Repair/Mod General - GameTechWiki

[Anonymous No.2332627]

http://www.gametechwiki.com/w/index.php/Main_Page

Discuss any mods or repairs you're working on here!

The majority of problems with cartridge-based consoles can be remedied by cleaning the cartridge slot and the contacts of your games even if they are not visibly dirty. Consult the Game and Console Cleaning guide here:
http://www.gametechwiki.com/w/index.php/Game_and_Console_Cleaning

If you have any questions about a non-/vr/ console, try posting on the forum ( http://forums.gametechwiki.com/ ) and letting us know here that you did.

Old thread: >>2241620

[itsthatguyonvr at gmail No.2332738]

posted in the old thread by accident. >>2332725

for the guy with the 1chip snes with the bad connector

>>2328654
>I but I broke the pins in the cartridge slot of my 1 CHIP SNES. And the damned thing is soldered to the board.....
>>2328727
>I found replacement genesis connectors on eBay......
>>2329093
>Yeah, this is what I thought, anon......


if you supply the new connector and postage both ways i'll do it for ten bucks. shouldn't take me more than 20 minutes to remove/install/clean and test.

hell, just toss in a couple retro games or controllers in the box and i'll do it as trade.
i'm serious, i want you to be able to play it again.

i'm in western NY, so if the postage is worth it for you i'll gladly help you out.

pic related, the model 1 genesis i removed the bad connector from with the new one i have yet to install.
i'm this guy, btw: >>2328727

[Anonymous No.2332763]

>>2332738
>Model 1 VA7
you unlucky SOB...

[Anonymous No.2332836]

>>2332763
nice eye, i got it for free all busted up. i'll fix it, svideo mod it and sell it.

like this model 2 i did the other day.

i have a hdg non-tmss at home, not sure of the mobo revision though.

[Anonymous No.2332958]

Figure this would be the best place to ask about this:

I'm considering buying a super famicom. What important information is there to know before I make this purchase? I assume the AV cables are the same as SNES/N64/GC but I know the power cord is different.

I have a spare genesis model 1 AC adapter. Can this be used for the super famicom?

[Anonymous No.2332983]

>>2332958
That AC adapter will work just fine. If you want to get a dedicated adapter for it, though, pic related is what I have for my AV Famicom and Super Famicom. Works great and I don't have any video interference like some other 3rd party AC adapters have.

[Anonymous No.2332995]

>>2332983
I actually have a spare so I can keep both my genesis and SFC plugged in together. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't one of those issues like with the NES where a genesis charger can be used on a NES but a NES charger will fry a genesis.

Anything else I should know about the SFC before I pull the trigger? I'm also going to buy a super everdrive and pretty much call it a day at that

[Anonymous No.2333002]

>>2332995
the only issue you'd have is if you got an SNES not a SFC, as the SNES ac adapter is center POS while the SFC/Genesis1 is center NEG

so you're good to go.


why nintendo went with an AC downstepper instead of an adapter to DC is beyond me... when the nes just converts it to DC anyways...

[Anonymous No.2333014]

>>2332995
Some earlier Super Famicoms have a less prominent vertical line issue than most Sufami/SNES's. The Super Famicom I have at least has a less noticeable issue than my 1CHIP North American SNES has. I've a bit of a videophile so it's something I keep track of, but it's not worth your time trying to find any early unit because it's difficult/impossible to identity those units if you're buying over the internet, the vertical line issue isn't really that that noticeable unless you're looking for it in very dark games (Super Metroid), and earlier units are more prone to the plastic case yellowing so there's a tradeoff.

Also, awesome that you're getting a flashcart. I have the SD2SNES and I've been very happy with it. Mainly got it over the Everdrive because of CX4 support (Megaman X2, X3) and the potential for SuperFX and SA1. The Everdrive is a good choice if you don't care about that stuff and want to save money.

[Anonymous No.2333015]

>>2333014
Oh, forgot my link showing the vertical line issue.

http://retrorgb.com/snesverticalline.html

If you're like me, you'll never unsee it ever again

[Anonymous No.2333029]

>>2332347
>Have you cut the appropriate pin on your lockout chip? That will eliminate the annoying 1Hz reset thing so you don't get that when one useless pin hasn't made a good connection. It's quite nice to say bye-bye to blinking on the NES.


Don't do that unless you're traced the problem exclusively to the lockout chip.
Cutting the pin on it for contact issues is like amputating your arm for a splinter in your finger.

If bad contact is tripping it, why do you think bypassing it would make that bad contact go away and not affect your games?

