I like when tech TH-camrs leave in their mistakes. I think it helps less experienced people get the courage to try things and understand mistakes happen. I know when I started I was always nervous about messing up.
I've watched several of your modding videos and may I just say I sincerely appreciate how humble and real you are about your experiences installing these mods, seeing an accomplished TH-camr who has the courage and humility to not only tell us about but even SHOW his missteps to thousands upon thousands of people reminds us all that even those who are the best in their craft make mistakes, and sharing the mistakes can often be of more benefit then all the accomplishments. I'm currently getting ready to mod my GameCube and this is one that I am certain to get, I don't have a TV that has analog video ports anymore but I don't want some cheap-looking, improvised solution (like the adapter you showed at the start). I'd rather pursue the challenge and go for something that looks more elegant and professional, even if I'll probably screw it all up in the process. But with things like this, it's the journey that matters more than the destination. Thanks again for showing off this amazing hobby.
It’s been years since I’ve done this mod. Nice to see that the most recent revisions finally have the required 100ohm resistor integrated into the PCB via a jumper.
Helder makes some great stuff. Ive used his flex amps in many of my GBA and GB Macro builds. Also he's a nice person and has always responded to questions I've had in a timely and polite manner. Can't recommend his stuff enough.
Installed this mod last weekend with Helder's flex PCB. I definitely recommend using a desoldering iron if you can. Makes removing the digital video port a much easier task.
Nice, I already have an external HDMI converter on my GameCube, but I’d definitely do this project if I ever decide to make a GameCube for any of my friends or family.
Looks like a viable option for HDMI, and even more so now with the flex cable. I have to say, I really appreciate your honesty in relaying some of the pitfalls of doing these kinds of installations, and not glossing over your mistakes in the process. It shows you care about the viewers, and want to help us succeed in our modding efforts.
I definitely appreciate the fact that you leave in your mistakes into your install videos because we're all human and pretty much everybody that's ever modded any console has made at least one mistake and had to redo half of the install lol. Thanks Tito!
Your tutorial is so helpful! I used this tutorial to mod an HDMI into a GameCube as a gift to a friend, and now I've had 2 other friends reach out to me asking if I could mod their consoles as well!
To quote another of my favorite TH-camrs, Rainman Ray -- "I love my job so much, I do it twice!" Another great video! Your channel is in my top three of all retro: you, Adrian Black and George Portugal are what I consider must see when it comes to retro tech.
Nice flex cable. If I remember correctly, there is also a version of this Pluto mod where the Pluto board is put between the drive and RF shield. There, the HDMI port sits above the digital port. The port does not need to be removed. It would be awesome to see a flex cable for this too.
This is godsend! It was a pita to solder the Pluto board in my gamecube! The first time I assembled it I had a wire break free, re soldered, put it back together and it happened again. 3rd time it worked perfectly,
I like seeing how you recover from mistakes. I am guaranteed to make mistakes myself, and I feel good knowing that people with actual skills(you) can fix these things
Nice to see another HDMI mod for the GameCube! That new ribbon cable for the mod looks like it really comes in handy. Although it is a shame that the GC loses its digital port in the process.
It’s a decent trade off. For the limited options available for the digital port, you’re getting a very clean HDMI, which remains the current standard. Besides, you can always reinstall the digital port again, providing you keep it.
Removing the digital port really is a breeze with a desoldering station. Had it out in like 2 minutes. This looks like an awesome ribbon, think I will redo my Gamecube with this, thanks for posting!
I love that these ribbons are getting more commonplace, neater and easier installation for the sake of a few bucks? Sign me up! Thanks again for for the amazing content Tito!
Bought a few of these a couple weeks ago. Also just got some more Pluto boards in just today. His PicoBoot QSBs are awesome as well. Makes that install so much more pro looking. Kudos to you for showing your mistake instead of cleverly editing that out. We all do stupid things like this, and it's no big deal.
ChipQuik is a brand name, removal alloy is the low melt solder you used. Also if you're working with a large area like the digital port, you'll want to use a bigger nozzle on your hot air station. Bigger nozzle means you heat, and keep heated, more of the board at once.
I would totally add this to my SDLoader Gamecube! I love that they found a way to streamline the install. And you still have access to regular AV output! The cons seem minor compared to the overall process. This is beautiful!
Just a little tip for the removal of the video port. If you're doing this you can reapply a LOT more solder than shown in the video.The reason as to why you're reapplying solder to the contacts, is to increase the surface of the contact. Otherwise the heat gets absorbed by the motherboard and distributed everywhere, so the contact points won't ever get hot enough. So if you're really struggling, you can basically short the contacts to one big blob. The blob will distribute the heat between all contacts and you get everything out at once.
