Skip to content

Super Nintendo / Super Famicom (SNES / SFC)

Nintendo's 16-bit console (1990). Super Famicom in Japan, Super Nintendo (SNES) in the West. Native RGB output, sound by Sony (Kutaragi), and revisions that matter a lot for video quality (the famous "1-CHIP").

Identification

Field Value
Manufacturer Nintendo
Release 1990 (JP), 1991 (NA), 1992 (EU)
Generation 4th (16-bit)
Revisions 2-chip (early) → 1CHIP → SNS-101 / SF Jr (1997-98)
Native video output Composite + S-Video + RGB (multi-out)
Region / lockout CIC chip (console + cartridge) + cartridge shape + 50/60 Hz
Media format Cartridge

Architecture

Block Component Notes
CPU Ricoh 5A22 (65C816 core) @ 3.58 MHz Slows to 2.68 / 1.79 MHz depending on access
Video (PPU) 2 PPU chips 32,768-colour palette; 256×224, 512×448…
Sound S-SMP: SPC700 (8-bit) + 16-bit S-DSP + 64 KB PSRAM Designed by Sony (Ken Kutaragi)
SNES 1CHIP board
SNES 1CHIP board (the best stock RGB image). Photo: Evan Amos (Vanamo Media), public domain.

Revisions (the point that matters for video)

  • 2-chip (early): the 2 separate PPUs. Slightly blurry RGB (stock).
  • 1CHIP (SNS-CPU-1CHIP / SHVC-1CHIP boards): integration → sharper RGB image, the best stock. Highly sought after for RGB.
  • SNS-101 (New-Style SNES) / SHVC-101 (SF Jr) (1997-98): economical redesign, 1CHIP base (excellent image) but a multi-out without stock S-Video/RGB (composite only) → needs an RGB mod to get RGB out.

Video outputs & quality

  • Native RGB on the multi-out (except stock SNS-101/Jr).
  • PPU1 (S-PPU1 5C77) + PPU2 (S-PPU2 5C78): modes 0-7 (Mode 7 = rotation/scaling), resolutions 256×224 and 512×448 (interlaced), pseudo-hires 512, transparency/color-math.
  • 2-chip: decent RGB but slightly blurry → RGB amp (mod) to sharpen it.
  • 1CHIP: the stock RGB reference.

Memory

  • WRAM 128 KB (CPU) · VRAM 64 KB (PPU) · CGRAM (256×15-bit palette) · OAM 544 B (128 sprites) · ARAM 64 KB (audio, SPC700 side).

Enhancement chips (in the cartridges)

The SNES delegates power to coprocessors embedded in the cartridge — key to understanding the variety of games and modern recreations:

Chip Role Games
Super FX (GSU-1/2) 3D / polygons Star Fox, Yoshi's Island, Doom
SA-1 65C816 @ ~10 MHz (accelerator) Super Mario RPG, Kirby Super Star
DSP-1/2/3/4 3D math Pilotwings, Super Mario Kart
Cx4 trigonometry Mega Man X2 / X3
S-DD1 real-time decompression Star Ocean, Street Fighter Alpha 2
SPC7110 compression Far East of Eden Zero
OBC1 / ST01x misc Metal Combat, Hayazashi Nidan…

Cartridges: LoROM / HiROM

The cartridge's memory mapping comes mainly in LoROM (32 KB banks at $8000-$FFFF) and HiROM (64 KB banks), plus ExHiROM for big games (Star Ocean). The wrong mapping type = a game that won't boot — a key criterion for repros/flashcarts.

Add-ons & peripherals

  • Super Game Boy: a cartridge-adapter that runs Game Boy games on the SNES, with custom borders and palettes (some GB games ship special palettes/borders). SGB2 (Japan) adds a real link port and a corrected clock.
  • Satellaview (BS-X, 1995, Japan): a satellite modem under the console, games and shows broadcast (St. GIGA), stored on an 8M memory cartridge. Content largely lost (ephemeral broadcasts) → a major preservation topic.
  • Super Scope: a wireless optical bazooka (CRT only). SNES Mouse (Mario Paint). Super Multitap (up to 5 players, e.g. Super Bomberman).

