Just want to say thanks. I followed this guide almost exactly to mod my own NES. With your desolder technique, the PPU just fell out of the board when I got the last pin with the desoldering gun. I used 30 AWG kynar wire throughout, so it was very finicky and tweezers were needed lol. I've previously recapped this NES and I ripped-out one of the through-holes when bending one down to fit the NES RGB board; Learned the hard way to not be lazy and just desolder it to move it. Lucky I was able to fix it, but otherwise it was a smooth albeit long modding process. I'm using the HD Retrovision SNES cable with the Laser Bear port and Voultar's expansion audio board. Comparing it to my other fully-original NES is insane. It looks so much better. Thanks again for this guide and all of your others. DIY hobby modding is made so much easier with quality content like this. Cheers!
Really appreciate this feedback. One of the main reasons why I make these videos is to help others, and I am glad to hear that this video was so helpful. It’s definitely satisfying to see it fire up with RGB or component for the first time!
My man, THANK YOU so much for this video! Tim's instructions and notes on his website are decent, but being able to see someone actually go through the installation is so helpful! I have my 4.0 board on the way and was so nervous about following Tim's typed instructions. This video makes it a piece of cake!
Glad you did a video on the new kit. Mine is on the way. Already got the clear multi out from laserbear. Just waiting on the clear shell to replace a busted one.
I just finished installing the NESRGB 4.0 on my childhood NES. Now it has a SNES multi-out that can output composite, S-video, component, and RGB. Thank you for the video! It helped as a reference to make sure I got the expansion audio and new controller inputs and jumper settings right. I'm going to say that the version 4 NESRGB is the best for the front loader. The reason is if you want to you can shut off the board and just use the original composite AV out. Thanks for your videos. I love retro gaming!
Awesome! I’m really glad that everything worked out well with your installation. I agree that this is the best version of the mod so far! Enjoy that NES!
I have this cable from my SNES: laptopakkumulator.eu/img/57416/REB193263/REB193263.jpg If i use this cable for my NES with with this board, then it'll transfer the RGB-signal through all 3 RCA connector? (and the sound will work through the original mono-RCA output?)
always pull ground for any signals you do. in your audio example your left and right channels SHOULD be run with shielded two core cable where you have the shield connected to the reference grounds on both ends. with that long cable for extended audio you'd definitely want to use shielded cable and proper grounding :) been electronics designed for 15 years... i pay attention to this stuff by force of habit :) this ensures less noise pickup and less EMI issues with the audio when that long ground path doesn't work as an antenna
I want to say thank you for posting this video! I just completed my RGB board with multiout installation following your instructions. The board I received is slightly different than the one in this video. It shows NESRGB42 T.W. 2023 on the board. I noticed a few slight differences in the components on my board compared to the board in your video. I can't find any update notes for this version 42. Nonetheless, following your video worked flawlessly. I'm using HD Retrovision component cable and Retrotink 2x Pro and the picture is fantastic! Thanks again for your help!
Thank you very much and welcome back to the GAMER world of videos, I already missed Mod Fridays for consoles, you are a crack on my part I take my hat off and respect you for those beautiful works you do on consoles.
So good, so, so good. I just bought this board and the Laser Bear port. I want my console done just like this with the expansion audio and the in game combos. I would love to hire you to do the mod, I know it will be done correctly. Unfortunately I am in Ontario Canada and really don't want to add alot of extra cost for shipping. I have a somewhat local shop in Toronto. I hope it is good. If you change the pallet, can you set a new default?
Yes it will remember the last palette that you selected even when it’s powered off. Holding right, select and start together will bring you back to palette 1 which is digital prime
@@LIRetroGaming Hey so when using the SNES multi out don't you still have to use cables without components? I'm doing this mod soon and I want to use the multi out instead of the 8pin din so I can potentially share cables between my SNES and RGB modded NES but that wont be possible is I have to use cables without components. Am I mistaken?
Unless you already have one (or really want to stick with the Nintendo multi-out) you don't need a hd retrovission cable, tim sells a small add on board that adds component video out as a option. Far more cost effective
Instead of using a 47k resistor for the expansion audio, you can use a potentiometer. Doing so will allow you to adjust the volume of the expansion audio in the sound mix.
Great video and it is nice to finally get some more details on the changes. Still waiting for mine to arrive but hopefully soon. It seems to me that this mod could be reworked to no longer require desoldering the PPU. Seems like it could use a flex pcb on the underside to tap into the PPU pins. Of course then you would have to sort out mounting it somewhere.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video! Unfortunately the PPU will always have to be removed for this mod. The NESRGB board acts as a middleman between the ppu and the rest of the NES. If there’s a direct connection between the PPU and the board I don’t think the NESRGB could intercept the relevant video signals
If you want S-Video to work with your multi-out, don't forget to wire up the C an Y from the nes RGB board to your multi out, look up the pinout. Just thought I'd share!!
Thanks! It was really fun this year. Yes those expansion audio daughter boards are very nice. At some point I just need to build a whole bunch of them for myself
@@LIRetroGaming I have an AV Famicom that is very mint. Want to get it RGB modded. Do you have any of the NESRGB boards in stock when you open back up? I have one of Voultars QSB and Flex cable kits. Not sure if I’ve seen you do one of those before. Might make for a cool video.
Definitely saving this video to mod my nes when I have the time to. For future reference is it possible to install the rgb and hdmi mods on a single unit or does it have to be one or the other?