It's a neat mod I'll give it that, but I think I'll have to go with the Carby. It does just as good a job but there's no need to open your the GC or cut anything out. Plus my TV I use for gaming still have AV hook ups if I wanted to go that route.
This video was super helpful. I used a desoldering braid on the digital port first, then snipped the headers off as flat as I could. One more pass with a desoldering braid after that and the dvi port came out so easy with my rework heat gun. Also, instead of trimming off that much of the metal RF shield, I snip the end to leave a leg to secure that side of the shield. Looks a little better too on a transparent console.
Thanks for the transparency. A lot of guys on YT would NOT have left the mistakes in the finished video. I've been there, even when putting furniture together 😅We are all human, after all.
This is awesome! I’ve had one of these boards for over a year waiting to install but kept putting it off due to the crazy amount of wires. Definitely picking one of these ribbons up!!
Thanks for the tutorial! I actually had an easy time removing the digital port. I set my rework station ro 430 celcius. I made sure to focus the air a little more on the big pads, and did a slow sweeping motion ~50-60 mm above the pads. Came off in ~2-3 minutes!
@@gunsrtheanswer The cables are very rare, HDMI is more convenient, and my TV doesn't have component. With this mod, I can use progressive scan, play in widescreen, and even play at higher resolutions up to 1080i in some games!!!
Flux would help a lot with both the removal of the original port, and in getting the solder to flow when soldering the flex cable. It causes chipquick to sort of bead up, and makes it more manageable
Thank you Tito for always keeping the parts where you make mistakes. It makes me feel less guilty/alone when I mod and that I make some myself too. It’s part of the job, mistakes and learn from them. Great video as always 😊
We've all been there. I did the Sega Nomad external battery mod backwards and fried my Nomad sub board - luckily I got the Venus sub board from Oleg Endo which completely replaced my fried board, so it works now. I'm glad you were also able to get around your mistake! I'll do one of these internal HDMI mods on my Gamecube one of these days... I have a Carby right now and so far that works well for me.
Good video, used it to do this to my gamecube the other day, didn't have a hot air station or decent de-soldering equipment to remove the port, so had to cut away at the shielding, then cut off the pins to the port, then pulled them out one at a time while heating them up.
You are a life saver. I was trying to figure out why mine didn't work with some TVs. I forgot to solder that jumper as well. Thanks for making this and covering the mistakes you made as well. That really helps people. :)
I am surprised the shop offers a preinstalled flex cable on the Pluto board. Several years ago, when I stumbled across the internal HDMI mod for the 1st time, my biggest worry was how to get a flashed Pluto board. It is nice to see they include flashing too.
Welp, this is the sickest. So down. Thanks for the video Nacho. Felt your pain when you did the ribbon backwards. Appreciate the fact that you showed this too. Humility is usually all but lost on YT.
cool video man, I went for an external adapter myself, as I don't have a lot of spare time to become proficient at soldering and work on such projects. happy to get the knowledge all the same and would pass it on to friends with Cubes :)
Great gobs of solder! My first thought is, "cool I should do that...err yea right!" Tito, even when you screw something up you still manage to make this stuff look too easy!
To others who are performing this specific method for a Pluto ][x mod, the caps sandwiched between the heatsink and where the Digital Out port can get pretty warm. Take concern of where you route the control and 5V wires and the ribbon as well as the printed bracket. While the temperature shouldn't get absurdly warm and directly damage the mod, this should be noted for potential troubleshooting
Did this mod with the Helder flex and you where right. solder sucking the grounds made a HUGE difference. the port actually wasnt hard to remove at all after I did. I managed it with a 60$ amazon Heat gun.
@@gunsrtheanswer because the official ones are still more expensive than this mod even with the soldering iron (that i promptly used for other mods) yeild less clear results and are borderline un-obtanium. I mean not to be rude but due to them selling like absolute shart back in the day official gamecube component cabels are really hard to find in general, much less at a price that wouldnt cause my wife to chew my damn arm off lol
Thanks for all that you do! Folks like you help me stay motivated on retro gaming as a hobby-I use it as a reward to fuel my professional practice as I work towards a full-time career in teaching digital art and creating new media works.
Any time you're desoldering stuff attached to ground planes on a multilayer board, board preheating can be the key between an easy job and a pain in the butt with a damaged or messy result. A proper board heater isn't a cost to sneeze at, but if you have more time than cash you can also just gently warm the board up with your hot air. Can be quite tedious tho! My jank DIY solution is to suspend the board above a cheap Aroma hot plate set to the lowest setting. I put a shiny aluminum heatsink on top on the plate to try and conduct the heat to the air as much as possible and reduce IR (IR can scorch your board). It's slow, but you can't beat the price! You want to gently and slowly bring the temp of your board up only as much as is needed to do your job. When using a professional board heater I usually aim for 140C. With my DIY solution I take it easier and try to stay below 100. You don't want to heat it too quickly or too unevenly as that increases the chance the board will warp.
