Recapped Game Gear done!...ish...

 Quick update. I had another Game Gear to recap. When I last left it, I just replaced the brightness adjustment wheel from a previous Game Gear that was my first venture into recapping to this one (the wheel fell apart). I never recapped this because...you know, I don't know why. 

...anyway...

It was just as simple as the previous Game Gear recap. I spent more time cleaning up the old gunk off of the solder pads, then soldered the caps on. After getting it all installed, I tested it.

It worked, but no sound. 

I was too lazy to recap the sound board, so I again swapped out the sound board (after testing it with this newly recapped board, of course) and closed everything up. 

Done with another repair. I may go back in to recap the power board, maybe recap the sound board as well. 

The cap kit was ordered again from Console5.com. I also ordered some cables and connectors that I've ben meaning to make for some time now. I made a Genesis Model 1 adapter to Genesis Model 2 connector. Since the Game Gear uses the same adapter as the Genesis Model 2, I used that newly made cable to for testing. Yeah, it all worked. 

I also ordered a cable that allows me to use a Genesis Model 1 adapter with my Turbo Duo. I have to dig out my Turbo duo (which is also due for some maintenance like my TG16) to test it out.

No pics, same humdrum recapping stuff.

Galaga marquee rewiring...

 Yay Christmas aftermath! I got a new computer chair. Nice comfy one, and not super noisy like my old one was...really creaking while I move just a little just to get something off my pegboard.

There hasn't been much in terms of gaming. I got both my kids Nintendo Switch Lites and a game. They've been super happy about finally having a console for themselves! I also managed to get a family online setup going. Everyone is gonna have their own online presences to play. My son has been begging to play Fortnite, so I downloaded it for him on his own Switch. He's been having fun with it.

I got around to working on the Galaga marquee a bit. We used the Galaga cab to hide all the presents from the kids, so now that Christmas is over, I could start work on the cab again. I needed to finish up getting the marquee wired in and ready to go. 

I had an old surge protector that worked intermittently. I took the cable out of it and used it for the marquee. I used the connectors I had and got it wired up, along with cutting the original marquee's connector rewired. I left the plug end connected so I could get my connections tested.

It is not secured in, but this is is pretty much back in the cab. Simple install.

This is it, mounted and turned on for testing. As you can see, the light behind the marquee is visible. It shouldn't be. I'm asking around for a solution on what to do about better diffusing the light. 

I don't know what other things I'll work on prior to the end of the year, but you'll know that I posted it here. 

RGB test for the TG16 and CMVS fun...

 

I was able to borrow my friend's Nintendo SCART cable to verify that I had the RGB amp wired up properly. As you can see in these pics, it's working just fine! Looks good with the OSSC.

I was able to play around with my CMVS as well. I connected the component out to the Retrotink and had a blast playing with such a crispy image.

...that's all I have to report...just showing off some nice, crispy images from my past and current console mods.

Addendum to the other day's post...

 I totally forgot that I have the Galaga arcade to finish up as well. I managed to get the bezel of the monitor that was in the cab originally painted black while I was doing the TG16 case painting. I sanded the bezel down a little to get rid of the old logos on it. 

I already have it snapped back together and ready to go back inside the cab, but I still have some wiring to do for the marquee. I'm trying to also figure if I want to add the power switch back in the circuit, but the original one sticks. I may take some contact cleaner to it and work it in, but worse comes to worse, I have backup switches I could use. I also have a chance of relocating it inside the cab. Either way, I get to try some 3D modeling to print out a switch holder.

I may do it immediately after Christmas because...well, since there's a lot of space back there...you get where I'm going with this.

What's next?

 As (the miserable) 2020 draws close to an end, I have to put a pause on any work I'm gonna do and start getting back in it for 2021. There might be small projects here and there prior to 2021, but I'm shifting focus to getting Christmas done. 

Some things that I'm planning:

Atari joystick project: I printed a joystick case and plan on using it for various Atari consoles that I have. 

