Simon game revival...

I mean, Simon is a retro game, right? 

 

My wife has been wanting an old (late 70's/early 80's) Simon game made by Milton Bradley, similar to the one pictured above. After some digging at Goodwill, I was able to find one that was in decent condition. The buttons felt a bit mushy, the ground wire on the 9 volt battery connector was broken off, the D battery terminals were corroded and the battery cover was broken, and I may or may not be missing one of the switch covers. As I do with the game controllers that I find at thrift stores  or expos, I felt the need to take the Simon apart and clean up the case and the board.

I'm glad that I did decide to take it apart for cleaning. There was some sticky substance around the edge of the case. Soda was probably spilled on it a while ago. That's the perfect reason to scrub it down.

There are some plastic retaining clips that also act as springs for the large color buttons. Most of those clips were broken. There was also a spare light bulb for the game that was rolling around loose in the case. 

Another shot of the Simon mainboard. It was easy to just dust it as none of the soda got on the board and the battery corrosion didn't affect the board as well.

I took it all apart, including prying out the speaker from the bottom of the case, sitting just under the mainboard. I then took it to the kitchen to scrub every piece of plastic from the case. I also ran the corroded terminals in an ultrasonic cleaner with baking soda and water for several cycles. After running the terminals through the ultrasonic cleaner, I used a grinding pen to remove all the stuck corrosion. I also took the time to solder the broken off ground wire to the 9 volt connector.

There was a design online that I found for the replacement clips/springs that were all broken. I printed out 4 of them using PLA Plus filament. I also printed out some replacement battery covers. 

Here are the clips installed. Fits pretty nicely and it pretty sturdy.

Originally, the speaker was installed with the plastic in the mold melted around it. I had to remove it so I could properly clean the bottom case, so I did need to break the speaker out. To reinstall it, I used a few dabs of hot glue to keep it in place.

I don't recall if all the switch covers were on there when I bought it initially, but the longer one for the Skill Level switch wasn't there. Luckily, there was a print available online. I didn't have a matching blue-green filament like the original switch that's on the Game Mode switch, so I used a blue/green two toned silk filament to print the replacements. I made one for the Game Mode switch, but there's a bit of post processing that needs to be done. I just left it alone.

I installed a 9 volt and 2 D cell batteries and used the printed battery covers. I turned on the game and...nothing. I was expecting some sort of "attract mode" with lights and sound, but there was nothing. I pretty much realized that I had to press the Start button to start a game. It happily lights up one of the buttons. I played a full game of it (well, as much as I can remember from the sequences). Happy to say that it works like how it should. 

A fun, little repair and clean up of a game my wife really wanted. She's really happy to have this working Simon game, same as the one her grandma had in her toy and game bin.

Wii U Revival...

I had a Wii U that I bought from a friend several years ago. I've never taken his info off the console since Mario Kart 8 and all the DLC was attached to his Mii. 

I also ended up doing a "Haxchi" mod to the thing, but it was really iffy whenever I tried to run a game. I just sidelined the console for...wow...about 7 or so years ago. 

I went on and did a bunch of other things in the meantime...like, a lot of things.

I decided to take a break from soldering a bunch of things and literally dusted off the Wii U and work on it. Thankfully, it was still working and didn't give me the fatal error thing that the Wii U's are known for.

I started off by following the Wii U Hacks Guide. First step was to stop and uninstall the Coldboot Haxchi (CBHC) from the console. Next, as I wanted to start fresh with the Aroma hack installation, so I needed to update and format the console. The only issue I ran into was that the Wii U was locked with a PIN. 

...

I didn't bother contacting my friend since he'd probably didn't remember what the PIN was, so I did a deep web search. What needed to be done was the following:

1. Check the system settings for the date on the system (Month and Day). Remember this date.

2. Go to "Parental Controls", when it asks for the PIN, tap on "Forgot PIN".

3. It will ask a specific question. Tap again on "Forgot PIN"

4. There will be a code on the screen. Keep that code on the screen.

5. Go to Nintendo Homebrew mkey generator. 

6. Select "Wii U" in Device type.

7. Select the date that was checked in Step 1 in System Date.

8. Skip Additional data, and type in the code given from Step 4 in Inquiry Number. 

9. Click the Go button.

10. Remember the Master Key that is generated.

11. Back on the Wii U, tap next and use the Master Key that was generated. At that point, the Parental Controls restrictions can be removed.

