tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45448595720014675212024-03-12T17:17:09.551-07:00The ArtcadeGillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-7125555195383577682022-03-04T16:25:00.002-08:002022-03-04T16:25:30.789-08:00R-type Leo conversion!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwIX5nogezRZd_Up4NHGgoa-ZfXxXaRD3q-Ctcx2eAfTk7yNk9E2bFp6vpZ7cznmWy7JkaLpkWMf6daTL4h-BXxDg6IBbUm-8TaAISWymPbzVPKkRT2ZIZB8603eg_lsmx-DO6KYz4RJ6vmlCHLV0diM-O2P24CMVkviiH9iNNLk7MzFeNilj7J-ZH=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwIX5nogezRZd_Up4NHGgoa-ZfXxXaRD3q-Ctcx2eAfTk7yNk9E2bFp6vpZ7cznmWy7JkaLpkWMf6daTL4h-BXxDg6IBbUm-8TaAISWymPbzVPKkRT2ZIZB8603eg_lsmx-DO6KYz4RJ6vmlCHLV0diM-O2P24CMVkviiH9iNNLk7MzFeNilj7J-ZH=s320" width="240" /></a></div><p>Having been a fan of the R-type series since the late 80's, I always thought that Leo was quite a different game from the regular series. But it's still an R-type! Since I already own R-type and R-type II on original hardware, I wanted to have Leo to join the set! Unfortunately an original board is really expensive. But converting a Major Title 2 to R-type Leo is much cheaper and really easy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaUBIO_uwtmbZbsvBNjzT5-sdWeUE_NCkza3PI1JrLoM9JX33v5lD4SsewM-lSkpPirE5KUeAP4QJqFl7-RVXTHz2BrnYrTFYhdE_0wTnj2T_O8otx39-MJFno6mLY0pVxiL8DHreh_9sPHEqkwRXKpUwUgCA0l2gv2C5eYvh32uHIgRstQHS73sD4=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaUBIO_uwtmbZbsvBNjzT5-sdWeUE_NCkza3PI1JrLoM9JX33v5lD4SsewM-lSkpPirE5KUeAP4QJqFl7-RVXTHz2BrnYrTFYhdE_0wTnj2T_O8otx39-MJFno6mLY0pVxiL8DHreh_9sPHEqkwRXKpUwUgCA0l2gv2C5eYvh32uHIgRstQHS73sD4=s320" width="240" /></a></div><p>I picked up a MT2 for $225, EPROMS cost me $20, and of course there's a bit of time to convert.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyRYticixFL-4Kyx4ya9xE3FAOmi2FoXilITEZobQoebPT2seIKiS6E44lvIotqh3Zb54NjAivtmnbTo5I_BDWacHsCn1dKTKSa1DfxwgLoDzeQiOdIbzUzj0-OwFx5d--4ph4uxCax4A_1e4fhFeMazrqxKGcEibwUvc_7sOgrvgJ783lSKMrujDG=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyRYticixFL-4Kyx4ya9xE3FAOmi2FoXilITEZobQoebPT2seIKiS6E44lvIotqh3Zb54NjAivtmnbTo5I_BDWacHsCn1dKTKSa1DfxwgLoDzeQiOdIbzUzj0-OwFx5d--4ph4uxCax4A_1e4fhFeMazrqxKGcEibwUvc_7sOgrvgJ783lSKMrujDG=s320" width="320" /></a></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p>I ended up following the instructions made on the Arcade-Projects forum, my most favorite place to converse with fellow arcade enthusiasts: https://www.arcade-projects.com/threads/irem-m92-conversion-log-major-title-2-r-type-leo.4680/</p><p><br /></p>Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-55250843244742874232022-03-02T18:20:00.003-08:002022-03-02T18:20:46.706-08:00The Ultimate Dreamcast<p>God I love the Dreamcast. What an amazing failed console. It was ahead of it's time. It was a console we didn't deserve it, but the console we needed. So many great arcade games that were direct conversions *not ports*, since the the DC is built under the same hardware as the Sega Naomi.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8UmIZWb0AJozqRcz8-iwguXx9qZX--VhQBPPyJU-28A7Mcg7srJNjNkjMy2nMilXS7LFsxr1yxKJ-i9VBIGe56alG2fNJRKDH3qzOcGbA47hHO3epKGVnsHa5UFkD8LuS6SlbDRc-j_H0zjvsyp9eyKI8yteRqtTSeAccnGNEzsI45OSh0Dr04CYm" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8UmIZWb0AJozqRcz8-iwguXx9qZX--VhQBPPyJU-28A7Mcg7srJNjNkjMy2nMilXS7LFsxr1yxKJ-i9VBIGe56alG2fNJRKDH3qzOcGbA47hHO3epKGVnsHa5UFkD8LuS6SlbDRc-j_H0zjvsyp9eyKI8yteRqtTSeAccnGNEzsI45OSh0Dr04CYm" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p>I own a Sports Edition, the cool black console, but I wanted to upgrade it for modern gaming. Enter the DC Digital. Amazing device that adds HDMI output to your DC!</p><p>I already had an ODE (optical drive emulator) called the USB-GDROM, that removes the original drive and you're able to run your game images off a USB device like a HDD or Flash drive. This ODE has served me really well for a while!</p><p>But it requires you to disable the 12v rail (since that's used for the optical drive) to reduce system overheating from the PSU. Then, a good measure is to add a new Noctua silent fan. He's the fan installed with a custom 3D printed mount:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzxfrH6IbdJcS-fDDiyKApN83tg6iDGec7tsAGPWNwLv9zswl4-z1ul6TP20X5FXfn6iU7zlAlPtTS7IS35rt0yOxSLhOfV7aE3UpZBOOs9ZJm1XVrzP7SpA9yxAoztAS6B0UHf6kFe1y8kLI5ks8-WXCOl6vm-96xbqK6LtIW5N4QO0Ck1DBEdWHx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzxfrH6IbdJcS-fDDiyKApN83tg6iDGec7tsAGPWNwLv9zswl4-z1ul6TP20X5FXfn6iU7zlAlPtTS7IS35rt0yOxSLhOfV7aE3UpZBOOs9ZJm1XVrzP7SpA9yxAoztAS6B0UHf6kFe1y8kLI5ks8-WXCOl6vm-96xbqK6LtIW5N4QO0Ck1DBEdWHx" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzCjyJmVviLr2ex3IGSxAdxT8iBHfD_DregZeMTQ28zR-hX7x7OW778Auuy4E1IUTfjjMm-MUivVWAgrGi_DaKNoLVPDSVduQ-lZLoTNWjTCaLBK-qcaXEWWpnq3Hfhou_qJ1eoN2YvQdyPNqoyC9Xva9tSVGHexco7mbwEXwIN6J-JHLBnviKwAN-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzCjyJmVviLr2ex3IGSxAdxT8iBHfD_DregZeMTQ28zR-hX7x7OW778Auuy4E1IUTfjjMm-MUivVWAgrGi_DaKNoLVPDSVduQ-lZLoTNWjTCaLBK-qcaXEWWpnq3Hfhou_qJ1eoN2YvQdyPNqoyC9Xva9tSVGHexco7mbwEXwIN6J-JHLBnviKwAN-" width="135" /></a></div><p>I opted for a high capacity Flash Drive connected to the back of the system. I'm running a 215gb Samsung Fit Plus drive, which is more than enough space for all the good games on the system. Attaches to the back:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizRYnsKiPF8i2DMxFnA38l-ekjLF1_RLG_CSEyh1ZxEdc8wplHSHQtiehjpoJ1N5f3Dby8LztrbrdX-ZG0kOGgY0r_UTv2ppTnGt6j_CUl75PDuI3-1xNksNSMwlTxJpneB-Bcv-TRygOHJdqpX_0LoKfiYtFnSSyjVaY_dlE6WihxQRgtjROctaI8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizRYnsKiPF8i2DMxFnA38l-ekjLF1_RLG_CSEyh1ZxEdc8wplHSHQtiehjpoJ1N5f3Dby8LztrbrdX-ZG0kOGgY0r_UTv2ppTnGt6j_CUl75PDuI3-1xNksNSMwlTxJpneB-Bcv-TRygOHJdqpX_0LoKfiYtFnSSyjVaY_dlE6WihxQRgtjROctaI8" width="180" /></a></div><p></p><p>The DC Digital is a small board that mounts above the metal shield, and taps the digital video signals straight from the motherboard. Ribbon cables are soldered various points and SMD chips and fed to the DC Digital board. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCaV1XJ2icZ1en-y-kKM3wJPO0LO_7RVuvAhe2786R-1bO7jgml2XgJSbrqq75Zc0rDMG_ViG0U5PT1mTjsQcihUoxmb9mbQLxeFxwabhIvsLC4dIbd7N-ozEBMpQMVwr-JWL4XD7VLfeYWhJfaVGUjSkOQ8whKI4AWLeXHbl5lJYQ1O2Rr7ZmCZaN" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCaV1XJ2icZ1en-y-kKM3wJPO0LO_7RVuvAhe2786R-1bO7jgml2XgJSbrqq75Zc0rDMG_ViG0U5PT1mTjsQcihUoxmb9mbQLxeFxwabhIvsLC4dIbd7N-ozEBMpQMVwr-JWL4XD7VLfeYWhJfaVGUjSkOQ8whKI4AWLeXHbl5lJYQ1O2Rr7ZmCZaN" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKHL8whCBD4b5b3u00ufuffkD1QefoKiWiRp0s5UpUIoQdPLs_M2QQRpbum3ZwaODzl_kdSSlHwZlL4o_P6fyqWX66iHOmJ2PSmNHGPh-mvcKGcatX6V8tPgWTyYzF7PQHyQgRmcF140pwYmFFpPraABVHOVOL9nbBATcG5CiGcsJvOEBQ_eZFx_1A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKHL8whCBD4b5b3u00ufuffkD1QefoKiWiRp0s5UpUIoQdPLs_M2QQRpbum3ZwaODzl_kdSSlHwZlL4o_P6fyqWX66iHOmJ2PSmNHGPh-mvcKGcatX6V8tPgWTyYzF7PQHyQgRmcF140pwYmFFpPraABVHOVOL9nbBATcG5CiGcsJvOEBQ_eZFx_1A" width="320" /></a></div><br />The HDMI-mini port is cut out in the back of the console right under the venting holes. This was a clean install!<p></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhf9K9QV4u6zgOQjIhC3QbVSa3K7KwAYGX58mLyQyXfAxzLQFTdZZadwSBQJXw4KZyt3N2MeQtc7MbdwhXndA_LhtU5DHrnijqixheqyjVN76ldgkQRZR7KlgBE9aAAOZ-pmUQDbmafYUmo_e3dxtDeMVYyQMx1L_e2NLPK0003jj3H4A12QfN89rje" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhf9K9QV4u6zgOQjIhC3QbVSa3K7KwAYGX58mLyQyXfAxzLQFTdZZadwSBQJXw4KZyt3N2MeQtc7MbdwhXndA_LhtU5DHrnijqixheqyjVN76ldgkQRZR7KlgBE9aAAOZ-pmUQDbmafYUmo_e3dxtDeMVYyQMx1L_e2NLPK0003jj3H4A12QfN89rje" width="320" /></a></div></div><p>The results? Clean crisp high resolution HDMI video! Every Dreamcast game looks amazing! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikn3x8Qil1jkfnbkDgbSJ-mHBmT-JENy7czepz-57s5008-WL9IlmsMUGm4FfrOGTyQah6jqAu-qevMn9ejUJ8HlHoJnYPLrIGPwxePRzQlLmgOFXXATqKCgHRdjIPjgcDLyea0lxe6fFnrtNLoZz1t5mc7aXM1XCGxkuYYEtkP-SxBfdG8om1BoM2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikn3x8Qil1jkfnbkDgbSJ-mHBmT-JENy7czepz-57s5008-WL9IlmsMUGm4FfrOGTyQah6jqAu-qevMn9ejUJ8HlHoJnYPLrIGPwxePRzQlLmgOFXXATqKCgHRdjIPjgcDLyea0lxe6fFnrtNLoZz1t5mc7aXM1XCGxkuYYEtkP-SxBfdG8om1BoM2" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJcHCkprXCuyaHD3t_Quq0q7pmzD2nAldCrsd-w1FkDks_ga_rjH5uahbvNlyIlD9dyCC130HLKT9JN6rs1J0sTWuHVNvJtEl9lBcLwjXRud8MNBAooChVj8IQndv6dpSw14n-4v7cXX9Ar3YwoouFCmNjRqHZZrAz1lSdfZX9ZivCX1-b048edZyZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJcHCkprXCuyaHD3t_Quq0q7pmzD2nAldCrsd-w1FkDks_ga_rjH5uahbvNlyIlD9dyCC130HLKT9JN6rs1J0sTWuHVNvJtEl9lBcLwjXRud8MNBAooChVj8IQndv6dpSw14n-4v7cXX9Ar3YwoouFCmNjRqHZZrAz1lSdfZX9ZivCX1-b048edZyZ" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA59_q03zGo5HN2_7HaZflOZdPvBbwdNOiRqVciuasZNvudOKeLwgW5SpDf6ypGBSJSrOZI-u3FOI_sTmhKKxlfZsh2pFv5Rs5xPt49fAcEx2ufIdt5nROzc-yZnkYGhBA6BMXAfYnv9X658oeEQUttStA6CQ4Wrc-HSeE1KxDtyUWjQkJn9b9yB9a" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA59_q03zGo5HN2_7HaZflOZdPvBbwdNOiRqVciuasZNvudOKeLwgW5SpDf6ypGBSJSrOZI-u3FOI_sTmhKKxlfZsh2pFv5Rs5xPt49fAcEx2ufIdt5nROzc-yZnkYGhBA6BMXAfYnv9X658oeEQUttStA6CQ4Wrc-HSeE1KxDtyUWjQkJn9b9yB9a" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0Fs4mesCyP8NGl8AZ1ana38BDVEI4ZmcAs1uCWtriIW5nPTpm85okHQyq8EKWpVLnHGwJTHxB3JltfENrUWsqnBLro4xK9-ToPEzCQT-DwuSrps8B8MzB9IQG5feZZVFHgcOd_CM7ETxuiOOl1DqYrQSXBWeh5IZZaGwYrCmihAI2Qf07t1gUi_yu" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0Fs4mesCyP8NGl8AZ1ana38BDVEI4ZmcAs1uCWtriIW5nPTpm85okHQyq8EKWpVLnHGwJTHxB3JltfENrUWsqnBLro4xK9-ToPEzCQT-DwuSrps8B8MzB9IQG5feZZVFHgcOd_CM7ETxuiOOl1DqYrQSXBWeh5IZZaGwYrCmihAI2Qf07t1gUi_yu" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-39604250470924792202022-03-02T16:51:00.003-08:002022-03-02T16:51:52.264-08:00Been a while since my last update<p>Gah, life! I can't believe it's been 2 years since my last update! Lots of stuff going on in my life that has got me to neglect my updates to this blog. But it's time to give it a new post.</p><p>Things are great! I'm a dad of our #2 child, new job, new house...lots of changes in the last couple years.</p><p>The twitch stream has been going really well! I'm up to about 2000 followers now, and have built a fantastic community of retro arcade enthusiasts that regularly show up in my stream and on my discord channel. </p><p>I've gone through a lot of projects since, from artwork to arcade, so I'll be updating this space with more posts!</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are the links to twitch and discord: </p><p>https://www.twitch.tv/gillaxian</p><p>https://discord.gg/qcRKyFN</p>Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-75978360116143135702020-10-01T02:46:00.002-07:002022-03-02T16:34:34.538-08:00MiSTer in an Arcade Cabinet<p>I've been getting into the MiSTer FPGA device which plays accurate reproductions of old consoles and arcade games and been wanted to connect it to my arcade cabinet. Unfortunately there currently aren't many options, one being to use a JPAC. I personally don't like the JPAC. It's clunky, the software is convoluded, and it handles controls as keyboard inputs rather than controllers.