NESRGB board available now

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XianXi
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by XianXi »

Just finished the mod, colors look good. I had a cable lying around that already had the pinout so I tried it out and audio buzzes and of course this cable has no shielding. I guess I have to make my own cable.

As for the console, I didn't want to mess up the sticker.
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mickcris
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by mickcris »

XianXi wrote:Just finished the mod, colors look good. I had a cable lying around that already had the pinout so I tried it out and audio buzzes and of course this cable has no shielding. I guess I have to make my own cable.

As for the console, I didn't want to mess up the sticker.
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That is a really clean install of the switch and video out. Looks nice!
XianXi
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by XianXi »

Hmm, even with a nice shielded cable I get buzzing. Only test cart I have is an everdrive. When there's music there's no buzzing, only when there's no audio and the screen brightness changes. Only things I did audio-wise were the tapping CPU 1 and 2 going to A and B and the expansion mod from pin 54>47kohm>mix point.
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ApolloBoy
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by ApolloBoy »

Just went and bought a second NESRGB, going to be installing it in my top loader now that multiout panels are becoming available (at long last)!
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Vigormortis
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Vigormortis »

XianXi wrote:Hmm, even with a nice shielded cable I get buzzing. Only test cart I have is an everdrive. When there's music there's no buzzing, only when there's no audio and the screen brightness changes. Only things I did audio-wise were the tapping CPU 1 and 2 going to A and B and the expansion mod from pin 54>47kohm>mix point.
The buzzing you're describing is exactly what I was getting too. It's especially strong in the Everdrive's menu and in games' silent intro credits screens. I notice this buzz on every console I've tried with a SCART cable (NES+NESRGB, SNES, Genesis, PS1, PS2). I found the most effective way of getting rid of it was by having the audio go down a separate shielded cable connected to the scart and SNES connectors. I used a shielded audio cable from Radioshack

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TechyTom
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by TechyTom »

Dunno if anyone else has been following the reproduction nes toploader av socket, but they just opened up orders for the first batch:
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/sh ... A-V-Socket
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keropi
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by keropi »

I am getting buzzing without any audio lines connected on the av cable :lol: :lol: :lol:
leonk
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by leonk »

TechyTom wrote:Dunno if anyone else has been following the reproduction nes toploader av socket, but they just opened up orders for the first batch:
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/sh ... A-V-Socket
46$ shipped!? For that price, I can buy 2 donor systems to use in the mod.

WAAAYY too expensive!!
XianXi
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by XianXi »

leonk wrote:
TechyTom wrote:Dunno if anyone else has been following the reproduction nes toploader av socket, but they just opened up orders for the first batch:
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/sh ... A-V-Socket
46$ shipped!? For that price, I can buy 2 donor systems to use in the mod.

WAAAYY too expensive!!
Exactly what I was thinking. He should have advertised it more for pre-orders and waited a little to get the cost way down.
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ApolloBoy
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by ApolloBoy »

leonk wrote:
TechyTom wrote:Dunno if anyone else has been following the reproduction nes toploader av socket, but they just opened up orders for the first batch:
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/sh ... A-V-Socket
46$ shipped!? For that price, I can buy 2 donor systems to use in the mod.

WAAAYY too expensive!!
Considering that it's made of entirely new parts and a lot of work went into it, it's not that expensive. IMO much better than salvaging a multiout from a dead console and trimming the original backplate to fit.
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Voultar
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Voultar »

XianXi wrote:
leonk wrote:
TechyTom wrote:Dunno if anyone else has been following the reproduction nes toploader av socket, but they just opened up orders for the first batch:
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/sh ... A-V-Socket
46$ shipped!? For that price, I can buy 2 donor systems to use in the mod.

WAAAYY too expensive!!
Exactly what I was thinking. He should have advertised it more for pre-orders and waited a little to get the cost way down.

I am inclined to agree. For $46, I would expect them to at least try to match the ABS plastic in pigment.

That's just a little unreasonable, in my opinion.
leonk
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by leonk »

Folks, lets put this is perspective. The cost of the connector is about 50% of the cost of the NESRGB. Which device do you think has more engineering, components, time and effort invested into it?

Given this price difference, the NESRGB suddenly seems like a steal of a deal!