Region & lockout

  • CIC (lockout) chip on both the console and cartridge → one region won't launch the other.
  • NTSC 60 Hz vs PAL 50 Hz.
  • Region-free (mod): cut the slot tabs (physical) + neutralise the CIC / add a **region
  • 50/60 Hz switch**.

Common faults

Symptom Likely cause Lead
Cartridge not read / frozen screen Cartridge connector oxidation Cleaning (iso alcohol), no abrasive
Yellowed plastic UV / ABS Retrobright (with care)
Lost save (game) Flat cartridge battery (CR2032/CR1616) Replace the battery in the cartridge
No image Power, multi-out, PPU Check power / connectors
Absent / noisy sound S-SMP / APU Sound-stage diagnosis

(The SNES has few electrolytic capacitors: it's not a "recap" console like the Mega Drive Model 2.)

Original service manual ✅

Manufacturer manual archived locally. It typically carries the schematics, the block diagram, the expected voltages and waveforms, the parts list and the disassembly procedures — the reference when a symptom matches no known fault.

  • Super Nintendo — service manual (translated and updated) — PDF

Status

A manufacturer document with no explicit licence, kept for preservation (machine long out of production). Source: Internet Archive.

Step-by-step disassembly procedures ✅

6 procedures transcribed from the iFixit guides. Each gives the difficulty and the estimated time — enough to know what you are getting into before opening the machine.

Procedure Difficulty Time
Disassembling Super Nintendo Cartridge Easy 5 minutes
Installing Super Nintendo Controller Port Easy 15 to 20 minutes
Installing Super Nintendo Eject Button Moderate 15 minutes
Replacing Super Nintendo Motherboard Moderate 15 to 30 minutes
Installing Super Nintendo Power Switch Moderate 15 minutes
Upper Case Removal Moderate —
Disassembling Super Nintendo Cartridge

Taking apart a Super Nintendo game cartridge for cleaning, modification, internal battery replacement, etc.

  1. On the bottom front corners of the cartridge you should see two screws using the 3.8mm "Gamebit" screwdriver bit. A 3.0U Spanner bit can also get them out. Once the screws are out, slide the front part of the plastic casing down to clear the tabs on the top of the case. The two halves of the case should open easily.
  2. At this point the game board and pins are freely accessible. Here you can fully clean the pin set and inspect for damage to the circuit board. Cleaning the pins is the easiest part; use a cotton swab and either a rich mixture isopropyl alcohol or Brasso. Other people swear by an eraser(the white kind), but it can lead to damage if you're not careful. Personally, Brasso works the best.
Installing Super Nintendo Controller Port

Replace both broken controller ports in you Super Nintendo to allow user input.

  1. Lift the controller ports out of the housing, this should be done without much force. Take note of the location of the ribbon cable connection.
Installing Super Nintendo Eject Button

This guide will show you have to remove and replace the eject button.

  1. Lift the right side of the eject out of the housing.
Replacing Super Nintendo Motherboard

Replace a faulty motherboard

  1. Remove the two Phillips two 11.6mm screws that connect the front shield to the motherboard.
  2. Lift the front shield straight up to remove it from the motherboard.
  3. Remove the two silver Phillips two 15.6 mm screws on either side of the 62 pin connector.
  4. Remove the Phillips Two 11.8 mm screw located towards the rear of the SNES.
Installing Super Nintendo Power Switch

Shows how to remove the power switch connected to the motherboard.

  1. Remove the two Phillips two 11.7 mm screws connecting the power switch to the motherboard.
Upper Case Removal

This guide will show you how remove the upper half of the Super Nintendo case.

  1. Remove the six 14.1 mm gamebit screws.

Source and licence

iFixit guides, licensed Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 — reuse permitted with attribution, non-commercial use and share-alike. Of all the documentation gathered in this wiki, this is the only material under an explicit licence: the manufacturer manuals have none. The step photos accompanying these guides are kept in the original archive (manuels/).