</p><p>Introducing the <a href="https://www.antoniovillena.es/store/product/jamma-adapter/">Antonio Villena JAMMA Adapter</a>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMUqLcvjto8fu8xQk-TAAXYi6X2uwZcdS2lAHWRf4g0fsDu64Qw0XWacwbDqahx8h8g4Mvb7SpuYKFmBBPTHvHEORDukC9eZUYwAEPNzkFGGUPaqRNTN2iwmpeby9eAYUwbFAFbUvnsY/s1000/IMG-4307a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMUqLcvjto8fu8xQk-TAAXYi6X2uwZcdS2lAHWRf4g0fsDu64Qw0XWacwbDqahx8h8g4Mvb7SpuYKFmBBPTHvHEORDukC9eZUYwAEPNzkFGGUPaqRNTN2iwmpeby9eAYUwbFAFbUvnsY/s320/IMG-4307a.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><u>Pros:</u></p><p>- The Adapter is an external device that can sit outside of the MiSTer. This was vital for me since I have a nice console-like case for my MiSTer/BliSTer set-up. I didn't want something that I'd have to ditch my cool case for by attaching directly to the Mister stack.</p><p>- Very easy to set-up, once you know a couple quirks to be aware of (more on that later)</p><p>- The Xin Mo is 1 USB connector for 2 controller inputs. This is pretty great as you don't have to worry about having two interfaces taking up USB ports.</p><p>- Controls have very low lag. I didn't notice any problems with input latency, and since the Xin Mo interface is USB, it takes advantage of the fast USB updates that recently were added to the MiSTer project.</p><p>- CPS2 Kick Harness. It seems that this harness has become the standard connector for Aux buttons. Glad he chose to go with this.</p><p>- Cool lookin' plexi case. Small and unobtrusive.</p><p>- No special video output settings. Just set the MiSTer up as you would with any regular analog settings. The video gets downscaled to the proper 15khz for Arcade Monitors.</p><p><br /></p><p><u>Cons:</u></p><p>- VGA port is male. I believe Antonio's intent was to be able to directly mate this to your MiSTer on the side, using his specific plexi cases for both the MiSTer and this. This was a bit of an annoyance because for someone like me who has my own MiSTer case, I have to connect the VGA via a cable, and that requires a gender change adapter.</p><p>- Video requires your VGA port to supply 5v. You have to switch your VGA jumper on the IO board to output 5v. Additionally, you have to make sure your VGA cable has all 15 pins connected. Pin 9 on the VGA is the 5v line. There are VGA cables that only have 14 pins connected, so you have to make sure your VGA has all 15 pins hooked up.</p><p>- There are files that need to be copied over to your MiSTer's linux folder to get the Xin Mo control interface to work. Those files are featured on his site on the JAMMA Adapter page. I guess this isn't much of a con, but it's just another thing to set-up.</p><p>- I don't like how the Xin Mo sticks out of the case like that. It would have been nicer if you didn't see the PCB of the Xin Mo, if it were integrated into the case cleaner.</p><p>- Doesn't work with some monitors. I tried this in a Sega Aero City and wasn't able to get the video to display correctly. It was missing color channels, or the right amount of channel voltage...either way, it wasn't displaying properly and when I asked Antonio about this, he mentioned there wasn't really any processing of the video signals, like attenuation, it was just a pass-through. This was a red flag for me. </p><p><u>TLDR;</u></p><p>Overall this device is pretty straightforward, but it does have a couple things to be aware of when setting it up (listed in the Cons section above). The price seems decent for having an external device like this. But the compatibility with some arcade monitors made me decide it wasn't for me.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-20339722021781357372020-08-28T16:01:00.002-07:002020-10-15T23:55:43.424-07:00Defend Milwaukee!<p> Another Art commission in the books. This time the theme is Milwaukee is being invaded by aliens, and these two people are caught on Brady Street drinkin' brews at some of the bars and breweries there. </p><p>My client is building a cabinet for his friend's wedding present, so his friend and fiancé is featured here.</p><p>I had fun with this one, adapting a real street into this fantasy. Also, I inadvertently got influenced by Bart vs the Space Mutants' aliens here. 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I’ve been wanting to put on a regular twitch stream for a while now, and had been slowly acquiring the hardware to do one legitimately.<br />
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My schedule is every Thursday at 6PM PST/8PM EST, then randomly on the weekend.<br />
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The goal for Thursday’s is to run Arcade Games on Real Hardware for a couple hours, just chillin’ playing games and talking about them. Weekends will be random. Could range from arcade, to consoles old or new, or doing art. We’ll see what I feel like then. But Thursday’s should be arcade consistent.<br />
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I’m not doing this for money or anything, just an excuse to play my toys with people who appreciate them. But if people want to donate or subscribe, I'm not going to stop them. :)<br />
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Come on by the stream and hang out!<br />
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<a href="https://twitch.tv/gillaxian">https://twitch.tv/gillaxian</a>Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-23120386181943494682020-06-18T13:51:00.000-07:002020-06-18T13:51:03.916-07:00Sega System 18 Multi - OLED Selector ImagesHad a blast making the System16 selector images, so I continued onto another upcoming multi board...the Sega System 18!<br />
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These icons has a bit more pixels than the S16 images, @ 128x64 this time.<br />
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And here's how they look on the OLED Selector Screen!</div>
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<br />Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-34450036644623248452020-03-16T19:59:00.001-07:002020-04-01T16:18:49.530-07:00Sega System 16B - Multi LCD Selector Images The Sega System 16B - Multi is an kit that gets installed onto an System 16B board, and allows you to flash every game available to that hardware to be played on it's original hardware. <a href="http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=701&page=1#3205">Many GREAT Sega games</a> are on it, and I'm really excited to get it into my hands.<br />
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As a member of the Arcade-Projects forum, I had the chance to help create a bunch of icons/images for an LCD Selector, to be able to switch between games.<br />
This is a great device to really spruce up the game selection, and member Frank_fjs is the brain behind it.<br />
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With the help of a couple more members (nem, jassin000) we were able to create low res (64x32 and 128x32) versions out of the images from each game's title screens, in black and white!<br />
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Here's the complete image line-up!<br />
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The real difficulty is getting some of these detailed images into such a small pixel count. But in the end, the work we all did really paid off and the images look fantastic on the LCD screen:<br />
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Video of the game switching/loading of the images:</div>
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<br />Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-71020736438150367522019-12-13T16:50:00.000-08:002019-12-13T16:50:06.417-08:00X-men Arcade RestorationFinished up my 4-player X-men conversion/restoration recently. The project spanned a condensed 3.5 weeks, working late hours into the night. But I'm really happy with the results, here's how it looks now:<br />
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/HRIQhbT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/HRIQhbT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I picked up an old TMNT cabinet that was poorly converted to Simpsons off a local auction.</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/bDyPiZ9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="373" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/bDyPiZ9.jpg" width="174" /></a></div>
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It was missing the bezel, and a lot of coin door parts, but had mostly everything else.<br />
What was surprising was at the base of the cabinet there were 2 PCB's just laying there, unconnected.<br />
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Both were The Simpsons!<br />
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/qBRWcIk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/qBRWcIk.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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One of the boards worked 100% and was sold to help fund this restoration...<br />
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/3WWYypq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/3WWYypq.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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...while the other PCB has some graphics issues. I decided to hang onto the faulty one and see about getting it fixed.</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/M5KYOLv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/M5KYOLv.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My decision to convert this cabinet to a dedicated 4-player X-men was a difficult one. On one hand I really enjoyed the The Simpsons game, but on the other I've always loved the X-men arcade game and I was a big comic nerd BITD, and attribute a lot of my art influences to the comic artists of that time (Jack Kirby, Jim Lee, etc...).</div>
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I see The Simpsons cabinets pop up here and there on local sales, but I rarely see X-men, and since I owned the board already I went with that.</div>
