How NOT to be a Professional Modder!

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In this installment, we take a look at a Nintendo 64 that's been modified by HDRGB, a Canadian mod-shop that specializes in sub-par modding practices. An honest analysis quickly reveals the likely culprit to the problems this customer was facing, let's get them back into the game!

[@marybergquist8017]

just remember, whenever you think you suck at soldering, there's always someone worse...and they're probably selling console mods on ebay.

[@Obscure_man31]

Well atleast it wasnt covered in hot glue

[@Voultar]

Thank God. Definitely wasn't the worst I've seen!

[@Obscure_man31]

@@Voultar oh you should've seen drakon's mods all of his mods are coverd in hot glue

[@kiiingsimba524]

Peter north special sauce*

[@cadburybunny]

I was JUST thinking that same thought. lol

[@Scrogan]

Then again, a little hot snot as strain relief at the base of the wires going on the adapter board probably couldn’t hurt. As the wires were being bent back and forth I was just waiting for one to snap off. But considering that PCBs can be customised and delivered to your door there’s really no reason for anyone to use one of those adapters in the first place.

[@brandonnewell4552]

As much as I hate to say it but I wish there were more shitty modders so we could get more videos.

[@polly5318]

Welp gonna start a buisness then!

[@samuraivader3814]

Hold my beer

[@Stout936]

Another sensual video from the Bob Ross of soldering

[@noelburke9792]

Stout936 I was thinking it and you said it!

[@mechofdeath1504]

Ditto

[@iaincowell9747]

9:40 "Just going to position them up and line them in the holes", "Just going to rock back and forth", "I can just take my tip clean it off". And your customer is completely satisfied.

[@CoolJosh3k]

That heat shrink job was like someone buying an expensive, industrial lock for their front door thinking: “this means I will be safe to leave my door open now”.

[@beard78748]

I am always amazed at how bad mods can look. I have repaired several friends console mods and I am thinking about doing this part time myself. I was an Electronics Tech in the US Coast Guard and have repaired RADAR and communication equipment. So I have some skills but I have to admit I have learned a few techniques from Voultar's videos.

[@mullinsjm1]

Your soldering along with Ben Heck's soldering is like therapy for me. Lol

[@evil_me]

"that's what she said" Made my day!

[@Kakoe]

XDD 12:24

[@TravisFabel]

yeah. me too. totally caught me off guard as I was listening/watching while working on something else... lol

[@alleosussquirt8041]

This consoles interior is the physical embodiment of anxiety I swear.

[@ray30k]

We all missed you!

[@JasonMeeks79]

We all started out green. Not knowing what was best, just excited to know we could mod chip systems back in the day. I've seen my past work and wow, how the hell does it still work ?!?!?! But , thanks to KZbin, more internet help available, that sexy voultar voice and guidance from all modders helping each other, it has become an amazing community.

[@turtleisaac]

As helpful as “how-to” guides are usually, I believe that videos showing what not to do or things to avoid are just as useful. These make it a lot easier to avoid mistakes I would make and consider being fine and not necessary to fix otherwise. Keep it up.

[@TVsBen]

Your board is just so easy and mounts right up, I'm not sure why anybody would still be using those little DIP adapters. If you weren't talking and trying to get good shots with the camera, you could have installed that in 10 minutes tops. One would think that an eBay modder's time is worth more than the parts, so they'd be well suited to doing quick mods like this.

[@Pixelchaos]

Cos its cheaper

[@TVsBen]

Time is money though

[@Danechip]

I was thinking this too. So easy to do really , but we didn't have youtube video's back then. It's not like he will open it to check since he wouldn't know what to look for. I remember paying £150 for 4meg to add to the 4 I had to upgrade. I was shaking and sweating like I was defusing a fuckin' time bomb. I don't even look anymore, just feel and 'use the force' I have probably done a couple of million solder joints in the past looking back, but I never complain about anyone else not doing it my way unless it was 'wrong and prone to fail' It's like handwriting. Practice makes perfect.

[@Pixelchaos]

@@TVsBen DIP is a few cents, a board like that will cost a few euro's its not like this modder is building like 20 systems a day. When the wii was released you got the modchips and people used the clip on adapters they were total crap. So i modded them i got like 2 a 3 a day and soldered every chip in took me more time to open it up then solder the chip in. But i also got systems from other modders and like ps2's with a dip in it with some kinda software flashed onto it for like 2 euro a chip instead of a modbo etc 25 euros a chip so yeah it makes it more profitable i rather go for quality but some people just want to maximise there profit.