Right now, there is no longer any HDMI modification for the NES. But back in the day it was either one installation or the other. You could not have both
I just removed my PPU using the guide on the Tim Worthington website (where I ordered mine). I used solder braid as recommended but the pressure combined with the heat while pressing on the solder holes (to wick the solder up) damaged some of the holes. Thus, I would HIGHLY recommend using a heatgun (which I had but did not use since the official method was solder braid). I mean the damage is minimal (only the holes attached to nothing fell out)... but still not as clean as the heatgun left this project. (I'm always leery to use heatgun in case I overheat the chip... but it seem unlikely and I need to get over this)
Yeah I very strongly recommend a desoldering gun for the NESRGB installs. Braid does not remove enough solder from the vias and it’s so easy to cause damage as a result
This looks fantastic. I'm close to pulling the trigger on having my NES modded. One question, how are you connecting the system to your TV in this video?
Nice to see! But why didn't you just replace the 16V/100µF Caps? Those aren't expensive and by now around 35 years old.... You can get some new Würth from Mouser for 7c or so a piece, Japanese brands around 12c... I mean you need to touch them anyways...
Great video! Contemplating installing this on my NES. Just curious though. Does this mod also bypass region lock and or is it compatible with a NES with a cut lockout chip?
Any thoughts on how the timing capacitor switch impacts the NEScessity? As in does a similar replacement need to happen or did the NEScessity board slowdown the boot up enough on its own for it not to be an issue?
It’s really hard to say. I would personally try without replacing that cap first. If the warning LED turns on then the NESRGB is having an issue with power and the timing capacitor should be replaced
@@LIRetroGaming Follow up. It appears that yes you do need to replace a cap. For reference look to the bottom left of the NESessity (version 1.4), I swapped the .1uF below the mark for U10 with on the one provided it the kit. Of note the error light on LED 7 never lit up until after I did this. They would all just briefly flash and that was it, no signal. Light stays on solid now (which I assume is good?) Anyways I currently have it setup to using the RGB/S/Composite board from the NESessity kit. I have Composite and S-video wired-in, both seem to work just fine. Not bothering with the full RGB as I don't have a cable for it. The expanded L/R audio from the NESessity continues to work just fine as well.
This is an excellent video. I just got my NESRGB board in and installed it into my NES, and it worked first try! I even installed a multi-out port like you did. My only question is that if I try to test the regular RCA composite out, the picture is black and white, and very much not complete (such as missing sprites). Is it normal for the RCA composite port to lose functionality like this? Thanks.
Yes, it’s normal to lose that functionality on the rca jack. However, if you hold left, select, and start on controller 1 for 3 seconds, you can disable the NESRGB and the original rca jacks will work again
No, 60 Hz games are only going to work correctly if you have an ntsc cpu and ppu, and the correct crystal oscillator for the clock. The same is true for 50 Hz games, I would need all three of those things to play European games correctly on an ntsc console
Awesome mod! Just ordered one after seeing this. I'll be modding an AV Famicom, what exactly are the differences between modding that and this tutorial?
Awesome! Not too many differences - you don’t need to replace the timing capacitor and you also don’t need to close jumper J6. Otherwise it’s very similar
I am right in the middle of this, and it is going quite well for my first NES RGB mod. I was happy that the PPU just popped right out, which is what I was the most sweaty about. Anyway, I have two more questions. One is on the RGB board, there are two pads for ground, one on the left side, and one on the right.. I would imagine that it does not matter which pad is wired from ground on the RGB board that goes to the multi out? Second question; Is there a reason why you didn't include the voltage regulator in this install? Thanks for your continued guidance!
Awesome, glad to hear that it’s going well! For the first question you are correct, both grounds are 100% identical. You can pick any one you want. For the second question, I have found that the second voltage regulator it’s not really needed. The original 7805 can handle the NESRGB and running the console, and I know that Voultar and others have run objective measurements to show that the 7805 provides enough power for everything. All that being said, it’s totally fine to use the second regulator if you feel like it
Great mod as always! Love the new features on the nes rgb boards by tim now im glad i waited. Have you ever installed one on an original red and white famicom?
Thanks man! Yes these new features are really nice and I’m glad that they are readily available again. I have installed the older versions on the original Famicom, but not this one yet. That being said I don’t think it should be too bad
3:16 - Those aren't vias, they're through-holes. Vias and through-holes are both holes but they have a different purpose. Through-holes are for soldering components to the PCB; the legs of the components go through the holes. They may or may not be plated. Vias are for connecting traces on different sides/layers of the PCB to each other, and are always plated because the plating is how the electrical connection between the two traces is made through the hole. They are always empty holes (not counting solder which may be in them, which inherently happens when PCBs are wave soldered), unless someone used one as a handy point to tap into a particular trace to do a modification or repair to the PCB. Also, vias are only found in multi-layer PCBs. Single layer PCBs, like the PCB inside of an original NES control pad, never have vias because there's no other layer to connect to. Through-holes on the other hand, can be found on PCBs with any number of layers, including single-layer.
Thanks for the clear tutorials, this is what i'll be referring to when installing mine, i was able to plant a fmicom ppu cpu and crystal into a Pal NES and it's all working after cleaning, however i'm getting some crackly intermittent audio buzz, it was way louder before but it's still very noticable when there's no music going on. Do you think this would come through on the NESrgb's audio output? i don't mind not having audio on the side of the console so maybe it's easiest to just remove those resistors and solder the audio outputs of the PPU straight to where the resistors used to be, although i'm not sure if that would solve the issue.
The audio buzz should not be present after the mod. The NESRGB taps the audio at the source and handles all of the amplification and mixing, so it should be clear
@@LIRetroGaming Ah that's good to knowi did manage to clear up the issue by scrubbing the RF modulator, so all is well now, can't wait to see everything in action once it's insalled, thanks again for the great tutorials!
