How I got my DSP-1 installed and working.

[AtariBorn]

I couldn't, for the life of me, find a decent write-up on how to do this. So I thought I'd throw this out there for anyone who was having trouble getting this thing going.

I started with a version 1.6 Super Everdrive and a spare Mario Kart.

I removed the DSP1B from my Mario Kart sac cart and the clock generator (on mine, it was a small, white, rectangular block).





I soldered the DPS1 on its designated spot on the Everdrive and noticed the clock generator had no markings at all and I wasn't sure which direction it should be soldered on. I could tell where on the board it should be (on the opposite side of the DSP).



I did notice that it had a small red dot on one side, looked almost like a red marker dot, like the results of the QC department or something. After hours of searching to no avail, I took a shot in the dark and just soldered it in.



I tried loading Mario Kart and never got passed the coin up sound after the Nintendo logo. I tried Pilot Wings and got all the way through the menu but never loaded the first level. So I desoldered the clock generator and soldered it back in the reverse position and had the same results as before. It was obvious that something was wrong.

I needed the 74HCU04 chip that everyone was claiming came inside the Pilot Wings cart. Well, I didn’t use a Pilot Wings cart and my Mario Kart didn't have the 74HCU04 chip. I knew there was a square marked on the Everdrive for the chip, but it wasn't until recently that I had heard that it wasn't optional, you need this to enable the DSP.

So I got to Googling what devices/games would contain the chip and ran across a forum mentioning its existence in the original NES. I just happened to have a couple spare "spring loaded" NES control decks lying around and I cracked one open. Low and behold, there was a 74HCU04 inside.



It took a little while, in fact it took a lot of effort to get this little guy out. After heating and desoldering and heating and desoldering, I got it out and 2 minutes later, it was soldered into its new home in my new Super Everdrive.



I tested every DSP enabled ROM I had and everything works great! :-)





I never did figure out what the deal was with the resistor everyone was talking about. I hope I don't find out later that it was a critical component. :rolleyes:

I hope this helps someone. Oh, and if I'm misinforming anyone on this process, please let me know. I just had a hell of a time trying to find a decent walkthrough on this and found next to nothing.