February 2018

Here’s a little collection of Sony PlayStation modchip installation guides. I’ve experimented with a few different PIC microcontrollers and Mayumi 4 configurations over the years, so it’s probably about time I put the useful information together in one place! The PIC12C508, PIC12C508A, PIC12C509, PIC12C509A, PIC12F508 and PIC12F629 are all little... Continue reading

Use the model-identification guide first, then choose the matching Phantom Universal installation guide by Zer0-2k11. Some oval-button Saturns have Model 2 internals, so check the board and drive rather than relying on the case alone. Unplug the Saturn before opening it and keep clear of the power supply. Before installation,... Continue reading

In this video, we look at hooking up a Sega Mega Drive Model 1 VA4 to the Sony PVM-9044QM via RGB. It looks fantastic, but don’t take my word for it. Watch the video and enjoy the mismatched colours! Why are they mismatched? Try and have a guess! Part 3... Continue reading

Chip is still spending most of the time apart from Tillie and Pudge, but there’s plenty for the little Baby Borb to investigate. First on the agenda is a seed-stick treat. Very important work, Chippy! Meanwhile, the other two are carrying on with their own little bird missions in the... Continue reading

Look at little Chippy go! It wasn’t long ago that Baby Borb was making a tremendous mess of those warm feeds, but now Chip is growing steadily and getting used to the wonderful world of solid food. Corn, apple, sultanas and bird seed are all on the menu, and there’s... Continue reading

One lizard, one lawnmower. Both survived! A smallish blue tongue lizard decided to be underneath the garden foliage that I was mowing. Don’t ask me why I was mowing the garden instead of pruning… sometimes the weeds just become too much to handle! Anyway, this lucky little lizard decided not... Continue reading

It’s time for Chip, our newest arrival, to become better acquainted with Pudge, The Boss! After arriving earlier this month and spending time separately from the older birds, our little Baby Borb is now getting a closer introduction. They’re meeting outside the cage, while Tillie, the second-in-command, waits inside to... Continue reading

Today we’re having a peek inside a marvel from the 90s, the Sony PVM-9044QM. These little monitors were intended for professional video work, but they’re also lovely for retro gaming thanks to their RGB capabilities. With television studios getting rid of their old CRT equipment in favour of flat-panel displays,... Continue reading

The first in a series of me playing video games late at night. Should be a blast! We’ve disabled the music on this and in places you can hear me come up with my very own interpretation of the original soundtrack. Sonic 1 was released in June 1991 - an... Continue reading

Way back in January 2017, we had a close encounter of the burnt kind, a bushfire! It started out quite close to home and then, thankfully, went in the other direction towards more bush and away from all the homes. Two helicopters were water bombing the flames from above. The... Continue reading

Baby Borb is growing up! Chip has only been with us since the beginning of February, but already there’s more to eating than warm baby-bird mush. Seeds, peanuts, sultanas and other interesting things are all waiting for investigation. There’s a whole new world of snacks for that tiny beak. Nom,... Continue reading

There’s a Chip on your shoulder! A Baby Borb, to be precise. Little Chippy has been home for just over two weeks and is already discovering some very important bird accommodation: human shoulders and hair. Snuggled up against the hair and perched on a shoulder, Chip looks ready to become... Continue reading

It’s been a big month for our little Baby Borb. Between the feeds, naps and new things to investigate, there’s still time for one of life’s simplest pleasures: a lovely head scritch. Chip sure does enjoy a good scratch and a bit of attention. No grand adventure required this time,... Continue reading

Cartridge-slot cleaning is one of my favourite adventures to journey on. This was the method I was using at the time, but I would not present paper towel as the ideal material these days because it can leave fibres behind in the connector. This particular Nintendo 64 is a Japanese... Continue reading

I’ve never had an air conditioner spit ice at me before. It was a little bit strange to be sitting below it typing away on my computer when suddenly a chunk of ice flies out and hits me in the back of the head! :P Continue reading

It’s bath time for Baby Borb Chip! This first proper bathing adventure is quite a performance, with Tillie and Pudge looking on as the newest member of the flock discovers the finer points of having a wash. The coordination might need a little practice, but the enthusiasm is wonderful to... Continue reading

Baby Borb Chip has only been home for a little over a week, and feeding time is still quite the production! Our little green-cheeked conure is enjoying some nice warm bird milk, although getting all of it into the tummy is apparently optional. Chip proceeds to get food everywhere before... Continue reading

