RacerMate Challenge II

RacerMate Bicycle Training System. Bike fits in trainer and transmits info to the NES for display.

@DrWatson

Published in

SNES

· 21 Apr 2024

This NES game is missing from almost all lists for people looking for a complete NES collection. It is unlicensed but was available for sale in the USA. The cart is now somewhat rare and the full system is much more rare. A complete system includes the cart, interface box to the controller ports, manual, bike trainer, and handlebar display. A NES console with the lockout chip disabled may also have been available but no pictures of one have been seen. The cart has no lockout chip or lockout defeating circuits so it must be used on a top loader or a system with the lockout chip disabled. Electrical power is used to put more resistance in the flywheel in the trainer. The speed and power output is transmitted to the NES through the controller ports where the RacerMate Challenge II game reads it and displays it on screen.

The game itself is slightly more entertaining than watching TV while biking. It mostly displays the usual stats like speed and power output. It also displays the graphics of another rider you are racing against. You can set his speed then try to keep up. Courses like sets of mountains can be selected for more challenging races. I haven't found a way to crash the bike or the other rider yet... Without the interface box, handlebar display, and trainer this game is pretty much unplayable.

The cart itself has a unique case shape and a custom mapper. To make removing the cart from front loader easier the cart has a "handle". The cart also has four screws with hex nuts to hold it together. There may have been a Tengen style case for some of the earlier carts. Inside is 64KB prg rom and 64KB chr ram. The saved games are stored in the chr ram and backed up with a standard battery. Program data is not erased when the battery dies. Bank selection is done by latching data bits on writes to $8000. D0-2 select the prg bank (8 banks of 16KB) and D3 D6 D7 select the chr bank (8 banks of 8KB).

Use the CopyNES plugin to dump the prg and chr to a .nes file.

CopyNES plugin: save the following data into a file. The file name is racer.bin .

52616365 724D6174 6520706C 7567696E 2066696C 65425000 00000000 00000000 
00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 
00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 
00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 
A9012000 02A90020 0002A901 200002A9 01200002 A9008D00 80A00084 E0A98085 
E1A240B1 E0200002 C8D0F8E6 E1CAD0F3 A9408D00 80A00084 E0A98085 E1A240B1 
E0200002 C8D0F8E6 E1CAD0F3 A9808D00 80A00084 E0A98085 E1A240B1 E0200002 
C8D0F8E6 E1CAD0F3 A9C08D00 80A00084 E0A98085 E1A240B1 E0200002 C8D0F8E6 
E1CAD0F3 A9002000 02A90120 0002A902 200002A9 008D00F0 A9008D00 F0A9FF8D 
00F0A9FF 8D00F0A9 008D00F0 A9008D00 F0A9FF8D 00F0A9FF 8D00F0A9 008D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 018D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 028D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 038D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 048D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 058D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 068D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 078D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 088D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 098D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 0A8D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 0B8D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 0C8D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 0D8D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 0E8D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 0F8D0080 
A910200C 02AD0720 A210A000 AD072020 0002C8D0 F7200302 CAD0F1A9 00200002 
A9002000 02A90020 000260FF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF 
FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF 
FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF 
FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF 
FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF 
FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF 
FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF 
FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF 
FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF 
FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF

Mapper is number 168. The prg data is arranged exactly like it is on the rom chip, so it can be burned to a new chip and put on the cart. The chr data may not be arranged the same as it is physically. Tile data is copied from prg to chr, so the saved chr data is not needed. I can write a quick program to rewrite the chr ram if anyone has valuable saved games.

The known versions from a digitpress thread (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=76464) are:

3.11.088
05-02-1991
20:41:04

5.01.033
02-01-1994
19:28:10

5.01.036
05-15-1996
19:47:57

6.02.002
05-21-1996
12:22:18

9.03.128 (PAL)
03-22-1996
11:57:11