Fami PPU socketed and something else...

I had a moment the other day to start on that Famicom project, removing the PPU and putting a DIP socket in it's place.

Now, I knew that there was limited room up there, but DAMN, it's a tight fit. So tight that I can't use the eject mechanism anymore.

sigh...

I have to get different caps to replace the hodgepodge of caps I was using for it prior. Now, I know that the socket might have to come out, or I have to modify that eject mech somehow, but I think I may have to get possibly even lower profile socket pins...eBay it is for both then.

Anyway, the jailbars didn't disappear, so more work to be done there...although, I may just keep it as is since I have my Twin Fami...Eh, we'll see.

I also managed to mod the RGB to VGA adapter I've been meaning to do for a long time.

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Took some trial and error and, at the end of the night, I still didn't get it right. After going to bed, I figured out that I got the Green and Blue lines switched around. Easy fix, but gonna do that later.

I had an unstable image, though. The image would shift once in a while. It might have to do with the sync signal, so I may have to relook that as well. There is a sync stripper there, and I did manage to follow the Mmmonkey tutorial well to fitting that inside the adapter. It may also be the monitor I was using since it was the one that rotates from landscape to portrait, a little off kilter and maybe that was setting it off? I dunno...

I managed to find a Model 2 Genesis V3 out digging today, one of the better versions of the model 2.

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I just got it cleaned up and tested, works fine. Swapped out the LED for a yellow one (changing all my Sega LEDs to yellow), and it looks great.

Couple of things to be done before the end of the year...

...which is steadily approaching here. I just tried the homebrew hack for the 3DS and I have to say that there is much potential in that thing. I'm eagerly awaiting a more improved Virtual Boy emulation in the future.

One thing I'd like to attempt is getting my Famicom cleaned up, PPU socketed and hopefully make the jail bars in the display disappear.

The biggest one I want to do is a re-hash of the TG16. I want to plug up the holes (similar to what I did with the Master System a while back), get an RGB amp installed in it, and clean up the ugly mess of wires, including the region mod I did in it....oh boy, huge aspirations there.

I haven't lost sight of selling pre-modifed consoles either. That's just pushed back until the New Year.

I was about to invest in an NESRGB, but there was an announcement of a possible future HDMI adapter/mod/something for the NES that may come up in the next year...I think I might wait for that...at least for my Twin Fami.

Finished...a Legend of Zelda title...

Just finished Wind Waker HD tonight. I coudld've finished it off last night, but I got too tired.

I may check my save on the Gamecube version of it and finish that as well, since I'm already at the last few moments in that game anyway.

I may start another LoZ game, just so my catalog of unfinished games starts to get checked off. I may do either A Link to the Past or Phantom Hourglass next.

Sega CD BIOS: Now Region-Free!

I did a swap with a FB group friend, my extra gray N64 for some burned EPROMs of the region free BIOS for the Sega CD.

The first batch that he burned for me didn't work right. The second, however, worked perfectly!

Several hiccups though. First off, the Model 1 Sega CD is already socketed, so it was a matter of just removing the original BIOS from the socket and putting the RF BIOS in. Usually an easy process, but I got too impatient last night and after removing it, I managed to break one of the pins on the IC off. I didn't worry about it (I live under "where there's a will, there's a way" thing) since I could probably solder something to the broken leg to get it to work again...if needed, of course.

The Model 2, om the other hand, was harder. I had to desolder the old BIOS from the board, fit a socket on there, solder that, then install the RF BIOS. Of course, me being of the impatient kind yet again, I managed to destroy the BIOS legs on this one (3 of the legs wouldn't come out, I just cut them off). In the carnage of it all, I also managed to destroy a solder pad. Ugh...

I got to the point where I just said "F**k it" and tried to do a trace fix; soldering a wire to the broken point to another point where it was supposed to connect to. Holding it up to the light, I saw this:

The circled part is where the pad was where the pad was destroyed (pin 39). As you can see here, that thick line from that pin going left (pin 40) connects to pin 38. To confirm this, I went to the NG forums and asked. I got confirmation from one of the tech gurus there that those 2 pins connected.

So, I soldered those 2 points together with a little wire. Got things put back together and tested it out.

...well, sorry for the lack of pictures this time, but yeah, it worked. There were some curious moments (freezing on a couple of games), but I attributed that to the burned CD I was using.

So yeah, super excited about it! The RF BIOS is based off the Japanese BIOS, so there's the only drawback to it. Fairly easy to figure it out, though, with what little Japanese I remember.

Some pics of the mangled BIOS's:
*pic placeholder for original BIOS's mangled*