I remember a while ago RETROUSB used to sell NES shells that were milled from scratch. Were they not selling for 5-6$ each? In addition, seeing Jason's youtube video's about custom making PCB's in the USA, the cost of the PCB inside the connector should cost 3-5$ AT MOST. So the actual cost, given volume discounts/selecting correct suppliers should be 10-12$ gross.

If he's selling them for >40$ each.. that's crazy margins that I think are a tad unfair for the general NES gamer. I don't mind paying 25$ each (which is still more than scavenging from an SNES/N64/GC) if it saves me time .. but lets face it.. lots of dead systems out there with REAL OEM Nintendo made connectors. We don't even know if these things feel right / work after hundreds of insertions.

Jason, time for a video review? :)
Last edited by leonk on Thu Feb 27, 2014 11:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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opt2not
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by opt2not »

$46... :shock: well, that counts me out.
XianXi
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by XianXi »

leonk wrote:Folks, lets put this is perspective. The cost of the connector is about 50% of the cost of the NESRGB. Which device do you think has more engineering, components, time and effort invested into it?

Given this price difference, the NESRGB suddenly seems like a steal of a deal!

I remember a while ago RETROUSB used to sell NES shells that were milled from scratch. Were they not selling for 5-6$ each? In addition, seeing Jason's youtube video's about custom making PCB's in the USA, the cost of the PCB inside the connector should cost 3-5$ AT MOST. So the actual cost, given volume discounts/selecting correct suppliers should be 10-12$ gross.

If he's selling them for >40$ each.. that's crazy margins that I think are a tad unfair for the general NES gamer. I don't mind paying 25$ each (which is still more than scavenging from an SNES/N64/GC) if it saves me time .. but lets face it.. lots of dead systems out there with REAL OEM Nintendo made connectors. We don't even know if these things feel right / work after hundreds of insertions.

Jason, time for a video review? :)
It's $46 because I think what he says is that he only ordered 11 units which is why the cost is high. I think the target price would be $25 for them which is why I was saying he should have either waited on the pre-order to gain interest or invest some money into it to where it would be cost efficient to the end buyer. He should have done at least 50 units unless the cost is actually in the mold as I'm not sure how they were produced.
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mickcris
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by mickcris »

XianXi wrote:
leonk wrote:Folks, lets put this is perspective. The cost of the connector is about 50% of the cost of the NESRGB. Which device do you think has more engineering, components, time and effort invested into it?

Given this price difference, the NESRGB suddenly seems like a steal of a deal!

I remember a while ago RETROUSB used to sell NES shells that were milled from scratch. Were they not selling for 5-6$ each? In addition, seeing Jason's youtube video's about custom making PCB's in the USA, the cost of the PCB inside the connector should cost 3-5$ AT MOST. So the actual cost, given volume discounts/selecting correct suppliers should be 10-12$ gross.

If he's selling them for >40$ each.. that's crazy margins that I think are a tad unfair for the general NES gamer. I don't mind paying 25$ each (which is still more than scavenging from an SNES/N64/GC) if it saves me time .. but lets face it.. lots of dead systems out there with REAL OEM Nintendo made connectors. We don't even know if these things feel right / work after hundreds of insertions.

Jason, time for a video review? :)
It's $46 because I think what he says is that he only ordered 11 units which is why the cost is high. I think the target price would be $25 for them which is why I was saying he should have either waited on the pre-order to gain interest or invest some money into it to where it would be cost efficient to the end buyer. He should have done at least 50 units unless the cost is actually in the mold as I'm not sure how they were produced.
I think they are 3D printed. Not sure if buying more brings the price down.
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by XianXi »

mickcris wrote:
XianXi wrote:
leonk wrote:Folks, lets put this is perspective. The cost of the connector is about 50% of the cost of the NESRGB. Which device do you think has more engineering, components, time and effort invested into it?

Given this price difference, the NESRGB suddenly seems like a steal of a deal!

I remember a while ago RETROUSB used to sell NES shells that were milled from scratch. Were they not selling for 5-6$ each? In addition, seeing Jason's youtube video's about custom making PCB's in the USA, the cost of the PCB inside the connector should cost 3-5$ AT MOST. So the actual cost, given volume discounts/selecting correct suppliers should be 10-12$ gross.

