UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - 2021-01-30 UPDATE

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Ichinisan
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by Ichinisan »

I won't have a chance to catch up on posts in the thread tonight, but I wanted to let everyone know I finally received the UltraHDMI HW2 board Marshall sent me to evaluate as he finalizes the firmware.

Image
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/LoJrskK.jpg

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Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/gV3Dzaa.jpg

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Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/g8UmcR0.jpg

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Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/qb2E6W3.jpg

Image
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/Hc2xWIs.jpg

Image
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/vrWTxpF.jpg

Image
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/JXLGwsr.jpg

I'll try to make time tomorrow to install and test it. I'll let everyone know how it goes!
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command-tab
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by command-tab »

UltraHDMI HW2 is further along than I realized -- that's exciting!

Any idea if the HDMI port will fit in the same physical cutout as HW1? I have several N64 cases that have a HW1 notch that were awaiting a new round of HW1 boards before the supply dried up.

Thanks for the update!
Last edited by command-tab on Sun Aug 09, 2020 7:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Dax
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by Dax »

Ichinisan wrote:I won't have a chance to catch up on posts in the thread tonight, but I wanted to let everyone know I finally received the UltraHDMI HW2 board Marshall sent me to evaluate as he finalizes the firmware.

I'll try to make time tomorrow to install and test it. I'll let everyone know how it goes!
WOW! That's incredible news, dude! Eagerly awaiting the installation/test!
CZroe
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by CZroe »

command-tab wrote:UltraHDMI HW2 is further along than I realized -- that's exciting!

Any idea if the HDMI port will fit in the same physical cutout as HW1? I have several N64 cases that have a HW1 notch that were awaiting a new round of HW1 boards before the supply dried up.

Thanks for the update!
Yes, it will fit with existing cut-outs. I threw it into a pre-cut shell to test-fit right away. :)

I have yet to try with a Pikachu console but the only fitment issue I've found so far is a slight interference between the DAC module and the replacement hood for the "No-Cut" parts. It will be easy to modify existing 3D prints and easy to fix the model.

FWIW, this appears to be from his test batch he had made back in September so it's been "this far" for a while now. It seems he was mostly finalizing firmware and working on other production issues since then (tariffs, lockdowns, etc).
Landspeeder95
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by Landspeeder95 »

This is really exciting news!

@CZroe & @Ichinisan - A question set on the Multi-Out
1 - Without the Optional DAC, will the Multi-Out still work with multi-out to S-Video cable?
2 - With the Optional DAC, will the Multi-Out still work with multi-out to S-Video cable?
(I understand that the DAC enables R/G/B and Y/Pb/Pr)
terzdesign
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by terzdesign »

Maybe I missed it down the line but why can't the UltraHDMI kits in their earlier version be manufactured so those that don't have a need / care about this new board can get their hands on one?
CZroe
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by CZroe »

Landspeeder95 wrote:This is really exciting news!

@CZroe & @Ichinisan - A question set on the Multi-Out
1 - Without the Optional DAC, will the Multi-Out still work with multi-out to S-Video cable?
2 - With the Optional DAC, will the Multi-Out still work with multi-out to S-Video cable?
(I understand that the DAC enables R/G/B and Y/Pb/Pr)
I'll be testing it with S-Video tonight but I see no reason why it wouldn't work since the original encoder is still doing its thing. The FFC doesn't deal with those pins and he never gave us any special instructions that would disable S-Video. We should be good. :)
terzdesign wrote:Maybe I missed it down the line but why can't the UltraHDMI kits in their earlier version be manufactured so those that don't have a need / care about this new board can get their hands on one?
He's been hesitant to make more HW1 batches since 2018 so that's kinda what he did with the HW1 batch last Summer. It seems he was optimistic about finishing HW2 soon after that and was even more hesitant to do it again. I mean, I actually thought we were getting a small batch of HW2 back in December and now here we are! We ordered two Pikachu consoles back in January for test fitting HW2 and I honestly couldn't believe they beat the HW2 kits after COVID delays (delivered from Japan around May 10th). After all, these HW2 boards have been in the USA since last year!

I'm excited. :)
milo22
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by milo22 »

I would like to be added to the list of buyers. I just created this account and I'm not sure how to send a PM.
Landspeeder95
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by Landspeeder95 »

"'ll be testing it with S-Video tonight but I see no reason why it wouldn't work since the original encoder is still doing its thing. The FFC doesn't deal with those pins and he never gave us any special instructions that would disable S-Video. We should be good. "

Awesome sauce - if the DAC allows S-Video to pass through the multi-out then I'm going to have some serious interest in adding the DAC to my build :)
HDMI would be used 90% of the time, S-Video and R/G/B when traveling would give great compatibility

I'm stoked that you are stoked :)
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cr4zymanz0r
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by cr4zymanz0r »

So I'm potentially interested but I have a few questions about somethings that seem unclear when reading old reviews, the manual, etc.

