Great video - Love how you keep all of the troubles/errors in there, as it stops others from making the same mistakes! 😁 My wife has gifted me her childhood NES and I'm going to attempt to bring it alive and kicking into the 21st century without hacking the case to bits. Having successfully HDMI modded a Wii, I'm going to attempt this mod, including attempting to get boards manufactured for the first time from Merlin's Github page.... I'm just holding out for his upcoming v3.0 before I make a start. Your video has given me the incentive to give this a go - Thanks!
Great work!! Your a braver man then l am.. I felt nervous just watching you mod and fix it. This definitely doesn't look like something a beginner should try...A beginner like me!!!! One day I would love to do this to my NES as well..But l needs to get my confidence and skills up first. Can't wait to see the conclusion!! Great video!!!!!😀👍👍👍
Love your smooth sailing line!! :) Legend has it that someone did, in-fact, complete this upgrade the first time with zero issues...😆 Your Desoldering of the PPU is one of the finest seen on UA-cam. That board was still mint afterwards!!
A tip for not having to use heatshrink is get yourself some plumbers epoxy or apoxy. You can sculpt that nice (smiths great with some wet fingers). And it gets hard and solid and it won’t ever break again. Or what also works and I have used is those little plastic balls you put in hot water and sculpt with. But that’s just not as easy to smooth. The closing of the cartridge is a matter of twiddling two screws on the right and left or the cartridge slot. Put in a cartridge and twiddle those and try as you go. It’s a very common issue after you taken it apart. And yes over engineered for sure.
A little tip about when you put a cartridge in and it does not work with the push down NES if you shift it side to side while the power is still ON until you get a clear picture then press the reset button the game will work perfectly.
Years ago I did a cisco exam and one of the multiple choice questions had choice of 4 protocols, only one was correct. One of the choices was RTFM! You could tell when one of the exam participants reached that question because he would let out a little snigger.
Don't ever boil, bend or sand pins! Just put some Deoxit D100L on it! Sanding the pins removes the plating on the pins and makes them more susceptible to more oxidation!
The pins do bend out of alignment though. Bending or boiling are about the only means to fix that. Deoxit can't bend pins back into alignment. You're absolutely right about sanding it though. That's the absolute last resort, and even then, if you don't have a means of replating it, it's only a matter of time before they corrode again, and faster.
@@Dark_Jaguar I've never had a slot where they bent from normal use, I've only seen it where someone bent the pins trying to make it tighter. I've got a video on my channel where I fix a bunch of NESs with just Deoxit
@@tigheklory Hard to say then. I know I've run into a number where contact cleaners just don't cut it, but boiling them really did restore them to pristine tightness without going way too far to such an extent it feels like the pins are now scraping plating off each other. Maybe it just comes down to how much the NES in question was used, or, frankly, how often a Game Genie was in use on said system. Those things just weren't very kind to the pins.
I was driving yesterday and I realised that the NES wasn't really that different from the micro computers yet it feels very different. Let me explain what I mean. It has 2 input buttons on the joystick - a and b...but the dpad is really what makes it feel different to me, it just works so much better than a joystick for platformers. And really the majority of SNES games just focused on 2 or 3 buttons out of the 6 available (I'm ignoring start and select here).
The reason some of the games aren't working when you push them down is that they lose connection to the 82 pin connector. It sort of flexes in the down position. This is a common problem. A lot of us in the US have snipped a leg on the lockout chip... therefore not having to worry about pushing the cartridge down ever, it also disables several pins that are only for security, hence "lockout" and you have a much much lower chance of ever getting a blinking grey screen.
When you rebend the connection pins, if you lift them too much, one side will disengage when you push the cartridge down. So if you're going to push the pins closer, leave the cartridge up when you play. Also, you can disable the lockout chip easily, getting rid of the flashing blue screen
What do you mean by "one side" disengaging? Disabling the lockout chip is a common enough mod, in fact I've done so myself, but I don't think it appreciably improves the reliability of the console. If the pins aren't making contact, all that does is take the 10NES chip's specific pins out of the equation, but the rest of the pins will still need cleaning. From my experience, it doesn't make games that weren't working start working when that's done. It's just removing unneeded DRM. I'd also recommend avoiding any mod that fully removes the 10NES chip, as it's reset functionality is used by a tiny handful of games. Setting it from "lock" to "key" mode shouldn't be an issue though.
@@Dark_Jaguar the top side of the pins remains connected while the bottom side kind of disengages. think of a flex right in the middle of the contact point between the cartridge pins and the connector pins when you push the cartridge down.... Bad design in retrospect. Hence why all top loading cartridge consoles don't have this issue.