If he's selling them for >40$ each.. that's crazy margins that I think are a tad unfair for the general NES gamer. I don't mind paying 25$ each (which is still more than scavenging from an SNES/N64/GC) if it saves me time .. but lets face it.. lots of dead systems out there with REAL OEM Nintendo made connectors. We don't even know if these things feel right / work after hundreds of insertions.

Jason, time for a video review? :)
It's $46 because I think what he says is that he only ordered 11 units which is why the cost is high. I think the target price would be $25 for them which is why I was saying he should have either waited on the pre-order to gain interest or invest some money into it to where it would be cost efficient to the end buyer. He should have done at least 50 units unless the cost is actually in the mold as I'm not sure how they were produced.
I think they are 3D printed. Not sure if buying more brings the price down.
That's what I initially thought, with 3D printing the only way to get a volume discount is usually if you supply the material and design the print job to maximize the print area to reduce the number of print runs. Kinda like if you were able to fit 50 units in the print area compared to only fitting 10 units. That way you save on the print charge usually. His pricing might be individual prints plus labor.
Jeppen
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Jeppen »

Let me get this straight, he might be selling these so expensive, because.. they are.. prototypes..
That seems a bit backwards if you ask me.
sean49938
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by sean49938 »

Wow! I was happy to buy one this morning and am looking forward to receiving it. If you think he's charging too much for this initial run, I strongly encourage you to attempt to replicate what he is offering and see if your opinion changes.

For the record, we all know that higher volume runs bring down costs. But, pre-orders have a history of going badly and I think it's a wise move not to do a large initial run out of pocket.
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game-tech.us
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by game-tech.us »

leonk wrote:Jason, time for a video review? :)
I have ordered two, one customer wants it for sure, so yes I will do a vid review when they get here.
The cost may be a tad high, but I still think it's great step in the right direction, if they can get it color matched it will look so good and I won't have to spend an hour cutting and filing out a hole for an original connector, that equates to customer savings. I've been selling the connector itself for $20 and $40 to instal it, prolly only charge $10 to instal the $40 3D panel, so already a $10 savings for my nes-101 multi out rgb customers.
leonk
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by leonk »

game-tech.us wrote:
leonk wrote:Jason, time for a video review? :)
I have ordered two, one customer wants it for sure, so yes I will do a vid review when they get here.
The cost may be a tad high, but I still think it's great step in the right direction, if they can get it color matched it will look so good and I won't have to spend an hour cutting and filing out a hole for an original connector, that equates to customer savings. I've been selling the connector itself for $20 and $40 to instal it, prolly only charge $10 to instal the $40 3D panel, so already a $10 savings for my nes-101 multi out rgb customers.
I'd be interested in the quality of the connector and the plastic. If the connector quality is no where near that of the original Nintendo made one, the 10$ savings isn't worth it.

Also, the 10$ savings is only for those individuals that pay someone else to install it for them. There are no savings if you do the work yourself.
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opt2not
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by opt2not »

Just wanted say thanks again to viletim for such an awesome kit. Also, thanks so much (i can't say this enough) to leonk for helping me out with my botched install. The guy does some great clean work!

Here's a few pics I snapped from my 55" Plasma (panasonic viera) via XRGB-mini...

Over Horizon, excellent and beautiful hori-shump:
Image

Image

Crystalis:
Image

Image

Image

And for a comparison, XRGB-mini on a plasma vs. PVM TV:

Image
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game-tech.us
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by game-tech.us »

I got the nes-101 multi panels today, haven't done much other that look and feel, but they do feel quite strong and they are quite smooth yet with a slight texture. The color is too white, but we already knew that was an issue.
The other issues i've found already are with the pcb, if it were made with a beveled edge it might ease cord insertion, i'd prefer gold finish, and if the annular rings were bigger it might help soldering wires and headers to them.
Will do some video review and instal later.
Also, they are doing an order of panel mount multi's, perfect for the back of the nes-001, but for that i'd prefer a dark color for the pieces, the snes connector is a dark grey almost black and that looks pretty good installed on the back bottom shell of a nes-001.
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by leonk »