After all those steps, I was able to format and reset the Wii U back to stock. Took a few minutes for it to format and restart to a fresh console. I then followed the Hacking Guide to install Aroma to the Wii U. 

Installing Aroma didn't take too long. There was a lot of turning the console on and off and removing the SD card from the console to the computer. A few apps were installed to get it back to where I had it before I felt like starting over: Homebrew channel, game installers, online server bypass, etc.

I had to do a few more web searches to refresh myself on getting and installing games to the console. I recalled having issues with the USB stick that I initially used for games stuck out too much, so I was worried about actually breaking the drive while moving the console or some other random thing. I ended up ordering a slim micro SD card reader and a 400GB Extreme micro SD card. I was able to install a bunch of games and apps after having the console format the card.

I was also able to check the type of  multi-level cell (MLC) memory that I had in the console. Thankfully, I had a Samsung MLC installed and not the Hynix MLC that is apparently prone to failure. I'm keeping it plugged in, just in case.

I think this old Wii U is probably better now. By being able to fully format the console and re-hacking it, I feel I now fully own this system. Pretendo is part of the installation process of Aroma, so it's nice to be able to jump back into playing Splatoon online. I might have to try some Super Mario Maker levels as well. 

...I also just realized that I just deleted my Breath of the Wild save file. Oh well, I may just restart another game on the Switch.

Mark this project (if we can call it that) done! A fresh start, freshly modded Wii U! After I clean up my work area, I may either start working on a PSX or a Gamecube...or maybe another NES...maybe the Famicom...Twin Fami? 

Atari 7800 update I apparently didn't post up about...

Well, I guess, I'm not with it.

I managed to update the Atari 7800 that we inherited from my wife's grandma several years back. I did an A/V mod to it back in 2012 (pics disappeared from the post), which worked fine at the time, but I felt I needed to bring it to the same level the Atari 2600's I updated the mods on it as well.

I tried hunting for the old pics in my Google Photos, but I don't think I have any from long ago saved there. It's honestly no different from this, but more resistors and transistors involved in the mod. The RCA connectors are all in the same place. The thing that was updated was that the resistor/transistor/diode array I had installed before is now replaced with an Atari UAV and a better audio circuit. 

I also added an S-Video connector to get an slightly better video image. I had it epoxied to the shell here.

A better look at it from the bottom. After all that's said and done, I should have changed the position of the connections. That might be a future mod job, changing it to the rear of the console using the same style connections or using a Nintendo Multi-out.

This mod update was done in April 2025. Why I didn't post an update a year ago, I don't know.
 

Updating the Lava RGB kit mainboard...

I'm hoping this will help out others trying to update their Lava RGB 2.0 boards to the latest firmware or, in my case, update the correct firmware for the console it's being installed in. I'm also using this so I have a spot where I can recall how to update the Lava RGB if I forget.

 

WARNING! 

I will not be held responsible if your Lava RGB board dies during the upgrade process! These are the steps that I took to upgrade 2 of my Lava RGB boards. These are the instructions that I followed on the Lava RGB website that worked for me (using Google Translate). Please read/look over the procedure here and at the Lava RGB website and understand the basics of installing programs and drivers on Windows OS. 

Thank you for understanding! And best of luck! 

 

Prerequisite:

• Lava RGB board, installed, tested, and working.
• USB-A to USB Micro-B cable (must be able to transfer data, not just charging).
• The DL 1.5 software for flashing the update.
• USB Driver needed to flash the Lava RGB.
• The firmware file for the proper console.

Procedure:

 

Click on the images in the steps to enlarge it for easier viewing. 

 

    1. Unzip DL 1.5 software, driver files, and the firmware. It helps to just unzip the files in their own folder on the desktop.

 

    2. Go to the DL 1.5 folder and install the proper version for your Windows OS (in my case, I needed to install the 64 bit version).

 

 

     3. This is the start screen. Click the button with the "N" on it to advance.

 

 

    4. On this screen, click on the button marked "M", then click the button with "N" on it to advance. The "N" button will become available after selecting the "M" button.

