Yesterware

The goal of this article is 1) to provide a self-contained explanation of analog video synchronization signals which includes why and how they interact with the rest of the video process, 2) to provide enough information for people to choose the right cables for their classic gaming consoles which includes addressing the reasons for the strong opinions that exist on this topic. If all you want is the TL;DR, just skip to the end of the article for the readout. My sincerest intention is to not only represent my own opinions along with the facts that drive them but also faithfully represent the viewpoint of those who differ with me.  It seems the issue of proper construction of RGB SCART cables, and concurrently the right of RGB SCART cables to even exist has many feelings, hyperbole and misinformation entangled within it.   While a person's reputation and expertise is definitely a good reason to take their advice, you also need to consider whether that person is motivated b...

Starting with a Dual Shock controller of unknown origin (I think it was bundled with one of the many used Playstations I've bought in my lifetime) and unknown function.     Before Not even hiding in their little recesses were the screw heads safe from the crud. The screw heads encrusted with who knows what. Sweat, food, mold, dandruff.  Sure loves to hide in the cracks. Mmm pet hair. Even more pet hair, yay. No recess is safe Ever wonder what gets up under the D-pad?  Well wonder no more. After After several passes through the ultrasonic cleaner, and some judicious application of compressed air, things are looking pretty clean. Most of the discoloration is gone from these screws, though I believe what remains is likely corrosion that can't be cleaned off without abrasion. The ultrasonic nailed every nook and cranny I used to spend a lot of time with toothbrushes trying to get at spots like this. Well no longer thanks to the power of sound. No crud was safe from the v...

Once again, it's time for me to tell a personal story around the topic of this post, if you don't care then make like Jack Webb and get just the facts by skipping to the last paragraph.   A Long Almost Irrelevant Story In 1989 it's safe to say that my brain was soaked in Super Mario Bros. fandom. It was a gradual progression that started the previous year (1988) when a friend and I had begun playing through Super Mario Bros. 2 together.  It was only by a stroke of fortune that I ever got to play it at all.  It was October and the game had instantly sold out everywhere.  Nintendo had sent out the first issue of Nintendo Power with Super Mario Bros. 2 on the cover to build anticipation and I guess it worked. The national news was carrying footage of mobs converging on Toys R Us in vain to fight over a handful of copies of the game. The local news also ran stories about the new phenomenon. TV Guide ran a two page article about it.   If I hadn't been in th...

I'm a sucker for the older sprite-based 2D Mario games and when I learned that a prototype of a Super Mario World-esque game called " Mario's Wacky Worlds " for the CDI had surfaced, I knew I had to play it.  This was around 13 years ago.  I hunted around for a while and found a decent deal on a CDI-220 system bundled with a game controller and a remote.   When my system arrived, I set it up, burned a copy of the prototype to a CD-R and got about 10 minutes of fun poking around the incomplete demo before exhausting it.  Next I tried out The 7th Guest which had held my curiosity since being announced as a title in development for the cancelled SNES CD-ROM addon. There was something wrong with the copy I downloaded and I couldn't get the game to work properly.  So I took the next reasonable step and bought copies of the "awful" Zelda titles that were released for the system.  Those two were good for less than an hour of combined fun so I put the system...