NESRGB board available now

[Voultar]

**ATTENTION**

Anyone who's purchased the Cypress S-RAM that Tim cited earlier, take notice of the info below..

This is an E-mail I got from Tim, after I told him that I purchased the chip he cited for a replacement..

"Oh, you ordered a CY7C1399BN-12ZXC didn't you?

As it turns out, the original run of boards had a 15ns RAM chip fitted. I
put the 12ns part on the BOM but must have substituted while purchasing.
When I bought the parts for the second run I must have picked an exact
equivalent of the one on the BOM, forgetting about the prior substitution.

I only noticed last night when I was packing replacement RAM chip for
people and the parts were labeled CY7C1399BN-15ZXC.

Anyway, I'm going to send you replacement chip tomorrow.

regards
tim"


-From what I gather from this E-mail, the cause of the problem for the 2nd batch was a discrepancy on his Bill of Materials (parts miss-match). The design/code structure calls for S-RAM timed @ 15ns response, not 12ns response.

Meaning, all of us who purchased the replacement S-RAM (which Tim cited earlier) are in no better shape than we are with the S-RAM already on the board..

I'm not speaking for Tim, I'm just going off what I can gather from this E-mail.

Needless to say, my order from Mouser is now useless, and I'm quite aggravated.

[sammargh]

and the award for "people who don't get how electronics work" goes to Voultar

The discrepancy is the timing between the two which causes the problem on the colors, the 15ns timed memory is perfectly fine because the code expects that. Flashing the code so it expects the timing makes it work, the first run is perfectly fine.

[nesfreak]

Mine is now reprogrammed, works so far with the games that didn't prior to re-flash.

Any swedes need help with their boards, contact me!

[sammargh]

Also for those posters curious about the 'custom' header cable here's the problem:

Here's my usb blaster (already sent it off to a guy so no, can't sell it to you):


The problem is this is the pinout of an usb blaster and it comes with a header socket cable so you can't really rework the cables


And here's the NESRGB header


I made a custom cable/header pins which should work fine and is what is required to be able to use usb blasters on nesrgb

[kamiboy]

Mine is now reprogrammed, works so far with the games that didn't prior to re-flash.

Any swedes need help with their boards, contact me!

How about a dane? Practically the same thing.

[Voultar]

and the award for "people who don't get how electronics work" goes to Voultar

The discrepancy is the timing between the two which causes the problem on the colors, the 15ns timed memory is perfectly fine because the code expects that. Flashing the code so it expects the timing makes it work, the first run is perfectly fine.

You're a special person, aren't you? Perhaps if you would try pacing yourself and read my post again, you'll see that in your attempt of brilliance & belittling, you've totally reiterated what I've already illustrated in my post above...


Your juvenile condescension is duly noted. You're unfamiliar with both who I am and my professional background, so show a little more class.

[opt2not]

and the award for "people who don't get how electronics work" goes to Voultar

...and the award for Deficiency in Reading Comprehension goes to sammargh.

[Jeppen]

hahaha


Btw I got an email from Tim saying my replacement chips were just posted

[Vigormortis]

lol... good thing I procrastinated instead of immediately installing the board and replacing the SRAM chip. I was tempted to still try it, but decided that I didn't want to risk the small possibility of introducing a new bug. At this point, I'm probably better off waiting for my USB Blaster to arrive rather than ordering the proper SRAM.

....Mouser does have it if anyone's interested though :p
CY7C1399BN-15ZXI

I found a pic of a 1st batch board which clearly shows the SRAM.

[Voultar]

lol... good thing I procrastinated instead of immediately installing the board and replacing the SRAM chip. I was tempted to still try it, but decided that I didn't want to risk the small possibility of introducing a new bug. At this point, I'm probably better off waiting for my USB Blaster to arrive rather than ordering the proper SRAM.

....Mouser does have it if anyone's interested though :p
CY7C1399BN-15ZXI

I found a pic of a 1st batch board which clearly shows the SRAM.