Game Gear project: There's 2 other Game Gears that I have, one requires a recap, the other I recapped a while before. I swapped the contrast dial from one to the other because one was broken, but that was to no avail. I plan on recapping the one that needs it, and consolize the one that's missing the contrast dial...or replace it, not sure yet. There is a chance that I may get all 3 VGA modified, but that's still up in the air.

Turbo Express project: Simply getting the screen swapped out for a bigger, brighter screen. I may also see about adding a rechargeable Li-On battery pack.

Atari 2600 Jr/Coleco Gemini project: It's just a matter of adding the UAV board to both of them.

PC Engine Duo/R project: Simple (I hope) recap for the both consoles. For the Duo, I'm planning on adding an audio amp similar to the one I put in the TG16, shortening up the region mod wiring, and possibly getting a multiout installed in it. The Duo R more of the same, with getting rid of the old mod inside of it and cleaning everything up. I'll have to get two RGB amps as well to finish it up.

Vectrex project: I just need to get that thing put back together. Case work, getting all screw bosses epoxied back in place, insides all cleaned. I had this sidelined because of fear of the CRT anode and getting shocked, but since working with the arcade cab's monitors, I think I can do it.

NES RGB project: Ordering some kits and getting it installed in my OG NES, AV Fami, and the Twin Fami. I may have to order more of the multiout connectors.

...that's some of the things off the top of my head. There will probably be more...oh, who am I kidding, there will be more. 

This is the halfway point of the month before we hit new years. This may or may not be my last post for this year. I'm still hoping to get one last project done (retrobrighting a few consoles that need it).

Sega Saturn V0 repair/mod DONE!

 So, my dumb self forgot to take pics when I installed the FRAM and region free BIOS..both after installing them and after I installed the Fenrir...ugh...

Anyway...

Here's where the BIOS was installed. The V0 uses a DIP40 for it's BIOS, so removal was easy with my desoldering station. It did take some reflowing of some solder on some of the ground points, but with that and some desoldering braid from the top of the BIOS, I was able to get it out. After that, it was just as simple as soldering in a DIP Socket and pressing in the new BIOS.

I'm keeping the original Japanese BIOS here in the tube the region free BIOS was sent in.

After getting the new BIOS in, I swapped out the original RAM. The old RAM was notorious for losing game saves if the CR2032 battery dies. I used my hot air rework station to heat up the old RAM out and prod it out of position without ruining the traces below. These are also notorious of having epoxy under the RAM, which could cause more headaches, but I lucked out here. The old RAM was removed and a new FRAM was soldered in place. I had to wire up 5V and GND to a nearby, empty capacitor spot. 

After getting it loosely put back together, I ran a quick test. I ran a Japanese disc and a US disc and both read and played just fine. The new FRAM that was installed was also tested. One of the games I tested created a game save. I turned it of, and unplugged it for a few minutes. After restarting, I went in and checked to see if the game save was still there. Happy to say that it was!

Again, I kept it with the original BIOS...don't know why, but I did.

So, I was able to finish these mods a few nights ago. Today (12.12.20) I finally received the Fenrir ODE I ordered around Black Friday.

It's a really nice kit coming from France. It also came with a 3D printed clip/spacer and a ribbon cable. Installation is really simple: open up the console, disconnect the CD drive ribbon cable and all the connectors to the CD assembly, remove the CD drive, install the ribbon cable to the Fenrir to the mainboard, plug in the power cable to the Fenrir, close it up, then test. Super simple...at least for this 20 pin drives.

But that's the quick of it. It leaves a big space where the disc drive was, like the xStation and GC Loader was. So you know I had to print something out.

I got this print from Thingiverse. It took a little under 6 hours to print. The Fenrir slides in at an angle and the SD card slot lines up with the little indentation so the card can be clicked in and out with no problems. There's just enough space to add some double sided foam tape to secure the Fenrir in place.

