation in the middle. The part numbers are:

MB831001 - 128Kx8, 28-pin plastic DIP
MB832011 - 256Kx8, 32-pin plastic DIP, SRAM support

Both have built-in ROM banking hardware. The MB831001 has the SRAM enable bit for $FFFC, but no way to physically connect SRAM so you just get $FF's when reading $8000-$BFFF.

Going by the number, you can determine the game's size beforehand. Could be useful for determing overdumps (or in the case of games with intentionally repeated data, what the true size is)

The other type of mask ROM has no markings other than Sega's logo and the program ROM number I mentioned earlier, these have a big notch for the pin 1 marker and can be identified by looking for it.

Edit: because the formatting is screwed up here's a link to my current parts list:

http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/segarom.txt

I'll add the US Genesis games later on.

I think I have a fair number of scanned opened carts from a few people, which I didn't add to the scans section because they're generally uninteresting for most people. I'll see how many I have and list them.

I think all of aRPi's dumps include this information.

Where can I post these?
I want to help out any way I can with this. Will somebody set-up a forum for this on SMS Power! or somewhere else, should I post to this thread for now?

I have a decent collection of SMS,GG,MD and 32X carts I will be opening now.

Posting to this thread should be a good idea now. They won't be lost there, and they can be later gathered into a document.

Thanks.

After checking through all of my Master systems Games here is what I recorded.

MPR-10154-S Pro Wrestling
MPR-10744F 831001-25 Wonder Boy
MPR-10744F 831001-25 Wonder Boy
MPR-10747F 831001-25 World Soccer
MPR-10843 Enduro Racer
MPR-11046 831001A-25 The Ninja
MPR-11047 831001-25 Alex Kidd in Miracle World
MPR-11074 831001A-25 World Grand Prix
MPR-11074 831001A-25 World Grand Prix
MPR-11121F 831001-25 Aztec Adventure
MPR-11271 83400-25 After Burner
MPR-11274F 831001-25 Global Defense
MPR-11402 Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars
MPR-11404F 831001-25 Parlour Games
MPR-11706 Shinobi
MPR-11820F 832011-25 Thunder Blade
MPR-12342 California Games
MPR-12408 Alex Kidd: High Tech World
MPR-12532-T SpellCaster
MPR-12552 TransBot
MPR-12584 Super Tennis
MPR-12643 F-16 Fighter
MPR-12808F 831001A-25 Master System II On-Board Alex Kidd in Miracle World
MPR-13166 Golden Axe
MPR-13584A 832011A-25 Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
MPR-13644 Dick Tracy
MPR-14266A Asterix
MPR-14271 Sonic The Hedgehog
MPR-14271-F 832011A-25 Sonic The Hedgehog
MPR-15159 Sonic The Hedgehog 2
MPR-15161 Taz-Mania
MPR-15163 Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
MPR-15203-F 832011A-25 Master of Darkness
MPR-15643-F 832011A-25 California Games II
MPR-15988 Bart vs. The World

In the case of two same games I actually had two cartridges.
I also have this data with all of the text written on the chips if this is needed, I believe it consists of a serial number of some sort.
There is also an anomaly which I have an idea about,

Ghost House (4502) - Non-Sega Chip (AMD)

---------
AM27C256
-200DC
9141FP W
(c) 1986 AMD
Malaysia
---------

I would take a stab at 9141FP to be the go on that, but thats exactly what was written on the chip (between the lines).

After Burner and Spellcaster also had an extra chip each, here's the details

After Burner

----
SEGA
315-5235
135U
8817 Z88
----

----
SEGA
MPR-11271
83400-25
636 AA
8827 R54
----

SpellCaster

----
9150EY
SEGA 315-5365
----

----
SEGA
MPR-12532-T
4882-D958
9405EBI JAPAN
----

the lines outline the actual chips, all text on the chips included.

I can take photos of any ones that require further investigation, and will be happy to answer any questions.

I'll also post my MegaDrive collection soon.

By the way these are all Export (Non-Japanese) carts as far as I know, I live and have bought all inside Australia.

SMS Power is great, Cheers guys!

-DMEnduro[/code]

Quote

After checking through all of my Master systems Games here is what I recorded.

Thanks for doing all that work, I know opening and closing a bunch of cartridges isn't exactly fun.

Quote

In the case of two same games I actually had two cartridges.
I also have this data with all of the text written on the chips if this is needed, I believe it consists of a serial number of some sort.
There is also an anomaly which I have an idea about

Typically the other numbers are a production code or an identifier to record which batch of chips this particular one belonged to.

Ghost House (4502) - Non-Sega Chip (AMD)

---------
AM27C256
-200DC
9141FP W
(c) 1986 AMD
Malaysia
---------

Very cool! This game uses a 32Kx8 EPROM which is uncommon. In fact, I've only seen EPROMs used in SMS software that was from a prototype/developer cart, or those EP MyCard things.

Does this look like a regular commercial game? Is it a card or cartridge?

Quote

I would take a stab at 9141FP to be the go on that, but thats exactly what was written on the chip (between the lines).

