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Are you trying to ask if there is such a tool? Cuz this sentence literally means you're telling us there is one. I try not to concern myself with the airwires too much, I just place stuff where it has to go first if there are any components like that i.e. LEDs that have to sit at the edge in a certain spot, then as close to schema as I can since that's usually the shortest wire. One of the reasons I kinda wanted to try diptrace is that it places component to the board in the same way they are on the schema, very cool, but since I already know eagle and it does what I need it to do I haven't bothered to move over.

I agree with the contact cleaner idea, it can't hurt it, but disagree with the cap replacement. The one I took apart and tested had better cap readings than the not so name brand ones I had on hand. Just because they are old doesn't mean they are bad, if you have a LCR or ESR meter then yeah test them and replace if needed.

TheFox is working on a universal rgb PPU with all the palettes, http://universalppu.com/.

I don't think there is any discernible difference in the two, but I used a RP in the 1.0, no problem. There has been some chatter that the ??2c03'C' chip has less glitches, but even the glitches that the 'B's have is nothing to get too excited about, like in smb2 at game start falling down there is a little blue line on far right that jumps around. It's considered a glitch of the rgb chip, but really doesn't affect gameplay.

There are several layers that are silkscreen, 20-28, stuff like t & b-names as well as t & b-values. Be sure to check that the layers you want to get added to the Gerbs are checked when you do the CAM. My first order was missing all component values and diode cathode band markers because tvalues and other layers were not checked. It seems to take right at 3 weeks for proto orders to arrive after they've been sent to the fab, medium run stuff can take a bit longer since they are not sent it as often.

I used the auto router a lot in the beginning, but almost never use it now, it really does create more issues that it should! I think there is an online one that is supposed to be really good, but i've not really made any boards that were so large I couldn't tackle it manually, so i've never tried it and can't remember what it's called...

I've confirmed the power regulator supplied with the ns8 v1.0 board was causing the interference. Low_budget - does v1.1 come with an on-board regulator setup? http://youtu.be/MAtyZ7w4oyQ

#1 sounds like sram issues. #2 and #3 sound like video can issues. Run the 3-4 switch back and forth a bunch real fast and see if that issue stops. You can also try to turn the composite plug back and forth on the jack to see if it just has a bad connection. If that's doesn't work replace the whole can (rf, composite, sound, power module) with a known good one and see what happens.

I think I might try a different power supply setup, maybe something more like what the NES uses. I touch the pot used to adjust output and the interference changes direction and speed... Messing with pin 17 helped the interference a bit, but really messed up the colors, green seemed to be more dominate.

That board is my design based on the circuit posted by Ace on other forums for use of the BA6592F component encoder chip. I did some trials with pin 17 during the prototype phase of making that component board, grounding it, leaving it floating, neither made a difference to my eyes, but I will go back and retest with the NS8 and see if it helps. The only difference is I used the ths7314 rgb amp from the NS8 instead of the ncs2553 I normally use. BTW the 2553 is cheaper and seems to have the same specs.

I got more parts in so I did some more work, like cutting up the case and adding video ouput. 2nd vid - I'm having some major issues though. The component video output is crap, diagonal wavy moving interference, very hard to capture on camera but it's bad! As seen in the vid i'm using my own rgb to component encoder board so rgb ppu pin 21 sync and cleaning is not the issue. I also do not connect rgb ppu pin 17 to anything. Not had this issue on any of the nes-001 or nes-101 consoles i've used the board on. The cart is way too close to the back of the case. You've basically rendered %70 of the rear panel useless for mounting jacks etc since it's too close to the cart, there's only like 9mm between the back of the cart and the rear panel. It's really only possible to use the little bit of area towards the outsides. I'm sure you noticed this, but it really sucks and you should see about moving the connector inward. While you're at it, add a multi out footprint to the back. That can carry rgb, sync, svideo, composite, and stereo. And cords are still plentifull and ppl prefer them. They can get a multiout/scart cord and have an external video encoder, i.e. component, if they want or just feed rgb to a monitor with another scart to ??? conversion cord. If you have the room for the multi out there will be room for other stuff like a pcb mounted power input jack, another almost essential item. Moving the cart connector forward would help with dust flap mounting for the cart slot as well, you'll see what I mean in the vid. Still not sure i'll be able to pull it off... Another idea was to have the front loader's power/reset/led assembly mounted to the front of the pcb so you could notch the front of the case to fit them. I didn't investigate this too much though.

