Questions that do not deserve a thread

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Dochartaigh
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by Dochartaigh »

Lopenator wrote:Anyone know why the SNES HD Retrovision cables work with NESRGB and what other RGB/Component cables would work with NESRGB even if I need to make one myself. I am trying to acquire another pair of cables besides my HD Retrovision. My NES has a multi-out installed.

Would this work?
SNES HD Retrovision cables work on a NESRGB, because most NESRGB modders install a SNES-style multiout for the NESRGB mod. These output RGBS almost always (although there's an optional ETim component video board for the NESRGB mod too though).

Since all the HDR cables do is have a built-in RGBS to YPbPr converter chip inside them, anything which takes the SNES RGBS multiout can use them, and you'll get YPbPt on the other side.

Unless you know how to source, and wire-up a RGBS to YPbPr converter chip into your own cable, I doubt you could make your own.

Also, sidenote I always add: HDR cables are stupid if you have a bunch of systems using them. Why would you buy multiple cables with multiple RGBS>YPbPr converters inside them, instead of ONE, WAY cheaper, RGBS> YPbPr converter, when use WAY cheaper (and WAY easily sources... i.e. not almost constantly out of stock like HDR) RGBS cables on all your systems... never makes sense to me...
Steven
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by Steven »

thchardcore wrote:Lighter fluid is generally the best method for cleaning PCBs. I learned this from a very reputable repair person.
vol.2 wrote:
Steven wrote:I'm assuming that it's safe to clean my Slap Fight PCB with isopropyl alcohol (bottle says ethanol content is 76.9~81.4%, as that is what is available here I guess) and q-tips or whatever, right? It's so dirty that my fingers will get covered in filth when I touch it, but it works fine, so I never bothered, but I do really want to clean it.
Ethanol I find is generally better at cleaning than iso anyway. I used to keep a bottle of everclear around to remove sticker residue. But it can harm certain plastics and finishes, so it's optimal to test a small area before going whole hog. I would imagine it's probably fine.
Alright, thanks. I will see what I can do. It just seems to be some sort of filth on one side of the PCB. The ROM stickers are very dirty as well. Not sure how to clean those without destroying them, unfortunately.

In any case, I have noticed recently that my New Astro City's monitor's colors seem to have changed slightly, as white has become sort of yellow. I didn't change games or mess with anything else, but I did press the DEMAG button just to see what happened and nothing changed. Is this something I should be worried about? It has become significantly colder recently and I do not have air conditioning in the room with the Astro, but I don't know if that would have any effect on it or not. I am guessing and hoping that I just need to recalibrate, so I suppose I need to learn how to do that.

Alright, well, I seem to have fixed it already, as Sega or whoever fortunately and very conveniently put the color controls right there inside the control panel, but is it normal for the monitor colors to change over time like that without me touching them? At least, I don't remember ever touching them.
Hazuki
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by Hazuki »

Do Genesis 2 Retrovision cables work with the PCE Spark Plug?

Edit: sorry if it seems like a stupid question, but CastleMania says it works alongside the db-Electronics grafx booster, while StoneAgeGamer says it doesn't (???) which one should I trust?

So I was wondering if there are any surprises like that for the Spark Plug as well. Yes, I know both devices are currently out of stock so it's not like I'd be able to get them anyway, but would just like a clarification in advance so I can buy the right thing when they're available.

For usage with my CoreGrafx II specifically.
Revolver Ocelot
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by Revolver Ocelot »

I lost my Framemeister last week so I was forced to upgrade and got myself a retro tink 5x. Are the older editions of the cables from retro gaming cables uk perfectly suitable for the device or do I need to get some new cables?
fernan1234
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by fernan1234 »

Revolver Ocelot wrote:I lost my Framemeister last week so I was forced to upgrade and got myself a retro tink 5x. Are the older editions of the cables from retro gaming cables uk perfectly suitable for the device or do I need to get some new cables?
Shouldn't need new cables, unless you were using JP21 cables for the Framemeister.
Revolver Ocelot
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by Revolver Ocelot »

fernan1234 wrote:
Revolver Ocelot wrote:I lost my Framemeister last week so I was forced to upgrade and got myself a retro tink 5x. Are the older editions of the cables from retro gaming cables uk perfectly suitable for the device or do I need to get some new cables?
Shouldn't need new cables, unless you were using JP21 cables for the Framemeister.

