Arcade & Retro Repairs & Mods, all new recipe, with no added MSG...

Steve X2

Got a bit bored this evening so decided to do this quick mod. Just an LCD inside a Super Mario NES cart.
Needs some fine tuning and a bit of a clean up. I'll do that once the Sugru cures tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg9zy73kuBU

Steve X2

Cleaned up the NES cart LCD today (still need to finish the top bit as the Sugru stained it a bit).
Tis no thing of beauty but I kind of like it. The next one will be a little more refined.




Anyone who's done a few screen mods will probably recognise the type of LCD I used.
Gonna stick some tiny speakers in it at some stage. The actual game inside the cart is still playable by the way.

.

MrVestek

Steve SI wrote: »

Cleaned up the NES cart LCD today (still need to finish the top bit as the Sugru stained it a bit).
Tis no thing of beauty but I kind of like it. The next one will be a little more refined.




Anyone who's done a few screen mods will probably recognise the type of LCD I used.
Gonna stick some tiny speakers in it at some stage. The actual game inside the cart is still playable by the way.

.

I really wish I had the skill to do that kinda thing. Kudos sir it looks great.

Steve X2

Achilles wrote: »

I really wish I had the skill to do that kinda thing. Kudos sir it looks great.

Seriously, its dead easy to do something like that.
I kind of rushed it for some reason, otherwise I would have planned it a little better and ended up with a smoother looking mod.

Myrddin

Roo from 16 bit Gems with some cleaning tips

Steve X2

EnterNow wrote: »

Roo from 16 bit Gems with some cleaning tips

I've been meaning to get some of that Goo Gone stuff.

Forget about those things he used for the marker on the cart. Just get some hand sanitiser and some paper towels and give it a gentle wipe and most of the time it will all come off the first go. If its been on there for many years it might take a second cleaning but either way the marker is gone in 30 seconds or so.

For that smoker smell I use plain febreeze on a fine cloth (I use those travel towels you get in hiking shops as they're the best thing for wiping/cleaning retro gear). Give the cloth a good spray and wipe down whatever smells, even the external cardboard on game boxes is fine as long as you don't soak the thing and dry it off fairly quickly with another cloth.

ahyeahok

On a related topic, I picked up a boxed c64 cheap over the weekend.
Only problem is that the cardboard has that awful damp manky smell.

Any tips apart from just wiping it and airing it out?

Steve X2

ahyeahok wrote: »

On a related topic, I picked up a boxed c64 cheap over the weekend.
Only problem is that the cardboard has that awful damp manky smell.

Any tips apart from just wiping it and airing it out?

Use the febreeze method I mentioned above on the outside and maybe those laundry things on the inside or something else that has a nice smell to it.

Steve X2

Soldering is Easy - Here's How To Do It
This little document really lays it out in a clear and simple way.
View online or download the PDF.

http://snack.to/fu5ao8sm

MrVestek

Steve SI wrote: »

Soldering is Easy - Here's How To Do It
This little document really lays it out in a clear and simple way.
View online or download the PDF.

http://snack.to/fu5ao8sm

Thanks! Are the soldering irons that show up in Lidl / Aldi every so often any use?

Pyongyang

Achilles wrote: »

Thanks! Are the soldering irons that show up in Lidl / Aldi every so often any use?

About as much uses as tits on a bullfrog. Invest a good few quid in a decent soldering iron and it will pay dividends. Get a decent set of tips and a stand with it too.

I spent a few bob on a Draper one, granted it's not amazing by any means, but it got the job done for the small amount of use it's going to get. My CPS2 boards have never felt so loved!

The Last Bandit

For home/hobby use its hard to beat Antex stuff. Reasonably cheap and a good select of power and bit sizes available.

Make sure you also get tip cleaner and some solder wick.

Anybody repair/ or know ortf somebody that can repair jamma pcb's? I have a street fighter 2 boards here that aint working thx

Casey120

Deleted User wrote: »

Anybody repair/ or know ortf somebody that can repair jamma pcb's? I have a street fighter 2 boards here that aint working thx

VectorGlow on Arcade Otaku repairs boards , he is UK based .


I myself changed al the batteries on my PGM boards because of the Varta's that tend to to leak after 5 years or more and can ruin a game .
Tonight I was warned that a PGM mobo makes use of the same battery to store high scores so I checked mine and :



Not good :eek:


Luckily I still had one spare left from the previous replacements so I changed it right away and cleared the acid with some alcohol :



Better check them PGM Mobo's :P

o1s1n

My own PGM mobo runs off a cr2032 type battery. Took it off anyway when I got the board as it wasn't saving any scores.

Casey120

I haven't installed it now but you had to enable High score saving in the menu because it's off on default if I remember correctly .
Mine worked perfectly even with the beard on the battery , here's how my DDP Doj looked when it arrived :

Dr Bob

I dont have a link at the mo but the TOG lads in Dublin are doing another "beginners guide to soldering " afternoon soon , might be handy if you haven't
done much or want a bit of advice on technique.
http://www.tog.ie/calendar/irish-hackerspaces-week-schedule/

a5y

Dr Bob wrote: »

I dont have a link at the mo but the TOG lads in Dublin are doing another "beginners guide to soldering " afternoon soon , might be handy if you haven't
done much or want a bit of advice on technique.
http://www.tog.ie/calendar/irish-hackerspaces-week-schedule/

GAH. The one day I can't make it.

