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NEC PC-Engine/SuperGrafx => PC Engine/SuperGrafx Discussion => Topic started by: Tatsujin on November 25, 2007, 12:10:49 PM

Title: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Tatsujin on November 25, 2007, 12:10:49 PM
ok, I have here lying a street fighter II' hucard in front of me, and the question is now, should i dissect it and determine the innards? or should i leave it in one "peace"?

and since i can't decide it on my own, i will listen to you guys. so vote wisely :)

PS: as an info, that one costed me less than 25 cents and on the top, it isn't in the best shape out of the remaining 7 pieces i have in stock meanwhile.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: SignOfZeta on November 25, 2007, 12:14:03 PM
You've never seen the inside of an SFII' HuCard before?
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: guyjin on November 25, 2007, 12:22:26 PM
you suck. you keep games in their shrinkwrap, never to be played, and then when you get one out, you destroy it! you are a gaming devil.  :evil:
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Turbo D on November 25, 2007, 12:29:41 PM
I voted yes! You must make sacrifices to gain knowledge. Plus it would be cool. I hope that if you do, that you post some pics of the innards  :)
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: nat on November 25, 2007, 12:47:51 PM
I voted yes so you can post pictures so I don't have to annihilate my own copy.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Tatsujin on November 25, 2007, 12:50:58 PM
@sign: no, i believe i've seen some pix of inside the bulky ten no koe bank and eventually the populous hucard, which where all empty where you expecting something have to be.

@guy, as i said, it isn't just up to me. and this game is so damn common that i could buy tons of it and use it as bricks to build up a new fancy house.

@D: it's all 'bout that.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Keranu on November 25, 2007, 03:41:20 PM
I voted yes. You probably have a thousand extra copies of it anyways  :mrgreen: .
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Tatsujin on November 25, 2007, 04:18:47 PM
(http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/9002/sfiihucard1at2.jpg)
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Tatsujin on November 25, 2007, 04:49:18 PM
since the poll seems to be already decided, there will be no return :-({|=

so as for the people (me including) which do not know yet, if there really is something hidden under the bulky area, so what do you guess? :)

the betting office is open now :!:
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: nat on November 25, 2007, 04:53:02 PM
I don't think there is anything over the bulky area.

The chips themselves will only be on the backside of the black PCB. The raised area is only provided as a means for Capcom to get a chance to have a picture label the same size as all the other HuCARDs.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: guyjin on November 25, 2007, 05:41:26 PM
I think it will be full of gamma radiation which will turn your outside into the hideous mutant you are inside.  :twisted:
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Kitsunexus on November 25, 2007, 05:46:18 PM
I think underneath the bulky area there is a FPGA that has the sole task of "Blast Processing emulator".
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Tatsujin on November 25, 2007, 05:51:36 PM
or maybe a miniature CPS1 device, brought by someone from the future?
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Keranu on November 25, 2007, 06:07:12 PM
I think the bumble bee is going to fly out and kill you.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Tatsujin on November 25, 2007, 06:16:06 PM
probably yes.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Joe Redifer on November 25, 2007, 06:19:23 PM
Well, get on with it already!  Post pics!
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Tatsujin on November 25, 2007, 10:56:10 PM
done.

(http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/5429/sf2openng5.jpg)

Halleluja!! :lol:

btw: the game still works fine :D

Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: SignOfZeta on November 25, 2007, 11:12:22 PM
Yeah, in the Ten no Koe and Populous you'll find a battery in there. In SFII' and the Arcade Card Pro you'll find nothing.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Tatsujin on November 26, 2007, 12:55:05 AM
no bumble bee which try to kell me :cry:
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Joe Redifer on November 26, 2007, 01:20:31 AM
You need to flip the black part over.  We need to see underneath.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Turbo D on November 26, 2007, 03:12:37 AM
 :shock: wtf, there is nothing in there?!?!?!? rofl  :lol:
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Necromancer on November 26, 2007, 04:07:40 AM
I voted no, 'cause I wanted you to regret the vivisection..... or not really give a shit.

Does the writing on the back of the cover translate to "ouch"?
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Kitsunexus on November 26, 2007, 07:16:38 AM
Bump. You're not getting out of this, Tatsu.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: FM-77 on November 26, 2007, 11:21:07 AM
Yeah, in the Ten no Koe and Populous you'll find a battery in there. In SFII' and the Arcade Card Pro you'll find nothing.

No battery in Populous. Apparently.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Bonknuts on November 26, 2007, 11:30:21 AM

 Pic #2 - his eyes look like they're bulging from decompression..
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Keranu on November 26, 2007, 02:04:28 PM
Thanks for posting the pics, that was interesting, sorta.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: spenoza on November 26, 2007, 02:13:43 PM
That was incredibly anti-climactic and makes me wonder if a few design changes could have eliminated the need for that tiny hump.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: SignOfZeta on November 26, 2007, 03:18:21 PM
What do you mean "design changes"? There isn't any use for the hump whatsoever. If anything it was a marketing ploy to show how full the HuCard was with ROM when in fact the actual chip is the same physical size.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: SignOfZeta on November 26, 2007, 03:24:07 PM
Yeah, in the Ten no Koe and Populous you'll find a battery in there. In SFII' and the Arcade Card Pro you'll find nothing.

No battery in Populous. Apparently.