Was the '9141FP' text handwritten or printed onto a label, or is it in the same font as the other text (the AMD AM27C256 text?)

If not, then it's most likely the part number. Otherwise it's just some internal code from AMD and not Sega specfic.

EPROMs have a window in the middle of the chip which is covered by an adhesive label, and Sega usually has the part number written on that label.

Otherwise it could be printed on the underside of the chip, or perhaps there isn't one at all.

Quote

After Burner and Spellcaster also had an extra chip each, here's the details

The extra chip is the memory mapper chip. Generally speaking it seems that games which are 256K or less have this integrated into the ROM, and games that are 512K use a separate chip.

Of course there are exceptions, like Action Fighter and Monopoly which are both 128K and use external mapper chips. But it's good to include that kind of information.

I only have Game Gear carts, and nothing to open them with - however, a 2nd hand Sonic game was loose and the screw looked scratched, so I managed to force the screw off slowly by pushing the edge round via the notches. The ROM inside bears the code:

MPR-14459A Sonic the Hedgehog

Now, the ROM doesn't follow the "These mask ROMs are unique in that they have a vertical line going down one side of the chip body and a circular indentation in the middle." rule. It has a number underneath the Sega program number: 9228X9001.

You guys know what you're doing, so here are some digital photos:

http://members.gamedev.net/benryves/sonic_low_res.jpg
http://members.gamedev.net/benryves/sonic_hi_res.jpg

Quote

Now, the ROM doesn't follow the "These mask ROMs are unique in that they have a vertical line going down one side of the chip body and a circular indentation in the middle." rule. It has a number underneath the Sega program number: 9228X9001.

This last number is a date code - my Super Columns GG cart looks almost identical but says '9508' (August, 1995?) underneath the MPR-number.

I would imagine most of the newer games and none of the GG games use the same parts Fujitsu made. I suppose I only mentioned the ROM number as a way to keep track of game sizes properly, because you never know when something like that becomes useful later on. ;)

I think the 4-digit code is year/week. 9141FP would be 1991, week 41. Stuff beyond that probably shows which chip fab made it (assuming the company has several). As far as programmable roms go, I mean.

Its actually a very interesting looking chip on my Ghost House cartridge (not a card).

In the center on the visible top side of it, there is a circular clear window, possibly made of glass, slightly concave. Visible underneath that is a shiny square that has tiny wires running of its edges.

The text on the chip is all printed directly onto the chip, not handwritten, but on another section on the chip someone has pencilled in a capital G.

I have taken a photo of it, its not very good quality, so I wont post it here, but I could e-mail it to someone.

next post will be my Mega Drive carts

DMEnduro wrote

In the center on the visible top side of it, there is a circular clear window, possibly made of glass, slightly concave. Visible underneath that is a shiny square that has tiny wires running of its edges.

This sounds like an EPROM to me. The shiny square is the chip itself (the tiny wires lead to the pins on the casing of the chip), and it can be "reset" for burning again by exposure to a strong UV lamp. (EPROM = Erasable Programmable ROM).

Quote

This sounds like an EPROM to me. The shiny square is the chip itself (the tiny wires lead to the pins on the casing of the chip), and it can be "reset" for burning again by exposure to a strong UV lamp.

That's pretty much exactly what I thought.

Here's my Mega Drive games

MPR-12538-H Altered Beast
MPR-13286-T Columns
MPR-13913-F 834200A Sonic The Hedgehog
MPR-14371-F 834200A QuackShot
MPR-14384-T Art Alive
MPR-14838-F 834200A Taz-Mania
MPR-14996 Home Alone
MPR-15000A-H Sonic The Hedgehog 2
MPR-15009 Mega Games I (Columns, Super Hang-On, World Cup Italia '90)
MPR-15274 Chakan
MPR-15339 Captain Planet And The Planeteers
MPR-15468 Cyborg Justice
MPR-16077 Sonic Spinball
MPR-16342 Sonic The Hedgehog 3
MPR-16910-U Sonic & Knuckles
MPR-16911-S ^^^ Both ROMs ^^^
MPR-17703-F 838200B Desert Demolition
MPR-17709-MX Metal Head 32X
MPR-17710-MX ^^^ Both ROMs ^^^
MPR-18439-U Kolibri 32X

Plus these with mixed results

NON SEGA GAMES

---

Australian Rugby League (EA)

AUSTRALIAN RUGBY LEAGE ARLB11
(c)ELECTRONIC ARTS 1995
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
S76741/00000046

---

Bloodshot

BLOODSHOT/
BATTLE FRENZY
(c)1994
ACCLAIM ENTERTAINMENT
ES210 9507

---

Desert Strike (EA)

DESERT DES08 7022
(c)ELECTRONIC ARTS'92
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
JAPAN 9530 D

---

FIFA International Soccer (EA)

FIFA SOCCER10
9410
(c)ELECTRONIC ARTS
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

---

FIFA Soccer 96 (EA)
4 Chips+Battery

Not recorded

---

Spider-Man and Venom in Maximum Carnage

MAX CARNAGE
ACCLAIM
S410
9437 D

---

Not opened

IMG Tennis (EA)
Marble Madness (EA)
Micro Machines 2 (Codemasters J-Cart)
Mortal Kombat II (Acclaim)
NBA Jam (Acclaim)
NBA Jam TE (Acclaim)
PGA Tour 3 (EA)
Rugby World Cup (EA)
Shane Warne Cricket (Codemasters)
Shaq Fu (EA)
Where in time is Carmen Sandiego (EA)

Those EA carts are a bitch to open. The Codemasters games dont even have screws, and is it possible to open a J-Cart witout destroying it?
These Acclaim games have a different security screw which I can open but decided against for now, I might go over them again though.

