shmups.system11.org

I'd like to join round 5 if still possible.

Cool. I'll get you added to the list!

The "FFC" is the "flat flex cable" to attach the UltraHDMI to the N64's graphics chip. Because pretty much all cables are "flexible," I prefer to call it "flat flex circuit" or "flat cable" or "flex PCB."

If you are not attempting self-installation, you don't need it. I'll send you a PM momentarily with more participation details.

Just sent over an email!
Thank you very much.

I guess the forum delayed your first post for a while. You're on the list!

I would like to sign up if there are still spots.

Great! I'm heading home, then I'll send you some participation details.

ROUND 4 SHIPPING UPDATE

All 10 packages I shipped by USPS on Saturday have had bizarre issues and they won't acknowledge anything. A few of them have been delivered and two deliveries were attempted today.



2018-11-24 Saturday 5:11 AM - I put these into the drop box before the post office opened.





2018-11-24 Saturday 12:00 PM - I handed these international packages over the counter just before the post office closed.





2018-11-24 Saturday 5:00 PM - I put these into the after-hours drop box together.





2018-11-24 Saturday 6:00 PM - I took these to an actual FedEx location because they were destined for Canada and there was a postal worker's strike going on.





USPS has been no help at all regarding the package that still doesn't show any acceptance or tracking. I'll be keeping an eye on all of these.

Looks like first in the box is going to be last delivered.

Yeah. You might be the unlucky one.

Hopefully it will be like the kit I sent to Imakecowscry, which was on its way for some time before the first tracking event appeared.

For everyone else's reference, I did end up receiving my order today.

Basic question: When wiring the color-changing LED, where do I put the resistor?

Sorry for the delay. I thought I submitted this reply!

I meant to give you one of the resistors that came included with the LEDs. I can send you one if you need it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007R ... UTF8&psc=1

The LEDs came with 1/4-watt 200-ohm resistors and the paper said "3.2V to 3.6V"

I checked where the N64 powers the original LED and measured 3.46V from that spot -- so it appears to be right in the voltage range they expect you to use with the 200-ohm resistor.

You did. I just wasn't sure where it should go. Inline on the positive side, inline on the negative side, or somewhere else?

Even though an LED is polarized, it actually doesn't matter which side of the LED the resistor goes on.

I told Marshall H of RetroActive that I wanted to go ahead and pay for 40 kits, even if we might have to wait for another production run. He didn't respond for a long time and I asked again. Then he asked why I want to go ahead and order "early." I suppose he means that he doesn't have the kits on-hand yet, which is typical for when I submit a group-buy order.

Two reasons I would want to submit now:

1. I don't want to sit on group-buy participants' money longer than necessary.

2. I want to encourage starting the next production

Marshall finally sent me the temporary custom link and I placed the order last night.

Note: I will be moving by the end of the month (unexpected opportunity). I will contact group buy participants to let them know my new address.

Sorry it took so long to get this round started. I had an unexpected opportunity to move to a new place, with very little time to do it. I will contact each round 5 participant to let them know my new address.

DETAILS FOR ROUND 6:

As with the previous round, we'll set a target number of 40 kits. I'd prefer that our order size doesn't decrease. It's less trouble for Marshall H / RetroActive to fill a large orders instead of multiple small ones. I've probably already had 40+ inquiries about joining the next round, but I have been busy moving to a new place and getting settled. I'm finally ready to start round 6!


Working as a team, my twin brother (CZroe) and I have performed 200+ UltraHDMI installs and many Hi-Def NES installs. N64 fans are still desperate for UltraHDMI and frustrated because there hasn't been an easy way to get in line for one.

I hope these group-buys help to satisfy a huge chunk of UltraHDMI demand. I don’t want to exclude anyone. If you're part of a local retro gaming group on Facebook or another forum, let them know. In a chat with UltraHDMI creator Marshall H, he told me: "Turn time is 5 weeks." I'd expect closer to 7 weeks if we consider all the shipping around. I’ll pass along any updates I get from RetroActive during the process. Until the order is sent to Marshall, participants can back out and I will refund ASAP.

