Revisiting the OG Family Computer...(Pt. 1)

This might be the last time I mess with this Famicom, I don't know. But I think it's time to finalize this thing like I've done with the NES the last time. 

I did tease with mentioning that I was gonna redo my BLW modded NES, but I felt that I should get the OG Famicom updated. I did like the Lava RGB with the last NES, so I ordered another one from AliExpress specifically for this Famicom.

I decided to take the time to open up the Famicom while I wait for the Lava RGB to be delivered. 

 

I did mess around with it before I tore it down. It still works like when I finished it up a few years ago. I took some time to dust it off a bit while I had it on my work mat.

Just as I left it when I updated the AV mod. It was quite improved, but there was some noticeable jailbars when I was playing using my RetroTINK 2x. With the 5x Pro, it actually looked a bit better. This mod looked much cleaner than the one from before, install wise.

 

Some of the topside shots of the mod. I did some of the suggestions from older av mod tutorials. One of the suggestions with using copper tape on the PPU and adding a wire to ground. I also used the original RF connector location to put an RCA connector for video. I removed the channel select switch and used a 3.5mm jack for the audio. Chaos under the case, but it did look really good when closed up.

For the Lava RGB to fit in the console, the cartridge eject mechanism needed to be removed. I just needed to remove the spring and the plastic ejector out. For aesthetics, I left the eject lever in place.

Taking out the trusty ZD-915 desoldering station to desolder the PPU, once again, from the OG Famicom. Since the kit I ordered also comes with a replacement power and video board, I also needed to desolder the wires connecting the original power and video board to the main Famicom board. The original power switch also needs to be desoldered to be installed on the new power/video board from the new kit.

 

For the old AV mod, pin 21 on the PPU needed to be lifted out of the circuit and connected to the AV board I made. Anyway, since I desoldered and resoldered the PPU many times before, I really didn't need to add more solder before desoldering it. Other than pin 40, all the pins desoldered with just one hit.

Here's the PPU and the power/RF board desoldered from the mainboard. I used the desoldering station to clean up all the solder from holes. 

Prep is good for now for part 1 of this mod sesh. I'll continue on to part 2 when the Lava RGB gets delivered, which should be a few weeks from now.

Stay tuned! 

Cleaning a PS3 Super Slim...

A few months ago, I found a PS3 Super Slim at RE-PC in Seattle. It was a pretty good price for what it was. But as it was a used machine at a computer/electronics recycling place, it was really dirty. The vents were all clogged with dirt, so I was pretty sure the fans were filthy as well. I used some compressed air on the vents, but that just shoved the dirt into the console itself.

...yeah, I should have known...

I sidelined the PS3 while I got some other projects done (Game Gear and the NES). Since finishing up the Lave RGB'd NES, I decided to tackle the PS3.

I did test the PS3 before I sidelined it and it booted up with no issues. I also wish I took pictures of the clogged vents prior to the first blow out as it was REALLY clogged.

I don't think these pics don't show how really dirty the PS3 was. You can see some of the dirt on the top cover there (bottom pic), the top pic was taken after doing just a quick dusting with a brush. It still looks really dirty, especially at the heatsinks and a bit of the fan blades.

...um, not pics past this point...sorry...

Anyway, while it was disassembled like this, I used my rechargeable air duster with a brush attachment to clean it. I just used the air duster at it's highest speed and went to town blowing all the dust out. Cleaned out the power supply, fan, heatsinks, upper board, Blu-ray drive, and all the parts of the top cover. Usually I'd take it to the kitchen and do a full scrub down, but with all the gears for the sliding door mechanism, I opted not to. Instead, I used alcohol and a toothbrush to, at least, clean the the top cover.

I reassembled it and tested it again, just to make sure. Happy to say that it worked just fine. It also read discs with no issues! 

I will get a larger hard drive and hack it later. RE-PC usually has some hard drives available, so I'll check it out next time I head up there.

Well, until next time...Preview of possible next project?

Undoing this garbage from a really old mod.

More Lava RGB'd NES madness...

Honestly, I'm not sure what's going on here. I'm not sure why the original AV video RCA doesn't work with the Lava RGB installed. I looked over the installation instructions from the maker themselves. It looks like another composite video connection needed to be added to the original Power/RF/AV module. 

...well, then...

Per the install instructions, I wired up another wire to this pin on the Power/RF/AV thingy. I ran the wire through the heat shrink tubing that I had the +5V and audio wires bundled in.