Love the video, Tito! Your soldering always looks very clean. Only drawback for me is that I don't have a hot air station. The internal hd mod would be awesome with the picoboot and blue retro mod.
If you can, preheating the board (if you can) always helps. Using infrared lights and getting up to 100-110F will make a difference over working with a totally cold board.
@@gunsrtheanswer at the time the only component cables were only made by Nintendo and were WAY to expensive to buy. This was the best option back then for the price. It has all the same advantages as the component cables but also is digital instead of analog.
You can install the Pluto board into a DOL-101 and it works, but you will have to hardwire the signals to the video encoder chip. You can't use the flex PCB this video is demonstrating because the pads it solders to on the DOL-001 mainboard don't exist on the DOL-101
Great mod, but surely v2 culd not require you to cut that post on the chassis (about 8:57). Gamecubes aren't all mint but that step just seemed unnecessary, and a minor rework could avoid it.
it would be cool if you do a mod involving the wavebird controller, imagine one with a rechargeable batt. with an USB type-C port. I love your out of this world mods. Keep up the good work
Tip!! Use a dremel cutting wheel to cut the metal hold downs. Then it’s very EASY to solder suck the pins out and then remove the metal shielding last with just an iron
Gamecube, one of my favourite console design ever and lots of room for modding. You can see these days gaming pcs can become small as a dvd collection box and consoles huge and ugly.
I found this mod confusing, it says 'fold here' but, you really shouldn't fold this cable like a seam. It shouldn't be 'bent in half' at all, instead don't apply any pressure to the bends so it remains floppyish. I 'folded' mine in half thinking this was right, and ruined 3 of them. I'm still struggling now with my Pluto board, having reinstalled it so many times this will be the last time I do this mod, it's the most frustrating I've encountered.
You did it! You made the tutorial for GC Pluto HDMI mod with Heldergametechs flex cable, truly appreciated that you went through all that work to give a well detailed installation process and what a wonderful turn out! The image is so beautiful and sharp! But one question you mentioned a pad may need to be bridged on the Pluto board, where does it get bridged too?
Too bad it's not for the DOL-101 and I gotta do it all manually :D The Pluto doesn't need a digital port, it needs access to the RS5C582C chip. Unfortunately I gotta do it all manually and they don't wanna make a flex ribbon for it lol
Tito. My guy. Solder Wick. Trust me, youll thank yourself A LOT when using it on connectors like the digital connector on the GC. And I've never heard of a desoldering Iron ripping traces.
Quick tip on removing solder that takes a lot of heat. Hold your iron on the solder joint with one hand and blast the surrounding ground plate with your heat gun using your other hand. Once its been melted for a few seconds set down the heat gun (while keeping your iron on the melted solder), and take a ‘solder sucker’ (the kind with a plunger) to it. It use that trick at my job almost every day, it’s always fun to see someone’s reaction when I get it out so fast after they spent too long on it lol.
@@Sacren365 yeah i know 15 years ago I thought I'd never get the hang of using those little manual plunger solder extractors and well that's not been much of an issue for a number of years. I did have to modify them to be more ergonomic to me though, since my thumb won't reach the plunger top to reset them, so rebuilt to reset it by whacking it on my thigh.
@Siana Gearz Yeah those little ones are kinda bad, to be honest. The ones we use at work are almost a foot long so I always pushed it down on my desk or thigh.
Friendly observation. On 8:28 you may like to add a "Don't do this yet" or "Watch fully/Wait until 9:04". If I was doing this, I may have fallen on the same mistake, because at least I tend to see the next step and just pause untill I'm done. Please be safe! ....
@@gunsrtheanswer widescreen and progressive don't always means HD. Also, 1. Component cables are expensive and you can't plug them everywhere 2. You can plug HDMI everywhere and it's incredible even on CRT PC monitors using a VGA adapters. HDMI-VGA adapters are wonderful even if cheap
I guess, I ordered the cables from Nintendo at the time, and they were not expensive. Before all the advances, Progressive scan was considered High Definition compared to an interlaced screen. Because it makes higher resolution images. @@ch3rry833
I wish I had this when I did solder mine years ago. I destroyed the power unit on the bottom. So I had to replace it 😂It's working now but this cable is pure gold.
great video. the pluto ii board is great, cheap to get the 480p hdmi output with full fucntions of gc video. However, cutting the metal shell under optical driver is not easy as video. suggest to ask the professional.
Nice, Tito! Does it force output at 480p? or do you have to force the games output method through swiss? Another silly question: do you keep all these consoles you've been modding in your videos? Cheers Man!
