Best place for PC Engine RGB mod?

[anagrama]

OK, I've just impulse-bought a loose white PC Engine. I'm not normally afraid of getting the soldering iron out, but I've just been reading up on it and it seems the PCE RGB mod is a bit more complex than other mods I've done, what with amplifiers & stuff.

Can anyone recommend someone/somewhere in the UK to get it done? Raven charge ?35 (+ ?7 p&p) and then an extra ?20 for a "booster" lead which seems a bit steep to me. Any decent alternatives?

[anagrama]

Oh and while I'm asking, would it make things any easier if I waited and tried to get hold of an interface unit?
(I know things would have been simpler with a Duo, but I've got a thing for original-model hardware )

[Duddyroar]

I got my Duo-RX modded when I bought it, Videogameimports handled the whole thing, I think the mod was about ?30 extra and they shipped it out to someone else to do. ?35 sounds about right, I suppose. Even more so when you consider how much some companies charge for much simplier mods to other consoles.

[Madbury]

If you can persuade him I would ask Saurian. He should at the very least be able to tell you how to do it. His mod is quite simple iirc and very very neat. He uses one of those mini round DIN thingies in place of the existing output jack. There's something clever about where he attaches the wires too. The end result looks great from the PCB shots I've seen.

Not sure if he is still modding at the moment though.

[wheelaa]

(I know things would have been simpler with a Duo, but I've got a thing for original-model hardware )

Good on you....but why mod (ie ruin) it then?

There is a seller on ebay that does pretty good mods from what I have heard, but I've yet to try her wares in that regard.

You could try getting a pce booster which brings the picture quality up to a reasonable standard. Or a tennokoe bank and mod that, although that might not need modding to begin with. Or just get an IFU of duo and leave the little white beast alone.

[anagrama]

Cheers folks. A mod involving a mini-DIN like Madbury mentioned would be ideal, since I'm not too keen on having a hard-wired lead sticking out of it. Shame Saurian seems to have hung up his soldering iron

While I like original hardware, I'm not averse to minor improvements on them (my first-run Mega Drive is double-swtiched ). It's only costing me ?15 inclduing shipping from the US anyway
There's a couple of US-based modders I might try, since postage isn't too bad for a diddy little thing like this - I'll wait 'til it gets here and then figure something out.

wheelaa - the PCE Booster you mentioned, is that basically a PCE equivalent of the US Turbo Booster? I wasn't sure if such a thing existed or if there was just the IFU units. If so, that might do the job nicely for now...

[anagrama]

wheelaa - the PCE Booster you mentioned, is that basically a PCE equivalent of the US Turbo Booster? I wasn't sure if such a thing existed or if there was just the IFU units. If so, that might do the job nicely for now...

Just answered my own question by finding one in eBay Completed items. Think I'll keep an eye out for one of those as a decent stop-gap until I eventually get an IFU & CD-ROM2

[wheelaa]

The booster doesn't do the picture too many favours tbh. Best off getting an unboxed coregrafx 1 or 2 for a nice hasslefree piccie. Very cheap too.

[anagrama]

eh, decisions decisions... nothing's straightforward in the PCE world, is it?

[Madbury]

I've got mine setup with the CD-ROM2 all original white hardware and the picture is pretty average to be honest. I'm sure if you PM'd Saurian he could send you the pics he's got showing the mod. It doesn't look all that complex. He had the pics posted in the staff forum a year of so ago, so they will still be around somewhere...

[gamerade]

try here for DIY
http://www.gamesx.com/rgbadd/duorgb.php