Common SNES tooling

4.5 mm gamebit screwdriver (the 6 case screws) + Phillips/JIS, temperature-controlled fine-tip iron, flux, razor blade/hook (to lift a pin), leaded solder, 28-30 AWG wire, drill + step bit. Procedures transcribed from ConsoleMods (CC-BY-SA). Soldering: 🟢 none · 🟡 · 🟠 · 🔴.

Video

  • The SNES outputs RGB natively (multi-out). Quality depends on the board: 1CHIP (SNS-CPU-1CHIP-0x) gives the sharpest stock image → prefer it when buying. 2/3-chip boards are softer and benefit from an RGB amp/bypass mod (THS7314/THS7374-type amp). Detail: SNES RGB bypass/amp page.
  • SNS-101 / SF Jr (1CHIP but no wired RGB output): a mod to get RGB out of the base — exact procedure below.
Procedure: get RGB out of an SNS-101 / SF Jr (transcribed from ConsoleMods, CC-BY-SA)

The SNS-101 already generates RGB internally (same S-RGB encoder as late Model 1 / 1CHIP boards) but it's not wired to the multi-out. Two options: wire the built-in S-RGB amp (the "3-wire" mod below), or fit a pre-assembled THS7374 amp board (beginner-recommended: 4 wires under the board).

DIY "S-RGB" mod (cheap) — also applies to the Super Famicom Jr. Materials: 26-30 AWG wire, 3× 75 Ω resistors (lowest tolerance), optional: 1× 1.74 kΩ 0805 (or 3× 1.2 kΩ) + 1× 220 nF or 470 nF 0805 cap. 4.5 mm gamebit bits.

  1. Disassemble; remove the RF shield and the 7805 heat sink (spiked-washer screws) to reach the S-RGB encoder = the 24-pin SMD chip directly behind the 7805.

  2. Solder 4 wires to the S-RGB outputs (very fine tip, tin pin + wire, flux):

Signal S-RGB pin
Red 20
Green 22
Blue 24
Composite sync 18

  1. Route the wires to the underside, through the unused RF-modulator vias (clear them) for a clean install; refit the 7805 heat sink.

  2. To the multi-out: a series 75 Ω resistor on pin 1 (red), pin 2 (green), pin 4 (blue); composite sync direct to pin 3 (TTL sync — not usable as-is on some devices; add a sync stripper if needed).

  3. Picture too bright/washed out (common on 1CHIP): swap R3 (1.6 kΩ) for 1.74 kΩ 0805, or add 3× 1.2 kΩ pulldowns on the RGB lines. Ghosting/ringing: swap C11 for a 220–470 nF value.

Play imports — Region-free (disable the CIC)

The CIC (lockout chip) blocks out-of-region carts; neutralising it allows NTSC↔PAL (pair it with the 50/60 Hz switch below). Not needed to play Super Famicom on a US SNES: they're identical, only the cartridge shape blocks them → an adapter / removing the tabs.

Procedure: disable the CIC (transcribed from ConsoleMods, CC-BY-SA)

Find the CIC: an 18-pin SMD chip near the reset button — F411/F411A/F411B (NTSC) or F413/F413A/F413B (PAL); pin numbering is silkscreened next to it.

  • CIC F41x / F41xA: lift pin 4 of the CIC. Strongly advised: then tie that lifted pin 4 to ground (e.g. pin 9) to avoid damaging the CIC. (Option: wire it to 5V/GND via a switch to re-enable lockout.)

  • CIC revision B (late consoles): lift pin 4 of the CIC (U8) and pin 7 of U18 (marked CLK/S-CLK); to re-enable, wire a DPDT switch tying pin 4 (U8) → 5V and pin 7 (U18) → pin 56 of the cart slot.

Steps: open (6 gamebit screws), remove the board, generous flux on the pin, heat with the iron and gently lift with the razor/hook (patience — the pin and pad are fragile). No-lift alternative: commercial region-free CIC boards.

Speed — 50/60 Hz switch

On 2/3-chip models (SHVC-CPU-01, SNSP-CPU-01/02…): force 50 or 60 Hz (⚠️ does not convert a PAL into a true NTSC — it only affects speed/frequency).

