Nintendo Service Monopoly!
Gregg Woodcock
[ Article crossposted from rec.games.video.nintendo ]
[ Author was Mike Stanbro ]
[ Posted on 30 Jun 1994 21:44:51 GMT ]
NINTENDO HAS CREATED A SERVICE MONOPOLY!
The following is a rather lengthy narration of a recent exchange
between Nintendo of America and me. This is a true story. The
quotes are not exact since I did not record the conversations but
they accurately reflect what transpired.
My son's Super Nintendo system deck recently quit working. The cause
of the failure was obvious to me when he told me that it occurred
shortly after "yanking" on one of the controllers. In his words,
"the little red light on the front of the box went out and the game
stopped working." Upon opening the controller, I observed that two
wires inside had shorted together. Something related to the power
supply had clearly been damaged. I checked the external transformer
and it was OK. It seemed that something inside the Super Nintendo
deck had failed due to the short circuit.
Being an electronics engineer and a general fix-it type, I said ,"no
problem, I can probably fix this," and took it out to my workbench to
have a look inside the box. Much to my surprise, the screws that
hold the box together have non-standard heads! I didn't have a tool
that I could use to remove the screws. I was shocked . . . in the 20
years that I have been repairing electronics, I have never
encountered a box that used screws with non-standard heads. "How the
heck do they expect people to fix these things?", I muttered. Then I
noticed the sticker on the box that listed a toll-free number for
Nintendo service.
I called Nintendo, explained my problem, and asked how to buy the
tool to open my Nintendo box. I was told, very matter-of-factly,
that the screws were "a proprietary design", and that I "could not
buy the tool."
"Why not? " I asked.
"It is our policy not to sell the tool to anyone other than
authorized service centers", they responded. "We will be glad to
repair it for $45 [flat rate] if you ship it to us, or you can take
it to a local authorized service center". I was not about to spend
$45 (plus shipping costs) to fix it without knowing what was really
wrong with it, so I asked him for the telephone number of the local
service center.
I called the local service center (Electromatic in Portland, Oregon)
and was told that they would charge me $50 to fix it (also a flat
rate). I asked them how much they would charge to just open the box,
throw away the screws and hand me back the box. They told me that
they couldn't do that because "Nintendo does not allow it,"
(something about wording in their contract with Nintendo).
Now I started getting mad! I called Nintendo again and asked to
speak to a supervisor. I told him my story, and he very politely
told me that there was nothing he could do. Nintendo would not open
the box for me and they would not allow me access to the tool to open
the box myself.
"Wait a minute," I said. "This is MY box . . . I paid for it . . . I
own it . . . and I want to fix the damn thing myself. I don't want
you to touch my box, I don't want to pay $45 or $50, and you sure
better do something to fix this before I explode!!!" His reply was,
as you might expect, "I understand that you are upset, but that is
our policy and I can't do anything about it."
I was now beyond mad Ğ I was totally pissed!!! "How can you do
this?", I asked. "You are preventing the rightful owner of a product
to service his own equipment. What if your car had a lock on the
hood and you couldn't open the hood to check the oil or change the
spark plugs? What if only the manufacturer had the key to the hood
and charged you $50 ever time they opened it, no matter what was
wrong? Wouldn't you consider that an unfair trade practice Ğ
wouldn't you consider that a MONOPOLY?"
"No, I don't see it as a monopoly and this is different because there
are no 'user serviceable parts' inside the Super Nintendo box."
"Maybe not for the average person," I responded. "but I am not the
average person and I can service my own electronics. I fix
everything that I own, VCRs, stereos, TVs, computers . . . you name
it Ğ I fix it. But I can't fix it if I can't get inside the %$#@
box! Furthermore, you are forcing people who can't fix their own
electronics to use Nintendo's service. Why are they not allowed to
choose their own service provider?"
"I don't doubt that you can fix it yourself, Mr. Stanbro, but I still
can't help you. This is not my policy, this is my company's policy."
At this point I was so angry I couldn't think straight. This is down
right unethical and smacks of an unfair business practice (i.e.,
MONOPOLY). I decided to hang up before I said something that I would
regret later. It wasn't his fault personally, he was just
representing the company.
I decided to drill out the screws that night using a drill press. It
was no small feat as the tops of the special screws are convex
rounded so that the drill tends to wander off the center. I was also
forced to use a large diameter bit because a thin one tended to flex
and "wobble," again due to the rounded head. Nintendo has gone out
of its way to keep the consumer out! After about an hour of work I
was able to open the box. The damage to the plastic case was not
severe, but it will never be closed with mere screws again! Oh-well
. . . at least I got the blasted thing open. Now I could inspect the
damages and find out what was so damn secret about this box.
