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

Steve X2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119520336#Comment_119520336

Apart from the PCB are the parts not common enough? I haven't done a BOM for it yet.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119520456#Comment_119520456

All common stuff, but things like the audio amp wasn't available is one retailer who did have the 3.5mm audio jack etc. The 2.5mm audio control jack then is a different retailer again.

Mouser, Farnell Ireland, and CPC Ireland are the three I was checking.

Inviere

Though maybe there's a better or more updated list?

Steve X2

My new XGecu T48 (TL866-3G) EPROM programmer arrived today. Very nice bit of kit and in my limited testing so far it works perfectly. It writes and verifies an M27C512 eprom in 22 seconds, compared to 2.5 mins on my super crappy previous noname programmer(the older TL866 II Plus takes about 1.5mins).

I went for the package with a good few adapters included.

One thing worth mentioning is if you plan on getting this and using it on Amiga roms, you'll need to reverse how the adapter sits in the socket compared to how it sits in the older programmer versions. Sounds easy, but my adapter was just about small enough to allow the programmer lever move up to open the socket and drop the adapter in.

I also grabbed a new EPROM eraser while I was at it. It's a tiny bit more modern looking than the old one, but not by much. But, that dodgy M27C512 eprom I had that just wouldn't erase in the old one, erased no problem in this after 10mins. Maybe the old one just needed a new bulb?

Steve X2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119520700#Comment_119520700

This is the one I was planning on using.

https://github.com/arananet/TzxDuino-Reloaded

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119520753#Comment_119520753

I seen that one alright, and it's definitely one of the cleaner board layouts. Some of them seem stupidly large. The page there mentions an acrylic case option for this pcb, is that something you'll do yourself Steve? If so, I might go for that one myself and grab a matching case if you're making one.

Steve X2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119520781#Comment_119520781

I hadn't even thought about a case yet. But laser, 3D Print or some combination of the two is possible.

Here's the video Noel made on his build:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5kj_yCq4g8

KeRbDoG

I ended up getting the SVI-CAS which he recivied in a later video for my tape emulation needs - I haven't had a chance to use it in anger beyone trying it with a MiSTer with the tape input with a spectrum core :) worked great

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4__v6ojPt0

Steve X2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119522140#Comment_119522140

Thats a very neat solution. How was the ordering process? I see its via email, which I never really like.

KeRbDoG

From memory its was fine, Paypal'd etc. The lad was fairly sound.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119522140#Comment_119522140

Very slick looking device, I'll watch that video later with interest, cheers kerb

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119522140#Comment_119522140

Watched the vid, I think this is the device I want. It's a bit of a Rolls Royce solution for the mere purpose of loading cassette tapes, but I like the fact of how wide its range is and how many computers can use it. There's a fairly long waiting list for them however, but I'm on the list now so will wait my turn! Thanks for posting Kerb

Steve X2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119528284#Comment_119528284

I think this is the one for me as well. Just seems so neat and handy.

Is it just a matter of emailing him and getting on the list? I'll be getting the TzxDuino Reloaded PCBs from PCBWay anyway, so if you want a bare PCB to have for future use just let me know as I'll have 10 of them.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119528476#Comment_119528476

Yep Steve, fire him off an email and get on the list. Colours are black and grey apparently, I'd have liked the white version I think but hey ho. I'll go with whatever he has to hand, not fussed either way.

That'd be great Steve, I might grab one of those off you for something else, cheers dude.

Steve X2

If anyone is looking for a tiny OLED for a project, I can recommend the below 64x32 0.49 inch from Ali. It looks blurry in the pic, but is pin sharp in person.

It's going in a weather station I'm building, but would work just as well in a tiny or hidden Gotek.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003874700775.html?

That's a 0.96 inch below it.

MrVestek

Mind posting the link to that UV Eraser that you got? Need to pick one up myself. Ordered one from AliExpress about two years ago and it never turned up. :-/

Steve X2

Sure, this is the one I got. It's made of plastic, so if you want a metal case you'll need to go for the older blue/grey metal version(that's what i had before this).

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33010077164.html

Steve X2

So much soldering! 

Has anyone else put together a Retro Chip Tester Pro? 240+ individual parts to solder on the boards, but at least the surface mounted ATmega2560 is already soldered.

It should look something like this when finished, although I'm hoping to put slightly better buttons on my one(really wish it used a rotary selector instead).