I didn't want to remove the NES mainboard just to remove the Multi-out connector, so I removed the screws on that side of the board to be able to lift the NES mainboard just enough to move the wires coming from the Lava RGB from under the board. That gave me just enough room to remove the Multi-out board to solder the "new" video signal wire to the composite video pad on the Mutli-out board.

No pics, but I did a quick test on the new connection and it worked just fine. Again, I don't think it makes sense, but whatever. It's fine. I was ready to install RCA's and an S-Video connector to bypass the original AV connectors, but now that it works...I don't know. Maybe?  

Genesis Cart Fix and NES Update again...

Actually, I fixed this Genesis cart a while ago. 

My friend had a Michael Jackson's Moonwalker that was just booting to a black screen. He gave it to me a while ago... like, 3 or so years ago. It's just been sitting there, staring me in the face, asking to be fixed.

I was bored, so I took a whack at it.

I did a quick online search that lead me to this Reddit post with the same issue. That post lead to this YouTube video. In the video, it's mentioned that a bad connection to the game ROM chip can go bad, and adding a 1KΩ resistor between the bad point on the ROM chip and ground. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have a 1KΩ resistor on hand. An order on Amazon and about 24 hours later, I got a good assortment of resistors delivered. 

A quick snip and soldering of the resistor and the job was done. The only console I had nearby that I could test the game with was a Mega Drive. Happy to say that the game worked perfectly and I was able to get a few levels finished before I called it good.

So, yay! That's finally done. 

So, to update on the NES, I mentioned in the last post that I desoldered the PPU from the Lava RGB board and soldered in a DIP socket to the board so I could socket the PPU on the board. Well, it added a little more thickness to the board that It wouldn't sit flat. I didn't want to desolder anything off the board anymore, so I ended up trimming up the case.

I really didn't need to cut out a big chunk of it, but it was just easier to follow the lines of the case mold. It doesn't look really bad, to be honest.

With the cover on it, it's hardly noticeable. 

I'm having issues with the original video RCA jack not working. The original Lava RGB wiki is kinda vague about the video installation, but it looks like the composite video connection is shared from the Lava RGB board to both the video pin on the 10 pin Sega Saturn connector (it comes with the kit, I opted not to use it and used the Nintendo Multi-out connector instead), and also the video pin on the original Power/RF/AV board. That's something I may try later. Stay tuned for that!

Another NES RGB Modded...[UPDATE]

Buuuuuut, not with an NESRGB. Don't get me wrong, I have 2 consoles that are modded with the NESRGB (a TL NES and an AV Famicom), but I found a different, cheaper option.

While I had several sessions installing the NESRGB in consoles, this would be the first time I try and mod the OG front loading NES. There isn't much that's different from the other ones I've done. Remove the PPU, install socket, solder this, solder that, wiring, testing, done. This new board I got, though similar, had a few things that was different, installation wise.

Introducing the LAVA RGB.

I got this from Aliexpress for roughly $60. You can already see the similarities if you're familiar with the NESRGB. 

I started by making sure the console worked. I had it all hooked up to test and was greeted with the usual flashing light. Tried cleaning the cartridge, shimmying the cartridge in the slot, blowing on it. Still, I got a flashing light and/or a garbled screen.

Since I had to open the console up anyway, I also tried pulling up the pins on the original connector to test it. Unfortunately, that didn't work either. 

I was going to order a new Blinking Light Win, but I don't think it was being made anymore. I didn't want to get another aftermarket connector as they sometimes fail faster than the original one does. So, I invested in a Ninten-Drawer. It's similar to the BLW, but slightly better.

It took a week to get it delivered. It's a really slick design. Just like the BLW, it grips the cart tight, so a good connection is pretty much guaranteed. With that, the cart doesn't need to be pressed down. The difference with this and the BLW is how the cart comes out. The top connector is connected with a ribbon cable. This allows the connector to slide forward, allowing easier grip on the cart to remove it. 

I did a quick test with the Ninten-Drawer (ND) installed. As you can see in the above pic, the console worked just fine. With that, it was time to desolder the PPU from the console.

If you haven't desoldered an NES PPU before, it can be a trial, mainly by the ground planes of the PPU. I did use some fresh solder on the PPU pins before I started using a desoldering tool. I usually don't have a difficult time desoldering PPUs, but this console took a bit. There was a lot of desoldering and resoldering points. I guess I got to a point that one stubborn pin broke off from the bottom. I ended up heating that one pin from the top and gently pulling up on the PPU. About 20 minutes later, the PPU was finally out. I then soldered the machined socket that came with the Lava RGB kit in where the PPU was removed.