LMAO, I had two Pluto boards collecting dust on a shelf for about 5 years until I just gave them to a friend about 2 weeks ago. Bad timing, haha!! Thankfully I still prefer my carby anyway, so I'm not losing too much sleep over it.
As much as I love the GC, I like that a hacked Wii does both. It makes me wish the WiiDuel was still around, but it seems like its final production run has completed, and the project has been sunset. Hope some other solution like it comes about. It seems like a great mod for both the everyday gamer trying to get the most out of their Wii/GC games, as well as streamers who want to split their video feed between capture and displays. I can always hope. Anyway, thank you for the vid. Top notch stuff, as always.
Checked on Helders site yesterday after watching the video. Thought about it, and now that I went back the next morning the pre-soldered is out of stock.
For me, the problem with those hdmi replacement is that they always output only 480p at maximum. If you stick that to a 4k TV it's gonna look terrible because of the way that TVs upscale the image. Yes, you can use some external upscale to do that, but in that case what's the point? Just upscale the component signal and the result will be the same. I hope that someday those adapters will output at least 1080p, so I can have all my consoles attached directly to my TV with a good image.
I was going to buy one of the external ones and install it inside, nut this way is more neat, plus I am planning remove the drive and build a neat case with some fan mod.
The "Digital AV Out" text on the back of the Gamecube makes the HDMI port look like its standard. Such a clean mod
Another great mod and thanks for leaving in the mistakes.
Mistakes happen but don't let them stop you from finishing your goals.
absolutely. i always feel like a boob after mistakes like these. Glad to see I'm not the only one :D
I like when tech TH-camrs leave in their mistakes. I think it helps less experienced people get the courage to try things and understand mistakes happen. I know when I started I was always nervous about messing up.
I've watched several of your modding videos and may I just say I sincerely appreciate how humble and real you are about your experiences installing these mods, seeing an accomplished TH-camr who has the courage and humility to not only tell us about but even SHOW his missteps to thousands upon thousands of people reminds us all that even those who are the best in their craft make mistakes, and sharing the mistakes can often be of more benefit then all the accomplishments. I'm currently getting ready to mod my GameCube and this is one that I am certain to get, I don't have a TV that has analog video ports anymore but I don't want some cheap-looking, improvised solution (like the adapter you showed at the start). I'd rather pursue the challenge and go for something that looks more elegant and professional, even if I'll probably screw it all up in the process. But with things like this, it's the journey that matters more than the destination. Thanks again for showing off this amazing hobby.
Bless you, Tito - your videos make these projects a lot less daunting.
I’m so glad you find them helpful!
@@MachoNachoProductions I’d rather solder the Pluto my self but I can’t seem to find the separate Pluto board anywhere
lol this man got hands of a surgeon
i don't think he's real he's AI
@@bobbyurbina4488 you can do it too it’s not hard you have to use flux tho that’s what makes his joints and connections so smooth and good looking
It’s been years since I’ve done this mod. Nice to see that the most recent revisions finally have the required 100ohm resistor integrated into the PCB via a jumper.
Helder makes some great stuff. Ive used his flex amps in many of my GBA and GB Macro builds. Also he's a nice person and has always responded to questions I've had in a timely and polite manner. Can't recommend his stuff enough.
Installed this mod last weekend with Helder's flex PCB. I definitely recommend using a desoldering iron if you can. Makes removing the digital video port a much easier task.
Nice, I already have an external HDMI converter on my GameCube, but I’d definitely do this project if I ever decide to make a GameCube for any of my friends or family.
Both are great options
Which one do you use?
@@digsnbones Carby. It works fine and the remote works great.
@rickyrns1059 is the picture clear? I ordered a cheap one not knowing anything about them and it arrived today and was really disappointed 😂
@@digsnbones I got one of the original ones from Insurrection Industries, the image is definitely pretty clear.
Respect to Tito.
He makes mistakes so we don't have to.
Bless you and your time/patience to do these videos.
Looks like a viable option for HDMI, and even more so now with the flex cable. I have to say, I really appreciate your honesty in relaying some of the pitfalls of doing these kinds of installations, and not glossing over your mistakes in the process. It shows you care about the viewers, and want to help us succeed in our modding efforts.
Agreed it goes a long way towards trusting your mod opinions
I definitely appreciate the fact that you leave in your mistakes into your install videos because we're all human and pretty much everybody that's ever modded any console has made at least one mistake and had to redo half of the install lol. Thanks Tito!
Your tutorial is so helpful! I used this tutorial to mod an HDMI into a GameCube as a gift to a friend, and now I've had 2 other friends reach out to me asking if I could mod their consoles as well!
