Getting Amazing RGB Video from the AV Famicom!

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In this installment, I take you through the process of installing Tim Worthington's NESRGB kit into an AV Famicom. This is a barebones installation and as a result is missing a few bells & whistles such as those snazzy audio mods. I spend a great deal of time & focus on PPU removal, as this is what most people struggle greatly with.

[@bruceg22000]

I love how Voultar makes all his jobs look super easy. I already feel like a soldering champion before I've even started my first project.

[@beefcurtainz69]

“The finger test” when I was a young buck my father taught me that. Most important part in finding a mate.

[@Mona_Lisa123]

I just watched the HD mod yesterday and loved it. Although I'm not going to be doing any of this i still highly enjoy watching your videos! You will get famous soon.

[@G-zeus_M]

Maaaaaan you forgot the hot glue!!!!

[@disk0__]

Yooooo this Jabroni forgot the Peter North special CAMAN

[@Metal-Possum]

It's Voultar, not Drakon.

[@westfrank4166]

Fuk Drakon his work is shit

[@onemangrove7827]

No joke, the NESRGB could use a little glue to secure it in the socket better :D

[@redsyrup1138]

Gorgeous work complete with many tool tips. Thanks so much for producing this video! I'm new to DIY projects and repairs but have done a mod or two on DMG-01s and GBAs and recently repaired my old Sony Receiver that had a problem with Dry Solder joints around two key ICs that got bombarded by too much heat over the years. Prior to re-flowing those dry solder joints I replaced a few caps around them thinking that was the issue. Please keep making videos. We need a fix it culture in America.

[@infinity2z3r07]

You are like a tender lover with these old girls. Brings a tear 😥

[@claudiustefan4957]

The soundtrack from the beginning was from "Kickmaster"..... Boy what a ride on memory lane... Thank you man!

[@markl1109]

I could watch these mods all day..great job

[@kevinohara8529]

I'm not even inclined to mod old consoles or do much component repair, but your work is top notch and you explain solder techniques very well. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[@bnerd1]

I'm not even modding retro consoles and I'm watching this why i don't know

[@reginalb124]

It would be, except that he can't pronounce solder, and it's like fingernails on a chalkboard every damn time.

[@JamesEley123]

@@reginalb124 Its the British way...

[@reginalb124]

@@JamesEley123 Interesting. Still sounds very odd to me.

[@JamesEley123]

@@reginalb124 yes, it's off for me too!

[@BambooShadow]

ASMR for your soul!

[@plasia]

Please Lord Voultar, a full tool/equipment/supplies rundown and links to get them. Preferably affiliate links. I used to do arcade stick mods and repairs for the scene, with basic gear, now I want to move on to more advanced stuff.

[@Sayajiin2]

Thank you Voultar for this great video !

[@iCach0]

My favorite part was when you worked that package back and forth with your big round hot tip.

[@prmicrotech]

Your videos are awesome man. Thanks for the content hope to see a lot more. Thanks, I know this is time consuming but it is super appreciated.

[@scopedpixels]

Thank you Voultar for this video!

[@teeffw2776]

Pretty nice. I think the greatest service you perform is that of the basic soldering/electronics teacher. A lot of the stuff you talk about and show seems obvious or completely basic, but the fact that you talk about these things means that it's really not, at least not in the console modding scene. Keep that up, it's pretty fantastic that there's someone out there that can communicate concepts as simple as heat flow or ensuring a good joint in such a simple, quick, and clear manner. As for where you should go next, I'm both really curious about the nightmare mod jobs you've seen before (Bad Console Mods would be a great series if you kept up with it) but I'm also really interested in your opinions about keeping quality high even under low-budget considerations. You mention having a $70 tool as being essential to a job vs having a cheaper tool, but sometimes it simply doesn't make sense for someone to spend $70 on a tool to install a board much cheaper than that tool, especially when you can have "good enough" or "okay I guess" results with a $5 tool. To that end, I'd be really curious about what you can show us about those situations.

[@tetsuo3k]

I took a soldering/desoldering class a decade ago at the local community college. It was enlightening for sure, but I've learned more practical skills watching Voultar since I found this channel late last year. Especially in the judicious application of flux, which made RGB-modding my N64 the easiest job I've ever done at such a small scale. With the quality of these videos it's easy to misjudge how downright tiny the components really are, and when I first held the board in my hand I was a little worried whether I could install it with my skill set. Of course I had no cause for worry, it went off without a hitch and my N64 puts out beautiful analog RGB now.