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First, the cabinet was gutted and damage assessed:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/IXnsXHw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/IXnsXHw.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The bottom was a bit rough, and corners are all damaged. I'll have to fill and rebuild these issues:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/3Ub5yOV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="150" src="https://i.imgur.com/3Ub5yOV.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://i.imgur.com/kNlQ8sy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="150" src="https://i.imgur.com/kNlQ8sy.jpg" width="200" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/hxgizPu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="150" src="https://i.imgur.com/hxgizPu.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The Kick Panel was cracked at the coin door section, probably due to vandalism, and it looked to be held together by a support brace behind it.</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/pSaSxrB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/pSaSxrB.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://i.imgur.com/2NQXviB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/2NQXviB.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This would pose a problem for mounting the CP box, since the original cabinets have them bolted down to the Kick Panel:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/NWtEGdz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="618" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/NWtEGdz.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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The Control Panel itself had a crack down the middle, and again was supported by wood beam.</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/oVuOWaN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/oVuOWaN.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I hit the sides with some Citristrip:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/bEujuX7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/bEujuX7.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I opted for a 24 hours soak, covering the citristrip with plastic helps let it work more efficiently.</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/MfrMgw3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/MfrMgw3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Having let the citristrip marinate for 24 hours, I proceeded to remove the plastic from the cabinet.</div>
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This is why I love the plastic cover wrap technique, a good bulk of the paint comes off with the plastic when you remove it, saving you a chunk of clean-up time:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/PA7kAwh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/PA7kAwh.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/2tfIWek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/2tfIWek.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Then I wiped off the remaining gunk, and busted out my heat gun and started removing the beat-up side-art underneath:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/W9LkDxB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/W9LkDxB.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Did a pass with the sander and 80 grit paper to smooth out the surface:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/JkoODJp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/JkoODJp.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The Kick Panel was like swiss cheese from multiple security bar installations, so I threw some bondo at it, along with bondoing the corners and bottom edges:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/6m02KH3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/6m02KH3.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Sanded it down...</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/iyVwuBp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/iyVwuBp.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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...shaped the corners and repaired the bottom edges:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/h8rWqOk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/h8rWqOk.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I also went around the entire cabinet and filled and sanded any other blemishes:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/hIa0h1Y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/hIa0h1Y.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Hit it with my first coat of primer:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/ipDmu9g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/ipDmu9g.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Paint booth went up, so I started spraying Satin Black on the front panels as well as the CP box:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/dmQLKgJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/dmQLKgJ.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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While the paint is drying I decided to take a look at the coin doors. They're actually in pretty good shape! Enough that I'm not going to bother restoring them, and a quick cleaning was enough to call them good:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/1uf0Cqa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/1uf0Cqa.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I'll have to order some of the missing parts; the coin reject buttons and frames, and one of the return chute frames. I found the old reject buttons at the bottom of the cabinet, but they're thrashed and have been painted over. These are cheap and available, so I might as well buy new ones.</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/5HEf6Eq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/5HEf6Eq.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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One of the return chute frames is cracked, again probably from vandalism, so I'll have to replace that as well.</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/WFkNRRO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/WFkNRRO.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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For Artwork, I decided to go with Szabo's Arcade Art. Reason being, it looks like Gameongrafix and ThisOldGame have a modified version of the Kick Panel of the 6-player cabinet for their side-art, and not the 4-player stand up cabinet's side-art. Szabo's looks to be pretty spot on from the original 4-player art.</div>
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Here's a comparison:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/sJ1JoOO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="800" height="197" src="https://i.imgur.com/sJ1JoOO.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Notice the original 4-player cabinet art has Storm is looking to the left, Nightcrawler is looking forward, Colossus is on the right, while Wolverine is on the left.</div>
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The versions supplied by GoG and ThisOldGame seems to have the 6-player Kick Base art, but is rearranged, and has the CPO background rather than a solid colour.</div>
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This was bugging me for a while, because it's not authentic to the 4-player cabinets! But, their other art -- CPO, Marquee -- is on point. I decided to go with GoG for those pieces, but not the side art.</div>
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I cut a new CP out of particle board, the same stuff the cabinet is made of, using the old CP as a loose template. I say loose, because as soon as I took apart the old CP, the thing just fell apart in half!</div>
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That crack down the middle that I mentioned before was no joke.</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/1BXZGCX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/1BXZGCX.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Using what I could, I successfully made a replica, and used the old CP's joystick recess to trace onto my new CP as a template. Hey why not, saved me a bit of time.<br />
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/8t3Qvfp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/8t3Qvfp.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Hit this thing with some light primer...</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/nEhbud1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/nEhbud1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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...then moved onto working on the monitor.</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/xjijKD7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/xjijKD7.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I had a spare K7000 w/ chassis in my stash. I knew the chassis was good because it was pulled from a working machine many years ago. It just needed new caps and a solder reflow, so I went ahead and did that along with cleaning the chassis while I was at it.</div>
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The tube was from a local arcade collector, who told me he "thinks" it's still good. Well...</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/jY2jix1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/jY2jix1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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At first I thought it was my chassis, that somehow I mucked it up with the cap kit and reflow. But after re-checking my work, and reading voltages, the chassis checked out fine. So the CRT was the culprit!</div>
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I own a CRT rejuvenator, so I started testing and reading the guns in the tube and tried my best to rejuv it. Unfortunately this tube was too far gone.</div>
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I figured I'd try the CRT that came with the cabinet, why not, it could still be good. I did some readings on the rejuvenator, thinking that it might have suffered a similar fate of my spare CRT, but it checked out working! In fact, all emissions were strong, and each gun looked healthy!</div>
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After messing with convergence for a long time (I hate convergence), I was able to dial it in to a satisfactory image:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/RUt0b5X.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/RUt0b5X.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://i.imgur.com/EH1soMY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/EH1soMY.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I went over the sides again with a thin layer of bondo to get it even more smooth. I got some primer that claims to be a 2-in-1 Sanding/Filler and Priming solution:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/l3At4c2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/l3At4c2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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After sanding the bondo, and applying a single coat to the sides, it came out pretty nice! Not bad for one run with this stuff:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/4BKfh5h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/4BKfh5h.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://i.imgur.com/c927VCg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/c927VCg.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/Ub5pOzL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/Ub5pOzL.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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There are still a few areas that could get smoothed out more, so I did another run before applying the side-art. More on that soon...</div>
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During Thanksgiving, I snuck out of the festivities for the small task of installing the CP mounting brace. I didn't want to put any more pressure on the repaired Kick Panel so I built in a cross beam shelf to attach the CP box to.</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/B8qmGn4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/B8qmGn4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This works for me.</div>
