Replacing the aged Lynx screen with a new LCD screen is simple. All you need is an Atari Lynx II and the LCD screen kit by McWill (and optionally, a 5 V regulator).
Atari Lynx II New LCD Screen, 5 V Mod and Connection to Framemeister
Philips CDI 220/00 Mini MMC 60Hz Modification and Timekeeper Replacement
Recently I found a CDI 220/00 with Mini MMC mainboard. It’s a heavy and bulky unit that contains lot of PCBs, wires, screws and metal parts. It’s one of the first consumer CD-i players. Later models have all components on one single mainboard (Mono).
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NEC PC-FX Laser Pickup HOP-E1
I’ve been struggling with a weak PC-FX laser for quite some time. What kept me from changing the laser or pickup unit was that having to take the PC-FX apart and put it back together later is something you wouldn’t wish your worst enemy. A complete disassembly can be found here. However, getting close to the drive unit is surprisingly easy if you just follow this guide.
First, you need a replacement laser. I chose the complete pickup unit (Hitachi HOP-E1), which was available for about 15€.
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Rent a Hero Translation for Sega Mega Drive
A fully playable translation of Rent a Hero has been released last month. Let’s transfer it to a Mega Drive cartridge using this tutorial.
First, you need a cheap donor cartridge with SRAM memory, e.g. World Cup USA ’94, and remove the mask ROM. If the battery cell is empty, remove it too:
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Philips CDI 450 & 550 and Mad Dog McCree
More Philips CDI stuff arrived this week: The twins CDI 450/00 and CDI 550/00. While the 450 is a very common low-cost model, I’ve never seen a 550 before (actually the 450 + DVC was sold as 550).
Philips CDI 220 Service Software / Self-Test
Chapter 5 of the Philips CDI 220 service manual (the manual that helped finding the right spots for the 60 Hz modification) deals with the built-in service software:
5 SERVICE SOFTWARE
In the set there are 3 different testsoftware available:
1. FTD-display/keyboard test
2. Low Level test
3. Service Shell
I’m going to cite the instructions for 1. and 3. and add pictures or comments if needed (I’m not going to cover 2. as it requires an extra service pcb and/or terminal).
Note: The service manual is valid for the Philips CD-i players CDI 220/20 220/25 220/39 (PAL) and CDI 220/31 220/37 (NTSC). On other players/models the test instructions should be similar if not the same. Continue reading Philips CDI 220 Service Software / Self-Test
View LaserDisc Subtitles with TVGuardian 101
Most US LaserDiscs have CC (closed captioning) subtitles. To view them outside the US, you’ll need a CC decoder.
The TVGuardian 101 is a terrible device for uptight people that detects and censors words like “hell” in the CC subtitles. It is also supposed to mute the audio when an offending word or sentence is detected. For more details, see the manual that is available here: .
When the filter is turned off, this device is a very cheap alternative to CC decoders and can be used to superimpose CC subtitles on the LaserDisc video signal.
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Samsung DVD-N505 NUON Enhanced DVD Player
I finally received a NUON Enhanced DVD Player, the missing VLM link between Atari Jaguar CD and Microsoft Xbox 360. It’s in very bad shape and came without a remote control, but it works like a charm and even plays games on DVD+/-R and homebrew games on CD-R.
These players are quite rare and show up only once or twice a year on eBay. The model I got is Samsung’s last European NUON DVD player, the DVD-N505 without controller ports. There are two hacks to add controller ports though. I’m going for the latter hack and will add mini-DIN connectors to the Logitech Gamepads soon.
Sega Mission Stick – Continued
While removing the throttle wheel from the stick, unit I noticed two small plastic rings connected by a spring jumping away. It took me quite some time to figure out the correct position when assembling the stick. In case you encounter this problem too, this is how the rings have to sit on the throttle wheel:
Sega Mission Stick / Analog Mission Stick
The next Saturn peripheral on my list is the Sega Mission Stick (Analog Mission Stick). This is the black US model MK-80104:
It has been used before but is still in a very good shape. Unfortunately, it smells rather strange. Better take it apart to give it a good cleaning.
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