Really? It says, "ROMRAM HUCARD" on the spine like the Bank does, and Mednafen specifically states, "Support for Populous's backup RAM" as a feature.

I don't own this game, so I can't look into it. Maybe it uses some sort of micro capacitor or...flash? It does save without a booster/duo/etc, right?
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: guyjin on November 26, 2007, 03:43:58 PM
i feel cheated.  ](*,)
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: rolins on November 26, 2007, 03:49:43 PM
That's it? What waste of space.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Kitsunexus on November 26, 2007, 03:56:01 PM
Wow, I completely did not see the pics. Wow. That was disapointing, not even one resistor. :(

I am entirely grateful you did this however! ^.^
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: TR0N on November 26, 2007, 03:58:02 PM
done.

(http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/3158/sf2openxk6.jpg)

Halleluja!! :lol:

btw: the game still works fine :D



Ok but the game didn't have this bumblebee in it!?
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Bumblebee-animated.jpg)
Shoot it isn't much of a spolier then jk.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: nat on November 26, 2007, 05:10:17 PM
Don't act so surprised. I told you what he would find before he even opened it up:

I don't think there is anything [under] the bulky area.

The chips themselves will only be on the backside of the black PCB.

Furthermore:

There isn't any use for the hump whatsoever. If anything it was a marketing ploy to show how full the HuCard was with ROM when in fact the actual chip is the same physical size.

was also explained in the very same message:

The raised area is only provided as a means for Capcom to get a chance to have a picture label the same size as all the other HuCARDs.

I was being completely serious.

On HuCARDS that utilized more chips than "normal" HuCARDS, thereby increasing the size of the "black area" (upsidedown PCB), they glued on a raised piece of plastic so the cart could have a normal-sized picture logo. And that's it. Exciting, huh?
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: SignOfZeta on November 26, 2007, 11:31:22 PM
I uh....don't get what you mean...how does a raised area give you more area for a label? If anything it would give you less since the raised area is beveled.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Necromancer on November 27, 2007, 02:36:05 AM
I uh....don't get what you mean...how does a raised area give you more area for a label? If anything it would give you less since the raised area is beveled.

Without the bump, the label would have to be partially printed on top of the pcb (black area) or made smaller.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: nat on November 27, 2007, 03:15:09 AM
Exactly. Notice how the raised area overlaps some of the black PCB, giving the label the same area that it would have on a 4 or 8 megabit cart.

With the label piece taken off, observe how far down the card the PCB extends. Without the raised plastic piece, you're stuck with a tiny area for the label.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Joe Redifer on November 27, 2007, 03:43:20 AM
Quote from: Necromancer

Without the bump, the label would have to be partially printed on top of the pcb (black area) or made smaller.


Exactly.  God forbid the artwork be shrunk!!!!
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: lkermel on November 28, 2007, 01:00:11 PM
Waooo, this is crazy, I also always thought the card was thicker because of the extra memory...
Nat, you're right, it makes sense that they raised it for the art work. I wonder why they didn't make it thinner though, the bump is nearly as thick as a HuCard if I remember well...
Interesting find !!!! :)
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Kitsunexus on November 28, 2007, 01:35:25 PM
Why does the HuCard surface look like a tacky leather couch?
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: nat on November 28, 2007, 04:16:24 PM
Because you're looking at the backside of a PCB (circuit board) painted black. If you flip it over it looks just like your standard PCB with super-low-profile ICs.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: guyjin on November 28, 2007, 05:36:29 PM
Why not just use a sticker?
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Turbo D on November 28, 2007, 05:42:03 PM
it would easily peel off. Although Dr. Neo just used a sticker  :-k
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Necromancer on November 29, 2007, 01:13:11 AM
Why not just use a sticker?

If they did that, then Black_Tiger wouldn't be able to wash it in the sink without ruining the label.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: spenoza on November 29, 2007, 03:18:36 AM
If they'd have put the chips on the bottom of the HuCards instead of the top they could use most of the surface for the label.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: nat on November 29, 2007, 03:21:16 AM
If they'd have put the chips on the bottom of the HuCards instead of the top they could use most of the surface for the label.

That's true. They could've just put the labels on the back side, making that the front, and had you insert them upside down into the system. That would've been interesting.

Maybe they thought that was too much space.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Necromancer on November 29, 2007, 04:27:25 AM
They probably didn't think that they'd ever cover so much of the card with chips when they originally designed the hardware, and by the time they had such high capacity cards, it was far too late to redesign the card socket.  Still, they could've made those few cards upside down and wrapped the connections around the edge to get back to the front side.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: Turbo D on November 29, 2007, 07:00:28 AM
they did put stickers on the back! But only on the korean turbo.
Title: Re: dissect the bumble bee
Post by: FM-77 on November 29, 2007, 09:21:29 AM
Yeah, in the Ten no Koe and Populous you'll find a battery in there. In SFII' and the Arcade Card Pro you'll find nothing.

No battery in Populous. Apparently.

Really? It says, "ROMRAM HUCARD" on the spine like the Bank does, and Mednafen specifically states, "Support for Populous's backup RAM" as a feature.

I don't own this game, so I can't look into it. Maybe it uses some sort of micro capacitor or...flash? It does save without a booster/duo/etc, right?

Yes I know, it's really strange. Someone on this board opened their cartridge and there was nothing in it. I think I remember a lot of members stating it wasn't possible to save in the game as well.