To quote another of my favorite TH-camrs, Rainman Ray -- "I love my job so much, I do it twice!" Another great video! Your channel is in my top three of all retro: you, Adrian Black and George Portugal are what I consider must see when it comes to retro tech.
Nice flex cable. If I remember correctly, there is also a version of this Pluto mod where the Pluto board is put between the drive and RF shield. There, the HDMI port sits above the digital port. The port does not need to be removed.
It would be awesome to see a flex cable for this too.
This is godsend! It was a pita to solder the Pluto board in my gamecube! The first time I assembled it I had a wire break free, re soldered, put it back together and it happened again. 3rd time it worked perfectly,
I like seeing how you recover from mistakes. I am guaranteed to make mistakes myself, and I feel good knowing that people with actual skills(you) can fix these things
Nice to see another HDMI mod for the GameCube! That new ribbon cable for the mod looks like it really comes in handy. Although it is a shame that the GC loses its digital port in the process.
It’s a decent trade off. For the limited options available for the digital port, you’re getting a very clean HDMI, which remains the current standard.
Besides, you can always reinstall the digital port again, providing you keep it.
Removing the digital port really is a breeze with a desoldering station. Had it out in like 2 minutes. This looks like an awesome ribbon, think I will redo my Gamecube with this, thanks for posting!
I love that these ribbons are getting more commonplace, neater and easier installation for the sake of a few bucks? Sign me up! Thanks again for for the amazing content Tito!
Bought a few of these a couple weeks ago. Also just got some more Pluto boards in just today.
His PicoBoot QSBs are awesome as well. Makes that install so much more pro looking.
Kudos to you for showing your mistake instead of cleverly editing that out. We all do stupid things like this, and it's no big deal.
Just got my Pluto2 installed today. Outstanding!! Had a local Retro gaming store do it.Awesome work. The Game Garage. ♥️👍
ChipQuik is a brand name, removal alloy is the low melt solder you used. Also if you're working with a large area like the digital port, you'll want to use a bigger nozzle on your hot air station. Bigger nozzle means you heat, and keep heated, more of the board at once.
I would totally add this to my SDLoader Gamecube! I love that they found a way to streamline the install. And you still have access to regular AV output! The cons seem minor compared to the overall process. This is beautiful!
Just a little tip for the removal of the video port. If you're doing this you can reapply a LOT more solder than shown in the video.The reason as to why you're reapplying solder to the contacts, is to increase the surface of the contact. Otherwise the heat gets absorbed by the motherboard and distributed everywhere, so the contact points won't ever get hot enough.
So if you're really struggling, you can basically short the contacts to one big blob. The blob will distribute the heat between all contacts and you get everything out at once.
It's a neat mod I'll give it that, but I think I'll have to go with the Carby. It does just as good a job but there's no need to open your the GC or cut anything out. Plus my TV I use for gaming still have AV hook ups if I wanted to go that route.
This video was super helpful. I used a desoldering braid on the digital port first, then snipped the headers off as flat as I could. One more pass with a desoldering braid after that and the dvi port came out so easy with my rework heat gun. Also, instead of trimming off that much of the metal RF shield, I snip the end to leave a leg to secure that side of the shield. Looks a little better too on a transparent console.
I have the component cable and a component to hdmi. Had gotten the component cable back in the day.
Nice! Those are crazy expensive now
Thanks for the transparency. A lot of guys on YT would NOT have left the mistakes in the finished video. I've been there, even when putting furniture together 😅We are all human, after all.
This is awesome! I’ve had one of these boards for over a year waiting to install but kept putting it off due to the crazy amount of wires. Definitely picking one of these ribbons up!!
Everytime I watch your videos, I can't get over your intro. So epic!!! Great vid always.
Thanks for the tutorial! I actually had an easy time removing the digital port. I set my rework station ro 430 celcius. I made sure to focus the air a little more on the big pads, and did a slow sweeping motion ~50-60 mm above the pads. Came off in ~2-3 minutes!
Why don't you just use the component cables from Nintendo? Then you can turn on progressive scan mode and play in widescreen, HD.
@@gunsrtheanswer The cables are very rare, HDMI is more convenient, and my TV doesn't have component. With this mod, I can use progressive scan, play in widescreen, and even play at higher resolutions up to 1080i in some games!!!
Flux would help a lot with both the removal of the original port, and in getting the solder to flow when soldering the flex cable. It causes chipquick to sort of bead up, and makes it more manageable
Thank you Tito for always keeping the parts where you make mistakes. It makes me feel less guilty/alone when I mod and that I make some myself too. It’s part of the job, mistakes and learn from them. Great video as always 😊
We've all been there. I did the Sega Nomad external battery mod backwards and fried my Nomad sub board - luckily I got the Venus sub board from Oleg Endo which completely replaced my fried board, so it works now. I'm glad you were also able to get around your mistake!
