Other 2D makers

This page covers the 2D boards of Namco, Konami, Taito, Irem, Data East, Toaplan and Cave. Most run a 68000 with a Z80 for sound. Each maker has its own crystal, so the refresh rates run from about 55 Hz to about 60.6 Hz. Several boards have a protection MCU.

Board	Years	Main CPU and clock	Sound	Refresh	Protection	MAME status	Ghidra
Namco System 1	1987 on	Three MC6809E at 1.536 MHz	YM2151, CUS30	about 60.61 Hz (computed)	None listed	In MAME	MC6800 module
Namco System 2	Not covered here	Two 68000s at 12.288 MHz	YM2151, C140	about 60.61 Hz (computed)	None listed	In MAME	68000 built in
Konami 68000 (TMNT)	1989	68000 at 8 MHz	Z80 at 3.58 MHz, YM2151	about 59.19 Hz (computed)	Not covered here	In MAME	68000 built in
Taito F2	Not covered here	68000 at 12 MHz	Z80 at 4 MHz, YM2610	nominal 60 Hz	Not covered here	In MAME	68000 built in
Taito F3	1992	68EC020, set to 16 MHz	68000, ES5505, ES5510	58.94 Hz	Not covered here	In MAME; CPU clock marked wrong	68000 built in
Irem M72	1987	NEC V30 at 8 MHz	Z80, YM2151, DAC	about 55.02 Hz (computed)	Intel 8751 or 80C31	In MAME	x86 16-bit (not confirmed)
Irem M92	1991	NEC V33 at 9 MHz	NEC V35 at 14.318 MHz	about 60.01 Hz (computed)	Not covered here	In MAME	x86 16-bit (not confirmed)
Data East DEC0	Not covered here	68000 at 10 MHz	65C02, YM2203, YM3812, MSM6295	about 57.44 Hz (computed)	Intel 8751, M68705R3	In MAME	68000 built in
Toaplan 1	1988	68000 at 10 MHz	Z80 at 3.5 MHz, YM3812	Not covered here	Not covered here	In MAME	68000 built in
Cave 68000	1994 on	68000 at 16 MHz	YMZ280B, or MSM6295, or Z80 and YM2151	about 57.55 Hz	Not covered here	In MAME	68000 built in

Namco System 1 and 2

Hardware

Namco System 1 (from 1987) runs three MC6809E at 1.536 MHz for the main, sub and sound tasks. An HD63701 MCU runs at 6.144 MHz. Sound is a YM2151 plus Namco's CUS30 wavetable. The screen runs at Namco's usual 60.61 Hz (computed) (MAME: namco/namcos1.cpp).

Namco System 2 uses two 68000s at 12.288 MHz, a YM2151 and a C140 PCM chip. It shows 288 by 224 at about 60.61 Hz (computed) (MAME: namco/namcos2.cpp).

Protection

None listed.

Tools

• Ghidra's MC6800 module holds the 6809 spec. Unicorn has no 6809 backend (CPU families).
• Ghidra's 68000 module and Unicorn's M68K backend cover System 2.

Projects to learn from

None listed yet.

For an exact reimplementation

• Run the three System 1 CPUs and the HD63701 interleaved.
• Run the port at about 60.61 Hz.

Konami 68000 boards

Hardware

Konami's 68000 boards, such as TMNT (1989), use a 68000 at 8 MHz, a Z80 at 3.58 MHz and a YM2151. The screen runs at 24 MHz / 4 with 384 by 264 totals, about 59.19 Hz (computed). One configuration is marked "verified against real hardware" (MAME: konami/tmnt.cpp).

Protection

Not covered here for the 68000 boards. Konami's 6809-based Konami-1 CPU scrambles opcodes (protection). Konami's other 6809 and Z80 boards are not covered here.

Tools

Ghidra's 68000 module and Unicorn's M68K backend cover the main program.

Projects to learn from

None listed yet.

For an exact reimplementation

• Run the port at about 59.19 Hz.

Taito F2 and F3

Hardware

Taito F2 uses a 68000 at 12 MHz, a Z80 at 4 MHz and a YM2610 at 8 MHz. MAME sets it to a nominal 60 Hz. Some variants use an OKI MSM6295 and different clocks "verified on pcb" (MAME: taito/taito_f2.cpp).

