Crusty rusty PC Engine, can I save it?
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
- The NEC PC Engine is one console I've always wanted but for many reasons just never got round to adding to my collection. A couple of months ago fellow UA-cam channel @gingerhippygaming7962 cleared out a storage unit, a storage unit in which the roof had collapsed, but this place was full of retro gaming goodies. He pull 6 PC Engines out of the mess and and kindly offered to send me one. Its in a very sorry state but lets see if we can get it working again.
Make sure to check out Ginger Hippy Gaming's channel as he has looked at many systems that were pulled out of this place. the other 5 PC engines are going to various other channels and I'll update this description as those videos are released.
Video footage from both @gingerhippygaming7962 and @RMCRetro used with permission.
Massive thanks to Aergan (Simon) for all his help with this one. He has a fantastic knowledge of the PC Engine. Check out his wordpress here - aergan.wordpress.com/?s=pc+en...
Playlist of videos pulled from this storage unit - • Lost and found from ab...
CRG Twitter - / yt_crg
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Music - Cathode Ray Gun by @Momentvm
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:21 Look around the outside
01:45 Getting inside
03:21 Removals
08:22 Time for a bath
13:03 What's next
14:28 Reflow time
16:57 Any trace damage?
18:10 The switch
20:22 Solder montage
21:20 First test
25:23 AV cable
27:45 Video test
29:38 Yellow wires
32:02 Undoing a previous mod
32:58 Another test
34:03 Conclusion and credits - Наука та технологія
![History of the Amazing PC ENGINE! [Book I]](/img/n.gif)
I may have found some further information on the video mod that was done to this machine. Firstly the same mod was done to at least one more of these consoles pulled from the same place that Lee Smith has in his workshop. But, alongside the PC engines Ginger Hippy Gaming found a few expansions made by a company called Kindo, a PAL5060 TV Booster.
The two cut traces adjacent to the expansion bus are a ground and the IRQ2 signal. The cut trace into the middle of the board is a 21.4mhz clock. Presumably at this point on the board this clock is being used for the NTSC video signal and I assume the video expansion then uses the cut ground pin and cut irq2 pin to inject a new PAL clock.
I've asked for some photos of the insides of the expansion which may help to explain this further and I'll be sure to cover this in more detail in the next video. The use of this mod would presumably stop you being able to use the likes of the CD-drive as IRQ2 is no longer available on the expansion bus.
Unfortunately for this video I ran out of time to show all this in detail on screen but I will come back to it in the next part and we can look over it in more detail then.
Did anyone have a PC engine with this mod? Can you confirm if what I'm saying above is correct?
I am working on my video and I captured the clock signal before and after the mods. Don't want to give too much away, but I had to remove the mods to get a clean clock before it would do anything else.
I question how stable the clock is here as the capture looks kind of a bit unstable still.
Well done mate glad I sent it to you
I think the yellow wires are part of a luma/chroma mod (i.e. SVideo), specifically you leave the composite with something that does luma (black and white video), and you do chroma on a separate pin, this will give you a higher quality video signal than just plain composite.
I am absolutely amazed at how well the board stood up against that rust. Great video, and nice job saving that from being binned.
The lack of a backup battery on the product helps a lot :)
Another vintage item resurrected. Awesome work, Glen!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
Brilliant job! One heck of a dirty PCB engine back to working like new!
Thanks Chris, its by far the dirtiest PCB I've ever worked on and while fun to do so I'm not so sure I'd jump at another one just this far gone (even if in reality it was just aesthetics). It made some mess while working on it.
I am amazed that it came back to life. I bet you were jumping up and down, shouting "yes, yes, yes, its only gone and bloody worked. I can't believe my eyes."
Yeah it was something like that 😆
Here from the "This Week In Retro" video. Absolutely stunning work and had me clapping at the screen when the colour image came up. Bravo sir!
Man, that thing cleaned up incredibly nicely. You put in a lot of work in to getting that thing going again. Very, very nicely done, man.