[@bluephreakr]

@@Danechip It's not even that. A lot of modders don't have intricate knowledge of their system enough to figure out which lines go into what. The gripe Voultar has is people getting into this without taking some EE classes, or at the very least having a schematic on hand to make their own adapter boards. That "Mickey Mouse crap" was exactly that, whereas even without Voultar's videos a dedicated mod shop would at least make a production-ready one-off prototype board to bolt on.

[@wutangclams9936]

I was watching this thinking “oh wow a family friendly video in 2019” right before the “that’s what she said” joke and I died of laughter

[@aaronfifty5]

I started experimenting with mods & hardware repair as a middle schooler- my first mod chip job (with a *bit* of help from my dad) was a Dreamcast region-free mod chip when I was 10 years old. Going back and looking at my work, even from my late teens and early 20s, really is a humbling experience! Over two decades later, I'm STILL constantly learning and improving, so I really appreciate the segment at the end of this video. Don't be a d**k to beginners; as long as they're willing to learn and not trying to take advantage of others, lend them your knowledge and expertise. We only learn through experience... and lots of mistakes!

[@TLS2SN]

I'm a simple man, I see a Voultar video I click to watch, I like and I share.

[@donaldrezell5475]

Thank God you are back. I have been learning how to solder simply by watching your videos. Now that you are at it again it has re instilled in me the need to further my knowledge. Thank you so much for what you do I hope to see more videos in the future.

[@ayasekaru]

I love the amount of care you put in and the pride you take in your craft. Your solutions are sensible and efficient because you put in that extra effort to find them and it really shows!

[@toolb0xPC]

Nice job as always voultar! You're doing the community a great service by calling out shoddy work. As an amateur modder, who only works on his own console, I've learned a lot of good techniques from your channel. Keep up the good work.

[@Helldorado72]

I also bought my first real soldiering setup due to Voultars videos. I'm a novice but I watch and re-watch as much as possible to the point where its becoming a routine. Now I'm not obsessive but I always catch something I didn't notice the last time when I re-watch his videos. He's great at what he does and if yer gonna learn you may as well learn from someone that knows his craft and Voultar definitely does.

[@matcarfer]

Man you make it seem so simple. I've been doing my own mods for 20 years yet they havent come CLOSE to your stuff. You have a great hand my friend ;)

[@ElTwOJaY]

You earned a subscription, as an EE I love watching people solder and talk about electronics 😍

[@EmoKillsBest]

I bought a really nice soldering station, multimeter, etc to start doing repairs and restorations. I would never offer to repair, mod, etc someone's console or electronic device unless I was 1000% sure I knew what I was doing. I nodded xbox 360s back in the day with both flashed DVD drives and the Xk3y mods, as well as the RRoD fixes, but I practiced a lot first and I didnt charge a lot. I didnt have tons of customers but the ones I did have, always had a happy ending. Thanks for this video Voultar, glad you're back.

[@RetroTechSelect]

I just replaced a faulty socketed chip on my C64 and feel like a total boss lol. Literally just a plug n' play repair, but (as a novice) any device I can make work again makes me feel accomplished. I hope to try my hand at soldering in the next year or so and I'm sure there will be plenty of newbie disasters :D

[@joshm264]

Recently got my own T12 Soldering station because of you!

[@johnmaynardelec5095]

Biggest fan of your modding/soldering skills man. Still laughing on your "add a bit of no clean flux" then wet the entire board lmao.

[@robdawg1017]

8:28 *_Forbidden Salsa_*

[@TheDannylarson]

This is great! I got a few modro chips in the mail recently, I'm going to attempt to do an install on a slim. Keep up the great work

[@nzitguy]

Merry Christmas Voultar, hope you have a great Xmas and new year! thanks for your hard work and videos.

[@phlipzero2045]

Hey Voultar, I have a similar issue. I bought a pre-modded N64 with RGB mod from UK based modder Oldskool consoles. The problem is a broad, bright line of flickery video noise on bright screens and backgrounds. Thanks to the shmups forums I identified the problem to be the lack of a 3.3V voltage regulator. The reason WHY I bought a pre-modded system was so I wouldnt have to solder anything myself, now I have to do just that. Bought a pre-modded system ONCE and it's not producing the results I expected. That was over a year ago. Definitely wish I would've taken your advice on the topic more to heart. Cheers.

[@avrel820]

Very happy to see you back :-) ... I suspect that KZbin might have possibly been a reason among other reasons for your absence... Glad your back to see good soldering done correctly :-). I have invested in to a soldering station and some good solder.. I am not as good as you yet but i am heading that way. And since i have watched you i have improved....

