Topvint
@topvint.co.uk
Restoring, fixing and otherwise tinkering with game consoles and electronics. #retrogaming
I now have an online shop! I sell pre-modded consoles, small mods and send-in services. Find out more at topvint.co.uk
I now have an online shop! I sell pre-modded consoles, small mods and send-in services. Find out more at topvint.co.uk
Time to play some games!
November 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Time to play some games!
The wire needs to be connected to pin 7 of the expansion port in the MODE (labelled "region"). For that I soldered the wire to a jumper wire and used that to connect to the JST connector.
November 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
The wire needs to be connected to pin 7 of the expansion port in the MODE (labelled "region"). For that I soldered the wire to a jumper wire and used that to connect to the JST connector.
The VDP2 can be in different places and labelled differently in different motherboard revisions. Luckily I found some block diagrams for this revision which clearly shows VDP2 as IC14. All what was left was to lift the pin 79 and solder a wire to it
November 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
The VDP2 can be in different places and labelled differently in different motherboard revisions. Luckily I found some block diagrams for this revision which clearly shows VDP2 as IC14. All what was left was to lift the pin 79 and solder a wire to it
The customer also wanted to play games from other regions as well as possible. The MODE already allows this on-the-fly as game load, but to do a 50/60hz switch, pin 70 of the Video Display Processor 2 needs to be connected to one of the pins on the MODE PCB.
November 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
The customer also wanted to play games from other regions as well as possible. The MODE already allows this on-the-fly as game load, but to do a 50/60hz switch, pin 70 of the Video Display Processor 2 needs to be connected to one of the pins on the MODE PCB.
I also replaced the battery, which was flat. The battery is still needed for the Real Time Clock so you don't have to put the date and time everytime the console starts!
November 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
I also replaced the battery, which was flat. The battery is still needed for the Real Time Clock so you don't have to put the date and time everytime the console starts!
To test that the FRAM was holding the memory even with no battery, I started up SimCity 2000 and created a new Topvint City. Then turned off the console and checked it was still there. I then deleted the save as it turns out Topvint City takes a lot of space 😁
November 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
To test that the FRAM was holding the memory even with no battery, I started up SimCity 2000 and created a new Topvint City. Then turned off the console and checked it was still there. I then deleted the save as it turns out Topvint City takes a lot of space 😁
After the recap, I proceeded to do the FRAM mod. This replaces the stock SRAM which needs to be powered to keep the memory contents (through the battery). So if the battery dies, so do the game saves! The new chip gets powered through 5V from the board so it doesn't need a battery to operate.
November 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
After the recap, I proceeded to do the FRAM mod. This replaces the stock SRAM which needs to be powered to keep the memory contents (through the battery). So if the battery dies, so do the game saves! The new chip gets powered through 5V from the board so it doesn't need a battery to operate.
The first task was to recap the motherboard after full disassembly. The motherboard revision was a VA13 which uses through-hole capacitors. I got my capacitor kit from RetroUpgrades.
November 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
The first task was to recap the motherboard after full disassembly. The motherboard revision was a VA13 which uses through-hole capacitors. I got my capacitor kit from RetroUpgrades.
