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Work In Progress: Complete List of NA(US) Game Boy Cartridge Variants


RH

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Editorials Team · Posted
1 minute ago, JVOSS said:

where's Gold, Silver?  where Revision Rat, Drop Zone?  missing bomber Man Pocket? Mr Nuts?  🙂

Interestingly, with the exception of Gold and Silver, those games all had grey-cart releases outside of the US, so I have both grey and black carts of those games.

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Milon's Castle.  I've had a search out for this one for a long time and it does not come up often.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254992891061?hash=item3b5ec2bcb5:g:W4cAAOSwLe5grYq0

It's way over priced in my book, but both the cart and manual appear to be in excellent shape.  I would be tempted to pull the trigger since I've been watching for this one for so long, but that's just to much and I need to sell a bunch of stuff to restock funds.

Regardless, if anyone thinks this is fair, or is in my book and simply wants to check this one off the list, here it is.  Go for it.  Otherwise, I'll keep waiting and hope/pray the seller drops it to about $40 or so.

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3 minutes ago, Splain said:

Oof, I picked up this one a week or 2 ago:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133759970436

For the manual and condition upgrade. So that other one is a little pricey.

So I have a spare Milon rev-1, but it's a little scratched.

You must have picked it up quick.  I check my eBay saves usually every day.  I didn't recall seeing that one.  Looks like it's in nice shape too!

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IRC the Rev-2 manual for this has a corresponding PCB of of the bean-10 or even bean-20.

Also anyone looking for PAL(i hate saying that with gameboy) there is a Hammerin' Harry up it only comes around a few time in 2 years so get if you need:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/383707863800

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2 hours ago, JVOSS said:

down to 2 3 for us non variant set>

any help to finish. 

Tumble Pop (Data West Version)

F-1 Race  (looking for the non rom-A version)

Hyper Lode Runner  (looking for the non rom-A version)

I looked and I don't have any of these.  Could have sworn I had 2x copies of TumblePop.  I must have sold the other copy at some point, though.  It's not in my dupe box.

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  • 2 weeks later...
3 hours ago, AdamW said:

In case anyone's interested, here's the board pic from the black ESRB SML2 I bought off eBay:

01-small.jpg.acdb2c6615c1601a80a9ac33aa542a60.jpg

So the battery is from October 1999 and the game chip...if 47 is a week number, I guess late November?

Yep, top right chip is 47th week 1999. Bottom right is week 44, 1999. Bottom middle is I think Dec. 21st 1998 (see here for format info. I hate that pattern as I'm not entirely sure about it). Bottom left I'm not sure but I would guess it would be YMW for 9A0 which would be Jan. week 1, 1999. So, looks like the latest is 9947 or mid to late November 1999.

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2 hours ago, 0xDEAFC0DE said:

Yep, top right chip is 47th week 1999. Bottom right is week 44, 1999. Bottom middle is I think Dec. 21st 1998 (see here for format info. I hate that pattern as I'm not entirely sure about it). Bottom left I'm not sure but I would guess it would be YMW for 9A0 which would be Jan. week 1, 1999. So, looks like the latest is 9947 or mid to late November 1999.

CORRECT all the date translation.  For me the only data i look for and doc is the chip with the game code in this case.

DMG-MQE-2
date 9947

And the back code in this case not shown.  but i would guess the code is 9910 and a circle i

other data to consider in verification is that all the chips are with in +/- 4 weeks of each other and the battery printing of 9910 +/-1

if dates exceed any of the above rules then this would indicate a donor card..

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Pretty sure nobody's piecing together chips to fake these revisions (generally speaking). It's just not worth it.

@JVOSS

I'm trying to say we probably don't need to worry about verification and donor cards at this point. Any units found for this revision should automatically be considered legit.

Edited by bowser
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Sorry, not sure what scenario @JVOSSis considering - someone would somehow have plausibly 'late' label and two chips, but not the rest of the cart, and then solder the bits they had onto another cart? Is this a thing that happens?

Anyway, here's the back, sorry, didn't know it was significant:

01b-small.jpg.d0b2f310cd0b6a1b14546949468fbc18.jpg

I see the '99 and circle I, not sure where to look for a 10?

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wow tunnel vision @AdamW, @bowser

this was a big picture statement with the data used is in the provide picture of the mq-2 data

3 hours ago, JVOSS said:

CORRECT all the date translation.  For me the only data i look for and doc is the chip with the game code in this case.

DMG-MQE-2
date 9947

And the back code in this case not shown.  but i would guess the code is 9910 and a circle i

other data to consider in verification is that all the chips are with in +/- 4 weeks of each other and the battery printing of 9910 +/-1

if dates exceed any of the above rules then this would indicate a donor card..

why no one understands the words that are coming out of my mouth? - Jackie  Chan | Meme Generator

to simplify.
the data i look at and care about is located on the Game code chip and in this case
DMG-MQE-2
Date 9947

And the back code in this case the code is 9910 and a circle i

other data to consider in verification is that all the chips are with in +/- 4 weeks of each other and the battery printing in this case of 9910 +/-1. if dates exceed any of the above rules then this would indicate a donor card..

In this case the date is 9910 how is this know.  the blocks are numbered 1/6/7/12

each block has 3 dots for a total of 12 dots indicate months.

in this case.

the only dots left are 11 and 12  in block numbered 12 so with that the board was made in October of 1999.

there is a debate that the dots left would be the month made, but when all the dots are missing then what month is that the 13 month of the year??

much like the embossed numbers on the label, the circle I in this case, is an authentication id. along with the board number give you the total picture.

