The ‘Cheap Yellow Display’, or CYD, is becoming a staple in these circles, and with good reason: just like the name says, it’s cheap, it has a display, and of course an ESP32 microcontroller to give it lots of brainpower. What it doesn’t come with is a lot of RAM, which was a problem for [DynaMite]’s project. What was there to do but solder on more PSRAM so the CYD could become a mini TV for retrogaming?
Depending what you want to play, you might not need the extra memory. In [DynaMite]’s case, he wanted to run Retro-Go, which opens up a lot more than just the standard NES emulator you can run on an unmodified CYD — including 16-bit systems like the SNES and Sega Genesis/MegaDrive or even DOOM. Adding the PSRAM is just a matter of getting the little chip onto an unpopulated footprint on the board, cutting some traces, and adding a bodge wire. It’s not nothing, but it’s not impossible.
While he was slinging solder, [DynaMite] also took the time to swap some resistors in a step that apparently does great things for the CYD’s sound output, which is… not great, from stock. For really good sound, you really need to break out I2S, but for a tiny game system this is doubtless good enough.
The whole thing goes into a lovely retro TV case that takes its design cues from The Simpsons, which is available via the link as a STEP file as well as STLs. He’s also got a vibe-coded video player application — think of it like the VCR, maybe —and a launcher that will switch betwixt that and the emulator or any other applications stored as .bin files on an SD-card. Check it out in action in the demo video below.
Emulating video games is one source of retro fun, but if you want the full experience you also need to emulate broadcast TV. Don’t forget the preview channel!
What a hack ! Dude soldered a PSRAM chip on its dedicated footprint, and flashed a stock firmware that he found online. That´s genius.
3d Printing could count as experimental technologies, therefore hacking.
What did you hack? Reverse engineer a Tesla and made it run on gas?
That’s been done
Not on producer gas it hasn’t
What’s your latest hack? If you’ve done better, send it to the tip line!
I’m sure we’d all welcome seeing a hand-etched CPU or something, if you’re up to it.
bro if i added a single led to a water cooler so i could refill my cup at midnight without turning on the lights it’d be a hack
i suggest you settle back down in your armchair
Well, this is hacking, it is doing things with hardware that were never intended to be done.
It’s DIY, and yes still a hack, but not a great argument, it was explicitly designed for the ram to be added and firmware to be flashed.
You forgot “/S”. /S ;-)
I do kinda have to agree.
And in case anyone asks, my last “hack” was figuring out how to to functional programming with local variables in Windows bat/CMD scripts.
I see it under the label of “esoteric” programing.
Full write up:
https://www.instructables.com/CYD-Retro-Mini-TV-Play-Videos-and-Retro-Games/#
Duke 3D is running quite slow I’d say…