[Anonymous No.2333034]

Is there a way to fix the music on a game disc? For some reason the music on my Spyro 2 disc has been glitching on certain Winter Tundra levels. I have thought of trying toothpaste but don't wanna ruin it

[Anonymous No.2333043]

>>2333034
The only thing you can fix on a disc is light to moderate scratches on the shiny side.

Scratches on the label can't be fixed.

Usually any game store has a disc polisher that'll work better than any home fix. Your game will look like shit, but most of the time it will work perfectly.

[Anonymous No.2333047]

>>2333014
I was considering the SD2SNES because of the higher compatibility, but I determined it wasn't worth it. For the handful of extra games, I could just buy those games separately. The price difference between SED and SD2SNES is stupidly high

[Anonymous No.2333137]

>>2333043

I don't see any scratches on it but the music still skips and stops

[Anonymous No.2333156]

>>2333137
Any bubbles or other imperfections on it?

Do you have another copy to test?

[Anonymous No.2333164]

How hard would it be to fix the display on this Game Boy? I bought it last weekend at a retro game store and it's in fairly good condition, but I'll need to fix the display. Does anyone have any experience with it?

Sorry about the lighting, was hard to get a good picture.

[Anonymous No.2333173]

>>2333164
Not hard, but easy to fuck up.

The ribbon that connects the screen is only glued on, but applying careful heat to where it contacts can reattach it. If you melt the ribbon cable, it's done and you need to buy a new screen.

[Anonymous No.2333179]

>>2333173
Thanks, that shouldn't be too difficult.

[Anonymous No.2333336]

I know this isn't retro, but I'm desperate for info and I can't find it anywhere. Please delete my post if it's getting to be too much.
I want to replace the clock capacitor in my Xbox. But I don't know which one it is on this particular motherboard revision. Can anyone help?

[Anonymous No.2333494]

>>2333336
Looks like your xbox is a 1.6. I have no idea whether the 1.6 suffers from the bad cap or not but all sources are telling me the xbox wont work without the cap.

This video claims 1.6s don't have the bad cap problem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cdR8Ryn4wE

[Anonymous No.2333675]

I'm the guy from >>2328595, I still don't know what's happening with this cartridge, tried on different snes and it's always the same, it will get freeze sooner or later. The only thing I noticed is that the cart is missing one of those metal thingies on the plastic.

Pic related, that's the exact same board I have.

Another unrelated question, what can cause a snes game to get the rom corrupted?

[Anonymous No.2333805]

>>2333047
Just checked, and wow, the price for the Super Everdrive really went down. Back when I got my SD2SNES a couple years ago it was only $50 more than the Super Everdrive.

[Anonymous No.2333816]

>>2333675
>what can cause a snes game to get the rom corrupted?
Extreme over-voltage
Extreme electrostatic discharge
Extreme physical distress

It's really difficult to damage a mask ROM.

[Anonymous No.2334063]

>>2333029
>why do you think bypassing it would make that bad contact go away and not affect your games?
this, thank you.

that blinking is the nes trying to boot your game. no one understands this.

if you disable it, and the game doesn't boot up on the first try it just sits there... and you have to manually reset.

it peaves me so hard

[Anonymous No.2334067]

>>2333675
might be dry solders, try to reflow with a heatgun, like those fat ps3s.

[Anonymous No.2335601]

I hear I should use a 15W soldering iron for working in consoles. Any suggestions in particular

[Anonymous No.2335604]

>>2334063
As opposed to having to manually reset the console anyway after making sure the cartridge is clean? I don't think I've ever once had a blinking red light that all of a sudden stopped on the 30th start up.

[Anonymous No.2335668]

>>2334063

If it doesn't work the first time it's still unlikely it'll work after resetting itself a bunch of times.

The bigger concern with disabling the lockout chip to spite the ZIF socket is that the game may instead play glitched due to the contact issues. It could even be fatal to the save data if the cart stores any.

A top loader on the other hand has no lockout chip to begin with, but it also has a far more reliable cartridge header.

[Anonymous No.2335674]

>>2335601

I use a temperature-controlled Hakko FX-888 on anything I don't want to destroy, but that's just me. Old solder pads are incredibly fragile and like to lift off the substrate.

A decent soldering station is a very useful tool to have around and will probably outlive you.

[Anonymous No.2335876]

So I bought a modded Japanese Saturn from a guy a while back, backups worked but they were missing most of the music and all I really had were sound fx, after burning backups to three different kinds of media and still missing audio I tried playing a music cd and realized that my Saturn simply doesn't pay cd audio at all, I googled and heard that it could be one of many problems so I abandoned it for awhile bit now I wanna fix the damn thing and play guardian heroes with music, how should I go about this?