Now, it took some major modification to get it to this point. With the print as is, there was some resistance with closing the case. There was a spot to the left of the drive (as pictured here, that rectangular indentation) that was inset enough that the Fenrir board bumped it. Fearing that I may accidentally break the Fenrir closing the case up, I planned on trimming the leg of the mount there so there would be some wiggle room. Buuuuut, instead of trimming a piece off, I ended up snapping the leg completely off. That worked even better. There is still some resistance when closing the case, but it's not as bad as it was before.

I can finally call this console done. The mainboard has been recapped, the power supply fixed, region free BIOS, FRAM, and Fenrir installed. All that needs to be done is replace the CR2032 battery and we'll be done done!

TG16 DONE!

 Part of my problem is that I get impatient when it's close to completion...any project. I mean, I tried not to rush it, but...ugh.

...anyway...

Here's the before:

A reminder of my modding past. I could only get better than this.

Here's what I finished with tonight:

...a little less cluttered? No wire ties, wires not crossing all over the place, shorter wires...I like this look much better.

Here's the multiout connector. I had to solder all the connections to the connector before inserting it into the 3D print. It was a matter of figuring out how short or long to make the wires so if or when I need to fix something inside, I just have to remove the screw from the print to release the multiout and the board can slide out.

I raided my PC Engine for the RGB amp I originally had installed in it. Instead of tapping RGBS from the Hu6260, I tapped them from the EXT...yeah, longer wires, but that's how I originally had them connected in my PC Engine. Last I played on the PC Engine, the RGB worked perfectly. It's just a matter of getting an SNES RGB cable to test it.

After verifying that all the connections were done (Audio L/R, 5v, Composite, Luma, Chroma, GND, CSync, Red, Green, and Blue), I put it all back together and tested it. As you can see, it worked wonderfully! Both composite and S-Video (shown here) were displayed beautifully on my monitor through the Retrotink. It doesn't show here since my work light is on, but the LEDs that I have at the TG16 logo worked perfectly as well! The region switch changed the colors as I hoped.

I just forgot to put the power switch cover back in...easy fix.

I'm glad I got this working again. The sound and power caps are new and...well, I guess I don't have to worry about the video now...maybe when I get a Turbo CD? I'm not sure. I really don't need it since I have a PC Engine Duo...which is my next project...along with the PC Engine Duo R...

Anyway...This project is complete (AFAIK). I'll have to get an RGB cable to test out if the board works. in the meantime...

Nintendo multiout goodness...

TG16 reassembly...

 I felt that I needed to do some modwork to do so I can forget about the work day...holidays bring out the worst in people, I swear. Anyway, I decided to tackle putting the TG16 back together.

First off, the casework. I filled the old holes with PlasticWeld and sanded it down after it cured for a day. Now, as you can see, I left it as you see it here. I was contemplating going for perfection, but since this is my own personal console, I thought leaving it as is. It's just a reminder for me of what was done to the case and how much my modding technique has changed since then.

After letting the paint dry and off-gas for a day or three, I went ahead and epoxied the multiout print that I made. This was my first time using two-part epoxy, so I didn't squish it down just right. So, the final position was a bit crooked for my liking. It's on me since I wasn't used to using epoxy for perma-mounting stuff. When I dry fitted the print, it did fit even. Again, it's my own console, so I'm fine(ish) with it.

Just a slight fitment issue with the bottom part of the case. I'll have to file it down a little to get it to fit just right.

I had some LED strip lights that I decided to use for this instead of what I had in there before. It has RGB and bright white light. I plan on setting it up so when the region switch is in "TG16" mode, it'll glow white and in "PCE" mode, it'll be red.

This is what was in there before. I chopped up an old CD case and hot glued white LEDs and resistors just as a power light...which I just realized, I never showed how the TG16 looked before all of this.

...I modded this TG16 ages ago. Not really sure exactly when I did all these mods. I built the region mod from scratch, used an old method of creating S-Video, made a working, but very horrible, audio amp, and the RCAs and S-Video jacks sticking out from the side. Of all the consoles I've owned, this one got the most work done to it. Yeah, it's janky, but it worked. I'm not ashamed of this mod work. I've learned so much from this and hope to only improve in the future.

