Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Discuss hardware-related topics, such as development cartridges, CopyNES, PowerPak, EPROMs, or whatever.

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l_oliveira
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by l_oliveira »

There's a encrypted text file on the system menu "directory" which contains the unit unique serial number, target game region, video system settings and model number. Edit that is how you change a Wii from one region to another. (or edit anything else you feel like about the unit)

There are homebrew game loaders which are capable of putting the Wii into PAL-M mode temporarily and there are automated homebrew utilities which can edit the said text file allowing one to make a NTSC or PAL Wii into a Brazil Wii.
lidnariq
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by lidnariq »

1- Brown [gnd] - ground in the pictures, also
2- Red [21.5MHz] - from crystal driver
3- Orange [reset chroma phase] - edit: PPU /RESET - so the PPU will come out of reset at a known phase
4- Yellow - edit: CIC /RESET OUT
5- Green - [PAL-M video out] - they've removed the 510Ω resistor R2, and put this board in place
6- Blue - [NTSC video in] - other side of above resistor
7- Purple - +5V drawn from the modulator daughterboard
Fisher wrote:I just can't figure out the yellow wire...
Is it GND??
Looks like it has a trace cut near the CIC and it's soldered on it.
Well, it's an output (from the 74HC74). I have no idea what the main board would do with the information.

Maybe they cut the trace from PPU /INT to CPU /NMI somewhere? and yellow ultimately goes to the CPU /NMI pin?
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Fisher
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by Fisher »

I think the yellow wire goes to PPU /RST.
Does it makes sense??
cic_pin9.png
Looks like the interrupted trace is the one thar leaves pin 9 of the CIC.
If I traced it right, it comes from the CPU reset circuit and the side of the track who gets the yellow wire goes to the PPU, after the cut.
To be sure, only if someone with a Playtronic's NES opens it and confirms.
Or if better pictures are found/taken.

I took some pics with my crappy cellphone.
But the ones that showed a little difference were the SMB3 ones:
Phantom:
20170208_211949.jpg
Hi Top Game:
20170208_212319.jpg
Does the PPUs have different palettes?
I think not, the color difference may be because of the unfinished transcodification that's somewat confusing the TV's circuits.
The word Ninja in Ninja Gaiden's title seems more red on the Phantom and light pink on Hi Top Game.
The earth on Battletoads seems more brown on Phantom and a little pink on Hi Top Game.
But these didn't appear different at all on the pictures I took.
Wich should be right?
l_oliveira wrote:There are homebrew game loaders which are capable of putting the Wii into PAL-M mode temporarily
I think I'll try this!!
Any idea about the drive problem?
I saw a drive around for R$100,00 but a complete console (alone, without the cables & etc) for R$150,00...

I also saw a complete Playtronic's NES board (main + transcode) by R$140,00
I really would like to have a "real deal" NES, but unfortunatelly I can't just pay this price :-(
Maybe I can get the "flooded" mainboard from my friend if he still has it...
How hard would be to fix??
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l_oliveira
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by l_oliveira »

I would sure try my luck with the flooded NES... But mostly because I enjoy challenge.
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by lidnariq »

Fisher wrote:I think the yellow wire goes to PPU /RST.
Does it makes sense??
I don't think so... as far as I know, the PPU shouldn't work for every 1/60th of a second after PPU /RST is low.
Any idea about the drive problem?
I saw a drive around for R$100,00 but a complete console (alone, without the cables & etc) for R$150,00...
I think I remember seeing ways to run Wii games off a USB drive. I'm certain you can search for them (rather than having me name names...)

You will unfortunately have to find a functioning Wii to convert existing disks to the USB drive in the first place.
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l_oliveira
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by l_oliveira »

He need a working electronics drive board at least for his wii to be usable anyway.
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Fisher
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by Fisher »

Oh yeah!
My friend still has the flooded NES. :-)
I gotta try to exchange for something and see what can I do.