@@MrSkinnyBuh I think I'll need a diagram, because I'm really not sure which element you're talking about or why bending the pins up would cause one half to disengage. Do you mean a contact pin slipping out of it's slot? I think this is one of those situations where words fail.
@@Dark_Jaguar think of where the cartridge pins and the connector meet. Now imagine they are like bridging a deck of cards. That’s what’s happening when you push it down.
@@MrSkinnyBuh I get that part, I just don't get the danger in bending the pins "too much" so they... slip out? I'm just not picturing it right I don't think.
I Lost my Atari 7800, Christmas Present '89 when I was 6/7. I thought dad Trashed it after nobody would give me Trade Value for a Genesis. 20 Years Later; One of My Older Cousins, had it in a Box of His old ColecoVision Equit. THERE WAS MY 7800! My dad gave it to them for some reason, I gues to see what games they could use with the Coleco. But Still, that was my OLDER Cousins. They had much better stuff at this point. My Cousin Also Didn't want to get my 7800 Back. I had to PROVE it was mine, by calling out Blemishes for him to Dig thru the Box & Find. Even then, if there was a Duplicate, I didn't get MINE back, I got the Worse looking one.
Are you sure? The pins on the underside of the RGBNES board are round turned pins... Im not a fan of turned pin either, but in this instance they are the right part for the job.
@@MoreFunMakingIt I'm pretty sure it will be a recipe for disater. Specially when you lift and insert the pins a few times they will become lose. There is no pressure on the sides and some of the pins will basically hang in the middle of the hole without touching the sides.
Should the RF shielding not go back just for mechanical strengths. This exerts an extreme amount of force on 4 critical flimsy solder joints for every plug je stick in. You already saw it wobble when you put in a connector. Or is that for part 2? 😊
Let me guess: the AC plug is not plugged in / the power supply is off? (also the power cable used in the end is different from the one show in the beginning, could be important :D )
I had a Nintendo that I opened and cleaned I think I put the 70 pin connector back in upside down so I had to do is push the game in without pushing it down it worked great
I would have just installed an aftermarket cartridge slot replacement. They're more robust than the original in my experience. No more blowing on cartridges!
As they often say on UA-cam videos...what could possibly go wrong...usually they get it right...when they don't it makes for a more interesting video...not what the UA-camr prefers though...
I hope someone Already told you that the reason why the game works when it's not pushed down is because you bent the pins too much on the 72 pin connector. I have restored about 50 plus NES machines, and I bend the pins too much about 25% of the time.
Great video - Love how you keep all of the troubles/errors in there, as it stops others from making the same mistakes! 😁
My wife has gifted me her childhood NES and I'm going to attempt to bring it alive and kicking into the 21st century without hacking the case to bits. Having successfully HDMI modded a Wii, I'm going to attempt this mod, including attempting to get boards manufactured for the first time from Merlin's Github page.... I'm just holding out for his upcoming v3.0 before I make a start. Your video has given me the incentive to give this a go - Thanks!
That's lovely to hear! Good luck with your wife's NES! 😁
Great work!! Your a braver man then l am.. I felt nervous just watching you mod and fix it. This definitely doesn't look like something a beginner should try...A beginner like me!!!! One day I would love to do this to my NES as well..But l needs to get my confidence and skills up first. Can't wait to see the conclusion!! Great video!!!!!😀👍👍👍
Thank you for sharing Tim Worthington & Merlin Shaw wonderful contributions to the Salt & pepper hair retro gamers. Enjoy this channel.
Love your smooth sailing line!! :) Legend has it that someone did, in-fact, complete this upgrade the first time with zero issues...😆 Your Desoldering of the PPU is one of the finest seen on UA-cam. That board was still mint afterwards!!
Cheers Merlin! You'll see its not entirely my fault in the next episode 🤣
Another great video. Looking forward to the next installment.
Nice camera work too. I really like the multiple angles
Thank you! I worked hard on the photography in this one. Glad someone noticed!
@@MoreFunMakingIt The work paid off. It made it really enjoyable to watch. Well done
Excellent work my guy! Always happy to see someone who takes pride in their work!
Thank you!
You tease!
But another superb video. I just love the way you can weave a story from the repairs/mods.
I do love a story! Almost as much as I love a J Thing comment 😁
A shocking cliff hanger NOOOOO we've not had one of those in ages!
I felt bad doing it. But it was that or an hour long episode! 😆
Excellent as always, and I look forward to your next video and see what was wrong. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Rudy! Wont be long!
