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

[kid_rondeau]

I haven't looked much for the CXA2075, but if you're looking for the CXA1645 is can be found here, in stock:

http://www.dalbani.co.uk/index.php

They're in the UK, so for many of us S&H will be considerable. Please note they have both the DIP *and* Surface Mount models in stock, but the DIP costs more. Also, I just noticed this...it says to allow 2 weeks for delivery on the Surface mount...hmmmm...

I picked up the DIP model (CXA1645P) for about $21, plus about $8.00 shipping. Not great, admittedly, but I would rather not solder the surface mount model if I can avoid it!

[grahf]

Nice find! Those DIPs are impossible to find. $29 shipped for the US isnt that cheap, but when I made my first circuit I paid $20 for a surface mount chip. I would have gladly paid an extra $9 for a DIP if I could have found it.

I would recommend anyone interested in doing their own mod to snatch one up. And if anyone knows of a cheaper place that carries the DIP package CXA1645s (that dont require bulk order), please share the info.

[grahf]

Ok, the ICs came in today so I assembled a circuit. Works beautifully. These CXA2075s are maybe even a tiny bit crisper than my cxa1645 based circuit in my personal duo. Overall i'm very pleased with the results, and I think the video quality improvement will speak for itself. I would have posted more pictures but I dropped my camera right on the lens boom, ruining it . 



BTW sorry for the big pictures, but it helps to see the difference.




The difference is really apparent when you look at the kanji. Composite is nearly unreadable, but  svideo is nice and crisp.
Colors are also much more vibrant, but don't bleed like the composite. I really wish I had the means to make videos, because thats where you notice the real improvement. Dot crawl is gone. No blurry mess of pixels when scrolling.






The real question everyone wants to know is pricing. I can do these mods for $85 including return shipping w/ insurance. Thats $10 cheaper than what D-lite was charging, and I feel your getting a better product. Between sourcing parts, ICs, shipping, and having these PCBs made i'm really not making much. You're mainly paying for my labor. I think this is fair, and I hope you guys feel the same.
-Ben

[MrFulci]

Looks nice, grahf, just what I'm looking for!

Do you accept money orders, or are you paypal only?

Also, any word on the length of time for a region switch? If it's going to be anymore than a week 'til you get setup for that, I'll send the unit to you now for the s-video stuff, and later ship the Duo-R back to you for the region switch.

I'll send you a PM with my details, and what I want done on the Duo-R.  Get back to me, and I can probably get this machine and funds out to you later this week.


Thank you!

[MrFulci]

I received my Duo-R from grahf yesterday.

Though, Federal Express decided to throw the box somewhere, stomp on it, something. That box was once square, now...



That concerned me, however upon opening the box the system appeared in one piece.



I assumed the white jack closest tho the S-Video was the composite video, I was right

It plays Jap and American Hu-Cards, everything is good there.

HOWEVER! When I tried a CD, it would not load!

I kept cool, figured it must have happened when Federal Express Drop-Kicked the box. I checked out the lens on the Duo-R, and saw it was in the center of the track. I figure, if it's broke, pushing it back towards the hub won't hurt, so I gently push the lens towards the hub.

After that, all is well! Cd's load.

I reccomend grahf's services, it's a professional job.

The only reccomendation I would make, is that if you decide to send your system to him, ship the sytem in a box within a box. That seems to be rather difficult to crush. Shipping game systems is often a gamble, which is why I often pack my items expecting the box is going to be thrown full force somewhere.

[grahf]

Shit, it looks like someone drop-kicked that box!   It must have been a decent jolt to jam the cd assembly. I played a good 2 hours of Gradius II before shipping.  Check everything over to make sure there isnt any permanent damage. It doesnt sound like it, but just triple check everything if you can.

Im sorry about the white composite plug, I didnt think you would mind. Ive got red/white/red/green/blue jacks, I didnt think to order yellow. If it bothers you, i'll take care of it. You're within driving distance of friends I occasionally visit, so maybe we can avoid the whole shipping process.

[termis]

Looks really good!  Excellent job there, grahf!

[MrFulci]

grahf,

I'll keep that offer in mind!

