By switchless we mean that it doesnt require an external physical switch. Region locking on the express (And other NEC consoles) is done by swapping the 8 hucard data line positions. 1 to 8, 2 to 7, 3 to 6, 4 to 5... So you need a way to phsyically change the circuit paths. Normally this is done with some sort of large multipole switch (an 8PDT to be exact) or with some sort of IC switcher. Thesteve and I designed a chip using a single 10 channel bus switcher IC, but it is still switched by sending either a high or low signal to a certain pin on it. Usually this is done with a physical switch to send either 5v or ground to said pin. For the portable systems like the express though, an external switch isnt easy to mount and usually isnt very aesthetically pleasing. thesteve came up with a circuit / ic setup that basically monitors the status of the "select" button on system boot. If the "select" button is presses, the switch flips to the alternate region mode. If the "select" button isn't pressed, then the system stays in its native region.
Long story short, the switchless method basically means that if you want to play a Japanese game on your US Express, you just put in the hucard, hold the select button and while holding the button turn the system on. Very clean and simple.
More info etc here:
http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/ind...?topic=10112.0
Originally Posted by turboexpress
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