NintendoAge http://nintendoage.com/forum/ -Sqooner RetroUSB AVS Initial Impressions http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=106&threadid=166717 2016-09-20T13:19:48 -05.00 geddon_jt 29 Originally posted by: Kamina

So I got mine in yesterday, and its absolutely wonderful. However, I'm facing an odd issue regarding expansion audio.

When I test any games from my Powerpak with the extra audio channels, some work and some don't. For example, Doki Doki Panic and Metroid for DDS work perfectly fine. However, Gimmick and Akumajou Dracula won't give the extra audio channels no matter how high the setting is. I've tried several times, with several ROMs, to no avail. It's worth noting I'm using all the latest Power mappers and such. Any help would be appreciated, I was really excited to play Gimmick in 720 but it doesn't feel right with audio missing. EDIT: also, I did in fact update the systems firmware to the latest 1.10
Doki Doki and Metroid use different mappers than Akumajo Densetsu and Gimmick. I'm not as familiar with the powerpak as I am with the Everdrive, but it sounds like you need to change or add some mapper support for these titles.

Akumajo Densetsu uses the Konami VRC6 mapper. Gimmick uses the Sunsoft 5B mapper.

Fix these mappers and you should fix your audio. You may have to download unofficial or custom mappers as I don't know if they are fully supported on the powerpak through a normal update. On Everdrive to get the sound right you have to use unofficial mappers that are in a stickied post on the Everdrive N8 forum.
  ]]> RetroUSB AVS Initial Impressions http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=106&threadid=166717 2016-09-20T12:04:06 -05.00 geddon_jt 29 Originally posted by: Trojanarius

I feel like I'm going to break my NES cartridge each time I insert it into and withdraw it from my AVS. It's, like, way too tight. I wouldn't even want my prom date to be that tight. Anyone else experiencing this? It gripped my Life Force cart tight, but that game had a slightly thicker PCB that also was tight in my NOAC clone consoles. It loosened a bit after a few times.

  ]]> RetroUSB AVS Initial Impressions http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=106&threadid=166717 2016-09-20T11:47:56 -05.00 geddon_jt 29 RetroUSB AVS Initial Impressions http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=106&threadid=166717 2016-09-20T11:34:18 -05.00 geddon_jt 29 RetroUSB AVS Initial Impressions http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=106&threadid=166717 2016-09-20T11:07:26 -05.00 geddon_jt 29
When I test any games from my Powerpak with the extra audio channels, some work and some don't. For example, Doki Doki Panic and Metroid for DDS work perfectly fine. However, Gimmick and Akumajou Dracula won't give the extra audio channels no matter how high the setting is. I've tried several times, with several ROMs, to no avail. It's worth noting I'm using all the latest Power mappers and such. Any help would be appreciated, I was really excited to play Gimmick in 720 but it doesn't feel right with audio missing. EDIT: also, I did in fact update the systems firmware to the latest 1.10 ]]> RetroUSB AVS Initial Impressions http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=106&threadid=166717 2016-09-20T03:32:22 -05.00 geddon_jt 29 Originally posted by: Too Beaucoup
 
Originally posted by: TheCavalry
 
Originally posted by: Too Beaucoup

So my AVS arrived today. I was super-excited to fire it up. I hooked everything up, messed with the menu settings, clicked "start cart" and I got nothing, just a black screen... so I started the unit over, chose start cart and nothing... black screen. Thinking maybe it was the game, I tried several others and got the same thing. I originally had the system plugged into my AV receiver, which is a very high end unit and has never had a problem with any device, so I decided to go straight into my TV, a 60" high-end Sony LCD, that's only a few years old and accepts every resolution under the sun, that I've ever tried and still, nothing... So I brought the console into my bedroom and hooked it up to a bargain-bin RCA LCD that was dirt cheap from several years ago and what do you know, suddenly, it worked... so wtf... I played on it for a few minutes and then brought it back out into the living room and tried it on my good TV again and all of a sudden, it worked...

Now, I'm a little concerned that something is wrong with my unit. These systems feel like they're decent quality and I'm sure they are, but lets be honest, they were all made in a Chinese sweatshop with, God only knows, what quality of parts. I don't know if I should contact RetroUSB and ask to exchange it or what. However, I don't think it's normal that it wouldn't work, the first dozen times that I tried it, then all of a sudden decide to start working. This thing is pretty spendy to hang onto and cross my fingers that something isn't, genuinely, wonky with it. On a side note to that, while I was playing a game, I realized I hadn't closed the little door on the system, so I went over and gently shut it, the tiny vibration from shutting the door froze up my game and made it go all pixelated and I had to restart the system. I don't know how normal that seems either... It's disappointing because everyone has been giving this thing such praise.

I don't even know if this thing has any kind of warranty on it. There's nothing on RetroUSB's site that addresses anything like that. It leaves me a little worried...

Make sure your carts are clean. For real. Give them a once-over with some isopropyl and a q-tip.

Update your firmware. Make sure the HDMI cable is plugged all the way in and is getting a good handshake with your tv.

No issues to report on my end, though I updated the firmware first thing out of the box.
 


