NESRGB board available now

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sean49938
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by sean49938 »

With regards to orders that have yet to ship, will those boards be reprogrammed or will the chip be swapped out?
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game-tech.us
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by game-tech.us »

I didn't find any Blasters on ebay in the US at all. Mouser has one or $300, must be straight from Altera.
Amazon had one for $15 free shipping, but after I bought and paid for it the estimated delivery was for a month from now, didn't think to look to see where it was coming from as I rarely use amazon and kinda just assumed there were no chinese sellers there. I emailed him and asked what the deal was and if it is from china i'll just cancel and order one from a chinese seller on ebay for less.
Unless someone in the Indianapolis area has one I can use?
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Vigormortis
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Vigormortis »

Most of the cheap USB blasters are from Chinese sellers, which, as Tim warned, will be slow to ship due to the Chinese new year. The cheapest non-Chinese source I could find was $15 shipped from a seller in the U.K.

$15 shipped from UK seller

$17 shipped from another UK seller
These prices are shipped to the USA. For people in the UK, it's even cheaper because domestic shipping is free. I think the second guy is actually a bit cheaper if you're in the UK.

If you wanna save some time, go ahead and start installing your NESRGB board(s) while you wait for a USB Blaster. The NESRGB can still be reprogrammed when it is already installed in a console. So get it up and running and just don't screw everything down yet until the USB Blaster arrives.
sean49938 wrote:With regards to orders that have yet to ship, will those boards be reprogrammed or will the chip be swapped out?
I can't think of any good reason for Tim to spend the time, money, and effort to swap out the SRAM chips after he has already implemented a much simpler solution. The only ones with good reason to swap out the SRAM chips would be people who immediately ordered SRAM chips upon hearing the news of the glitch - and only if they don't already have a USB Blaster. My SRAM chips arrive today :P
Last edited by Vigormortis on Mon Jan 27, 2014 9:26 pm, edited 5 times in total.
lunch_box
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by lunch_box »

sean49938 wrote:With regards to orders that have yet to ship, will those boards be reprogrammed or will the chip be swapped out?
I would like to know this too :D
kamiboy
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by kamiboy »

If you throw a tiny bit of logic at that question then your conclusion will most definitely be that the remaining boards will most certainly be reprogrammed rather than get a ram swap.
nesfreak
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by nesfreak »

Trying to get the damn "altera usb-blaster" to work now, software doesn't detect it.

What driver did you use Tim?
Moosmann
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Moosmann »

Here is my Mod.

Image

Image

I use an additional logic circuit in order to use an on/off/on switch instead a on/on/on switch (very difficult and expensive to get here in germany)

Image
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opt2not
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by opt2not »

Moosmann wrote: I use an additional logic circuit in order to use an on/off/on switch instead a on/on/on switch (very difficult and expensive to get here in germany)

Image
What exactly is that for? The palette switching?
Moosmann
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Moosmann »

Yes, color palette switch.
sean49938
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by sean49938 »

kamiboy wrote:If you throw a tiny bit of logic at that question then your conclusion will most definitely be that the remaining boards will most certainly be reprogrammed rather than get a ram swap.
Maybe I should have worded my question better. How about this, Is one method of repairing the problem superior to the other? I don't think there is anything illogical about my initial question. I understand what the cheapest, easiest solution is. I was curious if it was the best solution. I also understand that for people who already have their boards in hand, that shipping costs are a major factor. According to Tim's site my order has yet to ship so that's not a concern for me.
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Vigormortis
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Vigormortis »

If results are identical, what criteria do you suppose are left for determining the superior solution? :P
Zets13
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Zets13 »

I think he meant that reprogramming the boards is quite a bit cheaper and easier than desoldering the old chip and soldering on a new one for each board.
viletim
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by viletim »

sean49938 wrote:With regards to orders that have yet to ship, will those boards be reprogrammed or will the chip be swapped out?
Reprogrammed.
nesfreak wrote:Trying to get the damn "altera usb-blaster" to work now, software doesn't detect it.

What driver did you use Tim?
The drivers are installed with the application
<spot you put it>\qprogrammer\drivers\usb-blaster\
alamone
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by alamone »

Still waiting for my 2nd batch board to even arrive. Sounds like most people got theirs already.
viletim
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by viletim »

alamone wrote:Still waiting for my 2nd batch board to even arrive. Sounds like most people got theirs already.
I have about 20 outstanding orders. I will try to get them sent out as soon as possible (of course they will not have the problem described). Most of these orders include cables. They are time consuming to make which is why it takes so long.
Jeppen
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Jeppen »

Vigormortis wrote:Most of the cheap USB blasters are from Chinese sellers, which, as Tim warned, will be slow to ship due to the Chinese new year. The cheapest non-Chinese source I could find was $15 shipped from a seller in the U.K.

