NESRGB board available now

[ApolloBoy]

I think pc10 palette is called garish, pad 3 I think, but check the schema on Tims site to be sure.

It's pad 1. Pad 2 is the "Improved" palette and pad 3 is the "Natural" palette.

[Jeppen]

I'm sorry but you're coming off as pretty self-entitled about some pcbs. Yeah, it sucks that the count is wrong on them but I'm sure Tim will be happy to fix them. He made it well known that he was working on a new run of boards but was taking time.

I'm not sure how much you've shipped to Australia or dealt with people shipping from Australia but shit isn't cheap. Also complaining about the silkscreening or lack of it on the adapter pcbs? Really? It took 3 minutes of basic thought to figure out how it was to be applied in my case. A simple email to tim should've sufficed, it was way over the line to blast him on youtube.



Also i'm not sure if it's more you complaining about it or slyly stating you have 40 boards so people will use your services that rubs me most.


I've had items packaged far worse from highly respective dealers in Japan and China including things such as a Famicom Titler and had no damaged products. Was anything damaged in your case? No? Congrats, it's a box full of PCBs what did you expect.


Also in regards to the post above, I went into your videos and watched the xrgb-mini complaint. That was totally your fault for not understanding the system and blindly working with it. It's well known that feeding a direct composite signal for sync always has mixed results as seen with both Sega Genesis or modded PC-Engines because the noise causes the system unable to sync. The only methods to fix this are either a LM1881 cleaning circuit or to switch to CSYNC. My modded AV Famicom has had 0 issues with my xrgb-mini and I've used OEM JP21 which uses c sync as well as a retrocable ntsc scart which uses composite sync through a LM1881. Both work without any issue.

Viletim himself actually touched on capacitors in regards to RGB amplification elsewhere if you want to know the math and reasoning behind the circuitry http://nfggames.com/forum2/index.php?topic=1733.0 and while it likely isn't making much difference it also can play a role in non-functioning xrgb-mini. If you look at the datasheet of the encoder it wants 220uF caps so you can potentially be affecting the encoder by using the wrong total capacitance on the output.

He paid 4000 bucks for this, what did he get?

- 2 weeks of nothing, no information, no nothing.
- Wrong amount of items.
- Poorly packed.

Would you really accept that? Would you not be disappointed and prone to complaining?

- When the first run came out it took well over a week before Tim announced shipping or anything, no information or anything. There's nothing new other than people being impatient and dramatic.
- Yes, that sucks. In the same breath Tim switched to a different system so likely placing such a large order with specific requirements on adapters likely complicated things.
- It's a pcb, not some super rare precious item that can be damaged in shipping. Compared to some other stuff I've ordered from distributors that is fantastic packaging. So long as boards that actually have ICs are in some sort of shielded bag there's nothing wrong with this. Want to see how I received an order from China when I bought $400 worth of ICs for a joke gift?


No anti-static bag, no packaging in the box, just a bunch of chips plugged into foam. The only "nice" packaging I've ever seen when ordering boards/ICs are either a) hobbyists that don't understand the resilience of a pcb or b) when you order chips directly from a manufacturer which come tubed. Hell when I used to deal with modchips 10 years ago China would just throw a batch into an envelope with no packaging or shielding and ship it out. These boards aren't precious China.

I would be furious if someone sent something like that to me and I would let them know it and never buy from them again, i'm sorry i just hate that irresponsible shit.

It has nothing to do with how resilient the products are, it has to do with respect for other people's things.
As soon as someone receives the money and confirms the order, the items are no longer theirs and should be treated with the upmost respect, including shipping and packaging.

[Jeppen]

Ok I'm not posting anymore on this subject.

I just want to get back to the wonders of the NESRGB

[leonk]

In Jason's defense, he opened the package on camera. Sure he was a tad biased due to lack of communication but he wasn't making that video with the expectation of bashing the packaging - you guys just saw it unfold "live".

Yes Tim is really busy. I'm not sure why the lack of communication but I can speculate. Take the following as hot air from a person who never met Tim before. Tim is a brilliant engineer. He can code low level hardware and design custom circuit boards. This is a talent. Very few people posses it. It takes a certain type of person to be like that (I should know, I manage people like this in my day job). But at the same time they tend to be extreme intreverts that dont see the point in wasting time on something like talking to customers (that's why companies have developers and then they have sales people - they don't mix). Since Tim is a company of 1, you guys will need to take the awesome with the bad. Just live with it.

[cr4zymanz0r]

Ok, I got my NESRGB board in but I'm having issues. The short version is apparently everything that should be black is gray instead.
http://i.imgur.com/XpIhgz9.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XEL9J4f.jpg


Now, If I leave the palette solder pads disconnected so it defaults to the PPU's composite video then that has the correct colors. I've already successfully installed a NESRGB in a frontloader but I'm having these issues on a top loader. This issue is only present on NESRGB generated video. Anybody have any idea on this?