Oh, and where it says both roms, that means the two chips were in the same cartridge. So Sonic & Knuckles and Metal Head both have 2 chips with those sequential codes.

Here's some more. This time it's all my Game Gear games.

MPR-14238 Factory Panic
MPR-14459A Sonic The Hedgehog
MPR-15973-F 834011 Sonic The Hedgehog Chaos
MPR-16421-S NBA Jam
MPR-17075 Sonic The Hedgehog Triple Trouble

plus this

Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Two blobbies on front (no printed text)

text printed on rear of PCB

837-9182
171-6400A G
9301 K48

That's it guys. I can scan stuff now I bothered to get my scanner working again, so anything that needs a second look dont hesitate to ask.

I transcribed part numbers from Nop's scans, as promised ages ago, and collated everything into a Wiki page. Future additions can be done there, perhaps?

this auction that's about to end has several carts that have been opened:

http://cgi.ebay.com/SEGA-Master-System-STORE-POP-KIOSK-Display-unit-SCARCE_W0QQi...

direct links: (good for who knows how long)

http://comicquest.net/smskiosk5a.jpg
http://comicquest.net/smskiosk5b.jpg

I added them to the list. Out Run seems to be a different revision: 11078 compared to 10845 reported previously. 10845 comes from Nop's scans on my hard disk, and I have no reason to doubt it; maybe someone can dump a few Out Runs to see if a variant turns up.

SMS:

Ultima IV - MPR-13135 and MB8464A
Wimbledon - MPR-14686

I'm quite curious about MB chip which handles SRAM but... does it also have built-in ROM bank controller? I bought Ultima only to turn it into home made dev cart but now I'm quite confused. :)

st wrote

SMS:

Ultima IV - MPR-13135 and MB8464A
Wimbledon - MPR-14686

I'm quite curious about MB chip which handles SRAM but... does it also have built-in ROM bank controller? I bought Ultima only to turn it into home made dev cart but now I'm quite confused. :)

The MB8484A is an 8Kx8 SRAM chip. If those are the only two chips in the cartridge, then the MPR-13135 chip has an integrated ROM bank controller. Otherwise there should be a large, high pin-count chip that handles SRAM control and ROM banking.

Usually (not always) for the 512K games they have a mapper chip with an external ROM, such as Phantasy Star.

Charles MacDonald wrote

If those are the only two chips in the cartridge, then the MPR-13135 chip has an integrated ROM bank controller.

Thanks Charles! So it means no dev cart for me. :/ Too bad there're only a few SRAM games, which are pain to get where I live, but I guess I'll keep trying. :)

PM sent to Charles.

MPR-17709-MX Metal Head 32X
MPR-17710-MX ^^^ Both ROMs ^^^
MPR-18439-U Kolibri 32X

Are these for the US versions?

MadMikeAU wrote

PM sent to Charles.

MPR-17709-MX Metal Head 32X
MPR-17710-MX ^^^ Both ROMs ^^^
MPR-18439-U Kolibri 32X

Are these for the US versions?

Check that. Just saw you are an aussie as well.

Non US versions. It seems there is only the one (world) version of Kolibri. But Metal Head is the PAL version.

Yep, being from Sydney I'd believe you'd know Newcastle?

DMEnduro wrote

Non US versions. It seems there is only the one (world) version of Kolibri. But Metal Head is the PAL version.

Yep, being from Sydney I'd believe you'd know Newcastle?

Yep. I grew up on the Central Coast. I have family all over the hunter.

Charles: Another PM gone your way. I now have over 4,000 MPRs on my list at http://home.iprimus.com.au/the_beaver Feel free to link to it if you want.

Quote

I now have over 4,000 MPRs on my list at http://home.iprimus.com.au/the_beaver Feel free to link to it if you want.

Very, very cool. Maybe I'll figure out how to make the wiki article we have about ROM part numbers link to it. :)

A few things:

The N7751 chip is a 8034 clone that has a sample replay routine programmed into it's internal ROM. I don't think anyone knows what the part number associated with the program code is. It was used in quite a lot of arcade games (with identical internal code). So perhaps it shouldn't be listed with everything else?

The MPR (mask ROMs) aren't necessarily surface mounted, I've got plenty of PCBs that have those socketed in.

Somtimes Sega is sloppy about using the right 3-letter prefix on the chip type, though I've wondered if that was due to local Sega repairs or updates where they used whatever type of memory chip they had handy.