The white jack doesn't bother me, I had a feeling you may not have had a yellow jack around. The 2 white jacks just presented a bit of confusion at first, for a moment I thought, "ok.... 2 white jacks....".  I figured they would be grouped together, and I was right when guessing that the 2 audio would be together, and the 2 video together. Yesterday I only hooked up the Duo-R to see if it worked, that was about it. I didn't put any real gameplay on it 'til today.

The corner of the box in that picture doesn't give the damage justice, haha. That corner was squishly, like an acordion.

So far, early this morning and a bit this afternoon I played through 2 bosses on Fray, and got lost for a moment in the game (about 60min total), not too long ago I played 20min of Puyo Puyo SCD, 10min Buster Bros, 30min or so (I guess) playing through one map in Populous: Promised Lands.

I'm pretty sure I put 2 hours of play on the Duo-R, with 40min this morning, and 80min this afternoon. All with CD and SCD games. Nothing appears broke. Later this week, or the weekend, I will probably compelte Fray, I'm guessing that's another hour or 2 of gameplay there.

grahf, I'll let you know if anythign negative happens. So far, all appears well.

[SNKNostalgia]

When shipping a CD based console, take time to write in black marker on white tape, "Delicate Glass" on it. This will improve your shipping quality most likely. Of course, you can always insure packages through the post office for $300 at a $3.00 charge.

Quick question: Is the composite video a little better also when using the CXA 2075 mod? Also I have a regular US Duo, so I assume the results will be the same right?

[grahf]

MrFulci,
I thought I had ordered yellow jacks when i got all the others but unfortunately I didn't. I AM ordering them today for others who want a/v jacks, so keep it in mind. Luckily it sounds like your system is ok. I'm not sure how long FedEx gives you to put a claim in, but save that box in the mean time.

SNKNostalgia,
yes these mods work the same on US and Japanese systems. As far as composite video, the a/v jacks are just "piggy backing" off of the original output. The cxa2075 can be made to output composite video, but the factory composite out is already fairly decent. Because of this, I only designed the circuit for s-video. (RGB output is on the board if you want to add 3 resistors and caps).

Thanks for the comment thumpin_termis.

[Black Tiger]

SNKNostalgia,
yes these mods work the same on US and Japanese systems. As far as composite video, the a/v jacks are just "piggy backing" off of the original output. The cxa2075 can be made to output composite video, but the factory composite out is already fairly decent. Because of this, I only designed the circuit for s-video. (RGB output is on the board if you want to add 3 resistors and caps).

Thanks for the comment thumpin_termis.

And you can get an s-video to composite adaptor for cheap at Radio Shack that'll provide a super composite signal from the s-video mod.

Grahf, can you do the s-video mod on a SuperGrafx?

[grahf]

Sure can. It will work on just about any console with tapable RGB signals, including the supergrafx. The cxa series chips are very versatile.

[Soviet Conscript]

got my duo-R back today

had an region mod and an S-video mod done. very clean and everything worked wonderfully. i've had alot of systems modded but this one looks the best. very well done, i can now play US and JP cards on one system and all in a very nice looking vibrant S-video. good and friendly communication as well. I can confidently reccomend Grahf for anyone looking to get this done.

only problem was like MrFulci my cdrom drive wouldn't read. did a bit of research and figured out the disc wasn't spinning. figured out that the plastic around the spindel was slightly raised. pressed down lightly and it poped into place. works perfect now.

excellent work all around!

[grahf]

Glad your happy with it. Its really frustrating about the cd drives. Both of these systems were packaged well enough, but still show up with the lens assemblies jolted. I wonder if it would make any sense trying to put some kind of packing material inside the drive to keep things stable, or if that would do more harm than good. I've been return shipping via FedEx, but maybe i'll switch to the US post office. General opinion is usually that Fedex is better, but maybe not so much these days.

[Soviet Conscript]

Glad your happy with it. Its really frustrating about the cd drives. Both of these systems were packaged well enough, but still show up with the lens assemblies jolted. I wonder if it would make any sense trying to put some kind of packing material inside the drive to keep things stable, or if that would do more harm than good. I've been return shipping via FedEx, but maybe i'll switch to the US post office. General opinion is usually that Fedex is better, but maybe not so much these days.

i generally like fedEx cause they tend to be faster. though i don't know if they handle goods any diffrent. maybe its just been a fluke. though i did recive a modded segacd through FedEx once that had a switch that was busted during shipping.