NEC Accusync 91V Won`t Power On!

                    I found this too hard to resist as anyone who knows me will undoubtedly know I`m a full on Amiga freak. I have previously bought the two smaller monitors from this NEC family, the 71vm (17") and 51vm (15"). They are screens that support 15KHz, retro friendly,
removing the need for expensive scandoublers or internal Amiga addons to convert the resolution. In my opinion the 15" gives the best experience, however I wont digress from the 19" fella that`s landed courtesy of Hermes couriers, the Ryan Air of logistics.

                    I did contact the seller and for an agreed sum he posted the item as it was collection only on the sale. His description pointed at a faulty ON/OFF switch which didn`t put me off as I would have easily used it hard wired ON or fitted a compatible switch. So I got the back off to clean it and have a look.

First impressions were promising, no bad smells, scorch marks or signs of anything burn`t. everything surface mounted and easily viewed, how things used to be. I took a minute to google its release:

19-inch display for high-quality multimedia enjoyment and price-conscious home users

Munich, 14th January 2004 With the NEC AccuSync® LCD91VM, NEC-Mitsubishi Electronics Display-Europe is presenting what is currently the top model in its AccuSync® all-round line. The 15-, 17- and 19-inch models in this product range are distinguished by an outstanding price/performance ratio and are based on the latest state of the art in NEC-Mitsubishi LCD technology. 

               I was sold already, the Top Model in 2004, I like to think I`m price-concious. Didn`t take long to see the problem, no multimeter, no oscilloscope, nothing required but a good pair of Mr Magoos. Both caps adjacent the Heat-sink were badly swollen. Both were 1000uF 10v DC. I ordered a 5 pack from RS Components but upped the voltage and temp rating as this will give the replacements a longer lifespan. Electrolytic Capacitor uF micro farad rating must always be equal, voltage must be the same or greater than marked on the body.
Though larger voltage usually means bigger physical size so you can`t go crazy.

 This would be my first port of call before further investigation should the monitor still have problems. Nice flat tops on new caps.

                I soldered in the replacements 1000uF @ 25vdc  instead of 10vdc. Gave everything a good clean, blown with air and wiped with Isopropol alcohol wipes before a final inspection and assembly. I had a small Dell Optiplex sitting nearby that I plugged the monitor into, no stuttering green power light but a nice solid bright beacon of contentment. Sadly the new family member would have to go attic bound to join his smaller brothers in the Amiga section till further notice as space here is the front room is becoming an issue.

             Here is a link to to Youtuber  "Modern Vintage Gamer". He`s a fantastic Amiga resource and thanks to him I was made aware of the NEC Accusync 15KHz models.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbIrNzV_k_E

            There are lots of NEC Accusync models on Ebay etc, models 93vm etc, they are not 15KHz. As I said before, I recommend the Accusync LCD51vm as the go to Amiga screen as the screen size is more like the commodore CRT Monitors of the day, games look great with little or no adjustment and colours pop. This monitor also has built in speakers which for the Amiga is a great bonus, I do prefer a soundbar though for the full on music experience!

SONY PLAYSTATION

 ITEM: Sony Playstation SCPH 7502

 SOURCE: Ebay item, £10 including postage, console only.

PROJECT: Clean it up, add a modchip!







          So I bought this from Flea Bay hoping it worked, as luck had it, it did. I have modded the original playstation in the 90`s, 4 wires and massive pads on the motherboards then.
This version is pretty modern, still has a parallel port though which got removed in later versions, be it hidden behind the casing or non existent. 

         I removed all screws and various components, CD laser, controller port, mobo cover etc. I had to de-solder a shielding that covered a lot of points I needed to access, this was something I had never found back at the time I modded these. 

      I set the soldering station high and made short work of it. My blank modchip can be seen looking lost on the mat. I own a K150 Pic Programmer so decided to flash the MM3 Hex to it, old crows hex file is a bit long in the tooth now, no anti stealth features etc. I got all info I needed from the Eurasia website. The programmer gave me hassle on Windows 10 but fortunately I have a little EEEPC notebook I keep with Windows XP for such headaches and com port issues. 

             With the chip ready it was time to tin it and prep it for install, out with the helping hands (crocodile clip stand). I used Kynar wire 30AWG, most console modding is made easier with this single core light weight cable. The insulation tends to burn back quickly when tinning but stops receding after a few millimeters.

Pin 2 is not used for this install
The wire is easily straightened by gently pulling it between fingers with friction.

             I checked my drawing from Eurasia and using a fibre glass pen i cleaned up my solder points, applied flux and soldered in my chip. I used extra long cable as I have a place in mind for storing the chip. Most points were easy, high heat and quick joint. Low wattage irons and poor solder without flux will not only damage the board but give a crap joint.

As you can see I applied heat shrink to the mod chip as it protects the leg joints as well as insulator. Double checked my joints with diagram.

        So this was the finished install, chip held with double sided foam tape bottom right corner.  The machine is now multi region and able to play copied back-ups of which I obviously own the original game discs. I may have to re-calibrate the laser as I remember these lasers can be picky with cd media. I ran a copy of Resident Evil 2 but could not find my game-pad, be in the attic I suspect. Happy with my  work I thought I`d earned a cold one!