I wonder if the Kitrinx palette on the MiSTer core can be used on this. Apparently that palette was created using a program which stimulated how the PPU would generate the colors
I'm currently planning to install the NESRGB 4 board in my Japanese AV Famicom. What jumpers would I close for that specific console on the revision 4 board? I don't see this info on Tim Worthington's site or I'm just missing it. I'm guessing J1, J3, J5 to start but not sure on the other new jumpers.
PLEASE NOTE the instructions on the official site for install does not explain where the BLUE ceramic capacitor goes. This video shows you where to use it: Replace the brown capacitor located at C8 on the NES PCB with the included blue one.
If the NESRGB is designed for straight cables (miniDIN8) and SNES RGB cables are supposed to have additional components, then won’t this provide out of spec video with properly made SNES cables? NTSC SNES has 220uF capacitors on RGB and PAL SNES has 75Ω resistors on RGBS. Connecting the NESRGB straight to the SNES multi-outlet without changing the components can’t be right. I seem to recall someone telling you what components to remove or change… like removing some resistors or capacitors from the board and then bridging the pads. I can’t find those instructions though.
Helpful video thanks. Can voultars expansion audio board be used instead buying the resistors? It's just 1 wire from the expansion board to the nesrgb via right? Not sure if it's cheaper to buy the expansion board or the 2 resistors.
Yes, his expansion audio board will work perfectly for this application. It’s exactly the same as what I did with the resistors but in a cleaner package
On your website for the premodded NES, you mention that boards are currently being made without palette switching due to chip shortage. Which palette do these boards use?
Man, glad to have you back! The hilarious thing is every time I come here you show off really cool stuff I want to buy! Edit: So I bought the necessity board and it supports the expansion audio(as you outlined in your video about it.) Would you know how would that change setting the sound up for this mod?
When you mention at around 6:00 that the board takes slightly longer to start working, is this something that actually noticeable when powering on the console or resetting it at all VS older NESRGB modded consoles, or is it a difference in time that's so short that you'd never actually be able to tell it had a longer boot?
It’s a very short duration of time because I could not notice any difference. And adding the new capacitor for timing is something that you only have to do for the frontloaders - all other versions of the console do not need this change
@@LIRetroGaming Alright cool. I just got in my v4 NESRGB board the other day and got to install it into my old top loader, and reversed the fairly dubious composite mod that was done on it ages ago. It was my first attempt at an NESRGB install, and everything worked first try thankfully! I had to do some modifications on my adapter/powerpak to get expansion audio to go where it's supposed to, but it's all good now.
Quick Q: Those expansion audio resistors... did they come in the NESRGB kit or did you have to source them separately? I'll be doing this mod myself and just want to be fully prepared. Thank you!
@@LIRetroGaming Thank you. Digging around on digikey now. Most guides I'm seeing only mention the 47kohm resistor. Can you tell me more about the purpose of the 1kohm resistor? EDIT: I found FirebrandX's expansion audio guide for thr NESRGB. I'm guessing this is what you referenced.
One more addendum for anyone else trying to "do it all". Check out the NES recapping guide by SparkYo also on TH-cam. If you buy his recommended caps from Mouser, you can also buy the resistors for the expansion audio in the same order. Then you'll have an NES with steller video, the best expansion audio, and a system that'll last a good long time.
Do you have any visual glitching using an everdrive N8 pro? I’ve been hearing people with issues there and I’ve been having them myself with this mod. Normal carts work fine
@@LIRetroGaming updating to the latest everdrive mappers improved things a whole lot. I only get an occasional glitch on the menu and in homebrew titles
Two questions; first, I have the Voultar board that jumps pin 2 and 9 for the expansion audio. In regarding that mod, would i just solder a wire from pin 9 that has the audio board attached to the RGB board like you did here? And second, is there any to pick up S-video with the multi out? Obviously RGB is the better signal, but if you're hooking up to a CRT TV that has it, might as well hook that up too. Thanks for this tutorial, my V4 is on the way and I'm looking forward to doing this mod with your video.
Yes, for expansion audio you would just need to solder one wire to the audio board that you described. You can also add S video to the multiout. You would just need to connect Luma and chroma to the respective pads on the multi out and the NESRGB
what size was the capacitor you put in for the reset? Ive installed the one supplied in the kit but i get led 0 and 7 on boot up with led 7 blinking for a bit then going solid on start.
Question about expansion audio. I do not have the nesrgb setup up but what i did was solder a 47k resistor on pins 3 and 9 on the expansion port. I tried 2 and 9 did not work. Is 2 and 9 only for the rgbnes? Very confused about this.
Hey, question! I installed this mod a few months ago using this guide... today, I was playing and literally listened as my audio slowly muffled up and slowly faded, eventually going away completely. I soldered to R4 and R3, to the points on the NESRGB board... I didn't install expansion audio.... any ideas what my issue could be? Could it be a resistor or capacitor? If so which ones should I check?
There’s a ground pad next to the audio pads on the NESRGB - check to make sure that nothing is shorted. Another thing to check is whether audio is coming out of the original audio jack
I am relatively experienced with searching Capacitors on Mouser but I am completely lost trying to search for resistors. Any tips on sourcing the necessary resistors?
@@LIRetroGaming Thank you! This is exactly the info I needed.. Thanks to your video, I finished my NESRGB mod last night. As soon as these resistors come in ill do the expansion audio.
Could this extension board be used with a clone NES/Famicom? Those with discrete electronic components and not with a NOAC but with an alternative CPU and PPU.
@@LIRetroGaming yes, but one of those chips can be switched between 50Hzs and 60Hzs, so it gives more options in order to adjust the velocity according to the game region (PAL/NTSC).
