Teach me how to add a UniBios to my Home cart system
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Dr. Jigglin
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Start by getting a soldering iron, some kind of solder remover and some damn fine patience.
What's unfortunate is that the AES doesn't have a socket BIOS like many MVS boards.
What's unfortunate is that the AES doesn't have a socket BIOS like many MVS boards.
andy251203
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Forget it. If you have zero soldering experience, chances are you'll screw up on the tiny traces and short something out. You're better off getting someone who knows what they're doing to install it for you. If you still want to try, I'd buy a nice $100 iron and a very thin-pointed tip. Not trying to be mean here; I just don't want to see someone screw up their expensive AES.
madman
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Not sure why he'd need to spend $100 on an iron, but I agree that this is not a good first soldering experience project. Without previous soldering/desoldering experience, the chances of wrecking something are pretty high.
andy251203
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Okay, maybe you don't need to spend $100, but I definitely would not use a Radio Shack iron. I'd at least recommend an iron with a station that included temperature control.
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Word. No doubt you will fuck it up if you aren't experienced with soldering. Leave this one to the pros.
In the neo store they sell the Debug Bios. On that page they have a link to how to install it i think. That should give you some good starting info. Not sure how applicable that would be for the Uni-Bios though.
Still though, i would be real careful before I messed around with a NEO with zero experience.
Still though, i would be real careful before I messed around with a NEO with zero experience.
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IMO if you're going to do it, do it right and install a socket. You'll probably want to upgrade the bios at some point after you install this. The radio shack irons are fine, just don't get the low wattage ones - get a regular iron and a solder sucking one (with the red bulb). They sell sockets there too.
There's not a lot of solder on the pins to make a good seal for sucking the solder, so I would recommend adding solder to each pin one at a time as you go along, that way when you put the solder sucking iron on there (make sure it's very hot) you get a good seal and pull up all the solder. Depress the bulb BEFORE you put the iron on the pin, you don't want to blow solder all over your board. Be patient, make sure you get all the solder from each pin and that you can wiggle the pin freeely. If there is still solder left you can pull up a trace when you remove the old bios. It's repairable, but really bad. Again, patience is key. When you remove the old chip, you want to make sure to pull it evenly from both ends and do it slowly to make sure nothing is being pulled up on the solder side. Reapply heat as needed to make sure it goes smoothly.
You should read some basic soldering tip guides first to be familiar with proper technique as well.
There's not a lot of solder on the pins to make a good seal for sucking the solder, so I would recommend adding solder to each pin one at a time as you go along, that way when you put the solder sucking iron on there (make sure it's very hot) you get a good seal and pull up all the solder. Depress the bulb BEFORE you put the iron on the pin, you don't want to blow solder all over your board. Be patient, make sure you get all the solder from each pin and that you can wiggle the pin freeely. If there is still solder left you can pull up a trace when you remove the old bios. It's repairable, but really bad. Again, patience is key. When you remove the old chip, you want to make sure to pull it evenly from both ends and do it slowly to make sure nothing is being pulled up on the solder side. Reapply heat as needed to make sure it goes smoothly.
You should read some basic soldering tip guides first to be familiar with proper technique as well.
andy251203
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I would like to learn how to do it, please guys teach me or at least point me to the right direction! I can pay guys to teach me!
Please?
Problem here is that you would be learning "to fish" by catching a shark on your first experience. If you must learn, I'd practice soldering on other circuit boards that you don't care to screw up before you try doing your AES. Soldering, like most hands on skills can only be learned through experience.
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Definitly get some junk PCB's to learn how to desolder.
Even then, the AES PCB is rather difficult... I learned to desloder on some old PC cards.... But the AES bios gave me more problems.
Even then, the AES PCB is rather difficult... I learned to desloder on some old PC cards.... But the AES bios gave me more problems.
Murray
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In addition to what everyone else has said ...
Get the following:
Solder, soldering iron, desoldering iron, socket
Get some crap PCB with through-hole ICs on it to practice with the desoldering iron. It's a LOT hotter than the soldering iron in this case and can wreck your board if you're not careful with it. Once you can successfully remove one (preferably one with a lot of pins), remove the bios from the AES board and solder the socket in its place, being sure to get pin 1 on the socket (and thus pin 1 on the new bios) lined up with pin 1 on the board.
Get the following:
Solder, soldering iron, desoldering iron, socket
Get some crap PCB with through-hole ICs on it to practice with the desoldering iron. It's a LOT hotter than the soldering iron in this case and can wreck your board if you're not careful with it. Once you can successfully remove one (preferably one with a lot of pins), remove the bios from the AES board and solder the socket in its place, being sure to get pin 1 on the socket (and thus pin 1 on the new bios) lined up with pin 1 on the board.
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Also, Don't get cheap ass sockets...
Get the wirewrapd
Get the wirewrapd
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It not rocket science because it only through hole technology. Removing the custom LSPC surface mount chip with nothing more than your soldering iron no fancy desoldering station without damaging the board or chip, now that a challenge.
Don't be intimidated, just apply some fresh LEADED solder to all 40 pins of the stock bios and use a standard solder sucker, you don't need a electric one to suck out the majority of the solder. When you suck out the majority of the solder use some solder wick to completely free the pins of the chip. When you done this to all 40 pins just use a flat head screw driver to see if you can separate the chip from board, if there is resistance stop immediate as the chip is still solder to the board by a pin or two and go over the chips legs with solder wick again being careful not to burn the traces out.
Don't be intimidated, just apply some fresh LEADED solder to all 40 pins of the stock bios and use a standard solder sucker, you don't need a electric one to suck out the majority of the solder. When you suck out the majority of the solder use some solder wick to completely free the pins of the chip. When you done this to all 40 pins just use a flat head screw driver to see if you can separate the chip from board, if there is resistance stop immediate as the chip is still solder to the board by a pin or two and go over the chips legs with solder wick again being careful not to burn the traces out.
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Definitely use leaded solder. It's less prone to cold joints.
I'd recommend the piggy-back socket method if you're a beginner. It's a very tight space working around the AES bios. Get a magnifying glass, a fine tipe soldering iron, some fine-guage solder, desoldering pump, etc. Practice on PCBs first, whichever method u are using. Read a few soldering guides on the internet.
I'd recommend the piggy-back socket method if you're a beginner. It's a very tight space working around the AES bios. Get a magnifying glass, a fine tipe soldering iron, some fine-guage solder, desoldering pump, etc. Practice on PCBs first, whichever method u are using. Read a few soldering guides on the internet.
Kold_Stare
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cool
Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated.
Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated.
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I think the piggyback method is actually harder since you have to offset it to the right to avoid the slot shutter hitting the uptop bios and knocking it out of the socket.
This is of course assuming that's the mobo you have.
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I have had problems with my unibios coming out of its socket (very often). Raz says to bend the pins slightly outwards at the ends before you put the bios in. I thought it was the pressure of putting the mvs converter(with cart) in the slot, or giving the console a jolt, that causes it. Or maybe if i'd used a better socket. I have thought of just clipping the chip to the socket somehow. My mobo is about serial no. 60000( can't remember what rev it is).
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If you have the time and dont want to actually remove the stock bios you can put the socket on a small PCB and run wires from the PCB from pin-to-pin on the stock bios. You can then mount the small PCB away from the cart shutter.
