SNES Mini/Retro consoles modding service

BS Dave · 23 Jul 2018 at 20:39

i’m thinking of getting a SNES mini and want to do the RGB mod for it but haven’t really soldered anything ever.

This one...

http://www.retrorgb.com/snesminiths7374.html

There’s an old CRT broadcast monitor at work that’s rotting away and would make these SNES games look amazing.

Is there anyone in the uk that could undertake the work for me? Or is it worth having a go myself? I used to paint miniatures so have quite a steady hand...

Dave

pingwing · 23 Jul 2018 at 23:03

Soldering is pretty easy, just don’t skimp on the cheapest kit unless you want a couple of stamps at each bit you do (my 9.99 kit had be redoing a few bits over Christmas)

I’ll be able to give you some feedback/pics and a run through of me doing roughly the same to my ntsc n64 in the next few weeks when that all turns up

just need to find a good scart/component cable for the 64 that’s not 27 quid

BS Dave · 24 Jul 2018 at 09:00

I take it old scart cables are no good?

pingwing · 24 Jul 2018 at 21:24

Apparently uk scart/composite will send 12v down one pin instead of sync info so you'll damage your tv

(if you're doing as I'm planning which is ntsc console into a newer tv) so getting the correctly wired one is a sensible idea!

dowie · 30 Jul 2018 at 03:32

What is the benefit of this with the mini - they already output in HDMI?

I get the idea when you only have say RF out or S-video etc.. and want to convert an old console but I don't see the benefit here.

pingwing · 31 Jul 2018 at 06:21

I think BS Dave is looking at an actual mini SNES (purple buttons from the USA) and not a SNES mini classic, to play on the original hardware!

Mr Plow · 31 Jul 2018 at 23:35

If you want to pay someone to do it for you then you can get these guys to do it:

https://www.videogameperfection.com...ndo-modsrepairs/nintendo-snessfc-modsrepairs/

BS Dave · 30 Aug 2018 at 10:55

No no I want the uk version. I just want it to go into the back of an old crt I have.

BS Dave · 30 Aug 2018 at 10:59

Mr Plow said:
If you want to pay someone to do it for you then you can get these guys to do it:

https://www.videogameperfection.com...ndo-modsrepairs/nintendo-snessfc-modsrepairs/

This is great. Many thanks

cee-S-dee · 30 Aug 2018 at 11:00

Are you referring to the SNES Mini or SNES Mini Classic? The Mod you mentioned is for a model of the SNES which was released in NTSC-U/J regions.

I'm not aware of any analogue RGB MOD for the SNES Mini Classic.

BS Dave · 30 Aug 2018 at 16:18

SNES mini classic so the link mr plow posted is perfect

cee-S-dee · 30 Aug 2018 at 17:07

I think the mods Mr Plow posted are for the Orignal SNES mini, not the classic.

BS Dave · 30 Aug 2018 at 18:13

Yep i’ve read up and I think you’re right. I’ve emailed voltar who makes one of the mods to see if it’ll work on a pal version or if he could make one... hope so

Edit I think there is no uk edition. It’s simply the American edition in the box we remember so the mod would work we’d just need an American tv to use it.

I may have access to a Sony PVM which might work...

Mr Plow · 30 Aug 2018 at 21:27

So let me get this straight, you want to plug a SNES Mini Classic (the emulation box released by Nintendo recently and not a Snes Mini which you put in your original post) into a Sony PVM? The SNES Mini Classic outputs a digital 720p signal over HDMI, a Sony PVM will be expecting an analogue video signal and depending on what model it is will only support certain resolutions. You might be able to get away with using some sort of HDMI to Component converter but you'll just be adding more lag.

If you're set on using a Sony PVM and don't want to use a real Super Nintendo then you'd be better off getting a Raspberry PI and a Pi2SCART adaptor.

BS Dave · 30 Aug 2018 at 22:42

mr plow I was intending to do that yes, I just want it to look like it did when I was a teenager. I don’t know tonnes about this. I am confused by the SNES mini and SNES mini classic as I can’t find any mention of this on the Wikipedia page. Was the SNES mini essentially the SNES version of PS slim?

It’s sounding like the real SNES is the way forward...

cee-S-dee · 30 Aug 2018 at 22:49

This is the Snes Mini, next to the Snes Mini Classic. The Snes Mini was release in the US and Japan Regions (Know as the Super Famicom Junior). I modded that SNES mini in the picture for RGB for my PVM.

You will need a BNC to Scart Cable to use a SNES on your PVM if you intend to go down the original SNES route.