No, his board has the exact same resistor values as I used in this video. It makes for a cleaner install, but otherwise it’s fairly easy and cheap to use 2 resistors instead as I did here
Would you happen to know what the 1K resistor that comes with the NESRGB4.0 is for? I haven't found anywhere to use it when looking at the documentation, and I can't figure out what it is used for.
I used a snes RGB cable and connected it to a device called the OSSC. The OSSC converts the RGB video to hdmi. So then the OSSC sends hdmi out to the tv
I primarily play with my Everdrive N8 Pro. With expansion audio built into the Everdrive, do I get anything out of adding it with this install, or coukd I just skip that part?
This is an older video so not expecting a reply, but should I be using 1/4 or 1/2 watt resistors for the audio expansion part? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I really appreciate the response! I'm about to begin my first NESRGB build, I saw a comment below mention using a potentiometer for the expansion audio which seems like a cool idea, would you happen to know how that would be wired to the board/NESRGB? I searched all night but couldn't find an example of anyone else using one with the NESRGB, there are so many different ones available at different Ohms I'm totally lost. @@LIRetroGaming
@@LIRetroGaming I’ve done it before everything was to a jamma board and the video right to an cheap Best Buy smart tv that’s all I can do that’s what my friend wanted, good thank you for my own arcade I’m going to try this out I have a few messed up nes that we’re giving to me that we’re in flood area I brought them back to life this be a good test with this board.
Hey, wonder if you can help. The guy I hired to mod my NES like this was recommended by Tim Worthington for my area (Toronto, Ontario). When my NES was reassembled he left out the bottom RF shield. Is that necessary?
Blaster Master had the greatest soundtrack! Amazing 30 years later i recognize the music
Is the song at 12:54 from Blaster Master
@@kind2311 no, its close but not from Blaster Master
Just want to say thanks. I followed this guide almost exactly to mod my own NES. With your desolder technique, the PPU just fell out of the board when I got the last pin with the desoldering gun. I used 30 AWG kynar wire throughout, so it was very finicky and tweezers were needed lol. I've previously recapped this NES and I ripped-out one of the through-holes when bending one down to fit the NES RGB board; Learned the hard way to not be lazy and just desolder it to move it. Lucky I was able to fix it, but otherwise it was a smooth albeit long modding process.
I'm using the HD Retrovision SNES cable with the Laser Bear port and Voultar's expansion audio board.
Comparing it to my other fully-original NES is insane. It looks so much better. Thanks again for this guide and all of your others. DIY hobby modding is made so much easier with quality content like this. Cheers!
Really appreciate this feedback. One of the main reasons why I make these videos is to help others, and I am glad to hear that this video was so helpful. It’s definitely satisfying to see it fire up with RGB or component for the first time!
I love all the adaptive technology to keep the old stuff working with the new stuff.
Yes this is one of my favorite things about the Retro scene. There are so many ways of modifying retro hardware to work with modern tech
My man, THANK YOU so much for this video! Tim's instructions and notes on his website are decent, but being able to see someone actually go through the installation is so helpful! I have my 4.0 board on the way and was so nervous about following Tim's typed instructions. This video makes it a piece of cake!
Thanks so much, I hope that the video is helpful!
I’ve been watching your other NESRGB install guides in preparation for installing this version. Happy to see an update!
Would love to do this, but oh look sold out. I guess i'll wait for NESRGB 5.0 in 6 months, gratz on the 5 people that were able to buy it
Glad you did a video on the new kit. Mine is on the way. Already got the clear multi out from laserbear. Just waiting on the clear shell to replace a busted one.
I just finished installing the NESRGB 4.0 on my childhood NES. Now it has a SNES multi-out that can output composite, S-video, component, and RGB. Thank you for the video! It helped as a reference to make sure I got the expansion audio and new controller inputs and jumper settings right. I'm going to say that the version 4 NESRGB is the best for the front loader. The reason is if you want to you can shut off the board and just use the original composite AV out. Thanks for your videos. I love retro gaming!
Awesome! I’m really glad that everything worked out well with your installation. I agree that this is the best version of the mod so far! Enjoy that NES!
I have this cable from my SNES: laptopakkumulator.eu/img/57416/REB193263/REB193263.jpg
If i use this cable for my NES with with this board, then it'll transfer the RGB-signal through all 3 RCA connector? (and the sound will work through the original mono-RCA output?)
Being able to reset from the controller is pretty nice. Tim's 2600 kit does that too.
Definitely a nice feature. And the 2600 RGB is also quite awesome
i was going to wire for IGR but my everdrive n8 pro already has that feature built in so i didn't see the need!
always pull ground for any signals you do. in your audio example your left and right channels SHOULD be run with shielded two core cable where you have the shield connected to the reference grounds on both ends. with that long cable for extended audio you'd definitely want to use shielded cable and proper grounding :)
been electronics designed for 15 years... i pay attention to this stuff by force of habit :)
this ensures less noise pickup and less EMI issues with the audio when that long ground path doesn't work as an antenna
Fantastic installation video. Used it almost exclusively for my install and it went perfectly. Thank you very much.
I want to say thank you for posting this video! I just completed my RGB board with multiout installation following your instructions. The board I received is slightly different than the one in this video. It shows NESRGB42 T.W. 2023 on the board. I noticed a few slight differences in the components on my board compared to the board in your video. I can't find any update notes for this version 42. Nonetheless, following your video worked flawlessly. I'm using HD Retrovision component cable and Retrotink 2x Pro and the picture is fantastic! Thanks again for your help!
Really glad that my video was helpful! Nothing better than a RGB modded nes!
YES! Glad to see you are back doing fix it fridays, glad you were able to recharge your batteries...also great job as always
Thanks! It was good to rest and relax for a little bit. That being said, I love making these videos every week
Thanks for showing off the new features of the NESRGB. I have one of these on the way for my AV Famicom.
