Recapping and Consolizing a Game Gear (WIP)

[Ziggy]

No, I know you weren't dumping on me or hot glue.

[marurun]

I think if they called it Sexy Hot Glue they could rehabilitate it’s reputation.

[Anapan]

Can't believe I was considering asking Drakon to mod my Famicom. Hot-glue champ right there . Glad some members here stepped in and ApolloBoy agreed to do it well. I think that RGB modded AV Famicom system's gonna be auctioned off here soon.

[GryeDor]

Can't believe I was considering asking Drakon to mod my Famicom. Hot-glue champ right there . Glad some members here stepped in and ApolloBoy agreed to do it well. I think that RGB modded AV Famicom system's gonna be auctioned off here soon.

Modded AV Fami ftw! That's what I've got and it's amazing. I also ordered the GameFreak FC-to-NES cart adapter because it is surprisingly compatible with NES games that are notoriously incompatible with adapters like Castlevania 3. Haven't run into any cart that it's incompatible with yet.

Also these Water Slide decals sound fantastic. Will definitely have to look into that as an option before making any final decisions.

[Ziggy]

So the Genesis model 2 style AV jack came in. Annoyingly, the only panel mount style jack of this variety that seems to be available is the one that I got.

The only Genesis model 2 style jacks I can find are PCB mounted, or this panel mount jack. Here's what it looks like in the case...






I first wired it up in a way that I think most people would first think to do. That is, tinning the pins and the wires with solder and then tacking them on. Electrically, the connection is fine, but I always worry about it having no strain relief and metal fatigue eventually causing a wire to break. So I decided to rewire it using a different method. A wire wrapping tool.

[opa]

Do you still have to solder a wire wrap?

[Ziggy]

Do you still have to solder a wire wrap?

You do still have to solder it, but it's a lot neater and more secure of a connection compared to "tacking" a wire on.

edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRqUccPacKY

I just wanted to look up a quick video demonstration of wire wrapping a pin, and this was the first hit. Interestingly, the example is wire wrapping for prototyping, in which case the demonstrator does NOT solder the wrapped wire.

[Ziggy]

Finally got around to doing this...



I extended the cables for the power and audio boards.

To me, this was one of the more tedious parts of this mod. Not that it's hard to do, I just find it annoying. So I'm glad to finally get this part behind me. Next, I think I will install the TV output mod.

[Ziggy]

I finally got the GGTV installed!





Now I'm very near completion. I think all I really have left is to installed the controller mod board, hookup the multi AV output, and a few other minor things (trimming the case for fitments issues, install power on LED, tidying up everything).

[Ziggy]

I hit a minor snag, but I've made progress anyway.

I started to install the controller mod board. First I soldered all of the wires to the GG motherboard, then I wanted to test it before going any further. And the GG was dead LOL. Seemingly nothing was wrong, until I noticed that the pixel clock signal to the TV out board is extremely sensitive. The installation notes mention that you should keep it away from all of the other signals because it might cause graphical interference in some games.