Anyway, I got wires routed out and verified the LEDs were working. I made this a stopping point for the night. I'm hoping to get the connector wired up and it finally closed up before the weekend. There's still RGB that I'm possibly thinking of installing as well, but that's for another time. I will get the wires soldered in to the connector to RGBS and either grab the RGB board I have in my PC Engine right now, or I may come back in to install RGBS later.

TG16 and the mod board madness...

 After all the fun testing things the other night, I decided to figure out board placement for everything. I spent most of the evening doing just that. I trimmed down the region mod board I made several years ago to a bare minimum size the ICs would allow. 

I added an audio amp board at the top, nearest to the expansion port. I tapped +5V and both sound channels from the bottom of the port and ground straight to one of the ground points nearby. I haven't tested the board yet, but I'm sure it works. Tapping audio straight from the expansion port gave really soft audio. I'm hoping that this boosts the sound up.

The final resting place for the composite/S-Video board lies where the RF box used to be. I was able to tap all the needed inputs for the board from close by, so all the wires are short and nicely routed.

I'm finally gonna tackle getting the holes patched up tomorrow after work and the print either epoxied in or just using the plastic weld I'm using to patch the holes with. I'm aiming for the weekend to get it all sanded and painted.

TG16 revival...

 Got around to testing that S-video mod tonight. Really tired after work, but I got it installed strictly for testing only. I followed what Voultar mentioned for the installation. I also connected it to the SNES mutliout connector that I had made.

After getting all the connections done and verified, I got it plugged in using a model 1 Genesis adapter. I hooked up my Nintendo cables connected to the Retrotink and powered on the TG16.

...I got nothing...

I thought it might be the Retrotink acting up with a composite signal, so I tried it again using my old setup with my HMDI DVD/VCR to my larger tv.

...still nothing...

I could've sworn that I used a Genesis adapter with this thing before, but I went and looked for the OG TG16 adapter and tried again.

I first tried it on my larger TV...and it worked!...With at least composite.

I then moved it to my computer monitor and Retrotink to it.

Such a sigh of relief! I though I messed everything up from trying to recap it. But luckily, the mod brought back video!

Next, I tested the S-video. I soldered some connections to the multiout for it. 

...not sure if the pictures are doing it justice, but the S-video image was really nice! I'm so happy with it!

All that's left is to get an RGB amplifier installed and I should be ready to close this up. In the meantime, I figured it was time to do some case work.

There are still holes that I need to patch up and paint over, but for the meantime, I needed to get the area where I plan on getting the multiout ready.

I had this piece printed out for the PCBs of the multiout that I had made. With the cable I was testing with, it was a bit snug, but I can work with that. I trimmed out the hole where the old RF connector was to fit the print. Because of the curve at the back end, the print sticks out a little. I'm gonna work it into place a little heat from my hot air rework station to bend it along the curve. The plan is to epoxy the print into the case. There's a small issue with connections for the multiout; they're upside down in this orientation, but I think I solved that. The PCB gets held into place on the print with a screw, so the plan is to have all the connections soldered to the PCB, then place it into the print and screw it down.

In the meantime, I had to modify how the switch for the region mod sat where I had it originally. I trimmed the multiout connector hole to fit just right, so the edge of it was butt up against the switch hole. In an effort to modify the switch, I broke it. I had a few more, so I modified one to work. I took a little of the side down to mount the switch flush with the inside of the case. From there, I screwed the one side, and used some super glue to have it stay in place. I made sure to scratch the surface of the switch and the plastic to ensure a good mating surface and the glue holds the parts together. I'm using a binder clip here to hold the switch in place while the glue dries.

I'm gonna start patchwork of the old holes tomorrow after work...hoping that I won't be as worn out as I was today.

I still have to finish up the Galaga cabinet. I haven't finished the marquee light and I still need to paint the monitor bezel. I may do that this weekend after getting the Christmas tree up.