No prob!

I wouldn't worry too much about having a general stock of caps, places like Digikey make it simple and quick to get what you need in a timely manner. The only one i'd buy in huge bulk is the ceramic .1uF, it's everywhere for supply bypassing. However it rarely needs replaced, mostly I use them when making new circuits. For electrolytics, 220uF is very common for video mods and 2200uF and 1500uF are common for power caps. I would find a list of exactly what caps are in each of the consoles you are repairing and just buy extras of each. I usually buy one quantity tier or more higher than I need for the best discount. Just be sure to pay attention to capacitance and voltage capabilities of the caps, get the same or higher than the one you're replacing, never lower. Also keep in mind physical size, the higher the capacity and voltage the bigger the size, kind of important inside those handhelds... A $50 meter that is quality that will last for years and has temp? Not out of the question, though you may change your mind once you see these vids: That's the eevblog playlist for multimeters, lots of reviews but also $50 and $100 meter shootouts. He also has playlists for other beginner stuff like soldering. https://www.youtube....g?feature=watch There's a vid in there about soldering including what solder to use, but I use 60/40 .020" rosin core, I think that's 25 gauge. I really don't get hung up on brand.

I only ended up with it because one of my customers sent it to me to finish. Desoldering DIP 40s is not easy unless you've done a bunch of them and I guess he was not comfortable with it or didn't have the right tools to do it. So did you supply that little adjustable power supply board? I need to know how to adjust it, it's putting out over 8 volts and luckily I didn't power the board with it for too long. It's why I noticed the ppu and cpu were so hot near the end of the vid... Thanks for the info on the other items too! The case should be coming in this week or early next so more vids will be posted soon. Also the customer is thinking about putting a component video converter in it, i'll prolly use a universal version of the board I put in top loaders.

I'm in the middle of putting one of these together for a customer with rgb output. Here is some video of initial progress. http://youtu.be/nuul2b6e43s

Just go to Bootgod's database, it's pretty obvious when you look at the pics of the cart labels what is what. Here is a link straight to 'monster in my pocket.' http://bootgod.dyndn...ofile.php?id=76

I use turned pin sockets after having several dual wipe type fail from insertion and removal of chips with a bit of solder on the legs. It was pulling the wiper right out. Turned pin type has been hassle free. I can also say i've been sorry I didn't put in a socket several times, usually when trying to track down problems.

I'm guessing, but the original caps were prolly from a manufacturer that's no longer around, but i've only had one open so I don't know if they all have the same manufacturer's caps or not. Can anyone confirm? I think mine had all Jamicon caps. Here's the vid I did about it, even though they are all old, they all had numbers well within spec. http://youtu.be/VXjfaZPt4K0

According to it's library footprint it's pads are .1" spaced. I made my own .05" spaced 'connector' but the real issue was getting the pcb fab house to get it right. I ended up figuring out that the rendering numbers had to be played with for it to come back as a usable for .050 ribbon cable. I think the main problem initially was that the holes would come back plated so small none of the ribbon cable's stranded wires would fit in the holes.

What a pretty board! A quick scan and I only noticed one possible trouble spot, but it may just be the way the light is reflecting off it, can you check to see if there is still a good connection at the indicated trace? Would need much better pics or scans or an in person inspection to really check the board over...

If you have the logic board out, eliminate the on/off switch by jumping around it so the machine is always on if plugged in.

Pay attention to the sockets, the 3 in my Vec had wipers only touching the insides of each chip's legs, so that's where I focused any cleaning efforts.

I've not seen this problem specifically, but have you tried reseating all the socketed chips?

What CAD prog are you using and would you care to share the schematic and or board layout?

Don't do that! They may be difficult, but its just plastic, get a bigger handled screwdriver. Also, try tightening them a crack then try to loosen...