1.) So a lot of options like the OSSC, the Dreamcast, and upcoming PS1 HDMI mods have no latency (less than a 1ms, so I count that as no latency :P). I see the UltraHDMI mod has "direct mode", but how versatile is that. Can it line triple or greater so you can get 720p or higher with no latency? The manual says there's an integer scaling option, but it's unclear if it's usable with direct mode with no latency or what. (Basically I want no latency and higher than 480p because most HDTVs I've dealt with scale 480p signals with a very soft look).

2.) Are scanlines and de-blur usable in direct (no latency) mode?

3.) The manual states direct mode comes at the price of tearing artifacts. Is tearing 100% guaranteed to happen in direct mode, or is it a situation where it'll just depend on your display? (similar to when you're using a OSSC with a console with non-standard video timings)

4.) One common problem in the retro gaming world is the use of upscalers and such in games that switch between 240p and 480i, where the video drops out while the display/scaler resyncs to the new resolution. How well does the UltraHDMI handle this? Does it handle it differently between the regular framebuffer mode and direct mode? Killer Instinct Gold is a big offender. When I play it on my RGB modded N64 hooked to an OSSC, it changes from 480i on the vs screen to 240p in the actual match, but the delay is long enough that the CPU player starts to attack for about a second before everything resyncs for you to see what's going on.
nmalinoski
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by nmalinoski »

cr4zymanz0r wrote:So I'm potentially interested but I have a few questions about somethings that seem unclear when reading old reviews, the manual, etc.

1.) So a lot of options like the OSSC, the Dreamcast, and upcoming PS1 HDMI mods have no latency (less than a 1ms, so I count that as no latency :P). I see the UltraHDMI mod has "direct mode", but how versatile is that. Can it line triple or greater so you can get 720p or higher with no latency? The manual says there's an integer scaling option, but it's unclear if it's usable with direct mode with no latency or what. (Basically I want no latency and higher than 480p because most HDTVs I've dealt with scale 480p signals with a very soft look).

2.) Are scanlines and de-blur usable in direct (no latency) mode?

3.) The manual states direct mode comes at the price of tearing artifacts. Is tearing 100% guaranteed to happen in direct mode, or is it a situation where it'll just depend on your display? (similar to when you're using a OSSC with a console with non-standard video timings)

4.) One common problem in the retro gaming world is the use of upscalers and such in games that switch between 240p and 480i, where the video drops out while the display/scaler resyncs to the new resolution. How well does the UltraHDMI handle this? Does it handle it differently between the regular framebuffer mode and direct mode? Killer Instinct Gold is a big offender. When I play it on my RGB modded N64 hooked to an OSSC, it changes from 480i on the vs screen to 240p in the actual match, but the delay is long enough that the CPU player starts to attack for about a second before everything resyncs for you to see what's going on.
1) Direct Mode, as far as I can tell, is limited to 480p (or probably 576p for PAL software); and

2, 3) it will output at 50/60Hz (I believe whichever is selected in the output settings), which slightly mismatches the original framerate, hence the tearing. There's also a Direct+Sync mode, which I believe turns off the framerate conversion to output the N64's native refresh rate, but then it's up to your display to figure out what to do with the N64's native frame rate.

4) The UltraHDMI generally performs full-time framerate conversion, so mode switching is seamless (and there's an option to temporarily display the new video mode when it changes). I haven't tested it myself, but, being that Direct Mode advertises no lag, I would assume that this seamless mode switching would not be available in Direct Mode. With Direct+Sync, definitely expect HDMI blackouts, because the framerates are going to be ever-so-slightly different between 240p/288p and 480i/576i.