Interesting, Tim stated that the correct chip is the CY7C1399BN-15ZXC, but as you've clearly indicated, the chip on the 1st batch is marked is a 15ZXI.

Out of curiosity, I'm going to compare the datasheets between the two of those. By just looking at it, I believe the 15ZXI is just a newer package. But what do I know about electronics?

I asked Tim if the chip everyone ordered would work as a drop in, he doesn't know.

Thanks for the link though!

[opt2not]

Anyone in Canada wanna play "pass the usb blaster"?

I'm on the fence to whether I'll attempt an SRAM swap. I've done a little bit of SMT work in the past, but I'm going to need to practice a bit more on a trash-board before making my decision.

[RGB32E]

Interesting, Tim stated that the correct chip is the CY7C1399BN-15ZXC, but as you've clearly indicated, the chip on the 1st batch is marked is a 15ZXI.

The datasheet claims there is no such thing as a 15ZXC, but there is a 12ZXC. C for commercial, I for Industrial.

[Voultar]

There is a 15ZXC. It's the exact same chip, the only difference being the temperature rating.



It appears to be outed.

[darcagn]

Needless to say, my order from Mouser is now useless, and I'm quite aggravated.

So wait, Tim is sending out free replacement SRAM now or something?

I really don't understand what Tim is doing, at this point I feel like he is purposely holding off on communication with people. I still haven't gotten a single communication from him regarding this entire situation. I get that he is busy, but he is complaining about the volume of he email he has to answer, surely he must understand that sending out a mass email to all of his customers is going to be easier than answering an email from every single customer individually as they realize their boards are non-working? Then he tells us we can order replacement SRAM and gives us the wrong part, knows that a bunch of us have ordered, and doesn't bother to tell us even in this thread that it actually won't work? Why did you have a chance to post this before Tim did? If I weren't subscribed to this thread, I would have already installed the board without knowing it was faulty and then I would have installed the SRAM that came in today and it still wouldn't have fucking worked. I understand Tim isn't a "real" business and I understand as such he doesn't have the money to fix this in a fast, easy way for all of us, and that's fine, but I really, really don't understand the total lack of communication. He is needlessly wasting our time and money.

[Vigormortis]

Well, we don't *know* if the 12ns part that Tim mistakenly listed as the original SRAM chip will work or exhibit the same faulty behavior as the new SRAM chip (or even worse, different faulty behavior lol). We would need a guinea pig for that.

Hey Voultar, you've already desoldered your SRAM, right? *nudge nudge*

[Voultar]

Ha! I'm not mounting the board until the correct SRAM arrives.

And yes, I agree. This has turned into a quintessential cluster f#$#, there is definitely a disconnect in communication.

Hopefully, moving forward, things will improve. This is a new and unique situation for Tim, and hopefully he's learning how to deal with it. He's a good guy, I'm sure he'll get the swing of PR.

[Jeppen]

Needless to say, my order from Mouser is now useless, and I'm quite aggravated.

So wait, Tim is sending out free replacement SRAM now or something?

I really don't understand what Tim is doing, at this point I feel like he is purposely holding off on communication with people. I still haven't gotten a single communication from him regarding this entire situation. I get that he is busy, but he is complaining about the volume of he email he has to answer, surely he must understand that sending out a mass email to all of his customers is going to be easier than answering an email from every single customer individually as they realize their boards are non-working? Then he tells us we can order replacement SRAM and gives us the wrong part, knows that a bunch of us have ordered, and doesn't bother to tell us even in this thread that it actually won't work? Why did you have a chance to post this before Tim did? If I weren't subscribed to this thread, I would have already installed the board without knowing it was faulty and then I would have installed the SRAM that came in today and it still wouldn't have fucking worked. I understand Tim isn't a "real" business and I understand as such he doesn't have the money to fix this in a fast, easy way for all of us, and that's fine, but I really, really don't understand the total lack of communication. He is needlessly wasting our time and money.

You haven't received the initial email about the NESRGB having background color problems?

I would've thought that was the first thing he did and then step by step contacting regions as he could handle the load also making sure he's got enough spares and cables to fix a whole region at once.