• $130.00 UltraHDMI kit (required to participate)
• $50.00 install service + extras
• $5.00 mini-HDMI cable

If you are confident in your tools and precision soldering ability, buy the kit and install yourself. I can install for $50 and toss in some extras.
If you mess up your self-install: Another flat cable is $10. CZroe has successfully restored a few failed installation attempts that were sent to him, so there's a good chance he could save a failed install attempt for you.

USA shipping:

$10 UltraHDMI kit
$20 upgraded console

I ship from Newnan, GA 30263 (United States). For combined shipping or shipping outside USA, I will contact you before kits are ordered to work out the cost of shipping.

Combined shipping for multiple units:
I typically purchase insurance and require signature confirmation, so I will have to calculate the cost for combined shipments.

For shipping outside USA:

I will contact you before kits are ordered to work out the cost of shipping.
I can also try to obtain a North American NTSC N64 locally to pass on at-cost so it will not be necessary to ship a console internationally both ways.

Extras included with install service:

1. In-game reset feature: Allows you to reset the system with a button combination. An internal wire connects UltraHDMI to the reset button.
2. 3D-printed cartridge tray for NTSC systems: Allows North American N64 to fit and play Japanese games with 100% compatibility, or vice-versa. Your original unmodified cartridge tray will also be returned.
3. Custom power LED color: Choose green, blue, yellow, white, or original red.

Each UltraHDMI kit will be tested when I receive them. Each N64 system will be tested as I receive it. Each upgraded system will be tested again before packing and shipping. The latest UltraHDMI firmware will be installed (currently 1.08). If you order a kit with no install, your order will be shipped as soon as I receive and test them. If you’re getting install service, I’ll prioritize and process the list of participants in order based on when I received payment of at least $130 for the kit. For installs, send only the console. I don’t need the controller, power supply, or anything else. I'll have some of the N64 systems prepped and ready for installation so I can begin installs as soon as the kits arrive.

I am confident we can install / test / pack / ship 5 systems per day.

I’ll keep a public list of participants here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1u6qYeVU_ZcBakCNbX43mjCUgSK-U2CH-ZXWNHPIQKBo/edit#gid=326273267
(select "ROUND 6" tab at the bottom)

To participate:

• Email
  .
  .
• Tell me which name / alias you prefer to use
  It will be visible to other participants on the public list.
  .
• Tell me if you are interested in kit+install or just the kit
  (and how many)
  .
• Tell me if you want a mini HDMI cable.
  Most people need one. It's $5.
  .
• Tell me your name, return address, and preferred email address.
  .
• If you are getting installation, tell me which color you prefer for the power LED
  White, green, blue, yellow, or keep it red.
  .
• Tell me how you heard about the group-buy.
  Thanks!

I will provide my mobile phone number, street address, email, and payment info.

I will post each status update in this thread.

I'm unfamiliar with this process so I am curious what sort of timeframe is typically involved when you place orders with RetroActive. Obviously the kits have to be manufactured, but I'm not sure how much time that generally requires. (Bumping this thread in case a couple of other folks here in the group buy are interested in where things are sitting at the moment.)

I can't tell exactly how these line up with his production batches, but here's the group-buy order history so far:

ROUND 1 (just over 5 weeks)
2018-01-23 ordered 20 kits
2018-03-01 received

ROUND 2 (7 weeks)
2018-07-04 ordered 17 kits
2018-08-21 received

ROUND 3 (3 weeks)
2018-09-22 ordered 25 kits
2018-10-14 received

ROUND 4 (5 weeks)
2018-10-19 ordered 14 kits
2018-11-23 received

ROUND 5
2018-12-22 ordered 40 kits
In-progress

Interesting, so it seems about a month and a half on average (though the last batch was double what you normally put in for, so I wonder if that will affect things). Thanks for the details.

Chinese new year is probably significantly slowing down the last order.

According to a Game-Tech.US update from Jason, Marshall H got boards from his latest production run a few weeks ago. It wasn't clear if he'd get the flex cables before or after the Chinese new year stuff.

https://www.game-tech.us/blog/ultrahdmi-update-15/



Marshall shared some HW2 info with me middle of last year. It will be nice to have IGR built into the flat cable so UltraHDMI isn't tethered to the N64. CZroe and I have been installing a single-pin right-angle header for our installs so it can be easily disconnected.