Nice! The install is pretty similar for the AV Famicom
That's good to hear! I figured the AV was probably my best choice out of the Famicoms I have since it already has a SNES style multi out on it.
Thank you very much and welcome back to the GAMER world of videos, I already missed Mod Fridays for consoles, you are a crack on my part I take my hat off and respect you for those beautiful works you do on consoles.
Thanks man! It’s good to be back
So good, so, so good. I just bought this board and the Laser Bear port. I want my console done just like this with the expansion audio and the in game combos. I would love to hire you to do the mod, I know it will be done correctly. Unfortunately I am in Ontario Canada and really don't want to add alot of extra cost for shipping. I have a somewhat local shop in Toronto. I hope it is good.
If you change the pallet, can you set a new default?
Yes it will remember the last palette that you selected even when it’s powered off. Holding right, select and start together will bring you back to palette 1 which is digital prime
@@LIRetroGaming Hey so when using the SNES multi out don't you still have to use cables without components? I'm doing this mod soon and I want to use the multi out instead of the 8pin din so I can potentially share cables between my SNES and RGB modded NES but that wont be possible is I have to use cables without components. Am I mistaken?
Unless you already have one (or really want to stick with the Nintendo multi-out) you don't need a hd retrovission cable, tim sells a small add on board that adds component video out as a option. Far more cost effective
Yeah that is totally true, much cheaper than the hd retrovision option
Thanks for this! Getting my 4.0 on Friday and was hoping you would do an updated install video!
Glad that I could help and I hope the video makes things easier!
Even the NES needs those upgrades so badly!!
Instead of using a 47k resistor for the expansion audio, you can use a potentiometer. Doing so will allow you to adjust the volume of the expansion audio in the sound mix.
Yes that’s also a good option and I have done that before on previous builds
Welcome back, take your time and post when you want.
Watching this video as i typ, looks like a very interesting mod.
Yeah this one really gives you a big improvement in video quality. And I’m always a big fan of the original NES
Great Video on the NES RGB Board!! Keep 'em coming!!
waqit...someone actually does console REPAIRS?! dude, I would have a literal STACK for you. controllers included.
Great video and it is nice to finally get some more details on the changes. Still waiting for mine to arrive but hopefully soon.
It seems to me that this mod could be reworked to no longer require desoldering the PPU. Seems like it could use a flex pcb on the underside to tap into the PPU pins. Of course then you would have to sort out mounting it somewhere.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video! Unfortunately the PPU will always have to be removed for this mod. The NESRGB board acts as a middleman between the ppu and the rest of the NES. If there’s a direct connection between the PPU and the board I don’t think the NESRGB could intercept the relevant video signals
Perfect timing! My modkits are on the way and your video is right on time! Thanks!
I'm about to make my order for this for my toploader!
Awesome, you’re gonna love it!
Be cool to have more things like this at the retro game cons.
It's been a shit week. I needed this today. Thanks. Bout to order this kit and the Voultar QSB with ribbon cable for the multi out.
Awesome, glad that this could brighten up your day. Good luck with this install and I hope that the video helps!
If you want S-Video to work with your multi-out, don't forget to wire up the C an Y from the nes RGB board to your multi out, look up the pinout. Just thought I'd share!!
Love these vids, wish the nes hdmi mod was still available.
Yeah I definitely miss that one. But the NESRGB is phenomenal
Gosh dang it! Love the 8bit music!
Férias em Portugal? Welcome back!!
I always love visiting Portugal, it’s like home to me
I miss it.
Congrats on the successful Expo! The new RBG board looks pretty great. There is also a small expansion audio board that works well and is very tidy.
Thanks! It was really fun this year. Yes those expansion audio daughter boards are very nice. At some point I just need to build a whole bunch of them for myself
@@LIRetroGaming I have an AV Famicom that is very mint. Want to get it RGB modded. Do you have any of the NESRGB boards in stock when you open back up? I have one of Voultars QSB and Flex cable kits. Not sure if I’ve seen you do one of those before. Might make for a cool video.
I do have them in stock. You can message me already at my website and we can figure things out. I plan to open up the website on Monday
Great video, I'll be using this soon.
Definitely saving this video to mod my nes when I have the time to. For future reference is it possible to install the rgb and hdmi mods on a single unit or does it have to be one or the other?
Right now, there is no longer any HDMI modification for the NES. But back in the day it was either one installation or the other. You could not have both
Not all heroes wear a cape. Awesome job as usual!
I just removed my PPU using the guide on the Tim Worthington website (where I ordered mine). I used solder braid as recommended but the pressure combined with the heat while pressing on the solder holes (to wick the solder up) damaged some of the holes. Thus, I would HIGHLY recommend using a heatgun (which I had but did not use since the official method was solder braid). I mean the damage is minimal (only the holes attached to nothing fell out)... but still not as clean as the heatgun left this project. (I'm always leery to use heatgun in case I overheat the chip... but it seem unlikely and I need to get over this)
Yeah I very strongly recommend a desoldering gun for the NESRGB installs. Braid does not remove enough solder from the vias and it’s so easy to cause damage as a result
This looks fantastic. I'm close to pulling the trigger on having my NES modded. One question, how are you connecting the system to your TV in this video?
In this video I was using RGB cables, but hd retrovision component cables are also a good choice
@@LIRetroGaming Do you suspect there would be any noticeable difference between RGB cables and HD retrovision component cables?
Nice to see!
But why didn't you just replace the 16V/100µF Caps?
Those aren't expensive and by now around 35 years old....
You can get some new Würth from Mouser for 7c or so a piece, Japanese brands around 12c...
I mean you need to touch them anyways...