I'll do one of these internal HDMI mods on my Gamecube one of these days... I have a Carby right now and so far that works well for me.
Thank you for showing us the mistakes!! Your presentation really makes it easier to follow along.
Good video, used it to do this to my gamecube the other day, didn't have a hot air station or decent de-soldering equipment to remove the port, so had to cut away at the shielding, then cut off the pins to the port, then pulled them out one at a time while heating them up.
You are a life saver. I was trying to figure out why mine didn't work with some TVs. I forgot to solder that jumper as well. Thanks for making this and covering the mistakes you made as well. That really helps people. :)
I am surprised the shop offers a preinstalled flex cable on the Pluto board. Several years ago, when I stumbled across the internal HDMI mod for the 1st time, my biggest worry was how to get a flashed Pluto board. It is nice to see they include flashing too.
Oh, Thank God. I've had a Pluto gathering dust for months because I couldn't get all the wires to solder neatly. This flex ribbon is a life saver.
Very nice thanks, did 2 from scratch, I highly recommend using hot air on low at 400C plus desoldering gun to get the digital port off very easily.
Tito, you are the man. You get a lot of respect for including the oopsie
Welp, this is the sickest.
So down. Thanks for the video Nacho. Felt your pain when you did the ribbon backwards.
Appreciate the fact that you showed this too. Humility is usually all but lost on YT.
cool video man, I went for an external adapter myself, as I don't have a lot of spare time to become proficient at soldering and work on such projects. happy to get the knowledge all the same and would pass it on to friends with Cubes :)
Why don't you just use the component cables from Nintendo? Then you can turn on progressive scan mode and play in widescreen, HD.
@@gunsrtheanswer mostly because i plan to hook up to a spare monitor rather than a tv, and would rather a higher quality picture overall
I doubt hdmi will look any better than component. But hey, do what you do.@@onigvd77
Great gobs of solder! My first thought is, "cool I should do that...err yea right!"
Tito, even when you screw something up you still manage to make this stuff look too easy!
Thanks Angie! I can’t believe I messed it up initially 😅 was thankfully able to sort it out in the end
To others who are performing this specific method for a Pluto ][x mod, the caps sandwiched between the heatsink and where the Digital Out port can get pretty warm. Take concern of where you route the control and 5V wires and the ribbon as well as the printed bracket. While the temperature shouldn't get absurdly warm and directly damage the mod, this should be noted for potential troubleshooting
Did this mod with the Helder flex and you where right. solder sucking the grounds made a HUGE difference. the port actually wasnt hard to remove at all after I did. I managed it with a 60$ amazon Heat gun.
Why don't you just use the component cables from Nintendo? Then you can turn on progressive scan mode and play in widescreen, HD.
@@gunsrtheanswer because the official ones are still more expensive than this mod even with the soldering iron (that i promptly used for other mods) yeild less clear results and are borderline un-obtanium.
I mean not to be rude but due to them selling like absolute shart back in the day official gamecube component cabels are really hard to find in general, much less at a price that wouldnt cause my wife to chew my damn arm off lol
oh wow. I didn't know the cables are so valuable. Im glad I have them. @@5speedfatty
Thanks for all that you do! Folks like you help me stay motivated on retro gaming as a hobby-I use it as a reward to fuel my professional practice as I work towards a full-time career in teaching digital art and creating new media works.
This is a great video. It has nothing to do with you specifically but it always amazed me the lenghts people will go to to NOT get a CRT
Any time you're desoldering stuff attached to ground planes on a multilayer board, board preheating can be the key between an easy job and a pain in the butt with a damaged or messy result.
A proper board heater isn't a cost to sneeze at, but if you have more time than cash you can also just gently warm the board up with your hot air. Can be quite tedious tho!
My jank DIY solution is to suspend the board above a cheap Aroma hot plate set to the lowest setting. I put a shiny aluminum heatsink on top on the plate to try and conduct the heat to the air as much as possible and reduce IR (IR can scorch your board). It's slow, but you can't beat the price!
You want to gently and slowly bring the temp of your board up only as much as is needed to do your job. When using a professional board heater I usually aim for 140C. With my DIY solution I take it easier and try to stay below 100. You don't want to heat it too quickly or too unevenly as that increases the chance the board will warp.
Love the video, Tito! Your soldering always looks very clean. Only drawback for me is that I don't have a hot air station.
The internal hd mod would be awesome with the picoboot and blue retro mod.
If you can, preheating the board (if you can) always helps. Using infrared lights and getting up to 100-110F will make a difference over working with a totally cold board.