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The power block has been rebuilt (Don't judge me for my pink screwdriver):</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/ZuKjNxj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/ZuKjNxj.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I salvaged the old isolation transformer, and EMI filter as they rarely go bad from my experience, but the fuse blocks were cracked and falling apart so I got new ones.</div>
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Originally this PSU block had 4 fuses, 1 for the monitor, 1 for the florence lamp, and 2 for the switching PSU. I removed the PSU fuses because with newer switcher technology today, overprotection is a lot better handled by the PSU and you don't need that extra fuses mudding up the works.</div>
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The wiring in this cabinet was pretty hacked-up, so I cleaned it up, repaired/replaced broken connectors and patched some of the frayed wires. The JAMMA harness also needed updating to support button 3 since TMNT/Simpsons only had Buttons 1 & 2, and the JAMMA loom didn't even have those pins installed:</div>
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All installed into the cab, along with the PCB:</div>
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The wiring follows the original set-up, along with door switch and main power switch at the top of the cab.</div>
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I still got to properly install the Ground Braid, and throw some more tie-downs into the cab for cleaner organization and sturdiness when moving this thing around.</div>
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After testing it one last time with my CraftyMech TPG, I plugged in the X-men PCB and voila, it lives!</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/wsWOWbn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/wsWOWbn.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I did a bit more Convergence and Focus tuning to get it a bit more sharp, but left it alone after a while of tweaking for a final pass at it later:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/dZ2Kruy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="800" height="267" src="https://i.imgur.com/dZ2Kruy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Side Art install</div>
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Both sides were prepped -- I hit the sides with 400 grit sandpaper to get them as smooth as possible. Cleaned it off with a clean rag soaked in 1 part Isopropanol and 1 part Water:</div>
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Unrolled the prints from Szabo... man, this print was amazing! Great quality on fantastic vinyl material that seems a bit thicker than what I've worked with before:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/Kc96PYj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/Kc96PYj.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I barely had to massage air bubbles out, the vinyl went on very easy and evenly:</div>
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Trimmed and applied to both sides:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/Hv8rsD3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/Hv8rsD3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Placement could have been better, but I'm satisfied with it. It's difficult with this cabinet, due to what was mentioned before about it being thinner in the middle, so I had to be somewhat creative with placement.</div>
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While the cabinet was down, I installed the new leg levelers and plates:</div>
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CP time</div>
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I drilled out the button holes. Didn't take a photo of it, but I'm sure everyone here knows what drilled holes look like. Then I proceeded to do another smoothing pass on the CP, then again cleaned-up with my 1-part Isopropanol + 1-part water rag and installed the art:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/l2XqrJw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="150" src="https://i.imgur.com/l2XqrJw.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://i.imgur.com/zBy1Oir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="150" src="https://i.imgur.com/zBy1Oir.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I only had one slip of my forsner bit on Player 4's Jump button, which resulted in slightly closer button spacing:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/7JsakGr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/7JsakGr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The buttons still fit, along with the nuts, but it's just a bit more cramped. Oh well...</div>
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I was going to hold off till the end to apply the t-molding, but I just couldn't wait. I needed something to show me the light at the end of the tunnel:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/F3NrZhI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/F3NrZhI.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Love how bright t-molding makes a cabinet pop!</div>
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Since I couldn't find a replacement bezel/shroud to buy from someone, I'm cut one out of poster board. I took a queue from Centipede's (or Toobin's) bezel:</div>
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<a href="http://4imgs.com/1103/sys/prod/1210_2_0_0.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4imgs.com/1103/sys/prod/1210_2_0_0.JPG" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="270" /></a></div>
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First, cardboard prototyping:</div>
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This was a loooong process measuring every angle and dimensions, by the end of the prototype I had a bezel that actually looked like one.</div>
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I then split it apart...</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/jFHnuzR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/jFHnuzR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And traced each piece onto posterboard, and made sure I cleaned up some of the lines with my hobby knife.</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/UB7lI6b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/UB7lI6b.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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All 4 parts and assembled using some tape to hold it together:</div>
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The yellow brightens up the look, and gives the cabinet a more retro vibe that matches the comic colour theme. I dig it!</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/7NfQyjI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/7NfQyjI.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The last few tasks were to wire up the CP, complete the coin doors, and add the corner protectors. I still have to go back and clean-up some of the shortcuts I took, but I was fighting against a deadline for a house party we were having.</div>
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Shortcut: the CP wiring is crap! I just took the existing harnesses and fixed some wires and pins, and slapped it in there. It was the quickest way to get up and running:</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/9e5GFzV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/9e5GFzV.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I want to completely re-wire this panel for cleaner organization.</div>
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Also added the CP latches, now I just reach up from the coin door entry and un-latch the panel to open it up.</div>
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Here's the corner protectors installed. I figured why not, the corners are made of bondo now, so I want to try to protect them as much as possible.</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/XqPbueW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/XqPbueW.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And here's what I did for the coin buttons:</div>
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They're the small 24mm japanese style buttons I had laying around from another project. I was lucky that they're translucent red, and matches the coin return buttons. I just stuffed them into the coin chute door and they're being held in place by being wedged in there with the chute flap.</div>
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I do have to go back and do some minor updates, like re-do the CP wiring, get the coin doors fully functional - I'll need to find out what parts I'm missing. Right now it's just a facade of the coin doors, there's no mechs or switches in there.</div>
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Also need to tie down all wiring in the cabinet. Right now wires are just hanging around, untethered. For long-term it's best to have these all secured.</div>
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The marquee lamp buzzes like bee hive. The transformer on it makes a lot of noise, and can be heard as soon as you turn on the cabinet. I'm going to swap this out with either a new fluorescent lamp, or replace with LED lights.</div>
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Finally, I need to install the missing T-molding on the CP Box. I ran out of the yellow t-molding, 25 feet isn't enough for the entire cab, the CP top and the CP box.</div>
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But all in all it was a fun restoration, and I was able to get it done in time for the party. Our friends and family loved playing it!</div>
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Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-56309463406944097822019-09-11T12:53:00.003-07:002019-09-16T17:55:15.718-07:00AthancadeThis was a quick commission from an Arcade cabinet builder looking to have a Minecraft + Roblox theme for a small form "kids" sized cab featuring his kids on the side-art.<br />
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The title marquee is a derivative of the Minecraft logo, which worked really well as a marquee.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfd1SC2-Urn1c-7QytZhkPL0Zo62hXaU5D7dP95an829yXpdWFkfBhJqVka02W-bWRLOneJzCQPM0BBx6sn-AwQhMfpFKRE2SzYjXJ33Xgku2PcXrTL1xdewobXY6WkmUeD9e8Bu-hsI/s1600/Athancade-marquee_proc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="800" height="63" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfd1SC2-Urn1c-7QytZhkPL0Zo62hXaU5D7dP95an829yXpdWFkfBhJqVka02W-bWRLOneJzCQPM0BBx6sn-AwQhMfpFKRE2SzYjXJ33Xgku2PcXrTL1xdewobXY6WkmUeD9e8Bu-hsI/s320/Athancade-marquee_proc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDwseExpAPy8oGrj3wTzin-9miGjVX_sQh-U7jfd_U0CTyM1IJwjWWo4eT-0oLoQKau1aSqiZe2fsZ7xJGsMNXXkpZKrxZnUNFObQ3dq9rTb1JOtzWg-lTe2tQSuXGOf-HGcIGnKuhE8/s1600/Athancade-all1proc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="686" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDwseExpAPy8oGrj3wTzin-9miGjVX_sQh-U7jfd_U0CTyM1IJwjWWo4eT-0oLoQKau1aSqiZe2fsZ7xJGsMNXXkpZKrxZnUNFObQ3dq9rTb1JOtzWg-lTe2tQSuXGOf-HGcIGnKuhE8/s320/Athancade-all1proc.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh041l5eBndRwBzy4AyxXkmKD6PDYc2lzWi67Edx7kLlc4hoQjtwRHr9X3jDlkfVI4scrLqvyyszukyT1aawAVc-27rd3jU0V5Nvw9fsIMV9rdrxOjpX8MW05-DKrQJkp1BpU1q8KwcC3o/s1600/Athancade-all1proc2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="827" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh041l5eBndRwBzy4AyxXkmKD6PDYc2lzWi67Edx7kLlc4hoQjtwRHr9X3jDlkfVI4scrLqvyyszukyT1aawAVc-27rd3jU0V5Nvw9fsIMV9rdrxOjpX8MW05-DKrQJkp1BpU1q8KwcC3o/s320/Athancade-all1proc2.jpg" width="303" /></a></div>
