Retro Gaming, Projects, Repairs and Blog
Take a look at a couple more “Switchless” mod installations I’ve been working on.
First is the original Sega Master System. Holding the RESET button switches between 50/60hz.
Second is the monster Sega Mega Drive + Mega CD + 32X. Region and video settings are all controlled via the reset button
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Click the links or photos for more information.
And now for something a bit different. After finding a few problems with the old IDE HDD in my PS2, I decided to install and new SATA drive. To do this I upgraded the existing IDE+LAN adapter with a SATA controller kit from eBay.
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Click here or on the images above to see how it went. I’ve also included information on how to format and prep a blank drive for installing games with OPL.
I managed to get a little time to do a mod on one of my own consoles 🙂
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Installed an IDE HDD system and bios bootloader for Dreamshell. So far its working great with only a few program issues. Click here for more info on this mod.
Ever heard of Sonic 3 Complete? Its a combination Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles with loads of additions, tweaks and fixes. I’ve just got this working by programming a new EPROM and installing in a donor PCB.
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Click here or the above images to see how this little project was done.
I’ve been playing around making my own English copy of Mario RPG for SNES. Also a Star Fox 2 cartridge while I was at it.
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Click the image or Here to see more details on this little project.
Finished with my latest commission work. A PC Engine Duo was sent in for a full service, board re-cap, RGB Amp and dual region mod. Take a look how it turned out.
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PC Engine Duo (first version) can suffer from bad caps after so many years resulting in audio and CD problems. I always recommend changing them. RGB modification is also a must. Its hard to believe NEC didn’t include RGB output on most PC Engine consoles
If you have any console that needs repairs, capacitor replacement or upgrades, please get in contact here.
Still looking at the 1.D.1 board with the bad capacitors and missing IDE connection.
I managed to clean up the IDE connector as you can see below. A little flux and the solder pump did the job. I also removed and replaced all the original capacitors and replaced with new ones. The board cleaned up very well.
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I sourced the replacement IDE connector from AmigaKit. Installation was very easy on a clean board. Just slot it in and apply a little liquid flux to the solder point. Then its just a matter of making sure not to apply too much solder. Results look good to me.
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When I finished cleaning up the board, I connected a 4Gb CF hard drive and boot it up. Loaded Workbench first time.
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Another board fully restored. So that only leaves the one with the video color problem…..
Finally got chance to take a look at another couple of A1200 boards.
Firstly a version 1.D.4 that looked to be in good cosmetic condition. This board booted up and passed all my tests so far. No work needed. Happy days!
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Next was an older 1.D.1 and it wasn’t in such good shape.
I hooked it up and couldn’t get it to boot. After hunting round the board I found it was missing a smd resistor (R591C) next to the CPU. It looked like it had been knocked off at some point. Replaced the resistor and it Boots!
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That’s it for the easy part of this particular board. It was clear to see it was missing its IDE connector. I do seem to remember when I got this board (10 years) ago, that someone had soldered an IDE cable directly to the board, and I quickly removed it. After that it went to storage and I didn’t look at it again. The connector area was a mess, most of the caps in that area also look very bad. I can hardly believe it still works. C239 is even starting to split.
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So I plan to replace ALL the Caps, and fully unsolder and clean the IDE area. Then replace with a new IDE header. I may have to repair some of the motherboard tracks that look heat damaged.
Just to break up the Amiga related projects I’ve been working on lately, here’s a write-up of my Sega Naomi Cabinet restoration.
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I’ve just created a page detailing some of the changes I made to my stock Amiga 600 to get it ready for the Vampire 600.
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When the card arrives, I’ll cover the installation and setup in more detail.
Exciting times for Amiga owners!
Click the image above to link to the project page.