Stuff acquired, assembly, and then install...

 I got the parts that I needed for the video fix (hopefully) for the TG16. When I had the time, I soldered all the components on to the PCBs I ordered. 

It got late(er) for me to really finish the install of this board and test it. It'll be the first thing I do tomorrow after I get home from work. I'm hoping this will fix my issue.

I also got a bunch of other things from a Black Friday sales.

The RetroTink was something that I was going back and fourth getting since I already have the OSSC. Tested S-video with the Sega Saturn that I repaired and it looked way better than when I have it connected to the HDMI DVD/VCR player. There's more experimentation I need to do with it, but for now, it makes it easier for me to test it without needing to get my test monitor out and connected. I can just use the other HDMI input in my computer monitor and call it good.

As Amazon sold out of these and all the scalpers came out and inflated the price, I managed to get this G&W from Walmart for the same price. It's more a kitschy thing to have, but it's fun.

I also broke down and managed to get a Fenrir ODE for the Saturn. Prior to that, I ordered a region free BIOS for it...now I don't need it...I'm gonna install it anyway. I'm still waiting on both of those to arrive, along with the FRAM that I ordered to do the memory mod.

Things are moving along. It's just a matter of time to get them done.

Waiting on several things before proceeding...

 I've been in a funk lately. Insomnia sucks.

I've sidelined the TG16 fix for the time being. Any of the fixes I've tried didn't work. I haven't patched the holes in the case yet to get it ready to receive the planned connector for it...maybe I should do that soon. 

The plan is this. Voultar put up an S-video mod board (evaluation version) that takes the video signals straight from (well, close by it) the Hu6260. The board uses a THS7314 along with some other components. The video signal is amplified through the THS7314 and mixed to create the S-video signals and, if I'm looking at it correctly, an output for composite...not like I really care about it, but I always like having that option.

I'm planning to get all of it connected using a Nintnedo Multi-out connector, like how the SNES, N64, and Gamecube used. I've done it on my friend's PCE Duo-R, I'm hoping to do it with, maybe, all my consoles. It's a nice connector to use, highly compatible, and I can reuse the cable on multiple consoles.

I had some PCBs made for both the S-video mod board and the multi-out connector. I've already printed out a holder for the multi-out to use with the TG16. I've also just ordered the parts needed for the mod board from Mouser...It's been a while since I've ordered from there.

The boards have been already sent to fabrication. The multi-out board and an S-video breakout board are on their way here; the mod board is going to fabrication now. It's just a matter of time before I get back into the TG16 to finish it up.

In the meantime, I may order a region free BIOS chip for the Saturn I just fixed...maybe do a FRAM mod to it as well.

Turbografx-16 recap process...

 I've been fighting some mad insomnia lately. It's like I know I need sleep, but my brain keeps giving me ideas on fixes.

I'm in the process of getting the recap for the TG16 completed and, for the most part, it's done. I've had some solder pads lift on me, but I repaired it. I double checked the work to make sure I'm still getting connection to where the traces went. Because of me accidentally ripping some solder pads, I double checked all connections to the caps I replace. Luckily, they were all good...so far. I still need to try and power on this thing.

Prior to the recap, I removed all the mods from the TG16. I need to fix up the holes I made in the case. Also, I ordered some parts to update the mods. It's just a matter of waiting until I get these things before I move forward. The main thing I need to get the region mod I made reinstalled and do the initial testing to make sure that I didn't mess up anything from the recap. I cut down the region mod board I made much smaller so there's more room for the other mod I have for it: and audio amp.

Sega Saturn recap DONE!

 The TL;DR of this is check the power supply even if it turns the console on...that being said...

This was about a week's worth of work to finish up, simply because I had to order another cap kit to complete it. 

The recap project was a Japanese Sega Saturn that I got. It powered on, but no video came on. Initial internet scouring lead to recapping the whole main board. So, along with the other cap kits, I ordered it for the specific board revision I had. When I finished the Game Gear recap, I started work on the Saturn.