Ultimately, mode switching speed will be up to your display; if your display can't handle instantaneous switching, I think you're going to be stuck making a tradeoff between zero lag and seamless switching. For what it's worth, with Direct Mode off, I've not noticed any lag. Granted, I don't play fighting games, so I can't speak to how it handles Killer Instinct Gold, but I've not seen any perceivable lag in any of the games I've played since installing my UltraHDMI.
TickleMyElmo
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by TickleMyElmo »

Hey im interested , do i still email to be added to list or?
robotvendingmachine
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by robotvendingmachine »

I am in group 7, but I saw people talking about paying already. Is pre-order paying going on?
DangerRenegade
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by DangerRenegade »

robotvendingmachine wrote:I am in group 7, but I saw people talking about paying already. Is pre-order paying going on?
You have to be prepaid in order to actually be in round 7... if you haven't paid at least the $130 you aren't in the actual round 7 group.
milo22
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by milo22 »

I would like to be in group 7.
Deeb0
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by Deeb0 »

robotvendingmachine wrote:I am in group 7, but I saw people talking about paying already. Is pre-order paying going on?
yeah, we've all paid and its noted in the goodle doc in the first post.
viper1701
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by viper1701 »

Ichinisan wrote: I'll try to make time tomorrow to install and test it. I'll let everyone know how it goes!
So how did it go?
SaiPlyus
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by SaiPlyus »

My address has changed , I sent an email to jevansturner. Same street , different apartment building this time. Thanks.
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Ichinisan
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by Ichinisan »

Ichinisan wrote:I won't have a chance to catch up on posts in the thread tonight, but I wanted to let everyone know I finally received the UltraHDMI HW2 board Marshall sent me to evaluate as he finalizes the firmware.

-
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/LoJrskK.jpg

-
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/gV3Dzaa.jpg

-
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/g8UmcR0.jpg

-
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/qb2E6W3.jpg

-
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/Hc2xWIs.jpg

-
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/vrWTxpF.jpg

-
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/JXLGwsr.jpg

I'll try to make time tomorrow to install and test it. I'll let everyone know how it goes!
Posting about it here led to lots more interest in the group-buy. Then it was mentioned on some web sites, which led to an overwhelming amount of interest in the group-buy. Keeping up with emails from new and existing participants is preventing me from setting-up to do the install (I want to make a video of the process).

I'll configure an auto-responder to let people know that I will get to their message in a few days, then I can catch up on the emails I have already received and then do the install.

I'll take pictures and make a video. :)
Tubo
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by Tubo »

Hey Ichinisan,

Since it looks like Group 7 will for sure be the HW2 revision, will you notify participants who've already paid with the cost of the analog add-on board so we can choose to add it?
PyroPaperPlanes
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by PyroPaperPlanes »

Hello! I would love to order a system. There would be no rush on the order. I've already sent an email to James (and received the automated message that there may be a delay in response time).

+ Ultra HDM w/Installation
--> Stock Red LED
--> Notch-cut install (if it isn't too much of a hassle!)
+ DAC (again, if it isn't a hassle)

Note: I reside in Ottawa (Canada).

...also, I might as well ask, is there a similar service for the Dreamcast (w/DC Digital) and PlayStation (w/PS1 Digital)? I am new to the forums, so I'll be sure to check some of the other threads.
thenrz
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by thenrz »

EDIT: Am I mistaken in noticing that the silk layer on the board shows there will be a new product name? Using "HDMI" like we had discussed is literally using a copyrighted name, and the rules and costs are ridiculous.... I see "UVD-002" [or is it "UVID-002"?] on there, "Ultra-something-Digital rev 2?"


It's nice to see some hw2 hardware in hand. I am sure that an already complicated process has been compounded by the pandemic, politics, tariffs, etc, but this is a step in the right direction.

With the list growing all the time, I think it might be time to close the group buy to new participants? There has to be a cap somewhere, unless, when the day actually comes when the venturies on the pick and place fire up for full production HW2 hardware, the funding from this buy has plateaued above at whatever quantity is established as the subsequent price break... I would hate to see you guys, doing this as a favor to the community for very few direct perks beyond getting to play with the hardware before anyone else, get overwhelmed and end up missing key communications from established participants in this buy.

This is a fantastic thing and leverages dramatically increased buying power to do what no individual can do or would. (or if you could, would you want to but 1,000 ultraHDMI units? [If your answer is yes, then I want to be your friend, and not just for the ultraHDMIs]).

I know I personally look forward to receiving my kits. I have a good friend who is buying one of them, and I'm about add even another to keep for my 2 piece CNC machined casing parts are complete. Two piece of solid billet that I was able to purchase from work for next to nothing. Both came from a cutoff piece I salvaged from a huge mold half being cut on our 5-axis bridge CNC mill. Due to some geometrically odd features, the original plan was to just cut most of it off after a bit, but I was able to rotate the stock slightly to achieve a better result and save a couple hundred bucks worth of aluminum for myself. The only difficult part I'm facing is I can't get any time on a 5-axis, so the smaller 40"x20"x20" standard 3 axis is going to require 4 setups for the top shell and 3 for the bottom. Going to be really eye catching, too. There's going to be random integrated liquid cooling, just because I have a nice compact radiator already, copper to machine the integrated waterblock, everything else I own is water-cooled, and what more of a nerd badge of honor could I possibly achieve?
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Simoncino
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by Simoncino »

Ichinisan wrote:
Ichinisan wrote:I won't have a chance to catch up on posts in the thread tonight, but I wanted to let everyone know I finally received the UltraHDMI HW2 board Marshall sent me to evaluate as he finalizes the firmware.