You did a fantastic job with this; especially the bit at the end showing the first and last games for each platform. As a die-hard Sega fan it made for interesting reading. :)

Wow, yeah, our page is fairly worthless next to that one, unless we repurpose it as a Sega 8-bit console subset of MadMikeAU's list. (To link from the wiki, type [[http://url|text]] or [[text->http://url], among other methods.)

Maxim wrote

Wow, yeah, our page is fairly worthless next to that one, unless we repurpose it as a Sega 8-bit console subset of MadMikeAU's list. (To link from the wiki, type [[http://url|text]] or [[text->http://url], among other methods.)

Watch this space. The list is JavaScript based so I can dynamically format. I would be no biggy to just have it display one type of ROM. I'll play around with it and see what I come up with.

I will be spending some time getting it in sync with whats in the MAME code. Last night, I got the STV and System 18 stuff in sync (and fixed a few bugs) and was that equated to another 600 (thus getting me over the 4000 mark).

Notice the relationship between the SMS boot roms and the sms part number. Would be interesting to get more of those bios mprs to see if that trend continues

OK. I have made the change. I added a small form to the MPR page that allows you to select the romtype and reload. Suprisingly easy to do. Enjoy.

Note: You may need to refresh your cached page version to see the change. I know I did.

Nice work! If you need more info on stuff, I can dump Mega Drive and 32X carts to get CRCs and headers.

DMEnduro wrote

Nice work! If you need more info on stuff, I can dump Mega Drive and 32X carts to get CRCs and headers.

Go for it.

Charles MacDonald wrote

...I recently dumped a Alien Storm MegaTech cartridge, the part was MPR-11194. This turned out to be the same chip in the Alien Syndrome cart recently featured at SMS Power. Different system, but same program code so no new number was used...

According to the MAME source...
11194 = Alien Syndrome
13941 = Alien Storm

The MegaTech is weird in that the ROMs used were sometimes staright from the SMS or SMD with an extra little ROM for the instructions. It would be interesting to see the number of the minor ROM.

Charles MacDonald wrote

My suggestion is that we all start opening our cartridges and listing the numbers. ;) There has been a lot of work to keep track of the numbers used in arcade games, but no effort for SMS or Genesis/32X carts so far.

YES! On my site http://home.iprimus.com.au/the_beaver I have documented over 4600 Sega ROMs...there is only another 18000 to go, so all help is appreciated.

Charles MacDonald wrote

Some later games using ROMs made by Macronix (such as Majesco's GG games/re-releases) do not have this number, it's exclusive to Sega.

Not exactly true...some third parties dont have these numbers, but most do. Some (like Acclaim and EA) only have them sometimes. So its worth opening those carts anyway (though I am yet to see an EA megadrive cart with them).

Author	Message
Charles MacDonald Joined: 28 Sep 1999 Posts: 1179	Sega ROM part numbers (update) Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 4:42 am Last edited by Charles MacDonald on Wed Apr 27, 2005 7:38 pm; edited 2 times in total
Charles MacDonald Joined: 28 Sep 1999 Posts: 1179	I had discussed this with Omar a while ago and he suggested I mention it here, so here's a little writeup about ROMs used in SMS carts. All of Sega's program ROMs have a string that looks like this: <type>-<number> The ROM type can be the following: EPR - EPROM MPR - Mask ROM OPR - One-time programmable ROM The number can be 4 to 5 digits (only the earliest arcade games have 4-digit values) and have an optional suffix for program revisions. No suffix is the first revision, then they go from A, B, C, and possibly higher. What's interesting is that Sega uses the scheme for everything they've made: the ROMs in SMS, Genesis, and 32X carts, the BIOS ROMs in consoles like the Saturn, and of course in all of their arcade games. This number is always unique, so it might be a good way to start keeping track of games and which ones have been dumped. The numbers are not assigned relating to time (they generally get bigger, but later revisions of some games have had smaller numbers than their 'parent' set) but can be used to find gaps where other undumped/unknown games fit in. For example, I recently dumped a Alien Storm MegaTech cartridge, the part was MPR-11194. This turned out to be the same chip in the Alien Syndrome cart recently featured at SMS Power. Different system, but same program code so no new number was used. My suggestion is that we all start opening our cartridges and listing the numbers. ;) There has been a lot of work to keep track of the numbers used in arcade games, but no effort for SMS or Genesis/32X carts so far. Some later games using ROMs made by Macronix (such as Majesco's GG games/re-releases) do not have this number, it's exclusive to Sega. Another topic is that a subset of the mask ROMs used in Sega games, produced by Fujitsu, have a part number that indicates their size. These mask ROMs are unique in that they have a vertical line going down one side of the chip body and a circular indentation in the middle. The part numbers are: MB831001 - 128Kx8, 28-pin plastic DIP MB832011 - 256Kx8, 32-pin plastic DIP, SRAM support Both have built-in ROM banking hardware. The MB831001 has the SRAM enable bit for $FFFC, but no way to physically connect SRAM so you just get $FF's when reading $8000-$BFFF. Going by the number, you can determine the game's size beforehand. Could be useful for determing overdumps (or in the case of games with intentionally repeated data, what the true size is) The other type of mask ROM has no markings other than Sega's logo and the program ROM number I mentioned earlier, these have a big notch for the pin 1 marker and can be identified by looking for it. Edit: because the formatting is screwed up here's a link to my current parts list: http://cgfm2.emuviews.com/segarom.txt I'll add the US Genesis games later on.

