MOD - Homemade converters

Keith Courage · 10/26/2010, 02:01 PM

Man with all the hours of work being put into making a converter I'd rather just mod my system with a region switch instead.

Drumjay · 03/03/2011, 04:05 PM

Has anyone seen the official PC Engine converter? The one that was originally for the white core PC Engine?

NecroPhile · 03/03/2011, 04:23 PM

Quote from: Drumjay on 03/03/2011, 04:05 PMHas anyone seen the official PC Engine converter? The one that was originally for the white core PC Engine?

I've never heard of such a thing. Seems silly, since no matter what you'd have to do an internal mod.

SignOfZeta · 03/03/2011, 08:41 PM

H

Quote from: guest on 03/03/2011, 04:23 PM
Quote from: Drumjay on 03/03/2011, 04:05 PMHas anyone seen the official PC Engine converter? The one that was originally for the white core PC Engine?
I've never heard of such a thing. Seems silly, since no matter what you'd have to do an internal mod.

He's probably thinking of the "Barny", which has a sticker with a picture of a PCE on it.

The internal mod is pretty simple, doesn't require a switch, etc, but I seriously doubt the thing was ever used this way*. I can't imagine why anyone in Japan circa 1990 would want a US release. There are very few exclusive US HuCards, and even fewer worth playing. It's for Americans. I assume they just didn't communicate their design intention to the guy making the sticker very well.

* I actually used a white PCE with this converter to play a copy of Chew Man Fu. The system only had the one wire mod, which I had done myself. I can't imagine this is very popular though.

thesteve · 04/18/2011, 10:48 AM

this should be done with printed ribbon.
printed ribbon can be double sided and the conductors dont peel.
its also thinner.
can be custom fabbed.

thesteve · 04/21/2011, 01:09 AM

heres some info on printed flex circuits.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Flexible-Printed-Circuits/

thesteve · 04/21/2011, 01:55 AM

ebay listings
170630457570    $12 three sheets one sided
370502312135   $16 etching salt

etching tutorial    http://www.bramknaapen.com/?p=404

OldMan · 04/21/2011, 11:06 PM

Chop5: If you decide to give this a try, I've been playing with the laser printer / toner / HCl etching method. Once you find the right paper, it's easy and cheap to do. Would love to see a custom etched chopsado....and if I remember right, they have double-sided film available. All you would have to do is run wires from one side to the other :-)

thesteve · 04/22/2011, 12:36 AM

with strategically placed holes 8 drips of solder no wires

chop5 · 04/24/2011, 11:44 PM

im working on another pce related project that im not proud of and its soaking up all my cash and time like a sponge! but im almost done and as soon as im finished i will look into this. right now i can only concentrate on like 3 or 4 things at a time.

but so far from running it thru my mind if i cant make vias to connect to the other side no way i can solder 18 points again,thats why i reduced it down to 3 with the current design and able to practically give them away. if i start actually spending money on making them it will only drain customers pockets.
but i think i can find a way around this. il start designing a proto soon.

roflmao · 06/27/2011, 11:53 AM

Hey all!

As a sign of appreciation to Chop5 for his unbelievable contribution to this community, I designed a little CD case for your chopsado to fit in. Here are links to print out your own case:

/2011/06/chopsadomanualcover.jpg
/2011/06/chopsadobackcover.jpg

I'm not very good at spell-checking, so please let me know if you see any errors.

Also, any feedback on how to improve it would be appreciated as well.

Thanks, Chop5!

chop5 · 07/04/2011, 04:29 PM

wow looks fantastic roflmao!
its like a store bought

thanks for all your hard work. i will enclose one of these with each new chopsado order.

RR1980 · 07/04/2011, 11:04 PM

good job roflmao!

roflmao · 07/04/2011, 11:31 PM

Awesome. I'm glad you guys dig it!

Arkhan Asylum · 07/05/2011, 01:13 AM

IT SUCKS. I HATE IT.

just kidding.

badass.

One day I may actually make a chopsado. I dont have a ton of use for one right now though!

420GOAT · 03/13/2012, 05:20 PM

does anyone still make these? as long as it works im good.

Bernie · 03/13/2012, 05:31 PM

Yeah, PM chop. He can get ya one. You could always just get your system region modded as well.

420GOAT · 03/13/2012, 06:58 PM

wow im learning some new stuff here. is that possible with an express as well? ill check it out.

thesteve · 03/13/2012, 07:18 PM

yep work on the express

420GOAT · 03/13/2012, 08:48 PM

Quote from: thesteve on 03/13/2012, 07:18 PMyep work on the express

regarding the region mod?

Bernie · 03/13/2012, 08:58 PM

Quote from: 420GOAT on 03/13/2012, 08:48 PM
Quote from: thesteve on 03/13/2012, 07:18 PMyep work on the express
regarding the region mod?

