Flashback2 Harmony Mod

[Flashback2 Harmony Mod]

Here is the final result. I'm quite happy with how it turned out - the USB and SD card slots are flush with the case, the Harmony PCB simply snaps in and out after the one screw is removed, and everything fits inside nicely.

 

 

How did you cut out the SD and USB slots? They are very nice looking. I'm not very good at cosmetics and could use the tips before I start hacking my FB2+.

 

I marked where I wanted the connectors on the inside of the case, and then cut holes from the inside of the case using a Dremel. I used a cut-off wheel to make the slot, and a tiny ball-end cutter to make the hole for the USB plug. I kept the Dremeled holes undersized, but thinned out the plastic around the perimeter of the holes at the same time. Then, using an Exacto knife and a small file, I enlarged the holes to the right size from the front, regularly checking the fit of the connectors. Doing the Dremel work from the back means you don't mark up the outside of the case when it slips, and thinning out the plastic a bit makes shaping the final holes from the front really easy.

[Flashback2 Harmony Mod]

Thanks everyone for your help! I finally got back to tinkering with this today. The problem was a messed up pad on the board (possibly my doing) and the on-board games were showing up in black and white because of a bad connector on the CRT in the shop.

 

Here is the final result. I'm quite happy with how it turned out - the USB and SD card slots are flush with the case, the Harmony PCB simply snaps in and out after the one screw is removed, and everything fits inside nicely.

 

 

Cheers!

[Flashback2 Harmony Mod]

I mounted the Harmony cartridge to the bottom of the case, as well. I just cut the relevant part out of the cartridge housing, roughed it and the inside of the FB2 up with sandpaper and epoxied it in place. There's plenty of clearance for the connector at the back. I also bonded in the an additional support stud through the hole in the PCB, but this was probably not necessary. The SD card slot and the USB plug end up upside down.

 

 

Unfortunately that's where my success seems to end. I wired it all up, closed it up, and it looks really nice but doesn't work. All I get on the screen is garbage. I opened it up and tried with the several game cartridges with the same result, and also get garbage on the screen if it's turned on without a cartridge in at all. I checked and rechecked over my wiring, did continuity and short checks, checked for power at the cartridge (4v not 5v, right?), and even shortened the ribbon cable and resoldered everything, all to no avail. I reopened J3 and closed J9, and the on-board games seem to work, though always in b/w (I was too excited to pull it apart to check if it worked right out of the box, so I'm not sure if this is a related problem ). Any suggestions on what else I should check or what I might have damaged? Also, please verify that the pins labeled 13-24 on the Harmony cart correspond to pin numbers 1-12 on the FB2 (though I tried it in both orientations, with the same results, which hopefully didn't damage anything)

 

Thanks again for the help!

[Flashback2 Harmony Mod]

I am considering getting a Harmony cart to mod my FB2. The Harmony user manual states that the cartridge should not be installed in a console during a firmware upgrade. If I hard-wire the Harmony cart into the FB2, will I loose the ability to upgrade the firmware, or will the firmware upgrade work with the console turned off and unplugged?

 

Thanks!