If you do this, make sure you get newly-manufactured cells; don’t bother cannibalizing a Game Gear pack like in those instructions–the cells will be too old and probably won’t hold a charge, assuming they haven’t already leaked everywhere.
Is there a way to get line-level output from the VB? Am I correct in understanding that it would have the same problems as the Genesis and smartphones in that the output is amped for headphones?
I emailed as well, and also asked for clarification about what he means by the USB link support being a “stretch goal”, as well as what kind of cabling we’d need (Micro-B to Micro-B? Micro-B to A and a hub?), whether we’d be able to use a hub for >2 players, and if there are any port strain concerns having the MicroUSB port mounted horizontally. (Micro-B is notoriously fragile compared to Mini-B.)
…You do realize that there will never be a non soldered solution for this unless someone produces a new, compatible LED board, right? My aim is to make the tough part of VB restoration as easy and painless as feasible as possible.
Besides, my fourth iteration for this is in my head and will get underway when I get home in a few hours.
I considered asking if it makes sense to fit the LED boards with ZIF sockets, but that didn’t really make any sense; if you have to get in there and do soldering anyway, just make a permanent connection; it’s going to be just as difficult, if not moreso, to retrofit a socket.
And, as nice as it would be to have readily-available replacement cables, until, as you said, someone starts producing replacement LED boards, I think the only market for these will be people who screwed up their originals during a repair job.
Best way to go about that is to send the unit (or the individual display boards) to someone to get the ribbon cable permanently soldered to the display board.
You can find more information here, and people offering this service in the Marketplace forum.
Forgive my ignorance, but what’s stopping Uncle Tusk from simply producing more repros at a reasonable price? I expect that would undermine that scalper.
MJAY wrote:
So I pretty recently completed my Virtual Boy hardware-wise and would really like to be able to transport it in its own case. What case should I get?
I would look into building your own; perhaps some kind of premade hard case for DJ or other sensitive equipment, and then cut/assemble your own foam to fit the VB with its eye shroud, the stand, the controller, the AC adapter, a slot for a battery pack (so you can have one AC tap or battery pack installed in the controller, and then a spare battery pack), and a compartment for a stack of games.
You could track down one of the original Blockbuster rental cases, but they’re expensive collectors’ items at this point, and you’d probably have to redo the foam inside one anyway.
pinmagic wrote:
And I love that they say that Duracell batteries “last 4 times longer than other batteries.” What batteries would those be – used batteries?
Non-name-brand and store-brand batteries, as well as brands like Rayovac, EverReady, and AmazonBasics. They’ll feel physically lighter and have significantly worse longevity.
For example, in the first test in this video, a pair of Dollar General AAs was compared against regular Duracell batteries, and the Duracells lasted about 11 times as long.
Personally, I could take either Duracell or Energizer, but it should be noted that the Energizer Lithium, while not the most economical model, won’t leak like alkaline batteries will.
ubersailer wrote:
Here is what I found. I emailed Richard Hutchinson when I acquired an extra original flashboy that didn’t have a cord. He said any high quality cord would work. In my experience this is true. I tried both the cord that came with my other flashboy and the cord that came with my newer flashboy plus and they both worked. Then I tried some cheap ones that came with my sons two power wheels cars and they didn’t work and another random one didn’t. I grabbed a nice one that came with my wife’s Cricut machine and it worked and the one for my gps worked.
Not all USB cables are created equal. Cables that are intended solely for charging may only have 5V and Ground wired, which is probably why those Power Wheels cables and the random one didn’t work. I expect the ones for the newer Flashboy, Cricut machine, and your GPS worked because those devices can/need to communicate with a PC or another device.
Inirius wrote:
Theses magazines are wonderful ! I must get them !
So, if we could have bought VB games in france, there must have been french translations of the instructions ?
I’ve heard about some french instructions in switzerland, in the Interdiscount Shop. However I’ve never seen them, does someone here knows more about french instructions ?
(because I’m french, I’ll love to get these intructions 🙂 )
I’m not sure about the games but I know in certain parts of Canada it was required to include french instructions, which is how they came to be.
I’m not sure if there is any scans online but if there is, they are somewhere on this site.
French French and Canadian French are not exactly the same, but they should be close enough. Expect some funny words. 🙂
For the VB to have been more successful, I would say it needed better marketing–the marketing in the US showed zero gameplay footage. I get that it’s difficult to show the 3D effect on a 2-dimensional, 15kHz consumer television, but they could have at least showed gameplay from one eyepiece, maybe with some fish-eye lensing for a popping effect and 1990s kitsch.