Yep, steve and another member here came up with a chip that after installed in your express, Duo, or TG16, you can play any region HuCARD.

thesteve · 03/14/2012, 02:21 AM

tho i was referring to the chopsado working on the express

Mishran · 03/14/2012, 09:41 AM

Quote from: Bernie on 03/13/2012, 08:58 PM
Quote from: 420GOAT on 03/13/2012, 08:48 PM
Quote from: thesteve on 03/13/2012, 07:18 PMyep work on the express
regarding the region mod?
Yep, steve and another member here came up with a chip that after installed in your express, Duo, or TG16, you can play any region HuCARD.

Plus with another extra chip, your TE can region switch without a physical switch. Just hold down one of the control buttons when you turn on your system, and PRESTO! Instant region switch. BlueBMW did the region mod on my CoreGrafx and did a fantastic job. Thanks again for that Blue, still works like a charm!

PikachuWarrior · 06/09/2012, 09:36 PM

any updates on getting more materials for the chop converter?

Jugbug · 06/12/2012, 01:25 AM

Thought I'd add the PCE adaptor I made to the gallery. Looks like it's similar to the idea Chop5 had in the first picture of his first post.

I made it out of an original 32bit PCI extension cable (not PCI-E), something like this:

pcicable.jpg

I removed all but one ribbon cable, cut the bottom PCB to the size of a hucard, removed the pins from one side of the PCI slot and widened the slot a bit with a dremel so a hucard could fit in. Then I cut the traces on the top PCB for the 8 data lines to rewire. The bottom PCB needed a little plastic or tape since it was too thin to make contact in the cartridge slot without it. It's been working great for my use in a Duo. I don't have a TurboExpress to try it with, but it holds the hucard and plugs into the system snug enough that neither would fall out, although the ribbon cable may be a bit long.

Hope this helps anyone looking to make an adaptor. I think it cost me about $6~7.

huadaptor.jpg

roflmao · 06/12/2012, 08:54 AM

Wow, that's pretty slick!

soop · 06/12/2012, 10:00 AM

Quote from: guest on 06/12/2012, 08:54 AMWow, that's pretty slick!

That's really good! Got any photos of the creation process?

Keith Courage · 06/12/2012, 03:25 PM

How did you get the Game card into the white connector end? I have tried this before and even when I push really hard the game will not go into the slot. Did you grind it out a little?

Bernie · 06/12/2012, 06:41 PM

Quote from: Keith Courage on 06/12/2012, 03:25 PMHow did you get the Game card into the white connector end? I have tried this before and even when I push really hard the game will not go into the slot. Did you grind it out a little?

QuoteI removed all but one ribbon cable, cut the bottom PCB to the size of a hucard, removed the pins from one side of the PCI slot and widened the slot a bit with a dremel so a hucard could fit in. Then I cut the traces on the top PCB for the 8 data lines to rewire. The bottom PCB needed a little plastic or tape since it was too thin to make contact in the cartridge slot without it. It's been working great for my use in a Duo. I don't have a TurboExpress to try it with, but it holds the hucard and plugs into the system snug enough that neither would fall out, although the ribbon cable may be a bit long.

Jugbug · 06/12/2012, 11:06 PM

Sorry, I don't have any pictures of the process, but it's pretty simple, just cutting it to fit and rewiring.

Quote from: Keith Courage on 06/12/2012, 03:25 PMHow did you get the Game card into the white connector end? I have tried this before and even when I push really hard the game will not go into the slot. Did you grind it out a little?

Yeah, I used a dremel to cut/grind out a little extra room. Unfortunately the PCI connector is just slightly thinner than a hucard.

Keith Courage · 06/13/2012, 02:16 AM

Ha sorry, I somehow just passed right over that part when reading. I must have messed up and ate a bowl of stupid for breakfast today. Oh and by the way...Nice work!

soop · 07/05/2012, 10:03 AM

Helloooo. Ok, I got a PCI thing the exact same as Jugbug's, and I have a couple of questions.

First, is there a schematic for the pins I need to swap? I want to play US games on a PC Engine (not sure it will work both ways?)

Secondly, Jugbug, I've noticed that the curve of the HuCard means I'll either have to dremel the inside of the PCI slot, or maybe go to the second pin and dremel the connector end accordingly. What method did you use?

Hope you can help!

Jugbug · 07/05/2012, 11:59 PM

I don't have a PC Engine myself, but as I understand a hucard converter will work for you, but in addition you'll also need to lift and ground one of the pins on a chip inside the system. A quick search brought up this page which explains it clearly:

wayback.mmmonkey.co.uk/console/pce/region.htm
https://mmmonkey.co.uk/multi-region-pc-engine-turbo-grafx-16/

There is also a schematic for which hucard pins you need to flip on that same page, here:

At first I was thinking of seperating the ribbon cable and doing the flip there, but I thought that might lead to problems with the wires getting pulled on, or being a bit too short, so I cut the eight traces on the PCB just below the PCI slot and rewired it there.