Thx for your reply. No i am using Only Euro Scart cables even for my Japanese Ps2, Saturn and modded N64.
EnragedWhale
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by EnragedWhale »

Revolver Ocelot wrote:
fernan1234 wrote:
Revolver Ocelot wrote:I lost my Framemeister last week so I was forced to upgrade and got myself a retro tink 5x. Are the older editions of the cables from retro gaming cables uk perfectly suitable for the device or do I need to get some new cables?
Shouldn't need new cables, unless you were using JP21 cables for the Framemeister.

Thx for your reply. No i am using Only Euro Scart cables even for my Japanese Ps2, Saturn and modded N64.
I know this is a bit late but just thought I’d add that old RGC Jaguar cables output TLL sync which can damage some equipment including the RT5X. That’s the only real issue I’ve had with RGC cables and I’ve been using them since 2014. Early cables aren’t built and designed as well as their more recent cables but no safety issues. Oh and they replaced the Jag cable for free.
ldeveraux
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by ldeveraux »

EnragedWhale wrote: I know this is a bit late but just thought I’d add that old RGC Jaguar cables output TLL sync which can damage some equipment including the RT5X. That’s the only real issue I’ve had with RGC cables and I’ve been using them since 2014. Early cables aren’t built and designed as well as their more recent cables but no safety issues. Oh and they replaced the Jag cable for free.
I know this has nothing to do with your post, but I tried buying the Jaguar SCART cable from RGC in November and Royal Mail never shipped it to the States. Instead of shipping a new one, they said they were out of stock and gave me a refund. I had to go with an RA cable which I wasn't thrilled with. No clue whether the RA cable will ship either...
EnragedWhale
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by EnragedWhale »

ldeveraux wrote: I know this has nothing to do with your post, but I tried buying the Jaguar SCART cable from RGC in November and Royal Mail never shipped it to the States. Instead of shipping a new one, they said they were out of stock and gave me a refund. I had to go with an RA cable which I wasn't thrilled with. No clue whether the RA cable will ship either...
Royal Mail have been striking several days a month so I’m not surprised the service is a mess. And yeah the jag cable is showing out of stock. They do sometimes seem to go months between restocks but they do seem to come back eventually.
AaronSR
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by AaronSR »

Does anyone have a recommendable NES 60 pin to FC 72 pin adapter/converter? I've read around and some work with "most games" or "some games" etc.

Just to clarify: NES to Famicom (I have AV Famicom), not the other way around. Thanks
GojiFan90
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by GojiFan90 »

AaronSR wrote:Does anyone have a recommendable NES 60 pin to FC 72 pin adapter/converter? I've read around and some work with "most games" or "some games" etc.

Just to clarify: NES to Famicom (I have AV Famicom), not the other way around. Thanks
I use this one.

https://www.play-asia.com/nes-cartridge ... /13/70b0tn

Currently out of stock but check ebay etc.
jd213
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by jd213 »

I have the Retro Freak adapter as well, but I don't think any Retro Freak stuff is still in production.

There's plenty of converters on Aliexpress though. I imagine they're just passthrough, so probably no need to worry about compatibility problems. Maybe some old unlicensed carts would have problems depending on how they were made to work with the NES lockout chip, not sure.
lechu
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by lechu »

Does anyone have the UltraHDMI and a TCL 4K TV? I've been having issues lately.

My TCL is old, and my UltraHDMI is one of the original hardware revisions. I generally haven't had issues, but I haven't played it in a long time. I've been getting a ton of picture drops lately with it. And it's random. It can go 30 minutes or 30 seconds without a drop. I plugged it into my computer monitor with no issues though.

