We are currently running low on the Virtual Tap and Servo Emulators. We will not be restocking the Virtual Taps once they run out. CastleMania Games will be providing Virtual Tap kits after we have run out. The Servo Emulators will likely be restocked, but in low quantities due to lower interest overall and being easier to acquire parts for. We also released our boards for these on OSHPark. In case someone wants to make their own.

The Nomad Triple Bypass and Colecovision RGB prototypes are currently being made. If there are no further changes necessary on either, these will go into production ASAP. The Nomad should be complete now. Based on the last prototype board and the very minor change made to provide better video in bypass mode to all screen types. We will be working on making some videos to showcase the new audio and video output.

If the final concern with the Colecovision RGB board was addressed, then those will also be ready for production. We apologize for the long timeline on these. It was very necessary to ensure that all the issues were being addressed going forward. For anyone familiar with the Colecovision consoles and their quirks, this should make sense.

As always thank you for your patience and support.

Virtual Tap kits are in our hands and programming has completed. We will be testing all kits the remainder of the week. On Monday we will be opening orders for kits. Both VGA and RGB are available. All kits will be fully tested before shipping.

There are no restrictions on the number of kits that can be purchased. Please remember these kits are sold only as a board and flex cable. You are responsible for providing the connector and any buttons or extras you want. Orders that include an install service do not need to worry about providing connectors or buttons. They are included as part of the install service.

We expect these to be quite popular and as such please understand that install services will likely see a long wait period. Before purchasing an install, please keep this in mind.

We are happy to finally be providing these to everyone who has been waiting. Thank you all for your patience and understanding while we worked on getting these ready.

Good news for everyone who has been waiting. The “TurboAmp” PC Engine/TurboGrafx 16 Stereo amplifier is now available for purchase. This is an inexpensive add-on for your consoles to enjoy high quality amplified stereo audio.

We are also happy to announce that Virtual Tap kits are now in hand and are being programmed and tested. Once testing is completed, we will open orders for the Virtual Tap kits.

More new kits will be coming in the future. We are finalizing testing on a few products that we hope to have available before the end of the year. Thank you all for patience and support this year.

It’s with a heavy heart that we let people know all repairs will be shipping back to their owners. We have been trying to get these addressed for a long time and just cannot dedicate the appropriate amount of time to do so. It’s not fair to the owners of these units that we keep them here. If you have moved since you sent in your repair, please reach out to us with your new address. Otherwise we will be returning repairs to the addresses we have currently.

We don’t intend on making exceptions for these and it may not be popular but it has to be done. There are too many here that are not getting the proper level of attention and we just don’t see having the time in the future. Expect to start seeing your repairs heading home beginning this week. Apologies for wasting your time if you were waiting.

Welcome to September. Beginning September 9, 2019 we will only be shipping on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If any of those days are federal holidays, your item will be shipped on the next regular shipping day for the shop. We will still be able to receive packages every day, including weekends, but we are no longer able to ship out daily.

Currently the workload is minimal and all we are focusing on is finishing the final remaining installs, finishing old repairs, and the R&D projects. Install services will periodically open up as space clears for those. Once all of the repairs are out of the way, higher availability for installs will allow for additional quantities. Going forward, all installs will maintain specific quantities. This is so we never have a repeat of the March/April situation that has had the shop behind for so long.

Now for the exciting things people are most interested in. The Nomad Triple Bypass is one of the most anticipated new products we have coming. Currently we are finishing up balancing the circuit to ensure this is THE only audio/video solution you will ever want/need. There is no current ETA as the manufacturing will determine the timeline. We have started ordering the final production pieces for the additional components. There will be DIY kits, Install Services, and optional upgrades available when these go up for sale. Please keep in mind that the request for these boards was to make them incredibly easy to install, but at a slightly higher price. So these will be more expensive than the standard Triple Bypass boards, they also have added functionality over the standard Triple Bypass.

Colecovision RGB boards are still being tested. Unfortunately there is no good ETA on these either. The goal is to have them done as soon as possible, but we need to make sure all of the edge cases issues there were encountered with the old boards are no longer present. It is still a priority to finish these. There are no specialty or custom parts needed here. So all that is needed is to finish making adjustments to the circuit and starting manufacturing.

Virtual Tap kits are waiting on parts. As soon as the parts are on hand, we can begin the mass production. With any luck this will be in the next month or 2. We will of course offer your choice of RGB or VGA. Just remember each board can only be 1 or the other. As soon as we can have these available we will. If these sell out quickly, which is not anticipated, we will likely produce more, but the batch size would be determined by interest levels. This could also affect pricing.

Just a small notice. The shop will be completely closed on August 24 and 25. If you attempt to contact us during that time, there will be no response until the 26th at least. We will not be working or available for communication during these days. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

So it’s been quite some time since we updated everyone on the happenings in the shop. The number one thing on everyone’s mind has been when are orders opening back up. We finally have an answer, sort of, soon! For those that have been following the shop on Twitter, you most likely have seen some of the news regarding shop status. For those that haven’t, here are the updates.

Number 1 update. We moved! We are no longer located in Westlake, Ohio. So please don’t send anything there. If you need the new address for any reason, please reach out. All install services were already updated to provide the new address.

Number 2 update. The backlog should FINALLY be done in the next week or so. This has taken far longer than we ever could have imagined and we are EXTREMELY thankful to everyone who has been so patient with us. Going forward when orders open up, we will be limiting the orders to what can be completed in a 1-2 week period. This way we can keep installs moving quickly and get your systems back to you fast.

Number 3 update. We will no longer accept repairs going forward. This is something we have talked about in the past but it is a definite no to repairs in the future. The reason for this is they take an extremely long time to diagnose and correct. This in turn throws off all other work in the shop. The repairs that have been on hold due to the backlog will be addressed and will represent the final repairs we do. Aside from the general recapping/refurbishing we do, which is not a “pure” repair situation.

Number 4 update. We are nearing completion on the Nomad Triple Bypass boards. These will enable pristine RGB video and greatly enhanced audio from your Sega Nomad handheld. These will be sold as DIY and as install service jobs. The audio circuit we have designed is on par with that of the MegaDrive 1 VA3, considered to be the perfect revision for sound. No price has been determined for these at this time, but we will have pricing before the sales go live to prepare everyone.

Number 5 update. Colecovision RGB and CDX Triple Bypass boards are still not complete. The CDX boards are being redesigned at the request of many customers. These will now include a means of utilizing the headphone output. These are on hold until the Nomad circuit is complete however. The Colecovision RGB circuit is in final testing. If everything tests out well, then we will finally have the new boards produced. At this time, we do not intend on raising the prices for these boards, but if the manufacturing costs increase then we may have to adjust accordingly.

Final update. Virtual Tap kits have been tested and we hope to enter production with these soon. The number one hold up here is the overall cost of manufacturing and the time needed for testing. We have not yet built a production test rig for these so that will be a necessity for production.

Expect to start seeing install services opening back up soon and again thank you all for being so patient. If you were in the final group of installs and haven’t received your system back yet, it will be back to you soon. To everyone else, more good stuff is coming this year. Keep your eyes and ears peeled.