Glad to see all that effort paid off.
Thanks, so glad I didn't just walk away and so happy to have a working PC Engine.
It is "a miracle" that at the end it works. When I first saw you opening that case I had no hope for that machine.
Me too, when I first opened it I genuinely was thinking of turning off the camera but glad I stuck at it.
That situation with the heatsink screw is so sadistic, I almost feel bad for laughing.
Of course the heatsink sinks the heat away from the solder!
Wow! I think that has to be the most extreme trash to treasure (if I'm allowed to call it that) that I've ever seen. I think that steals the crown from MFS and his toasted speccy.
I put a Tusotek DC-DC converter in my ZD-915 to replace the resistor pack which actually runs the pump and fan at a higher voltage, around 16-18V instead of 12V where they are supposed to be. I'm also going to put in a relay for the pump eventually.
They actually make solderable nuts for devices which are made to be screwed down.
Thanks for the tip, I'll look into this.
I am still in shock... I was thinking there is absolutely NO WAY that was going to be salvageable. 😮
You may have 20MHz bandwidth limit enabled in your scope. That's why your clock signal looks like a sine.
I'll need to look through the settings
I'm impressed it could be saved to that extent.
Thanks, I was genuinely shocked when it came to life.
Rescued from turning into complete rust. Nice!
Thanks, given how good the condition was beneath the rust I wonder if it in some way helped to protect the board from the elements?
Congratulations! About the de-laminating board. If your soldering iron can not heat it fast enough and you have to stay in there most pcb's will de-laminate. There are some good JBC clones out there that can really put out some heat when needed. I recently upgraded from one of the first chinees hotair stations to a modern one. With the old one it needed so much time to get stuff flowing that in that time I sometimes damaged the board. With the new one there is so much power I have IC's out a board in seconds and it does way less damage to the board.
But don't hit your self with the damage to much you live and learn and the board now works again, great success!
The rework station I have is usually good enough but perhaps with the corrosion on this it just couldn't supply enough heat quickly enough. I'd love to get some better equipment but it does get very expensive very quickly.
I wish PC Engine LTs weren't so uncommon. Unline the PC Engine GT/TurboExpress it can actually be connected to a CD-ROM. Now there is the Turbo Everdrive Pro which will play CD-ROM games, but it is very expensive, mainly due to the Cyclone IV FPGA used.
I've ordered one of the cheaper everdrives to get me going, it doesn't support the cd-rom games but it'll still get me access to the hu-card library.
Those blobs on the board are not from missing wires but where the RF shield used to be soldered to it. Whoever added those yellow wires didn't put that back in, it seems.
Are you sure? I have it on good authority that some of these didn't have a shield from the factory but instead had the wires. I know the one that Lee Smith has just looked at from the same unit did have its shield but no wire on the ground planes.
@@CRG Well, I can't say with certainty, but another repair video showed one that did have the RF shield in place and the place where it was soldered to the board was exactly where yours has blobs on the edge of the board. If it didn't have an RF shield, it wouldn't have solder there, I would expect.
Excellent job with that. If that were mind I think I would clean the case best as I could and then clear coat protect it. That visible case patina is part of its history and worth saving. It will preserve the uniqueness of yours and be a future talking point. I'm sure you can buy a replacement shell if you wanted to so that the OG one remains as is.
I think that's a great idea but something I need to carefully consider. It is part of its history and would be a great talking point.
Saved from landfill and will live again well done, mate.
Still remember digging iyt out of the unit never thought it whuld be able to saved
Thanks again for sending it my way. I was so close to walking away from it after first opening it but I promised you I'd get it working so had to get stuck in and glad I did!
Just awesome, Lazarus himself would be impressed.
Thanks, glad to hear you enjoyed it.
Good job not giving up on this little fella! 😀
It came close but glad I kept going and great to see it working!
You did great to save it and didn't even need any donor parts!