 

 

    5. Here, click the button with the "N" on it to advance.

 

 

    6. Here, click the button with the "I" on it to advance. Depending on your Windows security settings, there might be an additional window that pops up that asks if you want to continue the installation. Allow the installation to finish. When it's done installing, click the button to finish/exit.

 

 

   7. Connect your Lava RGB board to your PC with a USB-Micro B cable. Powering on the console is not necessary for flashing. If the USB cable cannot be inserted easily, the Lava RGB can be temporarily removed from the console. Use a piece of paper to protect the Lava RGB board from shorting.

 

 

Image courtesy of Lava RGB.

 

    8. Right-click the Windows button and select "Device Manager". There should be a device marked "USB-JTAG-Cable" as it shows in the image above. Right-click on it and select "Update driver". 

 

 

     9. Select "Browse my computer for drivers". Then, go to the "al-link" folder that was unzipped earlier > win10 (or win7 if you're using Windows 7) > x64 and select "Open"

 

 

Image courtesy of Lava RGB. 

 

    10. You should now see "Anlogic AL -Link Mini" instead of "USB-JTAG Cable". You can now close Device Manager.

 

    

Image courtesy of Lava RGB.

 

11. On your desktop, select "DL 1.5-64bit" (marked 1 in the above image) to start the program. Click the "Add+" button (2). A window will open. This is where you'd select the firmware for your console, which should be in a .bit file extension. It should show in box 1 of the "File Selection" area. After selecting the firmware, click the "Run" button (3) to begin the installation.

 

 

Image courtesy of Lava RGB.

 

12. After installation, you should get a success line as shown in the image above.

 

13. Unplug the USB cable from the Lava RGB board, reassemble the console and test it to check the firmware installation and proper operation of the Lava RGB.

 

Troubleshooting:

If, after flashing, it doesn't work properly, try reflashing the Lava RGB, possibly a firmware below it. It's important to use the correct firmware for your console. 

 

 

Reference: 

 

 

IGR with the Lava RGB FINALLY solved...

You know what it was? It was the firmware.

Just out of curiosity, I took a look at The Lava RGB site to see if there's any updates. Luckily, there was one. And there were 2 different versions: One for Famicom, the other for NES.

There was also better, visual instructions on the update process!

Before, it was just text (translated, of course), but now, there are screen shots of the whole process. 

I followed the update instructions, using the NES specific firmware. Just using the visuals made the process slightly easier. It took about a minute or two to complete the updating process. When it was done, I did a quick set up of the NES to test the update.

Initial tests showed that it was working just fine. With this newest update, there were more color palettes (hold "select" button for a few seconds, then D-pad "up") available that looked really good. There also was no weird scrolling issues when changing palettes...not the whole screen would scroll, just the little box that showed on the screen what palette was currently selected.

I started a game and played a bit into a level. I paused the game then tried the in game reset (IGR) (hold "select" button for a few seconds, then "A" button). 

...it...worked...

IT FINALLY WORKED!

I'm finally content with the Lava RGB installed in my NES. I'm probably going to install another one in my BLW modified console soon. 

I'll probably write up another blog, going through the full process of installing the software for flashing the update as well as the update process itself when I get to updating the OG Famicom. 

STAY TUNED! 

IGR issues with Lava RGB...

So with the Lava RGB installed in the OG Famicom and tested thoroughly, I started to wonder why the IGR on the Famicom works just as it should, but not on the NES? 

I did some searching about this. It turns out it's all about the reset state the console is in.

In the Famicom, when reset isn't pressed, it stays in a high state. 

When the reset button is pressed, the console goes into a low state. It obviously goes back into a high state when the reset button is let go... I have a tool pressing on the reset button here while I held the logic probe on the pin AND took the picture.

Here's the NES. When the reset button isn't pressed, the pin is in a low state. Obviously, the reset pin will go into a high state when it's pressed. It's opposite from the Famicom.

It might be the programming on the Lava RGB itself, but this might be the reason the IGR isn't working properly. Heck, it might be the reason that the palette switching from the controller may be glitchy from time to time.

Not sure what I can do from here. I may just remove the reset wire or just dig deeper into making it work. Stay tuned, I suppose. 

Revisiting the OG Family Computer...(Pt. 3)

I'll admit, I had to leave work early. I wasn't feeling it. My YouTube feed had mostly rage bait videos, standard doom and gloom about what's going on in the world, etc. Both my dogs decided they didn't want to listen to me. My coffee wasn't strong enough... Stomach issues...

