CZroe

Great! I should point out that the eBay installer didn’t add solder to the HDMI mounting tabs on the bottom which is something I planned to correct but since you won’t have to send it I might as well point it out. FWIW, RetroActive has not authorized me to share that file but I would have contacted him for permission and sent the programmer if you were were not able to send the kit. Sending you a PM.

Thanks. Just wanted a peek at the installer code (0CB) to see if it was one of mine since RetroActive uses them to establish a chain of responsibility for these. Not sure who has 0CB but GameTechUS is 0BN and I am 0DC (his HW2 pic was one of my kits ;)). Anyway, I'm happy to try my recovery file but that requires sending me the kit. I just noticed a similar post about a bricked UltraHDMI kit on Shmups forum but the username was different: Fazz84. Is that also you? I plan to reach out over there next, just in case.

Please see above.

I saw your Q&A with RetroRGB. He is right that Marshall/RetroActive expects your installer to support any issues, but I can help if it really is just a failed update. Mine bricked when updating to unreleased 1.08FW back in 2018 and, as an installer, Marshall shared everything I needed to unbrick it. I bricked mine by pulling DCDI while it was updating (changed inputs on my TV), which caused the UltraHDMI to disable itself. The final FW1.08 fixes this by ignoring DCDI during FW updates, but there is nothing the 1.08 Updater can do about it until you are updated to 1.08. Since there is nothing newer than 1.08, anyone updating today still has the potential to run into this issue. When updating: Don’t switch inputs or power off the TV. Don’t unplug the HDMI cable or move anything that could cause even a momentary disconnect. ...and, of course, all the usual about maintaining power and such. What installer code is on your console’s UltraHDMI sticker?

FYI, the SGX only gets mono CD audio through the ROM² Adapter anyway. In that setup you are expected to get stereo audio from the Interface Unit and video from the SGX directly, leaving the audio plugs from the SGX dangling. With a Super CD-ROM² you just plug the same stereo AV cables into that instead. ...and I think you touched on the reason Voultar gave up on YUV from the PCE when he went to S-Video instead.

It's a replacement BIOS chip that boots up and checks a bunch of things but I'm pretty sure your original BIOS chip is soldered down. Trying the diagnostics BIOS ROM would require some electronics rework tools. I'd offer to socket the BIOS for you and try it but I just got a tracking number for a shipment of UltraHDMI kits. That means I'm going to be pretty busy managing the UltraHDMI group buy for the foreseeable future. The group buy members have been waiting a year and a half for this! I can still send a NeoDIAG ROM if you have some way to socket the chip.

Yours is an earlier revision than I've ever laid hands on. Steven gives me way too much credit! You mentioned corrupt graphics but do the games appear to be running under the graphical garbage? Is there any audio? It's definitely worth installing NeoDiagROM to looks for leads. Failing that, I look for little spots of corrosion on the motherboard... but that seems to be more of an issue for later models (something caustic splashed on at the factory). I sometimes socket the RAM and swap with known-good chips to see if there is any difference. MobiusStripTech has fixed a few of these for customers. He'd be my go-to guy if I couldn't figure it out myself so I definitely recommend him.

Wow! Those look really nice. How do you get those details with ABS on parts that small without ridiculous artifacts?! When I use ABS I can't get results like that unless I use vapor smoothening, which would make that weirdly shiny and remove the texture.

I made another last night salvaging the plug from a Shark vacuum adapter I found a year ago ($2 at Goodwill). http://imgur.com/a/GjtPM5W I also saw this post from someone in another thread where he found another set top box from the same ODM as the Dish Network Joey. Instead of Delta or LiteOn, his adapter says "NetBit." https://atariage.com/forums/topic/271045-anyone-know-of-a-source-for-7800-power-supply-connector/ Here's a quote: Just figure it should be recorded here too.

