The Blog

Sony PlayStation PSU Cracked Solder Joint Repair

Nix McRetro // 10th February 2018 // Repairs, Sony, YouTube

Nobody likes a gaming console that can’t game. On this original Sony PlayStation, repeated movement at the figure-8 mains inlet had cracked the solder joints where the AC connector meets the power-supply PCB. Similar cracked connector joints can occur on other mains-powered consoles, but it is not the same fault... Continue reading

GameCube Laser Power Calibration - Xeno GC Install

Nix McRetro // 6th February 2018 // Hacks, Nintendo, Repairs

Xeno GC, this bad boy had been sitting around for a long time! The installation isn’t actually that bad. I’ll eventually do a video of the install as I have another GameCube to chip. It allows the drive firmware to boot compatible recordable media, including full-size and mini DVDs. Full-size... Continue reading

RetroJunkie.net Reacquired

Nix McRetro // 4th February 2018 // News

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

Sony Trinitron PVM-1442QM Troubles

Nix McRetro // 3rd February 2018 // Repairs, Sony, YouTube

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. Functional for how long though? The bulging capacitor on... Continue reading

Sega Dreamcast Hardware List

Nix McRetro // 31st January 2018 // Sega

Here’s a historical community-compiled list of known Sega Dreamcast hardware part numbers. It was copied from ASSEMblergames, so thanks to Quzar, DreamCaster and everyone else who contributed! I have preserved the original question marks and uncertain translations rather than pretending every entry has been independently verified. These first models often... Continue reading