Yes of course, they can be replaced
Nice Job! Where can I find all these roms organized like on your Everdrive?
Archive.org
Great video! Contemplating installing this on my NES. Just curious though. Does this mod also bypass region lock and or is it compatible with a NES with a cut lockout chip?
It will work if the lockout chip is cut, and it also works on stock consoles as well
@@LIRetroGaming Thanks a lot, I can order this with confidence now :)
Knowledge and skill. I bow to you....
Much appreciated!
Any thoughts on how the timing capacitor switch impacts the NEScessity? As in does a similar replacement need to happen or did the NEScessity board slowdown the boot up enough on its own for it not to be an issue?
It’s really hard to say. I would personally try without replacing that cap first. If the warning LED turns on then the NESRGB is having an issue with power and the timing capacitor should be replaced
@@LIRetroGaming Follow up. It appears that yes you do need to replace a cap. For reference look to the bottom left of the NESessity (version 1.4), I swapped the .1uF below the mark for U10 with on the one provided it the kit. Of note the error light on LED 7 never lit up until after I did this. They would all just briefly flash and that was it, no signal. Light stays on solid now (which I assume is good?)
Anyways I currently have it setup to using the RGB/S/Composite board from the NESessity kit. I have Composite and S-video wired-in, both seem to work just fine. Not bothering with the full RGB as I don't have a cable for it. The expanded L/R audio from the NESessity continues to work just fine as well.
This is an excellent video. I just got my NESRGB board in and installed it into my NES, and it worked first try! I even installed a multi-out port like you did. My only question is that if I try to test the regular RCA composite out, the picture is black and white, and very much not complete (such as missing sprites). Is it normal for the RCA composite port to lose functionality like this? Thanks.
Yes, it’s normal to lose that functionality on the rca jack. However, if you hold left, select, and start on controller 1 for 3 seconds, you can disable the NESRGB and the original rca jacks will work again
@@LIRetroGaming Got it, thanks very much!
Great video, wondering if this thing will also solve 60hz problem when playing NTSC games on PAL console? They normally are so slow..
No, 60 Hz games are only going to work correctly if you have an ntsc cpu and ppu, and the correct crystal oscillator for the clock. The same is true for 50 Hz games, I would need all three of those things to play European games correctly on an ntsc console
Awesome mod! Just ordered one after seeing this. I'll be modding an AV Famicom, what exactly are the differences between modding that and this tutorial?
Awesome! Not too many differences - you don’t need to replace the timing capacitor and you also don’t need to close jumper J6. Otherwise it’s very similar
@@LIRetroGaming Okay cool, thanks! 👍
I am right in the middle of this, and it is going quite well for my first NES RGB mod. I was happy that the PPU just popped right out, which is what I was the most sweaty about. Anyway, I have two more questions. One is on the RGB board, there are two pads for ground, one on the left side, and one on the right.. I would imagine that it does not matter which pad is wired from ground on the RGB board that goes to the multi out? Second question; Is there a reason why you didn't include the voltage regulator in this install? Thanks for your continued guidance!
Awesome, glad to hear that it’s going well! For the first question you are correct, both grounds are 100% identical. You can pick any one you want. For the second question, I have found that the second voltage regulator it’s not really needed. The original 7805 can handle the NESRGB and running the console, and I know that Voultar and others have run objective measurements to show that the 7805 provides enough power for everything. All that being said, it’s totally fine to use the second regulator if you feel like it
Great mod as always! Love the new features on the nes rgb boards by tim now im glad i waited. Have you ever installed one on an original red and white famicom?
Thanks man! Yes these new features are really nice and I’m glad that they are readily available again. I have installed the older versions on the original Famicom, but not this one yet. That being said I don’t think it should be too bad
3:16 - Those aren't vias, they're through-holes. Vias and through-holes are both holes but they have a different purpose. Through-holes are for soldering components to the PCB; the legs of the components go through the holes. They may or may not be plated.
Vias are for connecting traces on different sides/layers of the PCB to each other, and are always plated because the plating is how the electrical connection between the two traces is made through the hole. They are always empty holes (not counting solder which may be in them, which inherently happens when PCBs are wave soldered), unless someone used one as a handy point to tap into a particular trace to do a modification or repair to the PCB.
Also, vias are only found in multi-layer PCBs. Single layer PCBs, like the PCB inside of an original NES control pad, never have vias because there's no other layer to connect to. Through-holes on the other hand, can be found on PCBs with any number of layers, including single-layer.
Yeah I’m sorry for that mistake, I just have a bad habit of inter-changing those two terms because I’m almost always working on multi layer boards
Thanks for the clear tutorials, this is what i'll be referring to when installing mine, i was able to plant a fmicom ppu cpu and crystal into a Pal NES and it's all working after cleaning, however i'm getting some crackly intermittent audio buzz, it was way louder before but it's still very noticable when there's no music going on.
Do you think this would come through on the NESrgb's audio output? i don't mind not having audio on the side of the console so maybe it's easiest to just remove those resistors and solder the audio outputs of the PPU straight to where the resistors used to be, although i'm not sure if that would solve the issue.
The audio buzz should not be present after the mod. The NESRGB taps the audio at the source and handles all of the amplification and mixing, so it should be clear
@@LIRetroGaming Ah that's good to knowi did manage to clear up the issue by scrubbing the RF modulator, so all is well now, can't wait to see everything in action once it's insalled, thanks again for the great tutorials!
I wonder if the Kitrinx palette on the MiSTer core can be used on this. Apparently that palette was created using a program which stimulated how the PPU would generate the colors
In principle I think that could be added, the palette selection can be changed if you have a usb to serial adapter
I'm currently planning to install the NESRGB 4 board in my Japanese AV Famicom. What jumpers would I close for that specific console on the revision 4 board? I don't see this info on Tim Worthington's site or I'm just missing it. I'm guessing J1, J3, J5 to start but not sure on the other new jumpers.
