Reputable places/people installing S-Video,etc on Duo's?

[Black Tiger]

Yeah, i'm certainly going to be doing them. I've ordered enough parts to built at least 10 encoder circuits. Region mods are no problem to do. I'd have to order a few switches if people wanted it done.

I dont know exactly what I will charge for this work, but I think what D-Lite charged when he was still around was pretty fair. I have to go over all the part costs and such still.

Our savior! 

Seriously, as many people there are who say modding is no problem, we really need someone willing to mod PCE systems for $$$.

[SNKNostalgia]

Like I said I am down. I actually would much just rather send my system off to get the mod done now that I look at that board you made. I would probably have a little troubleshooting issues with that. I havn't built a circuit board since Electronics 1 and 2 Votech in highschool 1998-1999. Although I have a good enough understanding of electronics, I still am not a pro or anything at it.

Also what suggestions do you have for a fan mod install? What kind of model? One thing, the smaller the better.

[MrFulci]

I've been looking around for sometime for a person to mod these systems. It's been pretty difficult. It's pretty easy to find a Genesis modder, I've had no difficulty finding various sources for that... None.

Nice to see you taking up the slack, grahf!

When does it look like you'll be ready to start taking on systems?? Now that I can see a solution is near, I'm getting impatient, haha.

[grahf]

I'm wire transferring the cash tomorrow for a shipment of ICs. I also need to quadruple check my pcb design before I have those made, since I dont want any expensive mistakes.  I'm estimating a few weeks before i'm ready, but it may be less. I dont want to make any promises before I have things in-hand, built and tested.   Im more than happy to help anyone construct their own, but like Black_Tiger says I know not everything is capable of doing it themselves.

SNKNostalgia, I havn't even considered a fan mod. I dont feel that my DuoR gets hot enough to warrant it. It has two power regulators and they are both adequatly heat sinked. Unfortunatly I cant offer any suggestions since I havnt done any real research on fans of this type.

MrFulci, If your REALLY as impatient as you say i'd be willing to pull the circuit out of my personal Duo for you. Send me a PM and we can work out the details.

[MrFulci]

I'm not THAT impatient, grahf!

Though if the PCB's have a delay of 3 months or so, I will take you up on your offer!

Impatient maybe not the best word I chose for that last post, a better word would be "anticipating".

Keep this thread updated, I like to hear how the progress is going.

[grahf]

Well I received most of my parts in the mail and started construction of my first board. The only thing i'm waiting for is the CXA2075s. Hopefully it wont take more than a few more days for them to arrive, but there is always the chance that customs will do their magic  

Here is a pic of a partially assembled board. Please note that my hand isnt that pink in real life

[MrFulci]

ooooooooooooooo, do those work?

Keep this thread updated. When the other parts arrive, and you confirm everything works together, I am ready to ship my item to you! I have a big packing box, bubble wrap, all that stuff here waiting for me to place the Duo-R in and ship to YOU!

Let me know when you are ready to accept units for modding.

What type of turn-around time will there be, from the time the Duo-R arrives with you, 'til you ship it back?

[nodtveidt]

Rather than search for it, what exactly happened with nod?

Ironically, this was a problem with D-Lite. He had sold me a briefcase setup. The connector between the CDROM and the base unit had become damaged in shipping because I guess he forgot to lock it in. I sent the unit back to him for repair. When I got it back, the machine wouldn't power on at all. After trying a bunch of things to get it to work to no avail, I just packed the thing away for a long time.

Recently, I dragged it back out again to see if it'd work...hey, you never know, these things happen. Someone suggested to try turning on the power of the unit and then plug in the adapter, but as I figured, it didn't work. But then I noticed something important...this was NOT the same unit D-Lite had sent me originally...the original unit had screwdriver marks on one side where I had attempted to pry the thing open, they were not there. This one had only three security screws on the entire thing, plus scratches on the bottom that weren't there on the unit he had originally sold me. Needless to say, I was a bit pissed. So, I decided to see if I could fix it myself.

I was successful.

[grahf]

MrFulci, turn around time will probably be a few days at most. Most of the work is building and testing the circuit. Installing it in the system can be done quickly in comparison.

Nod, thats a tough break. I guess the only good thing to come out of that deal, was that now you learned a little bit more about your PCE.

[kid_rondeau]

Lord Grahf,
Do you plan to post schematics of your circuit there for people who wish to Mod their own system? Will this Mod work on the TG-CD deck?

[grahf]

kspiff already made up a decent schematic. I checked it over, and it seems to be all correct. Its not really complex, but it can be hard to understand whats going on for someone who isnt familiar with electronics. Check this thread for info:  http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=2788

And yes, this will work on any PCE. I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you have about making your own circuit. Im not trying to get rich off of this, I'm just going to be offering a service for those who dont have the skill or time to do it themselves.

[GUTS]

That's an extremely nice looking circuit, can't wait to snag one.  Any idea on how much you're charging yet?

[MrFulci]

grahf,

I'm also curious what the prices will be.

Also, can you also perform region mods, by adding a switch onto a Duo-R?

I'd like to have S-Video and a switch done all at once, if possible. That way I do not have to ship it to someone else for a region switch.

Please let us know when you are ready to accept machines.

[grahf]

I dont want to give any final prices until I have all my costs totaled up. I should be able to charge a little less than what D-Lite was charging while he was still around. (I think his prices were fair). Having the PCBs made and sourcing these ICs is really pricey, but hopefully i'll be able to give you guys a decent value for your money. Those that just want the circuits to install yourselves, i'll be able to do that as well. Just give me a little time so I know where I stand on this stuff.


About region mods...  I never really liked those long multi-contact switches. Maybe i'm paranoid, but It just doesnt seem like something that will last for 10 years under heavy use. I have been considering making up some PCBs for an IC based solution, similar to what is described here: http://mbrandel.vizionaires.net/?page_id=48  (except with production PCBs like my encoder boards).
D-Lite was charging $40 for region mods. I think I can do the same thing with ICs for the same price. However in order for me to do that, I need to make quite a few PCBs at once. I dont know how much interest people have for region mods. If only a few people want it done, I would be better off using those 8PDT switches.

[MrFulci]

I'm looking for a region switch so I can free up space on my inputs. Currently the setup is fine, though after I have S-Video added to my Duo-R and also to the Genesis, the TG-16 will be pretty much the only item I have hooked up through compisite video. I'd rather just be able to remove it by having a region switch added to the Duo-R, than leave it hooked up.

I can always ship to you later for a region switch if you don't have the region switch stuff setup by the time you are accepting units for S-Video.