The Terraonion MODE device is an Optical Drive Emulator which accepts SATA HDDs and SSDs, as well as SD cards and USB drives. It works both on Dreamcast and Saturn consoles, and seems pretty good!. The console also came with a JVC Video CD expansion card, which I had never seen
November 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
The Terraonion MODE device is an Optical Drive Emulator which accepts SATA HDDs and SSDs, as well as SD cards and USB drives. It works both on Dreamcast and Saturn consoles, and seems pretty good!. The console also came with a JVC Video CD expansion card, which I had never seen
Order #5017
I recapped, did an FRAM mod & a 50/60hz refresh rate modification in this PAL #Sega Saturn with a Terraonion MODE. I then used it to create a new Topvint City! 🤯
Want to see how I did it? check below! 👇
I recapped, did an FRAM mod & a 50/60hz refresh rate modification in this PAL #Sega Saturn with a Terraonion MODE. I then used it to create a new Topvint City! 🤯
Want to see how I did it? check below! 👇
November 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Order #5017
I recapped, did an FRAM mod & a 50/60hz refresh rate modification in this PAL #Sega Saturn with a Terraonion MODE. I then used it to create a new Topvint City! 🤯
Want to see how I did it? check below! 👇
I recapped, did an FRAM mod & a 50/60hz refresh rate modification in this PAL #Sega Saturn with a Terraonion MODE. I then used it to create a new Topvint City! 🤯
Want to see how I did it? check below! 👇
Feels like summer was just yesterday, but the Christmas Holiday notice just gone up in the shop. There is still a fair amount of time but do consider the cut off time if you are interested in my send-in services or mods. As always, thank you for your support
November 8, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Feels like summer was just yesterday, but the Christmas Holiday notice just gone up in the shop. There is still a fair amount of time but do consider the cut off time if you are interested in my send-in services or mods. As always, thank you for your support
Finally I partitioned and configured a 500GB SSD (provided by the customer) with XBMC4Gamers using FatXplorer. Remember that if you are installing Cerbios 3.0.0, the location of Cerbios.ini and boot animations has changed! 😁
November 1, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Finally I partitioned and configured a 500GB SSD (provided by the customer) with XBMC4Gamers using FatXplorer. Remember that if you are installing Cerbios 3.0.0, the location of Cerbios.ini and boot animations has changed! 😁
For the modding process, I first soft-modded the console using a Skeleton Key (Rocky5's softmod). I then run XblastOS in the modded console to flash the TSOP using Net Flashing. Overall this was a super-easy method for TSOP flashing (only 2 points in the motherboard need bridging to enable write)
November 1, 2025 at 9:31 PM
For the modding process, I first soft-modded the console using a Skeleton Key (Rocky5's softmod). I then run XblastOS in the modded console to flash the TSOP using Net Flashing. Overall this was a super-easy method for TSOP flashing (only 2 points in the motherboard need bridging to enable write)
I also opened up and refurbished the DVD drive, which again, was in pretty good condition!
November 1, 2025 at 9:31 PM
I also opened up and refurbished the DVD drive, which again, was in pretty good condition!
I also poliched the jewel and applied plastic protector to the rest of the shell
November 1, 2025 at 9:31 PM
I also poliched the jewel and applied plastic protector to the rest of the shell
The metal shield did not have much rust compared to many other original xboxes I have seen. It still had a bit of rust around the fan area, which I sanded off.
November 1, 2025 at 9:31 PM
The metal shield did not have much rust compared to many other original xboxes I have seen. It still had a bit of rust around the fan area, which I sanded off.
For the shells, I first cleaned them with warm soap and water 💦
November 1, 2025 at 9:31 PM
For the shells, I first cleaned them with warm soap and water 💦
I also replaced the thermal paste even if somebody had already been in the console and replaced it (I did not know before removing the heat sinks)
November 1, 2025 at 9:31 PM
I also replaced the thermal paste even if somebody had already been in the console and replaced it (I did not know before removing the heat sinks)
Even if all revisions apart from the 1.6 can work without the clock capacitor, I installed a new one. I also recapped the PSU, and added new silicone glue to replace the one that I removed during the recapping process. This is useful to avoid coil whine coming from vibrations of various components
November 1, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Even if all revisions apart from the 1.6 can work without the clock capacitor, I installed a new one. I also recapped the PSU, and added new silicone glue to replace the one that I removed during the recapping process. This is useful to avoid coil whine coming from vibrations of various components
The consoles was in very good condition overall, apart from some of the capacitors which were starting to bulge. I created a capacitor map as I couldn't find any for this model.
November 1, 2025 at 9:31 PM
The consoles was in very good condition overall, apart from some of the capacitors which were starting to bulge. I created a capacitor map as I couldn't find any for this model.
Order #4751
I refurbished, recapped, installed an SSD and flashed the TSOP of this gorgeous #OGxbox
Want to see more pictures of the process? Check below 👇
I refurbished, recapped, installed an SSD and flashed the TSOP of this gorgeous #OGxbox
Want to see more pictures of the process? Check below 👇
November 1, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Order #4751
I refurbished, recapped, installed an SSD and flashed the TSOP of this gorgeous #OGxbox
Want to see more pictures of the process? Check below 👇
I refurbished, recapped, installed an SSD and flashed the TSOP of this gorgeous #OGxbox
Want to see more pictures of the process? Check below 👇