Myrddin

Dr Bob's Amiga 600 was sick. Two IDE pins broke off the header, meaning the CF hdd & adapter wern't working. I prescribed two new pins & 50mg of solder

Two missing pins



Underside of the pin header, I desoldered the broken stubs, & soldered in two new ones





Its now comfortably resting, & out of danger

Optimus Prime

Nice work!

Meant to ask you actually, i have a CPS2 street fighter 3 alpha game. i opened it up and it looks like it has a battery on it still. what do i have to do here, isnt there something called phoenixing or something? if the battery wastes the game is wiped? i think i might have brought it up somewhere before i cant remember.

Myrddin

keithgeo wrote: »

Nice work!

Meant to ask you actually, i have a CPS2 street fighter 3 alpha game. i opened it up and it looks like it has a battery on it still. what do i have to do here, isnt there something called phoenixing or something? if the battery wastes the game is wiped? i think i might have brought it up somewhere before i cant remember.

You've two choices:

1) Replace the battery. This will keep the game safe for about five years, in which case, you do the same again. This keeps the board as original as possible, though you do run the risk of a battery leaking & destroying the board {no real risk if you maintain the battery}

2) Get the board 'Phoenixed'. This is basically when you remove the few socketed eproms on the board, send them off to someone like Razoola, who will wipe them & reprogram them using hacked roms that don't require the security info that the battery is used for. You can then remove the battery & forget about it maintenance wise.

Some people view phoenixing as making the board a bootleg, but personally I think thats rubbish. The board is fully stock, & uses tweaked security info is all. I had all mine done when I owned them, all through Razoola.

Optimus Prime

Can you remember how much that lad charges? where can i get in contact with him? thanks by the way.

Myrddin

keithgeo wrote: »

Can you remember how much that lad charges? where can i get in contact with him? thanks by the way.

Anyone can do it who has the correct rom burner, I think there's a lad here is it Cathal-Dublin?

Anyway, razoola@cps2shock.com is Razoolas email address, he will give you a quote for the cost. I can't remember I think it was roughly €30 or so?

Optimus Prime

Thanks a lot!

Dr Bob

EnterNow wrote: »

Dr Bob's Amiga 600 was sick. Two IDE pins broke off the header, meaning the CF hdd & adapter wern't working. I prescribed two new pins & 50mg of solder

Two missing pins



Underside of the pin header, I desoldered the broken stubs, & soldered in two new ones




Its now comfortably resting, & out of danger

Nice one glad to see she pulled through:)

Anybody know what to use to get congealed kitchen grease and dust off of a plexiglass screen cover?

My arcade cab has become encrustulated with globules of feces (covered in sh*te) from being too close to where cooking was being done in my kitchen/dining area for a while. I've moved it now, and i want to clean all the crap off it, but i need to be very careful of splashes and drips, because anything that leaks down the screen plexi will drip straight into the motherboard below it, and liquid+electricity=toasted arcade.

I've used dishwashing liquid and a wrung out hot cloth to get rid of most of it from the paintjob, but the plexi seems to be a magnet for grease, and is still covered in it. Is there anything i can use to get it back to a nice shine without damaging the plexi or causing a lot of dripping? Any active cleaners I've seen are not recommended for use on plastic because they're corrosive.

The Last Bandit

Open the cab and throw a few towels or crappy xmas jumpers over the motherboard first.
Use the orangey citrus acid based kitchen cleaners, any supermarket should stock it. It'll get rid of the grease easily enough and shouldn't damage the plexiglass - obviously don't go at it with scouring pad or anything abrasive.

Myrddin

Deleted User wrote: »

My arcade cab has become encrustulated with globules of feces (covered in sh*te) from being too close to where cooking was being done in my kitchen/dining area for a while.

If you ever hold a beers, remind me never to eat anything there!

The Last Bandit

The Last Bandit wrote: »

Open the cab and throw a few towels or crappy xmas jumpers over the motherboard first.
Use the orangey citrus acid based kitchen cleaners, any supermarket should stock it. It'll get rid of the grease easily enough and shouldn't damage the plexiglass - obviously don't go at it with scouring pad or anything abrasive.

Thanks, will try that. I was thinking also that a vinegar & water solution might do the same job.

One orangey citrus-ey smelling cab coming up :P

EnterNow wrote: »

If you ever hold a beers, remind me never to eat anything there!

Lol, it's not from my kitchen, it's a quote from Beavis and Butthead:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ePvmPst_6g&feature=player_detailpage#t=55s

.

I got this sorted. Nothing else worked, so I ended up using white vinegar neat. I poured it straight onto a cloth, wrung it out to prevent drips, wiped it all over the grease and give it a good rub around, then left it for a few minutes, and wiped the whole lot off with a sudsy sponge with some fairly liquid.

It came up very well, like new in fact, and hasn't done any damage to the paintwork or plastic.