Here's the Lava RGB with the machined pins soldered to the board and the PPU installed. With the other 2 NESRGB boards installed, there's usually another socket that would be soldered into the board for the PPU to sit in. This kit didn't come with one. Instead, I trimmed up some of the pins that were soldered in and soldered the PPU straight to the board.

Here's a little close up of the PPU soldered to the board. To get the broken pin on the PPU to work, I used a lead from a component and soldered it to the pin. 

Here's the board temporarily installed to the NES. I did a quick test to make sure that the video works fine. I used the original video RCA connector to test, but no video came up. Not sure why that is, but instead of troubleshooting that issue, I quickly soldered an RCA connector to the Lava RGB using the composite video and ground. Luckily this worked perfectly.

Now, why it works directly from the Lava RGB board and not to the original connector, I'm not sure. Maybe the broken pin is the issue? Programming issue on the board itself? Soldering the PPU on the board causing issue? I may revisit this by soldering in a socket, but that would be a later thing.

The kit came with a wired connector that most people will solder it. I didn't like how bulky it made the board look. I opted to snip the wires off from the connector and use the wires soldered directly to the board. It made it a little easier to manipulate the wires to be routed where I wanted it to go.

 

With all the wires soldered in, I started to bundle the wires with heat shrink tubing. Here it is with the wires grouped and routed to where they need to go.

 

 

These wires are being routed to the controller side of the NES. This needs to be connected to the reset button and to the 1st controller port. These connections allow different color palettes to be selected through controller 1 by pressing the Select button for a few seconds and Up. There is a reset feature, but at the final test, I didn't get it to work right. Again, something I have to revisit.

 

 

As I've done with most of my old consoles, and as it's fitting with this NES, I've added a Nintendo Multi-out connector to this console. Here's all the wires from the Lava RGB to the connector.

 

 

For the +5V and audio connections, I soldered some wire to these 2 points from the original AV connector. The red wire is for +5V and the white wire is for audio. Since the NES outputs mono audio, I ended up connecting the audio wire to both the left and right audio connection on the connector.

 

 

While I still had the NES open, I did a quick mod to the expansion connector area that's on the bottom of the NES. I added a 47KΩ resistor from pin 3 to pin 9 so any special sound chip sounds can be played. It does require some modification on the cartridge end, either the converter that will be used or if you're using an EverDrive flash cart. I do have a modified 60 to 72 pin converter to use with my EverDrive Pro, but I'm not sure where it is, at the moment. I'll have to test this mod a little later.

 

  

 

I ran a quick test to make sure all the connections work. Composite, S-Video , and RGB all worked as they should via the connector. The next task was to cut a hole for the Nintendo Multi-out port that I 3D printed for the connector. It's the same one that I've been printing for all the mods that I've done before. I usually rush through this part, making the hole larger than it should be and crooked. With this one, I took my time. I printed a stencil that I got from Laser Bear Industries to use as a guide to get a perfect hole to mount the connector in. I then drilled out some chunks of the case where the connector was gonna go. I used my flush cutters to take out some more material, then, with a combination of my grinding pen and files, I finished the hole cleanly. I used my hobby knife to smooth out the edges of the hole and used my grinding pen to scuff up around the hole. I plan on using epoxy to keep the connector glued in place for a decently look.

 

 

While I was at it, I cut out the hole where the expansion connector is. There are a lot of new developments that are happening that are utilizing the port, so I don't think it would hurt to open it up.

 

As I was finishing up the hole for the connector, I realized that I misjudged how much room I had for it. I had to cut out one of the screw bosses to make room for the connector. I wasn't planing on reinstalling the RF shields, so I wasn't too worried about that cut screw boss.

 

Here's the connector installed and epoxied in place. One 3mm screw keeps the connector in place. The epoxy cured within 5 minutes, but I gave it 30 minutes or so to fully cure before testing. 

 

I fully reassembled the NES and played a few levels of Chip & Dale's Rescue Rangers. Honestly, the images looked great!...but after a while, there was some issues. As I mentioned before, the in game reset feature isn't working. Another issue that's happening is that the image at startup will be a little jumpy. The jumpy image is even more prominent when changing the image palettes. I'm not sure if it has to do with the leg that broke off from the PPU, the console needs to be recapped, or there's another underlying issue. I do have another top loader that I can swap parts for testing, so I may try that soon. I do plan on removing the PPU from the Lava RGB and solder in a socket.