 

Untitled.jpg.cb6d38afaea007d45af6bd803e724065.jpg

SO to sum the data up in this case.

the DMG-MQ-2 has a label of 20B indicating that is is the #2 rom update the board further confirms what the embossed number indicated.  the ic chip has a date code of 9947 and knowing the MQ-2 was released in 1998 that this is the second or 3 factory run of the game.  the board also matches the chip with the DMG-DECN-20 (know the that the -20 was only produced between late 1997- late 1999) the board date of 9910 matches the board id and that this is the 6 pcb of the printed card set (also indicated by the tabs on the side.

what we don't know is what factory the Circle I indicated in Nintendo supply chain.

all this date incites that it is a REAL MQ-2 board.

if any of the data show differently you wold have a shell of a MQ-2 and a pcb of a MQ-1 this makes it a fake MQ-2.

You have to know your boards to validate the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

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4 hours ago, OptOut said:

What is going on in here? I have no idea what I just walked into, but I am slowly backing away and out of the room... 😅

This is why, in another thread, I mentioned I'd want to bring in @JVOSS to Pawn Stars to hype up rare variants.

There's no better hype than getting everyone lost in the weeds of hyper-detailed facts and why they are all significant.  Good stuff!

Edited by RH
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9 hours ago, JVOSS said:

For me the only data i look for and doc is the chip with the game code in this case.

And the back code in this case not shown. 

I'm not as familiar with GB PCBs as I am with NES ones. But in NES land the non game specific chips (lockup, mapper, etc.) commonly have date codes that are later than the game's ROM chip. Hence the cartridge must have been produced at the earliest at the latest date code of all the chips. So, the latest date code is the main thing I look for and document. 

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There are so few DMG-MQ-2 chips out there with the '99 date codes that it's not even possible to fake this revision. The presence of this chip on the board is authentication enough for me.

Even if you find a board with the authenticity indicators outside the ranges that you mentioned, I think you should update your data rather than declare it a fake. Unless the soldering on the board looks suspect.

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6 hours ago, OptOut said:

What is going on in here? I have no idea what I just walked into, but I am slowly backing away and out of the room... 😅

I think I feel like you guys feel when I start ranting on about weighing Pokemon boxes...

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3 hours ago, 0xDEAFC0DE said:

I'm not as familiar with GB PCBs as I am with NES ones. But in NES land the non game specific chips (lockup, mapper, etc.) commonly have date codes that are later than the game's ROM chip. Hence the cartridge must have been produced at the earliest at the latest date code of all the chips. So, the latest date code is the main thing I look for and document. 

here is some P-TMI
AKA preliminary To Much Information

for most of the DMG i have it as the opposite, in that the game chip is/were/are the last to be added.

This data applies to 95% of world carts, Japan cart are not included*

So far i have about 54 different PCB codes (example DMG-BEAN-02).

with in the 54 different there is 17 major codes with 5 major "date"/Revision codes with 6 plate codes.  it looks like this

PCB example code:  DMG-BEAN-02  6

DMG = same through all 8 bit games 

BEAN = major code

02= year/board revision (suspected)

6 = plate location during manufacturing (this is located some where on the board front always and on the back some times.)

**** so far there is only one exception to this rule  the LR0G150  this board follows none of the above rules ***********

____________________________________________________

year 01 board look like:
DMG-xxx-01, DMG-xxxx-01

Late Year 01 to early early 3
DMG-xxx-02, DMG-xxxx-02, DMG-xxxx(K)-02

year 10 above
DMG-xxx-10, DMG-xxxx-10, DMG-xxxx(K)-10
DMG-xxx-20, DMG-xxxx-20, DMG-xxxx(K)-20

CHN PCB - has 4 different PCB's  M13, M11, Battery and MANI

battery PCB has a few different but the last number is generally 02, 03, 10, 20

------------------------------------------

What is crazy about the above data is the circle letters/numbers.  while 80% have a circle I, which i suspect, is the main supplier or Nintendo itself the rest are not region specific.

Additionally the quality of the PCB very greatly. from very will to down right ugly (surprise they work at all).

------------------------------------------

*********  japan cart/pcb, i haven't opened enough to get the data.  Japan was the epicenter for all development and proto typing. I suspect that the data will not follow any pattern and high % of pcb's will be of one style but different build..

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On 5/28/2021 at 3:16 PM, JVOSS said:

IRC the Rev-2 manual for this has a corresponding PCB of of the bean-10 or even bean-20.

Also anyone looking for PAL(i hate saying that with gameboy) there is a Hammerin' Harry up it only comes around a few time in 2 years so get if you need:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/383707863800

I had been eyeballing the Hammerin Harry for the past few weeks. Just couldn’t pull the trigger for $300 USD though

Edited by phart010
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I'm not sure how I missed this one.  The box and contents look rather beat up, but from what you can tell through the dust cover, this game looks like it's in good shape.  $200 for a CIB copy of Sunsoft's Lock N' Chase is not a bad deal.  If I had the cash in my Paypal, I'd probably nab it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/203266283215?hash=item2f539d56cf:g:b0kAAOSwM9hgGNm1

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43 minutes ago, RH said:

I'm not sure how I missed this one.  The box and contents look rather beat up, but from what you can tell through the dust cover, this game looks like it's in good shape.  $200 for a CIB copy of Sunsoft's Lock N' Chase is not a bad deal.  If I had the cash in my Paypal, I'd probably nab it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/203266283215?hash=item2f539d56cf:g:b0kAAOSwM9hgGNm1

Not bad price for $200 cib. its crazy how these Lock N' Chase are coming up left and right compared to a few years ago.

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5 hours ago, acromite53 said:

I'm trying to understand release dates of these reprinted variants. Looking at game PCB date codes I think I've got an understanding.

Electrobrain reprints: 1998

Natsume reprints: 1998

Sunsoft reprints: 1998

Does that sound about right?

what is the list of game you have as "Reprints"  listing

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