The Blog

Aiwa Mega-CD CSD-GM1 Unit-02 Mic Amp Board Repairs

Nix McRetro // 6th August 2013 // Categories: Repairs, Sega, YouTube

Found that one of the Mic Amp Boards (Board 02-09) does not amplify sound. In this video, we look at why that might be and work to resolve the problem as best we can. The Mic Amp Board (01-09) from the revision 1 unit has no issues and was a... Continue reading

x0xb0x 1.0 Adafruit Edition: Assembly Complete, No Sound

Nix McRetro // 6th August 2013 // Categories: News, YouTube

Some good news and some not-so-good news from the x0xb0x project! SuperNick (Nick) has finished assembling the Adafruit-era x0xb0x synthesiser, but unfortunately it isn’t producing any sound through its normal controls. Rather disappointing when the whole point of building a synthesiser is to make some music! The sequencer appears to... Continue reading

Aiwa Mega-CD CSD-GM1 Game Unit EPROM Programming and Repair Test

Nix McRetro // 6th August 2013 // Categories: Programming, Repairs, Sega

Back to the Aiwa Mega-CD CSD-GM1, and this time I’ve got an EPROM to erase, program and test. I’ve also got a Game Unit with some previous trace repairs that I’m rather keen to try out. Will it work? There’s only one way to find out! I’d been checking the... Continue reading

Aiwa Sega Mega-CD CSD-GM1 Game Unit in Standalone Mode

Nix McRetro // 6th August 2013 // Categories: Hacks, Repairs, Sega

You don’t need no stinkin’ boombox to play Mega Drive games, just a suitable regulated 5 V power supply. My test supply was rated for 2 A on the 5 V rail, but that is the current it can provide, not current it forces into the Game Unit. So you’ve... Continue reading

Super Nintendo / SNES Cartridge Battery Holder Installation

Nix McRetro // 6th August 2013 // Categories: Hacks, Nintendo, Repairs

Zip, zap and away! The idea here is simple: replace the soldered cartridge battery with a holder so that the next battery replacement does not require desoldering anything. SNES cartridges that use battery-backed SRAM rely on that battery to preserve their save data while the console is switched off. Just... Continue reading