[Anonymous No.2335923]

Added some information about region locking for the snes.

[Anonymous No.2335936]

>>2335674
Isn't that a little powerful? If the one I've found is the one you describe, it's nearly 70W.

I'm looking for an iron exclusively for the sake of chipping, and maybe replacing a capacitor in my n64 power supply.

[Anonymous No.2335943]

>>2335936
not that anon but it's adjustable, silly.

i use an xytronic LF-1680, which is on par with the 888.

typically kept around 650-700 degrees, depending on ground planes, etc.

[Anonymous No.2335949]

>>2335943
>650-700 degrees, depending on ground planes

Fucking hell, I was looking into a fixed 370C hakko iron. I'd rather not spend a whole lot since I don't intend to make this a hobby...

[Anonymous No.2335969]

>>2335949
oh i was talking Fahrenheit.

370c/700f is good. you might have hardships on big ground planes, but if you're just recapping/modding/etc you should be good to go.

[Anonymous No.2335972]

>>2335969
>big ground planes

I'm gonna be honest, I have no idea what this even is. Still learning before I splurge, you see.

[Anonymous No.2335980]

>>2335972
random pic off google, added arrows

ground planes are essentially everything that aren't traces/vias/etc
since it's a larger chunk o' metal it takes more heat to properly solder to.

the black arrow shows a connection to ground, you'll need more heat.
the red arrow isn't connected to ground, you won't need as much heat.

hope that helps

[Anonymous No.2336580]

Hey guys, I'm planning to take a crappy NES controller and turn it into a 7800 controller. I'm just not sure what to do with the select/start buttons. Should I just cover up the holes? Do something cool?
Also, it would be great if anyone knew a cheap/easy place to get a DE9 cable without screws on it.

[Anonymous No.2338715]

>>2336580
Use them to toggle auto fire, set the speed of auto fire, or program moves.
You'll find a perfectly good connector inside the shell of your DE9 with screws. They also come on the end of broken controllers, mice, etc.

[Anonymous No.2339256]

Does anyone know anything about the timing games use for the LCDs in SMS 3D glasses? I've been thinking of various ways of trying out some 3D games and realized connecting an ordinary pair of shutter glasses to a flip flop timer would probably work OK, at least for a while, and syncing off blanking would probably work just fine. Anyone ever try this?

[Anonymous No.2341413]

plz help

nes broke

[Anonymous No.2341582]

>>2341413
Make it not broke.

You're welcome.

[Anonymous No.2341737]

>>2341413
disable that lockout ship asap anon!

That's the solution of everything in life.

[Anonymous No.2341741]

my benis all tingly

wat do

[Anonymous No.2341748]

>>2341741
Definitely the eeprom

[Anonymous No.2342160]

>>2341741
Remember to use your antistatic wrist strap.

[Anonymous No.2343883]

>Dreamcast with a burnt laser
Literally what is this?
When people go on about a laser being bad on a console are they just full of shit? For example I've found that when a PS1 stops reading it is because the laser assembly isn't aligned anymore and can be fixed.

[Anonymous No.2344064]

I'm having this rainy vertical line issue with my sfc. I do have some off-brand ac adapter. Is that it? Plz help

[Anonymous No.2344173]

>>2343883
Diode can burn, coils can burn.

learn to be less full of shit before calling others

[Anonymous No.2344264]

>>2344173
>butthurt DC maymays have been blasphemed
Most DC laser problems are bad rips or inability to follow simple burning instructions.

[Anonymous No.2344273]

>>2344264
yeah, my old dreamcast didn't have a problem with its laser. No, it just so happened that all my games (both burnt and legit) were "bad copies" even though previously the DC had read them all just fine.

[Anonymous No.2344346]

>>2332627
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZfZ8HpOrTUI

[Anonymous No.2344681]

>>2344064
same person here. just wanted to note that the game is parodius and the black background should be completely black since it's space.

[Anonymous No.2344774]

bump

[Anonymous No.2344803]

>>2344346
>E8500 CPU
>9800 GT GPU

The parts might be small in order to fit in the case, but aren't those greatly obsoleted by now? Wouldn't a Pentium G3258 and 750TI be able to run circles around this? Assuming, of course, if they can fit in the case.

[Anonymous No.2344887]

>>2344273
Early burnt games put great strain on the laser. Why are you confused that yours failed if you used them?

Mine was a demo model in a game store and it still reads discs perfectly.

[Anonymous No.2344890]

>>2335876
Maybe you burned them wrong? Or you have a bad cue file.

[Anonymous No.2344892]

Is it true that some Dreamcasts can't play burned games? Can anyone tell me how to check to see if it does?

