Control Deck Tester

The Super Nintendo (SNES) Control Deck Tester is an official, specialized piece of Nintendo diagnostic equipment from the early 1990s, designed for use by World Class Service Centers to test and repair consoles, controllers, and accessories. It consists of a "test cartridge" unit that sits on top of the console, connecting directly to the console’s controller ports to run a variety of pass/fail hardware checks.

What the SNES Control Deck Tester Does:

Internal Hardware Diagnostics - It performs self-tests on the console’s working RAM (WRAM), sound chip, and CPU.
Controller Functionality Testing - It validates every button on standard SNES controllers, including diagonal directions on the D-Pad, and can diagnose bad controllers.
Video and Sound Output Testing - The unit tests audio channels and various video output types, including S-Video, Multi Out, and RGB, by displaying color bars, grids, and sprite animation tests.
Accessory Diagnostics - It includes tests for special peripherals, specifically the Super Scope (light gun) and the SNES Mouse.
Burn-In Testing - It acts as a burn-in tool to identify faulty components that may fail after extended play or when heated.
Interface Capabilities - It has "next" and "back" buttons to navigate through the testing programs, as well as video/audio ports for monitoring the tests.

Although the software stored internally on this test cart is needed for the hardware to operate, the physical cart and its buttons are absolutely essential. The attatched contoller leads must be connected to their corresponding controller ports on the SNES system before the test can even begin. When powered on the software in the tester checks video signals, clock timing, internal memory, and controller data. Afterwards it runs further tests like sprite mirroring, scaling, transparency, and checks music channels. The complete sequence takes roughly two minutes.

PHOTOS