-
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/LoJrskK.jpg

-
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/gV3Dzaa.jpg

-
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/g8UmcR0.jpg

-
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/qb2E6W3.jpg

-
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/Hc2xWIs.jpg

-
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/vrWTxpF.jpg

-
Bigger: https://i.imgur.com/JXLGwsr.jpg

I'll try to make time tomorrow to install and test it. I'll let everyone know how it goes!
Posting about it here led to lots more interest in the group-buy. Then it was mentioned on some web sites, which led to an overwhelming amount of interest in the group-buy. Keeping up with emails from new and existing participants is preventing me from setting-up to do the install (I want to make a video of the process).

I'll configure an auto-responder to let people know that I will get to their message in a few days, then I can catch up on the emails I have already received and then do the install.

I'll take pictures and make a video. :)
Hello J., we are all very happy to see that finally flex pcbs + kits are finally arrived from Marshall.

I have seen that round 7 arrived at 600 people.................... :shock: i am n. 119....

Just let us know when you install one hwkit2 on a console and you can start the production...

By the way: i imagine that you and your brother have some people that help you....... 300 consoles to install and mod.... are a lot...
Kashman
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by Kashman »

Hi do I need to order a specific version or pal/ntsc or will it work either? How to I email to prepay?

Thanks
dryja123
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by dryja123 »

How did the install and testing go?
nmalinoski
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by nmalinoski »

Kashman wrote:Hi do I need to order a specific version or pal/ntsc or will it work either?
It works in either, and you can configure it to scale/framerate convert to 480p, 576p, 720p, or 1080p at either 50Hz or 60Hz, regardless of what the inserted game calls for.

What I'm not sure about is if the default/failsafe video mode is 480p60 universally or if the UltraHDMI detects the console region and defaults to either 480p60 or 576p50; I don't have any PAL hardware to test with.
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Ichinisan
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by Ichinisan »

I got overloaded with emails after some web sites mentioned the group-buy, so I had to take a break from that to work on some priorities around the house. In the meantime, we got HW2 installed and I plan to do a lot of testing with various displays.
viper1701 wrote:So how did it go?
https://twitter.com/jevansturner/status ... 08864?s=20

The initial firmware on mine does not have an OSD for analog output (and I don’t think an OSD for analog output is planned). The RetroRGB article about HW2 probably needs to be updated, but I’ll ask Marshall if it’s even possible to add OSD with a firmware update. The standard UltraHDMI OSD hot-key seems to cycle through 4 modes while using analog output, and one of those is de-blur. At least one of the modes causes the menu of my EverDrive64 v2.5 to look very strange. Probably because I have my ED menu set to 480i mode, when you don't want to force de-blur. When I get some proper CRTs set up, I’ll take some pictures of the different modes and ask Marshall for a description of what they do. When cycling modes, a color square briefly appears in the lower-left portion of the screen to indicate the current mode. I suspect this might change with firmware refinements. When using digital+analog outputs simultaneously, we’d probably want the analog options to use a different button combination. Otherwise trying to browse OSD via HDMI will cycle modes on the analog, or cycling modes on analog would trigger OSD on the HDMI output. Also, instead of cycling through modes I’d prefer to have a specific button combo to toggle de-blur on/off and another combo to toggle the other option. Cycling through source+mode combinations is one of the annoyances of my RetroTINK 2x. The UltraHDMI board knows when the DAC is present and reports on the info screen. With the DAC installed, relevant analog options appear in the "OPTIONS" submenu.

I moved giant CRTs to storage a couple months ago when the hot water heater ruptured and flooded the basement, so I still need to get those set up again. My initial testing was done with a less-than-ideal display for analog (HD RetroVision -> RetroTINK 2x -> Dell 24-inch 1920x1200 LCD monitor that does some strange scaling). Typically direct digital HDMI/DVI is the ideal way to use UltraHDMI with a flat-panel display such as this one. With my CRTs I will have to focus on Y/Pb/Pr component testing. My brother and I purchased two very large new-old-stock arcade CRT monitors, but UPS completely destroyed both of them at the beginning of the month (and I was already dealing with another UPS damage issue!). We’ll probably purchase another CRT from the same source, but we’ll need to find a different way to handle shipping.

