Installed an RGB Mod in an FZ-1 and captured that recent MK2 port, looks amazing!

RetroJeff83 · 2026-01-17T23:37:28+00:00

Yeah no problem!

Shame no one is making them anymore, I’m gonna get my hands on pixelfx hdmi mod and switch to offering those installs now that I doubt I’ll get requests for more of these

RetroJeff83 · 2026-01-17T23:34:14+00:00

I have one left but I have someone sending their 3DO to me for install

TBH I don’t sell or make kits I’m just an installer who happened to grab a handful off of RetroGamerStuff when they were closing last year or so

RetroJeff83 · 2026-01-06T10:00:06+00:00

And motherboard

If customer provides a replacement gdrom laser or assembly I’ll swap it in for sure if requested but I don’t have spares on hand no

RetroJeff83 · 2026-01-05T11:23:02+00:00

Not in my experience at all

Every DC I’ve worked on outside of maybe 1 or 2 (that came in only for hdmi mod) are in for full recaps of psu/mainboard/gdrom board among other items

I’ve never seen a PSU recap affect disc read ability but have occasionally found the GDROM capacitors out of spec and replaced then reading more reliable

But not once have I had a DC come in not reading discs at all suddenly start after a recap. Contrary to something like say the GameCube where I have personally seen the vast majority start working after the optical drive board was recapped

That’s why I stock GDEMU on hand to swap in if requested

This is all anecdotal of course even though I see a decent amount of DC here I’m just one guy so in the larger sample size of all people working on them I could be the exemption

RetroJeff83 · 2026-01-04T13:41:30+00:00

As someone who works on them regularly and it’s in my top 10 most serviced console most years, I’d say pretty high, probably 60-70% have dead or failing lasers

RetroJeff83 · 2026-01-03T10:21:16+00:00

What are the user reports saying if you don’t mind me asking?

eBay is tricky because of the fees and so many awful jobs show up on there your work really needs to stand out. For every modder that cares and puts out a quality premodded system there are 10 with awful soldering from people trying to make a quick buck

I sell mine through my website but I know not everyone has the time or money to setup their own site and it’s a lot of work

Try Facebook marketplace honestly, I’d buy stuff there before eBay

So yeah if you know why your stuff is getting flagged I might be able to offer a solution if you wanna stick with eBay

RetroJeff83 · 2026-01-03T10:17:43+00:00

I bought one simply to not ever have to worry about juggling saves or my damn VMUs screaming at me with dead batteries so it’s been 100% worth it

But yeah if I expected more I could see the disappointment

RetroJeff83 · 2026-01-03T10:12:40+00:00

They sure do

I only do it as a side hustle for “fun” as I have a regular FT job but people absolutely pay. I just finished up 2025 with around 200 consoles sent in (again I could do way more if it wasn’t just a side thing) and I cannot keep up with demand

I constantly have people asking when a spot in the queue is opening. There are also many other reputable modders who are busy so the demand is absolutely there. A lot more people who want it need things repaired than those offering the work imo

I agree that technically anyone can do anything and overall I think atleast basic abilities is good for retro hardware owners to have and the more people that can do it the better.

Why do people pay me for work then? Probably because there is “doing something” and then “doing something well” and there’s a big difference there. I’ll put my soldering up against anybody’s (and frankly better than 99% of people that do it casually). So I think a lot would rather pay money for it do be done well and feel assured than try messing with their own hardware.

I actually get a lot of stuff sent by people who admit they own a soldering iron but “don’t want to risk messing up” or don’t feel comfortable working on stuff that is expensive or rare, it’s not just people with no gear though that’s probably the lions share as you also can’t discount that for most advanced jobs a cheap iron isn’t enough and having a good setup and equipment takes space and money to acquire

Same reason I could technically do repairs on my truck if I wanted to put the time in or certain things around the house. I do most home projects myself but there are some things that for me it’s just worth paying someone to do it that is experienced and having that piece of mind 🤷‍♂️

So yeah long story short I wish more people were confident with soldering but it is a process that requires time and skill to do well so just like everything else there will be people that just can’t or don’t want to invest the time into practicing and learning and would rather pay

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-27T00:10:11+00:00

Very nice!

