The Blog

Amstrad Sega Mega PC AdLib Sound Repair: Card Alignment

Nix McRetro // 15th November 2012 // Categories: 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. It was Saturday night, around 10:30 pm, and I was still trying to get sound... Continue reading

Amstrad Sega Mega PC: Activating PC-Only Mode

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

Here’s a little trick for anyone working on an Amstrad Mega PC who wants to run the PC side without having the Mega Drive ISA card installed. A few people have been asking how I manage to get video output with the Sega hardware removed, so I thought I’d record... Continue reading

Apple Macintosh LC 475: Mismatched VRAM Test

Nix McRetro // 12th November 2012 // Categories: 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? I found a spare 68-pin 512 KB video RAM module while sorting through a pile of 72-pin RAM and couldn’t resist trying it alongside one of the existing... Continue reading

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

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

Another clue in the ongoing Mega Drive 32X video mystery! I was enjoying a little Mega-CD karaoke with some Shonen Knife when I noticed black flickering lines coming in from the side of the picture. Hang on a minute. That looks suspiciously familiar! The interesting thing is that the Mega-CD... Continue reading

Sega Mega-CD Karaoke Unit and CD+G Demo

Nix McRetro // 8th November 2012 // Categories: 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, you have a mute button. My neighbours may have a different opinion! I’ve connected it to my Mega Drive Model 1, Mega-CD Model 1 and... Continue reading