Jeevan wrote:Ok, is it too late to change my mind on my LED???? What are all the choices lol. I went with regular red, but am thinking maybe there might need to be a diff. color for my new ultra n64.......Let me know if you would please good sir.
You can change your mind any time until I complete the install.

I noted you for a white LED after we corresponded by email.
Uzumaki wrote:Sorry if this has been answered already. If one were to have the add on board wired for component video, is there a cable that exists to plug into the nintendo AV port that outputs component video? Or would you just use a RGB cable with one of the wires disconnected?
Some RGB cables already have the correct kind of connection. Other's will need adapters. If there is a CSYNC connection, you would leave that one disconnected. If you have a RGsB cable ("sync-on-green," commonly used with Sony equipment), there will be no extra dangling connection. UltraHDMI HW2 has an option to output RGsB.
nmalinoski wrote:Assuming the module outputs YPbPr over the same pins as RGB, as the PS2/PS3 does, if you don't get a custom component cable made, you could use a regular SCART cable and pair it with a SCART to BNC adapter/cable with BNC to RCA adapters; then you just need to either directly connect the SCART to BNC adapter to your target device (if you get BNC adapters with male RCA) or use a male-to-male component cable (if you get BNC adapters with female RCA).
Yes. Adapters should work fine with SCART cables. Just make sure the adapter and cable are wried the same way (JP21 versus Euro-SCART).
Uzumaki wrote:
nmalinoski wrote:Assuming the module outputs YPbPr over the same pins as RGB, as the PS2/PS3 does, if you don't get a custom component cable made, you could use a regular SCART cable and pair it with a SCART to BNC adapter/cable with BNC to RCA adapters; then you just need to either directly connect the SCART to BNC adapter to your target device (if you get BNC adapters with male RCA) or use a male-to-male component cable (if you get BNC adapters with female RCA).
Hmm, the cost of that sounds like the cost of just wiring it for RGB and using a HD Retrovision or RGC RGB to component cable, no?
Some cables won’t need adapters at all. I haven’t looked into it, but I assumed a SCART breakout adapter is very affordable.

dryja123 wrote:How’s Marshall making out with the kits he was working on in Mid-June?
He should still have them (minus the one he sent to me).

thenrz wrote:Hey Ichinisan!

I have sent a couple of emails, and I have sent many dollars into the aether directed your way. I just want to be sure everything is solid since the quantity ordered, which we had discussed may decrease by one, has done just that. There is a chance that it could go back up by one or even two, as super annoying as that is, but I wanted to get paid up for my kits and not have to worry about my less than fiscally responsible friends and acquaintances dragging their feet until I missed the cutoff myself.

Anyway, I've made the mistake of beginning to think about how I want to handle the ultraHDMI board in my solid 6061/like aluminum billet N64 build. I will be liquid cooling with 2x 120mm radiators and the waterblocks will be custom machined as well. My biggest hurdle is the interface between aluminum and copper that is going to be pretty rampant and will require a nice, neat, and tidy solution. I am thinking machined acrylic/poly-carbonate/lexan depending on how many samples I can amiably coerce from some of the reps from vendors around the shop. I'm so excited to get it going, while at the same time maximizing the graphical and audio acuities.
fff
James, when you get a moment, could you pop me off an email? I know you're busy and don't need to reply to my wall of text emails right away, but I want to be sure payment was made correctly and I can breathe again knowing when they get here, I'll be getting my sets.

Thanks!
We caught up in email sometime after this post. Overkill cooling will be interesting to see! I’ve watched videos of people trying to torture an N64 by running it all day with no heatsink. It didn’t even freeze! I still have to wonder if earlier CPU / RCP / RDRAM chips produced more heat than later ones. The actual package size of the chips apparently never changed. Slight revisions to the heatsink over time still had pretty much the same amount of surface area.
leonk wrote:Timing is everything and I seem to have the worst timing. As you know I placed my order in early 2019 and find my self 2nd on the current list. But wow. 2.5 years and waiting after paying full price for 3 kits. You think there’s any hope of me getting anything in 2020?
You joined round 7 in April last year (round 6 kits were already ordered). Based on the PM I received in September I think you were a bit confused about which round you joined. Round 6 had already ended.

(By the way, my PMs are unmanageable after reaching multiple limits, so email is preferred.)

