So Jason (Gametech.us) asked me if I wanted an early kit to demo so I could check out the install and do a bit of a review on it.
I'll be adding a features review shortly, but this write-up will strictly focus on the installation from a modding standpoint.
The Hi-Def NES kit is much like the NESRGB kit in regard to installation. I'll be drawing a lot of comparisons to Tims board as it's the most relevant mod.
Hi-Def NES requires that you socket both the PPU and CPU. The CPU and PPU live in "interposers". These are boards that communicate directly to the Hi-Def NES PCB. If you struggle with de-soldering, you may want to consider sending this to a more experienced modder. Definitely take this into consideration if you installed the NESRGB board and had difficulty "cleanly" extracting the PPU.. It's double prizes here.. If you don't have a problem with de-soldering and have the proper tools, this is a pure cake walk. I can pull both chips in 3 minutes, so it shouldn't be a problem for anyone else.
The BIG convenience with the installation is ironically, the lack of soldering required. Ribbon cables that attach to the PPU and CPU interposers make soldering I/O connections practically non-existent. Of course, the NESRGB has pads designated for the various outputs it supports. This isn't a strike against the NESRGB by any stretch of the imagination. That board caters to an eclectic variety of connectors. The Hi-DEF board gets away with this as it's standardized for HDMI. The only soldering you'll be doing will be for the sockets & headers for the CPU/PPU, and voltage & ground for the Hi-DEF NES kit. Also, this kit has it's own power circuit that replaces the power circuitry built around the 7805 on the NES. It's simply a matter of de-soldering the 7805 and soldering 2 conductors!! All that's required of the modder is to connect the ribbon cables from the PPU/CPU interposers to the 2 ribbon cable ports found on the Hi-Def NES board.
The only real pain in the ass with installing the kit is the case-work involved for the HDMI port. Let me be clear by saying that making the HDMI port on the AV Famicom and NES top-loader is a walk in the park compared to the NES front-loader With the top loading systems, you simply have to "file down" from the half of the casing to make a nice clean port. The front-loader requires you to cut into the plastic, which makes accuracy and precision very difficult if you don't have the right tools. Jason has a template for the NES front-loader, but unfortunately it isn't very good. I've designed a new template that I've cut with a die machine that's pretty spot on. Feel free to use it. (Will be uploaded once finalized)
Other than the case-work for the front-loader, the install is a breeze. I knock these out quicker than NESRGB installations. Kevtris really spent a lot of time keeping the modder installing these in mind.. So as I said, if you have decent de-soldering skills and know how to properly extract these chips, it's a walk in the park. The kit's pretty outstanding! Kevtris did a fine job designing the PCB for a "one size fits all". Perhaps we'll see a few mild refinements that will make case-tooling a little more forgiving. But ultimately, I'm quite pleased from a hardware standpoint. I've installed this kit into the AV Famicom, top-loading NES, and front loader. I love the first 2, and are slightly annoyed by the 3rd. Jason has a really thorough installation guide for the front-loader that covers all bases, it's a book! But honestly, I maybe looked at it for 10 seconds. The mod itself is fairly self explanatory. It's very well laid out..
I'll be offering installation services for this kit. So if you're interested in having me install this, PM me.