Maxim Site Admin Joined: 19 Oct 1999 Posts: 13876 Location: London	Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 8:27 am
	I think I have a fair number of scanned opened carts from a few people, which I didn't add to the scans section because they're generally uninteresting for most people. I'll see how many I have and list them. I think all of aRPi's dumps include this information.

DMEnduro Guest	Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2005 9:13 am
DMEnduro Guest	Where can I post these? I want to help out any way I can with this. Will somebody set-up a forum for this on SMS Power! or somewhere else, should I post to this thread for now? I have a decent collection of SMS,GG,MD and 32X carts I will be opening now.

Bock Site Admin Joined: 08 Jul 2001 Posts: 8415 Location: Paris, France	Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2005 9:28 am
	Posting to this thread should be a good idea now. They won't be lost there, and they can be later gathered into a document. Thanks.

DMEnduro Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 420 Location: Australia	My results so far Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 8:59 am
	After checking through all of my Master systems Games here is what I recorded. MPR-10154-S Pro Wrestling MPR-10744F 831001-25 Wonder Boy MPR-10744F 831001-25 Wonder Boy MPR-10747F 831001-25 World Soccer MPR-10843 Enduro Racer MPR-11046 831001A-25 The Ninja MPR-11047 831001-25 Alex Kidd in Miracle World MPR-11074 831001A-25 World Grand Prix MPR-11074 831001A-25 World Grand Prix MPR-11121F 831001-25 Aztec Adventure MPR-11271 83400-25 After Burner MPR-11274F 831001-25 Global Defense MPR-11402 Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars MPR-11404F 831001-25 Parlour Games MPR-11706 Shinobi MPR-11820F 832011-25 Thunder Blade MPR-12342 California Games MPR-12408 Alex Kidd: High Tech World MPR-12532-T SpellCaster MPR-12552 TransBot MPR-12584 Super Tennis MPR-12643 F-16 Fighter MPR-12808F 831001A-25 Master System II On-Board Alex Kidd in Miracle World MPR-13166 Golden Axe MPR-13584A 832011A-25 Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse MPR-13644 Dick Tracy MPR-14266A Asterix MPR-14271 Sonic The Hedgehog MPR-14271-F 832011A-25 Sonic The Hedgehog MPR-15159 Sonic The Hedgehog 2 MPR-15161 Taz-Mania MPR-15163 Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse MPR-15203-F 832011A-25 Master of Darkness MPR-15643-F 832011A-25 California Games II MPR-15988 Bart vs. The World In the case of two same games I actually had two cartridges. I also have this data with all of the text written on the chips if this is needed, I believe it consists of a serial number of some sort. There is also an anomaly which I have an idea about, Ghost House (4502) - Non-Sega Chip (AMD) --------- AM27C256 -200DC 9141FP W (c) 1986 AMD Malaysia --------- I would take a stab at 9141FP to be the go on that, but thats exactly what was written on the chip (between the lines). After Burner and Spellcaster also had an extra chip each, here's the details After Burner ---- SEGA 315-5235 135U 8817 Z88 ---- ---- SEGA MPR-11271 83400-25 636 AA 8827 R54 ---- SpellCaster ---- 9150EY SEGA 315-5365 ---- ---- SEGA MPR-12532-T 4882-D958 9405EBI JAPAN ---- the lines outline the actual chips, all text on the chips included. I can take photos of any ones that require further investigation, and will be happy to answer any questions. I'll also post my MegaDrive collection soon. By the way these are all Export (Non-Japanese) carts as far as I know, I live and have bought all inside Australia. SMS Power is great, Cheers guys! -DMEnduro[/code]

Charles MacDonald Joined: 28 Sep 1999 Posts: 1179	Re: My results so far Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 3:38 pm
Charles MacDonald Joined: 28 Sep 1999 Posts: 1179	Quote After checking through all of my Master systems Games here is what I recorded. Thanks for doing all that work, I know opening and closing a bunch of cartridges isn't exactly fun. Quote In the case of two same games I actually had two cartridges. I also have this data with all of the text written on the chips if this is needed, I believe it consists of a serial number of some sort. There is also an anomaly which I have an idea about Typically the other numbers are a production code or an identifier to record which batch of chips this particular one belonged to. Ghost House (4502) - Non-Sega Chip (AMD) --------- AM27C256 -200DC 9141FP W (c) 1986 AMD Malaysia --------- Very cool! This game uses a 32Kx8 EPROM which is uncommon. In fact, I've only seen EPROMs used in SMS software that was from a prototype/developer cart, or those EP MyCard things. Does this look like a regular commercial game? Is it a card or cartridge? Quote I would take a stab at 9141FP to be the go on that, but thats exactly what was written on the chip (between the lines). Was the '9141FP' text handwritten or printed onto a label, or is it in the same font as the other text (the AMD AM27C256 text?) If not, then it's most likely the part number. Otherwise it's just some internal code from AMD and not Sega specfic. EPROMs have a window in the middle of the chip which is covered by an adhesive label, and Sega usually has the part number written on that label. Otherwise it could be printed on the underside of the chip, or perhaps there isn't one at all. Quote After Burner and Spellcaster also had an extra chip each, here's the details The extra chip is the memory mapper chip. Generally speaking it seems that games which are 256K or less have this integrated into the ROM, and games that are 512K use a separate chip. Of course there are exceptions, like Action Fighter and Monopoly which are both 128K and use external mapper chips. But it's good to include that kind of information.