[Slymick]

Ok, I got my NESRGB board in but I'm having issues. The short version is apparently everything that should be black is gray instead.
http://i.imgur.com/XpIhgz9.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XEL9J4f.jpg


Now, If I leave the palette solder pads disconnected so it defaults to the PPU's composite video then that has the correct colors. I've already successfully installed a NESRGB in a frontloader but I'm having these issues on a top loader. This issue is only present on NESRGB generated video. Anybody have any idea on this?

Same here.
I installed the new boards last week (im in oz so I got them quick) and 2 boards in 2 different front loader NES have this issue.
The background in smb1, goonies and zelda 1+2 etc is white or grey, but is fine in smb2 or smb3.
At the SMB title screen on load it flashes the correct colour for a split second then turns white and when ever you enter a new level.
The rest of the picture is magic, pixel perfect.

SMB title screen > https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/662 ... GROUND.PNG
some are fine > https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/662 ... G_9568.JPG

I've tested everything - 2x power paks, 3x 72 pin connecter, 2xNES top loaders, 2x tvs, svideo, 2xscart(Tims and own), 2xscart 2 comp csy-2100, 2xcontrollers, with/without external 5v
and checked solder joins, mutlimetered between pins and connectors....

I've spoken to Tim about it and I'm sending my complete NES and boards back to him (who is about an hour away from me) tomorrow (Friday) which should reach him Monday.

If anyone has a suggestion I'd love to hear it.

[mvsfan]

Powerpak & NES Everdrive output their expansion audio on pin 54. This works great for the front loader, but unfortunately, the top loader has no pin 54. You'll have to perform a small modification on the NES Everdrive or Powerpak by connecting pin 54 to pin 51. For Famicom carts, a Famicom to NES adapter would also need to be modified to output expansion audio on pin 51. On the NES end, I presume that you will simply need to connect a wire with a 22k resistor (or whatever value gives you well balanced sound) from pin 51 of the cart slot to the point between the two resistors on the NESRGB.[/quote]

What about interference like Game-tech-us mentioned? Is there any when using your mod?

[Zets13]

Got mine today (well, yesterday). I was able to get most of it set up but still need to desolder the PPU and install it along with the socket, but first I'm going to get a proper desoldering iron.

Kinda worried about the black - white issue that's just been mentioned... Hopefully I can report in on mine tomorrow evening.

[ApolloBoy]

Hm, I'll have to pop mine in my AV Fami tomorrow and see if it's alright before I permanently install it in my Twin Fami.

EDIT: The socket I installed on my AV Fami motherboard is a real POS and I can't get the NESRGB to go in all the way. Welp, looks like I'll have to wait until the Twin Fami.

[evil_ash_xero]

Powerpak & NES Everdrive output their expansion audio on pin 54. This works great for the front loader, but unfortunately, the top loader has no pin 54. You'll have to perform a small modification on the NES Everdrive or Powerpak by connecting pin 54 to pin 51. For Famicom carts, a Famicom to NES adapter would also need to be modified to output expansion audio on pin 51. On the NES end, I presume that you will simply need to connect a wire with a 22k resistor (or whatever value gives you well balanced sound) from pin 51 of the cart slot to the point between the two resistors on the NESRGB.

So, you have to get an N8 or a PowerPak modded to get expansion audio on a top loader? Same with an adapter, with the original carts?

Any idea who can do these mods? I have two adapters right now, and planned on getting an N8, so this is kinda frustrating to hear.

[Vigormortis]

For expansion audio on a top loader, the NES Everdrive or Powerpak need to be modded. The console itself also needs to be modded. The Famicom adapter needs to be modded, but Famicom cartridges do not need to be modded.

For a front loader, the Everdrive/Powerpak don't need to be modded, but the console and famicom adapter must still be modded.

The mods are actually very basic and can be done by anybody who can handle a soldering iron - and definitely by anyone who can tackle a NESRGB installation.

[viletim]

Ok, I got my NESRGB board in but I'm having issues. The short version is apparently everything that should be black is gray instead.
http://i.imgur.com/XpIhgz9.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XEL9J4f.jpg


Now, If I leave the palette solder pads disconnected so it defaults to the PPU's composite video then that has the correct colors. I've already successfully installed a NESRGB in a frontloader but I'm having these issues on a top loader. This issue is only present on NESRGB generated video. Anybody have any idea on this?

There seems to be a problem with all NESRGB boards made in the last batch. It has something to do with the 32k SRAM on the board. I used a AS7C3256A-12TCN in place of a CY7C1399BN-12ZXC. It should be equivalent but something isn't right... I'm working on finding out what the cause of the problem is exactly.

[Voultar]

Ok, I got my NESRGB board in but I'm having issues. The short version is apparently everything that should be black is gray instead.
http://i.imgur.com/XpIhgz9.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XEL9J4f.jpg


Now, If I leave the palette solder pads disconnected so it defaults to the PPU's composite video then that has the correct colors. I've already successfully installed a NESRGB in a frontloader but I'm having these issues on a top loader. This issue is only present on NESRGB generated video. Anybody have any idea on this?

There seems to be a problem with all NESRGB boards made in the last batch. It has something to do with the 32k SRAM on the board. I used a AS7C3256A-12TCN in place of a CY7C1399BN-12ZXC. It should be equivalent but something isn't right... I'm working on finding out what the cause of the problem is exactly.

