Apple MacBook Pro GeForce 8600M GT Heat-Gun Reflow Attempt
Here we have a video of me bringing a beautiful 17-inch MacBook Pro back to life with a heat gun. It did revive this particular machine. That is the firsthand result, and it should not be confused with a proper repair procedure.
Aiwa Mega-CD CSD-GM1 Repair Status: June 2013
Two units, no properly working transformers, cracked circuit boards, a sea of likely bad capacitors and one relatively determined repairer. Much more to come on this one.
Sega Saturn Sophia SIMM CART DIP Switch
Here’s a test of the SIMM CART switch on SW2 at the front of the Sega Saturn Sophia Programming Box. My first interpretation was that it simply selected between the internal SIMM memory and the Saturn cartridge slot. Sega’s development documentation shows that it is more complicated than that.
Sega Saturn Sophia 171-6692B SH-2 Power Cable Adapter
Any other console, I probably wouldn’t bother mentioning this, but since it is Sophia, she gets a mention. My 171-6692B SH-2 CPU cards are not quite the same as the better-documented 171-6692D boards. Most importantly for this particular problem, they are missing the second power header used by the usual...
Original Xbox PSU Cracked AC Input Solder Joint Repair
The Xbox power supply was arcing badly whenever mains power was connected. Once I had it apart, the problem was visible at the AC input connector: a cracked solder joint.
Original Xbox Clock Capacitor Cleanup and Repair
Back to the original Xbox from the previous assessment. The leaking clock capacitor has now become an actual repair rather than just something horrible to point at.
Sega Saturn Model 2 Modchip Installation: 0014 Configuration
Here’s a Japanese Model 2 Saturn that needed a modchip, so I went ahead and installed one. This particular console and modchip combination uses the 0014 configuration.
Sophia Systems Sega Saturn Programming Box: Capacitor Restoration Complete
The final backordered capacitors are installed and Sophia is reassembled. The capacitor restoration was completed on 28th April 2013.
Sega Saturn Sophia Programming Box Mainboard Repairs
After the A-Bus capacitor replacement failed to improve Sophia’s condition, I moved on to the mainboard. I’ve now replaced most of the electrolytic capacitors there, and the result is considerably more promising. The Hakko 808 works wonders on these old boards.
Sega Saturn Sophia A-Bus Capacitor Replacement
The lovely Sophia is getting a fresh set of capacitors on the A-Bus board today.
Good Capacitor, Bulged Capacitor: Visual Comparison
Here’s a useful visual comparison between a brand-new electrolytic capacitor and one that has failed badly enough to bulge at the top.
Hakko 808 Desoldering Tool: Removing a Failed Capacitor
Introducing the incredible Hakko 808 desoldering gun. This thing is amazing.
VL400C-I 486 Motherboard Failure
Here I try to get an old VL400C-I 486 motherboard going. So much hope. Two other 486 boards had already been scrapped, and I had pinned my hopes on this one finally giving me somewhere useful to install the growing pile of ISA cards. No such success was found.
Sega Saturn Sophia and VA0 Parts Compatibility Test
A member of the ASSEMblergames forums asked whether I could try some of the Sophia hardware in an ordinary retail VA0 Saturn.
Sega TeraDrive Scanliner Demo with 15 kHz / 31 kHz RGB
Scanlines make the world go round.
Acquisitions Inbound: PAL VA0 Dreamcast, Accolade Dev Cart and LC 475
A few interesting things are making their way into the collection.
Learning to Desolder ICs
Before I attack anything particularly valuable, it seems like a good idea to learn how to desolder multi-pin ICs without completely destroying everything around them. These videos are my practice runs. I was experimenting with heat, flux and removing chips from scrap hardware before moving on to the considerably more...