Hell yeah!! I bought one of these Pluto boards like a year ago and haven't got around to finishing it up. Thanks for sharing.
Why don't you just use the component cables from Nintendo? Then you can turn on progressive scan mode and play in widescreen, HD.
That thing will make everyone's life so much easier. I remember spending like 9 hours doing this mod awhile back
Why don't you just use the component cables from Nintendo? Then you can turn on progressive scan mode and play in widescreen, HD.
@@gunsrtheanswer at the time the only component cables were only made by Nintendo and were WAY to expensive to buy. This was the best option back then for the price. It has all the same advantages as the component cables but also is digital instead of analog.
Is it possible to install a mod like this in a DOL-101? I honestly feel like that'd be the most compelling use case at least for me
You can install the Pluto board into a DOL-101 and it works, but you will have to hardwire the signals to the video encoder chip. You can't use the flex PCB this video is demonstrating because the pads it solders to on the DOL-001 mainboard don't exist on the DOL-101
As always great to follow your videos they are relaxing and you can learn a lot thx greetings from Germany
Helder: "I GOT A CABLE FOR THAT!!!" literally everything lol
Great mod, but surely v2 culd not require you to cut that post on the chassis (about 8:57). Gamecubes aren't all mint but that step just seemed unnecessary, and a minor rework could avoid it.
Please do a comparison between the GCDual and the Pluto GC HDMI.
It would be nice to have a DOL 101 version. Awesome video as always.
This video is so relaxing I could take a nap.
it would be cool if you do a mod involving the wavebird controller, imagine one with a rechargeable batt. with an USB type-C port. I love your out of this world mods. Keep up the good work
Love how many mods I've been seeing for Gamecube recently.
I have a pluto lying around still waiting for thatDOL-001 i need to score on a convention :P
Will defo buy this kit when I do!
Awesome opening shot! And great video overall, as always!
Thanks!
Tip!! Use a dremel cutting wheel to cut the metal hold downs. Then it’s very EASY to solder suck the pins out and then remove the metal shielding last with just an iron
Everytime I hear the theme to this channel I find myself singing, "Goodbye Horses".
Gamecube, one of my favourite console design ever and lots of room for modding. You can see these days gaming pcs can become small as a dvd collection box and consoles huge and ugly.
Use flux it helps the solder to flow and invest in a desoldering gun it makes file easier .
For cutting the metal shield, id suggest using some tin snips, makes it so much easier.
I found this mod confusing, it says 'fold here' but, you really shouldn't fold this cable like a seam. It shouldn't be 'bent in half' at all, instead don't apply any pressure to the bends so it remains floppyish. I 'folded' mine in half thinking this was right, and ruined 3 of them. I'm still struggling now with my Pluto board, having reinstalled it so many times this will be the last time I do this mod, it's the most frustrating I've encountered.
Why don't you just use the component cables from Nintendo? Then you can turn on progressive scan mode and play in widescreen, HD.
You did it! You made the tutorial for GC Pluto HDMI mod with Heldergametechs flex cable, truly appreciated that you went through all that work to give a well detailed installation process and what a wonderful turn out! The image is so beautiful and sharp! But one question you mentioned a pad may need to be bridged on the Pluto board, where does it get bridged too?
Too bad it's not for the DOL-101 and I gotta do it all manually :D The Pluto doesn't need a digital port, it needs access to the RS5C582C chip. Unfortunately I gotta do it all manually and they don't wanna make a flex ribbon for it lol
Tito. My guy. Solder Wick. Trust me, youll thank yourself A LOT when using it on connectors like the digital connector on the GC. And I've never heard of a desoldering Iron ripping traces.
Quick tip on removing solder that takes a lot of heat. Hold your iron on the solder joint with one hand and blast the surrounding ground plate with your heat gun using your other hand. Once its been melted for a few seconds set down the heat gun (while keeping your iron on the melted solder), and take a ‘solder sucker’ (the kind with a plunger) to it. It use that trick at my job almost every day, it’s always fun to see someone’s reaction when I get it out so fast after they spent too long on it lol.
Shiiiit nobody has the two handed coordination and the dexterity for that!
Showoff.
@Siana Gearz yeah it takes a little practice, but it's really handy in a production setting. It sounds a lot harder than it is though trust me. 😄
@@Sacren365 yeah i know 15 years ago I thought I'd never get the hang of using those little manual plunger solder extractors and well that's not been much of an issue for a number of years. I did have to modify them to be more ergonomic to me though, since my thumb won't reach the plunger top to reset them, so rebuilt to reset it by whacking it on my thigh.