He probably has a lot on his mind atm, he might also have underestimated his word's value when mentioning the other chip and didn't expect people to go ahead and order it like that, perhaps a bit naïve, but kind of sounded like that in his email.
I think he's handling it rather well all things considered, he's got two alternatives for the fix which came really fast! In the region email you can choose to participate in the blaster program or have him ship out a free replacement of the SRAM chip.

Though I got the email for the fix communication pretty quick after the initial info email, so that's also a reason I'm very happy with it.
I can understand you feeling the opposite if you didn't even get the initial email?

Communication important, to say "Hey I'm working on it, please be patient" is usually all it takes to keep people happy.

[opt2not]

Hopefully, moving forward, things will improve. This is a new and unique situation for Tim, and hopefully he's learning how to deal with it. He's a good guy, I'm sure he'll get the swing of PR.

I just hope this hiccup doesn't discourage him from producing more of these types of awesome products in the future. I'd hate to see him give up after this because of the hassles and negativity received, but I would completely understand if he did.

You haven't received the initial email about the NESRGB having background color problems?

For what it's worth, I haven't received anything from Tim since my order was shipped. But I'm in Canada, so I'm assuming he's taking care of The States-side people first...which you know, kinda makes me a little miffed 'cause we're apart of the same damn commonwealth!

[mickcris]

Hopefully, moving forward, things will improve. This is a new and unique situation for Tim, and hopefully he's learning how to deal with it. He's a good guy, I'm sure he'll get the swing of PR.

I just hope this hiccup doesn't discourage him from producing more of these types of awesome products in the future. I'd hate to see him give up after this because of the hassles and negativity received, but I would completely understand if he did.

You haven't received the initial email about the NESRGB having background color problems?

For what it's worth, I haven't received anything from Tim since my order was shipped. But I'm in Canada, so I'm assuming he's taking care of The States-side people first...which you know, kinda makes me a little miffed 'cause we're apart of the same damn commonwealth!

I am in the US (Texas) and have not received any email except the one when my board shipped. Maybe Tim figures everyone that ordered a board has been reading this thread and already knows what is going on.

[splash5]

12ns means data will valid after 12ns.
I think it should be ok if you use 12ns version instead of 15ns.

[darcagn]

You haven't received the initial email about the NESRGB having background color problems?

The only communication I've received from Tim is the automated email saying that my order has shipped, weeks ago.

Maybe Tim figures everyone that ordered a board has been reading this thread and already knows what is going on.

I really don't think that's the case, though, considering there were hundreds of orders and only a handful of posters in this thread. People on other forums are finding out about it through word of mouth, not from Tim, which just sucks IMO.

[nesfreak]

Lots of assumptions about Tim here, I bet he is doing all he can to sort this out and make it as smooth as possible for all parties involved.

I had him ask me if i need to attend the "USB-blaster" passing program, i declined as soon as i saw it, since i had a friend with a "USB-blaster" already.
This will speed things up for him and other customers that need it to reprogram their board.

I picture him gathering all the orders and trying to make a map of how the "USB-blaster" should be passed along, this would probably take a while for some countries to complete the list.
Gathering all the addresses and figure out best way for people to send it.

I would suspect that Sweden with the 6 orders was a first easy step to take, minus my order and a friend who i will help, that leaves 4 orders.

So hang tight and just email him directly instead of waiting for answers here on the forum.

[keropi]

For what it's worth I didn't get anything as well, except that my order #80 was shipped.
Today I got the boards and they use the Alliance SRAM , so I am not even bothering to install them, correct?

[mickcris]

For what it's worth I didn't get anything as well, except that my order #80 was shipped.
Today I got the boards and they use the Alliance SRAM , so I am not even bothering to install them, correct?

You can install them if you want. He said you would be able to update with it installed.