I just needed to leave and just use the rest of my time to fully decompress. I was gonna dive straight into working on the Famicom, hut I just didn't have the motivation to work on it right away. I just tried to relax, blocked the YouTube channels that keep popping in on my feed that just rage baits people, political crap, et al. I just want video game, automotive stuff, and cooking channels, and drank some water.

After having dinner and walking the dogs, I went to my office to work on the Famicom.

This is where I left it the night before. The Lava RGB was fully installed into the Famicom mainboard. As I thought the PPU was sticking up a little higher than I'd like, I did a quick test fit into the case. Unfortunately, it did stick up a bit, so some trimming needed to be done inside the case itself.

All that needed to be modified inside the case was this little rib. It was part of the guide for the cartridge eject mechanism. I just took some of the plastic off using flush cutters and needle nose pliers. After removing the plastic, I did a quick test fit. Glad to say that it now sits just right in the case.

As I did with the NES install, I cut the wires off of the connector that is supplied and soldered them directly to the Lava RGB board. I soldered the wires facing away from the cartridge slot thinking that it would interfere when I close the case. I bundled the wires together using heat shrink tubing, having composite and S-Video wires in one bundle, RGBS in another, and the rest for the controllers for color palette changing and in-game reset.

Some wiring done on the power/AV board. The power switch and wiring for 5V and ground get wired up for connections to the Famicom's mainboard. I left some length on the power and ground wires since I didn't know how long I needed the wires to be.

I estimated how much length I'd need to connect the power/AV board to the Famicom's mainboard. I soldered the 5V and ground wires to where the original power/AV board connected to the mainboard. The instructions say to solder ground to the second hole from the left(looking at the underside of the mainboard), and 5V on the 5th and 6th hole. As marked on the power/AV board, pins 45 and 46 of the cartridge connector needs to be connected to the power/AV board. There's an Aux connection on that board than needs to be connected to the Famicom's mainboard. There's a solder point near the player 1 controller connector that the Aux point needs to connected to.

Before soldering the wires from the Lava RGB board to the power/AV board, I wanted to check the best way to route the wires. One of the routes I was thinking was to route the wires through the channels where the cartridge eject mechanism was, but the bottom part of the case would have interfered with that. So the quickest solution was to route them just under the mainboard to the power/AV board.

Connections from the Lava RGB to the mainboard for palette switching and in-game reset. I mistakenly cut the wrong wire short as I was getting the controller port pins, so I just swapped them on the Lava RGB board and continued on.

Finally it was time to connect the Lava RGB to the power/AV board. The wires were trimmed down, stripped, tinned, then connected to the proper points.

I reinstalled the mainboard into the top of the case. The controller connectors were plugged back in and the wires routed where they needed to go.I screwed everything down and got ready to test the new installation.

There was one step that I missed. There's a trace that needs to be cut that connects to pin 45 on the cartridge connector. This was part of the instructions that has to do something with getting sound to work.

The DIN connector uses a Sega Saturn style AV connector. I had one of my AV cables that also did S-video that I used for testing. 

I didn't take pics of the first test, but with Super Mario Bros., I was getting continuous graphical glitches. I tried cleaning the cartridge up, blowing the cartridge and the connector out, and resetting. Nothing worked. I also tried another Famicom game, but I got the same result.

I took the mainboard out and checked the PPU to see if I missed something. All the connections look fine, but I noticed some residue on one of the pins. I took a cotton swab with some alcohol and cleaned all around the PPU pins. I reinstalled the mainboard and did another test.

Finally got it working! Top pic is of a composite connection, the bottom is S-video. 

The hole for the DIN connector was too small for the connector on my cables to connect properly. I used a step drill bit to open the hole a bit.

Completed! Other than a slight buzzing noise, sound and everything works fine. I'll revisit the buzzing sound later, probably starting with checking the mic slider on the player 2 controller.

And finally yes, RGB does work just fine.

This wasn't much of a trial as I thought it would be, with the exception of the offset board mistake I made the day before. I feel like this OG Famicom is now more "modernized" than what it originally was, even after the AV mods that I've done with in the past. So I think this Famicom can be considered finally done!

...well, maybe...