Nintendo 64 RGB Blur fixing

[that1crzywhtguy]

So Tim's newest RGB board comes with borti's de-blur and 15-bit firmware set to 'on' by default?

No, it's set to off by default. If you connect two pads it switches to on, so he recommends a switch since apparently some games don't look so great with the de-blur.

[Ikaruga11]

So Tim's newest RGB board comes with borti's de-blur and 15-bit firmware set to 'on' by default?

No, it's set to off by default. If you connect two pads it switches to on, so he recommends a switch since apparently some games don't look so great with the de-blur.

I'll just wait for more updates.

[bobrocks95]

What additional updates? Auto-detect is dead in the water as far as I can tell?

[andykara2003]

I was wondering if it does 15 bit as well - I emailed Tim to ask & will report back.

[tacoguy64]

So Tim's newest RGB board comes with borti's de-blur and 15-bit firmware set to 'on' by default?

No, it's set to off by default. If you connect two pads it switches to on, so he recommends a switch since apparently some games don't look so great with the de-blur.

that was true with the hdmi mod as well.
you have to pick your poison when it comes to the system. with the de-blur on you get a sharper image but you can see the horrible textures of some games. without the deblur you are left with the anti-alias blur that makes the fogginess really stand out. the only difference here is i think the scan lines from our crt monitors help out both modes significantly.

[andykara2003]

I had a reply back from Tim - he says he removed the 15-bit feature from the firmware as he didn't know what it was for. It appears that he was right to do so as Borti mentioned in this thread that it only makes a difference to one game:

"Actually, there was just a single game where 15bit results into a better picture. On all other games not!"

[CaveManGamer]

I had a reply back from Tim - he says he removed the 15-bit feature from the firmware as he didn't know what it was for. It appears that he was right to do so as Borti mentioned in this thread that it only makes a difference to one game:

"Actually, there was just a single game where 15bit results into a better picture. On all other games not!"

I'm surprised that 15 bit was removed from the firmware. In my tests, 15 bit worked on the majority of my titles. One game that I didn't notice a significant change was Majoras Mask. All in all, I feel that the 15 bit mode improved areas of the game that suffer from softened edges, saturated colours and high white levels. Over all, I feel that 15 bit mode adds a richness to the colours that isn't normally present. I'll capture some footage for anyone who would like to see the differences I discussed.
I also wanted to add that this may be my preference and not everyone is going to agree - just like many things in the retro gaming community.

[tacoguy64]

I would like to see video of this 15-bit feature.

[andykara2003]

I'd like to see this too - curious that Borti didn't think that the feature improved anything :/

[leonk]

If you turn on 15bit mode and watch the intro to Ocarina of time, you will notice a HUGE difference.

This is especially handy if you have the ability to switch between the 2 modes on the fly (switch or P1 controller). 15 bit mode is a must! The textures (especially in the grass and mountains) are much better looking. Everything looks more pleasing, and better dithered. The sharp edges between color changes is more photo realistic.

[that1crzywhtguy]

I had a reply back from Tim - he says he removed the 15-bit feature from the firmware as he didn't know what it was for. It appears that he was right to do so as Borti mentioned in this thread that it only makes a difference to one game:

"Actually, there was just a single game where 15bit results into a better picture. On all other games not!"

You got a reply back from Tim, huh? I emailed days ago about this issue and haven't heard from him... I installed this mod just as instructed and am getting that shaky interference...So far I'm very disappointing this hasn't been able to be resolved. I have another n64 I'd like to RGB mod but don't feel confident ordering another one till this one works as it should. If I have to flash the firmware, no big deal since I now have my usb blaster, but what firmware? Where can I download it? Etc...

[andykara2003]

I think I'm going to ask my modder to reflash my 1.2 boards with Borti's firmware as well - because going by what Leonk and Cavemangamer are saying, the 15-bit mode actually does make quite a difference & I don't want to miss out on that. Here's Borti's Github page for his firmware: https://github.com/borti4938/n64rgb

[tacoguy64]

I think mine was flashed with 15-bit mode along with the de-blur but it makes my pictures actually look so much worse. 15-bit mode is activated using the opposite button combination i believe. Some of the pictures I took earlier show off what 15-bit mode does for me, i think.

[andykara2003]

Complete noob here regarding firmware flashing etc. - can anyone tell me which file / firmware version from Borti's Github I would need to use to implement the full IGR - controller inputs for deblur, 15-bit and reset? I've looked over the info but can't quite suss it out..

[Nintendude94]

Complete noob here regarding firmware flashing etc. - can anyone tell me which file / firmware version from Borti's Github I would need to use to implement the full IGR - controller inputs for deblur, 15-bit and reset? I've looked over the info but can't quite suss it out..

Not an expert here, but it seems this is what you're looking for:
https://github.com/borti4938/n64rgb/blo ... th_igr.pof

[andykara2003]

Not an expert here, but it seems this is what you're looking for:
https://github.com/borti4938/n64rgb/blo ... th_igr.pof

Cheers, as I suspected :)

[borti4938]

Well, I kept the 15bit mode because I had the hope that somebody like that. And at least one user like it

Just want to clarify: there are basically two firmware versions available inside my GitHub repository.

• First, selecting deblur and 15bit mode with a toggle switch on pad A and M
  • deblur: on by default; off by pad A to GND
  • 15bit mode: off by default; on by pad M to GND
  • POF file: https://github.com/borti4938/n64rgb/blo ... n64rgb.pof
• Second the version with the Controller remote control:
  • deblur: on by default on every power cycle and reset; toggle on/off by Dr + L + R + Cr
  • 15bit mode: off by default on every power cycle and reset; toggle on/off by Dl + L + R + Cl
  • reset: by A + B + Dd + Dr + L + R
  • POF file: https://github.com/borti4938/n64rgb/blo ... th_igr.pof

I got a question if other defaults with the controller remote control are possible... Maybe it is suitable to let the user decide what he wants as default. I have to think about that how to realise that without having four different pof-files

[andykara2003]

Thanks Borti, very decent of you.