What you have is a set top box from the same ODM that makes the Dish Network Joey with the same plug that I reported here: The one I had in hand used a Delta branded power supply but another AtariAge user ordered a replacement and got LiteOn brand. Now we see yours is "NetBit" brand so it seems that all three manufacturers have access to these components even though we still don't know what it's called or where you can order them. Bizarre! Anyway, that thread also identifies some other devices with the same plug including Brinkmann Q-Beam Max Million spotlights and the Shark Euro Pro vacuum. I couldn't find my salvaged Brinkmann pigtails last night when a game vendor friend of mine asked me for one so I trimmed another Shark one that I found at Goodwill a year ago. Threw on some mismatched black heat shrink tubing but switched to black when I found some big enough. Then I took a "GlobTek Inc AC/DC Medical Adapter" 9v 1A DC power supply and unscrewed the casing to remove the original cord... that was also a Goodwill find and struck me as particularly high quality for a 9v PSU, hence it being serviceable with screws with positive and negative were marked inside. I threw the Shark adapter brick on the concrete in my basement to crack the casing open then ripped the wires off the PCB to retain the full length and the strain relief on both ends. The strain relief was much smaller than the original GlobTek but it slotted right in perfectly. I soldered up the wires inside and then tested the polarity with my meter. +9v should be to the right of the key/ridge when looking into the cable end with the ridge oriented up. http://imgur.com/a/GjtPM5W I switched to black heat shrink in the last pic.

Yeah, the Warrior 64 Pad is definitely a straight-up replica of the HoriPad Mini 64 much like the Old Skool ControlPad is a replica of the original NEC TurboPad. Everywhere you look in The States we have crappy replica original-style N64 controllers with an empty oval above the Start button where the Nintendo logo goes (several different brands) so it seems only some brands care to avoid this. IMO, the Retro-Bit Tribute 64 and Hyperkin Admiral are the ones that made some attempt to be different/legally distinct from Hori's HoriPad Mini 64 while IntecGaming straight-up didn't care short of copying logos on their Warrior 64 Pad. Just like the OldSkool ControlPad and the Hyperkin Specialist, all three are likely made by the same ODM manufacturing partner. Anyway, MadLittlePixel's controller test results with the wireless Brawler 64 looks extremely similar to the Warrior 64 Pad: My Warrior 64 Pad result is still slightly closer to the ideal range of a brand new original N64 controller but it's close enough to the wireless Brawler 64 for the difference to be a sampling error. They probably have the same circuitry converting the analog pot ranges to the N64's optical encoder format... maybe even the same ODM again. Yeah, it's pretty clear that there is one big ODM marketing these variations and controller production services to different brands in much the same way they did with those console-specific HDMI cables (#Pound, X-treme, XAgent, LevelHike, Hyperkin, etc).

Here is my visual comparison between the Warrior 64 Pad and an original HoriPad Mini 64: http://imgur.com/a/WLJQOut My twin brother hates the HoriPad Mini 64 but I had him play through a 16-star run of Super Mario 64 on both. He expressed no preference and had no complaints about the Warrior that didn't also apply to the HoriPad. I'm inclined to say that the Warrior 64 controller is slightly better since the range is a little tighter and there are some games where oversteering causes issues. Walking backwards in Blast Corps or randomly spinning out more in Mario Kart 64 were oversteer issues I noted with a controller called "The Rock" way back in 1997. I recall the translational logic in some Gamecube-style aftermarket sticks for standard N64 controllers limits you to something like 16 directions so I need to make sure that isn't the case here. Also, I've noticed that the quick sword spin technique in Ocarina of Time is much harder on some aftermarket sticks and emulators (even Wii Virtual Console) so I need to test that with the Warrior 64 too. That's the move where you spin the stick and hit B for a spin attack without charging the B button. It doesn't use magic like charging the B button does either. TL;DR: Early impressions of the pad are good.

I don't think I ever followed up once it was OK to talk about it, but the initial response from Best Electronics was that they were out of stock but working with a supplier on a new replacement with a totally new connector they had to create themselves (they couldn't source the originals either). He thought my inquiry was purely about stock or ordering one for myself and didn't realize at that moment that I had stumbled across something that somewhat undermined the investment he was making. The least I could do was honor his request and not mention what he was up to.