In round 6, I had taken the places of two participants who asked for refund after payment was already sent to Marshall. I could always use more kits, but you were in a difficult situation due to the misunderstanding and I decided to let you take those round 6 spots. While keeping the package under 8 ounces, I stuffed your box with some 3D printed parts you might be able to use. If you need to back-out from the current round, let me know. I can refund (and have a few kits for myself!).

command-tab wrote:UltraHDMI HW2 is further along than I realized -- that's exciting!

Any idea if the HDMI port will fit in the same physical cutout as HW1? I have several N64 cases that have a HW1 notch that were awaiting a new round of HW1 boards before the supply dried up.

Thanks for the update!
Yup! The mini-HDMI port occupies the exact same spot, so the existing notch should line-up perfectly. There is no fitment issue with the standard notch-cut.

With the 3D printed "no-cut" pieces (designed by Greg Collins aka "collingall" / laserbear.net), there is a very minor clearance issue between the AV shroud and the DAC module. It is easily solved by snipping a bit of plastic on the inside. Also the analog flex PCB can snag on the multi AV connector screw mount (I tore my first one). Just have to be careful.
Landspeeder95 wrote:This is really exciting news!

@CZroe & @Ichinisan - A question set on the Multi-Out
1 - Without the Optional DAC, will the Multi-Out still work with multi-out to S-Video cable?
2 - With the Optional DAC, will the Multi-Out still work with multi-out to S-Video cable?
(I understand that the DAC enables R/G/B and Y/Pb/Pr)

1. Yes.
2. Yes.

I verified this with the RetroTINK 2x + Dell monitor setup. UltraHDMI doesn’t affect the signals on those pins at all. The N64’s original DAC continues to operate 100% while UltraHDMI is in-use. That doesn’t change when the UltraHDMI DAC is absent, installed + in-use, or installed + unused.
terzdesign wrote:Maybe I missed it down the line but why can't the UltraHDMI kits in their earlier version be manufactured so those that don't have a need / care about this new board can get their hands on one?
Marshall is reluctant to do a full-size batch in China since tariffs were implemented in 2019. This is the primary reason he made so few HW1 kits in his last batch. He did two small batches of HW2 in China. I think he’s feeling pressure to finish the kits he has on-hand, and I expect he’ll be ready to do a bigger batch soon after. If there’s still something preventing him from getting it done in Taiwan, I’ll ask him to do another small batch with his typical China PCBA service to keep things moving.
milo22 wrote:I would like to be added to the list of buyers. I just created this account and I'm not sure how to send a PM.
PMs are maxed-out, hitting multiple limits. They’re impossible to manage anyway, so the email address in the first post of this thread is the best way to reach me. I see that I have a couple email messages from you. Your messages missed my filter because "UltraHDMI" is misspelled. I’ll get to your message very soon!

Added another variation to the filter…

usps OR paypal OR venmo OR "cash app" OR nintendoage OR shmupsforum OR shmups OR marshall OR [redacted] OR retroactive OR ultrahdmi OR "ultra hdmi" OR ultrahmdi OR "ultra hmdi" OR "n64 hdmi" OR "N64 hmdi" OR vipparcel OR "group buy" OR "group-buy"
cr4zymanz0r wrote:So I'm potentially interested but I have a few questions about somethings that seem unclear when reading old reviews, the manual, etc.

1.) So a lot of options like the OSSC, the Dreamcast, and upcoming PS1 HDMI mods have no latency (less than a 1ms, so I count that as no latency :P). I see the UltraHDMI mod has "direct mode", but how versatile is that. Can it line triple or greater so you can get 720p or higher with no latency? The manual says there's an integer scaling option, but it's unclear if it's usable with direct mode with no latency or what. (Basically I want no latency and higher than 480p because most HDTVs I've dealt with scale 480p signals with a very soft look).

2.) Are scanlines and de-blur usable in direct (no latency) mode?

3.) The manual states direct mode comes at the price of tearing artifacts. Is tearing 100% guaranteed to happen in direct mode, or is it a situation where it'll just depend on your display? (similar to when you're using a OSSC with a console with non-standard video timings)

4.) One common problem in the retro gaming world is the use of upscalers and such in games that switch between 240p and 480i, where the video drops out while the display/scaler resyncs to the new resolution. How well does the UltraHDMI handle this? Does it handle it differently between the regular framebuffer mode and direct mode? Killer Instinct Gold is a big offender. When I play it on my RGB modded N64 hooked to an OSSC, it changes from 480i on the vs screen to 240p in the actual match, but the delay is long enough that the CPU player starts to attack for about a second before everything resyncs for you to see what's going on.
In the past I never tested direct mode very much because my TV didn’t like it. I might have a chance to try it with some of the other displays around here.