Oh, believe me, my cart contacts all get polished, once a year. I'm obsessive about it. The first few games I tried were all cleaned a couple of weeks ago and were just played in my regular NES about a week ago. I haven't updated the firmware yet, which I was planning on doing and I'm sure RetroUSB is totally on the up and up, so I'm certainly not crapping on them or the product. It was just a little concerning. Edit: Imgur link broke. http://imgur.com/a/69C62 relinked

It could also be cartridge fit. I have an issue that I just documented with my Dragon Warrior game. I think some carts may prevent the NES slot from getting a good enough fit to read the pins. Not sure if its something that can just be fixed by filing down some plastic or its a larger problem with how the connector is made.  ]]> RetroUSB AVS Initial Impressions http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=106&threadid=166717 2016-09-20T02:41:31 -05.00 geddon_jt 29 Originally posted by: TheCavalry
 
Originally posted by: Too Beaucoup

So my AVS arrived today. I was super-excited to fire it up. I hooked everything up, messed with the menu settings, clicked "start cart" and I got nothing, just a black screen... so I started the unit over, chose start cart and nothing... black screen. Thinking maybe it was the game, I tried several others and got the same thing. I originally had the system plugged into my AV receiver, which is a very high end unit and has never had a problem with any device, so I decided to go straight into my TV, a 60" high-end Sony LCD, that's only a few years old and accepts every resolution under the sun, that I've ever tried and still, nothing... So I brought the console into my bedroom and hooked it up to a bargain-bin RCA LCD that was dirt cheap from several years ago and what do you know, suddenly, it worked... so wtf... I played on it for a few minutes and then brought it back out into the living room and tried it on my good TV again and all of a sudden, it worked...

Now, I'm a little concerned that something is wrong with my unit. These systems feel like they're decent quality and I'm sure they are, but lets be honest, they were all made in a Chinese sweatshop with, God only knows, what quality of parts. I don't know if I should contact RetroUSB and ask to exchange it or what. However, I don't think it's normal that it wouldn't work, the first dozen times that I tried it, then all of a sudden decide to start working. This thing is pretty spendy to hang onto and cross my fingers that something isn't, genuinely, wonky with it. On a side note to that, while I was playing a game, I realized I hadn't closed the little door on the system, so I went over and gently shut it, the tiny vibration from shutting the door froze up my game and made it go all pixelated and I had to restart the system. I don't know how normal that seems either... It's disappointing because everyone has been giving this thing such praise.

I don't even know if this thing has any kind of warranty on it. There's nothing on RetroUSB's site that addresses anything like that. It leaves me a little worried...

Make sure your carts are clean. For real. Give them a once-over with some isopropyl and a q-tip.

Update your firmware. Make sure the HDMI cable is plugged all the way in and is getting a good handshake with your tv.

No issues to report on my end, though I updated the firmware first thing out of the box.
 

Oh, believe me, my cart contacts all get polished, once a year. I'm obsessive about it. The first few games I tried were all cleaned a couple of weeks ago and were just played in my regular NES about a week ago. I haven't updated the firmware yet, which I was planning on doing and I'm sure RetroUSB is totally on the up and up, so I'm certainly not crapping on them or the product. It was just a little concerning. ]]> RetroUSB AVS Initial Impressions http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=106&threadid=166717 2016-09-20T02:06:58 -05.00 geddon_jt 29 Originally posted by: Too Beaucoup

So my AVS arrived today. I was super-excited to fire it up. I hooked everything up, messed with the menu settings, clicked "start cart" and I got nothing, just a black screen... so I started the unit over, chose start cart and nothing... black screen. Thinking maybe it was the game, I tried several others and got the same thing. I originally had the system plugged into my AV receiver, which is a very high end unit and has never had a problem with any device, so I decided to go straight into my TV, a 60" high-end Sony LCD, that's only a few years old and accepts every resolution under the sun, that I've ever tried and still, nothing... So I brought the console into my bedroom and hooked it up to a bargain-bin RCA LCD that was dirt cheap from several years ago and what do you know, suddenly, it worked... so wtf... I played on it for a few minutes and then brought it back out into the living room and tried it on my good TV again and all of a sudden, it worked...

Now, I'm a little concerned that something is wrong with my unit. These systems feel like they're decent quality and I'm sure they are, but lets be honest, they were all made in a Chinese sweatshop with, God only knows, what quality of parts. I don't know if I should contact RetroUSB and ask to exchange it or what. However, I don't think it's normal that it wouldn't work, the first dozen times that I tried it, then all of a sudden decide to start working. This thing is pretty spendy to hang onto and cross my fingers that something isn't, genuinely, wonky with it. On a side note to that, while I was playing a game, I realized I hadn't closed the little door on the system, so I went over and gently shut it, the tiny vibration from shutting the door froze up my game and made it go all pixelated and I had to restart the system. I don't know how normal that seems either... It's disappointing because everyone has been giving this thing such praise.

I don't even know if this thing has any kind of warranty on it. There's nothing on RetroUSB's site that addresses anything like that. It leaves me a little worried...
Make sure your carts are clean. For real. Give them a once-over with some isopropyl and a q-tip.

Update your firmware. Make sure the HDMI cable is plugged all the way in and is getting a good handshake with your tv.

No issues to report on my end, though I updated the firmware first thing out of the box.
  ]]> RetroUSB AVS Initial Impressions http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=106&threadid=166717 2016-09-20T01:28:43 -05.00 geddon_jt 29 RetroUSB AVS Initial Impressions http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=106&threadid=166717 2016-09-20T01:20:10 -05.00 geddon_jt 29