[Anonymous No.2344898]

>>2344892
They fixed later models to not read them. I think if yours is 2000 or earlier it's fine.

[Anonymous No.2344908]

>>2344898
Where does it say the date on the system? I remember trying to burn things before but I figured I did something wrong that caused them but to work

[Anonymous No.2344920]

>>2344908
Label on the underside.

[Anonymous No.2344931]

>>2344920
December, 2000.

[Anonymous No.2344938]

>>2344931
I think you're out of luck. I can't remember the exact date, but I think they rolled out that fix in the last few months of 2000.

[Anonymous No.2344945]

>>2344938
Shoot. I heard I can still bypass this with a hard mod. I might look into that at some point when the Dreamcast prices reach doomsday.

[Anonymous No.2344958]

>>2344681
It's almost definitely your AC adapter. Get a real one, or at the very least one that isn't Chinese and outputs the voltage and amperage it says it does.

[Anonymous No.2345021]

>>2344958
Thanks!

[Anonymous No.2345308]

>>2344931
what's the number in the circle next to NTSC/PAL?

if it's a 2 you're fucked, 0 or 1 is fine.

[Anonymous No.2345337]

>>2344890
Tried like a bunch of different media and got the isos from reliable confirmed sources, this thing won't even play normal music cds I tried

[Anonymous No.2346172]

>>2344346
This is neat but the glowing blue Sonic in the middle looks atrocious, and destroys most of the visual appeal of the Genesis.

[Anonymous No.2346319]

Hey guys, maybe you could help me. I have one of those 3 in 1 adapters and I plugged it into my Sega CD. Everything works except the laser and I'm wondering if the lesser amperage has to do with it. I saw the laser before and it showed up but it stopped doing so. It's the adapter isn't it?

[Anonymous No.2346505]

Is there any suitable method for front-lighting the GBC screen yet? I don't want to buy a broken SP, and the kitsch-bent one is pic related.

[Anonymous No.2346531]

>>2344887
Fortunately placing a DC in close proximity to someone who doesn't download bad rips and burn them on their moms hand me down macbook some how erases damage done by that strain.

>>2346319
Not enough information. You'll need to try an adapter you know works and provide adequate power to get your answer.

[Anonymous No.2346558]

>>2346531
Alright. 850ma is a bit too low in this case.

[Anonymous No.2346591]

>>2335601
I've used varying wattages up to 60 and had no trouble at all. It more depends on what typeof solder you use and your general technique

[Anonymous No.2346762]

>>2346531
>Fortunately placing a DC in close proximity to someone who doesn't download bad rips and burn them on their moms hand me down macbook some how erases damage done by that strain.

Not necessarily true. They can take permanent damage from being made to read 'bad' burns for extended amounts of time. It's in the years for symptoms to develop, but it adds up.

[Kya !kDashing02 No.2346771]

>>2346762
I heard people suggest ImgBurn and a specific DC dll file for burning.
Is there any benefit in using it over say, Alcohol120?

I suppose the more appropriate question would be: What is the the "proper" way to burn DC games?

[Anonymous No.2346776]

>>2346505
You know what else is disgusting?
Modifying a perfectly good GBC when SPs exist. No better than people who put fucking RGB mods in their 2600.

[Anonymous No.2346789]

>>2346771
These days, if it can read the image file, it can burn it properly, for the most part. ImgBurn works well enough for me, but I usually only burn memory management software.

[Anonymous No.2346936]

>>2346558
You can always use two adapters as God intended, if only to test the drive.

[Anonymous No.2347075]

>>2346319
3 in 1 made for what?

Sega CD is NEG CENTER on the power adapter, so unless the 3-in-1 is made for MODEL 1 Genesis you blew your board fuse.

those multi-adapters are pure shit anyways, get official, or buy a decent regulated supply with the proper specs and add your own plug

[Anonymous No.2347184]

>>2344920
>>2344898
>>2344892
>>2344908
You should be looking at the circled number, not the date. The one that says (1) NTSC-U. The number there is the motherboard version. 0 and 1 can boot CDRs. But board version 2 can not.

[Anonymous No.2347186]

>>2346771
Imgburn can't burn raw data or subcodes, so I wouldn't trust it for burning any backups.

>>2346762
It is not "permanent damage", they just add more wear & tear due to the backups not being optimized for that, unlike many original games. Original discs have wear & tear if you play them as well, and they will wear out the drive too - just slower.

[Anonymous No.2347259]

Anyone with basic circuitry understanding around?
I came across some non-working super nintendos almost for pennies, most of them with blown fuses or some basic shit, but I came around with some failed attempt of modding on the S-ENC chip of a SNS-CPU-GPM-02.