Are you ready for the diagnosis? Any guesses?
Well . . . it was a blown fuse! A 1.5 Amp, solder-in fuse to be
precise. About the size and shape of a small diode. Unfortunately,
it was not something that I had in my spare parts bin. In fact, I
had never seen a solder-in fuse before. Apparently they are not too
uncommon since I was able to find them at a local electronics parts
store ($4.37 for a package of five). The next day the Super Nintendo
was operational again and my son was thrilled . . . I was still doing
a slow burn over the matter.
Just out of curiosity, I called Nintendo again and told them I would
like to buy a replacement fuse. I was told that they did not sell
any electronics parts for the Super Nintendo. I would have to take
it to an authorized service center.
"But I just want a simple fuse," I said.
"Sorry, that is our policy," he responded.
Beginning to sound familiar? I then called my local service center.
They told me that they were not allowed to sell any parts either,
"terms of the contract with Nintendo," they said. There definitely
seems to be a pattern here.
So there you have it . . .
It is unclear to me if this service "policy" that Nintendo has
created is legal or not. I intend to pursue that in greater detail.
Regardless of the legality, it is my opinion that it is unethical and
should not be allowed to continue. I have checked the other popular
video game decks and they all use standard screws in them. That
includes SEGA, NEC, and several others that I checked at a local
retail store.
If you agree that this is unethical business practice, join me in
spreading the word to the consumer public. Pass this message on so
that others may make informed choices when they purchase video games
in the future. Please maintain my signature line at the end of this
message so that others can trace the source of these claims. I stand
by them and the account of the events that transpired.
--
Mike Stanbro mi...@wv.mentorg.com (UNIX)
Mentor Graphics Corporation michael...@mentorg.com (MAC)
8005 SW Boeckman Road Voice:(503)685-1437
Wilsonville, Oregon 97070, USA Fax:(503)685-1599
--
THANX...Gregg day 214.684.7380 night UNLIST/PUBL TEXAS NOT CANADA!
wood...@bnr.ca or wood...@nt.com or bn...@cleveland.freenet.edu
*CLASSIC VIDEOGAME COLLECTOR BUY/SELL/TRADE PRE-NINTENDO (ARCADE/HOME)*
"If you quote me on this I'll have to deny it; I won't remember because
I have such a bad memory. Not only that, but my memory is *terrible*."
Tim Llewellyn
There was a thread a while ago in one of the musicians groups
(rec.music.makers.synth I think) about some music firms, notably
Ensoniq, who have a similar policy.
--
-----------------------------------------------------+------------------+
Tim Llewellyn - OpenVMS, Soukous and Cricket Addict |Hey, and get wise |
Physicist Programmer, Bristol Uni Particle Physics. | to the sounds of |
HEPNET/SPAN 19716::TJL Internet t...@siva.bris.ac.uk | Africa,seen. |
I speak for me and noone else OK (and I might even | Soukous Makossa |
change my mind sometimes!-) | Mbalax Rumba...|
-----------------------------------------------------+------------------+
Unix : don't y'all just love it ! It's what standards are all about :-).
Lou Sortman
Tim Llewellyn <Tim.Ll...@bristol.ac.uk> wrote:
>
>
>There was a thread a while ago in one of the musicians groups
>(rec.music.makers.synth I think) about some music firms, notably
>Ensoniq, who have a similar policy.
>
Well, there's another company that I won't give my money to.
Black and Decker also use non-standard "tri-wing" screws.
BTW, Jensen sells Nintendo bits, and they have a set which includes
the tri-wing bit.
--
l...@tfnet.ils.unc.edu (Lou Sortman) for(i=0; i<3; i++) puts(
"Janet! Dr. Scott! \n"
"Janet! Brad! \n"
Whoever dies with the most LEGO wins. "Rocky! <Uh!> \n");
Bill Walton
They sell schematics for video games, tools for opening the game
cartridges, etc. I would think they might have a tool for getting
into the unit (why would the sell the schematics if they couldn't
help you get inside?).