I do think that the ribbon may need one of the modern replacement solutions if it breaks again during reassembly, though hopefully not as getting that to function again is a lesson in persistence.
Didn't need any donor parts YET 😂 I still need to test that joypad port! I know another guy working on one of these has had nothing but heartache with ribbon but hopefully mine will be ok.
Amazing. I suspect I'd have given up after looking inside :D
I very nearly did, even walked away from it for a while but glad I decided to continue on.
Nice one :-)
Was great to have your vid up to one side whilst working! Love your work!
Thanks, glad to hear you enjoy it. I do that a lot myself. Once the camera goes off and I'm working on bits that don't get recorded I tend to have youtube on in the background watching someone else tinker with old hardware.
I've seen electronic restoration before but this seems more like necromancy. Good job.
Raised from the dead 😆
I almost spit my drink when you broke lifted that PCB hehehehe
Looked like a dishwasher job to me :P
I was considering the dishwasher although I'm always a little wary of doing that.
Wow, that bathing in vinegar and IPA was truly an amazing sight to see. It gives me hope that I can repair the A500 I fished out of a dumpster and which is rusted like you wouldn't believe. The same with our C128 which has a screw holding the RF shield on that's also impossible to turn. I will have to try the vinegar method.
I would use cleaning vinegar- try to find the stuff which just has vinegar in it. If you have a Dollar General where you live they sell it under their store brand trueliving.
@@douro20I'm not in the States, so I will have to do a bit of searching. But thank you for the tip, I will keep that in mind when I go shopping for those things again.
Well done Glen! I'm with you on your first comments, end the video early but amazing that it was all superficial!
Yeah its amazing that the rust didn't actually damage anything. Hardly little machines.
I can't believe you got that working. Well done.👍👍
Thanks, I was so surprised when it first started but it was worth it.
i will tell you what glen........i did not think that board would work at all...period...but you have done it!!!unbeleivable! i am as happy as you!! the pc engine is a great great games machine!! absolutley brilliant!!!
Totally agree, I thought if we even got it to display anything it would be a win but to see it working, mind blown to be honest. I'm super excited to get this finished, I've ordered a few parts from aliexpress (rgb booster and sd card adapter) and once they get here the 2nd part will be up.
@@CRG very good!
wow never thought that would work seeing the state of it when you opened it
fair play for your persistence
Thanks, I also thought this would never work again but just goes to show that because it looked terrible doesn't mean it can't be saved.
I know the feeling, it's awesome to see something working again. addicting. Cheers mate 🍻
Thanks, I did get a little carried away when it first started but it is so exciting to see them come to life and especially when you consider just how rusted it was.
What wonders of resuscitation can be worked on Cobwebbed Rusty Games!
Great fix and great video - was on tenterhooks every time you threw that switch!
For drying PCBs, consider getting one of the warm air dryers that they make for 3D printing filament- I find they work great.
Oh, and for the love of all that is holy, wash that poor bloody case!
Good idea for drying the PCB although I'll need to look at prices.
I'm not sure yet about the case, still thinking about it. On one hand it would be nice to see it cleaned up but then again would it not be nice to keep its history?
+1 for clear coating the case
Yeah I'm still considering it.
Awesome job! I'd just throw it in the trash if it were me, so kudos on being determined!
I was very tempted to do that myself but glad I pushed ahead.
Great save. As for the case. Wipe it over and clear coat it to preserve the 'patina'? Let's hope not. A good cleaning and it will look like new. 😊👍
I don't know to be honest I'm still of two minds if it should be fully cleaned or if it should be preserved. Everyone goes the cleaning route and I can see why but is there not something about retaining its history as a talking point? Still thinking about it, I might turn it into a pole 🤔
@@CRG I hear what you are saying. It's just a personal choice and I can appreciate the argument for patina. If I left the patina, every time I looked at it I would want to clean it, but that's just me 😄
Wow, that was an awesome work!!!! Congrats for that!!! Had no doubt you would make it 😀 o7 Cmdr!!!