I found this picture on google (because I'm way too retarded to take a decent photo, and only found a picture with soldered wires)

There was a wire from the pin 19 to 12 (red to pink), and the pin 19 was lifted from the PCB. I desoldered that shit, but I can't connect the pin 19 to where it once were.

After all this, my question is kinda simple: judging by the looks of it, would it work if solder a jumper wire from the pin 19 to that hole in yellow?

[Anonymous No.2347306]

>>2347184
I didn't remember exactly what the tell was, but I would assume version 2 is a later build, and corresponds to later dates.

>>2347186
"Wear and tear" IS damage.

[Anonymous No.2347309]

>>2347259
Might be a better idea just to remove the whole chip and replace it with an IC socket. That way you can just pop it in. Just be extremely careful not to overheat the IC

[Anonymous No.2347312]

>>2346936
Two adapters?
>>2347075
It's supposed to work with a model 1 genesis. It powers on, but the laser doesn't come on.

[Anonymous No.2347332]

>>2347184
>>2345308

[Anonymous No.2347343]

>>2347312
>It's supposed to work with a model 1 genesis. It powers on, but the laser doesn't come on.
not enough juice

get an original adapter or find a proper regulated supply at 9v or 10v, at least an amp but the OG adapter was 1.2A, and solder on a 1.7mm plug with neg center.

it's what i did, today, actually, i forgot my genny2 adapter at home and found an old 9v pushing 850mA and just threw a 1.7mm plug on it.

pic related

[Anonymous No.2347367]

>>2347343
I found an aftermarket Sega CD adapter on Amazon, with 9v and about one amp. How's that?

[Anonymous No.2347498]

Been working on a NESRGB mod, but all i get is a white screen now. Think I toasted the CPU during the desolder.

[Anonymous No.2347849]

>>2347309
That chip is surface mounted. Last I checked, they only make IC sockets for through-hole.

>>2347259
It's a little hard to tell, but if that hole is where pin 19's trace goes to, then soldering that pin directly to that hole should work.

[Anonymous No.2347985]

My Gameboy isn't working. The Red light shows up, but when a game is inserted it doesn't play, I get a random black line before it blanks(system still on) should I just change the batteries?

[Anonymous No.2348029]

>>2347985
Black line makes me think there's something wrong with the game, if none of them work maybe it's the cartridge slot itself. Look for corrosion.

[Anonymous No.2348057]

>>2348029
I tried multiple games. Could it be the batteries? I remember playing it earlier this week.

[Anonymous No.2348360]

>>2347312
One for the console one for the drive

[Anonymous No.2348943]

>>2348057
I'll never understand people that have to ask if they have to change batteries.

It's not the batteries, though.

[Anonymous No.2348960]

>>2347343
Sorry I forgot the model one and sega cd DON'T use 1.7mm plugs, only model 2/32x.

[Anonymous No.2349148]

>>2348943
It doesn't hurt to try. I mismatched the batteries, so...

[Anonymous No.2349374]

>>2346591
No kidding?

I still have to learn to solder, so it's not as though I know dick about technique at this point, but saturm modchips have literally one wire on a massive point. How hard could it be?

[Anonymous No.2349381]

>>2349374
Practice with broken electronics and scrap wire until you're comfortable. Don't jump right into a project.

[Anonymous No.2349389]

Probably a silly question, but maybe this is the right place to ask...

How do NES games without a battery 'save'? For example, I can continue my game in Adventure Island 2, without inputting a password, but there's no battery inside it when I crack it open.

I'm replacing all of my game batteries so that they'll last a good 20 years more, but I'm completely baffled by this game. The 'continue' feature clearly works.

[Anonymous No.2349427]

>>2349389
Maybe flash memory? I'm just spit balling.

[Anonymous No.2349649]

>>2349389
RAM, dummy. Works fine until you turn the system off.

[Anonymous No.2350508]

WHO THE FUCK TOUGHT FLAT CABLES WERE A GOOD IDEA
THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE

[Anonymous No.2350674]

>>2350508
what are you trying to do?

[Anonymous No.2350690]

>>2349389
EEPROM or similar?

[Anonymous No.2350709]

>>2350674
turn flat cables into round cables

[Anonymous No.2350726]

>>2349427
>>2350690
Please be trolling

>>2350709
For the lulz?

[Anonymous No.2350845]

What are precautions you should take if you want to solder a component to a video game system?
I have soldered before, but not on anything as fragile.