[@brycecohoon]

Good to have you back looking forward to more videos!

[@Sperminski]

Nice! Thanks for all the soldering tips you give throughout your videos.

[@JamieKitchens6]

Your micro soldering skills are top notch. I love watching your videos, even though I have limited experience with soldering.

[@MrMario2011]

Why would the previous installer prepare the console for CSYNC but not wire it up? What?

[@Wflash00]

My N64 had all of that stuff already done to it when I first opened it up, I think some revisions had it already done

[@johnsonlam]

I love your aim for high quality work.

[@RaymondOlivares]

Hey Voultar when will the Premodded SNES 1CHIP Mini console be available for purchase on your website? I’ve been waiting to get one for a while now. A response would be greatly appreciated.

[@robowarriorx]

Out of high school I got a job at SCI doing circuit board, SMT and through hole wave form stuff, great vats of molten soldier with conveyor belts moving the through hole board over the top of it. It was great, like something out or LotR but had crap for ventilation. Stuff like this has inspired me to dig out my soldiering iron and see what I can do.. I've got a slimline PS2 with a laser that is just about toast and a first run 360 phat that hasn't red ringed on me yet, still has that factory 10 gig HDD, plus enough controller PCB's around that I would love to try to turn in to arcade sticks

[@jamielee8991]

I know this is an older video, but I have to say, your mods are top notch. There are some others on this platform that I have lost respect for. Stay top tier Voltar!

[@xminorthreatx]

"Pretty good douche... I'm a douchelord." - Voultar, 2019

[@forestw785]

Glad you’re making videos again. Literally all of the popular mod videos I’ve seen should be ashamed of themselves. Your mods are sleek and clean.

[@incorrect1844]

Good to see you back my man

[@cbk12]

Yay!! He is risen!!!!!

[@Venthros]

Glad to see you back with some quality mod work!

[@peterk1821]

Great Video! I totally agree with your comments on the sub-par soldering job. If I am just messing around with some salvaged parts and a strip board then sure, there's no reason it has to be beautiful. But to sell that as a service, now that I think is just lazy. You don't need to be an electrical engineer to do a good job soldering. It really just shows that you took the time and patience to do it right, and that you feel proud of your work so you'll go the extra mile to make sure it's done right. Thats why I really love your videos. Plus I can't emphasize enough Bob's comment. Its 2019! The N64 was discontinued in 2002 (wow now I feel old) so most people who still have one are probably like myself, where it is my childhood console which still holds some level of sentimental value to me. I would be devastated if something like this happened to me, and it managed to short a 5V rail to some of those logic lines. Just imagine if you had to get your cell phone's screen replaced and you took it to a kiosk in the mall, then after getting it back the LCD was full of artifacts and once you open it the culprit is hastily taped down connectors or missing screws... Unfortunately for every Louis Rossmann (another soldering ASMR channel I love) and Voultar we see, there are hundreds of people like whoever did the mod in this video. Long story short, take pride in your work and put the extra time in to make things look good, after you fixed it I swear that looked better then some bodge wires I've seen come from the factory! Haha

[@niraveger]

Glad to see you back lord voultar. Love the videos and they are very helpful with what not to do lol.

[@johnchalinder6682]

Nice soldering. You make it look easy. Do you mod PS3 consoles or offer mod kit? I have an original PS3 fat console (CECHL01 made Sept 2008) that I will be working on shortly; general cleaning, replacing thermal paste, etc. I would like to mod it while I have it open.

[@TemberGundam]

Love seeing your videos pop up. More soon please.

[@grctechdesign5348]

"Sit back strap on..." man I love your into's simply the best!

[@MrPete1985]

Is it weird that I'm watching this without pants on?

[@Silky_boi]

MrPete1985 I wouldn’t watch it any other way

[@nocturnal0072]

Making it weird, gets me hard.

[@brandonnewell4552]

It would be weird if you weren't.

[@infinity2z3r07]

Depends. Are you cranking it? Then probably.

[@chibichabot9293]

Pantless is the only way to watch.

