New PC Engine owner after advice for modded goodness!!!

[shugs81]

Hi peeps...

Just waiting for my new toy ( and all the tastey games!!) To cone through... Looking for a few bits of advice...

I've already got a rgb mod / amp on its way.... Thanks to mickcris!!

Looking at what type of caps to get to replaced the original ones??? As in are one better han others?.. It works but may as well sort them out too!!

As I've got a framemeister I'm planning a mini din to mini din cable... What is the best cable to get? I know I need something shielded and any resistors or components I'll fit on the PCB side of the mini din port in the console...

As I said its still on its way so I might as well get all the Gubbins I need sorted in advance... (I've got a few other consoles to make cables for so will be doing a bulk build so need t check how many cores I'll need.. But shieldeds shielded right??)

Another question... Feel free to mock me if I'm being dumb... But am I right in thinking Japanese and us okugs are the same??? I know that they are both 110v ( rather than the UK's 240v) and I have a JP stepdown converter for my saturn.... Can I get a multi socket adaptor and plug it into the step down converter? Although I have heard that I can use a UK Mega drive 1 plug... Any UK peeps verify that???

Umm... I think that's it for now.... No doubt I'll have more questions... I have seen the sheet which lists all of the caps needed...

[shugs81]

Aaaaahhhhh... I have just noticed that this possibly should be moved to a different section... Mods.. Please move if needs be.... Sorry!

[mickcris]

you should have asked, i could have sent you a cable too.  you can do it like this (ignore the other stuff besides mounting the din jack:
http://www.mmmonkey.co.uk/pc-engine-rgb-mod/
but use this instead for the pinout:

then use a male to male cable like this:
http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=522


if you cant find one locally, it should not be too expensive to ship you one and a connector.

the caps, im not sure about. they are probably fine whats in there.  not sure if there is a list anywhere. you  may have to check them all when you get it if you want to replace them.

the sega power cable should be the same.  as long as it outputs 9v center negative.

[shugs81]

The reasons I opted not to get the cable was because you said it would affect postage more... And I needed to measure up before I could have ordered it from you... Plus I already ordered a pack of 20 mini din male ends off eBay...

But I have to make them for a n64 ( covers GameCube and SNES when I eventually get one...) Megadrive(genesis) Saturn, possibly dream cast, zx spectrums, Atari st, nes (when I finish my multi region mod! And rgb when I work it out)... Umm... Possibly more... Can't remember now... 11pm and whiskey have been involved! ;p

I'm contemplating modyfiying a scart switcher schematic and swapping it out for the mini dins... I like tinkering!!

Other projects I thinking of include wireless pads... Rebuilding the nes to be mini, combining a genesis, master system, Sega iii and maybe even a segacd too... But they're all waaay off now!!

The caps I was thinking there was a specific type to go for as when I posted before I bought the PC engine that it would cost just as much to re cap it as buying a prefixed one... But it doesn't seem to be that bad from the list I saw... Just wanted to make sure that there wasn't a particular cap that was utter rubbish for that kind of thing...

[shugs81]

Also I just realised... The reason for the multi socket question too us cause I want a us SNES due to it fitting all the carts in....

[mickcris]

cool.  the mini din plugs are kind of pain to solder on.  i prefer to get premade cable ends (molded) for those whenever possible.  those monorpice cables are descent and cheap. they are also shielded.

just get some name brand caps. dont order from ebay from a chinese seller.

[shugs81]

Makes sense about the caps.... Probably go to RS online as they have a store nearish to me where I can pick them up from...

Better start pricing stuff!!