benryves Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 389 Location: London, United Kingdom	Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 5:18 pm
	I only have Game Gear carts, and nothing to open them with - however, a 2nd hand Sonic game was loose and the screw looked scratched, so I managed to force the screw off slowly by pushing the edge round via the notches. The ROM inside bears the code: MPR-14459A Sonic the Hedgehog Now, the ROM doesn't follow the "These mask ROMs are unique in that they have a vertical line going down one side of the chip body and a circular indentation in the middle." rule. It has a number underneath the Sega program number: 9228X9001. You guys know what you're doing, so here are some digital photos: http://members.gamedev.net/benryves/sonic_low_res.jpg http://members.gamedev.net/benryves/sonic_hi_res.jpg

Charles MacDonald Joined: 28 Sep 1999 Posts: 1179	Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 7:32 pm
Charles MacDonald Joined: 28 Sep 1999 Posts: 1179	Quote Now, the ROM doesn't follow the "These mask ROMs are unique in that they have a vertical line going down one side of the chip body and a circular indentation in the middle." rule. It has a number underneath the Sega program number: 9228X9001. This last number is a date code - my Super Columns GG cart looks almost identical but says '9508' (August, 1995?) underneath the MPR-number. I would imagine most of the newer games and none of the GG games use the same parts Fujitsu made. I suppose I only mentioned the ROM number as a way to keep track of game sizes properly, because you never know when something like that becomes useful later on. ;)

Memblers Joined: 23 Jan 2005 Posts: 18	Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 9:46 pm
Memblers Joined: 23 Jan 2005 Posts: 18	I think the 4-digit code is year/week. 9141FP would be 1991, week 41. Stuff beyond that probably shows which chip fab made it (assuming the company has several). As far as programmable roms go, I mean.

DMEnduro Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 420 Location: Australia	Ghost House Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2005 12:24 am
	Its actually a very interesting looking chip on my Ghost House cartridge (not a card). In the center on the visible top side of it, there is a circular clear window, possibly made of glass, slightly concave. Visible underneath that is a shiny square that has tiny wires running of its edges. The text on the chip is all printed directly onto the chip, not handwritten, but on another section on the chip someone has pencilled in a capital G. I have taken a photo of it, its not very good quality, so I wont post it here, but I could e-mail it to someone. next post will be my Mega Drive carts

benryves Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 389 Location: London, United Kingdom	Re: Ghost House Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2005 12:29 am
	DMEnduro wrote In the center on the visible top side of it, there is a circular clear window, possibly made of glass, slightly concave. Visible underneath that is a shiny square that has tiny wires running of its edges. This sounds like an EPROM to me. The shiny square is the chip itself (the tiny wires lead to the pins on the casing of the chip), and it can be "reset" for burning again by exposure to a strong UV lamp. (EPROM = Erasable Programmable ROM).

DMEnduro Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 420 Location: Australia	Mega Drive games Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2005 12:49 am
	Quote This sounds like an EPROM to me. The shiny square is the chip itself (the tiny wires lead to the pins on the casing of the chip), and it can be "reset" for burning again by exposure to a strong UV lamp. That's pretty much exactly what I thought. Here's my Mega Drive games MPR-12538-H Altered Beast MPR-13286-T Columns MPR-13913-F 834200A Sonic The Hedgehog MPR-14371-F 834200A QuackShot MPR-14384-T Art Alive MPR-14838-F 834200A Taz-Mania MPR-14996 Home Alone MPR-15000A-H Sonic The Hedgehog 2 MPR-15009 Mega Games I (Columns, Super Hang-On, World Cup Italia '90) MPR-15274 Chakan MPR-15339 Captain Planet And The Planeteers MPR-15468 Cyborg Justice MPR-16077 Sonic Spinball MPR-16342 Sonic The Hedgehog 3 MPR-16910-U Sonic & Knuckles MPR-16911-S ^^^ Both ROMs ^^^ MPR-17703-F 838200B Desert Demolition MPR-17709-MX Metal Head 32X MPR-17710-MX ^^^ Both ROMs ^^^ MPR-18439-U Kolibri 32X Plus these with mixed results NON SEGA GAMES --- Australian Rugby League (EA) AUSTRALIAN RUGBY LEAGE ARLB11 (c)ELECTRONIC ARTS 1995 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED S76741/00000046 --- Bloodshot BLOODSHOT/ BATTLE FRENZY (c)1994 ACCLAIM ENTERTAINMENT ES210 9507 --- Desert Strike (EA) DESERT DES08 7022 (c)ELECTRONIC ARTS'92 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED JAPAN 9530 D --- FIFA International Soccer (EA) FIFA SOCCER10 9410 (c)ELECTRONIC ARTS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED --- FIFA Soccer 96 (EA) 4 Chips+Battery Not recorded --- Spider-Man and Venom in Maximum Carnage MAX CARNAGE ACCLAIM S410 9437 D --- Not opened IMG Tennis (EA) Marble Madness (EA) Micro Machines 2 (Codemasters J-Cart) Mortal Kombat II (Acclaim) NBA Jam (Acclaim) NBA Jam TE (Acclaim) PGA Tour 3 (EA) Rugby World Cup (EA) Shane Warne Cricket (Codemasters) Shaq Fu (EA) Where in time is Carmen Sandiego (EA) Those EA carts are a bitch to open. The Codemasters games dont even have screws, and is it possible to open a J-Cart witout destroying it? These Acclaim games have a different security screw which I can open but decided against for now, I might go over them again though. Oh, and where it says both roms, that means the two chips were in the same cartridge. So Sonic & Knuckles and Metal Head both have 2 chips with those sequential codes.