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The completed cabinet, and the happy customers!</div>
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<br />Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-25550994925365743052019-07-15T16:30:00.000-07:002019-07-18T12:40:31.124-07:00Woozle's GBA Consolizer! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The GBA Consolizer is a mod created by homebrew engineer, Woozle, that converts an original GBA to output upscaled 720p HDMI video and audio signals for use on your modern displays.<br />
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I've been excited about this device ever since it was first announced, and am ecstatic that I finally got my hands on it.<br />
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The installation is a bit more tedious than say, a GBA backlight kit install, but it's not that bad. Just a bunch of small wires soldered to some tiny pads.<br />
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There were a couple things that I messed up on that made me have to spend more time fixing. First, I didn't realize that Jason @ Game-TechUS included thin wires for you to use. I ended up using slightly thicker wires, and while it worked out ok, it's not ideal. The reason I didn't notice he included it in the kit was because there wasn't a list sheet of parts in the package, and also he packaged the wires in the same bag as the mounting parts, which was overlooked because you don't need those parts till the end of the install.<br />
But no matter, it turned out fine. Also, I should mention he doesn't include the double-sided foam tape for mounting the break-out board, so you'll have to get that yourself.<br />
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The couple issues I had was, 1. I accidentally knocked a couple of the tiny surface-mount resistors near the clock crystal when I was removing it with my hot-air station. This was a big PITA as they're super tiny resistors, and it took me like an hour to get both of them back on the board. 2. When I put the case back on I didn't realize one of my shoulder button wires slipped onto the position right above the screw hole, so when I screwed the case on the screw put pressure on the wire, ripping the pad it was connected to. I had to go and scrap the trace connected to it to solder the wire back to that line. NOTE: Be very delicate with those pads. They're tiny and very easy to tear off, or overheat. I recommend using a lot of flux and try to be quick about applying heat.<br />
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The instructions on Game-TechUS's site is a bit scattered since he's supporting both the LCD kit and the Full Case kit. So some of the info is sort of mix and matched. Be sure to read the instructions very carefully, because you might miss something that is pertaining to one install from the other.<br />
Also, I'd recommend checking out Voultar's full-case install video. For me, there were a couple things he did that relate to the LCD kit install, and his video is very clearly laid out. Game-tech's videos are a bit longer and kinda unorganized, but there is still a lot of the info there. You just got to be patient and watch more of his video to get it. Personally I didn't use Game-tech's videos (i'm impatient), I used his write-up descriptions and images on his site in conjunction with Voultar's install video.<br />
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How is the Consolizer, after everything's installed? ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!<br />
Pics from my BenQ Zowie:<br />
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4x scale w/ Scanlines:<br />
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4x scale w/o Scanlines:<br />
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4.5 Scale w/o Scanlines:</div>
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The image is super crispy. The menu options are nice, and you can play around with a good amount of settings from colour changes, to different types of scanlines, to setting the output between 4x, 4.5x, and 5x zoom (4.5x sets the image to fill the vertical space while playing GBA games, while 5x is best for running Gameboy and GBC games).<br />
But one of the things I noticed right away was the input lag, or lack of it! It was so responsive, night and day from my GC Gameboy player set-up, even with running the homebrew GBI settings. I didn't get to play much after I installed, but from the few games I loaded up, I instantly felt the difference.<br />
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Overall, I'm very happy with the end result!Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-24196571588652982992019-05-17T15:26:00.000-07:002019-05-17T15:29:54.641-07:00Vectrex, she lives!Many many years ago I purchased a Vectrex console from a local for a whoppin' $50 CAD. The seller mentioned it didn't work, and that it exhibited the common "center dot" issue a lot of these Vectrex's eventually develop. Looking online for the solution, I read that a simple capacitor replacement of all caps was the way to fix.<br />
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Not knowing much about the circuitry of the Vectrex, I tried repairing it myself. Now, I fancy myself as someone who can do intermediate skilled repairs, but I wasn't prepared to fix this machine. I didn't know how delicate the traces were, also dual layered, so I ended up causing more damage to it.<br />
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I let the machine sit for many years, until recently I found the urge to get this thing working again. I found a seller on eBay that offers Vectrex repair services, and after searching on the internet any information about this seller, finding good reviews and success stories of repaired Vectrex's, I took the plunge. I'm so glad I did, because now my Vectrex lives!<br />
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I get to play one of my favourite homebrews for it, Moon Lander, which is a clone of the classic arcade game Lunar Lander by Atari.<br />
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In the picture below you can also see I'm using a custom built controller that has a buttery-smooth analog stick, arcade buttons and has a bit more comfortable form factor than the original controller.<br />
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You'll never reach home. That's cold as ice!</div>
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<br />Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-76597939557279790472019-05-17T15:16:00.002-07:002019-05-17T15:32:21.309-07:00Super Gameboy clock speed mod boardI recently installed Qwertymodo's <a href="http://www.qwertymodo.com/hardware-projects/snes/super-game-boy-clock-mod">Super Game Boy clock mod board </a>into my SGB. The install was easy; remove a few resistors, solder the board to the exposed pads:<br />
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Sure you can do the old method mod of just replacing the oscillating crystal, but that breaks some cool features of the Super Game Boy where it's possible to speed up and slow down the gameplay using the Super Game Boy Commander controller from Hori.<br />
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One of the things I really like about the SGB is all the extra custom features they added to the games that support it. Things like special palettes, custom borders, and in some games a 2-player simultaneous mode without the need of a second linked gameboy. This is particularly cool in some of the fighting games on GBC. It was just too bad that the stock SGB that was released in North America had a different in clock speed, which introduced frame "hitching" and higher pitched sound.<br />
I'm really happy with Qwertymodo's board and recommend it to anyone looking to do this upgrade to their Super Gameboy's.<br />
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Here are a few glory shots from my SNES Jr. running on a Sony PVM:<br />
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For Street Fighter 2, the border actually changes based on what stage you're playing!<br />
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Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-28483908548823255712019-05-17T14:49:00.000-07:002020-07-21T00:00:12.755-07:00Terminator 2 Pinball - alternate translite Not too long ago a buddy of mine asked me to create an alternate image for his T2 pinball machine translite. Something that could replace the original (uninspiring) translite that incorporated multiple scenes from the film, in a movie-poster-like look.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkl-wMjb2NiJx3ptCGBgnFP7mOiSXvKikJS3FIElkFe71UwMht-2oglgqAbpAWbB9Qmn-J7xWB9tS-HhImbjSOhWNSZy2HKDvFIgpD9UXWmryCitLQf6cSrfpGAsjsCyVYb2mQhxI8Zk/s1600/T2-pinball-altTranslight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1200" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkl-wMjb2NiJx3ptCGBgnFP7mOiSXvKikJS3FIElkFe71UwMht-2oglgqAbpAWbB9Qmn-J7xWB9tS-HhImbjSOhWNSZy2HKDvFIgpD9UXWmryCitLQf6cSrfpGAsjsCyVYb2mQhxI8Zk/s320/T2-pinball-altTranslight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The concept was to have multiple characters from the different scenes of the movie, in a collage type layout, with a bit more colour than the original. This was a fun one, for one of my favourite action/sci-fi films. It gave me an excuse to re-watch it multiple times!Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-46505563308522106082019-01-07T16:26:00.002-08:002021-05-28T11:45:32.457-07:00PC-Engine is awesome. SSDS3, not so much.So I never owned a PC-Engine/TurboGrafx 16 back in the day. It wasn't a system that was mainstream enough for me to have access to back then, but I always admired the games library because it was a really good system for solid Arcade ports and wonderful exclusives from Sega and Hudson Soft.<br />
<br />So I decided to dive into the PCE and get myself a cute little Coregrafx.<br />
