Next (non-commissioned) project...O...M...G!

A while ago, I bought this AES Neo Geo joystick from NG.com.

Yes, I did note it's condition, but according to the sale thread, it worked fine and had arcade controller parts (Sanwa buttons, at least). I had hopes and aspirations to fix that huge, ugly crack in it.

Which, with the flash on my cellphone camera, looks like there's another hairline crack under the "A" button. Whatever. I'll just fix the crack and prime and paint the bad boy, call it good. I was also hoping to swap out the pan head screws holding the joystick for some countersunk ones.

I wanted to assess the damage throughout the case. So I opened it up to see how the installation was done.

I was not prepared for what I saw.

o_O!?! Where do I even start on this one?

Electrical tape on either soldered joints or just twisted together connections. Not to mention the ugly nest of wires there.

This is what actually did it for me. Alligator clips to the buttons. ALLIGATOR CLIPS FOR WHAT SHOULD BE A PERMANENT CONNECTION! I laughed so hard at how sorry this looked.

Other than the alligator clips, these untrimmed, poorly soldered connections are possibly why I was having difficulty pulling off special moves in King of Fighters '94.

This was actually a HUGE surprise opening it up. I was half-expecting a semi-decent mod job in there. Boy, was I wrong. 

Knowing what it looks like now, I may have to tackle this sooner than later. Otherwise, I'll feel bad for using it for so long with this condition. 

Sad.

Delivery and Final Testing for the Duo-R...

Finally arranged a day and time (impromptu, really) to finally deliver the PCE Duo-R.

The only thing I really wanted him to test (since he had the tech) was the RGB output from the Nintendo Multi-out. He had a Nintendo specific SCART cable handy as well as a Framemeister.

So after he got it set up, I crossed my fingers...

I know. It's a horrible angle, and the fact that I have shaky hands doesn't help, but this it the images coming from the Framemeister to his 50" plasma.

Don't mind the banding, but this is one from the front. Colors look exquisite!

More testing with HuCards and various CD games, including one that had it's own special RAM card. All tests through RGB worked perfectly! 

I'm SO glad everything worked and everything is exemplary to him. Gives me a more boost of confidence in my modding skills. 

But I think this one serves it the best.

Gettin' PAID!

This truly was a great experience for me with modding. We've already lined up some more to do. Gotta do some research on what he wanted done, but I'm confident that I can do it. 

Till next time!

PCE Duo-R mod COMPLETE!

YAY! Time to celebrate!

Wired up to the Multi-out. S-Video, Composite, and Audio all work through the connector. Since I don't have an RGB cable for it, the test has not been done. I quadruple checked all the connections, so they're at the right pins and solid.

Component and Audio RCAs. I piggy backed the Audio from the Multi-out. Audio works at the same level as the Multi-out. Fine tuned the Component's color so I got it as close as possible to a beautiful image. 

More finalized shots of the internals before closing up. 

After closing, all worked fine; the LEDs were functioning properly, all the connections that I could test worked perfectly, region mod switch worked, and the LED for disc access worked fine...with one tiny problem: the disc wouldn't spin.

...

The disc would rub against the case for some reason, and I couldn't put my finger on it. After opening up and checking the situation around the disc drive, I noticed that when the case was closed down, there was some resistance near that corner. I'd also note that the disc assembly would lift up on the front, making the disc tray not level. 

Peeking in through the case, I noticed that the Multi-out was pushing against the back of the drive assembly, making the front rise. 

I thought about it, and only saw one way to make it work; removing some of the metal on the assembly.

Had to prep the assembly first so...

Wrapped up in blue tape and paper. Didn't want to get metal shavings into the drive gears or the laser.

The part in question. That long part needed to come out.

A few minutes with the rotary tool...

Put up some electrical tape to protect the edges. I did de-burr the edges, so it wasn't too sharp nor were there any burrs. 

I'm running some final testing again. Running Component with the Turbo Everdrive again to make sure there are no hiccups. Then all there is is to close it up and deliver the package. 

This, by far, was a long winded project. Really, if I wasn't full time with my job and family life, I would've had this done in several days. My tendinitis didn't help either. Albeit long, and ever so slightly frustrating, I did have fun doing it. I learned a lot doing this project and hopefully I can carry it on to the next one that I do. 

So, 4th commission. Status: COMPLETE!

PCE Duo-R mod. Status: 90% done...

You know. I TRY not to rush things. But sometimes...man...

Anyway, here's the saga thus far.

Finalized the mounting of the Multi-out. I opted to use the PlasticWeld. I'm not gonna smooth it out like how I wanted, using a rotary tool, so I applied it and smoothed it out by hand and handle of a paintbrush.

Another angle.

As much as I TRIED to use just one RGB LED, I had to use 2...probably didn't have to, but stupid me broke the original LED hoping to get the RGB LED to work. I ended up using 2 LEDs: One showing region (Blue for PCE, Green for TG16), and one for disc access (red only)...I'm not proud of this, but this is the only I could get it to work. 

In the process of getting the LED to work, I think I may have killed a trace somewhere. I ended up putting a jumper wire in, getting it to finally work.

All that's left is to get the switch mounted and all the connections soldered in, then it's put the console back together, final testing, then delivery. DONE!

Sorted that LED thing...

So, you recall a while back about me sorting out my issue with the power indicating  LED and how to get it to function properly with the current setup, right?

Well, I'm dumb.

Turns out that I needed a different switch than what I was using. Instead of an SPDT  (Single Pole Double Throw) switch, I needed a DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) switch. One set off pins would switch the regions of the console, the other pins for the powering of the LED.

I already noted what pin goes to what region when switched. I'll use the same pins on the opposite side to link to the tricolor LED.

:\

Basically, for the  LED side of the switch, the end pins will go to the color leg of the LED, the center pin will be wired up to a close by 5v.

So, all I did for tonight was remove the old switch, file the opening more for the new switch, and wired it all together. I tested the switch to make sure the region mod worked fine.

Hopefully gonna finish this bad boy by the end of the week.

More work done on the PCE Duo-R...

Holes drilled/cut and adjusted for Component RCAs, Region mod switch, and, my personal favorite, the Nintendo Multi-Out connector.

Component and Audio out RCAs. I had to work the holes to get them to line up. I think the blue (Pb) is sitting a bit high, but only a millimeter.

Now, if you remember THIS POST from a while back, you'll see how the Multi-Out still had the screw holes and PCB notches in it. Since I had the ol' Dremel(esque) tool out, I trimmed it down to size.

Trimmed down. Looks so nice.

Then I got around to cutting a hole for said connector. Used a combination of Dremeling and drilling to get a bulk of plastic out. Then took to some time filing the hole to get the connector in. Got it to fit snugly, but...

There's a bit of space at the top of the notch there. Bothered me a bit, so...

I used some PlasticWeld just at the top of the connector. Used an Xacto knife to push the compound through to cover the hole up. So far, it's cured up pretty good. 

Next came the Region mod switch.

Yes, it's a tiny switch. The hole was over estimated. It could be replaced with a different switch if needed, but for now, it'll suffice...I'm not happy with it, really, but it works.

While I wait for the compound around the connector and super glue to set for the switch, I'll take a break. I need to rest my hand from all the filing and whatnot and get it ready for a lot of soldering. I also need to set some epoxy to the connector and switch to get a stronger bond. 

Almost there...