They should have also told people to go to their local Toys R Us, Electronics Boutique/EB Games, or wherever for an in-person demonstration.
As for the hardware, I personally would appreciate it if the IPD and focus adjustments were better. I can usually get the IPD in a good spot, but not the focus. The IPD adjustment is also way too stiff (probably for good reason), and the focus adjustment is way too loose; both of which make it difficult to fine-tune those adjustments for me.
It probably would have been nice if the console had a video output, even if it was only 2D and composite video.
I would have liked to see a link cable, since the hardware can support it, but the platform was canceled before any 2-player games hit the market, so there really wasn’t a reason to sell one.
On a related topic, for Nintendo to be more successful with a 3D/VR product, I think they should have moved forward with the Super Visor and set up VR stations in arcades and malls across their major markets. Sure, they’d require support staff, but Nintendo’s logo would have been featured prominently in high-foot-traffic areas.
Currently, my carts are in a stack, outside their boxes, in a shoebox in a plastic bin somewhere in my house. :] I don’t recall, but I might have actually put my Tennis cart back in the spot in the VB box where it belongs.
I’m waiting on a better flash cart (something more akin to an EverDrive) to come out before finally putting the carts back in their boxes, and I still need to pick up plastic box protectors.
TheForce81 wrote:
They are already soldered, but he is talking about hard wiring the display boards without the flex cable, that is something else. It can be done, but is a hellish task.
Whoops; my mistake. I wouldn’t try that either; assuming the displays are functional, I’d be more inclined to swap in parts from a donor.
The commonly-accepted fix for display glitchiness is, as TheForce81 stated, soldering the ribbon cables to the board; and, from what I’ve seen, I concur, it is a pain to do, because you need to melt away part of the flex cable’s plastic to expose the contacts in order to solder them. (Otherwise, the soldering itself shouldn’t be all that difficult if you use the drag technique recommended for the UltraHDMI.)
If TheForce81 isn’t up for soldering your flex cables, I’m not sure who would be available near you, since he is currently the only individual listed in the VB Screen Repairs thread who is located in Europe; the other three are in the US.
My understanding (at least from reading Furrtek’s notes) is that anaglyph won’t work because the 3D is programmed expecting to be very close to your face; so I’m expecting 3D HDMI output would be more appropriate for a more modern HMD.
On the other hand, it may be possible to adjust the warp the output and adjust convergence in a way that makes the 3D look good on a 3D TV, or with anaglyph/shutter glasses. (And this would apply to theoretical 3D HDMI output from a real VB.) Unfortunately, that kind of image transformation is not going to be lag-free.
The only soldering required is for the video output and palette switch (7 wires max.)
That definitely makes it easier, but I might go as far as replacing the solder points with headers and premade DE-15/SCART dongles and palette switches; then it can be sold as a complete no-solder kit with an enclosure. (Unless soldering is needed to replace the mirror assemblies with that
What is the reason for having two separate versions of the board rather than one version of the board that, for example, has a jumper or a mode switch for toggling between 800×600 and 240p modes?
Also, why not an additional jumper or mode switch for toggling between 60Hz and the native 50Hz? My understanding was that the VB displays run at 50Hz, so won’t framerate conversion to 60Hz introduce studder?
retronintendonerd wrote:
I wish I had the soldering skill to pull that off. I’d love a version of the home console VB that Furrtek made too. I can’t begin to imagine what a kit like that would cost.
That’s cool! So unfortunate that it requires soldering; I’d prefer some kind of no-solder solution that can fit in between the mainboard and the flex cables to the LED boards. I think that would make it possible to sell reversible home console conversion kits.
Might also be cool to have swappable video output boards, so you could choose whether you want SCART, YPbPr, RGBHV/VGA, or HDMI output, assuming it’s not feasible to implement more than one at a time.
So if I can find any generic power supply that fits and is closer to the output of the genuine US power supply I should be right then? How close does it need to be? For example I found a power supply that is 11v and 1A. Or does it need to be exact?
Sorry for all the questions but don’t want to ruin anything over the long term. As I said before, I can always continue to use batteries.
You’re close. Voltage needs to be as close as possible, and I think we’re talking ±0.5V.
Amperage needs to be the same or greater, with greater generally being preferred. Too little current could cause malfunctions, unexpected/unintended reboots, or just prevent booting altogether.