[@teeffw2776]

During my time at university I found a neat summer job on a science project where I was unceremoniously and suddenly thrust into the position of being the guy who soldered and tested everything on a few of the project circuit boards. Aside from a quick 2-hour lesson on how to properly solder, given by a lab tech two years older than I was and who had nothing better to do on a thursday afternoon, I had no previous experience with soldering. All I really learned from the first week was this: Use tweezers, make sure your soldering iron is at a right temperature, lead-free solder is for suckers and chumps, there's no such thing as too much flux (except when it's in gel form that you have to clean in an ultrasonic bath filled with acetic acid at 90%), even and consistent heat is key in making good joints, inspect everything with a jeweler's lens and simple multimeter to make sure that adjacent leads don't touch each other, roach wires are for losers (but if you have to use them, at least do it right and clean), and most importantly, a good soldering iron tip is key to anything you do. I'm happy to say that I learned most of these things within just a week of hands-on practice and that 2-hour lesson. The project was a success, and its relative quality meant that the project circuitry was good enough for a NASA scientific balloon launch. Our payload was one of three that managed to last for three days when the mission specs only called for 12 hours of operation. There were 12 payloads in total. I'm happy to say that my soldering quality meant that our payload withstood the temperature extremes of the high atmosphere without joint issues. These are the skills that Voultar teaches, and I'm seriously amazed that people don't know them. I'm happy to see Voultar teaching them in such a clear and concise manner.

[@Metal-Possum]

You can be told how to solder time and time again, but nothing is a more effective learning tool than actually doing it yourself. It's not a difficult thing to learn, far simpler than other skill-sets like welding. If you don't have the right equipment or a clean tip, you can pretty much throw any project in the bin.

[@boogiemanspud]

You've heard of drag queens, now you've seen the drag king! Great video voultar!

[@tetsujin_144]

With all the dire warnings that accompanied this mod I was afraid I'd mess up my mainboards - but I took my time and worked carefully, and completed the mod on both my systems. I used a mechanical desoldering tool (one of the spring-loaded solder suckers integrated into an iron) - it's no Hakko but it really helped. Side note, I was so, so happy when Tim released alternate firmware for other palettes. The "natural" palette is way too vibrant, the "composite" palette is much better.

[@jonnielsen547]

Thanks for this video. I've watched your other videos for doing a regular NES front loader RGB mod. This time it was easier because I paid closer attention to the desoldering tips. The PPU barely needed any tap of the finger to simply fall out :-)

[@dwcoleman]

Loved the video, can't wait for a repro video, hoping you make one.

[@onemangrove7827]

An additional note that's missing from this video: The kit comes with an 8 pin din style socket which you could drill a hole in the back of the case and mount there to soulder the graphics outputs to, however, the method Voultar shows here is newer and allows you to use a multi-out RGB cable, such as for the SNES and Gamecube. The official NESRGB site notes that an SNES cable will not work, however, I have the SNES multiout cable from Retro gaming cables dot UK and it works fine.

[@murrij]

Wow. That machine looked brand new inside. Pretty. Are you going to do a video on your new lab friend? I'm looking forward to seeing how you set it up.

[@ramakrishnamishra8179]

Oh boy prepping the board was awesome!!!

[@CarcinogenSDA]

Fuck yeah, I love Kickmaster, good choice

[@crunchsixfoe]

Great channel Voultar. You repaired a NESRGB expansion audio mod on my Twin Famicom I got from a shoddy modder on Yahoo Japan. Sub for you sir.

[@Paullyell]

I love all his videos on mods idk why i am into this stuff its great.

[@AsilarWindsailor]

Solid Snake and his equipment X) That solder sucker is awesome

[@danmackintosh6325]

Bahahaa you got the little Service Games ad-sult line in there, made me smile :D Most of your vids do indeed make me smile, even if I'm not modding anything as yet.

[@bezerker]

"it´s all that simple" should be name of this channel :D Good job Sir! ;)

[@merlingt1]

Awesome! I hope this to be my next mod.

[@CMAC86]

Love your videos man. I know you sort of tend to mod older consoles and stuff but id like to see some RGH mods for the Xbox 360. There are tons of videos already on KZbin but id like to see your work and perspective on those types of mods. thanks alot

[@NesNyt]

That ricoh processor changed the the world of gaming

[@moo4983]

Earlier on in the video you mentioned the importance of only using turned pin sockets with their appropriate round pin headers, but later on you used the same socket for the PPU to sit in. It's a literal "square peg & round hole" situation, and I'm not sure how great of an idea it is to do myself. I'm sure you have your reasons though. o:

[@bruceg22000]

This video convinced me this isn't a project for someone who is just learning how to solder. Glad I can purchase an AV Famicom and send it to Lord Voultar instead for the full installation option.