I need to send a shoutout to Amaiorano for the pictures their Lava RGB installation. Also, big thanks goes out to BlueShell3D for selling the ND to complete this project.

 

This project isn't over just yet. I still need to solve whats going on with the jumpy video and the in game reset not working. However, for what it is, the Lava RGB is a pretty decent board for the price. Can I recommend it? Probably. As soon as I can figure out the issues I'm having, I can more than likely recommend this.

 

[UPDATE]: I ordered a socket for the PPU and some new machined pins for the Lava RGB. Desoldering the PPU from the Lava RGB had its own issues, but I also had to desolder the pins and replace them. In the process of desoldering the pins, I managed to break one connection off. 

 

...

 

I just moved on and finished up installing the new components. I installed the new pins and also the socket for the PPU and proceeded to test it. Luckily, it still worked! Unluckily, the issues still persisted. And the in game reset feature still didn't work. 

 

To add to the issues, I now realized why a socket isn't installed. That little bit that's added on bumps into the bottom of the case. 

 

....

 

I'm just gonna trim a bit of the case off. It will be covered by the expansion connector cover, so I won't have an issue with it. I may still try to install a different PPU to see if that is the reason for the jumpy image and in game reset issue... now that I think about it, the PPU might not be the culprit and it's all on the Lava RGBs firmware.

 

Regardless, as an improvement to the stock NES picture, the Lava RGB is a good, cheap alternative to the NESRGB. However, if you can spring for it, it's best to get the NESRGB.

 

For a 72 pin cartridge slot replacement, it is DEFINITELY worth it to get a Ninten-Drawer! 

Already in 2026 and I haven't posted yet...

Yeah... I've been both busy with life and exhausted with it's aftermath. Anyway, here's what's been going on.

I managed to finish that Game Gear before the end of last year. I bought a Game Gear flash cart from Aliexpress that's based more or less on the Everdrive. I may invest in a proper Game Gear Everdrive, but it's not high on my list. the one I bought works good enough.

I also ordered an NESRGB clone called the LAVA RGB from Aliexpress at the same time. The plan is to install this thing on a spare FL NES that I had hanging out, with a Nintendo Multi-out connector for all the connections. I've tested this NES and it kinda works. It's all down to the 72 pin ZIF connector. I've tried pulling the pins on the connector, but it only helped a little. I ordered a Ninten-Drawer (similar to the BLW that I installed a while ago, but the BLW isn't available anymore) to test it and make sure the board is working. 

There are a few more projects that will happen this year, including a possible revival and modification of an Atari Lynx II that I got, as well as a revamp of a Neo Geo Pocket Color. There's also another Gamecube I might work on, giving it full HDMI and Picoboot, so it can play games from both discs and SD cards...or I might get lazy and just install another ODE in it.

Easier tasks that I can do are internal dusting and shell cleaning of a super slim PS3 that I got, maybe softmodding it with a larger hard drive in it. I do need to mod my son's Gameboy as well, but that should be an easy drop in project. 

I've also set some goals for myself for the year, one of them is trying to finish a game a month. As it's almost the end of January, I need to get on it. 

Hopefully I'll be posting more as time permits. Stay tuned! 

FINALLY I got a working Game Gear...

A little after I posted my EPIC fail for the rehousing of the ASIC from one of my dead Game Gears, I went looking around online and found that Retrosix had some 1 ASIC RePCBs available, with the ASIC already installed. I bit the bullet and ended up investing in it.

I got it in the mail after a few weeks.

 It came with the power and audio cables, EXT connector, and the ASIC installed. I just don't have it in me just yet to really work on the SYF board... but I'm not giving up on it just yet.

The one thing I needed to install was the cartridge connector. To get a more flush installation, I used some nuts and bolts that were extras from my Anet A8 build to hold the cartridge connector to the mainboard while I soldered it.

I was planning on using the FunnyPlaying LCD screen I tried to install (and failed) many years ago. I stopped myself because I didn't understand where each point on the board goes to. I was already too exhausted to try to figure it out, so I ended up ordering a CleanScreen board, again from Retrosix.

 Here's part of the install. There are some 3D printed brackets that holds the screen in place that I installed, followed by the screen itself. After getting it in the brackets and secured to both the mainboard and the CleanScreen board, I just needed to install the special ribbon cables from the CleanScreen to the RePCB.