Though I seemed to be the first to notice that the notorious propaganda shill Lee Barrett was the same guy from the Warrior 64 kickstarter, PrimeInChina just made a video about it: No mention of where he found out and he seems to get a lot of facts wrong but it is raising awareness. First, they never claimed or implied that Lee was the made-up American they call "John" in their Kickstarter story. Though they may have assumed Lee could pass for American, Lee never even claimed to work for Intec. Also, MetalJesusRocks and thus PrimInChina are wrong about it being the same quality as the $30 external HDMI cables for N64, though that would be true if the N64 had RGB output and the external cables used RGB like they do for SNES. The actual scaling is the same poor quality scaler that deinterlaces non-interlaced 240p game content but the source signal is higher quality RGB.

The shell was better than expected in most ways but could be better in some others. The ventilation was the only part I expected to be better. Not sure what I was expecting regarding texture consistency since I didn't know it was supposed to have three textures (smooth, frosted, and acid-etched). The acid-etched texture around the smooth vents was the only one with a consistency issue. It does seem like there is more room above the heat sink for hot air to accumulate but it could still use more vents. I just recalled that my Bung V64jr512 cartridge conforms to a stock N64 shell so I need to see if that fits the Warrior 64 too. The plastic looks good and high-quality. The fit is good enough once screwed together. The design looks a bit better than I expected with the contrast between frosted and clear areas but still seems like an acquired taste. I don't hate it but I don't particularly like it. Some people will love it. I love the original design and don't expect this to grow on me.

Got to unbox the thing and test-fit a board in it but that's about it. I'm more impressed by the shell than I thought I'd be but it definitely isn't 1st party quality. One example: There is far less ventilation on top. Most of what look like vents actually isn't. Only two tiny slits barely wide enough for a razor blade. Granted, N64's don't really overheat even when you run them without a heatsink... but the Expansion Pak can. Indeed, 3rd party RAM was notorious for overheating and locking up. When the extra heat from the system I wonder if it will cause more RAM overheating/instability. I kinda wish they had put a few vents on the memory door. Mine has a tiny blemish in one corner and I can see a bit of plastic poking through where they used a label on the bottom to hide an injection mold point. Then again, I had a PSP-1000 with the metal ring in the back ruined from the Sony factory by the same exact thing (wasn't flush and never went back flush after trimming the excess plastic). What's worse is the texture around the smooth and mostly-fake vents goes from looking fine near the front to looking singed and dirty near the cartridge slot. It's a very different texture than the other textures parts of the shell... more like an Atari 800XL than an original N64. The other textures parts are more like an original N64. Yeah, there's no way this thing fits the 64DD or the Bung Doctor V64. I tried the latter. Makes me wonder why they bothered making as door on the bottom. The shape doesn't seem quite the same as the original so it isn't like they work as replacement doors on original consoles either. I kinda like how the power switch fits within the lines of the case until you flick it on. Unlike an original shell the two halves of my Warrior 64 shell don't really fall into place and seat together when unscrewed unless I hold them together with pressure. Not an issue but definitely a quality difference I noted from the typical OEM shell. I kinda wish the cartridge doors were opaque... like the solid green door flaps on a clear Jungle Green console. They look like they might fit an original console to work as replacements but, well, no original consoles had clear doors. The manual tells you to remove your old Jumper Pak or Expansion Pak with "a stick" even though you don't need to do anything (it comes off with the top shell). Other than telling you how to identify which adapter boards to use with which console, the instructions don't show you anything the YouTube video didn't show. No soldering tips or anything. It's just, you know, "step [whatever], solder the [thing]." I haven't messed with the controller yet but I have an original HoriPad Mini 64 or whatever it's called to compare it to.

A couple corrections: "Ollie Barrett" is spelled Oli Barrett, according to The Times. Oli is actually Lee Barrett's son, not his brother as I had previously read. Makes it even more despicable that Lee would call out Oli for shilling. The Time article exposing the Barretts as propaganda shills is behind a paywall but I'll be adding screenshots of it later. My DIY Warrior 64 kit finally arrived this morning... just after I left for the day. No real reason to be excited for this thing after RetroRGB Bob beat me to the punch on upgrading one but I still haven't seen a DIY kit unboxing anywhere.

Been waiting for this! Several months ago I traded an MV1 for an MV1-C and now I'm really patting myself on the back for it. Dude wanted a board that was a better fit for his Big Red MVS cab.