[@anuebon]

Same here. I find this fascinating. Please teach me more.

[@arcade_signal]

Thanks for all the great videos, this is a hell of a channel. Just a question, I know you don't recommend rosin-core solder, but when I use a solid core 63/37 along with no clean liquid flux (SRA 312) my joints end up looking dull and not particularly sexual, even though the fillets are structurally good and they're not cold joints. When I use rosin core 63/37 with liquid rosin flux my joints are shiny and pretty much perfect, only there's now the rosin mess to clean up. Are you using solid core solder or does yours have some sort of non-rosin no-clean flux added? If it does, what do you recommend?

[@UkraineJames2000]

Excellent video

[@tomaszrozycki7460]

WooooW Kick Master music! Awesome thing :) Great vids :)

[@BastarB]

Thanks for this vid Voultar, I've been looking for a guide like this! A question thou, is the procedure almost the same for the american top loader nes?

[@CarcinogenSDA]

Question about the R, G, and B capacitors on the FPGA - given that said capacitors don’t exist in a D-sub 15 cable, that necessitates leaving them intact if I wanted to use a VGA cable instead of a SCART cable, yes? I’m getting very very slight ghosting on my NES and I’m wondering if it’s the capacitors or the cable I’m temporarily using to directly interface the NES with my OSSC

[@AmartharDrakestone]

Nice David Hayter.

[@StRoRo]

Great video>> For me I would want to know what type of wire to use for which application, which flux to use, which solder is best to use (lead or non-lead) what all the mixtures of solder mean and which is good for what.

[@fanwlkr]

Nice work. I just fixed my fake N64 controller that didn't work out the box, and realized that even if it works now, it coulda been nice if I had more practice and know-how about how to do things properly. Atleast I didn't use any kind of glue, right? I do some fixing, but try to keep my modding to a minimum because noob, but I do alot of fixing handhelds. I just use a regular "screwdriver-in-the-socket-iron" and 1$ rock-hard flux paste. Since you mentioned you might make a video about some of the equipment I hoped you maybe please show us a bit more about tin mixes and fluxes suitable for that kind of work, and maybe that briliant heat gun as well. That would be awesome. Subscribed

[@Wally17.]

I don’t even care or know about this console lol. I’m just here for the soldering because it’s becoming a real interest of mine and you do clean work and teach at the same time.

[@dizzym9554]

This was really instructive! I can't find that particular desoldering station anymore though :(

[@jacobstaringatthesun6203]

Thanks for the video, it was very helpful. I would love to see a video on making your own scart cable. Citrus3000psi has a great board on Oshpark that has jumpers for RGB attenuation. I would love to see the process, if you have experience with it. Sourcing the NES-SNES-N64 connector has been a chore.

[@iliariano3126]

Really informative!

[@m4dcat1990]

I came for console mods. Stayed for the David Hayter impersonation

[@luheartswarm4573]

Tiago Medeiros a man of culture right here!

[@philexile2954]

Another great video, Voultar! What do you think of the ZD915 vs the 808? I've had an 808 for a few years now and my only complaint is that it needs to be cleaned out a good bit. Is the ZD any better in that regard?

[@tlhuerth]

You are talking like Bob Ross. It sounds relaxing

[@Ravenna_Black]

What gauge ribbon wire do you use? Really love your videos. Your SNES one helped me succesfully complete my first rgb mod ever. Prior to that Id only done a Dreamcast battery swap.

[@arkhamg4065]

Hey, awesome video!! I got a question, is there a difference between a single core cable and a stranded cable and why do you use the stranded one? Ty!!

[@invaded1265]

Great video!

[@sonicpk100]

ya nice voultar , almost 25 year a go this mode for my arcade machine

[@crazyhans]

so nice hearing solder being pronounced properly on youtube

[@thewallduck2022]

I too find it annoying when people say soddering iron

[@SteveGare]

You're like the Bob Ross of soldering :p

[@MrSadface]

Hope to see a NESRGB install on a HVC-001/original Famicom

[@tsuran3848]

Thanks for the Video. Is the mod any different or much different for a US toploader? Besides the needing to add a multi out port, not sure if the main board is anywhere near close, not having an AV fami.

[@ekappotis]

Apologies if this has already been asked, but what temperature do you set your zd-915 to? I purchased the same tool and need to remove the PPU and CPU for an nd nes install. Also, what do you consider to be good solder vs. bad solder? Thank you very much for your videos!