Bill
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Walton wal...@stat.fsu.edu
Tom Smailus
|> You wanted war stories? Try *this* one on for size!!!
|>
|> [ Article crossposted from rec.games.video.nintendo ]
|> [ Author was Mike Stanbro ]
|> [ Posted on 30 Jun 1994 21:44:51 GMT ]
|>
|> NINTENDO HAS CREATED A SERVICE MONOPOLY!
|>
|> The following is a rather lengthy narration of a recent exchange
|> between Nintendo of America and me. This is a true story. The
|> quotes are not exact since I did not record the conversations but
|> they accurately reflect what transpired.
|>
|> My son's Super Nintendo system deck recently quit working. The cause
|> of the failure was obvious to me when he told me that it occurred
|> shortly after "yanking" on one of the controllers. In his words,
|> "the little red light on the front of the box went out and the game
|> stopped working." Upon opening the controller, I observed that two
|> wires inside had shorted together. Something related to the power
|> supply had clearly been damaged. I checked the external transformer
|> and it was OK. It seemed that something inside the Super Nintendo
|> deck had failed due to the short circuit.
|> --
|> Mike Stanbro mi...@wv.mentorg.com (UNIX)
|> Mentor Graphics Corporation michael...@mentorg.com (MAC)
|> 8005 SW Boeckman Road Voice:(503)685-1437
|> Wilsonville, Oregon 97070, USA Fax:(503)685-1599
|>
While I agree that such a policy is not very consumer friendly, I don't think
there is any wrongdoing on the part of Nintendo here. You did purchase
the box, and it is yours, but Nintendo is under no obligation to provide
service or assist in opening the box, or any other work. They provide
a way of servicing broken units - and they probably make good money at it.
If you want to open the case, you have to do it yourself, and cannot expect
Nintendo to help. The use of proprietary screws is very unfriendly to
consumers, but I suppose it helps keep the layman out of the thing, preventing
damage. What I would suggest is not to buy a Nintendo - go with a Sega or
Atari unit instead. After all, you wouldn't buy one of those cars with a
special lock on the hood, now would you.
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas 'The Tom-Meister' Smailus Email: t...@sun-ra.rsip.lsu.edu
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The mindless data of the above message does not express the opinion of
the Remote Sensing Lab or Lousisiana State University, just this mine.
________________________________________________________________________
Set
on the snes case for RGB output. (after opening it, I decided it wasnt worth it,
after contemplating all that little surface mount crap. It was easier to fabricate
a new plug for its wanky port.)
Either way, I had to open the thing, so I went down to the basement, and got
a machine screw (the kind with the tall cylindrical head), and drilled the philips
(or hex) top out. Then I ran a small file, as tho passing thu the vertices of a
hexagon over the head of the screw. This leaves six little triangular teeth
that compramise the tool required to remove the snes screws.
A handle was easy to privide for this tool.
This in no way mitigates the orriginal posters angst toward nintendo. They
are a nasty company in many ways...But its probably not worth getting into now...
Paul Thompson
Mark Zenier
: You wanted war stories? Try *this* one on for size!!!
: [ Article crossposted from rec.games.video.nintendo ]
: [ Author was Mike Stanbro ]
: [ Posted on 30 Jun 1994 21:44:51 GMT ]
: NINTENDO HAS CREATED A SERVICE MONOPOLY!
MCM Electronics, Catalog #32, pg 92 (This may not be the latest version
so the prices may be old.)
Game Bit Drivers
3.8 mm 22-1145 $9.95
4.5 mm 22-1150 $9.95
A Layman's Guide to Nintendo Repair, VHS , 30 minutes $34.95
"Nintendo Repair Available Here" sign 21-2140 $19.99 ;-)
Mark Zenier mze...@netcom.com mze...@eskimo.com
Karel Hladky
: You wanted war stories? Try *this* one on for size!!!
:
: [ Article crossposted from rec.games.video.nintendo ]
: [ Author was Mike Stanbro ]
: [ Posted on 30 Jun 1994 21:44:51 GMT ]
: have a look inside the box. Much to my surprise, the screws that
: that I could use to remove the screws. I was shocked . . . in the 20
: years that I have been repairing electronics, I have never
: encountered a box that used screws with non-standard heads. "How the
Real pain these tamperproof screws. If you get out your old wire snips
and persevere you can loosen them. I disposed of those I got out of my
kids Sega Gamegear by throwing them as far as I could into the garden.
I'd love to know exactly what they are, they look a bit like 'System
Zero' for which RS Components sell driver bits (Stock No. 542-122). Can
anyone confirm this ?
Karel
--
++Karel Hladky+(khl...@umist.ac.uk)+CAPCIS Ltd.+Manchester+England++
Kevin E Horton
: You wanted war stories? Try *this* one on for size!!!