Thanks, I was a little doubtful at the start but once it start to clean up I new it would be saved...
OK in reality I thought this thing will never work again but thats just why I was so shocked to see it working!
Heroic rescue. Amazing.
Thanks
That's one awesome rescue! 🔥❤️🔥
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
That was exciting: rust to running. Nice work.
Thanks, glad to hear you enjoyed it and that would have been a great name for the video, wish I had have thought of that 😆
@@CRG Next time, for sure. :)
Good job, I'm looking forward to the next chapter.
Thanks, just waiting on some stuff arriving then I can get started on the second part.
Great vid my friend. I had a brainwave watching this when you mentioned you don't have a sonic cleaner. The Rose's tub your using could you get hold of some rumble motors from old joypads? Mount some clips on them like Croc clips and find a way of giving them power and also maybe attach a potentiometer for control. Clip them onto your Rose's tub and you have a makeshift sonic cleaner.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. I've seen a few videos on DIY ultrasonic cleaners, you can buy the kits to do it on aliexpress cheaply enough although I think I'd need a steel container and not just a roses box 😂
That was an epic win. Great job and great video. Thanks.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Not done with this one yet but just waiting on some stuff to arrive before I finish it off.
Amazing recovery!
Reminds me of my own PCE: I bought a "pre modded" PCE quite cheap about ten years ago. It came with a custom-made RGB cable that was routed to a 9-pin VGA jack on the right side of the console (SCART on the other end). I guess the original modder tapped into the expansion port to grab RGB video and sound from, because when I tried to use one of the RGB boosters that were released some years ago, I won't get any signal. This implies that there were also some modifications with cut traces etc. Would have been an amazing alternative to the mod, because the original mod still is a bit "unclean" (a lot of jailbars), but well... That's the price of having a pre-modded console. ;) But I guess it would have still needed the jailbar fix by replacing those two components.
I guess you *could* even get proper RGB out if you either use one of these RGB boosters or tap into those pins at the back of the console. Sadly, I am not that tech-savvy myself to confirm that. :)
As I understand you can easily pick up RGB on the board but it needs amplified. Fairly simple mod to build but for myself I've just ordered one of those plug in RGB expansions form aliexpress. Should be here soon and once I get it I can put out the second part.
A few people I watch actually meticulously undid period video mods to add a modern expansion dongle precisely because of the video quality being so-so (even though it made the PC Engine bulkier in the end).
IIRC one of them also wanted the SD card and so on in her particular bells-and-whistles PC Engine "back pack" thing, so felt silly using the integrated modded video in that instance.
That is totally nuts dood!
Yeah, I can't believe it came up.
Incredible rescue!
Thanks
This was amazing. I was sure it was a write-off but Glen The Man did some real TLC to it and it shines again. Love it, tremendous work!
I too thought it was beyond saving but so glad I didn't just give up.
Don't replace the 7805 with a switching regulator in an old console. It will add noise to the video signal. Voultar has a good video demonstrating this. It's just not worth it. (He also sells a cute PCB to do the region mod that just solders on flush, so that you don't have to have wires everywhere, if memory serves.) Also you should add some nail polish or conformal coating if you have it. Also, it would be good to remove the remaining rust from the switch and the mounting points of the RF modulator.
Noted, I will just use the new 7805 and refit the heatsink although maybe with a nut on the end of that screw this time!
I've had a couple of good experiences with "lost cause" cases that made me optimistic looking at this.
I revived a phone found in saltwater, under a jetty and a 3DS from a roadside mud puddle, full of mud. Besides fried batteries, both worked about 90% ok after vinegar & cleaning.
Great work mate!
Absolutely Amazing!👍🏻👌🏻😄
Thanks
Great video, more rust buckets please 😂
Thanks although I'm not sure if I want to tackle another one with this much mess in it....