George Is the MacGyver of fixing retro consoles
Glad to see you back George 🤙
Thanks! It’s good to be back
PLEASE NOTE the instructions on the official site for install does not explain where the BLUE ceramic capacitor goes. This video shows you where to use it: Replace the brown capacitor located at C8 on the NES PCB with the included blue one.
I had mine modded, but the text will go red at times and it's missing some graphics in Mike Tysons punch out. Sometimes it works fine...
If the NESRGB is designed for straight cables (miniDIN8) and SNES RGB cables are supposed to have additional components, then won’t this provide out of spec video with properly made SNES cables? NTSC SNES has 220uF capacitors on RGB and PAL SNES has 75Ω resistors on RGBS.
Connecting the NESRGB straight to the SNES multi-outlet without changing the components can’t be right. I seem to recall someone telling you what components to remove or change… like removing some resistors or capacitors from the board and then bridging the pads. I can’t find those instructions though.
18:40 should the wires here be twisted with ground, shielded, or coax?
kinda surprised you dont use a PCB holder when doing this kind of work.
I have one, but I always just prefer using my bench top instead
Helpful video thanks. Can voultars expansion audio board be used instead buying the resistors? It's just 1 wire from the expansion board to the nesrgb via right? Not sure if it's cheaper to buy the expansion board or the 2 resistors.
Yes, his expansion audio board will work perfectly for this application. It’s exactly the same as what I did with the resistors but in a cleaner package
@@LIRetroGaming thanks brother.
On your website for the premodded NES, you mention that boards are currently being made without palette switching due to chip shortage. Which palette do these boards use?
My apologies that’s actually outdated information. My pre-modded NES now use the newest 4.0 board that has 6 palettes, as I show in this video
Man, glad to have you back! The hilarious thing is every time I come here you show off really cool stuff I want to buy! Edit: So I bought the necessity board and it supports the expansion audio(as you outlined in your video about it.) Would you know how would that change setting the sound up for this mod?
Thankfully the sound is exactly the same as it used to be. If you follow my necessity video where I add RGB it will work just fine
Whats the song that plays at 12:54?
Do you use ground pad in your install for the clock, latch, data, and reset portion?
No, it’s not necessary
When you mention at around 6:00 that the board takes slightly longer to start working, is this something that actually noticeable when powering on the console or resetting it at all VS older NESRGB modded consoles, or is it a difference in time that's so short that you'd never actually be able to tell it had a longer boot?
It’s a very short duration of time because I could not notice any difference. And adding the new capacitor for timing is something that you only have to do for the frontloaders - all other versions of the console do not need this change
@@LIRetroGaming Alright cool. I just got in my v4 NESRGB board the other day and got to install it into my old top loader, and reversed the fairly dubious composite mod that was done on it ages ago. It was my first attempt at an NESRGB install, and everything worked first try thankfully! I had to do some modifications on my adapter/powerpak to get expansion audio to go where it's supposed to, but it's all good now.
Quick Q: Those expansion audio resistors... did they come in the NESRGB kit or did you have to source them separately? I'll be doing this mod myself and just want to be fully prepared. Thank you!
I had to source them separately, but you can easily get them on Amazon. It’s a 47kohm and a 1 kohm resistor, 1/4 watt
@@LIRetroGaming Thank you. Digging around on digikey now. Most guides I'm seeing only mention the 47kohm resistor. Can you tell me more about the purpose of the 1kohm resistor? EDIT: I found FirebrandX's expansion audio guide for thr NESRGB. I'm guessing this is what you referenced.
One more addendum for anyone else trying to "do it all". Check out the NES recapping guide by SparkYo also on TH-cam. If you buy his recommended caps from Mouser, you can also buy the resistors for the expansion audio in the same order. Then you'll have an NES with steller video, the best expansion audio, and a system that'll last a good long time.
Great tutorial, thanks!
What sizw wires do you use for the connections?
Did you do any retro game hunting on your vacation?
A little bit, picked up some European nes stuff!
Do you have any visual glitching using an everdrive N8 pro? I’ve been hearing people with issues there and I’ve been having them myself with this mod. Normal carts work fine
I have heard one case of this. I’m going to look into it to see why it might be happening
@@LIRetroGaming updating to the latest everdrive mappers improved things a whole lot. I only get an occasional glitch on the menu and in homebrew titles
Can you do the audio expansion stuff on the top loader?
Yeah it can be done, but you also need to mod your everdrive if that’s what you’re using for Japanese expansion audio games
Can the Multiout be located right under the RF on the left side?
No, the rf modulator is too big and there’s no space on the left hand side
The voltage regulator board that cames with the kit is not required in version 4.0?
Correct, the original voltage regulator is capable of running the console and the NESRGB. This has been confirmed by Voultar and many other installers
Two questions; first, I have the Voultar board that jumps pin 2 and 9 for the expansion audio. In regarding that mod, would i just solder a wire from pin 9 that has the audio board attached to the RGB board like you did here? And second, is there any to pick up S-video with the multi out? Obviously RGB is the better signal, but if you're hooking up to a CRT TV that has it, might as well hook that up too. Thanks for this tutorial, my V4 is on the way and I'm looking forward to doing this mod with your video.
Yes, for expansion audio you would just need to solder one wire to the audio board that you described. You can also add S video to the multiout. You would just need to connect Luma and chroma to the respective pads on the multi out and the NESRGB
What is the capacitance of C8 cause it isn't in my kit. Maybe difference between NTSC and PAL?