Mr Plow · 30 Aug 2018 at 23:37

Yep as above the SNES Mini/Super Famicom Junior was a compact SNES released in 1997 in the US and Japan - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New-Style_Super_NES

It doesn't output an RGB signal (only composite) unless modded like cee-S-dee has done to theirs and of course you'd either have to purchase real cartidges or an Everdrive/SD2SNES cart. If you are interested in purchasing a real SNES for use with a PVM then I'd recommend doing what I did and picking up either a Super Famicom (I did this as I prefer the design which is the same as our PAL consoles, got it from eBay) or an American SNES. The reason for this is PAL consoles are limited to running at 50Hz which means the image won't be full screen and unoptimised games will run 17.5% slower than they should. You can modify a PAL console to run at full speed/full screen but the signal will still run slightly off-spec which causes graphic glitches in some circumstances. If you go the import route then you'll also need to grab a replacement PSU as it'll probably come with a region specific plug adaptor, you can pick replacements up for around £5, an RGB SCART cable compatible with NTSC consoles (I use Retro Gaming Cables for mine) and the BNC to Scart adaptor cee-S-dee mentioned above (also available at Retro Gaming Cables).

Regarding the Sony PVM, might be worth finding out what model it is (should be printed on the back, mines a PVM-14L3 for example).

BS Dave · 1 Sep 2018 at 11:27

Mr Plow said:
Yep as above the SNES Mini/Super Famicom Junior was a compact SNES released in 1997 in the US and Japan - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New-Style_Super_NES

It doesn't output an RGB signal (only composite) unless modded like cee-S-dee has done to theirs and of course you'd either have to purchase real cartidges or an Everdrive/SD2SNES cart. If you are interested in purchasing a real SNES for use with a PVM then I'd recommend doing what I did and picking up either a Super Famicom (I did this as I prefer the design which is the same as our PAL consoles, got it from eBay) or an American SNES. The reason for this is PAL consoles are limited to running at 50Hz which means the image won't be full screen and unoptimised games will run 17.5% slower than they should. You can modify a PAL console to run at full speed/full screen but the signal will still run slightly off-spec which causes graphic glitches in some circumstances. If you go the import route then you'll also need to grab a replacement PSU as it'll probably come with a region specific plug adaptor, you can pick replacements up for around £5, an RGB SCART cable compatible with NTSC consoles (I use Retro Gaming Cables for mine) and the BNC to Scart adaptor cee-S-dee mentioned above (also available at Retro Gaming Cables).

Regarding the Sony PVM, might be worth finding out what model it is (should be printed on the back, mines a PVM-14L3 for example).

Great. Thanks so much for this. The Everdrive/SD2SNES looks cool too, expensive but then I guess you get pretty much everything. Would the superfamicom come from the states? Or NTSC - J. I agree the US SNES is UGLY! Would I just need a power adapter for a UK SNES? I’m interesting in going the original route now.

BS Dave · 1 Sep 2018 at 11:39

Just checked the screen is a PVM 20-L2. Any good?

Mr Plow · 2 Sep 2018 at 01:25

BS Dave said:
Great. Thanks so much for this. The Everdrive/SD2SNES looks cool too, expensive but then I guess you get pretty much everything. Would the superfamicom come from the states? Or NTSC - J. I agree the US SNES is UGLY! Would I just need a power adapter for a UK SNES? I’m interesting in going the original route now.

Absolutely under no circumstances should you use a UK SNES power supply on a Super Famicom, the power supplies for UK consoles output AC voltage and the Super Famicom expects DC voltage. Personally I use an original Sega Mega Drive MK1 UK PSU which will work perfectly on a Super Famicom (I happen to have a couple spare) but you can just buy one from eBay for a few quid if you like. Just make sure the output is 9 Volt (10V is fine though but no more) a minimum of 1 Amp and the connector is "center negative" but as I said if you just search eBay for "mega drive power supply" you'll get a bunch of hits of third party ones that will work just fine on a Super Famicom, just make sure it isn't for a Mega Drive/Genesis MK2 as the connector is a different size.

The Super Famicom is from Japan and is NTSC-J but the physical hardware inside the console is identical to what is in the American Super Nintendo, the only difference is the outer shell. One thing to note is the controllers are wired differently from PAL consoles so a SNES controller from a UK console won't work in a Super Famicom or American SNES, this is a little annoying as the Super Famicom controllers have a very short cable but you can either use US ones (but you get the ugly purple buttons!) or buy extension cables which I did.

Regarding flash carts, I know it's expensive but I would heartily recommend getting an SD2SNES over the standard Everdrive as it is so much more versatile in regards to compatibility and functions (they've recently got Super FX and SA1 chip games working which will never work on Everdrives along with a whole host of other games). It's well worth the extra money I assure you.

BS Dave said:
Just checked the screen is a PVM 20-L2. Any good?

Sounds perfect mate, I believe these were released on the early 2000s and cost nearly $3000 new so assuming it works OK then you'll get an amazing picture.