Best Way to go about the RGB Bypass

Lord Igniz

n00b
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Dec 24, 2019
Posts
44
Hi all,

New here, but wanted to start off by saying I've spent many hours researching this topic before making this thread. That being said:

I purchased a Neo Geo 3-6 last time I was in Japan. I finally had some time to mess with it this week and noticed this horribly ugly checkerboard pattern on the screen when hooked up via component (RGB inputs). It was present on both my consumer grade Sony Trinitron CRT as well as my PVM. No such "filter" when using composite video, however. I then read through this thread that explained my issue precisely.

That led me to MMMonkey's write up on the RGB bypass, which led me to RetroRGB's post. Now, I do not really have much soldering skills and don't want to damage my expensive board, so looking online I found Ifixretro, who was actually recommended to me by a friend who used him to fix up his MVS board. However, this guy lives on the complete other side of the U.S from me, and seems he's quite busy.

So long story short: Would you guys recommend I get this board fixed, and any recommendations for someone on the west coast? Or is it preferable to simply buy a new AES system that is an earlier revision? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 

avramce

Kabuki Klasher
Joined
Sep 24, 2019
Posts
125
Are you hooking it up via component (YPbPr) or RGB? If component is an option, I would suggest an HD Retrovision cable. I had tried RGB via SCART using a custom cable from Retro-Access, but my 3-6 unit had checkboarding like you mentioned (most noticable test is the SNK logo on the boot screen).

With the HD Retrovision cables, the checkboarding is gone. My guess is that their RGB to YPbPr conversion handles the checkerboarding.
 

Lord Igniz

n00b
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Dec 24, 2019
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Yes, I am already using the Retrovision Cables, the checkerboard is very apparent with them on. I use the same cable on my Mega Drive, Saturn, and PC Engine and none of them have any issues.
 

Lord Igniz

n00b
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Dec 24, 2019
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Anyone have a suggestion? Is this normal on all Neo Geo 3-6 revisions? Am I better off just buying another, earlier AES that won't have this horrible mesh look on it?
 

Lord Igniz

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Dec 24, 2019
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Hi Smokey, thanks for the comment. Yes, I linked to mmmonkey's write-up in my original post. My main thing is I was worried about damaging the board or anything like that... Looks like you only need to cut one side of the traces. Any specific tool you'd recommend I use so as not to damage anything else on the board?

EDIT: Also, I noticed the article and all the comments on that page mention only something about the vertical lines. This is not the issue I'm having on my console, the problem is that there is this distinctive dots all over the screen. It looks like you are looking at your t.v through a screen door. Will this mod fix this issue as well?
 
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Lord Igniz

n00b
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Dec 24, 2019
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44
Alright, I'm going to open up my console tomorrow and cut those traces. Should I just use a straight razor to do the trick?
 

DaisyAge

Galford's Armourer
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Jun 10, 2018
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457
Straight razor, x-acto knife, or whatever will do the job cleanly.
 

shadowkn55

Genbu's Turtle Keeper
15 Year Member
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Dec 9, 2006
Posts
2,386
Straight razor, x-acto knife, or whatever will do the job cleanly.

^. Start with a light cut and then go deeper with successive cuts. Don't try to gouge the traces in one stroke. The knife might slip and cut other traces.
 

Lord Igniz

n00b
Joined
Dec 24, 2019
Posts
44
So I finally did the RGB bypass using Monkey's guide, worked like a charm. Thanks for the advice, I used a straight razor and it wasn't properly cutting the traces at first, but with slightly more pressure I was able to get em. I'd recommend to someone doing this in the future to also be patient, I'm usually trying to do things in a rush but glad I took a few more minutes for this job.

Quick question: I noticed a few of the capacitors had a glue like substance on them, I've seen capacitors leak before, but this looks more like a glue on them. The board's underside looked to be clean though, should I go ahead and replace said capacitors, and is there a guide on what is recommended to do? Will post pics on what it looks like soon.
 

Neo Alec

Ned's Ninja Academy Dropout
20 Year Member
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Dec 7, 2000
Posts
11,923
There's a school of thought that all capacitors need to be replaced, but you should be fine for now. I wouldn't worry about it -- cap issues are not considered a widespread problem for Neo Geo in general.
 
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