[Anonymous No.2351161]

>>2350726
>>2350690
>NES
>EEPROM
Not so wrong, 4 japanese famicom games produced by Bandai do have a 24C01 [1kbit EEPROM]. These are known as iNES mapper 159.

>>2350845
-Be careful.
-Don't overheat. (like not longer than 20 secs)
-Don't pull or mechanically stress it.
The most important is to plan how to exactly install this, like checking how good is the designated spot.
It should be placed far enough not to cause shortcuts with something else and the component itself should be not under mechanical stress when assembled. Cables should be thin and long enough, and i recommend to fixate it after testing with some epoxy (i never tried this) or a tiny little bit of hotglue (just a little bit tends to be easy removable from any kind of PCB).

I experienced that SOP packages (and similar) are quite tough unless you bend or pull the pins, if they break off then it's not impossible grind part of the IC away to expose the metal of the broken pin and solder to it unless it's a very small like one with SOP8 (8 pins).

[Anonymous No.2351197]

>>2350845
what kind of component to what part of a video game system?

>>2351161
>-Be careful.
>-Don't overheat. (like not longer than 20 secs)
>-Don't pull or mechanically stress it.
>The most important is to plan how to exactly install this, like checking how good is the designated spot.
>It should be placed far enough not to cause shortcuts[...]
all good advice

[Anonymous No.2351224]

I own an Nintendo 64, but it won't read the carts anymore. It just gives me and black screen, yet the red light lights up. I've tested the AV cord and the power supply on my spare 64, and they worked perfectly, with the same games, and the same expansion pak, controllers... Please help...

[Anonymous No.2351234]

>>2351224
all of a sudden? after moving? after a hard thunderstorm you forgot about?

they don't just die on their own.

have you opened it up? could be as simple as cleaning the cart connector or blowing out that one little bug that shit on something and it's shorting something.

[Anonymous No.2351239]

Alright, /vr/, I'm going you guys can help me out on this one:

I purchased a Saturn controller from eBay that was said to be fully functional, but when I received it, X, A, and Left on the D-pad all don't work. I managed to get a refund, but I'd still like to save this controller if I can.

Any ideas?

[Anonymous No.2351247]

>>2351234
It was from a friend. My friend bought it used, but working. After a few years, he said the console wouldn't read the carts anymore, but i bought it anyway, because it had an expansion pak, mario kart, world driver championship and 2 controllers, since he's a complete fucking noob, he sold me the entire package for 18$. But now, i want to make the n64 read the carts again, just to sell the console for a higher price. I don't have any means to open the console. What do you recommend me to do?

[Anonymous No.2351248]

>>2351239
open it up.

clean rubber membranes contact points
clean pcb contact points
check for cut/corroded traces
post a high res, non-potato picture of both sides of pcb here and we can probably help more

first step is always CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN
(i use a 99.98% isopropyl alcohol on boards, a very tiny amount of windex on plastics and the rubber membranes)

let us know how it goes!

[Anonymous No.2351249]

>>2351239
Open it up, clean all the plastic bits in soapy water, use isopropyl on the contacts, then a rubber to clean corroded spots.

[Anonymous No.2351256]

>>2351247
nintendo gamebits are super cheap. fiver will get one shipped to your house.

or you can try the pen method..

>heat up a cheap bic pen, like pic related, with a lighter/ hair dryer/ heat gun/ etc
>just the bottom, with the end plug, not the cap and obviously not the pen part.
>once plastic is malleable, but not MELTING, shove the fucker into the screw hole
>hold it there so the gooey plastic molds around the gamebit screw
>hold it there some more
>still holding? cool
>slowly remove pen from screw hole and notice the perfectly shaped gamebit bit you just made
>gently try to unscrew. you may be them all out with one pen, you may have to make another.

i've used it for GCN before i had the bits.

[Anonymous No.2351260]

>>2351256
>>gently try to unscrew. you may be them all out with one pen, you may have to make another

you may be ABLE TO GET them all out.

also, just noticed the file name on the random pic of bics...

[Anonymous No.2351309]

>>2351248
>>2351249
Can do. I'll report back tonight, hopefully with good results.

[Anonymous No.2351313]

>>2351256
What should i do to clean everything? What should i use?

[Anonymous No.2351832]

I know PS3 isn't retro, but anyone know how to get the hard drive out if the screw is stripped?

[Anonymous No.2351846]

>>2351832
Rubber band between the screw and bit if it's a little stripped, drilling the head out and using pliers to unscrew the post if it's super stripped.

[Anonymous No.2351950]

I'm not sure if this is allowed here but here goes:

I want to get a PS1 and install a mod chip, a MM3 modchip to be exact.