Interesting...
If I'm understandig correctly, the Wii sends a command that unlocks the DVD drive before running, sending it a command and waiting for a answer.
Since the drive controller is dead, it don't get this answer.
Maybe I can try to simulate this answer...
But I'm almost sure I will need some kind of microcontroller, wich I don't have access :-(
I know this sure sounds ridiculous, but can it be done with a basic stamp??
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l_oliveira
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by l_oliveira »

Without a working drive, the Wii will boot and stay working for a couple seconds. After a timeout the IOS will flag a fault and send a message to the power pc CPU which makes it switch to a "ouch, I am broken seek service" screen.
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Fisher
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by Fisher »

Since this thread already got totally out of scope, and I'm on my way to get that flooded NES (and possibly another clone) I think I should create a new one.
The info I got here were great! Thanks!
Maybe I should even ask a thread split when I statted talking about color encoding...

Edit:
Just visited the junk pile today and got a UA6548!!
20170212_113850.jpg
20170212_113837.jpg
With a little work I could fix the pins and now the Phantom is 100% PAL-M.
I think I can use the NTSC PPU to try to fix one of these boards, if it's really worth the effort...

Oh, and by any chance someone knows what are the missing parts on this board?
20170212_110208.jpg
They're marked as C5, R3, R2 and T1.
It's a Atari 2600 from Polyvox transcoder board.
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l_oliveira
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by l_oliveira »

Fisher wrote: Oh, and by any chance someone knows what are the missing parts on this board?
20170212_110208.jpg
They're marked as C5, R3, R2 and T1.
It's a Atari 2600 from Polyvox transcoder board.
There's Polyvox Atari schematics on the internet. If you can't find the schematics and I get any Atari with that board in for repair I can take a picture of the board for you.
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Fisher
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by Fisher »

There's Polyvox Atari schematics on the internet.
The links I found are broken, unfortunatelly :-(
but I found this pic and looks like both resistors are 2k2, the capacitor looks like a 1mfd. But what about the transistor? It could be a BC558 or BC548?

I also got a Dynavision 3, but seems that I have a sound and power supply/analog board of a different revision. :-(
This page has many schematics for 8 bit systems, but unfortunatelly It hasn't the Polyvox's Atari...
I got no "sign of life" in this clone too... :-(
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tokumaru
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by tokumaru »

I'm not particularly good with electronics, but maybe I shouldn't jump into the Famiclone fixing bandwagon and fix my Turbo Game controllers. The 2 consoles I own are working fine (one looks terrible though), but the controllers are busted. Can't be hard to fix, right? NES controllers are fairly simple, hopefully these are too. The controller from my other Famiclone (Dynavision) isn't compatible, for some reason.

I really like the Turbo Game because of the dual cartridge slots that will easily work with any cartridge, even Flash carts, reportedly (I never tried because I wouldn't be able to do anything without a controller).
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l_oliveira
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by l_oliveira »

The Turbo Game if I am not mistaken, use the same controller port pinout as the Phantom System so the Phantom System schematics may be of use for you, tokumaru.

The Dynavision, if it's the early kind with Atari like controllers the pinout is likely different and you will need to trace the circuitry.

Phantom System do use the five top pins for standard controller.
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Fisher
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by Fisher »

l_oliveira wrote:The Turbo Game if I am not mistaken, use the same controller port pinout as the Phantom System
You're totally right!! In fact, Phantom System, Turbo Game and Hi-Top-Game use the same controllers pinout.
Even the lightguns are interchageable.

As a kid, I used to take my own controller when I was going to play at my neghbor's house, because his 2nd controller was really bad!!
Most problems I saw with controllers are usually the cables or the conductive pads.
Not very difficult to fix though.

I think Dynacom just used a bunch of his Atari clone's cables on his NES clone, but I may be wrong.

My intentions with this thread is to help fix as many clones as possible and also take their schematics and other technical information about them out of obscurity. I remember to have had a Turbogame's schematic diagram on my stuff, but it was before a pipe just broke and "killed" my old comic book collection :cry:.
I never tried to collect the comics again, since read them on the cellphone seems just fine to me. But the schematics may have been "dissolved" with them. :cry:
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l_oliveira
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Re: Help fix a NES Clone (Phantom System)

Post by l_oliveira »

Aww that's some sad story.

I also have things I lost from my childhood but have such good memories from. :)

Anyway if any more questions pop up I'll try to be of help.
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