[that1crzywhtguy]

Well, I kept the 15bit mode because I had the hope that somebody like that. And at least one user like it

Just want to clarify: there are basically two firmware versions available inside my GitHub repository.

• First, selecting deblur and 15bit mode with a toggle switch on pad A and M
  • deblur: on by default; off by pad A to GND
  • 15bit mode: off by default; on by pad M to GND
  • POF file: https://github.com/borti4938/n64rgb/blo ... n64rgb.pof
• Second the version with the Controller remote control:
  • deblur: on by default on every power cycle and reset; toggle on/off by Dr + L + R + Cr
  • 15bit mode: off by default on every power cycle and reset; toggle on/off by Dl + L + R + Cl
  • reset: by A + B + Dd + Dr + L + R
  • POF file: https://github.com/borti4938/n64rgb/blo ... th_igr.pof

I got a question if other defaults with the controller remote control are possible... Maybe it is suitable to let the user decide what he wants as default. I have to think about that how to realise that without having four different pof-files

This rocks. Think I'll try to figure out how to use my blaster tonight and try one of these out. If this somehow solves my problem, I'll be highly stoked. If not, than I'll continue scratching my head and assume that my n64RGB is defective.

[andykara2003]

This rocks. Think I'll try to figure out how to use my blaster tonight and try one of these out. If this somehow solves my problem, I'll be highly stoked. If not, than I'll continue scratching my head and assume that my n64RGB is defective.

Very interested to hear how it goes..

[CaveManGamer]

One thing that I will add, is that 15-bit mode does not work in conjunction with the GameShark's anti-aliasing hack. So if you're using a GameShark you will no longer be able to toggle 15-bit on/off. I'm not sure why, or if this is just isolated to my setup, but maybe Borti could answer that.

[leonk]

• deblur: on by default on every power cycle and reset; toggle on/off by Dr + L + R + Cr
• 15bit mode: off by default on every power cycle and reset; toggle on/off by Dl + L + R + Cl
• reset: by A + B + Dd + Dr + L + R
• POF file: https://github.com/borti4938/n64rgb/blo ... th_igr.pof

[/list]

WHAT!? 15 bit mode is OFF by default!? I thought it was ON by default for this version!! I stand corrected. It actually makes ocarina of time look much much worst!!

[Ikaruga11]

What exactly is 15-bit mode and what does it do?

[CaveManGamer]

I was also under the impression that 15-bit mode was ON by default. In that case, yes, it looks much worse. Sorry guys!

[borti4938]

I got a question if other defaults with the controller remote control are possible... Maybe it is suitable to let the user decide what he wants as default. I have to think about that how to realise that without having four different pof-files

Well, what about the following?
have a default defined ("a default by default") which can be toggled by shorting two pins. To be more precise:
- having deblur on by default if nothing is changed
- having deblur off by default if the user short two pins of the CPLD, e.g. pin 91 and 92

[vol.2]

This rocks. Think I'll try to figure out how to use my blaster tonight and try one of these out. If this somehow solves my problem, I'll be highly stoked. If not, than I'll continue scratching my head and assume that my n64RGB is defective.

I don't think it's fair to assume that at this point. There could be something going on with your N64. Even if it worked perfectly before the mod, something can always get fried in the process. I work with board level electronics everyday, and I can tell you that sometimes that shit just happens. It's usually just a trace, but it can be damn difficult to figure out when it happens. I get like 1% attrition on ADC chips, and I think it mostly comes from the way they are handled in the pick-n-place or by the people who solder some of the final traces, etc. Of course, it could be the odd lemon, but the point is, who knows?

[that1crzywhtguy]

This rocks. Think I'll try to figure out how to use my blaster tonight and try one of these out. If this somehow solves my problem, I'll be highly stoked. If not, than I'll continue scratching my head and assume that my n64RGB is defective.

I don't think it's fair to assume that at this point. There could be something going on with your N64. Even if it worked perfectly before the mod, something can always get fried in the process. I work with board level electronics everyday, and I can tell you that sometimes that shit just happens. It's usually just a trace, but it can be damn difficult to figure out when it happens. I get like 1% attrition on ADC chips, and I think it mostly comes from the way they are handled in the pick-n-place or by the people who solder some of the final traces, etc. Of course, it could be the odd lemon, but the point is, who knows?

This does make sense, but the peculiar thing is that currently I'm just seeing the problem with the deblur on. Through s-video or through RGB with no-deblur, I'm not really seeing a problem. This is why I'm suspecting something wrong with the mod.

I also discovered the damn strangest thing while poking around just now. If the deblur is set to on, and I hold my thumb across the board between the Altera chip and the ribbon cable the interference goes away and everything looks crisp. Move my thumb and it comes right back. I discovered this by accident as I was trying to hold a wire to bridge bad A and G. This just seems really strange. :0 :/

[vol.2]

Grounding issue.

[that1crzywhtguy]

Grounding issue.

That was my first thought, so I made sure it was grounded well, even added additional grounds with thick wires, but problem persists.

[andykara2003]

Well, what about the following?
have a default defined ("a default by default") which can be toggled by shorting two pins. To be more precise:
- having deblur on by default if nothing is changed
- having deblur off by default if the user short two pins of the CPLD, e.g. pin 91 and 92

For me this is perfect as I want my N64 to act as a standard console when booted up. Any extra added flexibility like this is awesome..