[@meisJ420]

I feel like, this video, needs a BOB ghost

[@MarkVersion1]

Can you do a video of capacitor replacement for the original NES, top loader version and AV Famicom?

[@RyoGrattius]

At 21:00, would you remove those capacitors if using an HD retrovision cable instead of using a shart cable?

[@Andrew-McCormick]

RyoGrattius “shart”

[@danielson9579]

I guess its all about looking after your tools :-)

[@duckyvirus]

I really wish videos like this existed when I got started. I ruined several SNES/PSX when learning.

[@moth.monster]

Wow, I could probably do this!

[@thomasnewfield9950]

Thanks for the video. What's your solder temperature / wattage?

[@ryank.5960]

retro modding is lyfe

[@JRussellProductions]

Hey Voultar, when you remove those capacitors on Tim's RGB board. If I ever wanted to use HDRetrovisions Component Cables on a RGB Modded NES and add the Multi-Out female connector. Is it recommended to remove those capacitors too?

[@miguelbaquero2705]

Hey Voultar, what do you think about the sync signal on an arcade Neo Geo; is it better to attenuate it using a voltage divider and then amplify the signal again and terminate it with a 75ohm resistor to get 0.7 volts or just use a resistor, like 470ohm? will the current draw stress the chip with only the resistor? Thanks.

[@AlexMoenR]

No NESRGB audio circuit, eh? They say that AV Famicom's expansion audio is mixed "wrong" compared to the original Famicom, so wiring it through the NESRGB can be a good opportunity to make it right. You tap it from the expansion audio cart pin and slap a resistor on it. The only question is which resistor value is "right". I just put a 100k pot on it and dialed it to sound like recordings of an original Fami.

[@fluxcorenz]

I'd love to do something about this as well. I got an AV Fami and gosh, the mixing on Akumajou Densetsu is horrible. I haven't RGB modded it yet, but if that makes it easy to 'fix' the mixing then I'd consider it a must-have.

[@onemangrove7827]

One more additional note is that the machine socket that the NESRGB connects to the board with is not secured that tightly. If you drop your NES or it otherwise gets a knock of some kind that's sufficiently forceful, the chip could easily get jarred partially out of the socket. It'd be cool if you did a video covering your favorite way to secure the NESRGB to the main board (other than soldering it directly to the board and skipping the machine socket). Is there any way to clip it or otherwise fasten it down tighter that still allows you to pop the board out later if necessary?

[@jommeez]

oh my actual fucking god dude new voultar vid and i'm watching at 420 views

[@master_matthew]

Voultar, just a bit curious about your intro, did you make it?

[@veridor7522]

20:13 you mention removing the tantalum caps for AC coupling on the NESRGB board because they are already present on SNES SCART cables. Would this still apply if using HD Retrovision component cables instead?

[@Uplinkpr0]

Where do you get your ribbon cable and solder, that stuff looks like it flows pretty darn good

[@koffieleut]

Wow, E for everyone video :D

[@kurasoe]

Would solder wick work as cleanly potentially (after the fresh solder) to remove the PPUs? For someone who will probably only do his own consoles, wondering if the vacuum machine is necessary. I've seen the mess the handhold spring-action tools leave behind but was wondering about the wick I've seen a lot of folks use.

[@Andrew-McCormick]

Please make one of these for an original Famicom, as well as a controller extension if possible

[@junior1388666]

do you work with more modern consoles? if so, can you do a video on ps4, switch or Xbox?

[@rimmersbryggeri]

Can you remove the RF modulator from the NES front loaderso you canuse that holein the chassi for an rgb port if you so desired or is he rf modulater used for some other part of the circuit? I mean a genesis2 style RGB av out.

[@scottyboy0321]

Now if I were to use this mod with hd retrovisions snes cable would I leave the 3 capacitors you took off of the kit still on? Or would I still remove them anyways? Very interested in doing this myself and I know you're buddies with HD Retrovision, so I was wondering if you came into that predicament?

[@jon5789]

Hi greetings! What do you thing about using the top loader ppu on a front loader? Do you think the front loader (us console) with rgb mod and the ppu from a top loader (hvc101 japan) is a nice mod? I love my toaster model, but i know the top loader has better image quality.

[@Snufflumpagus]

In your opinion, would it be better for me to get the Hakko FX-888D and a cheap hot air rework station OR a 2 in 1 hot air rework station with a soldering iron that is similarly priced? I'm just starting out in working on my own old computers and want to add some mods that require soldering. The Commodore 128 I have happens to have the shielding soldered on in one place, so to even get it out and clean it up I need a soldering iron. I have a little soldering experience with a cheapo iron that had no variable heat settings, just plugs in and warms up. It also doesn't have any other tips to replace it that I can find. I have heard that Hakko tips are used in a lot of cheap soldering stations now.