The Last Bandit

Looks very handy, how much is the kit? Don't see any prices on the site for it and retrolemon prices for the pcbs are totally outrageous

Steve X2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119640975#Comment_119640975

You have to email him on the site and he'll give you the options. No kits available so he just has the PCB's and you have to order all the other components yourself(he has a very good BOM which makes it easy enough).

• Main PCB with ATmega2560 installed, standard DC/DC PSU PCB, optional riser PCB's: €100 to the door via courier
• Parts ordered from Reichelt: €62
• Parts from Farnell: €44
• Parts from Amazon: €16

Total: €222

The Main PCB used to be cheaper, but the price of the ATmega has gone up a lot in the last year or so. You could save a few quid and get a cheaper ZIF socket as I went for the gold plated Aries one, which was €34 on its own. I had most of the required resistors, caps, LEDs and diodes in my own parts stock, but just ordered all the recommended parts as they were cheap anyway and were included on the saved shopping list for Reichelt.

Steve X2

Took me about 2.5-3 hours total to build the main unit. It all works now, but I still need to build the optional DC/DC converter module to get some extra functionality and then on to doing a few of my own mods.

The button caps I designed and 3D printed make moving through the menus and options a little nicer and are less wobbly than the ones you can buy(I'll probably print a red and green one for the "Reset" and "OK" buttons). I still wish it had a clickable dial though.

MrVestek

Speaking of soldering... getting kinda good at it myself I think! Managed this first go with no errors. Switchless video / region mod from Consoles Unleashed over in The UK.

My soldering may not be the tidiest but it gets the job done.

Video demo here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo3JD10xKk4

Inviere

Well done Sir Vestek, its rewarding to see something working properly like that isn't it. I really like the switchless mod idea, my only gripe is the multicoloured led's to indicate region....I love keeping things aesthetically original, though they are the most obvious choice to indicate region.

Colonel Panic

You gotta do a FRAM mod next! Screw using a CR2032 for saves.

I need to recap one of my JPN Saturns as it needs to "warm up" and get reset before it'll actually do more than light the power LED.

Hopefully just the PSU as it's got those surface mount can style caps all over the shop and I'm out of practice there.

MrVestek

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119671989#Comment_119671989

Ah screw that just get a SaturnPSU and be done with it!

Speaking of Saturn stuff I managed to master the art of the swap disc trick earlier today and rewrote the firmware on my action replay cart to Pseudo Saturn Kai.

Now I can directly boot my 100% legitimately backed up games too!

Colonel Panic

I’ve got a replacement PSU in my other JPN Saturn (and a Fenrir). The other one I want to be “original”!

MrVestek

I'm not sure that I'm brave enough to try an FRAM replacement quite just yet... I'm still getting used to micro soldering and it took FOREVER to remove a surface mount resistor as part of the region mod.

The kapton tape did its job but I honestly though that I was still going to end up melting off other components with the heat gun.

I have a few fresh ML3032 batteries so I'll just make sure to power up the Saturn every now and then to keep them charged. :-)

I did have the ability to back up said saves to the action replay cart but now that I've overwritten that with Pseudo Saturn Kai I think I've lost that ability.

Steve X2

For those doing the GameCube mod, or similar. This might be a neater solution than the official Raspberry Pi Pico. This one is USB C, has a reset as well as boot button and an addressable RGB LED if that tickles your fancy. I tested it this morning and it works just the same as the original Pico.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004276968886.html?

Inviere

My latest repair/restore/upgrade thread for anyone interested, it's the Amstrad CPD464 Plus this time - https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058265693/amstrad-cpc464-plus-restoration-repair-super-plus-upgrade

MrVestek

So it looks like the CRT in my Sega Blast City just died. I'm kinda distrought and I have no idea what to do quite honestly.

I was working on the PC setup for the machine and one of the things I've been meaning to do for quite some time is rejig the firmware on my ATI card in the PC to lock it to 31Khz so that it won't cause any weird sync issues with the monitor when it's powering up. So I did that and it all seemed to work fine, although after doing so the resolution on the monitor was displaying a bit weird.

Not to worry, I reinstalled the ATI drivers and everything seemed to be fine. The CRT would flicker every now and then but I didn't too much of it but then the worst thing possible happened, I witnessed a horizontal collapse of the image and then the screen powered off. Now it won't power on at all and all I can hear is a clicking noise every time it tries to power up. I'm honestly close to tears here as it took me ages to be able to afford a machine like this and now... this.

This is all that happens when it powers up now, this constant clicking sound with nothing on the screen:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JJpeiykMz98

Anybody know what I can do to fix this? I'm so bloody upset right now I should have just left it alone. At least it was working with the Naomi setup that I had in there.