game-tech.us wrote:I got the nes-101 multi panels today, haven't done much other that look and feel, but they do feel quite strong and they are quite smooth yet with a slight texture. The color is too white, but we already knew that was an issue.
The other issues i've found already are with the pcb, if it were made with a beveled edge it might ease cord insertion, i'd prefer gold finish, and if the annular rings were bigger it might help soldering wires and headers to them.
Will do some video review and instal later.
Also, they are doing an order of panel mount multi's, perfect for the back of the nes-001, but for that i'd prefer a dark color for the pieces, the snes connector is a dark grey almost black and that looks pretty good installed on the back bottom shell of a nes-001.
Hi Jason, the texture you're talking about is an issue I found with all 3D printed objects. Because of the way they are made, it's impossible to get perfect plastic smooth surface. If you look closely at the panel, you'll be able to see the layers of the printed material .. think older inkjet printers where you can see the lines going across the page.
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mickcris
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by mickcris »

game-tech.us wrote:I got the nes-101 multi panels today, haven't done much other that look and feel, but they do feel quite strong and they are quite smooth yet with a slight texture. The color is too white, but we already knew that was an issue.
The other issues i've found already are with the pcb, if it were made with a beveled edge it might ease cord insertion, i'd prefer gold finish, and if the annular rings were bigger it might help soldering wires and headers to them.
Will do some video review and instal later.
Also, they are doing an order of panel mount multi's, perfect for the back of the nes-001, but for that i'd prefer a dark color for the pieces, the snes connector is a dark grey almost black and that looks pretty good installed on the back bottom shell of a nes-001.
Not sure if you saw, but in the assembler thread last night, BuffaloWing said he bought some dye to try and color the panel to match.
leonk
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by leonk »

Wouldn't it make more sense to use a color matched substrate in the 3D printing process rather than color after the fact?
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mickcris
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by mickcris »

leonk wrote:Wouldn't it make more sense to use a color matched substrate in the 3D printing process rather than color after the fact?
I do not know much about 3d printing, but it appears not. Here is the article BuffaloWing linked to about dying:
http://makezine.com/2013/05/09/how-to-d ... 3d-prints/
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by ccovell »

game-tech.us wrote:...if the annular rings were bigger...
OT:
I'm shocked that this is the official name for them, as it's totally redundant. It'd be like talking about "my cardiac heart" or "fraternal brother"... :-P
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Josh128
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Josh128 »

Two capacitors in parallel = half the capacitance. It will increase the 'line droop' by a tiny amount but it's probably not something significant. I notice that many third party RGB cables use only 100 uF capacitors anyway.
Tim, this is an error-- with two capacitors in parallel your capacitance doubles, not halves, if they are of the same capacitance. Capacitance halves when in series. Not sure how this will affect what you were talking about and obviously you just had a brain fart, just wanted to correct this. To all, please dont crucify me, obviously Tim is an electrical engineering genius, I dont pretend to know a tenth of what he does, just pointing out a simple error.

Also, for all others who have performed the installation on a front loader (NTSC), I did not receive a voltage regulator with my kit. I have emailed Tim to see why ( I think its because I also ordered the top loader adapter board, but I ordered that because at the time I wanted all the accessories cause I wasnt sure whether I would install in my childhood NES front loader or order a top loader to mod. I ended up going with my beloved 1987 childhood model :wink: ).

Im using the original power supply / transformer-- Ive read that if I apply some good thermal paste and maybe bolt some extra metal to the existing sink, the regulator in the NES will be OK. Anyone have any input on this?
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Josh128
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Josh128 »

Couple questions about the palette switching function and the ON-ON-ON toggle switch now included in the kits-

1. To switch to a certain palette, you must connect one of the palette pins to ground, right?

2. What happens if you switch the palette while a game is running? Does it update real time or must you reset the system? Can it damage anything to switch while running?

3. The ON-ON-ON switch Tim includes in the kit does not seem to be able to switch any single connection (GND) to 3 different ones to select all the palettes. Testing with ohm meter, it looks like at most you can use it to switch between 2 palettes with no "OFF" option. What am I not seeing here?
alimadhi
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by alimadhi »

i have problem with upper screen noise like 2 centimeter and every 5-10 sec the screen moving to the right like 1 centimeter quickly and come back like blink

My TV LED Samsung support scart [ext RGB] and i test megadrive, ps1 and old xbox no problem
I dont know what is my T.W board ver. i just received it with replacement chip.
Last edited by alimadhi on Mon Mar 03, 2014 7:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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