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/fmJPuHd.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/fmJPuHd.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I ended up purchasing a SSDS3 from TerraOnion, which attaches to my PCE Coregrafx and outputs RGB and also acts as a flashcart for not only the PCE/TG16 library, but also the CD games too! In theory this is great!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYUfXnhOP5vJMgb_uEF8X-iEq85aUadHIkOcI_0wiQl1P76a6TLZivcCheCR-Sb04EZAnXhsAn7llVkYgYbGK2fc-n7lqBHtsFYJglRkjiz7krw0BRrYS6MrpbGOKw79zbkqRxVJ6Ljc/s1600/IMG-4444.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYUfXnhOP5vJMgb_uEF8X-iEq85aUadHIkOcI_0wiQl1P76a6TLZivcCheCR-Sb04EZAnXhsAn7llVkYgYbGK2fc-n7lqBHtsFYJglRkjiz7krw0BRrYS6MrpbGOKw79zbkqRxVJ6Ljc/s320/IMG-4444.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The only problem is, the creators messed up with the video and sound circuitry, causing your image to have colour noise, and the CD audio has a lot of hissing when the system is accessing the MicroSD card. It's been reported everywhere from multiple customers about these problems, which makes this unit less desirable to a majority of people. Unfortunately TerraOnion have blind and deaf QA people working on their products, because they deny all claims that there are issue with the output. Claiming that the unit works as intended on their set-ups. Yeah right!<br />
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Enter the FU-RGB and FirebrandX Audio bypass boards.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvGW2lTL5wnQ_-kVzM1voJgP7mHwL9oJUpkODNwtMtTjgwjVN-F8nCx6-BSayHuLlW5SQ-ZnrQNR7qCk030iX4eeOI0_JxQd0FRGDyJJSc8jqFtj5_IYVtNzAXbhx7o7vuzO0ojH530c/s1600/IMG-7162.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvGW2lTL5wnQ_-kVzM1voJgP7mHwL9oJUpkODNwtMtTjgwjVN-F8nCx6-BSayHuLlW5SQ-ZnrQNR7qCk030iX4eeOI0_JxQd0FRGDyJJSc8jqFtj5_IYVtNzAXbhx7o7vuzO0ojH530c/s320/IMG-7162.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These 2 boards make up for the engineering shortcomings and upgrades the video and audio circuitry (bypassing it the SSDS3 altogether) to output clean video and non-hissing audio! Shouts-out to Voultar and FirebrandX for the creation of these boards, as well as MobiusStripTechnologies for the distribution.<br />
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Installation was a bit more advanced, since you have to remove a bunch of SMD's cleanly, so that the solder pads are accessible, but with a trusty heat tool and de-soldering wick you can get it done effectively. FU-RGB on one side, Audio Bypass board on the other:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipjGG6ciKZO7Hx5y2AqxJfxHTbK3ZFhnRC9IxWRNUOpRugkz7aZbgzwMBID9l4lM6_t8GmE_nafouAe1dkmcaZkDcAWVSXm9QBU-gs_9W99tjyCJs-TrymuOxIeWFYdMShNN69Fvdo0g/s1600/IMG-7188.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipjGG6ciKZO7Hx5y2AqxJfxHTbK3ZFhnRC9IxWRNUOpRugkz7aZbgzwMBID9l4lM6_t8GmE_nafouAe1dkmcaZkDcAWVSXm9QBU-gs_9W99tjyCJs-TrymuOxIeWFYdMShNN69Fvdo0g/s320/IMG-7188.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The final result? Immaculate!<br />
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You can really see the differences when you get up close to the pixels. A lot cleaner, better colour output, no noise:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmnsVhyphenhyphenRcQoHesMYCOeAY8E84C7zZRXpgLKE47TcIhYqvCts4HfoxAjyW7xKo1I3qgc7-sRk7b7_VUQRAHsCMJWb3AMYhog7arq_URTADit8a8S6sngLoJSww8aw9qNzeeyTt2srbaJY/s1600/IMG-7308.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmnsVhyphenhyphenRcQoHesMYCOeAY8E84C7zZRXpgLKE47TcIhYqvCts4HfoxAjyW7xKo1I3qgc7-sRk7b7_VUQRAHsCMJWb3AMYhog7arq_URTADit8a8S6sngLoJSww8aw9qNzeeyTt2srbaJY/s320/IMG-7308.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>As you can see, the original output of the SSDS3 that TO claims to have no problems look way worse than the fixed output. It's really a shame that their attitude around this device is that it's working perfectly and the customers that are complaining about it are made out to be in the wrong. Clearly there is a problem with this device.<div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I don't have a sample of the audio uploaded, outlining the fixed noise issues, but here's a bunch of pics (some with scanlines, some not) from my set-up using an OSSC into a Benq Zowie 1080p monitor:<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gwLN4lHA9Q_MJabanuYXeis-G0NKOw394FC7EvkAZvpEXAxQuctUgT8OF3umwHpcGUt-Uwro-cg8Ti8VmBg1_eHU_BsoMyz8ttCphteraHyTkv0qmtlDgoPOgyeocPkI3J6qmqFDs8M/s1600/IMG-7200.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gwLN4lHA9Q_MJabanuYXeis-G0NKOw394FC7EvkAZvpEXAxQuctUgT8OF3umwHpcGUt-Uwro-cg8Ti8VmBg1_eHU_BsoMyz8ttCphteraHyTkv0qmtlDgoPOgyeocPkI3J6qmqFDs8M/s320/IMG-7200.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbkL9gGQPek-H7XET12f3v5WtHmXEFYSg_iMTr5-1pvZV1rXxYoy0ly9rCJwNFKOlYDGwUY_ZjCD4CFUH-Pf_wKv7K23sRnfmLILnNhz41iGPeDxqVatmeMYGLx8r19zvzmzTAHKd9o4/s1600/IMG-7311.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbkL9gGQPek-H7XET12f3v5WtHmXEFYSg_iMTr5-1pvZV1rXxYoy0ly9rCJwNFKOlYDGwUY_ZjCD4CFUH-Pf_wKv7K23sRnfmLILnNhz41iGPeDxqVatmeMYGLx8r19zvzmzTAHKd9o4/s320/IMG-7311.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdcicdk7iQjsf7zfrdxgVqf3tYfNTPHMLEJsER0fjJJ9k9W6tsha9LdhujLhVvMrHzjTBcdmt48oBt45bitWXtcW4u55mUeGTxLz7dEK3JsU3iEq8DgQyVq3rXbPjC84G9gt3qF-bwL2A/s1600/IMG-7313.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdcicdk7iQjsf7zfrdxgVqf3tYfNTPHMLEJsER0fjJJ9k9W6tsha9LdhujLhVvMrHzjTBcdmt48oBt45bitWXtcW4u55mUeGTxLz7dEK3JsU3iEq8DgQyVq3rXbPjC84G9gt3qF-bwL2A/s320/IMG-7313.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfgjMaXadLN5kw7VKDheW4Wx8NbgcUEeuXIprrfZOthZ88i-GWOG78YAxiBjRW6cL3FDy8y55hW5slq75L7O9-iK_OlolmGZebsoBQUW8M7QrzzKDdkDBx8e_F_SWgsCEHBi2wtA7ayI/s1600/IMG-7315.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfgjMaXadLN5kw7VKDheW4Wx8NbgcUEeuXIprrfZOthZ88i-GWOG78YAxiBjRW6cL3FDy8y55hW5slq75L7O9-iK_OlolmGZebsoBQUW8M7QrzzKDdkDBx8e_F_SWgsCEHBi2wtA7ayI/s320/IMG-7315.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgjjIhAgf4ZNcRJ9Z7e8oA4Jar8aYxyxIjJprrGBzg_IKp1ueQB0-RctKfFHdLRf0XXsIv7T4tBrepecelVkI7rBQPZ63nPkDs7rG0vovFaPphJQSQ9je-Avh_PmzPsUUl4nyW4iCh3pU/s1600/IMG-7404.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgjjIhAgf4ZNcRJ9Z7e8oA4Jar8aYxyxIjJprrGBzg_IKp1ueQB0-RctKfFHdLRf0XXsIv7T4tBrepecelVkI7rBQPZ63nPkDs7rG0vovFaPphJQSQ9je-Avh_PmzPsUUl4nyW4iCh3pU/s320/IMG-7404.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div></div><div>I would recommend to anyone buying TerraOnion products to do so with caution. Be careful if you're an early adopter, TerraOnion will not help you if you find an issue with their products. Unfortunately they will just deny it and move on with your money.</div>Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-31879235362226800062018-06-08T17:05:00.002-07:002019-05-17T15:27:44.169-07:00Raiden DX custom Audio IC: HB-45A reproduction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://i.imgur.com/r6MC7ES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="599" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/r6MC7ES.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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I recently had a chance to test HB-45A’ reproduction chip built by Caius on the KLOV and Arcade-Projects forums. He also posts regularly on <a href="http://www.jammarcade.net/">JammaCade.net</a>, check out his repairs and custom chip post! His works are excellent.<br />
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Since he didn't have a working Raiden DX to test this custom on, I offered to test it for him, in hopes that I can have working audio for many more years to come. These Seibu boards are notorious for Audio failures due to these custom IC's failing.<br />
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First I de-soldered the old IC, using my new Hakko FR-300. Wonderful tool, made this step of the process go very quickly. I had to de-solder 20 pins which took about 5 mins using the FR-300, which would have normally taken me over an hour with my old soldapullt sucker! It's a hellava lot cleaner and less prone to burning pads/traces!<br />
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/RVTfKsl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/RVTfKsl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(de-soldered clean!)</div>
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I then installed a new machined socket for the Custom to plug into.</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/KCGKjAz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/KCGKjAz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finally, Caius' HB-45A reproduction was inserted into the socket, and I proceeded to do some testing.</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/6GDrFWR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/6GDrFWR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I haven't been able to hear any differences in quality between the old and new chips. Comparing the music at the beginning and end sound identical. The effects also sound the same. There might be a slight variance if you were to analyze the signals, but that would be the same deal even if you compared to different boards with the original Audio IC's.</div>
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Big thanks goes out to Caius and his work on this. It's a beautiful replacement and I hope that the audio will keep working for many, many years to come!</div>
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Bonus: Here's a shot of my control panel with matching ship colours!<br />
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/VKuve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="800" height="196" src="https://i.imgur.com/VKuve.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-16019319349112250872018-06-08T16:31:00.003-07:002019-05-17T15:27:37.265-07:00CPS1 "Dash" & Kick Harness UpgradeHad a couple projects I needed to finish recently. This time its more hardware related.<br />
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I picked up an old Street Fighter 2: Hyper Fighting (aka Turbo) for a good price, but noticed that this board had a 10mhz oscillating crystal.<br />
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/7J4VFOb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/7J4VFOb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(B-21 chip on the C-board, great for conversions!)</div>
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BITD the Hyper Fighting version was sold as conversion kits, and was recommended to be installed on the Championship Edition board-set. But CE boards were usually equipped with 12 mhz crystals, hence making them "Dash" versions.<br />
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/jxaChnc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/jxaChnc.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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(10mhz oscillating crystal)</div>
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I was recommended this crystal (<a href="https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.nl%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F182794902287">link here</a>) to install on my board, and after de-soldering the old 10mhz Crystal and solding the new one, everything turned out great. Though the new crystal didn’t make much of a difference in the game’s performance, it’s peace of mind having the A-board that Capcom recommends and gives opportunity to convert this to other 12mhz games in the future.<br />
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/WmWaRMf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/WmWaRMf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(12mhz crystal installed!)</div>