Only kidding, of course I do 😆
you can use a oven on a low temp (80-100C) - heat up the oven then place board in
Good idea although I'd need to do it when my wife isn't watching 😂
when you first open the case i though oh no it looks like this is been used as a doorstop in a chilli powder factory but once you gave it good soakin in IPA you could see that all was well and it was just surface rust nice job reveseing that mod and getting the picture back, nice job overall cant wait to see what you do with it now.
Thanks, just waiting on some stuff to arrive then we'll get back to it and get it finished.
Just started to watch that video. It's so painful to see that poor thing in this condition!
Yeah it was in some mess when I first opened it, very nearly just walked away but glad I didn't.
The blob on the bottom of the 7805 kind of sort of makes sense, as the tab is grounded (it's the same as the center pin, but bigger and beefier). Usually you would just solder the tab directly to a pad on the PCB though...
Yeah I get that but it was almost impossible to get it off. Its not in the video but to do it I had to end up removing all the components around it and essentially forcing the screw out by twisting everything together, unscrewing it.
@@CRG It wasn't designed to get repaired at any point in time, though... ;-)
@@oldguy9051 good point 😂
What an amazing fix!
Thanks
Impressive! Really impressive! 👍
Thanks, glad to hear you enjoyed it.
Absolutely amazing! Well done. What a job!!!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Not quite finished with it just yet though, I need to sort the case and get a joypad.
Looking forward to watching the next chapter. Cheers
How in the world.. Well done. :D
How indeed but its almost as if the rust protected the PCB below it.
Nice work man. As for the case, if it cleans up as well as the board does, give it a shot? But if not, why not sand and paint it? Or even better, grab one of those after market shells to jazz it up a bit.
I know I joked about it but I am really tempted to try and preserve it as is, its part of its history and everyone seems to just clean these things when doing this type of restoration. Not sure though, need to think about it while I'm waiting on some other parts to arrive.
@@CRG I guess it all depends on your goals and preferences. At the end of the day, it's yours and you should do whatever you want with it. -- I personally feel like making a console look great with an after market shell is a valid way of "preserving" it. But that's me. -- Whatever *you* choose to do at the end of the day will be the right choice, and if anyone comes at you about your choices, point them back towards the restoration work you did on the thing in this video! ('cause seriously, that thing looked destined for the landfill, and your restoration work here was freakin' legendary.)
good job on the repair, I need to reattach a ribbon cable and repair some traces on one of mine., good to hear there are replacement ribbon options available
Thanks, sorry for the late reply and I'm sure you've probably already found it but this is the replacement ribbon I was referring to - www.willsconsolemodifications.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=112
Simply amazing! Great Job! Probably not many people would have attempted a repair after looking at the dried up river of rust.
I nearly did walk away from it but I had promised Ginger Hippy Gaming that I'd get it working so pushed on and glad I did.
Absolutely amazing really. Impressive regardless of how 'little' needed to be done given the original state of it. I wouldn't kick yourself too hard about the damage that occurred, it was dead and you've revived it.
As for the case, see how well it cleans up. Battle scarred but clean is the way forward ;)
Absolutely great effort. Can’t believe it came back.
Thanks, I can hardly believe it myself.
Dessicant bags are great for drying electronics. RS Electronics have some that are great, and the best part? They are re-useable. Great video.
u fix these pcs and models of pcs incredibly well - good work !!
Incredible job well done 🥂
Thanks
Wow!!! Great job!
Thanks
great save!
Thanks
Wow can't believe you got that thing working, looked like a proper goner when you opened it up. Love the fact that most of the computers and consoles Si rescued from that warehouse have either been fully working or showing signs of life. They don't make 'em like they used to. Great video mate and top work👍
Yeah most things pulled from that place have been saveable so far. In fact the only really damaged item I can think of is the PC10 that RMC got but that was more because of the battery with in it!
Great work! I must admit that I didn't you'd be successful. 😂
Thanks, I too was thinking this was a lost cause but just glad I didn't give up.