Taito F3 ran Ring Rage, Arabian Magic and Riding Fight (all 1992). It uses a 68EC020 main CPU. MAME sets it to 16 MHz with a note that it "should be 30.47618_MHz_XTAL / 2". The Taito EN sound board has a 68000 at 15.238 MHz, an Ensoniq ES5505, an ES5510 effects DSP at 10 MHz and an MC68681 DUART. The screen runs at 26.686 MHz / 4 with 432 by 262 totals and 58.94 Hz. That rate comes from the crystal and from measurements in an arcade-projects thread. Another F3 configuration uses 58.97 Hz (MAME: taito/taito_f3.cpp; taito_f3.h; taito_en.cpp).

The Taito B System is not covered here. Bubble Bobble's board uses a 6 MHz pixel clock at about 59.19 Hz (computed) (MAME: taito/bublbobl.cpp).

Protection

Bubble Bobble uses an M68705P3 or an M6801U4 protection MCU (protection). How the Taito 68705 ROMs were dumped is not covered here.

Tools

• Ghidra's 68000 module covers the 68EC020 and the sound 68000. Unicorn's M68K backend runs them.
• Ghidra has no built-in module for the ES5510 DSP.

Projects to learn from

None listed yet.

For an exact reimplementation

• A note in MAME says its F3 CPU clock is wrong. Do not use MAME's timing as ground truth for a cycle-exact F3 port.
• Run an F3 port at 58.94 Hz. Check which configuration the game uses. Another configuration uses 58.97 Hz.
• Treat the F2's nominal 60 Hz as unknown.

Irem M72 and M92

Hardware

Irem M72 ran R-Type (1987). It uses an NEC V30 at 8 MHz from a 32 MHz master. The driver comment reads "16 MHz external freq (8MHz internal)". A Z80 drives a YM2151 and an 8-bit DAC. Some games have an Intel 8751 MCU. The screen runs at about 55.02 Hz (computed) (MAME: irem/m72.cpp).

Irem M92 ran Blade Master (1991). It uses an NEC V33 at 9 MHz and an NEC V35 sound CPU at 14.318 MHz. It shows 320 by 240 at about 60.01 Hz (computed) (MAME: irem/m92.cpp).

Protection

M72 uses an Intel 8751 or an 80C31 as a protection MCU.

Tools

The NEC V-series is 8086-compatible at the instruction level. Ghidra's and Unicorn's x86 16-bit modes can probably decode most of Irem's code. Check the V-series extra instructions and the V35's on-chip peripherals by hand (not confirmed) (CPU families). Ghidra's 8051 module covers the 8751.

Projects to learn from

None listed yet.

For an exact reimplementation

• Run an M72 port at about 55.02 Hz.
• Check every instruction Ghidra fails to decode against the V-series extras.
• The MCU may hold game logic. Check whether MAME runs its dump or a simulation.

Data East DEC0

Hardware

DEC0 is the Data East board from the time of Bad Dudes. It uses a 68000 at 10 MHz, verified as "68000P12 running at 10Mhz". A 65C02 at 1.5 MHz drives a YM2203, a YM3812 and an OKI MSM6295. Some games add a HuC6280, an Intel 8751 or an M68705R3. The screen runs at about 57.44 Hz (computed). An older comment gives 57.41 Hz (MAME: dataeast/dec0.cpp).

Protection

Data East uses an Intel 8751 and an M68705R3 as protection MCUs.

Tools

Ghidra covers the 68000, the 65C02 and the 8051. Unicorn covers only the 68000.

Projects to learn from

None listed yet.

For an exact reimplementation

• Run the port at about 57.44 Hz.
• Treat the protection MCU program as part of the game.

Toaplan 1

Hardware

Toaplan 1 ran Truxton (1988). It uses a 68000 at 10 MHz, a Z80 at 3.5 MHz, a YM3812 and a 7 MHz pixel clock. One configuration adds a TMS320-family DSP at 14 MHz (MAME: toaplan/toaplan1.cpp).

Protection

Not covered here.

Tools

Ghidra and Unicorn cover the 68000. Neither has a TMS320 module.

Projects to learn from

None listed yet.

For an exact reimplementation

• On the configuration with the DSP, trace its program as well.

Cave 68000 boards

Hardware

Cave's 68000 boards ran Mazinger Z (1994) and DoDonPachi (1997). They run a 68000 at 16 MHz. Many games use a YMZ280B at 16.9344 MHz. Others use an OKI MSM6295 or a Z80 with a YM2151. MAME sets the refresh to 15625 / 271.5, about 57.55 Hz (MAME: atlus/cave.cpp).

Protection

Not covered here.

Tools

Ghidra's 68000 module and Unicorn's M68K backend cover the main program.

Projects to learn from

None listed yet.

For an exact reimplementation

• Run the port at about 57.55 Hz.
• Record which sound chip the game uses.