Smart Cartridge PCB Glob Top Uncovered —
So what does a V.Smile Smart Cartridge PCB look like? I decided to crack open a cartridge to find out.
In this first picture you can see the ROM chip is covered with an epoxy resin also known as a glob top:
My next picture shows what’s underneath the glob top. Let me tell you it was a pain in the butt to get that off. It took me about 40 minutes with a heat gun and a razorblade to gently remove it:
It might be hard to tell, but after I removed the epoxy from the ROM chip, it looked sort of like solar panels. I’m not sure what kind of chip this is, but we’ll need to find out if we plan to burn our own ROM chips.
At this point here’s what I know about the V Smile cartridge PCB’s:
- 64MB MaskROM chip
- PCB has a 48 pin connector (14 pin x2 – 10 pin x2)
- Sticker showing 092660 (Disney’s Cars) is the game title
As I find out more, I’ll be sure to share it here on the blog.
If you have any comments, suggestions or additional information to add, please comment below. It’s time to get V.Smile Homebrew kicked into overdrive 🙂
Categorised as: Technology
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How did you open the V.Smile cart? Was it able to be put back together?
Underneath the label there are 2 screws that can easily be removed with a philips head screw driver, then the cart comes apart in two pieces. You need to be careful because there is a small spring inside that makes the edge protector open and close. It’s really easy to put the cartridge back together.
Thanks