N64 RGB Mod NUS-CPU-04 Help. Have sound, but no Video xrgb-mini

Moving to other forums.

Sorry.






Hi,

I need some brain power help.

So i'm in XRGB-Mini Goodness...except for my N64
N64 Motherboard revision NUS-CPU-04


I followed this guid
http://www.mmmonkey.co.uk/ntsc-nintendo-64-rgb/

I get audio. No video.
I never see the video light turn no the xrgb-mini like it does on other systems.

I am wondering if I have a Composite Sync issue going on.

Anybody can chime in?

Thanks

 

That looks a little different from how I wired mine. I've never seen that guide before. I pulled my rgb signals straight off the chip like in this how-to: http://retrorgb.com/n64rgbmod.html

Assuming the wiring is correct. Is the rgb cable you are using set up for composite sync? I personally don't use an xrgbmini but I've heard you have to sometimes play around with the sync level?

 

And that method is a bad method.

 

Whys that?

IIRC, they are the same points, just other side of the board. Directly connecting from the chip to the MultiAV? sure, thats no good. But thats now what the retrorgb guide shows.

 

I think because you can tap the RGB from three capacitors on the underside of the board, as the Mmmonkey guide shows. It makes for a much cleaner install since you don't have wires wrapping around the board. The RetroRGB guy's install is pretty damn messy (way too much hot glue), and I also noticed how he didn't even install a decoupling capacitor on the THS7314, which is something you almost always do with ICs.

Also to the OP, why on earth did you feel the need to post this here when you already made a thread about it in the Modding/Hacking board? It's not like you'll get different posters here.

 

Messy doesnt make it a bad method.

 

Speaking as someone who's fixed botched mod jobs, they're partners in crime as far as I'm concerned.

 

You are still talking about something unrelated. The method while risky or untidy isn't wrong. I've likely fixed more botched installs than you, but this isn't the point. What was posted on retro rgb wasn't incorrect, as was being implied. Sure, it might not be the optimal place to solder the wires, but that's different to the method being wrong.

 

That blob of glue over the AV port pins made me giggle.

 

I just noticed this thread and wanted to address a few things.

I have since removed the pictures with glue on solder joints from the mods on my site (there were only three solder-joint-glue pics on the entire 100+ page site). I was trying to show a "beginner trick", but I've since realized that wasn't the right thing to do...both because it was accidentally teaching bad modding practice and because it's become the "popular" thing to bash people who use glue.

ApolloBoy, you're right...I did forget the decoupling cap in the guide. The mod still worked fine without it, but it should definitely be there and I've since added it (I actually added it awhile ago). I wish you'd have sent me an email to let me know you found a problem in my guide, instead of bashing me on multiple forums. You're usually really helpful on all these forums...I hope you're not turning into one of those grumpy people that would rather say something negative than positive.

Also, did you mean the wires running around the board that connect to the multi-out are what make it "messy"? If that's what you're talking about, then Bad_Ad84 is right: Just because it doesn't look perfect, doesn't mean it's bad. The reason I show the amp there (with the "messy", longer wires), is because you can easily move it out of the way when you put the cover on and it allows for a good amount of slack when soldering. Remember, my guides are designed to be beginner-friendly.

The mod works perfect. Ape, I've seen a lot of your posts that are really helpful and give good information. I'm not sure why you felt the need to bash my site, but calling a mod that works perfect a "bad method" is a bit uncalled for, don't you think? Maybe stick to helping people instead of bashing?


For the record, I plan on updating all the pictures in the N64 mod page soon. Some of those pictures were really old and I'd like to show better examples of the mod. I've done newer versions for friends' N64's where the amp is securely mounted to the board and it looks a lot better. That being said, the new pictures would just show a different way of doing the same thing: Tap RGB directly from the chip, through an amp, into the multi-out pins.

I just wish people would think twice before bashing a website that's trying to help people and not charging any money. People are always so quick to say something bad on forums.

 

Could it be that you are using C-Video as sync signal(scart pin 20) while C-Sync or Luma would be more advisable?

 

Good question. I don't know, but that's something I've always had major issues with. I've done a ton of the N64 RGB mods for all my friends, all their friends, etc and using the csync pin (pin 3) as sync has different results every time: Sometimes it works perfect, sometimes it only works on certain displays* and sometimes it doesn't work at all. Rather than give a long, drawn out explanation on the different N64 board revision and their sync outputs, I think it's just better overall to use composite video as sync...especially because that's what the official Nintendo RGB cables use on other systems (PAL SNES, GameCube, etc). If people's displays require csync, they'll most likely need a sync stripper anyway and probably already own a Sync Strike, or an XRGB Mini adapter with a sync stripper built in...or they could just add a sync stripper to their RGB cable.


*When I said "only works on certain displays", that's when things get really weird. I have a monitor that only accepts pure csync, not composite video or luma as sync. I have a switch that's just as sensitive. I've seen some N64's work directly into the monitor using pin 3 as sync, but not through my switch. That means something's weird with the N64's csync signal and I'm not 100% sure what (although I have my theory's). Trying to write a guide that works for everyone (including beginners) means you sometimes have to use the best overall solution. If using composite video as sync is good enough for Nintendo, than it's certainly good enough for me.

 

Unless you own a samsung TV and dislike cross hatch patterns.

 

...or certain upscalers. Using a sync stripper fixes the issues in the upscalers I've seen (although I've only had hands-on experience with a handful of upscalers). Does a sync stripper fix the problem for the Samsung TV's?

 

Here is the problem with my responding to this now is that it's almost a full 3 months later and looking at your page for the mod I haven't a clue why I would've said that. Like Bad_Ad84 points out connecting wires directly from the MultiAV plug to the DAC chip's pins is a bad idea, especially when people don't buffer CSYNC. Granted I've used CSYNC unbuffered but that doesn't make it a good idea.

 

Sync stripper didnt work on the samsung TV i tested it on. YMMV

 

Model?

 

Not 100%, as I dont own the TV anymore.

LE37R88 I think

 

I used luma as sync on my CPU-04 board and used it with my framemeister and RGB to Component Transcoder. It works perfectly.

 

retrorgb: I notice something wrong in the tutorial--you're instructing people to buy 100 ohm resistors (though your pictures show the correct 75 ohms). 100 ohms will attenuate the signal 17% as well as mismatch the impedance between the amplifier and cable and TV. Not advised.