This is pre-recapping. Nothing really stood out for leaking caps, but I figured that I should just redo it anyway since most capacitors from the 90's were bad, and this board might just be a ticking time bomb of exploded cap goo.

I tired to use the same SMD desoldering method Voultar uses, utilizing the hot air rework station, but this proved to be a bear of a job. The fist cap I tackled took what seemed like forever to get off. At that point, I just used my soldering station to heat one side of the cap, tilt it just enough to remove the connection from the board, and heat the other side to remove it completely. 

There were 2 caps that , when removed, I had lifted some of the trace off of the board, but not completely ripped it off from the board. I verified that the traces still had connection using my multimeter. After verifying, I used a drop of super glue to hold the traces down. After the glue dried, I proceeded to recap the board.

Here it is, in all it's recapped glory. I temporarily put the drive posts up to test the Saturn after the recap. After getting all the connections in and getting the power cord and the A/V cable set up, I powered it on and...

...nothing...

Still a blank screen. Power indicator is still on, but no video. At this point, I thought those 2 lifted traces are the culprit and started to think of secondary connections that I can solder to. I was about to give up until my brain clicked: maybe it is the power supply?

I took my multimeter out and checked the connections on the power supply, still powered on. 

The black wires were ground.

Orange wire should be 3.3V. 

Red wire should be 5V.

White wire should be 9V.

When I did the measurements, the connections were measuring 2V less than what they should be. The orange wire measured 1.3V, red showed 3V, and white showed 7V.

To double check the voltages, I did a measurement along the CXA1645M RGB Encoder (pin 1 GND, pin 12 5V). What should be 5V was measuring the 3V. Checking the data sheets, the IC needs a minimum of 5V to work.

So, I ended up ordering the recap kit for the power supply (XQ155). 

While I waited for the cap kit to come in the mail, I took the power supply out of the case and took out the old capacitors on the board. As I was desoldering the caps, that distinct smell of broken caps came out. I used solder wick to remove the old solder, then used alcohol to remove all the residue from the solder wick and the expelled caps. It was pretty much a waiting game until the following week when my order came in. 

As soon as I got it, I soldered in the 9 replacement caps to the board. Again, got everything connected to test. Turned on the console.

...No pic of the screen, but it worked! The date input screen came on and there was sound as well! I had a Japanese Saturn game to test and that ran perfectly as well!

Satisfied with the results, I closed it all up and retested it. Again, all working perfectly. 

So, lesson to be learned here is to check the power going in first from the power supply. It very well may be a bad cap there that just needs to be changed. Could the caps on the board be good still? Possibly. But I'm not taking it to chance that they were good. I know that there are new ones in there, and the board is all good for another few years of play.

As it goes for the hot air part, I'm sure I had to turn the heat up on the station. There is a possible FRAM mod I could do that will save the settings and game saves without worrying about the battery much, as well as an ODE mod for it. Things I'll consider for the near, foreseeable future. 

Game Gear recap done!...and an "Oh Crap" moment...

 Even without recapping the power and sound board on the blue Game Gear, it worked. I figured that since I had it open, and I had the parts for it, I should just go ahead and do it. 

The power board had through-hole components; the sound board had SMDs. Both my desoldering station and hot air rework station were deployed. It's a nice stack.

I started by recapping the sound board. Using the technique from Voultar, I used hot air to remove all the SMDs from the board. I covered the plastic connectors with foil to avoid melting them. It was a challenge getting the SMDs soldered on, but using Voultar's technique made it easier.

I used the desoldering station to get the 3 capacitors off. After removing the old caps and cleaning the area up, I put the new caps in. Really a simple process.

There was some battery acid corrosion on the bottom of the board. It was mainly on the ground plane. I scraped it off, cleaned it up with some alcohol, and used some of my daughter's black nail polish to protect that area.

