OverviewEver wonder why your Vs Super Mario Bros doesn't save the high scores? I mean, the board has batteries on it... what the hell are they good for anyway? Well, there's really no good reason why it shouldn't save the scores. A few code tweaks is all it takes.
And what's the deal with the lame freeplay mode that just sits there on the "Push Start" screen? That just had to be fixed. That turned out to be a bit more challenging than I expected, but it was important to me (I run all my games on freeplay), so I got 'er done! Now you can enjoy full attract mode when the game is set on freeplay (coinage settings are unmodified, and operate the same as they always have).
InstallationThe best news is that it doesn't require any soldering or additional hardware. All you need to do is swap one EPROM at location 6D or 1D, depending on which side of the Vs board you have SMB installed in (if running a Unisystem, it will always be 6D). I use the existing battery-backed CMOS RAM chip on the board to save the high scores. So make sure your battery holder is clean (corrosion-free) and pop a fresh pair of AA cells in there. I suggest Energizer Ultimate Lithium Batteries. They'll last a very long time, and you don't have to worry about them oozing something toxic onto your PCB like an alkaline cell would.
If you want to reset the high score table, all you have to do is pull out a battery for a moment. The next time it boots up all the scores will be set to zero. Freeplay mode is enabled by turning the first three DIP switches ON.
Price is $21 shipped in the US (international shipping available at additional cost).
DownloadFor the do-it-yourself'er. If you've got your own programmer you can just download this ROM image and burn it to a 2764 EPROM.
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