DMEnduro Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 420 Location: Australia	Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 10:44 pm
	Here's some more. This time it's all my Game Gear games. MPR-14238 Factory Panic MPR-14459A Sonic The Hedgehog MPR-15973-F 834011 Sonic The Hedgehog Chaos MPR-16421-S NBA Jam MPR-17075 Sonic The Hedgehog Triple Trouble plus this Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Two blobbies on front (no printed text) text printed on rear of PCB 837-9182 171-6400A G 9301 K48 That's it guys. I can scan stuff now I bothered to get my scanner working again, so anything that needs a second look dont hesitate to ask.

Maxim Site Admin Joined: 19 Oct 1999 Posts: 13876 Location: London	Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2005 10:13 am Last edited by Maxim on Tue Nov 15, 2005 10:20 pm; edited 1 time in total
	I transcribed part numbers from Nop's scans, as promised ages ago, and collated everything into a Wiki page. Future additions can be done there, perhaps?

MiracleWarriors Joined: 11 Nov 2005 Posts: 52	Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2005 8:58 pm
MiracleWarriors Joined: 11 Nov 2005 Posts: 52	this auction that's about to end has several carts that have been opened: http://cgi.ebay.com/SEGA-Master-System-STORE-POP-KIOSK-Display-unit-SCARCE_W0QQi... direct links: (good for who knows how long) http://comicquest.net/smskiosk5a.jpg http://comicquest.net/smskiosk5b.jpg

Maxim Site Admin Joined: 19 Oct 1999 Posts: 13876 Location: London	Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2005 10:18 pm
	I added them to the list. Out Run seems to be a different revision: 11078 compared to 10845 reported previously. 10845 comes from Nop's scans on my hard disk, and I have no reason to doubt it; maybe someone can dump a few Out Runs to see if a variant turns up.

st Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 6	Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 10:06 pm
st Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 6	SMS: Ultima IV - MPR-13135 and MB8464A Wimbledon - MPR-14686 I'm quite curious about MB chip which handles SRAM but... does it also have built-in ROM bank controller? I bought Ultima only to turn it into home made dev cart but now I'm quite confused. :)

Charles MacDonald Joined: 28 Sep 1999 Posts: 1179	Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 5:07 am
Charles MacDonald Joined: 28 Sep 1999 Posts: 1179	st wrote SMS: Ultima IV - MPR-13135 and MB8464A Wimbledon - MPR-14686 I'm quite curious about MB chip which handles SRAM but... does it also have built-in ROM bank controller? I bought Ultima only to turn it into home made dev cart but now I'm quite confused. :) The MB8484A is an 8Kx8 SRAM chip. If those are the only two chips in the cartridge, then the MPR-13135 chip has an integrated ROM bank controller. Otherwise there should be a large, high pin-count chip that handles SRAM control and ROM banking. Usually (not always) for the 512K games they have a mapper chip with an external ROM, such as Phantasy Star.

st Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 6	Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:01 am
st Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 6	Charles MacDonald wrote If those are the only two chips in the cartridge, then the MPR-13135 chip has an integrated ROM bank controller. Thanks Charles! So it means no dev cart for me. :/ Too bad there're only a few SRAM games, which are pain to get where I live, but I guess I'll keep trying. :)

MadMikeAU Joined: 21 Nov 2005 Posts: 150 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia	Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 10:27 am
	PM sent to Charles. MPR-17709-MX Metal Head 32X MPR-17710-MX ^^^ Both ROMs ^^^ MPR-18439-U Kolibri 32X Are these for the US versions?

MadMikeAU Joined: 21 Nov 2005 Posts: 150 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia	Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 11:08 pm
	MadMikeAU wrote PM sent to Charles. MPR-17709-MX Metal Head 32X MPR-17710-MX ^^^ Both ROMs ^^^ MPR-18439-U Kolibri 32X Are these for the US versions? Check that. Just saw you are an aussie as well.