I have two PS1 models I'm looking at.
One is the SCPH-5501 because all the contact points for the modchip are large, reducing the chance of me screwing it up.

On the other hand I want one of the PSone consoles because of their size, but I noticed in the diagrams for the MM3 chip that I have to solder to surface mount resistors. I really like the size of the console and I heard the CD-ROM drives on the PSones last longer.

Should I get a PSone or the 5501?

[Anonymous No.2351968]

can we get .ogg support on the wiki?

I wanted to upload spoken articles

[Anonymous No.2351974]

>>2333494
1.6 can get bad caps and won't operate if it's removed. It's the worst one of all since all the other ones will work even if it goes bad.

[Anonymous No.2352226]

>>2351309
here.
Everything seems equally dirty, but I'll get started on that tomorrow.

[Anonymous No.2352243]

>>2351239
>X, A, and Left on the D-pad all don't work.

Pin 8 is disconnected. Probably broken somewhere in the cord, OR the connector for the pin is just very dirty and doesn't make contact.

Use a multimeter to test it, open up the connector and see if the cables aren't torn out of the socket, resolder if they are, etc.

If the cable is broken inside the cord, you'll need to solder an entirely new cord.

[Anonymous No.2352629]

>>2351950
I recently installed an MM3 on a 5502, it was a real fucking hassle. I can't imagine the PSone being much harder.

[Anonymous No.2352989]

>>2352243
I was fearing this is what it was.

How do I open the connector? There don't seem to be any screws.
What do I set the multimeter to?

[Anonymous No.2353358]

Newfag here, is there any good online shop that sells old consoles? Want to get a GBA, but I'm afraid I'll get scammed.

[Anonymous No.2353824]

I have a final fantasy 3 that looks like this every time I try to play it.

I've checked the pins and they're clean, I also checked continuity and everything seems to be in order, what else can be causing this problem?

[Anonymous No.2353840]

>>2353824
Have you tried blowing in the cart?

[Anonymous No.2353857]

>>2353840
Affirmative, no improvements.

[Anonymous No.2353873]

>>2353358
GBA is not retro.

[Anonymous No.2353895]

>>2353358
ebay

[dobson, the angry N64 nerd No.2353898]

Question.
All of the characters in my N64 games look blocky and deformed.
How can I rectify this?
It's not my TV. I've played my N64 on a dozen different TV's, and no matter what, my N64 games look like total shit.

[Anonymous No.2354085]

>>2352989
aah, nevermind, you can't open the connector. It has 4 prongs on the inside and it is pushed together extremely tight, you can pry it open (I have one opened right here) but it would leave lots of marks on the plastic. For what its worth, two of the prongs are right under the two arrows on the sides, and the other two prongs are on the middle of the wider half of the connector, on the sides.

You want to check whether the cables still connect properly from one end to the other, which is a continuity check.

[Anonymous No.2354186]

>>2353898
Trying the same thing on a dozen nearly identical TVs will unsurprisingly give similar results. Try a TV it works well with.

[Moot No.2354769]

Tried my best to get a picture of it, but I've noticed my SNES controller buttons, particularly the purple ones, are scuffed up to hell. Wanted to know if there's anyway to buff them out or something.
If the image isn't clear, I'll try my best to get another one if needed.

[Moot No.2354771]

>>2354769
>particularly the purple ones
Dark purple I mean

[Anonymous No.2355045]

>>2353824
Maybe the cap?

[Anonymous No.2355064]

Anyone have any experience/knowledge on modding an original famicom to output composite? I am interested in getting one, but having RF quality on top of a high pitched hum on American CRT's just doesnt seem worth it.

[Anonymous No.2355115]

>>2355064
If you got a GPM-02 Famicom you're in luck because it's easy as fuck to mod.
1/2

[Anonymous No.2355123]

>>2355064
>>2355115
2/2

[Anonymous No.2355419]

I'm planning on getting tabbed batteries to replace several games that won't save anymore.

Which batteries are used for Nes, Snes, N64 GB (non pokemon games), GBC and GBA??

[Anonymous No.2355427]

>>2355419
Depends on the game, it's either a CR3032 or a CR2025.

[Anonymous No.2355435]

>>2355419
Pretty much what >>2355427 said, but I believe some earlier than GB used CR2016. If you can, try to use CR2032, they last longer and if they can accept CR2016 and CR2025, they can take CR2032. It's just thicker. Only difference.

[Anonymous No.2355476]

Any of you do modding services? I'm looking to buy a GBP screen with backlight

[Anonymous No.2355493]

>>2355435
I haven't encountered 2016s, but it's good to know (I should pick some up...) I've managed to fit a few CR2032s where 2025s are supposed to be, it really depends on how the board is laid out. They're all 3v batteries so yea, they're interchangable as long as you have the space to shove the larger battery in.