There's also an RGB mod. No idea if that has anything to do with it. My RGB monitor with the N64 has no issues. I'm guessing it's something with the TCL.
bravojohny
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by bravojohny »

Unsure where's the appropriate topic.

So, my Taito type x3 on my vewlix sometimes restarts (resets) when I'm playing or just in demonstration mode after a game selected.

Is there a way to fix it or is it normal?

No images, just operating as original.
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vol.2
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by vol.2 »

Konsolkongen wrote:It's very hard to see in the Amazon listing, but it looks like they are using the NF-A6x25 FLX which is 12V at least :)

The fan you link to is probably much more quiet than the Nidec one from the 50004 I'm currently using. I may pick one up one day :)

I just did this fan swap myself, and it's dead quiet. The shape isn't the same as the original fan because of the screw-down and the wings that stick out of the plastic case on the orginal fan; this fan is just a square.

It was fairly simple to get it in snug though, I just had to cut up some old shop point cards and glue them together to make some shims. The bottom edge does not sit flat because the original fan doesn't actually touch the bottom, it's entirely suspended from the wings on it's sides. I had to cut up plastic and shim it on the bottom to make it level, then I cut up two pieces for the side to make it tight in both directions. I also made the side shim on the screw side a little longer and bent it over so that I could make a hole in the plastic and screw down the shims to the housing, using the existing screw

I might sound complicated, but it's not; it was dead simple. I can clarify if needed, but if you're already at the point of opening your PS2 and replacing it with a Noctua, you probably understand the construction of the thing enough to understand
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VEGETA
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by VEGETA »

I plan to get a gamecube, i have Sony trinitron consumer tv 29" which can take ntsc and pal. I hook everything to it via component though, and my consoles outputs RGB SCART to RGB2COMP then to CRT.

I searched and found that NTSC gamecube is very troublesome to have RGB SCART output while PAL one is out of the box with cheaply available good cables.

I intend to soft mod it via swiss and the available new mods.

my question is, can a PAL gamecube run NTSC 60 fps games perfectly fine and output them in their original 60fps\60i form?

thanks
jd213
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by jd213 »

Yeah, NTSC games are output in NTSC once you get around the region lock, although the boot screen will still be in PAL.

Also make sure that the RGB cable is specifically for a PAL GC, as the pinout is slightly different from SNES/SFC RGB cables.

edit: You could also get a US GC with the Digital port and then use a Carby + HDMI to RGB or component adapter.
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VEGETA
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by VEGETA »

jd213 wrote:Yeah, NTSC games are output in NTSC once you get around the region lock, although the boot screen will still be in PAL.

Also make sure that the RGB cable is specifically for a PAL GC, as the pinout is slightly different from SNES/SFC RGB cables.

edit: You could also get a US GC with the Digital port and then use a Carby + HDMI to RGB or component adapter.
retrogamingcables offers pal gamecube rgb scart cable which encouraged me to take such decision to buy pal gamecube.

you mentioned region lock, can that be done via such softmods?

thanks
jd213
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by jd213 »

There's the Action Replay and Free Loader discs and I think some retail games with exploits that can be used to boot into Swiss, but not sure how common they are nowadays. Probably cheaper to install a PicoBoot, it doesn't look too hard.
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VEGETA
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by VEGETA »

jd213 wrote:There's the Action Replay and Free Loader discs and I think some retail games with exploits that can be used to boot into Swiss, but not sure how common they are nowadays. Probably cheaper to install a PicoBoot, it doesn't look too hard.
I can mod and install anything, i have skills. just wanted to verify if i ran swiss will ntsc games run as they designed to run without any problems or not.
jd213
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by jd213 »

I never had any problems with NTSC games on my PAL GC, but my experiences are limited.

You could also do an internal mod like the GCdual. But it's probably sold out still so maybe not.

I guess you already know, but you'd also need a US PSU or step-down transformer for the PAL GC.
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VEGETA
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by VEGETA »

jd213 wrote:I never had any problems with NTSC games on my PAL GC, but my experiences are limited.

You could also do an internal mod like the GCdual. But it's probably sold out still so maybe not.