After getting the boards recapped, I installed them back to the Game Gear. Before I powered it on, I though I should try to get rid of some of the battery acid corrosion with alcohol and a fiberglass pen. I got majority of it off, so I powered it on to test. 

The first power on I got power and sound...but no picture. I thought the cleaning I did might have messed it up, so I immediately checked everything in the general area I was cleaning up. Powered on...still nothing. 

Rechecked and resoldered all the new caps I installed...nothing.

Checked a few points for something not connected...nothing.

At this point, I figured that I should just reflow that section of the board. So I got the hot air station ready to go. I hit a few spots on the board to reflow, but then I noticed something. I used my magnifying glasses to check some of the points and on one IC, I found a stray wire in there. I took it out with some tweezers and BOOM! It worked once again!

I sometimes wonder if the heart attacks and oh crap moments are worth it. Regardless, it's working. The SMD caps was a good test for me since the next recap project has a lot of them. The future of this Game Gear is uncertain; I'm either gonna leave it as is, or swap out the screen for a better LCD screen by McWill. I also have 2 others that need attention. I may just try and get them working again or try to consolize at least one of them.

Recaps and the Playstation gets modded...

 I preordered an xStation sometime in August and finally got it last week. The xStation is an optical drive emulator (ODE) for the original Playstation. I sidelined it since I got it because there was no instructions on how to install it on my old SCPH-1001 Playstation. 

Well, this morning, there was a tweet from the maker of the xStation. He had just put up the installation guide for my Playstation revision! 

After verifying that my board matched the one that was put up online, I got the soldering station set up and opened up the Playstation.

First thing to do was getting pins lifted off the board from this IC. Since getting back into the habit of modding, there's a lot I've learned and been getting more and more confident doing things like this. With a proper soldering iron tip (I didn't have one, but I made it work) and a hook probe, this was easy.

Here's the IC with the legs separated from the board. There was only 4 legs of the IC that needed to be lifted.

That little white oscillator in the middle of the pic was the next area. A filter and resistor near to the oscillator needed to be removed from here.

A few more components needed to be removed from the bottom of the main board. There were 3 SMD resistors that were removed (at the center of the pic).

I've been pretty leery about using quick solder boards (QSB) on mods (see the GBP mod). I've watched a few videos on how some modders do it. I took some of their techniques and eventually got this board installed with no issues. No-clean flux and a steady hand does it easily.

Now, at the end of the install, I had an issue. Basically, I didn't solder one wire back there to the QSB (marked IO16). Me being tired, misread the install instructions and forgot to install this. So, just imagine a wire going from that IO16 solder point, then installed it to where it needed to go to.

Here is where the xStation lies. I'm gonna print a mount like how I did with the Gamecube. I also have to try and reroute that ribbon cable a little better.

So, other than the hiccup that I mentioned earlier with the one connection, I put the necessary files on a tester micro SD card and put it in the xStation.

I was missing this screen the first time. After getting the point soldered in, this came up.

After having the xStation find the games that I had on the SD card, it loaded the games list.

This was the first game I tested with the xStation: Wild Arms. It was one of my favorite RPGs.

And yes, it loaded up just fine!

I was happy with the results. So, after closing that up, I moved on to my next project: A Game Gear recap.

I found a blue Game Gear a few years ago. I haven't tested it until about a month ago and was greeted with a white screen with sound. So I ordered some recap kits last week from Console5.com. I felt like tackling it tonight since I already had it degunked and all the battery acid removed as much as I could.

There's a few consoles that I would like to get recapped, so I ordered them all at the same time.

I made short work of the old caps on the board. After removing them, I cleaned it off with some alcohol and a toothbrush. I also needed to use a fiberglass pen to remove some really stuck on gunk from the leaked capacitors. The pic above is the aftermath, with all the new caps from the kit installed.

Simple job to do. Nice to see the old console come back to life. I didn't have the back connected, so I just used a model 2 Genesis adapter to test it.

I still have to do the power and sound boards, but that requires me to get my desoldering station and my hot air rework station out. I'll save that for tomorrow night.