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Afterwards, I wanted to do a Kick Harness adapter to go from the old CPS1 harness, to the CPS2 kick harness. I decided this because most of my kick harness set-up revolves around using CPS2, so it made sense to only support one type of harness. I could have just got a cable adapter, but I felt it would be cleaner and less parts to handle if I put the CPS2 adapter onto the board itself.<br />
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/2rGKmvM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/2rGKmvM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(CPS1 to CPS2 Kick Harness installed)</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/LCFPdc5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://i.imgur.com/LCFPdc5.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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(Close-up of CPS2 kick harness header)</div>
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/aMI13T7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/aMI13T7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(How it connects to my Supergun)</div>
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I am very happy to how it turned out, and am looking forward to converting this to a multi-CPS1 board whenever those kits are available. For now, I can enjoy a bit of Hyper Fighting!Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-75712745055089383782018-03-08T14:31:00.001-08:002019-05-17T15:27:55.543-07:00Long overdue updateBoy, life has definitely changed since my last update. So, I'm a dad now. My daughter was born last year a bit after my last post. Fatherhood is great, our little one is awesome, but it has impacted my free time these days to do projects on the side. But, things are coming to a regularity now that I can actually start jumping back onto art and gaming projects in the next few months. I'm going to try to update this more often.<br />
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Since I don't like posting without showing anything, I do have some gaming related art I did for last Inktober:<br />
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<a href="https://i.imgur.com/DtQdR5P.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/DtQdR5P.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Top Left - Centipede (ink)</div>
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Top Right - Final Fantasy VII (ink and white marker)</div>
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Bottom Left - Boxer (ink)</div>
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Bottom Right - Galaga (ink + watercolor)</div>
Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-45780554968359300242017-01-15T17:00:00.001-08:002019-05-17T15:28:03.554-07:00Shmup Sprites from years ago<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Found a bunch of old shmup sprites on my PC from a few years ago. I worked on a couple shoot-em-up designs for a small indie company that were looking to break into making retro-styled mobile games. </div>
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These designs were from a more serious looking art style, featuring metallic, no frills ships between red a blue factions. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEY-pile2TzfmOtp_S0CVIZL03XLeAIrDfuxjAjK7oVfjuuVPqKCn8ZMSmC_aUFjTIzLRkmE19_c2be2mOrRngNZCCD7T7Sm86LuICj4Ifgke5-nmrnrgvePvlrpzh5ArsUJ_DmaboYUM/s1600/C5_red_sml.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEY-pile2TzfmOtp_S0CVIZL03XLeAIrDfuxjAjK7oVfjuuVPqKCn8ZMSmC_aUFjTIzLRkmE19_c2be2mOrRngNZCCD7T7Sm86LuICj4Ifgke5-nmrnrgvePvlrpzh5ArsUJ_DmaboYUM/s1600/C5_red_sml.gif" /></a></div>
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These next designs were from a more fun art style, using bright colours and more massive bosses.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2I9DeP5wBUHh2VtD-q3GQ8P3MNxfLtntPvOgclj2eUqzc7h24n_BDVQ9IIdvw9KaSUZDm0J6bv-mB-S0c9dni9oz4MwP1Y0Qw3nkAnIgPSP34h1H5SwQZwFCIoBZNJoGfvoSoQFf7ouw/s1600/shipsetNeon.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2I9DeP5wBUHh2VtD-q3GQ8P3MNxfLtntPvOgclj2eUqzc7h24n_BDVQ9IIdvw9KaSUZDm0J6bv-mB-S0c9dni9oz4MwP1Y0Qw3nkAnIgPSP34h1H5SwQZwFCIoBZNJoGfvoSoQFf7ouw/s400/shipsetNeon.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-84217309791288464292016-12-19T12:10:00.002-08:002019-05-17T15:28:12.308-07:00Secret of Mana - Yearly Play-through AdventuresMSU-1 + Variable Width + Proper Case hacks<br />
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Every year I load up my trusty SNES copy of Secret of Mana for a full playthrough, usually around this time of year when I have time off for the holidays (lets face it, the holiday season is great for dipping into nostalgic gaming...). Secret of Mana is my favourite SNES game out of the entire library, and this year's play-through is going through some update hacks for making SoM an even more enjoyable experience. Playing off my SD2SNES flashcart instead of my original cartridge, I wanted to enjoy 3 hacks that improve on this amazing title:<br />
- MSU-1 hack, for adding CD quality music to the game<br />
- Variable Width Font to make all the text more pleasant looking and not conforming to even "square" spaces<br />
- Proper Case hacks, which removes the game's ALL CAPS words and gives them proper cases<br />
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Getting the MSU-1 hack to work with these other hacks wasn't straight forward as they were built by three different modders, but I was able to figure out the way to get this working.<br />
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1. First you need to get an SNES rom hacking tool, I used NSRT 3.4 for Windows<br />
2. In NSRT, apply a header to a original NTSC rom (US version - CRC32: D0176B24)<br />
2. Apply the Variable Width Font patch. This expands the rom to 3MB<br />
3. Apply the Proper-caser patch<br />
4. Back in NSRT, removed the header<br />
5. Then apply the MSU1 patch<br />
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If done correctly you'll see the text greatly improved along with some epic music to go along with it!<br />
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Proper Cases - Before:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94I9NnmBWiMhYQ7mEwm9PMPbHTXHlCXlglmX1SfMusaxi6MgM5PwopfCw5hWNx3wS64dvN4eN8PDpDijijPLZ_xIX5PJ2nbi-pkzlsBvcCnF5XGBuczcDhdEbEVbxrkvYS91Kul7epec/s1600/2016-12-19-%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94I9NnmBWiMhYQ7mEwm9PMPbHTXHlCXlglmX1SfMusaxi6MgM5PwopfCw5hWNx3wS64dvN4eN8PDpDijijPLZ_xIX5PJ2nbi-pkzlsBvcCnF5XGBuczcDhdEbEVbxrkvYS91Kul7epec/s320/2016-12-19-%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Proper Cases - After:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFifwhbrRjalmuFBt7zIai3YP665_Ohej2pwXCO3vbayEFUL9BstlgKt00SCYakAtve2vWTFXR99Rt4OjOjusf282J9vj6h5NAMFh9Y7tJObUuXeGDYPqUke0_P2t_Mf9WiNgOV_3K8A/s1600/2016-12-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFifwhbrRjalmuFBt7zIai3YP665_Ohej2pwXCO3vbayEFUL9BstlgKt00SCYakAtve2vWTFXR99Rt4OjOjusf282J9vj6h5NAMFh9Y7tJObUuXeGDYPqUke0_P2t_Mf9WiNgOV_3K8A/s320/2016-12-19.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Variable Width - Before:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtg4uGsCwotYZGlvudo-MfNocuVzdkYchmutDzfQX7AhEXHS14pIAVJExPyAg1b45HIca6U9cGkRaArftRPu1-Tj7Loyd6S26h1wY1g1FADwr_-gRRDiZMxFqFYNu98lfvZ6t2XCL61I/s1600/2016-12-19-%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtg4uGsCwotYZGlvudo-MfNocuVzdkYchmutDzfQX7AhEXHS14pIAVJExPyAg1b45HIca6U9cGkRaArftRPu1-Tj7Loyd6S26h1wY1g1FADwr_-gRRDiZMxFqFYNu98lfvZ6t2XCL61I/s320/2016-12-19-%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Variable Width - After:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLpayeAe_SilVtbv1sXfGSuraO2W2SAfKXQVEychsFDMnCj0TydOl_LY26-wg322GBNp8CG_3JFGLWeXHvHg19w0yQrQc2GnSkgEgQNBtHDqgD5Fnu5x_iv7Zh0ZedssHYl4u1olpFToo/s1600/2016-12-19-%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLpayeAe_SilVtbv1sXfGSuraO2W2SAfKXQVEychsFDMnCj0TydOl_LY26-wg322GBNp8CG_3JFGLWeXHvHg19w0yQrQc2GnSkgEgQNBtHDqgD5Fnu5x_iv7Zh0ZedssHYl4u1olpFToo/s320/2016-12-19-%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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ps. please don't ask me for roms or where to acquire these hacks. Use your google-fu.<br />
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Happy Gaming! ;)Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-20060047364721287082016-09-20T20:49:00.000-07:002019-05-17T15:30:45.878-07:00RetroUSB AVSRecently picked up a RetroUSB AVS console and wanted to write-up a little review and first impressions for it.<br />
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I wasn't really planning on buying one of these, mainly because I already invested in RGB Modding my NES and have it hooked up to an XRGB Mini, but the price was right enough for an impulse-buy. Figured I'd see how it stacks up in comparison to taking the more expensive route with modding an original console.<br />
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First things first, packaging.<br />
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<a href="http://i.imgur.com/yAk5K2I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/yAk5K2I.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Pretty simply designed box, no frills, nice bright red.<br />
Inside, everything is securely divided, but the quality of the inside dividers are a bit flimsy and you can see from mine there was some crushing that happened during shipping from the small tear and crumpling in the middle. No matter, the AVS is still in perfect shape but I figured I should mention it.<br />
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<a href="http://i.imgur.com/huCqOsq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/huCqOsq.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The AVS comes with an HDMI cable, a USB cable and a USB power adapter. One of the things I love about this system is that it can run off the USB as the main power source. This is great for keeping cables tidy, and doesn't require an extra wall socket if your TV has a USB port for it to tap into.<br />
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The design of the AVS is pretty slick and pays homage to the original NES. Unlike other HD clone systems out there that try to pose as more than it is, the AVS has a humble design that is in tune with the history of the system it's honoring. Even the build quality feels like an NES! Slightly thin plastic like the original, but still sturdy and solid.<br />
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<a href="http://i.imgur.com/Yr1q1q5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/Yr1q1q5.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Back of the console has 3 ports: HDMI for A/V, USB for power and firmware updating, as well as uploading high scores to an online Scoreboard. The third connector is a Serial port for Famicom Expansion. But that online Scoreboard sounds awesome, can't wait to try it out!<br />
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<a href="http://i.imgur.com/hdlxnnI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/hdlxnnI.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's a picture of how a standard NES cart plugs into the system.<br />
