Nintendo Factory Hardware

[TODO: add images, reupload fccid stuff]

Nintendo has used a wide variety of bespoke hardware as part of their manufacturing processes, many pieces of which have surfaced into the community via Xianyu.

This page will catalog items of factory hardware which don't yet have their own articles.

Many of these are copied (with revisions) from the Odd Taobao Neocities site, with permission from the author. This isn't a 1:1 copy of what's on that site, as this article's scope is limited to factory hardware, and several other types of items have showed up on Xianyu which will be documented separately.

For items which originated from a Xianyu listing, some listing metadata is included as taken from the Odd Taobao site. A "showoff listing" is one which was created by the seller primarily to show off what they have without any real intention of selling it, often with an exorbitantly high price specified.

Nintendo has a tendency to use their own products as part of factory testing setups for other products, even sometimes across console generations. As such, there are a lot of odd revisions of consoles and peripherals here which were themselves used to help manufacture other consoles.

GameCube

"Engineering Test Controller"

• Listing Price: 90¥
• Listing Description: "Nintendo ultra-rare collectible NGC original engineering test controller"
• Listing Description (Original): "任天堂 超稀有收藏品 NGC原装工程测试手柄"

This is a white, final model GameCube Controller with a second wire with an unknown plug type attached to it in addition to the regular one. It's unknown what this was used for, possibly for controlling some kind of test equipment (not necessarily for the GameCube itself).

Rough translation of the label:

External objects management Management Number: S-B8520-465 Angular Velocity (CFS8280 Handle)

DS/DSi

Factory/Internal Top Halves

• Listing Price: 9999¥ (Showoff listing)
• Listing Description: "This is my first time seeing this. Does anyone know the origin of this machine? Nintendo World New York"
• Listing Description (Original): "第一次见，有了解本机出处的吗，纽约任天堂世界"

These are several DS/DSi console top halves with various internal-use labels. Of note is parts from a 3DS that appears to have been used as part of a microphone tester setup, as well as (probably non-factory) a DS that appears to be from NST, a highly defective 3DS which failed numerous factory tests and has the error codes printed on it along with "NG", three DSi XLs with the names "Kin Corn Karn", "Unira", and "Sable Able" printed on them, and a DSi branded with the Nintendo World Store (now Nintendo NY) logo.

Factory Test Cartridge

• Listing Price: 1599¥
• Listing Description: "Nintendo Factory Test Card"
• Listing Description (Original): "任天堂工厂测试卡。"

An unidentified DS test cartridge.

TWLC-FMCOM-01 board with TWL-EVA 3.1 flashed

• Listing Price: 100¥ (Though, this seller often does not list items for their genuine prices)
• Listing Description: "A copy of Nintendo's finished product inspection board TWL EVA. Version 3.1, dated December 21, 2009. During the production of Nintendo's DSi system, the software was used inside the factory to evaluate each unit before it was put on the shelves."
• Listing Description (Original): "任天堂完成品检查基板 TWL EVA的副本。版本3.1, 日期为2009年12月21日。在任天堂DSi系统的生产过程中, 该软件曾在工厂内使用, 以评估每一个单元, 然后将其放入货架。"

A 'TWLC-FMCOM-01' memory board which connects to a 'TWLC-FDUMMY'. Written to it is version 3.1 of the factory test suite TWL-EVA.

The "TWLC" naming scheme suggests a connection to the DSi Crusher system.

X4 DS Prototype/Factory Unit

• Listing Price: 188¥ (Though, this seller often does not list items for their genuine prices)
• Listing Description: "Nintendo nds factory tested machine won't turn on without batteries - Factory tested machine case, these are not the same as the retail machine."
• Listing Description (Original): "任天堂 nds 工厂检测机 无电池开不了机 工厂检测用机的外壳，这些和零售机都是不一样的。"

An X4 Nintendo DS prototype that was likely used as part of a factory process, judging by the wires attached to it. Its serial number is NTPAB20003 - see the xTPAB page for more information on the NTPAB/RTPAB serial number prefix. Interestingly, this appears to have been one of the first units of the NTPAB2 series, which would have been the first series using the final shell design, as the FCC test photos of an early-shell DS prototype taken in August of 2004 show an NTPAB1 serial.

A unit of the same origin as this one had its firmware dumped and released via Forest of Illusion by Twitter user MasChief in 2022. Documentation of this firmware can be found on the IPL section of the DS page.

Broken DS/GBA Factory Cartridge Boards

• Listing Price: 99¥
• Listing Description: "Nintendo factory testing materials"
• Listing Description (Original): "任天堂工厂测试的料板"

Two broken factory test cartridge boards, and two GBA cartridge boards that have had their components de-soldered.

3DS

CTRC-MAIN-ANALOG-01 (3DS Crusher board?)

• Listing Price: 999¥
• Listing Description: "Nintendo Factory Beta"
• Listing Description (Original): "任天堂工厂测试版"

A board with two cartridge slots, RCA composite video/stereo audio jacks and a headphone jack. An obscured label appears to read 'CTRANA10--37'. May be the main board for the 3DS Crusher system.

KIS-CARD

• Listing Price: 88¥
• Listing Description: "Nintendo original unsold NDS ultra-rare KIS-CARD physical simulation card"
• Listing Description (Original): "任天堂原装 未发售 NDS超稀有 KIS-CARD实体模拟卡"

A DS cartridge with a special port which is used for NTRBoot during the factory process. It's also been seen in certain 3DS XL kiosks.

CTR-LU-J1

• Listing Price: 199¥
• Listing Description: "Nintendo inspection substrate"
• Listing Description (Original): "任天堂检测基板"

A small board of unknown purpose, appears to have been part of a factory process.