Good job man, you aced it!
Nice job!
Thanks
Great video! Always wanted one of these myself..
Lovely video, thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Unbe-friggin-leivable. Looked like a total write off but following cleaning the board it was in better nick than a battery or capacitors juice damaged board! Hopefully the plastic cleans up nicely too.
Wow amazing mate so glad you got it working.
It really was a challenge and if I'm honest didn't think I whuld be able to be saved
Excellent work!! Amazing what it was to what it is now. Thanks for sharing
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
Great work!!!! Keep up the good work best channel on youtube
Well done, enjoyed that video.
Thanks, I'm currently working on the follow up which should be up this weekend.
Try cutting the wick in small pieces and use that with flux and a small tweezer.
Yes and I think you maybe suggested that before? I've since run out of the stuff but I did try this with the very end of the spool I had and it does work well.
Absolutely incredible restoration, when I saw the level of rust on that board I thought it was a total goner. Really nice work!
Have you rver thought about doing a conformal coating on restored boards to protect them from future issues?
Thanks, I too thought it was going to be too far gone but as you seen, under the rust it was pretty well protected. Applying a conformal coating is something that I've never considered to be honest, what would you recommend?
@@CRG I’ve never done it myself but am curious about doing it, I‘be just bought a battery bombed Macintosh Color Classic that looks salvageable, may give it a go. I think you just spray it on from a can. Might have to drive off moisture first by heating the board up a bit
wow amazing job! Maybe the yellow wires are involved in some RF mod?
We're more or less sure now that its some sort of PAL mod. Hopefully if I can get a look inside an expansion that was found with these it might explain it further.
Gr8 job!
Thanks
Amazing! I honestly had to fast forward just to check if you could get the board cleaned, then I went back to pre-clean to watch it all 😋 I was really skeptic, but it turned out awesome! ❤
Thanks for coming back to watch it all 🙂. Not done with it yet though and there will be another part. Just waiting for some stuff to arrive.
@@CRG Well sure, but the state it was in at the beginning, to what you got now is just awesome 😋 Of course, will be fun to see the continuation when you are ready for it 😃 Also, don't clearcoat the case with the dirt 😋 Forgot to write that in my last comment 😂 (my opinion of course, you do as you choose 😋)
Wow, CRG has a new name 'Tenacious' well done for rescuing the PC Engine, get rid of that case patina, get it back to original look, thanks for sharing, oh how many hours did you spend on it so far ?
Not entirely unexpected for that rust to be on the surface only, but it did look awful. Fun project!
Yeah, its almost as if the rust protected the PCB below it. Didn't need much more than a clean but it did take some cleaning!
wow. nice job. from rust to resurrection - thought that thing was a gonner.
Thanks, I was amazed that the rust didn't do more damage.
Please invest in a cleaner and run it through so it’s properly clean but great job on it
Its something on my wish list of equipment but they are fairly expensive things. Maybe next year if I can save up the money needed.
What temperature did you have your iron at?
Typically I run my iron at around 340oC
Not sure how often you check your comments, but I was curious to know if you'd be willing to make and sell a SNES to CDI controller adapter? I lack the skills to build one myself. Please let me know an email to contact. I am based in the UK. Many thanks for your time.
Isn't using lithium grease on plastic bad?
So yeah, I looked into this and it seems you're correct. Some lithium greases can over time damage plastic. I've used this grease on plenty of drive mechanism before which contain plastic with no real issues but I'll keep an eye on it and if there are any signs of damage I'll replace it.
try ipa to remove the rust
Just IPA? I'm not sure that alone would be enough?
use a tooth brush
@@CRG
Wow… that is BAD.
Came from TWIR. Curiosity got the better of me, but it was worth the visit!
Thanks, glad to hear you enjoyed it.
Yeah, it's a great vid, @@CRG. I am surprised a PCB this badly damaged came out so well.