[@n2n8sda]

Just found your channel a few days ago and been binge watching the videos, it's nice to find somebody who has a clue what they are doing. Some really nice board designs. I spent 25 years from around 85 - 2000 running an arcade repair service, we occasionally did the odd console repair too, during the last 5 years with the rise of the PS1 and mod chips they became more of a regular thing so have seen all the butchering before. Cheap PCB fab from China was pretty much non existent for small scale mods back then so we often used wire and copper board / ferric chloride etched pcbs. However, we would never let anything leave that looked like that. I agree with your sentiments entirely though, if this was a home user DIY attempt then fair enough. Having checked out this clown even his new mod looks terrible and they are still 200 bucks! Advertising himself as a "professional" modifier really irks me, at least some of the lower quality sellers openly admit they are amateur level. In this day and age with knowledge and part availability there really is no excuse for that level of shoddiness from a "professional" charging top dollar.

[@truant2000]

Your work is always so clean and fascinating to watch.

[@DadLadsGaming]

Thanks for this incredibly helpful video 👍 Probably a daft question but what do I need to be ordering for the gloopy Flux and the cable you used? I don't suppose you links for those? Cheers 👍

[@wdavem]

That line amp should have been secured to at least SOMETHING in there, damn! Guess they thought they had the "most likely" short scenarios covered with heat shrink, LOL! I've been learning video (and video tape) electronics slowly for 20 years and I'd like to think I know what not to do... Your mod is good because it puts the line amp close to the source without unshielded signal lines. I work in videotape preservation and we notice and really hate problems with unshielded lines.

[@DemonGamerDB]

So glad your back

[@saltypaladin9488]

Awesome mod!!! I was thinking about modding my N64 after modding my NES with RGB.. I was being lazy about it since there is not a huge difference between S vid and RGB for the N64.. But this mod chip is so practical and simple, even for a lazy modding noob like myself!!!

[@tylercgarrison]

never seen your channel before, but your soldering skills are nothing short of art. made me realize just how much I suck at this lol

[@brianharmon9405]

Thank you for continuing to help us

[@doc_sav]

Your upgrade kit board design is inspiring.

[@MisterioJudaS]

Amazing Thanks for come back

[@justinmartin3402]

Beautiful work

[@kasumi1245]

I appreciate the subtle Kirby and the crystal shards music in the background

[@MCARTHURCLARK]

Just would like know, what soldering books would you recommend in learning to solder properly?

[@DasAntiNaziBroetchen]

"Soldering books" lol

[@retractingblinds]

Lovely work as always. Great advice on the tinning of the conductors. Quick question about a possible future video however: Any interest in showing people how to replace the tantalum capacitors in launch PS3s? Those things are notorious and there's some really uh...exotic solder work I've seen of people replacing them. Would love to see your technique.

[@zoiks6631]

I’m glad you were able to... figure it out!

[@jumpingmanjim]

Voultar: How do you mount your mod PCB to the console? Canadian Modder: No

[@seanthiem1176]

jumpingmanjim we talking about the guy with the starwolf avatar?

[@jumpingmanjim]

sean thiem I’m talking about the guy who did the mod that’s in this video

[@MizoxNG]

hey so, I have a question. on your product page for the installation service, you ask us to define which cables we plan to use with the console, presumably some levels have to be set differently? however the documentation for the board listed under the kit doesn't list any jumpers to change any such options/what needs to be changed to work with one cable vs another. how do we go about configuring this setting/is it necessary? (considering the HDretrovision SNES Component cables)

[@rizob]

@voultar is BACK!

[@seanthiem1176]

My early projects like ps modchip Saturn modchip etc were terrible compared to the soldering job here but with further experience it got better like the rgb duo mod (that was a tough one) but as you say even I acknowledge it can always be better. I learned the wire length can add noise to the image and how important it is to insulate components from each other today, you've might of mentioned in a past video before but it must of went over my head for some reason, your guided advice is appreciated even though I don't have any desire for this particular mod, it was still interesting.

[@TheProgressiveStyle]

I have a question, i have an Eon adapter that i'm currently using with my n64, and i'm willing to add your modchip to the console, This mod improve the video quality added to the eon adapter? or better to not use them together? thanks in advance for your answer

[@fuzzyface4515]

Every time you mentioned the adapter, all I could hear was "DIMMADOME! THE DIMSDALE DIMMADOME"

[@darrellgardner4561]

Ok so it wasnt just me.

[@dazamad]

Can i ask what you used to strip the sync wire? Is that just a roll of colored ribbon cable? Having trouble stripping wired that are 26-30 gauge. Also do you use flux syringe eg amtech? Just discovered your channel. Like it

[@SeanChYT]

Good video! When you clean off the flux with IPA at around 11:00 it seems you are mostly dissolving/diluting the flux and spreading the "remains" on a larger area. I usually have to use a Kimwipe or Q-tip at the end to actually remove the flux residue completely to avoid having a semi-sticky PCB. Maybe there is something I have not understood or we have different fluxes.