I know of some games that switch between 240p and 480i mode. Even with direct composite connection, many devices get confused by it. This has always worked seamlessly with my UltraHDMI while using it with standard output modes. I suspect "direct mode" might trigger the TV to reacquire the signal and blank out for a few seconds. Even if direct mode triggers re-sync, it should still be faster and less disruptive than having an intermediary scaler device between UltraHDMI and the TV.
TickleMyElmo wrote:Hey im interested , do i still email to be added to list or?
We corresponded by email. You are in :)
robotvendingmachine wrote:I am in group 7, but I saw people talking about paying already. Is pre-order paying going on?
I think we exchanged some PMs in 2018. If you’re in round 7, which alias did we use?
Tubo wrote:Hey Ichinisan,

Since it looks like Group 7 will for sure be the HW2 revision, will you notify participants who've already paid with the cost of the analog add-on board so we can choose to add it?
If Marshall ultimately decides to charge extra for the DAC, I will add a column to the public list and contact all existing participants to clarify the unit pricing and note if they are still interested in the DAC.
PyroPaperPlanes wrote:Hello! I would love to order a system. There would be no rush on the order. I've already sent an email to James (and received the automated message that there may be a delay in response time).

+ Ultra HDM w/Installation
--> Stock Red LED
--> Notch-cut install (if it isn't too much of a hassle!)
+ DAC (again, if it isn't a hassle)

Note: I reside in Ottawa (Canada).

...also, I might as well ask, is there a similar service for the Dreamcast (w/DC Digital) and PlayStation (w/PS1 Digital)? I am new to the forums, so I'll be sure to check some of the other threads.
Your email was received. I will start responding to emails again soon!

I believe DCHDMI is open-source, so I might work out some kind of pre-order / group-buy thing when I launch WeStillPlay.com some day in the future. Probably some GCVideo based boards too.
thenrz wrote:EDIT: Am I mistaken in noticing that the silk layer on the board shows there will be a new product name? Using "HDMI" like we had discussed is literally using a copyrighted name, and the rules and costs are ridiculous.... I see "UVD-002" [or is it "UVID-002"?] on there, "Ultra-something-Digital rev 2?"


It's nice to see some hw2 hardware in hand. I am sure that an already complicated process has been compounded by the pandemic, politics, tariffs, etc, but this is a step in the right direction.

[snip]
For now it seems the name has not changed. Original HW1 boards also had the "UVD" silk screen ID.

I don’t know the size of Marshall’s previous full-size batches, but I suspect it was a lot more than our current round. I recall him telling me about the anxiety of transferring enough money to buy an exotic car. When Marshall is ready, I definitely don’t want to discourage him from producing enough to satisfy current demand. Still I wouldn't be surprised if he proceeds with caution after the HW2 redesign.
Simoncino wrote:Hello J., we are all very happy to see that finally flex pcbs + kits are finally arrived from Marshall.

I have seen that round 7 arrived at 600 people.................... :shock: i am n. 119....

Just let us know when you install one hwkit2 on a console and you can start the production...

By the way: i imagine that you and your brother have some people that help you....... 300 consoles to install and mod.... are a lot...
Many of these will be installs. My brother and I have probably done far more UltraHDMI installs than anyone else, so I won't enlist an inexperienced helper with your console. In the past I was able to make time for 5 consoles on some days (installed, tested, packed, and shipped). I will definitely need to design a new work flow to handle so many. With the right procedures I can probably do 20+ consoles in a day (prioritizing installs over round 8 emails and such).

Now that we have the HW2 kit, I will want to install one of the extra HW2 flat cables in a PAL system to test UltraHDMI HW2. Your console will be a good candidate to confirm whether UltraHDMI works alongside UltraPIF or not (it should be fine).
Kashman wrote:Hi do I need to order a specific version or pal/ntsc or will it work either? How to I email to prepay?

Thanks
UltraHDMI works with all known N64s in all regions, though Pikachu N64s require an extra brace to hold the board in position. If you are outside of USA, it may be best to buy an NTSC N64 from the USA eBay site and have it shipped to me so you don’t need to pay international shipping both ways.
nmalinoski wrote:It works in either, and you can configure it to scale/framerate convert to 480p, 576p, 720p, or 1080p at either 50Hz or 60Hz, regardless of what the inserted game calls for.