...but I didn't have them...

 I emailed the seller and after some back and fourth, I got some replacements sent to me. There's more to the story here, but I'll add it at the end.

 

 

After waiting a week, I got the ribbon cables and installed them. I installed the SYF power and sound boards into the other half of the shell. I attached the cables to their respective board and closed up the shell to test a game in the new board.

 

Finally! I have a working Game Gear....kinda. I was testing this using USB-C for power which, as you can see, is working just fine. The beauty of the new power board, other than the USB-C connection, is that a rechargeable battery can be installed. A rechargeable battery and a new LCD screen means more time for Game Gear fun.

But...when I installed the battery, it would fine for one session. If you turn it off and try to turn it back on, all you would get is a black screen.

...

I took the battery out and tried with the USB-C cable again. It worked fine. Flicked the power switch on and off again with the cable in and no battery installed, it gave me the black screen again. 

...

I didn't want to fight it anymore, so I ended up ordering a CleanJuice power kit from Retrosix. Because I didn't want to take any more chances with a failure, I also ordered a CleanAmp for it at the same time.

After another week of waiting, I got, hopefully, the last of the puzzle pieces that I need to get this blue Game Gear working again.

 

CleanAmp and CleanJuice installed. I installed just one of the 2 batteries in to test and make sure that the boards work. I was greeted with the Sega logo starting up Sonic 2, so as far as I was concerned, I was done. Just to test that I wouldn't have the same issue as the SYF power board, I flicked the power button off and on again...and was greeted with a black screen.

...

I. Was. Done.

I almost gave up, but then I remembered a thread on Reddit that mentioned the same issue. There was a little switch on the board that is set on from the seller. That switch should be set to off. After switching it to off, happy to say that it FINALLY works as it should. I tested by flicking the power switch on and off, with the USB-C cable in AND charging the batteries, and with the batteries on its own. Safe to say that everything works.

 There were a few minor issues. First one is the power switch. With the CleanJuice board, it seems that with the stock power switch cover, it hits the edge of the case just right that it's hard at times to turn the console on. It's easily overcome by pressing down on the switch while flicking it on. 

 The other issue was the battery compartments. The rechargeable batteries that come with the CleanJuice kit kinda fit in the compartments fine, but very snug. It also made the battery cover bulge a little. I started by removing the ribs in the compartment. I used flush cutters to remove parts of the ribs a little at the time. I also took some of the plastic that locks the battery connectors off.

 The compartment looked a little rough after cutting out the ribs and locking tabs. I used a flat head screwdriver to scrape down the leftovers of the ribs to a not so rough look. It looked smooth enough so it wouldn't puncture the batteries. Both compartments were modified like this, so now it fits a little better and the cover is flush on the back.

 I'm charging it now. Nice little orange light to show it's charging. We'll see how well it works. 

So, at this point, it works. Granted, it's not what I originally planned, but it's working as a modded Game Gear should. That's all that matters to me. I will possibly revisit redoing that SYF board in the future, but nothing immediate. 

Now, about the issue with the CleanScreen. This was an email back and fourth. The seller mentioned that the ribbon cables should have came with the RePCB board, and asked for a pic of everything that came with the RePCB. I checked the box that the RePCB was sent in, the envelop it was in, pretty much everything from the shipment, and sent a pic of everything. The seller said that the ribbon cables were small and I could have dropped them or misplaced them. I said that I checked everywhere and I didn't see it. I also mentioned that I didn't recall seeing it while I was unpacking the RePCB. I FEEL that at this point, the seller reluctantly resent the ribbon cables to me "as a courtesy". I did thank the seller for taking care of the situation. The seller replied that it was "a courtesy", and then mentioned that the ribbon cables were put in with the power and audio cables.

...Keep in mind that I had the seller install EVERYTHING except the cartridge connector. The seller also installed the power and audio cables. At that point, I had a feeling that the cables were not put in the envelope with the RePCB, and because it's so small, I was at fault for not double checking and potentially losing the cables in the first place.

...whatever. It was replaced, I got it installed, everything works...

E N D   O F   S T O R Y.

 

 

Forgot to mention that I replaced the old, scratched up plastic screen lens with a glass one that I originally got when I ordered the FunnyPlaying LCD screen mod. Nothing special: push the old one out, clean up the adhesive with 99% alcohol, stick the new one on, done. But there one more thing that needed to be done after everything was installed and running...

So satisfying. #SavorThePeelies