Adding Card Slot to a Master System 2?

[Sensato]

It has always bugged me that the SMS2 doesn't have a card slot (I must not be the only one). I was toying around with some model 1 SMS yesterday and tried to figure out how the card slot worked and if it would be possible to add one to an SMS2. I realised that most pins on the card slot seem to be directly connected the the standard cartridge slot. I haven't gone through this deeply yet but would it be technically possible to add a card slot to an SMS2 by connecting the card slot pins  (from, let's say, a dead SMS1) directly to the appropriate standard cartridge slot pins? Has this already been explored?

Unless it has and that somebody tells me that I can't be done for some reason (maybe there is a seperate IC controlling card games), I intend trying this after I get a hold on a card game.

[NFG]

In Japan, Sega released a 'Card Catcher', basically a cartridge with a card slot inside.  All it did was rearrange the pins, so yes - if you had a card slot to sacrifice, you could add the slot to your SMS.

The only problem is...  if you had a card slot, you wouldn't need to add one to your SMS, right?

[Sensato]

Well, actually, I've got a card slot from a dead SMS1 that I could use to add a card slot to an SMS2 (which doesn't have a card slot to begin with).

I could try to fix the dead SMS1 but the idea of ripping it's card slot to enhance an SMS2 sounds more exciting to me.

It's interesting to learn that such an item as a "Card Catcher was released" in Japan. Didn't even know that the japanese counterpart to the SMS didn't have a card port.

[NFG]

There were several SMS-type systems in Japan: the SG-1000, the SG-1000 II, the Mark III, and the Master System.  Only the last two had card slots, the SG1k had to use the Card Catcher.

Interestingly, the MSX had a similar setup with Hudson's BeeCard system: a cartridge with a card slot.