GameCube DOL-101 Digital Port Upgrade! Get the best possible video from your GameCube!

[@stevemcknelly5036]

Today is a good KZbin day!

[@Deez-Master]

Hell yeah man! Upgrade-it Friday! You have a very calm and even voice. This was a cool one to watch

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks man! Glad that you are enjoying the videos

[@matt4193]

Oh man SUNSOFT BATMAN for the SEGA GENESNES what an absolute banger of an OST

[@sukidable]

Man, I wish they still sold this. Awesome to see it

[@charlesdorval394]

Wow, that was a lot more involved than I thought it was going to be... Great work !

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks! There is a decent number of steps involved, but the final result is worth all the effort!

[@webbedshadow2601]

This is awesome to see! I'm glad it's possible and DOL 101 gamecube owners arent out of luck if they want digital output! I have a 2nd GC I could do this to but with the cost carby/HD and sd loader out of stock issues I think Im just going to stick to using my Wii or Wii U for playing GC games in component rather than go through all this effort for a little bit better video quality than the S-Video I'm currently getting out of my GC lol.

[@draconic5129]

It would be nice if there was a mod that added the digital port off to one side, and kept the analog port. I understand some people don't really like the idea of cutting a hole in the case but personally I think it's necessary to have both the analog port and the digital port.

[@LIRetroGaming]

I did not explain it in enough detail in the video, but that jack on the side actually still preserves the analog video. You just need a 3.5 mm to RCA converter and you can use that to get composite

[@SCP-POOL]

If there's 1 thing I've learned from all these upgrade and/or teardown videos...buying stock in screws manufacturers is extremely profitable!

[@jessragan6714]

"Chip-Quik makes removing solder really easy!" (wrestles with the port for about a minute and a half)

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yeah this was not a good example. I forgot that the ground plane on the game cube is actually quite thick and it wicks away a lot of heat

[@heavenlyderpfowl1180]

There is also a 3rd version that is a DOL-001 but it is missing serial port 2, although it still does have the holes in the shell and traces in the board

[@LIRetroGaming]

That’s right! I always forget about that one since the difference is small and easy to miss

[@ArcardyArcardus]

I'm very happy with my DOL-101 as it is. I'm in the PAL region, so i'm just using a very well shielded SCART cable. Boom, full RGB, 576i50. :)

[@foldor]

I totally wanted to do this mod for my DOL-101, but I realized it completely removes the original AV port, which for me was a deal breaker. It does provide composite output, but I use EON GCHD MK-II on my DOL-001 as I consider having both component video output and HDMI output options to be too useful. I switch between my CRT and HDTV every now and then. The EON is great for that, and it locks on to both ports for extra stability and the analog audio. Good stuff though!

[@LIRetroGaming]

I also own a DOL-001 and an EON and I love it. But it’s great that we have options for all models of the hardware!

[@lolomixed6442]

I wanted to see more footage of the results.

[@LIRetroGaming]

sorry for that - I had to film at my friend's house so I kept it brief

[@MrElixer26]

I was shocked when I realized how expensive the component cables were for the game cube, I searched everywhere and then someone told me to play my games on the wii lol

[@solar3mpire]

coin cell cr2032 is still a soldered on. you might want to make that change to be replaceable.

[@LIRetroGaming]

I actually did replace that as part of the install. I didn't film it because it was off the main topic (the digital port upgrade), but you're right that it's worth replacing that battery.

[@willrobinson7599]

Great video but that de soldering method was awfully slow.cheap de solder pump about a tenner

[@LIRetroGaming]

100% true. I do have a desoldering gun but I just wanted to show is few other options

[@Kane-fn3go]

Getting in to modding and apologies if these are dumb questions. It looks to me like you switched tips on the iron. Flat chisel style to remove the analog port and then a fine point cone to do the soldering on the chip and board. Is that correct? I'm also wondering what gauge wire you used to connect to the power line. I've got 26 gauge, will that be large enough or should I switch to 24?

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yes you are right, I did switch tips when I worked on the chip. And I believe I did use 26 gauge wire for the power line so I think you are all set!

[@mikedisher30]

Awesome stuff 👍👍

[@michaelthompson7637]

Just to make your life easier, you can get a de-soldering pump on Amazon for around $10.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Absolutely, and I do have a Hakko desoldering gun. But it’s always helpful to show some options for people that have a limited budget or don’t have the right tools at the moment

[@Kara_Kay_Eschel]

Would this also work on the 001?

[@madikava]

I believe the 001 does not need this type of mod since it has a digital-out already, so devices like the Carby should just work with that model of the GameCube without any hardware modification.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Correct, the 001 does not need this type of modification. But I still think it’s awesome that it can be done on the 101

[@Kara_Kay_Eschel]

@@madikava True, Just a thought on in case there was a 001 with a faulty/damaged digital out.