So just to be clear, you need a 1kohm and a 47kohm resistor for the expansion audio part?
Yes. The 1k resistor goes between pins 2 and 9. The 47k goes between pin 9 and the via on the NESRGB that I showed in the video
@@LIRetroGaming Thank you, I will be receiving this kit soon and I would also like to do the expansion mod. You also gained a subscriber :D
yessssssssssssssssssss im getting a adult drink!!!!
Same here please! 🥴
is there enough clearance Clarence to socket the PPU?
Unfortunately no, it will no longer fit in the shell if the ppu is socketed
what size was the capacitor you put in for the reset? Ive installed the one supplied in the kit but i get led 0 and 7 on boot up with led 7 blinking for a bit then going solid on start.
Question about expansion audio. I do not have the nesrgb setup up but what i did was solder a 47k resistor on pins 3 and 9 on the expansion port. I tried 2 and 9 did not work. Is 2 and 9 only for the rgbnes? Very confused about this.
Hey, question! I installed this mod a few months ago using this guide... today, I was playing and literally listened as my audio slowly muffled up and slowly faded, eventually going away completely.
I soldered to R4 and R3, to the points on the NESRGB board... I didn't install expansion audio.... any ideas what my issue could be? Could it be a resistor or capacitor? If so which ones should I check?
There’s a ground pad next to the audio pads on the NESRGB - check to make sure that nothing is shorted. Another thing to check is whether audio is coming out of the original audio jack
I am relatively experienced with searching Capacitors on Mouser but I am completely lost trying to search for resistors. Any tips on sourcing the necessary resistors?
You need a 1 kohm 1/4 watt resistor and a 47 kohm 1/4 watt. Stackpole electronics is a good option
@@LIRetroGaming Thank you! This is exactly the info I needed..
Thanks to your video, I finished my NESRGB mod last night. As soon as these resistors come in ill do the expansion audio.
4:28, what temperature are you using with the the hot air?
Normally I use 350 Celsius
Could this extension board be used with a clone NES/Famicom? Those with discrete electronic components and not with a NOAC but with an alternative CPU and PPU.
It might work but those UMD clone chips are known for being quite inaccurate
@@LIRetroGaming yes, but one of those chips can be switched between 50Hzs and 60Hzs, so it gives more options in order to adjust the velocity according to the game region (PAL/NTSC).
What Everdrive are you using for the expansion audio?
The n8 pro, this will also work with other ever drives
Is there a way to get pc10 pallette on there?
Would using voultars board between the expansion pins change the value of the other resistor?
No, his board has the exact same resistor values as I used in this video. It makes for a cleaner install, but otherwise it’s fairly easy and cheap to use 2 resistors instead as I did here
Do you know what the capacitance rating of the new ceramic cap is? My kit came with an electrolytic and I'd like to use one of my ceramics instead
I can’t remember, but I know that Tim has the value mentioned on his website
what is the music in the minute 19? in the final assembly
That music is from Ninja Gaiden on the NES
Would you happen to know what the 1K resistor that comes with the NESRGB4.0 is for? I haven't found anywhere to use it when looking at the documentation, and I can't figure out what it is used for.
No idea why it’s included. The official documentation says nothing about it
Very good mod
Yeah it’s one of my favorite ones to do
I need this mod .
You can contact me at 1uprestorations.com and I can install it for you
Hello, can I leave a color palette selected or whenever I turn on the NES will it select the first one by default? Thank you. Greetings from Uruguay.
It will remember the last one you picked
@@LIRetroGaming Can I install the PPU into a Socket?
What did.. you plug into that nes.. and how does it connect to the tv?
I used a snes RGB cable and connected it to a device called the OSSC. The OSSC converts the RGB video to hdmi. So then the OSSC sends hdmi out to the tv
How did you get the pink scar on your hand?
It’s actually a birthmark, I was born with it
What AWG wire do you recommend?
Normally I use 28 gauge copper stranded wire for this
I primarily play with my Everdrive N8 Pro. With expansion audio built into the Everdrive, do I get anything out of adding it with this install, or coukd I just skip that part?
You have to do the expansion audio mod, otherwise the everdrive expansion audio is not going to work
This is an older video so not expecting a reply, but should I be using 1/4 or 1/2 watt resistors for the audio expansion part? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
1/4 watt resistors are good for this. Glad you enjoyed the video!
I really appreciate the response! I'm about to begin my first NESRGB build, I saw a comment below mention using a potentiometer for the expansion audio which seems like a cool idea, would you happen to know how that would be wired to the board/NESRGB? I searched all night but couldn't find an example of anyone else using one with the NESRGB, there are so many different ones available at different Ohms I'm totally lost. @@LIRetroGaming
is it too tal to put another socket on to the addon board so the CPU is removable?
Yes, unfortunately it becomes too tall and the motherboard will no longer fit in the shell
Would this work for making into an arcade nes system with a jamma fingerboard?
Yes, you could potentially take the RGB video and controller inputs etc and wire them to a jamma board.
@@LIRetroGaming I’ve done it before everything was to a jamma board and the video right to an cheap Best Buy smart tv that’s all I can do that’s what my friend wanted, good thank you for my own arcade I’m going to try this out I have a few messed up nes that we’re giving to me that we’re in flood area I brought them back to life this be a good test with this board.
Hey, wonder if you can help. The guy I hired to mod my NES like this was recommended by Tim Worthington for my area (Toronto, Ontario). When my NES was reassembled he left out the bottom RF shield. Is that necessary?
Sorry that I did not see this until now. But no the RF on the bottom is not necessary
Did you hire Leon? How did it come out otherwise?
@@gaminwithgc Yes I did hire him. He did great, my NES works great and looks great.