A tip for not having to use heatshrink is get yourself some plumbers epoxy or apoxy. You can sculpt that nice (smiths great with some wet fingers). And it gets hard and solid and it won’t ever break again. Or what also works and I have used is those little plastic balls you put in hot water and sculpt with. But that’s just not as easy to smooth.
The closing of the cartridge is a matter of twiddling two screws on the right and left or the cartridge slot. Put in a cartridge and twiddle those and try as you go. It’s a very common issue after you taken it apart. And yes over engineered for sure.
I like the epoxy tip!
@@MoreFunMakingIt your welcome
That stuff rules also a great alround adhesive.
A little tip about when you put a cartridge in and it does not work with the push down NES if you shift it side to side while the power is still ON until you get a clear picture then press the reset button the game will work perfectly.
Fantastic stuff sir!
Cheers Snorkers!
Years ago I did a cisco exam and one of the multiple choice questions had choice of 4 protocols, only one was correct. One of the choices was RTFM! You could tell when one of the exam participants reached that question because he would let out a little snigger.
Haha! Love it!
I would've reused the can from the old RF/Power unit, just for the structural integrity, and not having any screws left over :P
That didnt occur to me. I will try that on the next one.
Don't ever boil, bend or sand pins! Just put some Deoxit D100L on it! Sanding the pins removes the plating on the pins and makes them more susceptible to more oxidation!
The pins do bend out of alignment though. Bending or boiling are about the only means to fix that. Deoxit can't bend pins back into alignment. You're absolutely right about sanding it though. That's the absolute last resort, and even then, if you don't have a means of replating it, it's only a matter of time before they corrode again, and faster.
@@Dark_Jaguar I've never had a slot where they bent from normal use, I've only seen it where someone bent the pins trying to make it tighter. I've got a video on my channel where I fix a bunch of NESs with just Deoxit
@@tigheklory Hard to say then. I know I've run into a number where contact cleaners just don't cut it, but boiling them really did restore them to pristine tightness without going way too far to such an extent it feels like the pins are now scraping plating off each other. Maybe it just comes down to how much the NES in question was used, or, frankly, how often a Game Genie was in use on said system. Those things just weren't very kind to the pins.
Why didn't you solder a socket to the RGB board instead of directly soldering the PPU?
I was driving yesterday and I realised that the NES wasn't really that different from the micro computers yet it feels very different. Let me explain what I mean. It has 2 input buttons on the joystick - a and b...but the dpad is really what makes it feel different to me, it just works so much better than a joystick for platformers.
And really the majority of SNES games just focused on 2 or 3 buttons out of the 6 available (I'm ignoring start and select here).
The reason some of the games aren't working when you push them down is that they lose connection to the 82 pin connector. It sort of flexes in the down position. This is a common problem. A lot of us in the US have snipped a leg on the lockout chip... therefore not having to worry about pushing the cartridge down ever, it also disables several pins that are only for security, hence "lockout" and you have a much much lower chance of ever getting a blinking grey screen.
8 bit systems should be experienced how we did in the past, through RF on black and white CRT.
Almost every 8bit system I owned I've used with a colour screen. But we all get our nostalgia buzz in our own way! Thanks for watching :D
And we need to drive cars without decent suspension & manual starting cranks like great grandpa ! ? ! LOL
I had great luck with a regular heat gun to remove the rf board.
When you rebend the connection pins, if you lift them too much, one side will disengage when you push the cartridge down. So if you're going to push the pins closer, leave the cartridge up when you play. Also, you can disable the lockout chip easily, getting rid of the flashing blue screen
What do you mean by "one side" disengaging?
Disabling the lockout chip is a common enough mod, in fact I've done so myself, but I don't think it appreciably improves the reliability of the console. If the pins aren't making contact, all that does is take the 10NES chip's specific pins out of the equation, but the rest of the pins will still need cleaning. From my experience, it doesn't make games that weren't working start working when that's done. It's just removing unneeded DRM. I'd also recommend avoiding any mod that fully removes the 10NES chip, as it's reset functionality is used by a tiny handful of games. Setting it from "lock" to "key" mode shouldn't be an issue though.
@@Dark_Jaguar the top side of the pins remains connected while the bottom side kind of disengages. think of a flex right in the middle of the contact point between the cartridge pins and the connector pins when you push the cartridge down.... Bad design in retrospect. Hence why all top loading cartridge consoles don't have this issue.
@@MrSkinnyBuh I think I'll need a diagram, because I'm really not sure which element you're talking about or why bending the pins up would cause one half to disengage. Do you mean a contact pin slipping out of it's slot? I think this is one of those situations where words fail.
