The Blog

Sega Saturn Phantom Universal Modchip CD Drive Identification

Nix McRetro // 6th January 2020 // Categories: Guides, Sega, YouTube

This week we’ve got a bunch of Phantom Universal videos recorded way back in 2016. Hopefully they’re still relevant to the Saturns of today! With Rhea already around and the Satiator on the way, we’re definitely getting closer to a CD-less society. The Phantom Universal sits between the Saturn motherboard... Continue reading

Dumping the Apple 341-0813 Mac Classic ROM

Nix McRetro // 5th January 2020 // Categories: Apple

Dumping the Apple 341-0813 Mac Classic ROM

Ah yes, the old Apple 341-0813 ROM, stored in a TC534200P-F749 mask ROM. Its pin layout matches the M27C400 EPROM, whose programmer profile worked for reading it. The GQ-4X’s D27C4000 / uPD27C4000 profile also produced usable reads. These were read profiles for this ROM, not programming settings for a mask... Continue reading

Super Famicom and the Green Line of Doom (Part 2)

Nix McRetro // 4th January 2020 // Categories: Hacks, Nintendo, YouTube

After three and a half years I can finally put this one to rest and purge it from my mind. Remember that ridiculous green line appearing on my Super Famicom? Well, it turns out things aren’t quite as straightforward as a faulty motherboard. Here’s my Japanese Super Famicom with an... Continue reading

Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013) Repair

Nix McRetro // 2nd January 2020 // Categories: Apple, Repairs, YouTube

My then-current Retina MacBook Air, with its butterfly keyboard, was already showing the familiar w and Return-key symptoms covered by Apple’s Keyboard Service Program for MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro. Annoying. I really did miss my old MacBook Air sometimes. It had superior key travel. When did Apple announce... Continue reading

Gigabyte Xpress Recovery and the Host Protected Area

Nix McRetro // 31st December 2019 // Categories: IBM PC

Gigabyte Xpress Recovery and the Host Protected Area

Some Gigabyte boards with an Xpress Recovery BIOS were apparently affected by a rather nasty capacity-reporting bug! The explanation below comes from Franc Zabkar’s HDD Capacity FAQ. “When the drive is first in the boot order, Gigabyte’s BIOS will write a backup copy of itself to a small Host Protected... Continue reading