Does that mean that everyone on this last order run will encounter the same issues as indicated above?

[evil_ash_xero]

Can this be fixed, or does this mean this batch is faulty?

Quite concerning. I was about to ship mine off to get modded too.

[kamiboy]

The deuce you say, I knew I should have waited for batch three, oh well, I still have my trusty Titler.

If this is a hardware error it prolly is not going to be an easy fix and in that case I feel really bad for Viletim, that must have been quite the investment.

[Zets13]

I thought some were tested before they shipped out?

[ApolloBoy]

There seems to be a problem with all NESRGB boards made in the last batch. It has something to do with the 32k SRAM on the board. I used a AS7C3256A-12TCN in place of a CY7C1399BN-12ZXC. It should be equivalent but something isn't right... I'm working on finding out what the cause of the problem is exactly.

I just looked at the datasheets for both chips and it looks to me that they have different pinouts. The voltage, ground, OE, WE and I/O pins are in the same place on both, but most of the address pins are different.

Mine has the AS7C3256A-12TCN so it looks like I'd have the same issue as well.

[Zets13]

Hopefully that's the only issue and all we will have to do is replace the chip...

[markfrizb]

Hopefully that's the only issue and all we will have to do is replace the chip...

Mouser has the SRAM... the original one.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Cyp ... Qjm4RXO9Y=

[leonk]

There seems to be a problem with all NESRGB boards made in the last batch. It has something to do with the 32k SRAM on the board. I used a AS7C3256A-12TCN in place of a CY7C1399BN-12ZXC. It should be equivalent but something isn't right... I'm working on finding out what the cause of the problem is exactly.

Oh Oh .. I can see Jason's YouTube video now ..

[Elrinth]

Hopefully that's the only issue and all we will have to do is replace the chip...

Mouser has the SRAM... the original one.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Cyp ... Qjm4RXO9Y=

viletim can you confirm which orders # which has the wrong chip and the measures we should take?
(1) Desolder and replace with correct chip (order a new one from for example mouser.com)
(2) Manually connect cables for the address pinouts instead and cut the current connectors?

[ApolloBoy]

Hopefully that's the only issue and all we will have to do is replace the chip...

Mouser has the SRAM... the original one.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Cyp ... Qjm4RXO9Y=

It's gonna be a complete bitch to replace that chip, considering how small the pins are and how close it is to other SMD components on the board. I'm wondering if Tim will issue out new boards in light of this...

[game-tech.us]

There seems to be a problem with all NESRGB boards made in the last batch. It has something to do with the 32k SRAM on the board. I used a AS7C3256A-12TCN in place of a CY7C1399BN-12ZXC. It should be equivalent but something isn't right... I'm working on finding out what the cause of the problem is exactly.

Oh Oh .. I can see Jason's YouTube video now ..

LMAO!

I did go take one board out the static bad to check and it did have the AS7C3256A ram chip.
I will put one together real quick and test it and yes shoot some vid.

[eightbitminiboss]

Hopefully that's the only issue and all we will have to do is replace the chip...

Mouser has the SRAM... the original one.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Cyp ... Qjm4RXO9Y=

viletim can you confirm which orders # which has the wrong chip and the measures we should take?
(1) Desolder and replace with correct chip (order a new one from for example mouser.com)
(2) Manually connect cables for the address pinouts instead and cut the current connectors?

You can confirm it yourself. The SRAM's model is visible and clear as day.

[Zets13]

Is the layout of the board the same as the first batch, meaning that all we'd need to do is replace the SRAM with the one used in the original batch, or were the schematics changed to accommodate the different pinout of the new chip?

[ApolloBoy]

Is the layout of the board the same as the first batch, meaning that all we'd need to do is replace the SRAM with the one used in the original batch, or were the schematics changed to accommodate the different pinout of the new chip?

If it's having problems then it's the same design as the first batch.

[Voultar]

Wow.. That's going to be a costly mistake..

[Zets13]

Is the layout of the board the same as the first batch, meaning that all we'd need to do is replace the SRAM with the one used in the original batch, or were the schematics changed to accommodate the different pinout of the new chip?

If it's having problems then it's the same design as the first batch.

Thanks. Well, I need to order some stuff from Mouser anyway. Guess I will throw one of the correct chips in with my order if that looks to be the fastest resolution.

[game-tech.us]

I'm wondering if the dirty chip removal method would save time and maybe some of the pads and maybe be the only method available for ppl without hot air stations etc.
Cut the legs from the chip, swipe off the legs from the pcb with a soldering iron and solder on the right chip.
I seen Dave from eevblog do it this way once, looked easy enough, I don't remember if i've ever done it with a surface mount chip though.
Vid link, he starts talking about cutting it out about 5:35 in to it.
Could also do ChipQuik, dave's vid about it.

[Vigormortis]

I'm not even waiting for my boards to come in. I went ahead and placed an order at Mouser lol. I have a funny feeling that they're gonna see a small surge in small orders of the CY7C1399BN-12ZXC in the coming days :p .

Digikey also has it