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<a href="http://i.imgur.com/Cv8Ur1D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/Cv8Ur1D.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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The slot itself has a vice-like grip, and games that are inserted work first try. So no need to blow your carts...but you should NEVER BLOW YOUR CARTS. Blowing is not a proper solution to making your old NES games play reliably. BITD people blew on their cart PCB's, introducing a slight bit of moisture to the connection to get it to boot-up. But this only exacerbated the problem as over time your cart PCB's would accumulate film and rust! The best thing to do is get a couple cotton swabs and some Isopropanol to rub the grim and dust build-up on the contacts. Don't worry about the label on the back of your cart warning you not to use anything but Nintendo's official Cleaning Kit. It's exactly the same thing, rubbing alcohol. They just wanted to make more money on their product line.<br />
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Anyway, unfortunately I don't have any Famicom carts on me at the moment, but there is another connector under the hood that takes the Japanese carts in a standing position. Not an ideal position for those who want to keep the lid closed, but oh well.<br />
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I should mention that the plastic matches my NES controllers almost exactly. There is even a slight yellow tinge to it, as if it were sun-kissed like my aging controllers.<br />
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<a href="http://i.imgur.com/zgd0Eu2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/zgd0Eu2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The menu system is pretty straight-forward and understandable right off the bat. 5 options: Start Game, Cheat Codes, Input Options, Video Options and Scoreboard.<br />
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<a href="http://i.imgur.com/cMyVQHG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/cMyVQHG.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Video output is really nice. It's maxed at 720p, which is perfectly fine for the original resolution being upscaled since it multiplies cleanly. Also scanlines look great and you can change their intensity.<br />
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<a href="http://i.imgur.com/Jzdet43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/Jzdet43.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I should mention that when I use my RGB modded NES and XRGB-mini combo, I also to use 720p w/ scanlines on because it looks better on that set-up than it being upscaled to 1080p.<br />
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In terms of lag, I haven't noticed any. Playing RC Pro Am is a pretty twitch based game and requires some fine tapping of the d-pad for making some subtle turns around the curvy tracks. It felt great and just like the original. I will eventually test more games with this but so far it's perfect. On my XRGB set-up I do feel a slight feeling of lag, not that I've measured it, but the AVS could have a slight advantage in that department.<br />
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So far I think this is the best HD NES clone unit out there. The price is right, it sits in that zone of not being crazy expensive but not cheap that you fear the quality level. From a software standpoint the system options are all anyone really needs. I would say that not being able to tweak these options without having to restart the system is a bit cumbersome, but hopefully this can be changed in a firmware update. Another thing I hope they add is a soft reset by pressing all the controller's buttons at once. This might go against the spirit of the NES console, but it would be a nice upgraded feature.<br />
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All in all I'm happy I impulse-bought this. RetroUSB has been a great product provider, and I still swear by the Powerpak for my NES needs. I can also say their customer service is excellent. I've sent multiple emails to them asking questions about this unit, as well as if they plan on updating their mappers for the Powerpak (which they plan to in the future - hoping for VRC7) and they've been promptly responsive within 24 hours.<br />
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To support their commitment to this system, RetroUSB also released a slew of homebrew games, one of which called <i>Twelve Seconds</i> looks the most interesting out of the bunch. I'll maybe pick it up later on to try out but for now I'm going to play some of my other games and see if I can put up some decent high scores!Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-34755785347586799882016-04-27T14:20:00.000-07:002019-05-17T15:30:07.290-07:00CPS2 Multi Kit complete!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here's my Yellow CPS2 Multi Kit! Yellow rental case, new custom label, yellow LCD holder and yellow Service/Volume buttons! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYLvVubuAqHSc07SIsYOaLzONlZW08KnkiBQ21kD-2AToV2r3qqhAvWMSy9XEWZo5_kvmKxw0bqZz9WYYVLWJMqzvjBCVfn_O1O1WayyUod1GmF-iEoXu6zlJRgE_tFKeWznFAlJzTJ0/s1600/IMG_7640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYLvVubuAqHSc07SIsYOaLzONlZW08KnkiBQ21kD-2AToV2r3qqhAvWMSy9XEWZo5_kvmKxw0bqZz9WYYVLWJMqzvjBCVfn_O1O1WayyUod1GmF-iEoXu6zlJRgE_tFKeWznFAlJzTJ0/s320/IMG_7640.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHFzVVQZ0JBFwVPU42v0mF4MplfPoxNSVjHRz36a9aEMy1F1zEhtUwp3WcDeVbH8aZQUUVGM_p83yb1V9Ng3-IpiOrXA2_5ze4XI60mT79GvuzvrW6HWixhT870tfCPEk3uHP3V617XE/s1600/IMG_7641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHFzVVQZ0JBFwVPU42v0mF4MplfPoxNSVjHRz36a9aEMy1F1zEhtUwp3WcDeVbH8aZQUUVGM_p83yb1V9Ng3-IpiOrXA2_5ze4XI60mT79GvuzvrW6HWixhT870tfCPEk3uHP3V617XE/s320/IMG_7641.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityE4LokqlAzUW5pJvLt-2rRSfqRZVjp1VzoJxNLrwF8RhgbdMIhXitlQM7wHJURBb1Atr6xRO6ftpFyEcqJyA3x3SHC56JVWAB5pXyqWNDhzQa_oMNwadyjYmSRjqEA2kq0x2I3pj7CE/s1600/IMG_7642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityE4LokqlAzUW5pJvLt-2rRSfqRZVjp1VzoJxNLrwF8RhgbdMIhXitlQM7wHJURBb1Atr6xRO6ftpFyEcqJyA3x3SHC56JVWAB5pXyqWNDhzQa_oMNwadyjYmSRjqEA2kq0x2I3pj7CE/s320/IMG_7642.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The kit is Darksoft's CPS2 Multi add-on board. It's a great piece of hardware that plugs into a donor CPS2 B-board (the game board) and takes an SD card for loading up all the CPS2 games. Installation wasn't too difficult as it was mainly plug-n-play, except for one small solder job to add reset functionality. </div>
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The LCD is attached for selecting games and displaying what current one is loaded. </div>
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Damn it feels good to be a gansta. ;)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvNHf_6fbN-HYbDd7SHXhYB29AfSbzo3as74hmYGnIXGflq3ltbqd6hp4H1HvK-ERu5_ZzTOrMVE0L_rti2JbuSYICISXIXAvus2raUaLwB6xqRIAF0pM-nWv8URN4lC9QiZ2Xjo7CT4/s1600/IMG_7650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvNHf_6fbN-HYbDd7SHXhYB29AfSbzo3as74hmYGnIXGflq3ltbqd6hp4H1HvK-ERu5_ZzTOrMVE0L_rti2JbuSYICISXIXAvus2raUaLwB6xqRIAF0pM-nWv8URN4lC9QiZ2Xjo7CT4/s320/IMG_7650.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: #fcfdfe; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;"><br /></span>Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-19972233851156269812016-03-28T13:42:00.002-07:002019-05-17T15:30:27.444-07:00CPS2 Multi Kit - Alternative Label<div style="text-align: center;">
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For my CPS2 Multi Kit, I was looking for a label that follows the theme of a majority of the original CPS2 labels. Something simple, that clearly states what it is, paying homage to the creators of this kit, and with more characters representing each game and in the classic all-blue look.</div>
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I decided to quickly pull together a label for myself:</div>
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<a href="http://i.imgur.com/kKuju7H.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/kKuju7H.jpg" height="320" width="229" /></a></div>
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Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-4459760268285627982016-02-16T15:29:00.001-08:002019-05-17T15:30:38.440-07:00GCW Zero button update!I recently got some new buttons and d-pad for my GCW Zero! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxuTUH_xL26I6Q8NfSAhpZnSCG82uqQ2uJyeV-WnhF1Mg8TL56y4o23_WqfYKRoCzbsxertTlVqkOHj8-HHa5MJlQ010ackGjfDeTTSfqqDP1I769DoGc4xfPIhT9DjaMLO6sgucOQBs/s1600/IMG_6822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxuTUH_xL26I6Q8NfSAhpZnSCG82uqQ2uJyeV-WnhF1Mg8TL56y4o23_WqfYKRoCzbsxertTlVqkOHj8-HHa5MJlQ010ackGjfDeTTSfqqDP1I769DoGc4xfPIhT9DjaMLO6sgucOQBs/s320/IMG_6822.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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These new buttons are awesome upgrades, and feel so much better than the stock buttons that originally ships with the GCW. <br />
Circular motions on the d-pad are smoother, and more precise, while the buttons feel more responsive and "solid". Additionally, they're all a lot more quiet!<br />
Besides, buttons in all red are pretty snazzy now. :)<br />
<br />Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4544859572001467521.post-81403829438000108842015-10-22T15:00:00.001-07:002019-05-17T15:30:53.922-07:00Bullet Reign!harveybirdman's BulletReign marquee! (on <a href="http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,142400.0.html?PHPSESSID=673f28db922b27c8bb541d4d49df5910" target="_blank">BYOAC</a>).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6bO5x_8YvUNAXLshgb47yhyphenhyphenb9j2kDXJEMUhnf2hzew3uwumZMKsSXGZxYeRQRdGGAa0um80yzxhb5LfYFsvnEQY11w754d5nkp10mlOG2I3sSTPcjG6rRNiDjqbeLA4eDJW2fJP-oOc/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6bO5x_8YvUNAXLshgb47yhyphenhyphenb9j2kDXJEMUhnf2hzew3uwumZMKsSXGZxYeRQRdGGAa0um80yzxhb5LfYFsvnEQY11w754d5nkp10mlOG2I3sSTPcjG6rRNiDjqbeLA4eDJW2fJP-oOc/s320/Untitled.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZYwmpPBTt37Qfk04RT0VdEOS5l7ITtqOq6VBurNOBukk3KKuGcKFQOK1_Aqqk9rdVmw01TxoXcZudRTxem_OHjzBj5GiWzH-JAJUFPt7FHaSviIz3Hh7LXQkyUrdNMheaCFJDAI4M3U/s1600/Marquee+Son%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZYwmpPBTt37Qfk04RT0VdEOS5l7ITtqOq6VBurNOBukk3KKuGcKFQOK1_Aqqk9rdVmw01TxoXcZudRTxem_OHjzBj5GiWzH-JAJUFPt7FHaSviIz3Hh7LXQkyUrdNMheaCFJDAI4M3U/s320/Marquee+Son%2521.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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harveybirdman's idea behind this project is to create a shumps tribute cabinet, hosting a slew of original PCB's of classic shmup titles. The artwork theme is to re-create the older marquee look of some of those classic games from the mid-80's to the early 90's. <br />
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<br />Gillaxianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15829642617722543202noreply@blogger.com0