What are you using for a power supply? I think you might want to see all the things Perifractic tried to solve a similar issue in this video:

Here's a little treat for you guys straight from the British IntecGaming spokesman living in mainland China, Lee Barrett: A week ago I watched a PrimeInChina video about some shill in China named Barrett being exposed by The Times for being paid to push Chinese Communist propaganda: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/beijing-funds-british-youtubers-to-further-its-propaganda-war-x5gqp5fg0 I thought "that guy looks familiar" but I didn't quite connect it to the Warrior 64 and IntecGaming until seeing this video from SerpentZA today: (~52 minutes in but I cut it out and uploaded just that part above) Yeah, this guy is a paid shill with no shame. His YouTube channel is full of Chinese Communist Party propaganda about Huawei, face scans, Communism>democracy, etc: https://youtube.com/c/BarrettYT I say "shameless" but in the clip I started out with he actually tries to lay it all on his brother and YouTube partner, Ollie Barrett even though we have a solid example of him doing it right here with Intec. The clip was taken from his deleted live stream. Once he got the money he was negotiating for with that video it went *poof* so I'm glad we have an archive of it. Yeah, IntecGaming probably thought they could pass him off as American just like they thought they could pass this guy off as an Englishman: At least "Richard from England" was only intended to be seen by other Chinese people who might be convinced that this product is good enough for Westerners.

Well, I talked to someone yesterday and found that the HDMI port outputs 480p. The good news is that means we are probably dealing with the same scaler chip as some Wii2HDMI and RetroTink 2X. I have been unfairly harsh on this thing. That also means it sources composite video since it would need a RGB to YPbPr circuit to support RGB and there is no S-Video. I'm cool with that since the colors are wrong for RGB on PC Engine consoles anyway.

I dunno... It looks like that one is up for bids. Let's see where it ends up. Also, international shipping is going to be painful! Edit: OK, I see it's finished. That's actually one I had a tab already open for. Still, that's close enough that $400 for a tested one is reasonable.

Nice! I've been on the lookout for a deal on a ROM² Amp for a while now. How much did you see it for and did it have the speakers?

You mean the USB adapter bundled with the SNES Classic Edition? LOL! That explains it. I know the SNES Classic Edition is called "SNES Mini" in Europe and Austrailia but I avoid calling it that since a lot of people call the SNS-101 and SHVC-101 SNES consoles "Mini." Even then, the EU/AU version of the SNES Classic Edition doesn't include an adapter at all, much like the TG16 Mini, making me even more sure you had to be talking about original consoles. Since you never mentioned the TG16 Mini and the Everdrive could never work with that I figured you had to be talking about original consoles. There are reports of some power supplies bricking the TG16 Mini or the controller ports but it seems that it's often those non-standard 3A+ microUSB power supplies intended for RaspberryPi. It specified 1A (1,000mA) so a standard half-amp or less adapter may not cut it, but most have been 1A or more since the old iPhone 1" cube, which would work perfectly. CAREFUL! There are a ton of counterfeit Apple USB adapter that look identical but have even killed people. While most name-brand 1A chargers are fine I would not use any with a non-standard quick charge feature, like Samsung Fast Charge 3.0 or Qualcomm Quickcharge or whatever. I would also avoid USB-C to microUSB cables since there are all kinds of things going on with USB-C Power Delivery and cables with proprietary non-PD quick charging. Knowing the issues with this console, I might also suggest avoiding the ones that output 5.1v or 5.2v. They are probably fine but I wouldn't risk it. If the SNES CE adapter is 1A or more with 5v output, which I think it is, you should be good. It sounds like the perfect option. I've also used the one from the Genesis Mini, the Mega Sg, and one of my FireTV sticks. All worked great! On another note, it seems that the power issue results in non-functional controller ports so I would avoid plugging and unplugging USB while the system is on in case it is particularly sensitive to power disruptions there.

SNS-101 ("mini" SNES) uses the same power brick as the SNS-001 (original SNES), which should not even fit the TG16. The power brick from the Super Famicom (SHVC-001) and SFC "mini" is the same from the Family Computer and should work fine. An original Sega Genesis 1/Sega CD MK-1602 power adapter should also work fine (also used for Game Gear in Japan).