DMEnduro Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 420 Location: Australia	Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 11:49 pm
	Non US versions. It seems there is only the one (world) version of Kolibri. But Metal Head is the PAL version. Yep, being from Sydney I'd believe you'd know Newcastle?

MadMikeAU Joined: 21 Nov 2005 Posts: 150 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia	Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:09 pm
	DMEnduro wrote Non US versions. It seems there is only the one (world) version of Kolibri. But Metal Head is the PAL version. Yep, being from Sydney I'd believe you'd know Newcastle? Yep. I grew up on the Central Coast. I have family all over the hunter. Charles: Another PM gone your way. I now have over 4,000 MPRs on my list at http://home.iprimus.com.au/the_beaver Feel free to link to it if you want.

Charles MacDonald Joined: 28 Sep 1999 Posts: 1179	Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 6:36 pm
Charles MacDonald Joined: 28 Sep 1999 Posts: 1179	Quote I now have over 4,000 MPRs on my list at http://home.iprimus.com.au/the_beaver Feel free to link to it if you want. Very, very cool. Maybe I'll figure out how to make the wiki article we have about ROM part numbers link to it. :) A few things: The N7751 chip is a 8034 clone that has a sample replay routine programmed into it's internal ROM. I don't think anyone knows what the part number associated with the program code is. It was used in quite a lot of arcade games (with identical internal code). So perhaps it shouldn't be listed with everything else? The MPR (mask ROMs) aren't necessarily surface mounted, I've got plenty of PCBs that have those socketed in. Somtimes Sega is sloppy about using the right 3-letter prefix on the chip type, though I've wondered if that was due to local Sega repairs or updates where they used whatever type of memory chip they had handy. You did a fantastic job with this; especially the bit at the end showing the first and last games for each platform. As a die-hard Sega fan it made for interesting reading. :)

Maxim Site Admin Joined: 19 Oct 1999 Posts: 13876 Location: London	Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 11:28 pm
	Wow, yeah, our page is fairly worthless next to that one, unless we repurpose it as a Sega 8-bit console subset of MadMikeAU's list. (To link from the wiki, type [[http://url\|text]] or [[text->http://url], among other methods.)

MadMikeAU Joined: 21 Nov 2005 Posts: 150 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia	Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2005 2:04 am
	Maxim wrote Wow, yeah, our page is fairly worthless next to that one, unless we repurpose it as a Sega 8-bit console subset of MadMikeAU's list. (To link from the wiki, type [[http://url\|text]] or [[text->http://url], among other methods.) Watch this space. The list is JavaScript based so I can dynamically format. I would be no biggy to just have it display one type of ROM. I'll play around with it and see what I come up with. I will be spending some time getting it in sync with whats in the MAME code. Last night, I got the STV and System 18 stuff in sync (and fixed a few bugs) and was that equated to another 600 (thus getting me over the 4000 mark). Notice the relationship between the SMS boot roms and the sms part number. Would be interesting to get more of those bios mprs to see if that trend continues

MadMikeAU Joined: 21 Nov 2005 Posts: 150 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia	Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2005 2:50 am
	OK. I have made the change. I added a small form to the MPR page that allows you to select the romtype and reload. Suprisingly easy to do. Enjoy. Note: You may need to refresh your cached page version to see the change. I know I did.

DMEnduro Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 420 Location: Australia	Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2005 12:48 pm
	Nice work! If you need more info on stuff, I can dump Mega Drive and 32X carts to get CRCs and headers.

MadMikeAU Joined: 21 Nov 2005 Posts: 150 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia	Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2005 2:57 pm
	DMEnduro wrote Nice work! If you need more info on stuff, I can dump Mega Drive and 32X carts to get CRCs and headers. Go for it.

MadMikeAU Joined: 21 Nov 2005 Posts: 150 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia	Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 7:20 am
	Charles MacDonald wrote ...I recently dumped a Alien Storm MegaTech cartridge, the part was MPR-11194. This turned out to be the same chip in the Alien Syndrome cart recently featured at SMS Power. Different system, but same program code so no new number was used... According to the MAME source... 11194 = Alien Syndrome 13941 = Alien Storm The MegaTech is weird in that the ROMs used were sometimes staright from the SMS or SMD with an extra little ROM for the instructions. It would be interesting to see the number of the minor ROM. Charles MacDonald wrote My suggestion is that we all start opening our cartridges and listing the numbers. ;) There has been a lot of work to keep track of the numbers used in arcade games, but no effort for SMS or Genesis/32X carts so far. YES! On my site http://home.iprimus.com.au/the_beaver I have documented over 4600 Sega ROMs...there is only another 18000 to go, so all help is appreciated. Charles MacDonald wrote Some later games using ROMs made by Macronix (such as Majesco's GG games/re-releases) do not have this number, it's exclusive to Sega. Not exactly true...some third parties dont have these numbers, but most do. Some (like Acclaim and EA) only have them sometimes. So its worth opening those carts anyway (though I am yet to see an EA megadrive cart with them).

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