As for the PCI slot, I widened it so that the edge of the hucard goes right up against the PCI slot's edge. So the first two pins of the PCI connector are not doing anything, the third pin is the first that makes contact, to pin 38 of the hucard in my case. This works out well because when cutting the bottom PCB, leaving two dummy pins on each side of the actual 38 hucard pins makes the PCB almost exactly the same width as the hucard. I'll post a picture of the slot with the hucard half-out so you can see how mine lines up.

Widening the PCI slot right against the side was a bit difficult since I couldn't really get my dremel down there without cutting through the slot's side, which I accidentally did a little. I ended up sort of chiseling that part out with a small screwdriver and a hammer.

/hupcislot.jpg

soop · 07/06/2012, 05:00 AM

Excellent! Thankyou very much!

*edit* didn't realise you have to lift pin 29 on a japanese console, that's a pain. And I'm not sure why he's using those chips in the MMMonkey mod?

thesteve · 07/06/2012, 03:49 PM

no need to lift it,just ground it

Duo_R · 07/11/2012, 12:47 AM

You are talking about the Duo-R console correct because the standard Japanese Duo or PC Engine does need it lifted. I have a tutorial video on my YouTube page if anyone needs a guide.

Quote from: thesteve on 07/06/2012, 03:49 PMno need to lift it,just ground it

thesteve · 07/11/2012, 12:51 AM

i too have seen the tutorial.
i have also checked the pin on the black PCE DUO
the pad under pin29 goes nowhere

Duo_R · 07/11/2012, 01:10 AM

Then you will be shorting 5V to ground

http://www.interlog.com/~daves/pce_info/jpncnvrt.txt

Only Duo-R and RX had no connect on pin 29. Did you try running a US game like that on a PC Engine by chance?

thesteve · 07/11/2012, 01:16 AM

yes i have
its also true of the GT
i had read that it was +5, but a meter proved it wasnt

Duo_R · 07/11/2012, 01:17 AM

Thats crazy, the biggest modding myth for PC Engine, that info is everywhere

soop · 07/11/2012, 05:28 AM

Ok, thanks guys - so ground it. I'll be using a white PCE. I can't find my dremel at the moment though

*edit* just FMI, the same converter would work on a TG16 right? if you're just swapping pins around, I don't see why it wouldn't.

thesteve · 07/11/2012, 12:01 PM

yes the converter works both ways, as long as the pin is grounded

KnightWarrior · 07/15/2012, 02:41 AM

How does the converter work anyways..

Do you put it on the card contacts??

Any Vids on youtube about it??

thesteve · 07/15/2012, 03:42 AM

chops yes

KnightWarrior · 07/15/2012, 02:07 PM

Cool thanks..

soop · 08/15/2012, 08:44 AM

Ok, been working away at my own converter. I've already made some stupid mistakes;
Firstly, I didn't remeove the pins from the bottom first. Additionally I didn't have needlenose pliers, which is pretty much essential for this job. Second thing I did was to cut the extra 2 pins off, so I've glued them back on, but I'm considering starting again with a better understanding.

Here's the data-pin jumpering (currently unfinished) using the spare ribbon cable from the PCI thing. I may have cut the ground trace, but I can fix that. I used a craft knife - will that do the trick for trace cutting?

Here's my pigs ear of a butchered PCI slot. Some pins I could't extract after they broke in half at the back, so I just bent them to the back.

picasaweb.google.com/110230170791344573454/August152012#5776878200734975234

And here's the other end with the 2 "extra" pins glued back on

Jugbug · 08/16/2012, 12:42 AM

A craft knife should be fine for cutting the traces, but make sure you're cutting deep enough, maybe make two separate cuts to be sure if you don't have a multimeter/continuity tester to check.

If you're planning on rewiring the data lines entirely on the one pcb like I did with mine, the ribbon cable wire might be too thick with the wires all crisscrossing each other. I used individual strands of 30 awg wire on mine.

My PCI slot looked similar to yours. Just the nature of hacking/grinding/melting away at plastic at a weird angle I guess. I tried to clean mine up a bit after with a file.

KnightWarrior · 08/18/2012, 09:39 AM

How does Chops converter work anyway??

roflmao · 08/18/2012, 11:47 AM

Quote from: KnightWarrior on 08/18/2012, 09:39 AMHow does Chops converter work anyway??

Just read the first few pages of this thread. If that's too much work, you can jump to this point.

KnightWarrior · 08/18/2012, 11:26 PM

Thanks....