[Vigormortis]

I installed my NESRGB in my Famicom, and then I couldn't resist - I tried replacing the SRAM chip with the CY7C1399BN-12ZXC despite the fact that it is a 12ns chip just like the new one that has been causing problems. It's definitely much better behaved than the AS7C3256A. The backgrounds are the proper color! However I'm getting strange glitches where the color palette changes in some games. Its really easy to trigger in Megaman 3. If I go into the pause menu, the palette starts going nuts switching between messed up and normal. I'm not convinced that this is the SRAM's fault though. My installation is in a Famicom which means lots of wires and lots of headaches. If I poke the D0-D7 wires coming from the PPU to the NESRGB, I can sometimes get the palette errors to stop.

Screenshots
Super Mario Bros. - Always well behaved


Castlevania 3 - Normal Behavior


Castlevania 3 - Messed Up Palette


Megaman 3 - Normal Behavior


Megaman 3 - Messed Up Palette


Has anyone ever experienced similar issues with the 1st batch NESRGB in a Famicom?

[viletim]

Hello everybody,

I'm sorry for the lack of communication.

It is true that I have not sent out a generic email to everybody. This is partly because I wish to offer a solution with the problem. The solutions I can offer vary on location and are generally one or more of:
1. I send you a replacement RAM chip which you solder on yourself.
2. I give you the name and address of somebody who is going to be reprogramming boards in your area.
3. I organise a programmer to be shared within group of people in the same area. The programmer program.
4. Send the board back to me for reprogramming.

I cannot offer all of these to all areas so the generic email would just tell you what you already know and ask to to be patient and wait for more emails. Also, I really don't want to fall too far behind on email contact solution #3 requires good communication for there to be any chance of it working. About 50% of customers have been sent an email. It is mostly Americans and some people in small countries that I have not contacted yet.

I also apologise for the wrong part number on my website and for not writing about it here. I have written so much stuff to so many people in the past couple of days, I forget what I have sait to whom. The parts I used do indeed have the ZXI suffix but that is not important, it's the speed which I suspect is the critical difference. RAM chips are the sort of part that I often substitute because there are so many different parts which (should be) equivalent and the stock and prices from distributors changes weekly.

For reasons I don't have time to explain, I have a tray full of RAM chips that were from the first production of boards. For those who would like a replacement RAM chip send to them, please send me an email (orders at etim.net.au) requesting some and include your order number.

I just hope this hiccup doesn't discourage him from producing more of these types of awesome products in the future. I'd hate to see him give up after this because of the hassles and negativity received, but I would completely understand if he did.

No, not at all.

As soon as I found out about problem I knew there were going to be people getting pissed off not matter what I did. I'm doing my best to mitigate it but it's still a disaster, and one I'm really not prepared for.

[Elrinth]

I have to say you are doing well despite the really big drawback. Keep up the great work.
@nesfreak: I'm in Swe aswell, however I've already been contacted by Tim and I've signed on the JTAG sending program. Thank you for asking tho. Still waiting for my board to recieve. Should recieve it by the end of the week or next week.

[philexile]

Megaman 3 - Messed Up Palette

Its pretty interesting (to me at least) that you can see parts of the bot in the background.

For those who would like a replacement RAM chip send to them, please send me an email (orders at etim.net.au) requesting some and include your order number.

If anyone is unable to do this RAM replacement in the NYC/Brooklyn area, I can do it for you. (No charge of course) I would also suggest that others capable of this sort of work in other areas of the US (or other countries) help out those who can not.

[Voultar]

If anyone is unable to do this RAM replacement in the NYC/Brooklyn area, I can do it for you. (No charge of course) I would also suggest that others capable of this sort of work in other areas of the US (or other countries) help out those who can not.

I'm also close to the East Coast, I'd be more than happy to freely help anyone who needs someone to rework the SRAM package on their board.

[Jeppen]

I have to say you are doing well despite the really big drawback. Keep up the great work.
@nesfreak: I'm in Swe aswell, however I've already been contacted by Tim and I've signed on the JTAG sending program. Thank you for asking tho. Still waiting for my board to recieve. Should recieve it by the end of the week or next week.

Agreed.

Oh yes i'm also in Ikea-land and went for the RAM replacement. So that leaves only one unidentified Meatball!