[Anonymous No.2355580]

>>2355427
>>2355435
>>2355493
So a bunch of tabbed CR2032 and CR2025 should cover all of them?

[Anonymous No.2356338]

>>2355476
i'm pretty sure you can only FRONT light GB/C/P

get the original GBA with a GBASP AGS-101 screen.

i have one, it's great. ghosting is a bit hard to get used to though..

[Anonymous No.2356370]

how hard is it to mod a Australian PAL N64 to play NTSC-J games?

[Anonymous No.2356375]

>>2356370
Just buy NTSC. For pretty much every console, it's a better choice. There are only a few where it doesn't actually matter and the mod is easy.

[Anonymous No.2356382]

>>2356375
Alright thanks for the answer.
Can I buy a Japanese console only and then just use the pal cables?

[Anonymous No.2356385]

>>2356382
I'm fairly sure they have a different pinout, Nintendo liked doing that for some reason.

[Anonymous No.2356387]

>>2356385
Right, cheers for the info man.

[Anonymous No.2356718]

I have two PS1s that are having some strange issues.

The first one is a model SCPH-7501. It won't detect the controller or memory card if both are inserted at the same time, they work just fine if there is only one plugged in at a given time.
And for some reason it won't recognize any controller that has analog even if it is the only one plugged up, only the original controller works.

The other is a model SCPH-7001 and it randomly freezes for no reason at the most random times. Sometimes it's fine for hours on end, sometimes it freezes 5 minutes into the game. It's even froze a few times on the boot up screen with the orange diamond.

Any idea what is going on and if I can fix it?

[Anonymous No.2357117]

>>2333164
>>2333173
I heard quickly passing a soldering iron over the ribbon connection works as well as affixing a piece of plastic to exert extra pressure.

[Anonymous No.2357123]

>>2346505
git gud

[Anonymous No.2357208]

>>2332627
Hey , what the . I have that game!!

[Anonymous No.2357268]

>>2356385
I'm fairly sure you're wrong. jk. I know you're wrong.

[Anonymous No.2357279]

>>2357208
This is the first official use I've seen of the term "burn-in". It always seemed like a myth that people use to excuse 24-hours gaming marathons on their friends' newly built computers.

[Anonymous No.2357385]

>>2351247
Have you tried cleaning the cartridges? It could very easily be the case. Rubbing Alcohol and a Q-Tip can work wonders. Just try that out before opening up your N64 burning pens and the like.

[Anonymous No.2357536]

>>2355045
Changed it for another from a working game (Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball) but the same problem still occurs, so capacitor discarded.

Could this be an actual case of a bad eeprom?

[Anonymous No.2357657]

>>2356338
yeah no, Color and Advance are front light; GBP and DMG are backlit.

I don't want to gut an AGS-101 and do the work to retrofit it into a DMG; it looks tacky as shit. If I wanted to retrofit an AGS into another portable, it'd be into the Game Gear.

[Anonymous No.2357957]

>>2356718
First one sounds like a fucked controller port. Second one sounds like a failing Spindle motor. Check to see if the disc stops spinning when the system freezes

[Anonymous No.2358130]

Hopefully someone here can help me. I bought a NTSC dreamcast for $20 with all cables and 2 controllers. I can't get it to play burned games but it will play music CDs. If I increase the laser intensity. I tried swapping out the laser with a SPU-3200 but apparently they do not match as it does not emit light or read anything.

My questions are:
1. Where do I download quality rips?
2. What is the burning process? (I'm using IMGburner with the added packs)
3. How do I modify my console or the SPU3200 to get it to work?

I just want to join the club...

[Anonymous No.2358928]

>>2358130
>I bought a NTSC dreamcast for $20 with all cables and 2 controllers. I can't get it to play burned games but it will play music CDs.


See:
>>2344920
and
>>2347184

[Anonymous No.2359482]

I took in a copy of Shadowgate for the the NES today. Opened it up to clean it and found the negative side of the battery was disconnected from the tab. The battery tested under a volt, so I'm going to swap it out anyway, but I haven't had to do one of these in a while.

Are we still just soldering these things straight to the board or has anyone come up with a socket or something that fits these carts yet?

[Anonymous No.2359513]

>>2359482
2032 battery holder

Any of these will work, plenty of room in an nes cart, or just about any home console cart.
You will probably have to cut or grind one of the tabs to make it fit in the hole for one of the tabs, but that's about it.
You can buy these on ebay, amazon, Mouser or Digi key.