I love to tinker and with my website, I’ve been doing a whole lot of it over the past few weeks. First, I fixed all the broken links and images. Then I went through and cleaned up each post, which had become mangled from an import many eons ago. Finally,... Continue reading

Sometimes even I forget I have a gaming channel on YouTube - but I do! :) Here’s some footage that got completely forgotten about in my most recent move. I am thinking of playing Fallout 4 again using the original install disc without any updates. Bugs everywhere. There’ve been what... Continue reading

Being a Baby Borb is exhausting work. Chip has only been home a little over a week, with plenty of feeding and growing to get through, so there’s no shame in stopping for a proper power nap. After a feed, little Chip snuggles up with a sock friend and makes... Continue reading

It’s feeding time for Baby Borb! Chip has been home for a little over a week, and warm baby-bird mush is still a big part of the daily routine. There’s a very important neck tummy to fill. Nom, nom, nom goes Chippy. Into the neck tummy it goes, and down... Continue reading

I’ve been looking through some rather interesting Super Nintendo repair information today. It all started with a YouTube comment pointing me towards something I’d never even heard of before: the Nintendo Super System! It’s an arcade machine based on Super Nintendo hardware, and naturally it has its own collection of... Continue reading

Nobody likes a gaming console that can’t game. This time I’ve got an original Sony PlayStation power supply on the bench, and the figure-8 mains connector has developed a couple of nasty cracked solder joints. Time to see if I can make them a little more respectable! The problem is... Continue reading

Xeno GC, this bad boy had been sitting around for a long time! This GameCube was actually one I used to own years ago, probably around 2004. It had been sitting with family friends for a rather long time, and by the time I got around to looking at it... Continue reading

The Baby Borb camera experiments continue! Chip has a new little home setup to show off, but getting a decent picture isn’t quite as easy as pointing a camera at the cage. The earlier infrared attempts left plenty of room for improvement, so we’re still investigating what will work. Now... Continue reading

After allowing RetroJunkie.net to lapse, somebody else acquired the domain and used it for their own site. I was quite disappointed and had no one to blame but myself. A lack of motivation drove me not to bother with it. My bad! That said, it gave birth to McRetro.net, which... Continue reading

Munch, munch, munch! Chip has only been home since yesterday, but our tiny Baby Borb has already started investigating some of the tasty things on offer. Sultanas? Yes please. Apple? Definitely. Corn? Well, time will tell! Those little tail feathers are still so short, and there’s something rather funny about... Continue reading

Little Baby Borb Chip has only just arrived, and we’re already trying to set up a way to keep an eye on the new resident. The first experiment is an infrared camera, but the results aren’t exactly convincing. Perhaps we need to rethink the setup before the promised bird broadcast... Continue reading

Here’s a quick overview of the Sony Trinitron PVM-1442QM I picked up a while back on eBay, from the UK of all places. It made it across mostly intact, a little bit of frame damage here and there but otherwise functional. The seller had packed the monitor in what appeared... Continue reading

Please welcome Chip, the Baby Borb! Today this tiny little cinnamon green-cheeked conure came home in a tissue box. A tissue box! Not exactly first-class travel, but it did the job. There’s a whole lot of bird packed into such a small package. Tillie and Pudge are already part of... Continue reading

Here’s Tillie on the left and Pudge on the right, enjoying a little feast of sprinkled seeds. The two conures have been getting up to all sorts of mischief since arriving at the beginning of January, and today is another chance to watch the pair enjoying themselves. Tomorrow brings a... Continue reading

A freshly cleaned cage, a lovely supply of drinking water and two conures who simply can’t get enough of it. Tillie and Pudge have had quite a busy first month at home, so perhaps a good drink is exactly what’s needed after all that running around. Apparently the water is... Continue reading

Tillie and Pudge are at it again! The two green-cheeked conures are having a proper little smackdown, although it looks more like a game than a serious dispute. They’re certainly keeping each other occupied. There’s even a referee watching the proceedings, but neutrality apparently isn’t part of the job description.... Continue reading

It’s been another busy day for Tillie and Pudge. After running about together, Pudge decides it’s time to stop for a snack, while Tillie is doing a fine job of steering clear of the commotion. All that in just ten seconds of footage! These two can squeeze a surprising amount... Continue reading