@Siana Gearz Yeah those little ones are kinda bad, to be honest. The ones we use at work are almost a foot long so I always pushed it down on my desk or thigh.
just a few months ago I found an orange GC with the HD dongle and SD mod for only 20$ my best find of my life
Use solder wick it soaks up the solder and makes it insanely easy to remove components and clean traces
I got a LG OLED B2 tv and the GameCube won't work on it either way (solder pads bridged and not bridged). No signal. Any suggestions?
Friendly observation. On 8:28 you may like to add a "Don't do this yet" or "Watch fully/Wait until 9:04". If I was doing this, I may have fallen on the same mistake, because at least I tend to see the next step and just pause untill I'm done.
Please be safe!
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Thank you for the observation! Did you happen to skip this part? 3:21
@@MachoNachoProductions I totally did! 🤣🤣 My bad. Went straight to the tutorial itself. Thanks!
This makes me feel some type of way. I installed my pluto back in dec.
The Pluto is great. The ribbon (when installed correctly) is pretty simple to install
@@MachoNachoProductions just ordered a ribbon. I want to clean up my wiring mess
I think I never said, but I love that intro
If you don't want to remove the heatshrink, you can sneak a wire under the heatshrink itself! I did it this way, it required just a couple of attempts
Why don't you just use the component cables from Nintendo? Then you can turn on progressive scan mode and play in widescreen, HD.
@@gunsrtheanswer widescreen and progressive don't always means HD. Also, 1. Component cables are expensive and you can't plug them everywhere 2. You can plug HDMI everywhere and it's incredible even on CRT PC monitors using a VGA adapters. HDMI-VGA adapters are wonderful even if cheap
I guess, I ordered the cables from Nintendo at the time, and they were not expensive. Before all the advances, Progressive scan was considered High Definition compared to an interlaced screen. Because it makes higher resolution images. @@ch3rry833
I wish I had this when I did solder mine years ago. I destroyed the power unit on the bottom. So I had to replace it 😂It's working now but this cable is pure gold.
I'm just happy you are saying conductors instead of wires. Really 😁
great video.
the pluto ii board is great, cheap to get the 480p hdmi output with full fucntions of gc video. However, cutting the metal shell under optical driver is not easy as video. suggest to ask the professional.
Nice, Tito! Does it force output at 480p? or do you have to force the games output method through swiss? Another silly question: do you keep all these consoles you've been modding in your videos? Cheers Man!
LMAO, I had two Pluto boards collecting dust on a shelf for about 5 years until I just gave them to a friend about 2 weeks ago. Bad timing, haha!! Thankfully I still prefer my carby anyway, so I'm not losing too much sleep over it.
Wow... I could actually do this one, with that flex! Freaking Helder man, kicking some butt! Awesome stuff!!!!
Hey man, i love your GameCube mod videos, I just had a quick question. Would this mod work on DOL-101 models?
Unfortunately it only works on the DOL-001
@@MachoNachoProductions Aw damn, thanks for answering my question! Do you know if there is any internal HDMI mods for the DOL-101?
6:20 You'll have better luck if you use a larger nozzle! Great content as always.
As much as I love the GC, I like that a hacked Wii does both. It makes me wish the WiiDuel was still around, but it seems like its final production run has completed, and the project has been sunset.
Hope some other solution like it comes about. It seems like a great mod for both the everyday gamer trying to get the most out of their Wii/GC games, as well as streamers who want to split their video feed between capture and displays.
I can always hope. Anyway, thank you for the vid. Top notch stuff, as always.
100% agree , we need HDMI mod for the original Wii !
I didn't know this was still being made
The OD shield is best resized with a cutoff wheel or angle grinder.. clean and no mis-shaped aluminum
Pretty happy with how the ossc makes the cube look. Looking forward to the ossc pro and hopes it takes the retrotink out of the ring
Checked on Helders site yesterday after watching the video. Thought about it, and now that I went back the next morning the pre-soldered is out of stock.
For me, the problem with those hdmi replacement is that they always output only 480p at maximum. If you stick that to a 4k TV it's gonna look terrible because of the way that TVs upscale the image.
Yes, you can use some external upscale to do that, but in that case what's the point? Just upscale the component signal and the result will be the same.
I hope that someday those adapters will output at least 1080p, so I can have all my consoles attached directly to my TV with a good image.
Why use this over one of the plug n play HDMI adaptors?
It’s just a matter of personal preference. Both are great options each with their own pros and cons
@@MachoNachoProductions what are the pros of this, other than being internal?
I was going to buy one of the external ones and install it inside, nut this way is more neat, plus I am planning remove the drive and build a neat case with some fan mod.
If I had a hot air gun this is the HDMI mod I'd do. Adding a hot air gun to the cost though is going to keep me away, at least for now. Great video!
When cutting the metal shield, it's better to file the folded edge at 45 degrees and it'll break off easier
Best intro ever! Lovit!