@@Dark_Jaguar think of where the cartridge pins and the connector meet. Now imagine they are like bridging a deck of cards. That’s what’s happening when you push it down.
@@MrSkinnyBuh I get that part, I just don't get the danger in bending the pins "too much" so they... slip out? I'm just not picturing it right I don't think.
The sneak peek made me laugh out loud
😆
1:29 old style UK plug, no sleeving on live and neutral pins. I guess that is very retro 😊
Nice spot!
good taste in retro gear AND perfume :)
Did you forget to put power into the mod board?
BOOM! Nicely spotted
I hate waiting for part twos!
WHO DOES NUMBER TWO WORK FOR!
Not long to wait bobbus :D
I did the same to my NES. I overly bent the cartridge connector pins so it now only plays games without the cart pressed down.
I will be showing a new project to solve that problem soon!
First time I’ve ever hear isopropanolololol pronounce correctly. Well done.
I know how to start saying it. Stopping us where I fall down
I Lost my Atari 7800, Christmas Present '89 when I was 6/7. I thought dad Trashed it after nobody would give me Trade Value for a Genesis.
20 Years Later; One of My Older Cousins, had it in a Box of His old ColecoVision Equit. THERE WAS MY 7800!
My dad gave it to them for some reason, I gues to see what games they could use with the Coleco.
But Still, that was my OLDER Cousins. They had much better stuff at this point. My Cousin Also Didn't want to get my 7800 Back. I had to PROVE it was mine, by calling out Blemishes for him to Dig thru the Box & Find.
Even then, if there was a Duplicate, I didn't get MINE back, I got the Worse looking one.
Friends are better than family 😆
One mistake is that you use a round hole 40pin ic socket that doesn't clamp on the legs and will give intermittent failures. I speak from experience..
Are you sure? The pins on the underside of the RGBNES board are round turned pins...
Im not a fan of turned pin either, but in this instance they are the right part for the job.
@@MoreFunMakingIt I'm pretty sure it will be a recipe for disater. Specially when you lift and insert the pins a few times they will become lose. There is no pressure on the sides and some of the pins will basically hang in the middle of the hole without touching the sides.
Should the RF shielding not go back just for mechanical strengths. This exerts an extreme amount of force on 4 critical flimsy solder joints for every plug je stick in. You already saw it wobble when you put in a connector. Or is that for part 2? 😊
Part 2 indeed!
North & South? I remember that on the Commodore Amiga....
Hope we get to play north and south again! 😂
100% guaranteed! 😁
Let me guess: the AC plug is not plugged in / the power supply is off? (also the power cable used in the end is different from the one show in the beginning, could be important :D )
So close. And yet...
Where do you get such high tech pieces of wood?
High tech trees :D
You make the mistakes so I don’t have to, all should be good for my future project. Thanks 😊
It's a service I provide... 😆
I want to check out his channel to hear if Mateus's theme song is Rock Me Amadeus.
I have met him in person and can confirm that his ring tone is that song. (this could be a lie)
I know the cartridge slot will work that way when you bend the pins up too far. Eventually, they will wear down again and should be back to normal.
In the end I replaced the slot. Lesson learned!
I had a Nintendo that I opened and cleaned I think I put the 70 pin connector back in upside down so I had to do is push the game in without pushing it down it worked great
Actually when pins are good you don't have to pull them down, pulling down degrade connection :)
If you had put the PPU back in a socket may have been easier
I would have just installed an aftermarket cartridge slot replacement. They're more robust than the original in my experience. No more blowing on cartridges!
In the end I did just that :D
You know I've heard online that you actually don't have to push the cartridge down to run the actual game
As they often say on UA-cam videos...what could possibly go wrong...usually they get it right...when they don't it makes for a more interesting video...not what the UA-camr prefers though...
You cant possibly be The Tim Worthington?
Anything is possible!
But no, I am not Tim Worthington. Or any other kind of Tim.
I hope someone Already told you that the reason why the game works when it's not pushed down is because you bent the pins too much on the 72 pin connector. I have restored about 50 plus NES machines, and I bend the pins too much about 25% of the time.
😱😳🤬
0:51 5 lbs of WHAT!?
Modding is illegal, I'm reporting you
Nintendo are a friendly company. I dont think they even have a legal department.
Modding is NOT Illegal.
You lost me at nez..... try harder next time, it's "Nintendo" not nez, even worse is you say snez
Trying harder!
...
Still saying it how I want to!