: "Why not? " I asked.
: "It is our policy not to sell the tool to anyone other than
: authorized service centers", they responded. "We will be glad to
: repair it for $45 [flat rate] if you ship it to us, or you can take
: it to a local authorized service center". I was not about to spend
: $45 (plus shipping costs) to fix it without knowing what was really
: wrong with it, so I asked him for the telephone number of the local
: service center.
: I called the local service center (Electromatic in Portland, Oregon)
: and was told that they would charge me $50 to fix it (also a flat
: rate). I asked them how much they would charge to just open the box,
: throw away the screws and hand me back the box. They told me that
: they couldn't do that because "Nintendo does not allow it,"
: (something about wording in their contract with Nintendo).
[horror story about nintendo deleted]
I have found a source for the tool that removes those dreaded
reverse- hex screws. It's MCM Electronics. (No commercial
intrest) Unfortunately I didn't have one of those tools when I
had to get inside my SNES. I tried the drilling route, but the
bit kept slipping off that darned convex head. Finally, I pounded
a piece of aluminum tubing onto the head and vice- gripped it off.
It took about 2 hours to remove the 6 screws (the 2 deep ones were
the worst), but I finally got it open. Also, MCM has schematics
for all the game systems--- unfortunately it's lacking in labeling.
It's intresting, but the Game Gear only has 1 of these funky screws,
and it's at the surface! The other 4 screws are phillips. 2 minutes
with the ViceGrips, and I was in.
Another thing nintendo did was to make the game slot an odd size. It's
a 46- pin connector. Everyone sells 44 and 48 pin connectors, but
no one sells 46 pin connectors. I improvised by using a 50 pin and
a guide assembly. I needed said connector for my game- backup device
I built. You plug the original in, transfer it's data onto your
IBM, (for bacckup use only! :) and away you go! I like to use
it to modify the games; i.e. change the GFX in the games. (Another
story)
Every connector on the SNES is a custom job, also. The power connector
is impossible to find. I needed to fix the plug; but obviously I
couldn't find the correct plug.
P.S.: Does anyone know what processor is in the SNES?
(Obviously it's a custom; but it might conform to a
standard, i.e. 68000)
B
[.sig left intact, as requested]
: --
: Mike Stanbro mi...@wv.mentorg.com (UNIX)
: Mentor Graphics Corporation michael...@mentorg.com (MAC)
: 8005 SW Boeckman Road Voice:(503)685-1437
: Wilsonville, Oregon 97070, USA Fax:(503)685-1599
--
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| \_\_ \_\_ \_\_ \_ \_\_\_ c- (y) e+ g (f-) t(+) k+ s-- |
| \_ \_ \_\_\_ \_ \_ \_ \_ __ kho...@tech.iupui.edu __ |
| __ ___ ___ __ \/__Can *YOU* write 8085__\/ |
|--\/-- \X/ 8085 forever! \X/ --\/-- \/ assembly? \/ |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Laurence Lee
: P.S.: Does anyone know what processor is in the SNES?
: (Obviously it's a custom; but it might conform to a
: standard, i.e. 68000)
If I remember correctly, the Nintendo uses a 65C816 chip, which is a
16-bit version of the 6502. (The Apple IIGS uses this 16-bit chip.)
--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Laurence A. Lee Undergraduate of Information & Computer Science
la...@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu At the University of Hawaii at Manoa
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Kevin E Horton
: Kevin E Horton (kho...@tech.iupui.edu) wrote:
: : P.S.: Does anyone know what processor is in the SNES?
: : (Obviously it's a custom; but it might conform to a
: : standard, i.e. 68000)
: If I remember correctly, the Nintendo uses a 65C816 chip, which is a
: 16-bit version of the 6502. (The Apple IIGS uses this 16-bit chip.)
Thanks for the #!
Coleman Jeremiah L
Set <t...@cs.iastate.edu> wrote:
> I noticed the unusual screws when I was considering installing bnc connections
>on the snes case for RGB output. (after opening it, I decided it wasnt worth it,
>after contemplating all that little surface mount crap. It was easier to fabricate
>a new plug for its wanky port.)
>Paul Thompson
>
I take it you were trying to hook it up to a decent monitor. If so,
could you tell me the design of the connector, wiring, etc. Would
appreciate..
jeremiah
Coleman Jeremiah L
around the heads. Also won't eject it. My guess is that the cassette
sensor is out. Now what's that tho. I guess one of those two
infrared-LED looking things. Am I right?