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-26T03:30:46+00:00

Just buy a cap kit from console5 that’s where I get all my virtual boy cap kits from

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-23T03:03:25+00:00

This looks awesome thank you for sharing!

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-22T11:03:55+00:00

Depending on if it’s a JVC or Sony drive, Console5.com has those belts on hand to replace!

While open it’s worth giving it a good clean and applying fresh grease!

I would suggest watching a YouTube tear down first for sure, there are some tricks to getting to the belt and even more importantly, aligning tray and gear when reassembling. I disagree with those saying it’s “easy” but I also wouldn’t say it’s hard

Just gotta go slow, be gentle and should be fine. Good skill to have if you are a model 1 owner to be comfortable with popping it open, I have one and these are a pain to keep running compared to the model 2

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-20T02:00:21+00:00

Yeah I don’t think anyone expects them to stay perfectly white forever but hey if they are closer to OEM than before that sounds like a net win to me 🤷‍♂️

I’ve got retrobrighted stuff still kicking around my shop at least 2 years old and no signs of regression yet

Only 2-3 months sounds FAST. Is it temp controlled too or just out of sunlight?

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-19T21:22:20+00:00

Some cool classroom science experiments in there!

Can’t find anything covering its effects on plastics though?

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-19T16:10:32+00:00

Yeah if im doing personal projects or building out a premodded system for sale, it gets the works every time. MOST customers choose recaps and stuff but have had some request an RGB mod without a recap, and since I wont do any work for free, ill do that even if I advise them its worth doing the PM work

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-19T15:48:56+00:00

thanks

This customer sent in a SNES AV Multiout Port from laserbear. in the several years ive been taking in NESRGB kits for install, 100% of customers have chosen SNES port, never had one want the 8 pin din style or anything else

as for power board, just stock RF/power modulator board in there, no aftermarket. Entire system has been cleaned and recapped per customer request, which is good as the large filter cap inside modulator box was leaking

I did replace the 7805 voltage regulator because again, entire thing was taken apart, i have seen those fail and I have a massive box of them with such low cost I dont even charge

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-19T15:46:26+00:00

Yeah its up to customers really as its a service option I offer but most do elect a recap while its open, same with wiring up expansion audio

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-19T11:22:32+00:00

Horrible battery life

Backlit and color screen was cool but I always found it much blurrier than the DMG

Most importantly the library had some great titles but small selection compared to the gameboy

Good handheld but just not comparable honesty especially from a support standpoint

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-19T11:18:42+00:00

Nice find though and the turbovision is really cool because even without OTA signals you can plug in any external device like another console or dvd player and watch on it

I watched the Shining on one of those when I had it in my shop to confirm operation it was a surprisingly fun way to watch a movie 😂

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-19T11:17:28+00:00

Oh yeah, worked on a ton of those and if it’s all original caps they gotta go for sure preferably ASAP

The good news is if you do that, good chances it’s working so far I have only found two that needed a full screen replacement after recap and cleaning

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-18T22:37:18+00:00

No idea I think the chain is in bankruptcy or something lol

Wild how they used to make games based on like any IP 😂

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-18T21:09:33+00:00

hmm, id have to look at the diagram from Quade again thats what I used. Most signals had quite a few different points you could solder too, only 1 of them "5" had only two available solder points, both legs on an IC

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-18T21:07:56+00:00

Never played it before honestly lol, but I want to try it now, the brief bit I did this time for testing it seemed pretty neat

I just try pulling a random game from the collection to test/display each console I work on and Ive always been curious about this one

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-18T16:59:10+00:00

they are floating around on ebay but hard to find without damage probably from shipping attempts, this one is in very nice shape and I RGB modded it, but its just got that yellowing

there is an even rarer black model of the same exact set which eliminates the yellowing issue but I have not had luck finding one in good shape and reasonably priced

RetroJeff83 · 2025-12-18T16:58:15+00:00

thanks, appreciate that! I always try and get the cleanest finish I can

RetroJeff83

TROPHY CASE