I guess you already know, but you'd also need a US PSU or step-down transformer for the PAL GC.
I live in PAL country (Jordan) with 220v AC electricity so no problem, have a local seller here selling PAL and NTSC gamecubes.

for me I saw pico boot to be easiest but looks like i still need to have swiss via that small sd card small boards. it is kinda complicated due to many mods available which still requires swiss via that port.

i'd like to keep the disc drive, what is the best mod to have??
jd213
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by jd213 »

Ah, OK.

The Picoboot will still allow you to use the disc drive, but you will need either the sd2sp2 or a memory card to SD card adapter for Swiss.
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VEGETA
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by VEGETA »

jd213 wrote:Ah, OK.

The Picoboot will still allow you to use the disc drive, but you will need either the sd2sp2 or a memory card to SD card adapter for Swiss.
nice to see this but i need to understand. if i have sd2sp2 or similar little board which allows me to run swiss... then why bother with other mods like pico boot? since swiss will give me all i need to run games off sd card.

please explain what do these mods do
jd213
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by jd213 »

The SD card stores the files for Swiss, but it doesn't allow you to boot into it. That's where the Picoboot (or other modchip) comes in.
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Tempest_2084
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by Tempest_2084 »

Is it possible to change the horizontal size in the service menu on a Phillips 27PT543S37A CRT? The service manual seems to indicate that there should be an East West Width option in the horizontal menu but when I go to that menu I only see one option and that's for moving the horizontal position. I checked the chassis info and the manual should be for this model chassis. Could the rest of the options be hidden somehow?
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VEGETA
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by VEGETA »

jd213 wrote:The SD card stores the files for Swiss, but it doesn't allow you to boot into it. That's where the Picoboot (or other modchip) comes in.
so all i need is a picoboot and that sd card little board. then i can play all the games from all regions right? i guess i need also a memory card for saves?
jd213
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by jd213 »

I believe so, yeah.
Dochartaigh
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by Dochartaigh »

Tempest_2084 wrote:Is it possible to change the horizontal size in the service menu on a Phillips 27PT543S37A CRT? The service manual seems to indicate that there should be an East West Width option in the horizontal menu but when I go to that menu I only see one option and that's for moving the horizontal position. I checked the chassis info and the manual should be for this model chassis. Could the rest of the options be hidden somehow?
Some sets don't have H Size. A common highly sought after consumer set, a JVC D-Series in 27" doesn't have H Size (32" and 36" of the same size have it fyi).

You can also check if there's a physical pot for it inside - would be weird if it has a service menu but wouldn't be the only one like that.
Last edited by Dochartaigh on Mon Apr 10, 2023 12:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
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vol.2
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Re: Questions that do not deserve a thread

Post by vol.2 »

Tempest_2084 wrote:Is it possible to change the horizontal size in the service menu on a Phillips 27PT543S37A CRT? The service manual seems to indicate that there should be an East West Width option in the horizontal menu but when I go to that menu I only see one option and that's for moving the horizontal position. I checked the chassis info and the manual should be for this model chassis. Could the rest of the options be hidden somehow?
H Size is often accomplished with a variable inductor in the Hor deflection circuit, and is sometimes left out of the service instructions. Sometimes the Hor coil is also fixed and there is no adjustment. If there is, there will be a slug down in the center of the inductor that goes in-and-out. Look in the parts list in the back of the service manual in the inductors and see if you can find anything labelled as such. If it has one, you can then track it down on the PCB with the help of the schematic

Typically, there is a specific procedure for setting the Hor that involves the Hor frequency control. Often times, you are supposed to short the base of the freq control transistor to the pot and adjust the pot until the shape of the image has no tearing, and is ideally almost locked steady. Usually, you won't be able to get the oscillator to lock completely with the base shorted, but there'll be an obvious best spot. once you do that, you would then go onto the Hor coil and tweak it. There is likely not a whole hell of a lot of play in the coil though, and if it still looks off, there could be bad caps in the Hor deflection region.

Obviously, you want to refer to your service manual for the setup, but look around for Hor oscillator adjustments, it's usually around there.
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