Procedure: 50/60 Hz switch (transcribed from ConsoleMods, CC-BY-SA)
  1. Open (6 × 4.5 mm gamebit screws), remove the motherboard.

  2. Find the two S-PPU chips near the controller-ribbon connector (pins silkscreened): locate PPU1 pin 24 and PPU2 pin 30.

  3. Heat and gently lift PPU1-24 and PPU2-30 (very fragile pins) clear of the pad.

  4. Tie PPU1-24 and PPU2-30 together with a wire, then a wire from PPU2-30 → the centre pin of an SPDT switch.

  5. One outer pin of the switch → 5V via a 2.2 kΩ resistor (protects the PPUs), the other → GND (ground/output of the 5V regulator). 5V = 50 Hz, GND = 60 Hz.

  6. Drill the shell with a step bit to mount the switch (the rear is discreet).

Play your library — flashcart

  • FXPak Pro (formerly sd2snes, ikari_01 / Krikzz hardware) — a microSD FPGA cartridge, plug-and-play 🟢: plays the whole library + homebrew, emulates the coprocessors (Super FX, SA-1, DSP, S-DD1, CX4) and MSU-1. Where: Krikzz, Stone Age Gamer, RetroTowers… Open-source tool archived locally (files/tools/snes/).

Audio (optional)

  • Digital Audio (SPDIF) Mod: clean optical digital audio output (dedicated ConsoleMods guide).
  • Audio Balance Fix: corrects the slightly louder left channel on older consoles — exact points below.
Audio Balance Fix — the too-loud left channel (transcribed from ConsoleMods, CC-BY-SA)

Cause: the audio DAC NEC uPD6376 has two Vref pins (one per channel), each of which should have its own 47 µF cap to ground; Nintendo tied them to a single 47 µF → wrong impedances → left louder than right. Found by Ace (~2018-19).

Affected boards: SHVC-CPU-01, SNS-CPU-GPM-01/-02, SNSP-CPU-01/-02, SNS-CPU-RGB-01. Later boards use a single-Vref DAC → not affected.

Fix (materials: 1× 47 µF ≥10 V cap, iron, razor): isolate one of the two DAC Vref pins (pin 9 or 10), solder the + of a 47 µF to it, the − to ground.

  • SHVC-SOUND module (SHVC-CPU-01): lift pin 9 (the 9↔10 trace runs under the DAC). Ground = S-SMP pin 26 or the right side of C14 (verify with a multimeter). (Use the smallest cap possible — tight space.)

  • All other boards: cut the trace between pins 9 and 10 (isolates pin 10), + of the 47 µF on pin 10, − to ground (the − lead of the other Vref 47 µF next to the DAC, or DAC pin 5/12/14). Cut the cap leads as short as possible (anti-short).

Preservation & homebrew

  • Flashcart: sd2snes / FXPAK Pro (FPGA hardware) — loads the library + homebrew and emulates the coprocessors (Super FX, SA-1, DSP, S-DD1…) and the MSU-1. → open-source tool archived here (files/tools/snes/).
  • MSU-1: a homebrew extension (created by byuu) adding CD-quality streaming audio
  • video — many "MSU-1" hacks swap in studio soundtracks, playable on sd2snes/FXPAK and in emulation.
  • Emulation: very mature and accurate (bsnes/higan/ares, Snes9x, MAME).

Photos / assets

(To add: 2-chip vs 1CHIP board, multi-out, CIC area, cartridge + battery.)

Advanced repair

Cartridge contacts + recap (especially the APU audio); plastic yellowing aside. Methods: Recap · PCB fault-finding · Traces & vias.

Sources & attribution

Image:

Review & corrections

How this space is used

Spotted a wrong value, an outdated procedure, a chip reference that does not match your board? Say so here, with what you observed (model, board revision, serial number, measurement). Every report is cross-checked against a source before anything changes — an unverifiable correction is published as “reported by …, not cross-checked” rather than silently applied.

Reading is open to everyone; posting requires signing in with Discord. Reports from the wiki's declared reviewers are handled first; anyone else's are read too, but go through a human before anything is changed.