[@Voultar]

Before buying a Hakko Triple-8 for roughly $95; I would look for a HAKKO FP-101 or FP-102 system. It's a vastly superior soldering system that uses the infamous T12/T15 tips.

[@Snufflumpagus]

Voultar the ones I can find on Ebay mostly come without a key. I'm guessing that's only needed to attach a desoldering module? Also I don't see an obvious display for temperature.

[@Voultar]

The key's used to set the temperature. But this can easily be circumvented by removing the photo-transistor that detects when the beam of light is *blocked* by the key.

[@msamiullah001]

what tempreature you should be setting your desoldering gun ? plus what tip size it is ?

[@arthurbourgois3360]

And is it similar or even identical to a nes top loader mod or is there major difference in the boards or else

[@chroboe]

Idea for future video: RGB modding an original white PC-Engine, the one with RF only.

[@hawkmanhawk]

Do you not need the voltage regulator for AV Famicom or US Toploaders?

[@markusvhane5087]

Subbed! 👍

[@MistahDale]

Where do you purchase the solder wire you use, and what kind is it exactly?

[@Agilato]

Nice work, but you have to clean left over flux traces... over time it will create interference and cost some problems.

[@ProModding]

hi) why you solder composite wire to pin 5 instead pin 2? In "Guide for installing a NESRGB into a Famicom AV" composite soldered to pin 2

[@breandanvallance3107]

I was about to ask this same question

[@msamiullah001]

would 0.6MM Sn60/Pb40 0.01sin 1.2% Low-melting Tin Lead be a good solder to use before on joints before de soldering ?

[@KittyKatKya]

I would love you if you could point me towards a good place to pick up that desoldering pump. Sure, call me cheap, but the ones I'm seeing at all floating at about $40 above the price you quoted; Can't tell if I'm just dumb or if the price you gave is from a couple years back potentially

[@KittyKatKya]

That's why I figured. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being dumb and missing something obvious. Still, either way, if it's decent, $120-130 for one is still pretty good.

[@gabrielacevedo6201]

I can confirm not to use a mechanical pump. I recently killed my Twin Famicom trying to remove the PPU and damaging it, and then killed my NES front loader trying to swap out it's PPU. I've been heart broken since because I spent so much money on everything and I can't afford to replace any of it.

[@ThePreciseClimber]

Maybe you were not using the best one. They also require more experience than the more expensive toys. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6iXnY19oJ5jn5Ym30s

[@gabrielacevedo6201]

ThePreciseClimber I am definitely not the best at soldering. I've read and seen a lot of reference material stating that pumps work just fine, but if I had the opportunity to try the mod again, I would not use a pump. But as I stated, I can't afford to replace anything I have damaged. It killed my prospects of modding my Turbo Duo and X'Eye.

[@johneygd]

So sad,i don’t wanna solder stuff all because of fearing ruin it by accident.

[@zdp-189]

Voultar is it practical/not insanely difficult to do an RGB mod to a SHARP Twin Famicom which I have, I really haven't found any good documentation out there on this model if RGB is possible/practical.

[@Voultar]

I think I'll do a video on that, my friend!

[@zdp-189]

That would be much appreciated! Look forward to it, I'll be plenty busy RGBing/recapping my Turbo Duo in meantime thanks to your vid!

[@philexile2954]

I installed a NESRGB into a Twin Famicom. It wasn't too tough and you can use the original DIN for RGB if you don't want to modify the shell.

[@zdp-189]

Excellent, I would like to reuse the DIN also if possible, I love the way the red/black Twin Fami looks stock and want to try and keep it that way. It must look beautiful outputting RGB now.

[@rafaelmendoza1103]

Why not a video about brightness attenuation in cheap Scart to HDMI ? Must of us have it Mr voultar

[@user-ru5xq3er6s]

The flux "amber color" is cool, can I have a ref? Thanks! Можно ссылку на используемый флюс, янтарного цвета?) Спасибо!

[@mattzocrazy123]

Sorry if this is a dumb question but the Famicom AV already natively supports composite output, why install an additional composite out?

[@XDmilz4897XD]

Have you ever done this on the white and red Famicom? That's the one I have and I would rather not have to use RF through a VCR with composite out to play it on my CRT.

[@TonyStarkCLC]

I still play retro as God commands it: on a CRT Trinitron.