There's going to be a 2.0 UltraHDMI? I guess the most important question is if the PCB will have the same fitment as the older models, but I am curious to know what else the new design will be bringing. Proper deinterlacing for 480i, maybe?

Haven't heard anything about software / processing features. If a new 480i algorithm is added, I believe HW1 would get the same feature by firmware update.

We reached the goal of 40 units today!

I contacted Marshall H and told him I'm ready to purchase at least 40 units. He typically responds by temporarily activating a custom URL that I can use to place the order. There's still time to join this round if anyone gets in before Marshall H responds to me.

This update applies to rounds 5 and 6. The round 6 group-buy quickly grew from 40 to 59 kits while I waited for Marshall to give me a temporary link to place the order. Separate from that, one participant from a previous round is interested in 15 kits and another is interested in "a dozen or so." Meanwhile, people have started to receive the kits they ordered through Game-Tech.US
I contacted Marshall again when it reached 50 units and told him I'm ready to order 50+ kits. He responded a few nights ago:



He usually doesn't respond when I ask specific questions about an order status or production progress, but to me it sounds like he has been programming / testing more boards and filling orders after the Game-Tech.US order. We might see a shipping confirmation for our round 5 order very soon -- and he might even have enough kits on-hand for the round 6 order!

The current batch has taken quite a bit longer than past batches. There could have been a production challenge or maybe Marshall has had to divide his time to work on other things. In the past (before our group-buys started in 2018), he often needed to rework each board by hand when there was a production issue.

I had some excitement in February! Lightning hit the house directly on the 20th. I'm still discovering electronics and appliances that were destroyed. There's no heat/AC. Some electrical circuits don't work. Ground wires outside have melted insulation. Two plastic boxes on the side of the house had the covers blown to hundreds of pieces, scattered for hundreds of feet and bounced off of the neighbor's home. Chunks of vinyl siding came off too. 1.5-foot section of buried cable wire was blown off where it connects to the ground block(!). In my roommate's bedroom, the plastic wall plate for an electrical outlet was blown to pieces. There was a scorch mark on his TV stand across the room, so maybe there was a bolt across the entire room. A copper tube connected to the AC/heat/blower system apparently burned the tape wrapped around the entire length. It leads to a metal box with a scorched label. Other equipment up there looks charred. The copper tube burned through a strap and now it hangs 2 feet lower than it did. There's a scorch mark on a plastic PVC pipe right where the copper tube had been contacting it. I'm sure it lit up spectacularly!

Roommate's: TV, two studio monitor speakers, computer, Fire TV 4K ($80 birthday gift from me)

My: PS4 Pro, cable modem, WiFi router, 2004 BUICK CENTURY.

Yes. Lightning killed my car while it was parked a few yards away from the lightning strike. Progressive insurance totaled it and gave me a check the day before yesterday.

Holy crap glad your okay! That really sucks, it’s such a headache dealing with insurance companies.

Thanks for the group buy update. I’m really looking forward to it.

I feel lucky. It could have been a lot worse. I never expected that's the way I would lose my car! The Progressive app would have forced me to pick fire, wind, hail, or flood, so I had to call them

Thanks for the update! Great to know what's going on.

Sorry to hear about the lightning strike, that's crazy! It's one of those things you hear happens, but you don't really understand it until it happens to yourself. Your photos put it into perspective.

ROUND 5: I just received the shipping confirmation email for our 40 kits! I'll contact each individual participant tonight!

ROUND 6: Marshall has been programming and testing boards to fill other orders he had for this production batch. A few days ago he believed there would be enough units for our round 6 order, which I was not expecting. I assumed we would need to wait for the next batch. While testing, Marshall determined that a large quantity of boards from the current batch are bad. Now he thinks there probably won't be enough from the current batch, so we'll probably have to wait at least 5 weeks for another production run as I assumed initially. The last production took quite a bit longer than it typically does, so I can't really guess how long we should expect. Marshall should start another production very soon.

Man! Would’ve been awesome if all of those boards weren’t bad but it is what it is. Hopefully the next batch will be around before we know it

Thanks for the update! Hopefully your home repairs are coming along well enough!