The Blog

Amstrad Sega Mega PC AdLib Sound Repair: Card Alignment

Nix McRetro // 15th November 2012 // IBM PC, Repairs, Sega

I’ve been trying to work out why the PC side of the Mega PC refuses to produce reliable AdLib sound. At first I assumed I simply had the wrong drivers. That was the first mistake. AdLib does not need a general DOS sound driver The Mega PC manual describes its... Continue reading

Amstrad Sega Mega PC: Activating PC-Only Mode

Nix McRetro // 13th November 2012 // IBM PC, Sega, YouTube

Here’s a quick video showing the override I use to run the Mega PC in PC-only diagnostic mode with the Mega Drive ISA card removed. This is particularly useful when I need physical access to the PC motherboard without the Sega hardware and daughterboards sitting over everything. Normally, simply removing... Continue reading

Apple Macintosh LC 475 Mismatched VRAM Test

Nix McRetro // 12th November 2012 // Apple, Hacks, Repairs

Ever wonder what happens when you install one 256 KB VRAM SIMM and one 512 KB VRAM SIMM in an LC 475? They say you shouldn’t do it. They have a good reason. The display becomes a complete mess: lines everywhere, poor screen updates and mouse-pointer trails that refuse to... Continue reading

Sega Mega Drive 32X Distorted Video Part 2: Testing the Grounding Theory

Nix McRetro // 8th November 2012 // Repairs, Sega, YouTube

Another clue in the ongoing 32X video mystery. With the 32X installed, I can also see the distortion while using the Mega-CD, even though the Mega Drive by itself still looks normal. A YouTube commenter, specifically patrikw25, suggested another possibility: the metal grounding plates supplied with the 32X. Perhaps they... Continue reading

Sega Mega-CD Karaoke Unit and CD+G Demo

Nix McRetro // 8th November 2012 // Sega, YouTube

As you can see, the Sega Mega-CD Karaoke Unit and the microphone I repaired earlier are both still working nicely. It is your lucky day. My neighbours may have a different opinion. The Mega-CD handles playback of CD+G discs, where the audio CD also carries simple graphics data used for... Continue reading