[@LIRetroGaming]

@Charlie B You can use a few devices, like the EON, the Carby, or the Prism

[@huangaga6923]

The mod is very great. I had sent my dol-101 to a Taobao seller shop name: JAMMA to add RGBs 240p/480i/480p output with European video DAC comptatible chip. The results are awesome, picture quality obvious better than component cable and GC Video products.

[@MulkaMan]

Why would you add the digital av port instead of doing an internal gcvideo hdmi mod directly? Maybe for preservation purposes? That way you only add something that otherwise would be there officially. Or maybe you want to use the component cables for use with a CRT. I did the opposite, I desoldered the digital port from a DOL-001 and added an internal hdmi board with the gcvideo firmware xD

[@LIRetroGaming]

I think it depends on the person’s set up. Some people want to have the flexibility to use analog video solutions and digital solutions. In that case the digital port is better. But of course if you only plan to use it with HDMI then that is the way to go

[@EEVOL]

Where is this kit available today? I looked and most were sold out.

[@LIRetroGaming]

I would check with Castlemania games and see when they will have it in stock again

[@yeolemillinial8295]

i got component cables that pull audio right form the digital out on the 001, can't this mod possible be done to do that instead of having an extra jack that drills a hole into the shell

[@LIRetroGaming]

There’s no need to do this mod on the 00 one because it already has all of this functionality built in. It’s really only for the 101 because it doesn’t have it

[@yeolemillinial8295]

@@LIRetroGaming ya I get that

[@VPDTruth]

Does the sotering iron come with the kit?

[@LIRetroGaming]

That’s something you have to buy separately

[@EnzoMaurtua]

❤️❤️❤️

[@jesseutt3311]

Where should I go to purchase the kit to do this upgrade?

[@LIRetroGaming]

These used to be sold by Castlemania, but now maybe Stone Age Gamer sells them

[@EnzoMaurtua]

Nice

[@aldocesarvargasperez5160]

Where you brought the flux?

[@LIRetroGaming]

It’s MG chemicals no clean flux from Amazon

[@jd213_]

Too bad this mod removes S-Video capability, but I wonder how hard it would be to add an S-Video port. I assume it would mostly be an issue of routing a couple wires and finding a place to drill a hole on the case. The SMD caps removed are apparently for S-Video, so if those are left in it would also mean the flex cable would be a bit harder to install I guess. Ah well, looks like this kit is out of stock right now anyway

[@JS-tz9mr]

Really sucks this kit isn’t available anymore. If anyone knows where they can get one hmu

[@tR6yMusic]

I want this done to my GameCube! Do you still do this mod?

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yes as long as you can get the parts

[@tR6yMusic]

@@LIRetroGaming was that a kit or just individual pieces?

[@jeffbanfieldsflwr3537]

Why can't you mix leaded and unleaded?

[@LIRetroGaming]

They don’t bond well to each other so eventually the solder will crack

[@Captain_Char]

I just use the HDMI adapter for the old cube that has digital out

[@ItchyTastyPlays]

I can't mod worth shit. But I did get the Prism HD for my DOL-001 and I am happy with it honestly I never had that clean of a picture and I love it.

[@gamingfanmark9275]

How were you able to get the Prism HD to work on the DOL-101? I have that same model and that Prism HD says it’s only compatible with the DOL-001 model, the one that has both the analog and digital inputs. And the digital input is required for the Prism HD to work, was you console already modded or is it able to work on its own?

[@ItchyTastyPlays]

@@gamingfanmark9275 I have sausage fingers and did not know that I said I had a 101. Edited my comment now.

[@kychu2674]

Would it be possible to send you my console, and pay you to install the mod for me? I don't feel confident in doing it myself.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yes, you can contact me at 1uprestorations.com and I can help

[@overgradkc3999]

Darn kit has been out of stock for a while…

[@mattfisher1916]

Desolder wick would of been a million times easier

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yeah in retrospect that would have been better

[@drewklakring3516]

Is there anyone out there that can upgrade mine for me? I don’t want to risk ruining mine.

[@LIRetroGaming]

I can do this for you. You can contact me at 1uprestorations.com

[@nyccollin]

Did anyone like the GameCube enough to want hdmi on it though? I thought it was somewhat of a failure.

[@LIRetroGaming]

A decent number of people seem to want it. As of right now there are 3 separate companies offering HDMI adapters

[@nyccollin]

Long Island Retro Gaming that's awesome! I remember doing laser replacements on these back in the early 2000's. I always thought it was a well designed console.

[@tompadfoot3065]

the Gamecube was the top selling console of its generation, and it has a robust mod scene

[@danieljimenez1989]

The GameCube definitely wasn't the best selling console of its generation. The ps2 was in that same generation and it stands as the best selling home console of all time.