If I'm wrong, then what is it. If I'm right, then where do I get the
specs on those things to replace them. Wouldn't be difficult, but its
really, really hard to replace them with air...
Thanx in advance
jeremiah
John Fenske
>: If I remember correctly, the Nintendo uses a 65C816 chip, which is a
>: 16-bit version of the 6502. (The Apple IIGS uses this 16-bit chip.)
>Thanks for the #!
I believe the 65C816 is sold by Western Design Center and costs roughly
$95. (not a cheap repair)
Jeff Hunsinger
> (Obviously it's a custom; but it might conform to a
> standard, i.e. 68000)
It's a 65816, a 16 bit version of the 6502. I believe it was used to make it easy for
game developers to transfer their games from the NES to the SNES (the NES uses a 6502).
Jeff
Christopher_John PIASTRI
" I don't have the FAQ, but I know pretty much all the specs.
Processor : 65816 @ 3.58 MHz. The processor is a decent chip, but
the slow clock speed is the SNES's biggest weakness.
Sound : 8 Channel PCM, sampling rates up to 48 KHz. Stereo with hard-
ware panning (as opposed to the Amiga with 2 left channels and 2 right)
16-bit sound with DSP.
Graphics Modes : The SNES has 8 graphics modes. Most use a 256x224
resolution. There are ways of getting 512x448 either true or through
interpolation, but it is not widely used, either because of porocessor
limits or game size limits (high res takes up alot of cart space).
Varying levels of color, up to 256 colors simultaneously out of a
palette of 32768. Up to four hardware screens can be scrolld at
one time for paralax effects. The system also has hardware 3D that
can scroll backgrounds in 3D, warp, tilt, stretch, shear, etc. There
is hardware fading, mosaic, palette changing, character mapping,
translucent, and other effects (like a hardware high resolution,
interpolation). The system can handle 128 sprites simulataneously,
up to 32 per scanline and a maximum sprite size of 64x64.
I hope I hit all the major points of the system. "
I hope this helps.
Chris
Dave Hamilton
>>Real pain these tamperproof screws. If you get out your old wire snips
>>and persevere you can loosen them. I disposed of those I got out of my
>>kids Sega Gamegear by throwing them as far as I could into the garden.
>>I'd love to know exactly what they are, they look a bit like 'System
>>Zero' for which RS Components sell driver bits (Stock No. 542-122). Can
>>anyone confirm this ?
>>
>>++Karel Hladky+(khl...@umist.ac.uk)+CAPCIS Ltd.+Manchester+England++
Yes, System Zero drivers work (driver size 1, price around 5.00ukp from RS).
I just replaced a blown fuse in my nephew's snes ,over the weekend,caused by
some idiot installing a cartridge the wrong way round in his non-standard
adaptor (ok, so it was me, I admit it :-) )
I used a 1.5A picofuse to replace the original 1.5A black one that had fried
(beside the switch connector leads).
Dave
Dave d...@dcs.ed.ac.uk > > > > > > >>>>> ad astra
Mitchell N. Perilstein
screwdriver from a nail. Use a Dremmel with a cutoff wheel and start
carving. It's fragile but it works well.
Also, Nintendo Cursetomer Serveless, when called up and reminded of the
US antitrust laws, were happy to send me the keypad rubbers for a
Gameboy, for free, after they and I agreed that I was not a pro and they
wouldn't be liable when it got screwed up, etc... They had a form
already prepared for the occasion, but it took some arguing to get to
that point.
Kevin E Horton
: If snes screws are the same as the gameboy ones, you can make a
: screwdriver from a nail. Use a Dremmel with a cutoff wheel and start
: carving. It's fragile but it works well.
The screws in my GB were phillips. Have the started using those screwey
convex- headed things on the GB? I had to remove the screws on my
SNES that were this type. The problem was that they are recessed about
3cm (1.5") in little plastic tubes. I pounded a piece of aluminum
tubing onto the head and turned it with vice grips. As a benefit, the
tubing just slips right on the screws now. Shortly after doing this,
I found a company that sells the correct tool. They also sell the replacement
rubber things for the GB, SNES and NES controls.
: US antitrust laws, were happy to send me the keypad rubbers for a
: Gameboy, for free, after they and I agreed that I was not a pro and they
: wouldn't be liable when it got screwed up, etc... They had a form
: already prepared for the occasion, but it took some arguing to get to
: that point.
I'm suprised you got that much out of them! Usually they aren't so
accomdating (sp?).
--
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