What I'm not sure about is if the default/failsafe video mode is 480p60 universally or if the UltraHDMI detects the console region and defaults to either 480p60 or 576p50; I don't have any PAL hardware to test with.
While dealing with a kit running in PAL 50Hz that wasn’t supported by my TV, I found that the UltraHDMI jumper / IGR reset (typically holding Reset during power-on) doesn’t revert to 60Hz. For that, I had to do a controller reset. I don’t recall the specific button combination, but I think it was in the RetroActive install PDF.
shakyskeleton
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by shakyskeleton »

Hey Ichinisan, I just wanna say thanks for all your work. I can't imagine it's very easy having to juggle replies and questions.
nmalinoski
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by nmalinoski »

Ichinisan wrote:
nmalinoski wrote:It works in either, and you can configure it to scale/framerate convert to 480p, 576p, 720p, or 1080p at either 50Hz or 60Hz, regardless of what the inserted game calls for.

What I'm not sure about is if the default/failsafe video mode is 480p60 universally or if the UltraHDMI detects the console region and defaults to either 480p60 or 576p50; I don't have any PAL hardware to test with.
While dealing with a kit running in PAL 50Hz that wasn’t supported by my TV, I found that the UltraHDMI jumper / IGR reset (typically holding Reset during power-on) doesn’t revert to 60Hz. For that, I had to do a controller reset. I don’t recall the specific button combination, but I think it was in the RetroActive install PDF.
Curious. If you have an HDMI to YPbPr converter handy (Otherwise, the Portta ones are about $20 on Amazon), and an OSSC, you could use them to confirm either to which video mode that PAL console is failsafing with the jumper reset (which would also indicate that the controller combo reset specifically activates 480p60, regardless of console region) or if it was failsafing at all.
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Ichinisan
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Re: UltraHDMI group-buy ROUND 7 - accepting participants

Post by Ichinisan »

nmalinoski wrote:
Ichinisan wrote:
nmalinoski wrote:It works in either, and you can configure it to scale/framerate convert to 480p, 576p, 720p, or 1080p at either 50Hz or 60Hz, regardless of what the inserted game calls for.

What I'm not sure about is if the default/failsafe video mode is 480p60 universally or if the UltraHDMI detects the console region and defaults to either 480p60 or 576p50; I don't have any PAL hardware to test with.
While dealing with a kit running in PAL 50Hz that wasn’t supported by my TV, I found that the UltraHDMI jumper / IGR reset (typically holding Reset during power-on) doesn’t revert to 60Hz. For that, I had to do a controller reset. I don’t recall the specific button combination, but I think it was in the RetroActive install PDF.
Curious. If you have an HDMI to YPbPr converter handy (Otherwise, the Portta ones are about $20 on Amazon), and an OSSC, you could use them to confirm either to which video mode that PAL console is failsafing with the jumper reset (which would also indicate that the controller combo reset specifically activates 480p60, regardless of console region) or if it was failsafing at all.
In my experimentation last year with HW1, the UltraHDMI would do 60Hz HDMI output if the controller button combo reset was performed while it was connected to an NTSC board, or 50Hz HDMI output if connected to a PAL system while performing the reset. Back then it confused me because I knew my TV was compatible with PAL N64s running UltraHDMI, but the board that was sent to me made the TV show "unsupported signal," even after I tried to initialize settings by holding Reset. It had the same issue with my test system, so I thought the UltraHDMI board was bad for a little while. Apparently the previous PAL systems worked with my TV because I tested all my UltraHDMI boards first using an NTSC test system, so the UltraHDMI boards configured themselves for 60Hz HDMI output before they were installed in PAL systems. In the case which confused me, the board was sent to me for install and its initial power-on test was done with the PAL system, so the UltraHDMI set HDMI output to 50Hz and my TV said "unsupported signal" until I performed the button combo reset. It was more perplexing at first because I expected both resets to behave the same way. I always held the console's Reset button to do a jumper / IGR reset -- and that wasn't going to work.

Maybe Marshall can tweak the firmware slightly so the jumper / IGR reset is just as thorough as the controller button combo reset.

Practically all the boards I've received from Marshall and Game-Tech.US will show "settings corrupt, defaults loaded" the first time it's powered-on. That indicates it was never powered-on after Marshall programmed the firmware. It will also set 50Hz or 60Hz HDMI output based on the N64 board type (PAL or NTSC). If the current frequency is incompatible with your TV, I believe the only thing you can do is move the UltraHDMI to the correct type of N64 board (PAL or NTSC) to match your TV and then perform the controller reset method.
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