[@Voultar]

t depends on the flux system that you're using. If you're a halogen free flux, you can use 1 part acetone to 2 parts Isopropyl to effectively cut through the flux.

[@conrad5342]

I have seen similar videos where the guy mostly complains what has been done wrong initially. Thank you for also pointing out how it is done properly.

[@eloiferreira7500]

Master of soldering is back

[@Mountainmonths]

so glad to see you back, youtube tried not notifying me but i wasn't having it

[@PullTab]

If you're zoomed-in tight, don't move around a lot.

[@JeanQPublique]

Indeed. I found that very distracting. Either the thing I wanted to see was being moved around every 2 seconds or the whole board was pushed and pulled around. No point in zooming in if you're not going to let us see anything.

[@Schmaglow]

Voultar! I've missed your videos so much! Holy cow thank you for this gem!

[@Voultar]

Thank you for supporting me!

[@Gwyn94]

You're doing the lord's work, brother. Keeping people informed as consumers is an underrated public service.

[@nicolaslucero1259]

Oh Lord Voultar thank you for coming back

[@jayextarys8616]

I'm french and all I can hear is: The subidibidapter 🤣

[@tylerhoblet1458]

I am American and all I hear is subidbidapter

[@lupinedreamexpress]

Good to see you back.

[@rewster9759]

What hot air rework station do you recommend? awesome videos!

[@RetroRecollections]

That's a nice neat little PCB and awesome work. Great PSA video too 👍

[@rfmerrill]

I find if you twist and then tin the ends of a stripped stranded wire it becomes a lot easier to insert into through-holes. You can cut the tip at a 45 degree angle to make it even easier

[@ArcadeFreak-gw5rp]

I wish you would cap my turbo grafx system, I tried going to the site but never got a response.

[@MTGUnscrewed]

@11:23 😂😂😂 that's what she said joke about sticking it in 😂😂 I'm dying here

[@michaelgraff6978]

The reason one would place the heat shrink tubing on the resistors is to prevent them from shorting out, since they are more likely to flex. It is a little tacky to have the thing just floating, but it's probably OK in general. I'd probably use some cable ties to home it in place somehow, though. I was about to say, surely you could get a small PCB made to ... Oh yea, what you did there. Lovey!

[@odieadog4086]

Hi. When you scrub the flux with a toothbrush and IPA, does that really clean the flux (maybe make it evaporate) or, it only spreads the flux over larger area, so that it is not visible anymore?

[@Voultar]

It depends on the flux system that you're using. If you're a halogen free flux, you can use 1 part acetone to 2 parts Isopropyl to effectively cut through the flux.

[@jeremiefaucher-goulet3365]

I'm amazed at your pronounciation of "SOP to DIP adapter".... Quite the tongue twister and you pull if off to the point it sounds funny ;)

[@gkruntz]

Question: What is the powered screw driver you're using to take apart that N64? Thanks.

[@jeffreyharris6541]

Can you add to your Amazon list what you use to remove screws that I've seen you use in other video? The one that looks like a flex shaft for a Dremel rotary tool.

[@GenGamesUniverse]

That's one thing that pisses me off with modders on eBay. You HAVE to be careful no matter what. It's like if you ordered a watch and you got a piece of paper cut out to look like a watch. You're getting fucked out of your own hard earned money for something you would have thought that you had gotten which was in the pictures.

[@idcdammit]

hey there! i'm new to soldering and was wondering how you are able to solder multiple points like that at 8:05 without bridging any of the points?

[@unclegoose3864]

I have no solder skills whatsoever and even i know i wouldn't install mods that way. lol The way Voultar does it is so clean and smooth.

[@succuvamp_anna]

I remember how I use to solder..... Yikes. I'm so much better now. A few years in a computer repair shop that also did console mods and I agree with your all's feelings on how people can and do improve.

[@iKevinF]

I'm going to ask a really dumb question here because I don't really know much about this stuff, but after you install the RGB mod, do you need a specific cable to output the RGB?

[@jeremyowen1]

My first time trying to solder was painful. Cheap iron that didn't get hot in the tip, small components that I shouldn't of been trying to solder. Lead free solder because that's all I could find. Had flux but didn't really know where/when to use it. Then I got so focused on what I was doing I forgot where my other hand was and dragged the iron into it giving my self a nice white patch. I'm pretty sure that was my initiation.

[@Voultar]

We've all been there.

[@sparkyAR]

"Just like that..."