$15 shipped from UK seller

$17 shipped from another UK seller
These prices are shipped to the USA. For people in the UK, it's even cheaper because domestic shipping is free. I think the second guy is actually a bit cheaper if you're in the UK.
Is that all the hardware you need to reprogram the chips?
eightbitminiboss
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by eightbitminiboss »

Jeppen wrote:
Vigormortis wrote:Most of the cheap USB blasters are from Chinese sellers, which, as Tim warned, will be slow to ship due to the Chinese new year. The cheapest non-Chinese source I could find was $15 shipped from a seller in the U.K.

$15 shipped from UK seller

$17 shipped from another UK seller
These prices are shipped to the USA. For people in the UK, it's even cheaper because domestic shipping is free. I think the second guy is actually a bit cheaper if you're in the UK.
Is that all the hardware you need to reprogram the chips?
Outside of making your own 6 pin header for the NESRGB's JTAG connector, pretty much.
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Voultar
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Voultar »

It would be nice if the affected customer-base could receive some sort of discount, something that could even be applied to a future order.
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game-tech.us
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by game-tech.us »

I don't remember seeing this here yet so:
To all that have not yet gotten an email from Tim, like me, and have or are getting their own programmer, the fixes and code have been posted on his site.
Someone has already offered to lend me theirs until the one I ordered shows up, most likely from china, thanks Andy!
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Voultar
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Voultar »

I lifted the S-RAM and reworked the pins for the new package that will hopefully be arriving soon. Mouser is good on prompt shipping, so hopefully the replacement will be here in the next day or so.

Image

It's just much faster for me to rework the chip myself than wait for a programmer to come across the pond, as people are having a difficult time sourcing one here in the States.
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ApolloBoy
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by ApolloBoy »

Anyone know what type of pin headers are packaged with the adapter boards? I installed one into my Twin Fami adapter board the wrong way (!) and wound up messing it up after desoldering it.
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McCracAttack
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by McCracAttack »

Voultar wrote:I lifted the S-RAM and reworked the pins for the new package that will hopefully be arriving soon. Mouser is good on prompt shipping, so hopefully the replacement will be here in the next day or so.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2cxtg8y.jpg

It's just much faster for me to rework the chip myself than wait for a programmer to come across the pond, as people are having a difficult time sourcing one here in the States.
Good luck. I was told that if you need a finer point on your iron you can coil copper wire around the tip and use the end of the strand. Apparently it's conductive enough to work in a pinch.
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Voultar
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Voultar »

McCracAttack wrote:
Voultar wrote:I lifted the S-RAM and reworked the pins for the new package that will hopefully be arriving soon. Mouser is good on prompt shipping, so hopefully the replacement will be here in the next day or so.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2cxtg8y.jpg

It's just much faster for me to rework the chip myself than wait for a programmer to come across the pond, as people are having a difficult time sourcing one here in the States.
Good luck. I was told that if you need a finer point on your iron you can coil copper wire around the tip and use the end of the strand. Apparently it's conductive enough to work in a pinch.
Thanks, I'll be using a rework station.
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McCracAttack
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by McCracAttack »

Voultar wrote:
McCracAttack wrote:
Voultar wrote:I lifted the S-RAM and reworked the pins for the new package that will hopefully be arriving soon. Mouser is good on prompt shipping, so hopefully the replacement will be here in the next day or so.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2cxtg8y.jpg

It's just much faster for me to rework the chip myself than wait for a programmer to come across the pond, as people are having a difficult time sourcing one here in the States.
Good luck. I was told that if you need a finer point on your iron you can coil copper wire around the tip and use the end of the strand. Apparently it's conductive enough to work in a pinch.
Thanks, I'll be using a rework station.
Oh, well if you want to do it the RIGHT way I guess that's an option.

I guess.
Zets13
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Zets13 »

ApolloBoy wrote:Anyone know what type of pin headers are packaged with the adapter boards? I installed one into my Twin Fami adapter board the wrong way (!) and wound up messing it up after desoldering it.
I had to get more too after desoldering them once. I just bought some breakaway headers locally that looked to be about the right size.
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CkRtech
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by CkRtech »

I know we are all looking to get our RAM replaced/chip flashed, but wow - I gotta say that even with the grey bug, this thing's output looks pretty darn good.

(and if you want to have wacky fun with the bug, pop in Ninja Gaiden and watch the copyright->title screen animation)
Zets13
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Zets13 »

Famicom Kirby is another fun one. You can see that the opening sequence actually has Japanese characters hidden in the background.
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Vigormortis
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by Vigormortis »

Happy day! I got home and found that everything arrived at the same time.
Image
I'm gonna install the NESRGB in my Famicom first just to get it up and running. Then I shall unlock its full potential using the power of Filipino SRAM. :mrgreen:
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CkRtech
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by CkRtech »

Awesome. Have fun. Pics, or it didn't happen.
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lettuce
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Re: NESRGB board available now

Post by lettuce »

Anyone in the UK getting one of these USB blasters, thought we might setup a share scheme??
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