Expansion port
Both the NES and Famicom have expansion ports that allow peripheral devices to be connected to the system.
See also: Input devices
Famicom
The Famicom has a 15-pin (male) port on the front edge of the console.
Because its two default controllers were not removable like the NES, peripheral devices had to be attached through this expansion port, rather than through a controller port as on the NES.
This was commonly used for third party controllers, usually as a substitute for the built-in controllers, but sometimes also as a 3rd and 4th player.
Pinout
( Female DA-15 on peripheral )
/\
| \
GND | 01 \
| 09 | /OE for joypad 2
SOUND | 02 |
| 10 | Out 2 ($4016.2)
/IRQ | 03 |
| 11 | Out 1 ($4016.1)
Joypad 2 D4 | 04 |
| 12 | Out 0 ($4016.0, Strobe)
Joypad 2 D3 | 05 |
| 13 | Joypad 1 D1
Joypad 2 D2 | 06 |
| 14 | /OE for Joypad 1
Joypad 2 D1 | 07 |
| 15 | +5V
Joypad 2 D0 | 08 /
| /
\/
Signal descriptions
- Digital inputs to the Famicom
- Joypad 1 D1, Joypad 2 D1…D4
- Digital outputs from the Famicom
- Out 0, 1, 2; /OE for both joypads
- Open-collector bidirectional
- IRQ
- Analog outputs
- SOUND (In the original Famicom, before expansion audio is mixed in. In the AV Famicom, after expansion audio is mixed in.)
- Depends on context
- Joypad 2 D0 (In the original Famicom, permanently connected to player 2 controller, so an output. On the AV Famicom, the player 2 controller could be removed, and allow for this to be an input)
NES
The NES has a 48-pin card edge located on the underside of the NES, beneath a plastic tab which must be cut or broken to expose the connector. The thickness of the connector is exceptionally thick (2.6mm), thicker than standard PCB thicknesses.
Because the NES had controller ports on the front that allowed different devices to be plugged in, the expansion port was a kind of "back up plan" for Nintendo that was never used commercially.
Pinout
+-------\
+5V -- |01 48| -- +5V
Gnd -- |02 47| -- Gnd
Audio in -> |03 46| -- NC
/NMI <> |04 45| -> out 2 ($4016 write data, bit 2)
A15 <- |05 44| -> out 1 ($4016 write data, bit 1)
EXP9 ?? |06 43| -> out 0 ($4016 write data, bit 0, strobe on sticks)
EXP8 ?? |07 42| ?? EXP0
EXP7 ?? |08 41| ?? EXP1
EXP6 ?? |09 40| ?? EXP2
EXP5 ?? |10 39| ?? EXP3
($4017 read strobe) /OE for joypad 2 <- |11 38| ?? EXP4
joypad 1 D1 -> |12 37| -> /OE for joypad 1 ($4016 read strobe)
joypad 1 D3 xx |13 36| xx joypad 1 D4
/IRQ <> |14 35| xx joypad 1 D0
joypad 2 D2 -> |15 34| -> duplicate of pin 37
joypad 2 D3 xx |16 33| <- joypad 1 D2
duplicate of pin 11 <- |17 32| <> CPU D0
joypad 2 D4 xx |18 31| <> CPU D1
joypad 2 D0 xx |19 30| <> CPU D2
joypad 2 D1 -> |20 29| <> CPU D3
Video out <- |21 28| <> CPU D4
Audio out <- |22 27| <> CPU D5
unregulated power adapter vdd -- |23 26| <> CPU D6
4.00MHz CIC CLK <- |24 25| <> CPU D7
+-------/
Extra notes
- All joypad input lines D0-4 are logically inverted before reaching the CPU. A high signal will be read as a 0 and vice versa.
- xx in above pinout: Joypad 1 and 2 D0, D3, and D4 are available as an input if no peripheral is connected to the corresponding joystick port that uses those bits:
- e.g. D0 is unavailable if a Standard controller or Four score is plugged in, and
- D3 and D4 are unavailable if a Zapper, Arkanoid controller, or Power Pad is plugged in.
- /IRQ and /NMI are open-collector
- See Cartridge connector#Signal descriptions for notes about the ten EXP pins.
- See Standard controller and Controller port pinout for more information about controller connections.
